Game Plan...

It's that time of year again! When school is back in session and the mornings and evenings start getting cooler... it can only mean one thing.

No, not the time we start seeing Christmas decorations and cards in the stores. Although that is true.

No, not the beginning of "NO MORE LEG SHAVING UNTIL SUMMER!" season. Although that is most definitely true. Wait - unless you think that's really gross and then I'm totally kidding. Kind of.

It's that time of year when I'll obsess over my beloved Just Between Friends (Fall) Consignment Sale!! WOO HOO!! If you know me even just a tiny bit - you know I love my consignment sale. The JBF sale I go to is in Oaks, PA at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. If you live around here, come to the sale! I haven't been to any of the other surrounding JBF sales - but I know this one is the best. How could it not be? This was the sale that started Gavin stepping. Literally. The very first sale I went to, I bought a baby walker for $20.00 that looked brand new. I thought I got the best deal in the world. (Now that I'm a veteran shopper, I would have never paid $20 for a walker!) I was hoping, since Gavin would be supported in the sling seat, that my low tone boy would be motivated to take steps to move himself. It worked. Check out this throwback video (with a cameo by a baby Brian!)...

Looking back, I probably would have paid $200 for that walker if I had known it would have put the idea of stepping into Gavin's little head and given me that experience in my kitchen. It was a simple - but HUGE moment for both of us.

Back then, the twice a year sales were SO important to me. I had two boys very close in age - one with special needs who received a lot of therapy in our home. I was always looking for new toys to keep his therapy interesting. With such a HUGE selection, I could literally think through each therapy he received and get toys that would help him - with occupational therapy or physical therapy or feeding therapy and on and on. I have told this to so many special needs families over the years - it's really the best place to go for stimulating toys that won't break the bank. I've also told several families that have autistic children they should check out these sales. If your child is fixated on a toy - and you dread the day it breaks because it's not made anymore - you will likely find 20 of them at a JBF sale.

Now that Brian is older, I find I don't sell as much of his clothes. As boys grow, they get rougher and rougher on their clothes - and JBF is very strict about selling things in excellent condition. And Hope? Well she is definitely rougher than the average girl on her clothes. Especially this summer at "Camp Leong!" We spent so much time outside that some of her clothes - I wouldn't even GIVE them away!! So this time around, my selling pile was the smallest ever. I use a "valet tagger" that works for JBF to tag and deliver my clothes to the sale floor. It's the best decision I ever made a couple years back. The valet gets a cut of what I make (well deserved) - and I get to do more of this...

and a little of this...

a little of this...

and a LOT of this!!!!!!!

All while my lovely valet does all the work!

In just a couple weeks (September 21st!) I will be in line to shop on the presale day. My list will be made and I'll have a solid game plan before I go through those doors. I'll be on the hunt for Halloween costumes (which there will be racks and racks and racks to choose from)... Christmas presents for the kids (which will be easy)... snowsuits... and I'll of course have to check out the clothes. I should mention - this is totally the "testing ground" for some toys or video games that I'm just not sure Brian will like long enough to justify buying new - but he may be begging for. If I pay $5.00 for a game or a toy and he only plays with it a few times - I feel a lot better about it. (Then I turn around and sell it for $10. Just kidding!)

I started going to this sale because of Gavin so I suppose that's why I'm so emotionally attached and want to share it all with you twice a year. Whether you're expecting, a new Mom, an "old" Mom like me, have older kids or grandkids - or even if the only kids you have are your students or special needs clients - you won't regret going to the sale. You might even see me there! But listen - I will knock you down if you're holding the only Minecraft costume (if that even exists) in Brian's size. You've been warned. Ha!

If you want to join me, check out all the information on the JBF site HERE. You will need to get tickets to each sale event - and you can get them free by ordering them HERE.  You can also pay $10.00 to get in earlier (worth it!). This is what you'll see when you get to the ticket ordering page:

And here's the full sale schedule:

I'll be posting on September 21st in the morning during the pre-sale on Twitter, Instagram and my Facebook page so you can see what I'm finding for Brian and Hope! If you're wondering how to get in THAT early - consider volunteering to work at the sale. There are tons of volunteer opportunities and the more you work, the more you make and the earlier you get to shop! 

Hope to see you there! And if you do see me, please say hi. I love meeting people who have been reading - especially if they read during the Gavin days. Any chance I have to hear Gavin's name - it totally makes my day.

You can also find my friends at JBF all over social media - on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

It's That Time of Year Again!!...

It's that time again!! My favorite time of year. Wait - maybe it's my second favorite time of year. My first is the end of labor day weekend which, to me, signifies the end of LEG SHAVING SEASON!! WOO HOO!!!!!!

