Any REALLY frugal moms?? How about yard sales? - Page 3

[Mommiska]

Wow - you mamas have inspired me!

I'm currently addicted to e-bay (the second-hand stores around here aren't great, although I got most of dd1's baby clothes at the second-hand stores near my in-laws - they live in the nice part of Glasgow, so the cast-offs are better!).

I've got all the cloth diapering stuff I need for around £60. And I've managed to buy summer clothes for all three of my children (including outfits for Easter and a summer wedding) for just under £100 total.

I'm planning now to see if I can sell some of my huge stash of children's clothes on e-bay to make some of that money back!

I used to get all the girls' clothes at a Gymboree sale store, but it recently closed down...such a sad, sad day for me. :LOL But I got some amazing deals from their closing down sale!

[mama2allgirls]

Wow, great thread. Bumping so it gets more hits

You all inspired me to go thrifting today, I have a friend coming by and I think she can be persuaded to come along.

[Mommy2Brittani]

OMG, you guys are inspiring me to go blueberrying...Must drag my friend Jackie along

[MommaCheesehead]

I love this thread I'm a frugal mama from way back. I refuse to buy if it's not on sale or I don't have a coupon. My family laughs at me about it all the time.

I love scouring clearance racks for things to sell on eBay. I bought 10 pairs of Gap maternity pants a few weeks ago for $2 a pair. I plan on listing them soon and hope to make a tidy profit. I hit yard sales all summer for name brand children's clothing to sell online during the appropriate season.

I'm a SAHM and make enough to keep me in spending money most weeks. DH loves it!!!

Someone said there's nothing like free pizza:LOL I totally agree. We had KFC last night compliments of my eBay sales this week.

[root*children]

thrift store critique

I too am addicted to reading the Tightwad Gazette. My largest hurdle in becoming FI (financially independent) is my hubby. He is addicted to spending money and no wonder, if you look as his parents spending habits and complete lack of a savings account, it is understandable. But he is trying. He is an outdoor kinda guy and wants only the top-quality gear ... Eeegads! that stuff costs SO much! Anyhow, we shop e-bay alot and sometimes find good deals, otherwise we go to http://www.sierratradingpost.com and get clearance outdoors stuff like smartwools, goretex stuff, etc. He is a kayaker and has found a great resource for discounted paddling gear - there is a company in town (Durango) that makes and sells paddling gear via mail-order. They also have a backroom where stuff gets thrown if it has been returned. He has gotten great scores from there if something had a loose thread or a tiny (yet repairable) hole.
Right now, I'm spending vacation in the big city of Omaha and thouroughly enjoying the yardsaling season getting starting! We don't have too many yardsales in SW CO, and they're mostly just crap anyhow.
But I read an earlier post about someone loving the Goodwill, and got inspired to post. I HATE the goodwill. As a seasoned yardsaler and bargain-hunter, I cannot believe how high their prices are! I have only found two kinds of good thrift stores. One is the type that is for-profit and maybe just donates a small amount of $$ to charity in exchange for being able to use the charity's name on the side of their pick-up trucks. I just recently went to a great one of these in Denver and another in Memphis, TN. Most things are basically yardsale prices. The other is a non-profit store that has volunteers working at it. They can also have good prices because they don't have to pay the employees.
Have a fun yardsalin season everyone!

[indie]

Goodwill does tend to have higher prices. I hate how they price all of their infant and children's clothes the same price without regard to what it is ($1.49 for infants and $2.49 for childrens). A lot of times I find onsies in perfect condition but I don't buy them because they end up being the same price as buying them new in the store.

[Lou]

i've been a thrift shopper since my teens- my parents would give my sis and i some money for back-to-school clothing and i'd hit thrift shops & vintage shops & come back with a TON of stuff- fun clothes, shoes, boots, you name it. my sis would go to the mall and come home with a shirt and a pair of jeans.
i've lived in a few cities across the USA- and always look for 'as is' thrift shops- they have the absolute best deals if you're willing to put in a little work- there's one in town that has $ 1 a bag clothing- i mean, a huge trash bag! i love it for fabrics- woolen soakers!!
also- check out www.freecycle.org - a yahoo group that brings people together to ask for and receive unwanted items- the ultimate in recycling, and it's ALL free! it's a phenemon spreading across the world and there are groups starting up in many cities- start one in your area if there isn't one yet!
i really feel my being low in hard cash has given me richness in so many other ways- self-sufficency, creativity, patience...

