Yard Sale Recap

I’ll be honest: I’m not a big yard sale person. Rummaging through other people’s junk doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t seem to have that eye for finding the treasure among the trash, and I would rather pay $5 for a new T-shirt at Old Navy than dig through a pile of musty old clothes from someone’s attic. And I’ve never held a yard sale myself mostly because I’ve never had enough stuff I wanted to get rid of.

But when my street organized a group yard sale I thought, what the heck? Now that we have kids our house is overflowing with stuff! Ironically, it’s not the toys and baby paraphernalia we wanted to sell. Rather, it’s things we never use -- like extra wineglasses, martini glasses, margarita glasses, champagne glasses (are you sensing a theme?).

You know, all that stuff you register for when you’re getting married and envisioning your life as one long dinner party. And then you have kids who mess around with the china cabinet while you’re changing the baby’s diaper and topple an entire shelf of vases, shattering glass everywhere. And you realize Target’s finest plasticware is a better match for your lifestyle.

So anyway, there we were bright and early on Saturday morning, setting up our goods. My husband and I were bitching about what to charge and whether or not he’d sufficiently cleaned up our old jogging stroller. The baby had been up since 4:30 a.m., we were out of coffee and milk, and I was wondering why this ever seemed like a good idea. Then there’s Miles, running around singing, “Yay, yay, yay! It’s a perfect day!” He could not BE more excited about the yard sale. Plus, he and his buddy Charlie were having a lemonade stand –- their first foray into sales.

Overall, it was a fun day and pretty successful. Sadly, I didn’t take a single picture because I was too busy running around. But I did learn some interesting lessons from our first yard sale:

• People are cheap. They’ll pay $10+ for a bottle of wine but won’t pay 50 cents for a Crate & Barrel wineglass? You can’t even buy a PLASTIC wineglass for that price!

• People are dumb. To attract passersby, my neighbor got some balloons that had “Garage Sale” printed on them. We’re sitting there in our front yard with all this stuff, no garage in sight, and a guy goes, “The sign says ‘garage sale.’ So is this it? Or is there more in the garage?”

• People are unpredictable. To my surprise, no one touched the still-boxed picture frames or the dishes (except for a couple martini glasses). The big sellers were my old junk jewelry, an old couch, some pregnancy books, and the jogging stroller (vastly underpriced at $10, but probably worth it because it was so dirty ;)

• Kids have short attention spans. After selling the first cup or two, the boys lost interest in their lemonade stand and ran off. But not before they’d eaten the merchandise, the baked goods for sale alongside the lemonade. They did like counting up their profits at the end, though.

TIPS O’ THE WEEK: I got some of these from PineappleBabble.com, who also lost her yard sale virginity this weekend! Price everything in increments of $0.25 with pre-printed stickers from Target or Staples. Have plenty of quarters and dollar bills for change. Provide plastic bags, newspaper, and/or bubble wrap for people to take home their purchases.

Top 5 Baby Buys

Before I had my first baby, I registered for a wooden highchair. It was simple, tasteful. It didn’t require batteries and wasn’t decked out with fluorescent rainforest creatures. Well ... fast-forward a few months and I’d bought the biggest, gaudiest plastic highchair money could buy.

See, it turned out that the tasteful wooden highchair wasn’t practical at all. A friend pointed out that the seat cushion wasn’t machine washable, the tray wasn’t removable or dishwasher safe, and the height and incline couldn’t be adjusted. Also, it had no wheels. Of course, I had no clue I’d need these features. That’s why I was glad to have mom friends steer me in the right direction.

I’m often asked by expectant moms for my baby-gear recommendations. Here are my top 5 picks. For more, I highly recommend the book Baby Bargains basically a Consumer Reports-type guide to all things baby-related.

1. Graco Pack ‘n’ Play. It’s a bassinet, it’s a playpen, it’s a portable crib. In a pinch it can store toys and serve as a baby gate, blocking access to stairs and such. I don’t think it matters what model you get, but I will say that we use ALL the features on ours -- the changing table, the canopy, the vibrating thingy, the music, the light (bright enough for a midnight diaper change but not so bright it wakes the baby). I recommend springing for the extra-cushiony quilted crib sheet

2. Bouncy seat and/or swing. Again, it doesn’t really matter what kind. You just need a safe place besides the crib to put the baby when you want to take a shower or cook dinner. Babies like a change of pace, too. Sometimes my son’s fine in the bouncy seat and sometimes only the swing will soothe him. If space is limited, get a travel swing that folds up. And take my word: don’t be tempted to skimp on the bells and whistles. Babies LOVE that stuff! The more flashing lights, toys, and sounds, the better. We call our swing “baby Vegas.”

