My best craigslist deal... ever?

Baby stuff is like wedding stuff. Insanely marked up and you only use it for a short period of time. Both industries make you feel like you absolutely need certain things. Magazines, internet ads, TV shows, celebrities... they mentally gang up on you until you buy that $18 Sophie the Giraffe Teether.

Wait a tick, eighteen bucks for something my kid is going to gnaw on? But, it's from France! That doesn't sound right, but it's currently the #1 best seller in baby products on Amazon.com. So popular that there are knock-offs being sold. (Note: I will be depriving my child of Sophie the Giraffe. I know, I'm a terrible parent.)

So now onto what you really want to read about. My greatest craigslist conquest thus far.

I knew from the get-go that I wanted a jogging stroller. I'm not a hardcore runner, but I like to get out there a few times a week and do a few miles, and it's a nice way to get out of the house with the baby. A regular stroller with tiny wheels wasn't going to cut it. However, there was NO WAY I was going to pay full price for one of these things. Have you seen what they retail for new? Anywhere from $150 to $500. Madness. I know for a fact that women buy/register for one thinking "I'm gonna get back in shape after baby!" and then use it 5 times. Where do all of these pricey, barely-used jogging strollers end up? Parked in the garage or basement until the husband finally says, "Why do we still have this if you never use it?" So it ends up on craigslist, and that's where I come in.

My list of criteria for a used jogging stroller:
- $50 or less
- In the general vacinity of where we live (I'm willing to drive 20-30 minutes to get a big ticket item)
- Fixed front wheel
- No alignment/mechanical issues
- No stains or rips in the fabric seat
- Storage
- Neutral colors

The key is patience. Never jump on the first deal you find unless it fits all of your criteria. I saw some really nice joggers for $60, $50 and even $40, but I wasn't completely sold. Sometimes, you just know, and none of these joggers were giving me that "BUY THIS NOW" feeling.

My patience paid off big time and I ended up scoring a 2-year-old Baby Trend Expedition jogging stroller for 80% off the retail price in GREAT condition. Believe me, I KNOW.

This brand has models starting at $140 and going up to around $200. I paid $30. I drove 26 miles round trip, so to be fair, factor in another $5 for gas. After a predictably awkward pick-up from a family moving back to Turkey (so House Hunters International, right?), it was mine and I returned home to celebrate my victory!

Multiple storage baskets & pouches and a nice grippy handle.



I used a solution of vinegar & water to clean up the plastic & metal parts, which were a little dusty from being stored in their basement. I called it, right?

 

I vacuumed the seat and on the next sunny day, I'm going to spray it down outside with vinegar & water to freshen up the fabric. Vinegar is great for neutralizing odors & killing germs!
Plus, it's non-toxic.



Cupholders & a handy storage compartment for phone, keys, chapstick, etc.

Peek-a-boo!

Folds up  for storage or transporting in a car.

So pumped about my deal!

Would it be weird if I practiced jogging with it before the baby's born?

Yes, yes it would.

Craigslist Finds & Hand-Me-Downs

Baby's can be very expensive... if you let them. I'm personally not going to let my greedy infant nickel & dime me for the first few years of his life. The jig is up, kid.

Don't let Babies 'R Us and their lively, purple circulars lure you in. 15% off of $179 is not a good deal for a baby swing. It's practically criminal. Your baby is going to use that swing for what, 6 months? Sometimes baby's don't even like certain swings, and by the time you realize that, it's too late to return it.

Yes, you'll have a baby shower, but in my experience, most guests spend around $50-$75 (unless it's grandma, then the sky is the limit!). So while your friends & family step up to shower you and baby with love, they're probably on a budget just like you.

If you've never experienced the thrill of scoring deals in consignment shops and on Craigslist, you're missing out, friend. From the time I announced I was pregnant, my Mom and I have been tirelessly scouring the internet and local high-end baby consignment shops... and we made out like bandits.

I didn't keep track of all the clothing we got because frankly, there was just too much of it. However, it seemed like every day my Mom would text me a picture of some brand new set of onesies or an adorable sleep sack that she found for $3. We also ended up with a huge moving box packed with newborn, 0-3 and 3-6 month baby boy clothes fo' free, thanks to a generous family at my parents church who recently had twins. Then, there were a few things I found on Craigslist, like a fuzzy brown Columbia jacket for $1, pants that were 3 for $1 and a few more sleep sacks for $1 each. Everything was used for maybe 3 months (tops) and in fantastic condition. Considering these things *new* would have been $10-$20 each, we were pretty pumped, and often said aloud, "Why don't more people do this?"

