Thrifting for Kids

The majority of my kids clothes are secondhand. We get a decent amount of hand me downs for Isla and none for Connor. But, after that, I buy almost all my kids clothes from thrift stores. 

I have been able to score all sorts of brands - Joes Jeans for Isla (for 50 cents!!!), Janie & Jack, Roxy, Volcom and mall brands like Gap Kids, Old Navy, Gymboree and more are easy to come by. 

^^ Both J.Crew Crewcuts. I got the tshirt for 50 cents.

Not all thrift stores are created equal. I like ones that are more organized. I am not much for digging through bins of clothing. So, ones that hang all their clothing are the ones for me. Also, you quickly learn the ones that tend to have better quality clothes. Not only do I know the thrift stores I like by me, but I also know the ones that I like by my mom in LA and always hit them up when I go visit. 

You have to have patience and you really can't be looking for something specific. Some times I walk out with hardly anything (or nothing), other times I hit the mother load. And by mother load, that usually means I spent around $20. Big spender, I know. 

^^ These are both bigger clothes for Isla. But the vest looked brand new and set me back $1 and the adorable sweater was J.Crew! 

Here are a couple of my tips and tricks to remember when thrifting for kids:

1. Shop out of season. The clothes are much cheaper then. Thrift stores have cycles just like normal stores. Shorts that I paid 75 cents for during the winter are now priced at $3. Just like jeans are currently going for $1-$1.50, but during the winter run $4+. 

2. Buy a size (or even two) up. If you are shopping out of season, it just makes sense to size up! I keep a bin in each kid's closet for their next couple sizes up. So when I buy something, I wash it, then throw it into the bin. It makes me so happy to watch the bin grow over time. 

^^ I got that Gap vest for $3 and it looks brand new! 

3. Check for stains, rips and if all the buttons and zippers work. If the pants have adjustable waistbands, check to make sure the adjustable part is still there. It really does pay to look over each garment when in the store. 

4. Thrift stores have sales too. Some use coupons. Other's have specific days where all the clothing is 50% off. Those are (obviously) the best times to shop. 

Even when thrifting, you can still be picky. By planning ahead and not needing to buy for right now, I can be picky about the clothes I want and even look for specific types and brands of jeans I want. The same goes for other clothing as well. 

I always, always, always buy jeans, pjs and winter gear when I come across it. These are three things that are hot commodities. I come across jeans often, but, like I said before, I know the styles I like for my kids, so if I come across them, I buy them. 

I generally never pay more than $2 for an item. Most shirts, I pay $1 or less for, pants usually $1.50 or less and shorts, $1. Pajamas are generally not sold in a set, so you do have to search through all the clothes to find a match. But, if it is a style I like and I find a match, I get them. I haven't had as good of luck with shoes, but have come across good ones a few times. Not enough to count on though. Expect to pay around $2 for a pair of name brand shoes. 

And, while you are at the store, you may as well browse through the books and toys while you are at it! I have great luck in both those sections too. I have been able to find a lot of Melissa and Doug, just by quickly looking and it is normally priced at $1. 

Now get out there and get thrifting, then come back and brag to me about what you found! 

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Thrifty Finds

My mom was in town this past weekend and Ian was painting the house, so I was under strict orders to keep the kids out of my house all day. So of course my mom and I went thrifting...and to an amazing estate sale. 


You may be asking yourself, if Jessica likes thrifting so much, why doesn't she ever go without her mom? I have tried. Let me tell you, it is not pretty. Thrift stores are small and crammed full of stuff. My little children have go-go gadget arms and seem to be able to rip everything off the shelves. So I need another set of hands to help me with this said problem. Given that none of my friends are super into thrifting, my mom it is! Thanks for this mom. I really do enjoy thrifting with you. 


This gem I actually snagged to put on the table in our backyard. But, its home became on the wall in our newly painted dining room. It was $3.99. 

I don't buy many clothes for my kids, but most of the ones that I do, I get at thrift stores. I love that I can snag name brand stuff for so freaking cheap. I almost passed up this adorable Janie and Jack dress because I am cheap. It was $2.99. I don't normal pay that much for thrifted clothes. But it was adorable and in the end, the adorableness factor won me over. You can't tell from the picture, but it has little butterflies all over it. 