3. Baby Bjorn and/or sling. Consumer Reports pissed off a lot of parents when they named cosleepers and slings among the top 5 baby products not to buy. Sure, kids can get injured if they fall out of a sling. But hell, my older kid can hurt himself on a pillow! When used properly, slings and baby carriers are life-savers -- the only way to have your hands free while you keep your baby close.

4. Gymini Activity Gym This cloth play mat is lightweight, portable, washable, and folds up flat for easy storage. It’s for babies age 0-5 mos. or so. My kids loved this thing. So much so that on one vacation when an unfortunate roof-carrier incident caused me to lose mine somewhere on I-95, I scoured the local stores for another. This is one case where I actually do prefer the simple black, white & red version to the more elaborate ones.

5. Boppy. I know, I know, this one’s hardly a best-kept secret, but here’s why I love it: it’s not only a great (washable!) nursing pillow, but you can prop up the baby in it, say, on the bed or floor of the bathroom in a pinch. You can also lay them over the Boppy face-down for “tummy time” before they can really lift themselves up much. Then the baby can actually see something instead of having his face squashed into the floor. Plus it makes a nice neck pillow for mom or dad. I’m all about versatility, can you tell?

So there you have it, people, my top picks. I need a separate post for clothing and accessories. Until then, remember: practical, portable, and washable are key!! Now go forth and register!

CONGRATS O’ THE WEEK: To my cousin and his wife, who are expecting their first child, a boy! Woo hoo! And to my college friend, M.C., who’s expecting her first as well. Happy gestating, gals!

LINK O’ THE WEEK: Hummus is an expectant mom’s best friend. Find more healthy snacks on the Healthy Pregnancy Blog.

Where Does the Time Go? Errands!

It’s so great when your child starts preschool. He’s having fun socializing with other kids and creating extremely messy seasonal artwork, and I have loads of free time to work out, meet friends for coffee, do my Christmas shopping, and work on my novel. At least that’s how I pictured it.

In reality, I usually spend those scant 2 mornings/5 hours a week driving to doctor’s appointments, sitting in waiting rooms, and getting weighed, pricked, and prodded. I am basically a full-time pregnant person. Sometimes I drive around to different labs to get my various prenatal tests done, in search of the least-surly employees, the newest magazines, and the nurses most skilled at finding a vein on the first try. I’m still searching.

Sometimes I try to squeeze in extra errands, only to panic when I encounter construction or the person in front of me in the grocery store line pulls out a sheaf of coupons and a personal check. Are you KIDDING me?! I don’t have time for that crap!

Of course, sometimes I do manage to do some actual work. But only if I carefully avoid checking e-mail first or answering the phone. Otherwise, I get lured into a time-sucking vortex of responding to chain e-mails, checking my bank balance, scheduling the next batch of doctor’s appointments, and seeing who’s offering free shipping.

Speaking of which, did anyone else get caught up in yesterday’s Cyber Monday craziness? Supposedly, it’s the equivalent of Black Friday for Internet retailers, who were offering all kinds of deals and promotions. But for me, that translated into hours spent trolling OldNavy.com and Toysrus.com, only to find out the items on my list were out of stock or unavailable in the sizes I need. So much for saving time by shopping online ...

I have to say, I actually like the newfound spirit of frugality this economy is bringing out in people. It’s like we’re all in it together, battling against overpriced licensed merchandise and seeing who can find the best deal on diapers. My friends and I regularly exchange tips and info on who’s having the best sales. (Bookmark this site: http://babycheapskate.blogspot.com/) I’ve had complete strangers in stores offer me coupons they can’t use, and been asked for them myself. You want 20% off an oil change? Sure, happy holidays!

My wallet is stuffed with coupons and cards for free gifts-with-purchase from such places as DSW, Ann Taylor, Babies R Us, Bath & Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, and Rite Aid. I never know for sure if I’ll use them, but when I get the opportunity to whip out a coupon, it’s almost as exciting as finding money on the street. And if you unexpectedly get a double coupon? Bonus!!

But with all the bargain-hunting and doctor’s appointments, the time Miles is in preschool barely amounts to anything. It’s like they say: time flies when you’re getting blood drawn or digging through your purse for your bonus card.

LINK O’ THE WEEK: Check out Dooneybug’s Cents & Sensibility blog. This woman is a master bargain-shopper. Read and learn, people.