What We Got & What We Paid

(Everything listed below was either new or gently used.

Nothing smelled weird, had stains on it, and everything was in working condition.)

• First Years bottle warmer ($5, Craigslist)
• Crib mattress cover ($5, Craigslist, never opened)
• Changing pad ($1, Craigslist)
• JJ Cole Bundle Me ($10, Craigslist)
• Kolcraft Crib Mattress ($20, Craigslist, used 2 times at Grandma's house)
• Fisher Price Bouncy Seat ($15, Craigslist)
• Graco Swingomatic, 6 speeds, plays classical music ($5!! Yes, FIVE BUCKS, Craigslist)





• Graco Pack n' Play w/ bassinet, changing table, mobile, vibrates, plays nature sounds & classical music ($51, Butterflies & Blossoms Consignment Shop)





• Giant Box of Baby Clothes (FREE; also included receiving blankets, prenatal workout DVD's, hats, socks, shoes, an infant head/body support, picture frame & changing table organizer)

Then, because I'm lucky enough to have two awesome sisters-in-law who are done having kids and like savings things, we received/will receive the following items:

• Childproofing accessories & baby gates
• Baby Bjorn carrier
• Car mirror
• Changing pad
• Swaddling blankets
• Crib sheet
• Hooded towels
• High chair
• Boppy
• Dishwasher basket
• Baby spoons
• Exersaucer
• 2 different play mats
• Bouncy seat
• Clothes
• Toys/Stuffed Animals/Teething Rings
• Books

We even ended up with doubles of a few items (like changing pads, bouncy seats & play mats). They are going to my Mom's house for when she babysits.

Additionally, my sister-in-law (who conveniently lives 10 minutes away) literally has a small toy store in her basement and gave us the okay to "shop" there anytime.

Sweet deals, right? I still can't get over the five dollar swing. I love sharing the joys of thrifting and hope it catches on!

Colorful (Free!) Wall Art

Well, almost free. I spent $6, but you might be lucky enough to have the materials on hand. I have been seeing paint chip wall art projects (click here and here) floating around the internet and thought it looked easy enough for a non-artist like myself to try out. And when I say non-artist, I mean that my drawings look like I just entered kindergarten and I am incapable of coming up with artistic ideas... like this cool project.

Materials:

16 x 20 frame = $0 (leftover from our wedding, it held the seating chart poster)
White mat = $6 (A.C. Moore, forgot my coupon, darn it!)
Paint chips = $0 (Home Depot, Martha Stewart Collection)
Total Cost = $6

First, gather your materials. I had no idea how many paint chips I would need, but Tim and I knew what color scheme we were going for, so we just started grabbing whatever caught our eye. We ended up with just 1 extra. (Don't worry, no one looks at you weird when you walk out of the paint section with handfuls of these guys, they are meant to be taken!)

I layed the mat over the inside of the frame backing and traced around the inside so I would know where to line up the paint chips. (Tim would like to add that he thinks they are not called paint chips. Paint samples? Paint cards? I'm still calling them chips.)

Next, just start trying different layouts. Again, I am not an artsy person, so I just did what I thought looked cool. I ended up making 4 rows of 6 paint chips, going light to dark, keeping the color groups relatively together. Didn't snap a pic of it, but I laid them out first before taping them down, and was glad I didn't just dive in with the tape because I ended up rearranging a few.

I didn't do much measuring, because I think it's time consuming and annoying. Some architect I would have made! When I had all of the paint chips taped down, I trimmed the excess off the bottom, laid the mat overtop and framed it up.

As you'll notice on the left, my non-chalant attitude towards measuring probably wasn't the best one to take, because the first column is slightly more narrow than the rest. Oh, well. It doesn't bother me, and it's hanging in our bedroom, not an art gallery. I also thought about gluing down each paint chip, but I kind of dig the slightly raised/3-D look that it has with them being popped up a little bit. And I also love that the names of the paint colors are still showing. "Darkening Sky", "Plum Pudding", "Sea Glass"... that Martha Stewart comes up with some awesomely accurate names for her paint colors.

Our bedroom is officially on it's way to being (somewhat) decorated. The blandness has been bothering me lately & the baby's room has been consuming most of my interior design budget, so finding a quick & free art project like this is exciting!

