Nesting Weekend

Tara and I have been fretting about where and how to do a baby registry. We want people to reuse as much as possible (shop goodwill & consignments). However, we know that some won't or can't do that. We also want to use as many natural and/or organic products. Again, we recognize that might be difficult for some. We went to Target and created a registry. We exhausted what they had in the store and added online only items. In addition we list some other vendors, mostly online companies (see list above).

We also did some rearranging in the house. We are fortunate to live in a large enough house where we don't have to do a lot. The nursery is the room I had as a child and young adult. When we renovated 3 years ago we painted the room green, a neutral color good for either gender; it won't be repainted until the child wants to help. We needed to change it from living/office space to baby space and that's a lot of what we did this weekend. There's still some to do!

POTATO Consignment Sale

Again I've already mentioned that I'm thrifty. Well, there are gods (goddesses, too) and angels giving me such wonderful information. POTATO is Parents of Twins And Triplets Organization. My mother isn't a member - not sure of the year of its foundation. However, my friend, Krissie, is. Her due date is Dec. 14, day after mine; however, since she's having twins I suspect she'll deliver her baby girls before me.

I had invited her to a consignment sale in July, but neither of us could go. Then Krissie told me about the organization's sale on August 23. I marked my calendar of course, but after the first few weeks of school I wasn't feeling too much like going. Something made me and ironically I got there at 12:30pm when most everything is 1/2 off. : )

Initially I was quite overwhelmed. The sale takes place in a large gym at a local middle school and there is tons of stuff scattered around this massive space. You receive a laundry basket when you enter and the place is divided into categories I discovered as I moved around. The clothes are divided by gender (boy, girl) and age groups (example: newborn, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 2T, 3T, possibly all the way to 5T).

I looked at a few things - breast pump, crib sets, blankets - but I'm not too sure what we really need. Also I didn't really know what to expect and how much some items cost. I called Jai who searched online and checked prices for a Boppy and a Baby Bjorn. Both were significant discounts ($2 & $7.50 each with the 1/2 discount) and I got excited at buying these items on the cheap! I picked up a Boppy cover for $4 as well as 4 receiving blankets and 2 burp cloths, too.

Then I saw baby clothes and it was on! Quite quickly I filled the basket with five adorable sleepers of various sizes and colors (all gender neutral - greens, yellows, browns, oranges) as well as 7 onesies (Days of the week), 3 hats (Winnie the Pooh; I love Pooh!), 6 pairs of socks (so tiny!), a hooded bath towel, a couple of shirt & pants sets, two rompers (the Panda one is my favorite), two PJ sets, and What To Expect the First Year.

TOTAL = $38.50

... SHUT UP! A Boppy alone costs more than $30!

It's awesome! Amazingly like the used maternity clothes, the stuff is in good shape, especially for messy babies. However, they grow out of clothes quickly too. A couple of items had the original tag - never worn!

As I was checking out and paying I saw more sections with videos, toys, strollers, mattresses, high chairs, even maternity clothes. I had to stop, but I learned that there is a sale in April. I cannot wait to go and get more clothes for hardly any money! : )

Side note: The volunteers working the sale are POTATO and were extremely nice and helpful; one woman, a former co-worker, is Krissie's mentor. It truly is a small world. Also the financial cost is a big savings for Jai & I, but these parents also are making back some of the money they've spent on their children. It's a big circle.

Recycle, reuse, reduce!