Silver lining: a blog post
Wednesday, my friend Malia tweeted that she had an extra early pass to a consignment sale for Thursday evening. Seeing an opportunity to pick up some fall/winter items for the girls without having to take the girls, I quickly raised my hand and did my best Horshack imitation. (If you are too young to remember Welcome Back Kotter and Horshack’s “Ooohhh, Ohhhh, Mr. Kotter” please don’t tell me. Yes, John Travolta had a career even before Grease.) We made arrangements to meet up so that I could get the pass.
Thursday, I trucked the kids up to Chickafila and we had a quick bite with Malia. I planned an evening appointment to look at a couple of houses around the sale. As Steve was putting Sabrina to bed, I headed off to the sale. (Just so that you can fully appreciate the time I invested – Chickafila was 20 min each way and the sale was about 25 min each way.)
I was looking forward to the sale. Sabrina has grown a couple of inches and all of her pants have become capris and her dresses would be obscene if she was any older. We don’t have as many hand me downs for this size – I imagine when kids hit 3T they are more active and the clothes don’t make it through as intact. She needed some clothes and a winter coat. I spent an hour going through the racks. I found a coat, a fall jacket, a couple of pairs of PJs, and a decent number of outfits for Sabrina. For Tessa, I picked up several pairs of PJs and a couple of outfits. Plus, I found cute matching skirts that would be darling at Christmas with white turtlenecks and tights.
I went through everything a third time to make sure I wasn’t going to have buyers remorse. I discarded a couple of things and wavered over an outfit that was $10 – I don’t usually spend that much at a consignment sale outfit but this was Gymboree and really cute so I kept it. Then I got in the very long line. I kept shifting my heavy pile of things while I watched other ladies paying for their items. It suddenly occurred to me that an awful lot of them were paying with cash. And there were a lot of checks being written. Huh. Then, with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach I saw the sigh “CASH OR CHECK ONLY”. I had a grand total of $6 cash in my purse and I never carry my check book because I never write checks. It hadn’t occurred to me that I couldn’t use my bank card because the past couple of sales I’ve gone to have been really large and they took credit cards. Despite all of the time invested, I had to put my items back and walk away empty handed. I was just sick – and so mad at myself.
I went back first thing this morning and was able to find almost everything I had chosen last night – a couple of PJs for Sabrina weren’t there but otherwise I think I found it all again – even the matching Christmas skirts. They are the red things at the right of the photo. And the really loud, obnoxious printed thing slightly left of center is a really cute Halloween dress. Really. I swear – it is cute.
And as a bonus, I picked up a toy for each of the girls. That little piano thing? Yeah, I’m going to regret that by 4:30 this afternoon. But Tessa will love it. And the other thing? A Sit N Spin! I always wanted one when I was a kid but never had one (see transcript from therapy session #257, also session #322 where I discuss never getting a Big Wheel). So when I saw this, I had to get it for myself her.
Point of all of this? I am a moron. I wasted Malia’s early bird pass but thank her for offering it up. And I love consignment sales. And all is well that ends well.
Warning you will HATE that sit n spin. They aren’t like when we were younger. That one plays LOUD obnoxious music and keeps yelling out things for the child to do. Whatever you do, don’t put batteries in it. I gave mine away after a month of hearing that loud thing!
At least you got some good stuff. We have one really nice and reasonable consignment shop here that we use for each season. Thank God that I come from a close family that loves to buy for kids and birthdays are this week/next week. That always helps with winter/fall clothing.
way to look at the posititve!!! I hardly EVER have cash on me either.
Looks like you got some great deals! I too never had a sit and spin, but my kids have one. Tessa will love standing on it. That’s what all mine did. Yes, I am on heart meds still from the event. OH, does this one sing. Ours did. Added an extra special touch to it.
Excedrin Migraine works well for the piano toy
I can empathize with you about feeling like a moron. We had a consignment sale at the beginning of August. I had tickets for the “early 1/2 price sale” (I had things for sale in this sale). Anywho, I love a bargain so I went on Saturday, the “early 1/2 price day”, picked out the things I wanted, waited in line to pay for them, hand the girl my items and my ticket……stupid me, did not read it closely enough…..”early 1/2 price” was 4pm-6pm! It was 1pm, there was no way I could hang around awhile until the 1/2 price actually came into effect. I was so disgusted (mostly with myself) that I just said, forget it and left…..too embarrassed to go back and find the stuff again later! (I really didn’t neeeeed any of it anyway! I usually end up spending more than I make consigning; not this year though, I didn’t buy a single thing!
I keep missing out on the big sales around here.
Oh, and if it’s any consolation, to this day I am bitter about not getting a Big Wheel when I was a kid. Everyone had one but me.
Oh no! That totally sucks! I never, ever have cash on me either. I admit, I had a sit-n-spin and a big wheel! Two of my absolute favorite toys. Though, I agree with the first poster, the new sit-n-spins are so annoying. Why does everything have to make noise and talk???
I hate that! Sounds like me today – went to Michaels and bought a bunch of crap including some cake decorating stuff normally too expensive for me – and proudly handed over by 40% coupon only to be told it’s good starting TOMORROW. DOH!
And I guess the fact that you felt the need to explain who Horshack is means I am very, very old. Sigh.
Oh, what adorable outfits you got. How fun. I am so glad that you were able to find most everything. I still can’t believe they don’t at least take bank cards, how strange.
Glad it was a success!
Laughing at Yeah SO as I have totally done that…line growing behind me and then inexplicable uttered: THATS OK ILL TAKE THE STUFF ANYWAY 🙂
now I need to know: did you meet her on twitter? know her before?
love,
Your friend who realizes that was totally NOT the point of the story 🙂
What a bummer about having to go back, but super cute outfits. That piano will be in the ‘give away’ box in less than a week.
Oh Michelle!! Girl, you should have called me!! I would have been over there in a heartbeat with my check book to help you out. It didn’t even occur to me to say anything about that when we were at lunch. I don’t ever shop any other consignment sale since we started doing this one so I wasn’t even aware that some of the sales now take cards.
I’m glad you found most of what you had to put back, though!
I did pretty well with the stuff I consigned. I spent about a 1/3 of what I made back. So, I’m happy!