Raising a baby on a second hand budget: Toys for boys (and girls)

/

Christmas, birthday, Easter, Valentine's Day, just because you are so stinkin' cute.

The gifts you want to give or are pressured to give your baby can add up fast!

But let's face it, until our children reach a certain age the toys they have only hold their attention for about a month or a minute and then they are forgotten about.

Why buy new things? I am not saying that you need to buy everything used for your child. It is okay to splurge once in a while, but why pay twice the price for something your kid plays with for a limited time in their life?

I learned this by example. My sister has three really cute kids. A lot of the toys and clothes they have came second hand. She said she was happy to get them that way, because that meant she only had to spend money on the really fun stuff.

So I have taken this advice to heart.

Earlier this where we purchased this all of this for $16:

That's a musical zebra that bounces, a light up train that my boy can ride, a Backyardigan's Play House and two puzzles.

The little zebra had never even been used!

We already talked about finding great consignment sales through Consignmentsalefinder.org. Did you know that most consignment sales mark things down to 50 percent off their last few days?

That means you can get great toys that are already at a great price for half off!

We have my son's birthday and Christmas done (he is only seven months old) and both costs us less than $30!

Here a a few tips for finding great toys, books and educational toys at great prices.

  • PaperBackSwap.com- I have been using PaperBack Swap for years. It is a great way to get great books. You simply upload your book titles and people choose books form your libraries. For every book that is chosen from you you earn a credit toward a book for your choice. It costs around $2.27 to ship each book. You only pay for the books you ship. Not the books you recieve. They have a pretty good children's library particularly for older children.
  • Girl, you gotta go to the dollar store. If you want some great board books that your little one can hold and not destruct, go to the Dollar Tree. I bought my little man some Sesame Street books on colors, shapes and going to bed.
  • Thrift Store. The other day I was at my local thrift store and I saw some new toddler toys. They were some we already had, or already had some similar to so I didn't buy. But these were things selling for $5 that were still in their boxes. When you buy at a thrift store like the Salvation Army or Good Will, you are saving money and helping a good cause. 
  • Amazon. Go to Amazon and type in the word toy. Look at all it pulls up! And look at all those used toys people are selling. I have purchased and sold a lot of things used on Amazon and I have always had good luck. And, if you're a Prime member some sellers ship Prime eligible.

What do you do to save cash on toys?

Part I: Raising a baby on a second hand budget: Clothing on a dime.

Part II: Raising a baby on a second hand budget: Already love baby gear, a dream come true?

Part IV: Raising a baby on a second hand budget: Don't forget Mom