Sorry - I got distracted.

My favorite time of year is the Just Between Friends Consignment Sale! The one I go to is coming up the week of September 21st! If you've been around as little as a year, you know how utterly obsessed I am with these twice yearly events. I am involved in the sale in Oaks, Pennsylvania. It takes place in the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center - which happens to be the same place that donated space to me for my HUGE playground fundraiser! (There may be sales near you - it doesn't hurt to check their website.) If you have kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews, students... basically if there are ANY kids in your life, you owe it to yourself and them to attend one of these sales as a shopper - and maybe as a seller, too! I am both... a shopper AND a seller. Selling at the JBF sale is simple. And if you do it my way, it's a piece of cake.

Let me walk you through my process of preparing to sell at the JBF sale.

The first thing I do is spend a little time in the kid's closets and drawers pulling out the clothes (unstained, of course) that they have outgrown.

Next I spend some ALONE time in their playroom and gather a ton of toys that I am SURE they will never miss. My plan is to sell them which will give me money to buy new ones at the sale!

Next, I look for the box I had set aside to hide those toys only to find that it has been hijacked and made INTO a toy.

I get the kids involved in the sale, too. Here is Hope making sure that all of her shoes fit or if there are any that can be tossed in the sale box...

Too small.

Too big...

Just right!

Sometimes it's easy to get off task - or fall for the "look how cute I am loving this toy I haven't played with in two years" act. But it's important to stay focused.

Wait a minute. Hope isn't even TWO yet! She is totally keeping that dog.

 And this caterpillar.

After putting all the clothes on hangers (easy!) I stick everything in my trusty mini van and drive it over to my Valet Tagger!! Didn't see that one coming, did you??

Get this - I am DONE after that. My incredible valet tagger does all the work. She does any needed research to figure out the names of toys and what the prices should be... she enters every item with a description and price on the JBF website... she prints out tags and attaches them to every single item... and she even delivers all of my things (which then become "our" things since she gets a WELL DESERVED cut from my earnings!) to the sales floor. I could be as involved as I want to be with the pricing of the items, but I trust my valet tagger and have only made a couple changes here and there in the last two sales! We have made a lot of money together - and she does 90% of the work!

What do I do after I drop everything off on her doorstep? Unfortunately, there is so much more required of me after that.

Like hanging in the playroom...

Or spending a lot of time on a Lego project.

Lounging on the couch - which is non-negotiable.

And taking Brian to his soccer practice and his games.

Basically, using a Valet tagger with JBF means you can spend more time with your family and still make money!

Some may see it as taking the easy way out - I say, well of course it is!! Minimal work + making great money, regardless... that, to me, is a win-win.

I would love to meet you at the sale if you're coming! The details if you are hoping to sell your items - including instructions, tips and deadlines - can be found on the JBF Western Main Line website. You can find that HERE.

If you are planning to shop, the sale opens to the public on Thursday, September 24th, from 9am-8pm. Same hours on Friday! Saturday they are open from 8-5 and then, get this, Sunday is the half price sale! Many items are reduced half price from 8-3 on the last day of the sale.

I am so excited - and love that I have nothing to do now but just stroll in and shop for Hope and Brian's winter wardrobe including snow suits and boots... new toys... maybe even Christmas presents! You wouldn't believe how many things are brand new at these sales. Can't wait to give you updates as I find my treasures! You can follow me on Instagram @kategavinsmom on September 23rd when I'm at the pre-sale. Stay tuned!

Success!...

This past week was the Just Between Friends Sale!!  It was a huge success all around.

If you read my last post, it might explain why I chose to use their "Valet Service" this time around.  I just didn't want to expend the energy and time on the consigning part.  So, I gave the things I wanted to consign to one of the JBF Valet team members and she organized everything, priced it all, tagged it all and even delivered it all to the sale for me.  All I had to do was collect it from my basement, drive it to her home and have a lovely conversation with her in her kitchen.  Done. The upside to using the Valet Service is - all of the above.  It saved me a ton of time and pressure that I didn't want to put on myself.  The downside - if you consider this a downside - is that you make less on your consigned items.  I split the profit three ways: I get 50%, the woman who tagged my items gets 20% and JBF gets 30% ... but I didn't care one bit.  I'd say it was a win for me!

I was up bright and early the day of the sale and was so ready to get in to shop.  I was there the night before and, as usual, was blown away by the amount of items.  Seriously - check out some of these photos...

Here's just some of the baby gear!

This was the row of clothes in Hope's size that I had to get through.  Yikes!!

