these are my confessions:

i am a consign-a-holic.

meaning its pretty much the only place i shop for childrens clothing.  occasionally target or old navy or a tent sale of some sort, but my child {soon-to-be-children} can usually be found sporting pre-used clothing.  {which would bother the heck out of stephen if he thought about it too long...thats the first thing he thinks of when i say "antique" or "vintage": someone else used it/wore it/ate off it before us...}

to me, though, its a wonderful way to find precious, unique, quality clothing at a completely reasonable price. i have even found many handmade outfits which, as you can imagine, excites the fool out of me.  i am just not the type to fork out $40-$75 for one smocked outfit that will be outgrown in three months.

and if you live near me, my favorite childrens consignment store is Kids Wearhouse {next to peanut butter-n-jelly kids}.  i love the owner and i love their selection.  and i loooooooove leaving there with no less than 6 or 7 outfits for under $100.  i usually hit them up twice a year: once in the fall and once in the spring.  and its when i buy all of bennetts "nice" clothes for the upcoming season: i.e. all the smocked, appliqued, name-brand john johns and dress shirts and church clothes.

{all outfits above from consignment over the years - and this is just the tip of the iceberg}

this being said, i was prompted to blog about this bc today i went on a little binge shopping at kids wearhouse this past weekend for emory and saw three of these

that i blogged about HERE

and they were only $20 each! and looked brand new.  oh yeah, consignment stores are also prime locations for baby gear: cribs, tables and chairs, car seats, toys, strollers, high chairs, riding toys, etc, etc.  and if you find one of the "good" consignment stores, they require the quality to be up to par to even accept it on consignment - so no ratty/stained/worn out items.  perfecto!

also, my favorite place to find great childrens books {besides the "classics" i have purchased on amazon} is actually our local goodwill.  i have found the best little golden books, the ever-so-loved thomas the train themed books, and many many other new favorites.  on one of my most recent trips in there i left with seven books for 67 cents. TOTAL.  i thought something was wrong but the cashier assured me this was correct.  seriously! 


so, if you have the time and patience, it doesnt hurt to hit up your local thrift or consignment store: there are always so many wonderful diamonds in the rough.

go support your local consignment store, and give your bank account some much needed relief!


ps.  and just bc i cant resist, here is one of my most recent "binge" finds for miss emory:

i die