5 ways to get a good deal on a baby carrier

As I have discussed before, a good carrier can be a real game-changer for families. But often the problem is the price. Parents find the carrier section at Target and see the lovely Ergobabys for $140+ next to Eddie Bauer carriers for $70. They serve the same purpose, right? They do the same thing, right? Let's just get the cheaper one! Great idea in the short run for sure! It's nice to have extra cash! But in the long run, you might be wishing you had spent a little more. Like lots of other things in life...you get what you pay for. So planning ahead, setting aside a little money here and there or selling some of your lightly used baby gear are all great ideas to get the carrier you want. With that said, there are a few ways I have found that help you save a few bucks while also getting a good carrier.

First off, do your research. Pick out your top 2 or 3 carriers. Try them on, maybe borrow one for a few days and decide if you are ready to invest. When you are, here are some good ways to buy and save money...

Local babywearing groups
Check Facebook and Babywearing International to see if there is a babywearing group near you. They have educated volunteers who will help you find what you want/need and then will turn around and help you learn how to use it! Most also have a lending library where you can borrow a carrier for a small fee for a few weeks to try it out before you buy. And local moms will post within the group carriers they are willing to sell/trade. Which leads me to...

Buy used
At least 5 of the carriers I have owned were used! Good for my wallet and the environment. :) Be careful when buying used so that you know you are getting an authentic carrier. Counterfeits can be less quality and unsafe. That's why I like buying directly from other moms via our local babywearing group. If you don't have a group close by, the Facebook group Babywearing on a Budget (search on FB) is a good resource for used carriers listed under $100.

Amazon.com
Check Amazon for your carrier. This might take some patience. I have been pining after the Ergobaby Ventus for a couple months until it went down from $140 to $110 on Amazon. **But be sure you are buying from a legit seller. Ergos are the most commonly counterfeited carriers. Make sure it is by Ergobaby and sold/shipped/fulfilled by Amazon.

In-store coupons
You can get Buy Buy Baby's 20% off coupon super easily. (Sign up for texts or emails). They sell lots of great carriers like Lillebaby, K'tan, Boba, Ergobaby and more. This is how I got my Lillebaby. Other baby retailers have similar deals. Often Target will have a gift card deal for their carriers. (Ex: Buy this product and get $30 in Target gift cards.)

Make your own
My only experience making carriers has been the water wrap and ring sling. So I'll just list some resources that might be helpful: Several moms in our local group have sewn a soft-structured carrier using this pattern. So rad if you are a good seamstress! This is a good round-up of various DIY carriers. My best suggestion for making your own is talk to someone who has already made one, so get involved in your local babywearing group :)

Have you ever made your own carrier? 
How have you saved money when buying a baby carrier?

How to get an (almost) free baby carrier

Have you ever seen one of these carriers? They were recalled in 2010 due to risk of suffocation...which makes sense seeing as this carrier is basically like putting your baby in a duffel bag around your hip! Anyway...they are still doing the replacement program. I found one at the thrift store and bought it for $4.99 to see how the program worked. Here is my experience...

1. The instructions are found here.
2. Cut out the logo and put it in an envelope.
   
3. Throw away the rest of the carrier.
4. Print out the prepaid label. 
   
5. Send it out. 
6. Get a free mei tai! (Infantino actually calls this a "Wrap and Tie" carrier. Mine only took about two weeks to arrive! :)

Photo by Bridger :)

I like to recommend mei tais to new moms because they are safe, easy to use, comfortable for mom and baby and cheap. (The Infantino brands retails for $30 or less). I think I'll keep mine in the car as an extra carrier or maybe in our 72 hour emergency kit! So, if you ever see one of the old Infantino sling carriers pictured up top at a yard sale or thrift store, grab it and turn it in for a pretty sweet new carrier :)

More reading:

How to use a mei tai with a newborn.

How to put a baby on your back with a mei tai.

Crazy people buy strollers just to take them apart

The past few days we lamented about how poor we are and talked of selling our big tandem kayak...then we bought a jogging stroller. I know. We are bad money managers. The deal was so good, I couldn't let us pass it up! The freedom to run whenever! In the cool mornings instead of the hot afternoons and evenings when Nate is home.

We saw the last floor model on sale at Costco. (Via Velo brand. Not that I recommend it, because I don't.) Marked down from $200 to $130. I strapped Bridger in and ran around a bit. Not a bad stroller.  It was missing the bike attachment and had some tears. My wheeling and dealing husband talked them down to $75! Nate managed to fit it in the trunk and we took it home.

This is where the fun begins. We love a good project, but this was a doozy. It had several holes in the fabric.  We took it apart to repair the holes. Once again, Bernice amazed us both and performed excellently. With a little creativity and elbow grease, the holes were repaired. The construction on this thing was stereotypical cheap Chinese made goods. So we reinforced the heck out of the rest of the weight bearing seams. With a little sweat and exasperation, it was put back together.

