Oh, Bag Sale, How Do I Love Thee

Twice a year, the parent's group in our town has a used clothing, equipment, and toy sale. For the last hour of the sale, they clear out whatever is left with a $10 bag sale. We stumbled upon our first bag sale when Alex was about three months old. We were out on a walk on a nice spring Saturday morning. We saw the signs for the sale so we decided to check it out. As we walked through the door of the sale, a volunteer offered to sell us a bag. We said we just wanted to check it out. One look around and I headed straight back to get a bag. I ended up filling the bag with some great finds, many with tags still on them.

Since then, I have been going to the sale every six months. I have even volunteered at some of the sales. The advantage to volunteering is that you get to shop the day before the sale to get a jump on scooping up the best deals. You also get to shop the bag sale before they let in the general public. 

I also use the sale as an opportunity to stay ahead of the clutter and donate any toys, baby equipment, and clothes that Alex has outgrown. It's great to pass on the items that we no longer need to someone else who can use them. The sale is also a consignment sale. If I want to, I have the option to make money off of the no longer used items. I prefer just donating the items and getting the tax deduction. Another benefit is that any items that don't get sold are donated to a charity.

Other than getting great deals, the think I truly love most about the sale is passing on our outgrown stuff. I remember that I was helping with the check out at one sale where I volunteered. A parent came through the line to buy one of Alex's most beloved toys that he had long ago outgrown. As I took off the sales tag, I felt a twinge of bittersweet nostalgia saying a final goodbye to the toy. Then, I looked down and saw the happy toddler eagerly awaiting his new toy. I was glad that the toy would be love and played with by someone else instead of collecting dust in our basement. If you've seen the movie, Toy Story 3, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, here's a look at my haul from today's bag sale:

The breakdown includes:

2 dress pants

1 pair of athletic pants

5 shorts

5 polo shirts

9 t-shirts

1 Nike jacket

1 tie

I've done much better at past sales, but for $10 I can't complain. If your community has a children's toy and clothing sale, I highly recommend checking it out.