by Brie
While I am not as frugal as I would always like to be, I do love a good deal. I will always buy from the sale rack if possible. I love garage sale shopping (I think that has to do with being an ex-Winnipeger). When possible I will always buy clothes second-hand, especially for my kids.
My kids wear their clothes hard. The pieces they wear regularly get dirty, stained and ripped. I like to think of the clothes as lived in. In fact, I like to think that my kids move into their clothes and squat there until they are evicted.
All this to say I am reluctant to pay full price for clothes. Luckily, I discovered My Kids Funky Closet three years ago and I have been supplying their closet from there ever since.
My Kids Funky Closet is a twice a year consignment sale at the Glebe Community Centre. The next sale is Sunday, April 25th. The doors open at 10 am and it is worth getting there on time because the place quickly fills up. They have clothes for all ages, but the largest selection is usually for kids two and under. They also sell toys, books, shoes, outerwear, high chairs and strollers. Basically anything you could possibility think a baby or kid would need.
One thing I like about this sale is that the items are priced by the sellers. What this means is that you can often get great deals as people look to sell off clothes for a few dollars apiece. It also means that somethings can be over priced, but I have always walked away with at least a bag full of goodies.
Last fall I decided to consign some clothes for the first time, mostly the clothes that the kids never wore or somehow ended up only fitting off-season. It took some work to price and tag everything but in the end I was happy. I managed to sell more than I bought. I would consider that a success!
I will be there again on the 25th looking for t-shirts and dresses for my almost 4-year-old. When I am done I will go for coffee with friends on Bank Street and we will compare our purchases. It sounds like the perfect Sunday to me.
Brie is the mom of a 3.5 year daughter “the girl” and eighteen month old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.
Kids in the Capital 
There is nothing I love more than finding a good deal! I scour charity shops and consignment stores all the time (it helps that being on mat leave gives me the time to do it)but I am known for amazing finds! I’ll say….oh, I need to find C ___ and tada, I luck in and find one, in his size. Such talent! I’ve heard of that sale…a little too far a of a drive for me but maybe one day I’ll check it out!
Me too! I can’t wait until garage sale season. 🙂
Maybe you could write a post for us with tips for findings kids clothes at charity shops and consignment stores. Best times to go? What to look fo?. We would love to hear your shopping stragtegies.
I LOVE garage sale shopping. I haven’t been able to go much in the past few years because I used to work every Saturday, and then last summer with a newborn it was hard to get going early enough. If you want to go some time let me know!
Thanks for this post – I look forward to getting out and finding some clothes and maybe the high chair we need.
I bought just about everything for my kids second hand when they were little. It was out of necessity at the time as Hubby was still a student and my ma t leave benefits were not very good.I never felt my kids didn’t have nice clothes though because there was so much quality clothing available at the consignment stores etc.
Now that they are 6&8 though, I find it much harder to find things in their sizes, so I really don’t buy as much second-hand as I would like. But for those first few years I don’t know what I would have done without the quality consignment stores!
I do think kids wear their clothes harder as they age. All babies do is spit up a little bit on the clothes, whereas my 3 year old gets holes and stains and rips in her clothes.
I bought a few things at Boomerang Kids in Orleans recently – it was my first time there, and I was very impressed with the quality of the baby clothes they had. I found a few brand-new dresses from Gymboree, with the tags still on, each for less than ten dollars. Needless to say, that’s a tiny fraction of the original price!
Have you tried Posh Kids in Orleans? They have some great stuff as well!
I also am a fan of second hand cloths for my kids. I am proud to be frugal but also think it is a great way to recycle!
True. And with no family around and all our friends having kids the same age, I like to think as consignment shopping as just paying for my hand-me-downs since I don’t get them for free.
I have a big bag with your name on it 🙂
wooho. bring on the bargains. I can’t wait for next weekend (and that coffee afterward!). I think our girls are in the same size though so it may get ruthless. M is in size 5 for shorts or 6 for dresses). Will I need to get my elbows out?
I love trolling the Great Glebe Garage Sale, love Value Village (scored a great hoodie and raincoat for little m + a super cute dress for big M just last week). They have fantastic 50% storewide sales a few times a year , also. I regularly check out Boomerang kids but haven’t managed to get to many of the other stores that are about. I think I should expand my circle. As M gets into bigger sizes, pickings get smaller.
I think you should wear a helmet because I am ready to bring it on. 🙂
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