♩ ♪ ♫ ♬   “I’m gonna pop some tags. Only got $20 in my pocket…”  ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬

That was the theme song for how my weekend went. As TIRING as it was going from city to city to hunt down the remaining baby items we needed, the reward outweighed my swollen feet.

We got a steal of a deal, and everything was still in excellent condition:

• Our 4-in-1 convertible crib retails for about $150; we got it for $70.
• Our ‘Pack N Play’ set costs $160 in stores; we got it for $50 (well… $80 if you include the additional parts we’re ordering from Graco.)
• Our car seat can pick your pockets for $200; we got it for $45 (and it still has about two years left before it expires! Not gonna lie, though, I never knew a car seat had an expiration date… ha!)

I love saving money! I may not be an extreme couponer (or a couponer at all), but I’ll give anyone a run for their money when I shop online, purchase things from eBay, or buy something from Craigslist.

The downside of Craigslist is that only about 40% of the sellers contact you back in a timely matter, or at all. Also, you have to usually drive a couple cities over to pick up the item; but I don’t mind that so much since it saves on shipping, and I get my item immediately. 🙂

Oh yeah… make sure all the parts are there before you leave. My husband and I were very fortunate to get a refund on the crib we originally purchased—there were two parts missing once it was assembled. The lady was kind enough to give us a refund, and we upgraded our savings by buying a better crib that was a few dollars cheaper, but not everyone has that happy ending.

Another thing I noticed was that only ONE of the sellers we encountered counted the money we gave them. I mean, I’m flattered that you trust my husband and I, but that couldn’t be me. I’ll count the wad right in front of you, licking my finger with each bill, and then let you know if everything’s there. HA!

All in all, it was a great weekend with great buys. Stay thrifty, my friends! It may be a pain, but in the end… you save major dollars! Whoop whoop!