If you were looking for a stroller, you were in luck.

Speaking of which, I get a lot of comments on Hope's favorite stroller.  You could have snagged it at the sale for THREE BUCKS!

A partial photo of the little girl toys...

...and just some of the puzzles.  Unbelievable, right?

But I know you're waiting to see what I bought.  I aim to please.  Here we go...

I had a goal to get some Easter presents for the kids.  Our Easter Bunny brings a few presents and less candy.  For Brian I found a fun airplane he can put together and then decorate however he wants.  He recently had a cardboard house just like this that he loved, so I know he'll have fun with this!  It was $12.00.

I also got him "Tabletop Air Hockey" - he and Ed will have a ball with this.  And if they don't?  Who cares - it was FOUR BUCKS!

And he'll love (it may be his favorite thing) this brand new snorkel and mask.  Brian takes a bath in our large master bathtub and practices going underwater with goggles on.  Now he can practice snorkeling for a future (probably the very FAR future) island vacation!  Brand new for $4.00.

I found presents for Hope's Easter basket, too.  I couldn't resist this brand new, with tags twin doll set in a perfect little cradle.  It is just the cutest thing.  $5.50.  Can you believe that?  $5.50!!

I think she'll also love this toy - I've always loved these.  It has beads, doors to open and close, mazes... it's bright and colorful and in perfect condition.   It's the "My Busy Town" by Alex, Jr.  The cheapest I could find this online was for $62.00.  I bought it for $20.00!!

I put those things aside so Brian and Hope wouldn't see them.  But I got some other things that I showed Brian right away.  Like this super cool "boogie board" for our beach vacation this summer!  He can't wait to learn how to use it.  It was $4.00.

And I made his day when I showed him these Star Wars ships - all for $12.00!

I was super excited to score this beautiful Pottery Barn Kids canvas bin.  I was able to remove the fabric to wash it and it looks brand new!  It's now in the playroom filled with Hope's stuffed toys and dolls.  It's perfect!  And it cost me $10.00.  Pottery Barn Kids, people!!

Now... on to the good stuff.  The clothes!

I got these for Brian.  Five shirts and six shorts from Gymboree, Polo, Kitestrings and Gap - all for $43.00.  That's about $3.00 an item!

Six pairs of sandals and shoes for Hope - three that looked like they'd never touched the ground.  Pediped, Stride Rite and those white sneakers are little Pumas (they were THREE BUCKS!).  I got all these shoes for $25.00.  Those pink glitter slip ons are even cuter in person.

Here are all the clothes I bought for Hope.  Baby Gap, Gymboree, Janie and Jack, Carters, Hartstrings, Tea, Hanna Andersson and Polo.  Most of these items were under $5.00.  The most expensive clothing item I bought for Hope was her Easter dress (not shown) for $10.00.

I love these two dresses - especially the one on the left that is from H&M and new with tags for $5.00!

I loved this $4.00 stretchy denim jean jacket from Old Navy.

And I could NOT resist these jackets.  Each of these (in different sizes) were $4.00!  Janie and Jack trench coat, London Fog polka dot windbreaker and a bright pink jacket from Hartstrings.

I did find an Easter dress for Hope that I LOVE - but you'll just have to wait to see that one!

I bought a few other things I didn't list here.  My total for everything was $268.42.  And wait...I ended up selling 117 items and making $281.38!  So, I came out $12.96 ahead!  Ha!

More than all of that, it is such a fun experience.  I love seeing my "JBF Family" and watching a community of women come together to create such a wonderful sale.  The sale helps so many people who don't want to pay retail.. can't afford to pay retail... have multiple children, foster children, grandchildren - you name it!  AND... if you don't want to pick up your unsold items (I didn't!) they are all donated to a local charity who is extremely grateful to receive them.

That's a wrap, folks!  I'm already looking forward to the Fall sale next September.

Hope To See You There!...

Today I had planned to write a post on my consigning experience with Just Between Friends.

Today I had also posted this cute photo of Hope on Instagram and my Facebook Page.

And today - almost like a gift - I received a super-snarky comment in my inbox!  

I typically just smirk, sometimes laugh and then delete these notes, but not tonight.  Tonight I'm going to share it to prove an important point.  Here is the note:

"If you want to be relatabel [sic] to your readers, you should really stop posting pictures of your daughter wearing expensive outfits.  Seriously who buys quilted patent boots and satin skirts for their toddler? I bet she will never wear that again and it was just on for one picture what a waste."

It's really easy - trust me, I know! - to assume things about someone based on what you see on the internet.  Lots of things have been assumed about me from "perfect marriage" to "perfect Mom" to "perfect Christian" to "perfect house" - I can't stress enough how UNTRUE all of those are.  Like, in a big way.  

