JBF Philly in REVIEW

I had the opportunity to check out JBFPhilly’s pre-sale event today, along with quite a few blogger friends, thanks to Joey Fortman with Real Mom Media. This is, quite honestly, the largest consignment sale I have ever been to, and I have been to many. I am so sad I didn’t get a picture for you so you could see just how HUGE it is. I was so overwhelmed for a minute as I just stood there and looked.

kids consignment sale

So here’s the deal. This sale is NOT in Philly. It’s in Oaks at The Expo Center and we have all the details on our calendar HERE – dates, times, how you pay, where it is.  The great thing is that they also have a digital sign directing traffic because if you ever went to the Expo Center you know it’s big with different halls. You are going to want Hall C. Yeah, the big hall.

Take  re-usable bags (or use theirs), cash, Mastercard, Visa, or Discover and shop away! Go crazy, have fun, shop your heart out. Just so you know, the first day you will need a pass to get in or pay $3 admission. You can print a free admission pass at this LINK. I am planning to go back Saturday for their 1/2 price sale. I am so happy with how much selection they had. Many kids’ sales have almost no boys jeans, let alone jeans that are in excellent condition so that was my find of the day. Have you seen how much a pair of boys jeans cost now??!! My other finds of the day were the L.L. Bean boots and U.S. Polo jeans.

They not only have kids’ clothes, toys, furniture, equipment, and accessories but they have a mommy mart with tons of Vera Bradley, Kitchen Aid, and many more items for you and your home.

Tips for buying –

Make sure you know your kids’ sizes
Measure pants’ lengths with string and take it with you.
Measure shirt sleeves’ lengths also.
Trace you kids foot so you have a size to go by when looking at shoes. Then
you can slip it int eh shoe and see if it will work .

Check clothes well –
Check seams
Check for fading
Check for missing buttons
Make sure zippers work
Check for fraying or tears and stains

Double check the size on the item of clothing itself.

I spent $79.42 and got 21 items. After the $25 JBF Bucks we were given today, I spent $54.42 out of pocket.

South Pole shirt – $3
(2) Children’s Place sweater – $5 each
Gap corduroys – $2
Old Navy fleece – $5
Osh Kosh white shirt – $3.50
Carters orange plaid pajama set – $2.50
Children’s Place plaid button up shirt – $3
Toughskins shirt – $4
Children’s Place shirt – $3
Lei 100% cotton shirt – $3
Children’s Place skirt – $4
(2) Old Navy jeans, size 6 boys – $4
Old Navy jeans, boys, size 6 – $5
US Polo jeans, boys size 6 – $3
Gap jeans, size 6 – $5
L.L. Bean suede boots, girls – $3
TKS Black boys dress shoes, never worn – $5
Barbie Rapunzel DVD – $5
Tale of Despereaux DVD – $2

kids consignment sale

Lost?

When you walk in the door toys are straight ahead. Walk straight past them to shoes. Behind shoes you will find boys clothes on the left and girls clothes on the right. To the right of toys are baby carriers, accessories, diaper bags, and Vera Bradley bags. In front of those tables are Games, DVDs. On  the right hand wall you have the mommy mart, pack and plays, bouncy seats, car seats, strollers, other equipment, and books.

Check out will be to the left of toys but you need to go back towards clothes to enter the check out line. There is a holding area to the back, right of girls and maternity clothes.

Interested in consigning? Sign up for next season.

Thanks to Tracy and Beth with JBF for inviting Real Mom Media and all of us in to check out #JBFPhilly

 

Kick it old-school during Back to School~Tips for Using Layaway

layaway Have you ever seen the Chris Rock bit on layaway? It’s hysterical! I wish I could find it on YouTube but I can’t.

Layaway was really popular when I was growing up, for both Christmas and Back-to-School. Then, as credit cards became more popular, people used it less often and stores used the store space for other stuff. Yeah, that credit card thing worked out well for everyone, didn’t it?

Now that consumers are using credit less often and choosing Smarter Spending options, layaway is back. Right now Kmart is offering 5% off anything you put on Back to School Layaway. I would expect the other big retailers to do similar promos.

Here’s a brief overview of how it works and some tips.

You shop and pick out your items, then take them to the layaway section. You put down a small down payment, and pay it off weekly or biweekly. Usually it’s interest and fee-free, in order to attract your business. So it’s an easy way to pay-off items and make sure that you’ll get what you want, such as desirable items like Wii that used to sell out.

Tips:

1. Make sure you are clear on all the fees, payment schedule and payment options. Including late payments, late pickups and what becomes of your money and merchandise if you are late with payments.

2. Find out your payment options. Do they take online payments? If you have to visit the store to make a payment, is it convenient for you? If you have to go to the store, even if it’s convenient, make sure you have the discipline to not make a purchase every time you go.

3. What happens if the merchandise goes on sale for a lower price, while yours is on layaway? Will they do price adjustments?

4. What happens if you change your mind and do not want the items? (or they don’t fit, etc.)

Even if financially you don’t need to use layaway, it can be a great teaching tool for some kids. If your child wants a bigger ticket item like a bike or video game, and they will eventually have the money for it from either allowance or babysitting or something, consider helping them put it on layaway. It’s a great way to show kids that we don’t get items until they are paid for, or until we have all the money. It’s more interactive and visual than just saving the money at home, and may help to drive home a point.

Another tip, from one of our readers: Layaway is a great way to keep your kids from snooping! If it’s not in your house, they can’t find it.

Have fun & Happy Smart Spending!

Raising Smart Spenders~Philly style!

