"I'm going to buy it anyway, so why not get it at a discount, right?" That's how I think about all of the discount sites geared towards parents getting "steals" on kids' toys, clothes, blankets, and crap I never even knew I needed. Scratch that. Wanted.
The sites suck you in with the guise of getting a "steal" on items, during a very limited time window - or while supplies last. This is all fine, until you are spending a lot more money than you wanted to, and end up with a stockpile of baby items you can't use. That being said, I have discovered some really great products from these sites. One of my favorites, I purchased from www.babysteals.com. It was a Saranoni blanket (www.saranoni.com), normally $44, for $23.99. I had no idea what Saranoni was, just thought Baby Z needed a special blanket of his own. I received it and it is beautiful, and so so soft. I have received so many compliments, and now am watching for the adult size to go on "steal" so I can give a gift to one of its many admirers.
Here is a list of my favorite sites for buying maternity/baby/kid/mom items at a discount. I apologize that I can't get get the links to work right now so you have to copy/paste. Techno-challenged, I guess:
http://www.babysteals.com – Deals posted 10 AM Central and 8 PM Central
http://www.kidsteals.com – Deals posted at 10 AM Central and 10 PM Central
http://www.babyhalfoff.com - A deal a day, always 1/2 off or more
http://www.plumdistrict.com - Deals For Moms, By Moms (Multiple deals daily/weekly)
http://www.kids.woot.com - One deal daily. Watch this for large toy items
http://www.zulilly.com - Many "sales" offered daily/weekly *
http://www.hippobargains.com - Deal posted between 10 and 11 AM Central
http://www.mamabargains.com - Offers deals throughout the day **
http://www.totsy.com - Various items on sale for up to three days
I wanted to share a couple of other favorite sites for saving money. These are not specific to savings on children's items, but there are always coupons and deals listed to get into area attractions at a discount. I don't know how these ladies find the time to do it, but the Penny Pinchin Mom has saved me a ton of money!
http://www.pennypinchinmom.com
http://www.kansascityonthecheap.com
http://www.mykansascitymommy.com
http://www.kcparent.com/Coupons
http://www.totallytarget.com
For almost all of these sites, you can sign up for a daily email or monitor through Facebook, so the deals will show up in your feed. Since I'm addicted to my Smartphone, I just keep track there instead of dragging myself downstairs to log in to the computer at 10PM. Although...with my new ipad on the way, I sense a new addiction knocking on my door, and I will be able to do all my browsing from bed on something larger than a 3x5 screen!
There are so many sites out there, I just mentioned a few that I actually use. They are great tools for saving money, but you have to practice some self control...or buy things you know you can use as gifts later. If those Saranoni blankets come back, I can assure you I will be buying more than one to keep for gifts for 2nd babies. Any takers? Now...go shop!!
* I did have a not so great experience with Zulilly's timeliness. They had a big Dr. Seuss sale, and I ordered some items to give as a gift. Two weeks later, they still hadn't shipped. They did credit my shipping, however, and to be fair they had a disclaimer that it might take that long. I now have two Dr. Seuss onesies and a puzzle that I received too late for the shower, and were off season for my boys. Case in point...spending money when sometimes you shouldn't. Oh well, I'll just sell them at one of the many consignment sales around town! (topic for a future post)
** I bought 3 months of meal planning once for $19. Great concept for both fresh and freezer meal ideas with printable grocery lists. Go Ahead. Ask me how many times I used it :-)
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