[myrrhmaid]

I would love to see the tightwad gazette-but I'm too cheap to buy it! :LOL
I am psychically connected to all the thrift stores in my vicinity. I 'put my order in'-sometimes it takes years-but eventually I get what I want. One of my proudest finds was a king size merino wool mattress pad for 8.! Those things go for a couple hundred $$$ from the co. store-and it was their brand too!!
I also got meditation beads that are baltic amber made at the turn of the last century for 3.! They must have thought they were plastic-I wasn't sure until I took them into the rock shop! SCORE!
This weekend we went yardsailing(:LOL) and got an oak entertainment center for 10.! It has the cool glass doors and pull out shelf and the whole bit! Hubby is VERY thrilled with that!
I also got a crockpot with the pull out pot for 1., a cloth yard umbrella that tilts for 3. and if you can believe this-I got some diamond earrings for .25!!!!!YES.25 They aren't honking big maybe 1/4 carat but hey...I'm going to take them in to get appraised.

I rarely buy anything new for myself-I just can't stand paying full retail price!
We love Sierra Trading Post too! Sometimes we even drive up to Reno to shop in their store.
I want to go 'blueberrying' SOO bad!!

[root*children]

ooh, i wish we could go to the Sierra Trading Post store... well then again it probably wouldn't be money saving b/c my spendthrift hubby would just buy everything! You got an awesome score with that mattress pad! I'm jealous!
Alot of libraries have the Tightwad Gazette, if you can stand to have to give it back after a couple weeks. I was surprised to find even the itty-bitty library close to us (which is on an Indian reservation) had it. It looked liked it had never been read. After checking it out and renewing it so many times, I just decided I'd break down and buy my own. There are 3 volumes and then 'The Complete Tightwad Gazette' containing all of them. I bought mine on Amazon.com for about 10 bucks I think. Another AWESOME website to go on to get for cheap, I just found out, is http://www.addall.com It will compare all the used bookstore websites you can think of, there are a thousand or so in it's database. So, you're sure to find a good deal! I don't mean to be an advertisement or anything, I am just loving all the great books I've found using this website, that I had to share!

[Island Mommy]

I used to be a downtown girl, big spender on clothes.

Then we read "Your Money or Your Life" and our life changed.

We are completely debt free (including no mortgage) and we work just as much as we need to, which right now means I work about 10 hours/week and dh isn't working at all. That provides us with enough money to live. We're thinking of going to Denmark this summer so I may up my hours a bit to cover the holiday.

Our island has a local recycling organization where I buy all my clothes except underwear. Usually it's $1/item for adult clothes, $.50 for kids. However, they get overrun with clothes and every so often have a $2/bag sale. I got about 10 items one day for $2.
Now when I have to pay $1/item I think it's too much! Crazy.

I no longer buy books or newspapers or mags, everything I get from the library...even Mothering.

Not to imply we're always frugal though. We fall off the wagon alot. DH is into woodworking and his tools are quite expensive. Then there's the dinner out once/week. One thing about living on an island though...there's not too much temptation!

[sleepies]

i love yard sales

i just pay what they are asking... i am not one to haggle at a yard sale, they are cheap enough.

i use to get TONS of stuff when my son was a baby, because baby clothes and baby items are LIKE NEW or better than new!

i buy less now,

i did just buy a throw blanket and some videos for my son at our neighbors.

i also like to get books there

[fyrflymommy]

hello everyone

i went to some yardsales last weekend!! woohoo! and i got a great price on 2 paintings. they were really big paintings, looked like they were by the same person. well, one of them (the one i like best) had pen marks all over the bottom of it. so i asked the lady if she'd take less. she said that some kid must have done that cuz it was fine when they brought it out. anyway, the paintings were $10 each but she let me have both for that price!

i love yard sales....

[Shefalismommy]

I just got loads of books for our baby at garage sales. Dr. Suess for 25c, who can beat that! It's great.

[Bestbirths]

Yeah, baby!!

I love garage sales and auctions. More than just buying for our family, I have purchased textbooks at garage sales, then sold them on amazon for much more. I buy things at garage sales and auctions, then resell them on ebay. That's what I do. I also dumster dive. My lawn mower came from the dumpster. It smokes a little because it is twenty years old, but it mows!! My kids toy horse-dumpster. A yellow slide-dumpster. The speakers for our surround sound-a dumpster, our desk-dumpster. Great Fun!!!!