For this week’s “Raising Smart Spenders” feature, I turned to some of the best moms in the Philadelphia area–the Philly Social Media Moms. These moms are just oozing with great tips, I was amazed at the smart and fun ideas they put out there for this. So sit back, take some notes, print the check list if you want, and get your kids on the path to being a financially responsible adult. It’s one of the best things we can do for them.

Brown bag lunches for school days and field trips. We pack our lunch and snacks for our field trips. It saves me from paying for overpriced foods my kids won’t eat anyway, it’s healthier, and I am not stuck waiting in line with hungry kids. ~Jennifer from Jersey Family Fun.
 
We have profit sharing in our home. We share the household budget with all the kids and they help with controlling costs. For example, if we budget $200 for our electric bill, the kids focus on cutting off lights etc to make sure we hit budget. If we hit budget we contribute to our vacation fund. If we are under budget, we split the “profit.” If we miss budget, we pay the overage out of the allowance, eating out and vacation funds. ~Uneeka from PowerMommyNation.com.
 

 

I tell my kids to buy small when they just want to try something. When we’re in a warehouse store, they know not to ask for something new because if they don’t like it, they’re stuck with it. Instead, they say “I’d like to try those cookies next time we go grocery shopping.” The price per unit might be more at a supermarket than at BJ’s, but if the huge package goes uneaten then all that money is wasted, too. ~Cindy at Whatever Works.
 
I am giving my youngsters (2 and 5) their own cash, and am learning to let them spend it on whatever they want, without censoring them. I think this will demystify money, and let them see that they can make good choices and bad choices. No reason to make them wait to learn this. It’s only $5 at a time, but they are learning to carry it themselves and make choices about spending. I don’t buy them treats out of my money when we are out, so we don’t have the checkout line battles. ~Darla at HeartWorkOrg.com.
 
My oldest son started out with an allowance, and now he gets an allowance plus the opportunity to earn extra money doing gardening work for me and working for the neighbors. We’ll be doing the same with the younger 4. ~Barb at A Life in Balance.
 

 

Besides my 4-year-old’s piggy bank for his coin savings, we have a dollar box that we use to collect ‘A’ dollars, my son’s first initial. Whenever anyone in the family has an ‘A’ Dollar we put it in the box and talk about how we are saving the money to use as our spending money at Disney, when we eventually go. ~Diane at Knitting Zeal.
 
Right now we use the Save, Give, Spend piggy banks for collecting coins and a tiny “allowance.” We periodically deposit the “save” amount, donate the “give” amount to a charity or church, and use the “spend” for something they want or for our garage sale outings. ~Carrie at Making Lemonade.
 
I have a list of tasks I need done with $ amounts assigned to each one. My kids can do them at will, and they invoice me. I transfer the $ from my checking account to their ING savings account. That money is theirs to spend, but I have found that seeing the interest accumulate coupled with the required two days wait to transfer money back really encourages them to keep on savings. ~Robin at SimpleGreenOrganicHappy.
 


Raising Smart Spenders: Lessons learned from our kids

I love hand me downs and consignment shops. I buy, I sell, I find great deals. I still marvel at the Petunia Pickle Bottom bag for $9! I just want to state that, that I’m not a snob when it comes to second hand things. I love them, it’s smart spending, it’s budget friendly, it’s Earth friendly. It helps you make connections with others, I love the feeling of both getting and giving great hand-me-downs.

But not as gifts. Even as I type it, I find myself wrinkling my nose at the thought. I don’t know where I came up with that idea, but somehow it’s in my head that gift-giving times call for brand new things. Until my 3-year-old changed my mind.

Several weeks ago, I was at a local consignment shop, turning things in. I was standing at the counter while the staff was evaluating and pricing my things. I let my then 2-year-old walk around a bit and look around. He came back a few minutes later, he was walking and next to him he was wheeling up a bike. It was small, but bigger than what he had, and it was blue and yellow, a BMX style bike. It was a really cute bike, actually. “Mommy! Look! I found a bike! I want this. Can you buy this please?”

My little guy enjoying his new bike.

I looked at the price tag-$12. Price was certainly right. And, in all honesty, he had grown tremendously in height since last season and had outgrown his other bike (that was brand new, but purchased with Pampers points). He legitimately would need a new bike this spring/summer, but really, Christmas wasn’t that long ago…….and I’m not one to buy things just to buy things, kwim? Then I thought about his birthday which was in just a few days. So I asked him “Do you want this to be your birthday present?” and of course he said yes.

And that was it. I finished consigning my things, paid for the bike and left. Brought it home, showed my husband who agreed it was a great deal, and that was that. We purchased $10 training wheels at Kmart, put them on and when weather permitted he rode his new bike.

All he saw was a cool blue bike that he wanted and that was the right size for him. He didn’t see the scratches, the fact that the tread on the tires wasn’t brand new or where the fabric was wearing a bit thin on the seat. He saw a cool bike. And with a 2-year-old’s suggestion for just one purchase, he really changed my thinking. At consignment sales, you get more for your money, no doubt about it. The merchandise is usually seasonal, rather than buying after-season during store clearance events. And, it’s desirable merchandise. Sure, it’s secondhand or gently used or however you want to put it…….but it still has tremendous value.

A few weeks later, I went to the JBF consignment sale in Glen Mills, and purchased even more birthday gifts and Easter gifts. I was able to look at items through his eyes this time–what would he see? And instead of my view of a partially dusty, partially scratched toy………..I saw the item with new eyes. It was a great buy–it was a Matchbox storage unit shaped like a fire truck, great quality and no longer available in stores. I scooped it up and am still proud of that purchase. I had no qualms giving it to him for his birthday.

I spend so much time worrying about the example I’ll set for him, will he be good at managing money, will he grow up being financially responsible–it never occurred to me that there might be lessons he can teach me.