Crib Drama

I'm pretty particular when it comes to making *major* purchases. It has to be exactly what I want, at the price I want, or fugghetaboutit. I'm not going to spend my hard-earned cash on something I don't absolutely love. And that's final. I'm also thrifty, so a $1,000 crib was completely out of the question (yeah, Oeuf cribs, I'm talking about you).

Naturally, I knew I'd have a hard time picking out a crib because of these factors, so I started researching and scoping them out early. Like... pretty much as soon as I found out I was pregnant (which was back in February).

It's now almost October and I was finally able to commit. But not without drama and endless mind-changes. Because that's just how I am. (Side note: I'm actually starting to wonder if I make things more difficult for myself on purpose so my life isn't boring. Wouldn't that be terrible? Knock it off, Meg!)

Up until a few weeks ago, I was dead set on a particular crib from Ikea. It was a rockin' lime-green color, only $99 and I was telling everyone about it. So fun. So unique. It was mine. I was sure of it. Then the worst thing ever happened. The dreaded "Ikea Crib Recall of 2011." My lime-green dream was shattered. I obsessively checked Ikea's website for months to see if they were back in stock yet. No such luck.

Devastated, I knew I had to move on if I didn't want my infant sleeping in a dresser drawer.

I looked at cribs from Target, Wal-Mart and even Overstock.com. However, I didn't like white, natural wood, dark wood, or oak. Yeah, I'm THAT picky.

The Baby Mod collection at Wal-Mart had my favorite styles, but I wasn't thrilled with the color selection. That is, until I discovered this little number. For some reason, it never popped up during the first few searches I did on their website, but I kept digging and it magically appeared. (In reality, I probably thought it was black at first and skipped over it).



The Baby Mod Modena 3-in-1 Fixed Side Crib in Navy

Cue "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder. 'Cause that's how I felt when I discovered her.

Modern lines, four mattress positions, converts into a toddler bed, non-toxic finish, and most importantly... made of "sustainable pine wood from New Zealand." SOLD! Haha. Just kidding. At $199, I figured we better just go for it. I was tired of waiting for Ikea to get their butts in gear.

Because I'm a cheapskate, I opted for the free "site-to-store" shipping which takes a little longer, so it's set to arrive next week. I can't wait for the nursery to actually look like a nursery! Stay tuned, because I'm eventually going to post a complete breakdown of everything in Baby A's room: price, source, inspiration, etc. We were on a tight budget, but it's coming together beautifully and I can't wait to share photos of the finished product.

Baby Junk

The world of babies can easily drain your bank account if you let it.

There are things that are marketed as "musts" for new moms and children. Somehow, their absence didn't cause any pain & suffering before they were invented.

I am always thinking about ways to simplify life for my own personal sanity, so Tim and I decided to draw the line when it came to certain baby items. We are nixing some because we flat out can't afford it (or don't think it's worth the money), and others because we just don't see the point. Feel free to disagree. This is just one pregnant lady's notion of what we are willing to live without.

1. Wipes Warmer

Sure, we want our baby's bum to be comfortable at all times, but we are taking a different route with wipes. Along with our reusable cloth diapers, we're doing reusable cloth wipes! Stack of soft washcloths, DIY backside cleaning solution in a spray bottle... done. Throw them in the wash along with the cloth diapers and throw them back on the clean pile. We do not think our baby will be scarred for life without an above-room-temperature hiney.

2. Designer Baby Room Furniture

The prices of some cribs make me want to vomit. They are more than one of my paychecks! Sorry, kid, as long as it's sturdy and meets current safety specs, it'll do. I'd like to see the study that says baby's sleep better in a $1,200 crib vs. a $100 crib.


[Mariah Carey's baby's room. Let's add that ginormous giraffe to the list, too.]

3. Diaper Genie

When you cloth diaper, you usually do laundry everyday. Dirty diapers go in a wet bag (waterproof bag that zippers & hangs on the back of a door) and then right into the washing machine. No big plastic bin that takes up space and requires refills. No stinky situation created by week-old diapers.

4. Changing Table

I'm talking about a separate changing table that doesn't serve any other purpose. We plan on using a small Ikea dresser with a changing pad on top. Two birds, one stone.


[The wasted space is killing me.]

5. Bumbo Seat

I've gone back and forth on this one, and decided that I'm only getting one if it's free or less than $10 at a resale shop. They retail for $40! It's a freakin' piece of molded plastic. I get it, your baby can sit up and see what's going on. But my cynical side says, "Clearly babies were happy, healthy and learned to sit on their own before the invention of the Bumbo seat." Who knows, maybe I'll end up getting one and loving it.

