Kate's Consignment Finds

OK, I love seeing everyone's goodies from consignment sales. Heck, I love seeing goodies from regular shopping excursions. Years ago, when Marsha and I would go shopping, we would come home (to her place or mine, depending on where we were) and then spread out all of our purchases in the living room and show them to each other. LOL! Never mind that we were together for the purchasing in the first place. (We are experts at talking each other into or out of buying something--my sister and I are the same way.) Even when we were on vacation in San Francisco, after a very FULL day of shopping and other fun, Marsh and I came back to our hotel room and spread out our goodies to review and to relive the day's bargains. My sister and I do this on Black Friday as well. It's a lot of fun! (Tanna will be rolling his eyes when he reads this.)

Anyway ... We are in the midst of spring consignment season here in the ATL. There are TONS of sales in the metro area, and I have already hit about four or five, I think. Check out http://thebargainwatcher.com/ for a great list of sales (and not just in Georgia). I am particularly fond of the sales that are fund-raisers ... say, for a church, for the children's hospital, or for a school.

By no means am I an expert consignment shopper. I am not making it to the sales at the opening hour--let alone standing in line before the door opens or volunteering to attend a presale. And I don't have the patience I once had to stand in a checkout line forever. Just yesterday, I was ready to leave behind a $5 Hanna Andersson dress and some $1 books because I didn't want to stand in an overwhelmingly long line with a 20-month-old in a stroller. But fortunately, this particular sale had an express lane for shoppers with 15 or less items. Yay!

Some of the hard-core shoppers come away with laundry baskets (or rolling trash cans) FULL of bargains, and I applaud them! They earn those deals, believe me! Before Kate was born, I attended some consignment sales and came away with some good finds--especially maternity clothes. If you are pregnant or a first-time mom with a child 12 months or younger, you can get into some of the sales during the volunteer- or seller-only times. It is worth looking into!

As for selling, I am participating in my first sale as a seller this weekend. At drop-off the other night, a lady told me I could have priced my items higher. I didn't have a lot; I thought I would start small and see how it goes. I am still learning how all of this works. My sister and SIL have participated in sales for a few years now, and they have done really well.

Anyway, taking after Donna G., I thought I would share with you some of our finds from the last few weeks of consignment sales. I try to be really picky because: 1) We don't NEED anything; and B) I can usually buy Gymboree items for the same price (or even cheaper) new in the store. I was on the lookout for chapter books for our nieces ... and any other little somethings that might catch my eye. The thrill of the hunt is half the fun!

Here are most of our consignment scores from the last few weeks:

From left to right: Summer Hanna Andersson playdress set ($13.50), Hanna polka-dot twirl dress ($10), Hanna stripe dress ($5), Lilly Pulitzer hoodie and whale pants ($5), Mini Boden top ($4).

A few notes: The first set has a couple of faint spots on it, but nothing bad at all. The second dress I LOVED in the store last year and have even looked at it on eBay (in red), but I never saw it at the right price. I am glad I found it because 90 (Kate's size) is the largest size it came in. The Lilly set is a little big, but I think it will fit great next fall/winter/spring. I LOVE the whale pants; they look like something straight out of The Official Preppy Handbook, which was very popular in my house growing up--not to mention my friend Michelle and I used to read it and quote it all the time in middle school. LOL! The Mini Boden piece was described on the tag as a cover-up, but it seems more like a long sweatshirt/casual dress or something of the sort to me. (It's much too hot around here for it to serve as a cover-up.) I am thinking we may wear it over leggings or perhaps skinny jeans. We'll see.

Perhaps one reason why some of these things were still around for me to find them (after the presale and after the first rush of customers) is because they (with the exception of the first set) seem to be more fallish than springy. Or maybe I just have strange taste.

Oh yeah--I also found a fun wooden stacking toy for Kate that she loves! And I have bought a lot of books--mostly for our nieces in Tennessee. I will pay $1 or $1.50 for them, but that's about my limit. I have been leaving behind those priced higher (because I know I can find them for less). I haven't really been one to go back on Saturday for the half-off sale, but maybe I will one day. We'll see ...

What are your favorite consignment finds? Please share!