And all in the name of thrift and living fit! Sigh.

Anyhow, we took it out on Saturday and this morning and it rides so smooth. (My legs are going to need some time to adjust though!) Hope Bridger enjoys it as much as I do. He seems to! Here's to lots of breezy runs! (And here's to hoping it doesn't fall apart...)

Book Series: Thrifting for Books

My most recent haul. 11 books for $5.

In college, I started shopping at thrift stores pretty regularly. Buying used for many items is just smart when it saves you so much money and you save something from going to a landfill. I always bought used textbooks when I could find them. Since then, I buy my books used almost exclusively.  Amazon is great for that. Thrift stores and used book stores have great deals too.  Finding deals thrills me. This makes Nate roll his eyes. BUT it's seriously becoming a hobby! I was so excited when I found all these books last week. That Clifford book is one of the originals. Copyright 1963! And in great shape. I love finding deals like that! And honestly, that doesn't happen every time I walk into a thrift store. But when it does, I wanna do a back flip.

I was a little hesitant to start buying Bridger's book secondhand because, well, germs. But a couple of Clorox wipes later and they are good as new. And hopefully he grows up with literacy as well as thrift and a green lifestyle.

Do you ever buy your books used? Have any good places you would recommend?

I love deals

Check out what I scored in Michael's "as is" section:

Original price: $30.00

Sale/as is price: $7.49!

4' x 2'

It has a few paint marks on it, along with a few black streaks. But I think a good base coat will fix that up.

Now what to do with it?

I don't paint. At all. But I was thinking a simple chevron pattern would be cool for the nursery. We'll see. Any ideas?

For Sale [[sold]]

This thing is fabulous, but we never use it.

It works phenomenally.

If you are in the area and interested, let me know!

Thrifting for Baby

 On Saturday, we went to DI looking for some items for sewing projects. (More about our new sewing machine later!) Instead, I found some cute little baby items :)

 Isn't that plaid shirt the cutest?? I saw it first and then felt like I should get something girly to even it out. Luckily I found the shirt on the right with its Children's Place tags still on it. Score! Then the middle onesie is somewhat unisex. We should find out in about 2 weeks if we are having a boy or girl!

Lastly, the little blanket was in good shape and pretty unisex as well. 

Now everything is being washed and prepared for baby :)

Oh! And Happy Valentines Day :)

What to do with a...

vintage tablecloth?

Here it is, in need of some serious ironing.

I found this while cleaning out today. We purchased it at the DI last summer? Maybe? It's quite a thrifty find. All hand-embroidered, no stains or holes. Anyway, I washed it and put it away knowing I could use it for something sometime. Months have gone by while it has patiently waited to be used. But I don't have a table big enough for it. Not that I would ever actually use it seriously as a tablecloth, I would be afraid to stain it!

I considered using it has a window covering in our bedroom. But it's a little big for that too. And I have no intention of cutting it. Then Nate suggested we hang it on the wall like a tapestry. What do you think? Any other ideas? Maybe I should just save it for later?

Book Review: The Poisonwood Bible

Have you read The Poisonwood Bible? It's been on my book list for awhile and I finally snagged it at Savers (local thrift store) recently. I loved every page! I'm not gonna spend a lot of time talking about it because I just want you to go read it yourself! But I do think this should be a must-read for anyone who is seeking to make a difference in Africa or any third-world population (humanitarians, charities, missionaries etc). Just to give you an idea, this is story about a young family who travel to Congo in 1960 with their Baptist preacher father to bring the Gospel to a Congolese village. The story actually  follows the daughters throughout their lives.  I really enjoyed learning the background and history of Congo (now Zaire) while it was beginning their independence from Belgium. Please read it! You will love it.

For full disclosure, there is a a little language, but not much and little to no sexual references. Be aware that the author does have a bit of an agenda, but keep your head on straight and you'll enjoy it! I hope they make a movie soon! Tell me what you think of it after you read it!

My moon, my man

I haven't posted lately on our latest thrifted-ness, but we are regulars at DI and Savers, so I have a bit to share. First up is an awesome blazer and tie for Nate.

Tweed blazer, $7 at DI. I swear I catch him drooling over this sometimes. But let's be honest, I do too! The sleeves were a little short so he lengthened them a bit using his aunt's sewing machine.

Wooly tie, $2 at DI. Pretty schnazzy as well.

Thrifting through the blog community

I found my old Spanish 102 classmate, Heather via Clothed Much recently. She has a great sense of style, not to mention that she has a gorgeous short haircut! Well, while perusing her blog, I found her shop. After falling in love with her collection of goodies, I met up with her that afternoon and grabbed two skirts from her stash.

And I'm not a style blogger so don't judge me on my awkward poses! ;)

Forever 21 pencil skirt $5

Vintage red pencil skirt $5 (with pockets!)

Thanks for getting me a great deal Heather!

Weekend update + New project

We had a big weekend full of adventures!

