Consignment Sales...

So as most of you already know, or maybe not, I am a member of the Gwinnett Mother's of Multiple Club. A perk of being a member (dispite the fact that I have only been to one meeting over a year ago *eeek*) is their twice a year consignment sales!!!  Which I LOVE! The first time I did the sale was last fall, I believe September. I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow got it all together in time (story of my life). I ended up finding a double jogging stroller for $35! And lots of awesome toys, clothes, etc! I also ended up making something like $180! (and that was all baby clothes!) I learned alot that year, and this year being a "pro" did a better job! Unfortunately with the death of Michael's g'ma, and going out of town, I was short on time to sort through EVERYTHING like I originally planned! :( But I still managed to get all the kids nice, name brand, clothing from last summer out, washed, dried, hung up, and tagged! (the sale in March is for Spring/summer gear, the sale in Sept is for fall/winter gear! Smart huh!!) (Tagged= each item is entered into a database on the computer and a upc barcode is generated for EVERY single item, so you have to print them all out on card stock, and safety pin them to the item, this sale I had 155 tags! Life sucked that night of tagging, was up till 3am and had to work the next day)

But anyway, the sale is on a Saturday 8am-noon, then they have a 1/2 price sale from 1-2pm. I was cashiering the event from 8-2, and being a member means I get to shop the sale the night before the public!! Thank goodness I did, I got great deals and awesome stuff! Several nice, new looking, name brand (oshKosh, OldNavy, Gymboree, etc) outfits for M&M. And a few pieces for A&A too. They are harder to shop for in consignments. Not alot of good clothing for the older kids.
 I think I total spent $80, and with that I got a white 4 drawer dresser (which I have no idea what I am going to with) M&M 4 dresses, 8 pair of shorts, 8 shirts, 2 pair of cute NEW shoes for playtime, 2 rompers, 2 pj's, 2 packs of 2pk pants, brand new with tags from Carters, and a 5 pack of undershirt onesies also brand new, with tags from Carters! A&A 5 pair of capris and short, and 2 tops, PLUS a flat screen lite brite, ABC learning 3d blocks, and an ABC magnet toy for fridge!  I was super stoked!!!
The next day I worked sale and noticed that I didn't see alot of my stuff out anywhere. Good sign!! When we came back that night to pick up stuff that wasn't sold I was a happy girl! I was only taking home about 1/4 of the stuff I brought!!! My grand totals sold $225! (then something like 12% go to the club) Woo hoo! So that means I get to buy a new updated stroller for M&M, and of course more summer clothes, and A&A clothes!!
Only annoying fact about the consignments are the people to WAY over price their walmart clothing. I mean do not get me wrong I ain't ashamed to hit up Wally World or Target for play clothes and simple stuff. BUT I am not going to buy something for $4-$5 brand new, let my kid wear it several times, them try to sell it for $3!! Those are the items that should be $.50-$1! Or better yet the ones you donate! I found alot of cute things that were Faded Glory and Circo brand for $5-$6!! I am like seriously? This is a consignment sale not a hustle! lol.
Consignment selling works out great for me, being a mother to multiple children. 4 girls are difficult to keep up! But knowing that I consign now, I am not afraid to spend a little extra $ for clothes, knowing that I can sale them and profit back from them the next year! Every season it recycles, I sell what we used the year before, and use profits to buy new stuff for this year!! That way shopping doesn't envolve a payment plan! lol.
I totally used to be one of 'those' moms who wouldn't dare buy my child 'used' clothing! Until becoming envolved with this sale! These people plan their buying and year events around selling and buying in these sales. They take care of these clothes, and are just like me! If you look you can find items that are almost brand new, for $1-$2!  And of course you are going to wash it all (well twice if you are me!) so I think it is a very smart way to go!! =o)
If interested in consigning there is an awesome website that tells you about any consignment sales coming up in your area! Check it out!
http://consignmentmommies.com/
Also- if you are interested in attending the GMOM's consignment sale in the fall, check out our website too!
http://gmomc.org/