6. Diaper Stacker

Baby's top dresser drawer will be filled with 15 or so cloth diapers. We won't need to store stacks of disposable diapers anywhere... or bulk boxes of them either. Win-win.

7. Rocking Chair/Glider

We are sticking with the Ikea Poang chair that we already have. It kinda-sorta rocks/bounces. Those big, bulky gliders look so old fashioned and awful to me. Not to mention we don't have room for one. We will, however, be updating the Poang with a new $29 neutral-colored cushion (it currently has a bright red one).

8. Bottle Warmer

Most of the time, Baby Annan will be getting milk straight from the source, so we won't need a bottle warmer. If Mommy isn't around, there's the good old microwave (since we're using glass bottles) or the really good old pot of shallow water on the stove!

9. Pacifier Wipes

Okay, now this one is just straight up dumb. Rinse it off with warm water. Your kid crawls on the ground where it was most likely dropped and puts everything in his mouth. He'll be fine.

10. Bottle Sterilizer

We already have one. It's called the dishwasher.


[Bottle sterilizer, aka, counter space taker-upper.]

11. Alcohol Test Strips

I actually saw this on Kourtney & Khloe take Miami. Kourtney was out getting hammered drunk at a club, then came home and had to pump. She tested her breastmilk for alcohol with these special strips and dumped it out until it was back to normal. My solution? Don't get hammered drunk. However, after talking with my Mom who raised three healthy children, a glass of wine or two while nursing won't cause any harm.

[You're still my favorite celebrity mom, Kourt!]

12. New Baby Swing

Emphasis on new. I've heard from a lot of moms that their child didn't like certain swings, but you don't know that until it's paid for and assembled. I like the idea of a swing, but didn't want to waste a ton of money on one, so I bought a used swing in great condition from a nice lady on Craigslist... for 5 bucks. It retails for $130. Talk about a sweet deal. Now if Baby Annan hates it, I won't feel too bad about it.

Do any Moms out there agree? Disagree?

If I'm totally crazy and you desperately needed something on this list, by all means, tell me!

If there are any items I missed that I shouldn't waste my time on, I want to know.

I live by the 7 P's. Poor prior preparation promotes piss poor performance.

P #8 might be practicality. Or pure awesomeness.

Okay, I'm done now.

$25 Dresser Upgrade

This is the second knob change-up this dresser has received. 

Considering the dresser was free to begin with... two upgrades at $25 each ain't bad!

It came with the matching brown wooden knobs.
Then I switched them out for these babies a few years ago...

... which I just sold on eBay for the same price I paid for them.
So, according to my logic, I got the latest set for free.
I feel awesome.

Changing out hardware and painting are the cheapest & most dramatic ways 

to give your furniture new life (or so I've read on various DIY blogs). Home Depot, Lowes & various discount hardware websites, like this one, have great deals. I love Anthropologie's hardware but buying it would completely defeat the purpose of a cheap upgrade.

$10/knob x 14 knobs = out of my budget

I'd love to paint this guy, but I'm not sure how much longer we're going to be in our apartment and I don't want to commit to a color scheme.

It's complicated.

[I was halfway done taking the knobs off when I remembered the before pic... whoops!]

[Forgive the terrible lighting, they are actually silver.]

My husband loves his snazzy upgraded t-shirt & undie storing device. 

That's pretty much all he owns, hence the need for an entire dresser to house them.

(And he thinks I have too many clothes! Psshh.)

Half Summer/Half Winter Outfit

Yes, the title is a reference to Kourtney & Kim Take New York which premiered Sunday night on E! Scott, Kourtney's boyfriend & baby daddy, always wears very fashion-forward ensembles, and the sisters told him his outfit was half-summer & half-winter.

(Not pictured below, but you get the idea.)



[Photo credit: Life & Style magazine]

It wasn't until I got fully dressed this morning that I realized my outfit was too!

Needless to say, I was quite pleased with myself.

[skirt: forever21/cardigan: old navy/tank: express/belt: old navy/tights: target/shoes: payless]

I'm having a love affair with my high-waisted skirt. You've probably noticed that I won't shut up about it. Apparently high-waisted jeans & shorts are making a comeback, too. This is AMAZING news for gals with rectangular bodies like myself. J. Crew has expensive versions , but I checked out my fav cheaper sources to see if they had anything similar.

And boyyyy do they!

All for around $20. Hot dang.



[Photo credits: Forever 21.com]



P.S. That "no white after Labor Day" rule is malarkey! I'm not following it anymore. 

Who's with me?