Yard saling is in my blood. I grew up with parents who yard saled on a pretty regular basis and am a yard sale FREAK now. I used to go to yard sales — and estate sales, and thrift stores, etc. — exclusively for vintage stuff, which I detail on my other blog Pretty.Quirky. Now, it’s all about the kid’s stuff. The very sales I passed by two years ago — with yards full of exersaucers, high chairs, and bumbo seats — are the ones that draw me in now.
Sunday was the annual Ravenswood Manor yard sale, a huge neighborhood sale in one of the nicest neighborhoods in Chicago. This sale is a GREAT mix of younger families with children and older folks cleaning out their attics and basements. It’s the only neighborhood sale I know of that takes place on a Sunday, and since that’s my day to stay with the babies (Justin’s off day), I figured I would have to miss it. But then I thought: this never going out with them stuff HAS TO STOP. And preferably, before summer, when I have 10 weeks of alone time with them that will be spent exclusively in our living room if I can’t get more comfortable taking them places. Only I’m not quite ready to dive into the abyss by myself yet, so I asked my friend Shannon, a fellow yard sale lover, if she wanted to go, and because she’s such a good friend, she agreed.
As mentioned previously, last weekend was WARM. 90 degrees on Sunday! I greased them up as best as I could with sunscreen and set off. On our way to meet Shannon, we stopped at the BEST yard sale of the day — this woman had the greatest toys, and they were priced SO CHEAPLY. So here you go, a photo commemorating the babies first yard sale purchase of their lives.
THE EXCITEMENT IS PALPABLE. Clearly, the love of yard sales is genetic. Well, it was hot. We were there for around two hours, and they were really good. Emme got fussy near the end but I think that’s more because she was hungry than anything else. Shannon was a HUGE help — there were a few places I couldn’t get the stroller near and she stayed in the alley with the babies. I just hate the feeling of being in the way with that ginormous stroller. Things at a neighborhood sale are so crowded to begin with — pushing this boat around is pretty uncomfortable.
I am so totally excited about some of the things I got there.
I got this little Madeline felt play set for $2.
These Stacrobats are on my Amazon wishlist, and I almost got them for the babies for Christmas — but they were $56! Ridiculous! Especially if you can find the at a yard sale for ONE DOLLAR! The kids love them, but I have to say, if I had paid $56 for them I would be a little irate. These aren’t a $50 toy, if you ask me.
These colorful, stacking trucks were an instant hit. They hook together if you want to make a train of dump trucks. $2.
This little stuffed car is so cute. You open the hood and find luggage (it’s a fancy EUROPEAN car, you see) and it also comes with a mom, dad, two kids, and a dog.
This was my most expensive purchase — at $3!
It was a great haul, I must say.
by Lara Jo
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