When I became a mom for the first time, most of my baby “stuff” was new: given to us at our shower, purchased by us, or kindly given to us by friends and family. We did receive a few hand me downs, and that was fantastic too. As I became a more seasoned mom, I realized: there is very little need to buy much of anything new for your child. While there are a few things I will only buy new (carseats, pacifiers, and diapers come to mind), and times where I have to buy items new (again, diapers and pacifiers, or clothing when I can’t plan ahead), much of our baby items now are second-hand.
My youngest son gets hand-me-downs from his big brother, but I also try to find second-hand clothes for my oldest. Because lets face it- kids grow fast!! When I do buy new, I feel better that the second kiddo will likely get some use, but I’ve realized that buying clothes that others have worn is a great way to stretch your money. I’ve been able to join Facebook groups where I can purchase clothes and baby/kid items from other moms, and you can also sell on these pages.
Selling items is a great way to make some extra money or funnel it back into the purchases you’ll need to make. Selling on Facebook was the only option I knew of (aside from hosting a garage sale), and I did a lot of that until I learned about Just Between Friends (JBF) Consignment sales. Essentially, these sales are hosted all over the US- you use their computer system to create tags for your items, bring them all to one location at the date for your local sale, and then JBF does the rest.
Though the JBF franchise location will take a percentage, I was fine with that- they do a lot of work to organize and promote. The process is simple: you can tag at home all year long with their computer system. Then you bring all of your items to the sale- you’ll put them in the appropriate location. If you’re a seller, then you can get in early to shop from what other people have brought in. The general public is welcome, so you can also shop without bringing items.
Our sale was 3-days and it was fun every night logging in to see what was sold. If you want to make more from the sale, you can even volunteer your time to help out. Also, I love that you have the option to pick up your items after, or donate them to a local organization, which is what I did. What a great system!
I love the fact that our local JBF has sales twice a year so I can collect items, start tagging, and then clear out a bunch of things at once. At the first sale we made almost enough for the new booster carseat we were looking to buy. I have a feeling I’ll be taking advantage of JBF sales for years to come for both selling and purchasing!