As for Hope's outfit, let me break it down for you from head to toe:

Satin headband with flower:  bought on clearance at a store that was going out of business.  I think it was $3.00 - if that.

Black long sleeve tee shirt:  Children's place for $4.00 (cheaper after coupon!)

Silver Tu-Tu - a gift from a friend.

Black patent boots:  A last second decision at the register at Children's Place.  I turned and saw them... they were the last ones... they were Hope's size!... and they were on clearance.  I got them for... wait for it... $4.00!!

Pretty relatable, if you ask me!!

But I want to let you in on a little secret...

I love.

I live for...

the Just Between Friends Consignment Sale.  

If you've been reading a while, this is not news.

I love these sales because I live for a bargain - and I love to find unique things that I don't have to hunt around town and go to five different stores for - everything is all in one spot!

Since Gavin was two, I've been buying and selling at their twice a year sales.  It was how I kept toys constantly rotating in the playroom - hoping to keep things fun and interesting, especially during his daily therapies.  And it's also how I handled outfitting two boys!  Going to these sales almost felt like trading.  I'd sell a season's worth of clothes... and I'd buy a season's worth of clothes... and sometimes I'd break even.  How awesome is that??  My record for sales one year was close to $600!!

It can be daunting to start the process - deciding what to sell and organizing everything so you can tag each and every item.  It can be even harder to emotionally part with things.  I know this very well.  The sale before Gavin's death, I sold all the baby equipment we had been holding onto... we had been hoping we would need it.  Letting go of the equipment and the clothes and the baby toys was like letting go of a dream.  Then the sale after Gavin's death... I found myself buying baby equipment and clothes and toys for Hope!  

Now, here I am again.  Ed and I were holding onto Hope's things... hoping.  I didn't write about this - or really tell many people at all - but we lost a baby.  I was actually miscarrying on Hope's first birthday.  (It really has been a long Winter.)  So we are officially, officially done - but it doesn't make it any less difficult!  I had planned to start tagging everything to sell like I always do, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

So I came up with a solution that makes me feel better.  I have a friend who is expecting a girl... and a friend who just delivered a girl... so I packed up some of my favorite things of Hope's to give to them.  It makes me so, so happy to know that people I love have such special things of Hope's.  Then, I gathered all the other things I wanted to sell - including clothes Brian and Hope have outgrown and toys we're all sick of looking at - and I outsourced the job.

Just Between Friends has a "Valet Service!"  Basically, the "Valet" will price, tag and deliver your items to the sale and then you split the profits.  I packed up the clothes... 

... random toys...

...and bags of miscellaneous things, including these bottles I bought for Hope that she never once touched!

The Valet will make sense of it all for me - which is such a huge relief.  It allows me to do a lot more of this this month...

I was assigned a valet in my area and we met this weekend.  I gave her ideas of how I priced things and she'll take care of the rest!  Before she prints all the tags I'll be able to see them and make any changes, which is nice.  I've never used the Valet Service - but it was the perfect solution for me this year.  It saves me time and, quite frankly, it will spare me from some tears!

I love the consigning part - and it's fun to make money - so it was a little bit hard for me to make the final decision to valet.  But I can't put a price on stress relief - and the time it will free up - and having a big, clear spot in my basement where I can actually SEE the floor again.  Totally worth it.

If you live in the Philadelphia area and want to join me as a seller and shopper - there's still time!  Check out the JBF website for all the important information.  The sale is March 19-22.  Check out their Facebook Page, too, as they often do special giveaways - like "jump to the front of the line" passes, which are the BEST.  These sales get crowded and the lines, although they move fast, are still lines!  They also give early shopping passes to expectant Moms having their first baby, first time Grandparents, teachers and more.  Check out this link to see all the ways you can get in earlier than the public to shope.  I love this sale - can you tell?

Just one thing.  If you do go to the sale... and you see me shopping... and I look intense... don't be afraid to say hi.  But I won't talk long because what if someone grabs the smocked dress I can see out of the corner of my eye?!?  Or the last Star Wars anything??  I take my JBF shopping very seriously.

The sale is at the Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA - the same Expo Center where I had Gavin's Playground Party!  It opens to the public on Thursday, March 19 at 9am until 8pm.  Then, on Sunday, March 22, from 8-3 - many things will be marked 50% off to close the sale!

I'm going to write another post after the sale, like I always do, to show you some of the things I bought.  I am hoping to find some unique clothes - maybe special Easter outfits - and books by Brian's favorite author.

Hope to see you there!!