What A Deal!

I am not much for garage sales around here.  And I don’t pick up cool things out of the garbage anymore either…well, not too often.  But I do like finding a good bargain; you know, something fantastically wonderful that you’ve had your eye on before but it just costs soooooo much!  Raising 5 kids in today’s world on a single income, and a teacher’s salary at that, takes some creativity.  You have to think outside the box to survive, therefore good deals are important to me.  So one of my favorite places to find a bargain is at a certain second hand store nearby and I headed there this past Monday.  I’ve been playing with a lot of the same toys for 13 years and occasionally I need some new ones.  Of course the kids are the real beneficiaries here.  Anyway, after spending the entire morning in the waiting room of Toyota’s Service Center entertaining two little children, I went with the intent of looking for building materials and this is what I found.

These are “Incrediblocks” by Fisher Price.  They are the coolest blocks EVER  to look at and investigate as each one is different.  The object inside each block moves or makes soft sounds or both.  Some have different textures and some can be manipulated with small knobs on the bottom.  Each block alone is interesting but obviously you can build with them as well.  I have purchased small sets in the past as birthday gifts for my children.  They are usually about 15 dollars for a small set of 10 these days.

I found this “Incrediblock” activity center at the store.  To buy it brand new with 8 cubes would cost you over $70.  The set of 26 additional blocks would cost over $43.  I got this toy with 36 blocks for about the price of a brand new small set of these blocks.  I just had to clean the whole thing before I let the kids play with it and it looks brand new!  The top of the cube lights up and tells you what is inside the block, plays music and has a turn table around the center that the other blocks can spin around on.  There are mirrors, hiding spots, a maze and storage for all of these blocks.  This was a great deal for me and is such fun for my kids… all of them!

Does anyone remember having a Shape-O Ball like this made by Tupperware?  It comes with 10 shapes that also have numbers on the inside.  I remember having fun with this educational toy as a child but they cost $30 brand new these days!!!  So when I spotted this one (not a shape missing) I picked it up for a couple dollars.  It, too, looks brand new.

I love educational toys that grow with the kids or inspire creativity and work on skills at several levels.  Both of my children here are enjoying it. 

And speaking of bargains, most people who know me know that I have a passion for children’s books.  My husband always knows he can find me in the children’s section whether we’re at the store or the library.  Perhaps that’s why I have so many children’s books.  In fact, I have a number of children’s books left over from my own childhood that I just couldn’t ever part with that my children now are reading 35+ years later.  Here is one of those books:

While I could not find an exact publication date on this book, I do know that it was purchased in the early 1970’s for .35 cents.  I found a copy of the book in the bookstore last Friday night on the “vintage” shelf which I always enjoy looking over for…..

$8.00.

When you think that my mother bought Little Golden Books for .29 cents and now I buy them for $2.99 on occasion, I wonder how much my grandchildren’s books will cost my children in a generation.  I found copies of some of my much loved Little Golden Books on the shelf, and some I remember having, which are now selling for $7.00.  So hang on to your most beloved books.  Enjoy them again and again.  And someday they too will be “vintage classics” worth who knows how much!