Hey Mackelmore! Can we go thrift shopping??

Mackelmore and I have something in common: we know something about wearing a fur fox.  It's definitely true that one man's trash is another man's come-up treasure (I'm still not sure what come-up means.  Please forgive me if it's bad!)

I've been going crazy with the thrift shopping for Rudiger.  Buying stuff new for a baby that's going to wear / use it for only a few months just seems like crazy talk.  I LOVE hand-me-downs, and most of the time the quality is pretty good because again, the baby only used it for a little while!

So here's a few of the places I recommend for finding deals:

1)  Value Village.  It's pretty much Goodwill on steroids.  

Just one of the many books I scored at Value Village for Rudiger.

First, have you ever seen a cuter onesie?  Second, I'm not sure who exactly I bought Brave Heart for, but all I know is, when you see a Care Bear Cousin in pristine condition for $1, you buy it.

2)  Goodwill.  Goodwill was having a sale where all of their donated clothes (because apparently they have some clothes from Target and such that are new) were 50% off.  I was able to score 18 pieces of baby clothes plus 4 pairs of maternity pants for me for $30.  I'll call that a win alright.

3)  Craigslist.

The beloved BOB!!  I have one of my very own!  I stalked and stalked these puppies on Craigslist for forever, made a ton of lowball offers that got rejected or ignored, until finally somebody bit.  I scored this puppy for $100 and the quality seems good.  Considering these sell new for $300 (without any accessories, and don't forget tax!), I felt good about this deal. 

The only downfall was that it didn't come with the infant car seat adapter, and since it's a 2008 the new adapters sold at REI don't fit it, but a few more offers on Craigslist and I got not only the infant car seat adapter (which retail for $60 new) but ALSO a rain shield (definitely a necessity in Seattle!) for an additional $50.  So now I have NOTHING else for taking care of a baby (including the car seat that attaches to the car seat adapter!) but I can push it around the neighborhood in style.  :-)  Typical me.  

I could write a whole freaking book about my controversy over getting a BOB Revolution versus a BOB Ironman.  According to my research (i.e., please interpret with caution!), the Revolution has smaller wheels and lower-quality shocks, but the front wheel has the option of being locked for running or swivel for general use.  The swivel is apparently nice for just walking or using in a store.  The Ironman, on the other hand, is designed pretty much exclusively for running, therefore has larger wheels, better shocks, and the front wheel is permanently locked.

I actually seriously couldn't decide, and even now I'm not 100% sure about my decision.  I made offers on both, and it just so happened that this is the one that someone finally accepted.  I can always sell this one later and get the Revolution if I so choose, but it kind of came down to - WHY am I wanting this?  Oh, I'm wanting it for RUNNING.  Therefore I should get the stroller actually best suited for RUNNING.  I'll let you know when I change my mind in 2 days...

4)  Craigslist again.

So I've been looking on Craigslist for a glider / ottoman combo for a long time.  I wasn't sure that we really needed one, since we already have a recliner in our living room that will probably be adequate (do I really need a glider?  Be honest!), so didn't want to spend much on one if I got it.  Like the BOB, I had made a few low-ball offers on some on Craigslist but no bites.  So I was excited when I finally got one for $40.

It was a bit dingier in person though than it appeared online, which was disappointing.  No problem  though - all of the cushions come off with either ties or snaps so I'll just throw them in the washing machine to clean them up!  Um NO.  Do NOT do this.  I hadn't owned this glider for more than a few hours when I had already RUINED IT.  All of the cushions came out frayed and torn apart.  MISTAKE!

See the armrests?  That's NOT what they looked like when I brought it home!  I'm hoping my Mom can help me recover the cushions or do something with it.  It'll be a good summer project... :-)

5)  Consignment Sales.

I made my first appearance at a consignment sale recently - a chain called Just Between Friends.  My friend had RAVED about consignment sales and how great they were and so my hopes were high.  They did have a MILLION things, it was in a warehouse after all, and that was awesome.  But I found it to be rather disappointingly overpriced.  Craigslist and garage sales (especially since you can haggle at these) are much cheaper.

But, I guess since I got a JJ Cole diaper bag, an Infantino baby carrier (though I still think I want the Ergo since it seems to be best, but we'll try this one for now), 4 onesies, and 2 pairs of pajamas all for $20, I'm not exactly sure why I'm complaining???

 

My Dad's an engineer so I had to buy the "Little Engineer" onesie for 50 cents! 

Aw, he got the velcros.  Anyone else love thrift shopping?  Tell me all your tricks!