Stride Rite sandals for $1.99. Need I say more? Ian thinks they are a little dorky looking, but for the price, I don't care! 

I am all about collecting little wooden toys for my kids. This is a miniature bead roller coaster and cost me a whopping 39 cents. Isla pretty much uses it as a weapon rattle. 

Wooden blocks are my obsession as of late. I need to be stopped. I have amassed quite the collection. This set right here put me back 99 cents. 

This amazing little cozy coupe was found at the estate sale my mom and I hit up. It didn't have a price and given how adorable it is, I was afraid it was going to be expensive. We asked how much and the guy gave it to Connor. That's right, it was FREE. I like free! 

Have you found anything good while thrifting lately?

A Present for Ian

While driving home from running errands on Tuesday, my mom spotted a garage sale for us to stop at. Who knew there were garage sales on Tuesdays? We unloaded the kids from the car and looked around. Instantly an old school looking espresso machine on the ground caught my eye. Sure it was a little beat up, but I thought Ian just might like it. When I asked the price and the lady said $20, I was a little shocked. This is a garage sale after all and I was hoping for something like $5. Anyway, I took a picture of the machine and went home to google it. 


As soon as I put in the name, I discovered this was in fact a high quality, expensive machine. So, I jumped back in my car and ran to buy the machine...thankfully the garage sale was in my neighborhood. Originally I thought I would save it until father's day for Ian, but I decided I couldn't wait. I gave him all these clues over the phone (think: restoration project, something way cool, something that could cost us some money, but would be worth it, and so on) and told him he would get his surprise when he got home. Someone that was on his work trip with him had him convinced that it was probably an antique clock. Nothing against antique clocks, but come on Ian. Do you really think I would say you would be excited about a clock?! Anyway...

Last night Ian got home and got his present. He was excited. It turns out, he has been trolling the internet for months looking for one of these bad boys in his price range. And to think I gawked at $20. When Ian turned it on last night, amazingly it worked. And he has a friend who works on espresso machines and said he would help him fix it up. I'm pretty excited about this little project I bought for him, that I got quite the deal on without even looking for it! 




P.S. Once we Ian gets it all prettied up, I will post some pictures. 

Backyard Bowling

Yesterday while thrifting with my mom, I came across this amazing find...a little wooden bowling set. It is oddly heavy (duh, Jessica. It is solid wood!) and I feared it could be used as a weapon by a certain little man against his sister. But, I swallowed my fear and got it anyway.

After eating dinner outside (yea for spring), I set up the bowling set, Ian drew some lines and Connor had some fun. By the end, he stopped throwing the ball from over his head, but I still don't think he fully got the concept. It was cute non-the-less.

Thrifty Find

Normally if I want to go thrifting, its my mom who goes with me. These days I never go at it alone. Two kids in a thrift store just doesn't seem fun. So, when my mom comes to town, we thrift it up.

This past Sunday, Ian and I decided to take the kids to the Bay Area Discovery Museum in San Francisco. Then Ian heard about this crazy huge rummage sale in Oakland, so we decided to stop by on our way to San Francisco. It was pretty insane. Tons of people everywhere for blocks and blocks surrounding the building. Since strollers weren't allowed, I wore Isla and Ian wore Connor. Let me just say Connor wasn't exactly a willing participant in this stop. So, we didn't stay long. But we did stay long enough for me to know I want to go again next year. And long enough for me to find this...

A vintage port-a-crib that I paid only $2.50 for!!! It is so stinking cute. Sure, I didn't need it, but it was so cute I couldn't pass it up. And it is actually in really good condition. I cleaned the whole thing today and can't believe what good condition it is in. It doesn't need to be sanded down and re-done or anything. Score!

And here's a picture of Isla trying out my new cage find for her.

Oddly enough (and awesomely enough) the sheets I have for Connor's pack-n-play from Scotland (it is a different shape than the ones in the US) fit this mattress. It's like it was meant to be...

Now I get that technically this isn't supposed to be re-sold anymore. In fact, it stated on the port-a-crib that it was sold as a decoration and not for use as a crib or playpen. But I checked it over and this thing is solid. And adorable. Did I mention the cute factor already? For now, it has found a home in the kids playroom as, uh, a decoration...a decoration that a certain cute little girl can chill in from time to time.