Crafting. Borrowed Holly's sewing machine and tailored some old khakis using these tips. They actually turned out pretty well.

Music. We went to The Brocks concert at Sammy's. A.m.a.z.i.n.g. Seriously. Go buy their CD.

Broadcast. Watched it. Loved it.

Celebrating. We celebrated the engagement of Sam & Kyle at Olive Garden. Yay for marriage! 

Swap meet. Well I didn't buy anything at the swap meet. Although I should have. There was a great $5 Gap sweater that I wasn't quite sure about...until someone else bought it. Darn it. 

But, on the bright side, we got something even cooler. 

We got this old Schwinn at a yard sale right after the swap meet for $40.

 Obviously, it's gonna be a BIG project. So in order to motivate ourselves, we have decided to have a weekly post for updates on our progress with the bike. I'll try and save links and other online resources that we use and post those as well.

Nate is taking care of the mechanics and all that stuff. But I am excited to pick out the handlebar tape and paint color. I really like this color scheme:

Source: bellacosas.tumblr.com via Diane on Pinterest

And this cutie shows off what my bike looked like in its heyday:

Source: trfindley.com via Lacey on Pinterest

This week's bike goals:

1. Take photos of everything on the bike so we can put it back together.

2. Take it apart.

3. Start sanding the rust and paint down.

P.S. Thanks for all of the comments on Hair Help!

Student Life: Saving on Textbooks

Disclaimer: If you aren't a student, you may find this post incredibly boring! Now, those of you who are interested in how we saved money on textbooks...keep reading!


First, our list of the bookstore new and used prices:


Grant Writing: New-$40 Used-$30
Aging: New-$42.70 Used-$32.05
Adult Development & Aging: New-$195 Used-$147
Life with Big Al: Caregiver's Diary: New-$12.95 Used-$9.75
Social & Personality Development: New-$202 Used-$152
Cognitive Development: New-$115 Used-$86
Children's Thinking: New-$147 Used-$110
Single Variable Calculus: New-$66.70 Used-$50


Just the used priced books adds up to a whopping $616!!


First off, we stressed out a little bit and pulled out a little bit of hair...then we calmed down and started making plans:


1. Sell your old textbooks: We each have a growing collection of textbooks that we did not sell back after the classes were over because we wanted to keep them for reference during our careers etc. We decided to let go of them after deciding we would purchase an older edition (always much cheaper than the current) of each book if the need arose later on. With a combination of several of mine and several of his, we made $200! :) Not too shabby.


2. Ditch the campus bookstore: I don't hate the BYU Bookstore...they employ lots of students and they have great sales...but they do seem to have high textbook prices. We checked on Amazon for our books first and then went to Boomerang Books, just a block south of campus. I usually use Book Exchange for a lot of my books, but this year I didn't have much luck. Book Exchange is program for BYU students where you can buy and sell books straight to other students. I bet other campuses have something similar. Also I discovered Blyph this week via The Daily Universe.


3. Rent: Unfortunately, a couple of my books are brand new editions and could not be purchased used. We didn't want to pay the full price, so we decided to rent them for a portion of the new price. Score!


4. Go to class first: I'm a little OCD (I know, big surprise! ;) in the way that I HAVE to have my books before my classes start. But sometimes instructors will change their tune a little on their books. Nate waited to get his English class book this semester and then his instructor told them not to buy it. Sweet!


5. Go to the library: My good friend Holly suggests to simply borrow the necessary books from the library when needed and nix the spending of money all together!


Our end result:
Grant Writing: New-$40 (I had to buy this one new...it was not on Amazon or anywhere else! And there were no more used at the Bookstore!)
Aging: New-$42.70 (A brand new edition...nothing used available!)
Adult Development & Aging: $75 (Renting from Boomerang)
Life with Big Al: Caregiver's Diary: $6 from Boomerang
Social & Personality Development: $117 from Boomerang
Cognitive Development: $20 from Boomerang
Children's Thinking: $117 from Amazon
Single Variable Calculus: $35 (Renting for Boomerang)


Total price: $452.70...which actually translates to $252.70 since we sold $200 worth of books to Boomerang. Boo-yah. :)


Maybe these tips are old news for you...did I miss any that help you save money on textbooks?

Online Yard Sale

I've started an online yard sale over here on my shop page.

Everything sold will directly benefit Eagle Condor Humanitarian :)

Here are some of my favorite items listed:

Book Review: The Kingdom & the Crown series

In May and June, I was engrossed in one of Gerald Lund's religious series, "The Kingdom & the Crown." I was taking a New Testament class at the same time, which added to my study of Christ's ministry. This is actually the second time I have read this series, but I think I got more out of it this time around since I last read them sometime in high school. This series is a historical novel following a fictional family in the time of Christ's ministry. What I love about them is that there is a great balance of action, love, history and most importantly, spirituality intertwined into the lives of the characters. You get an idea of what Christ's early disciples were like. You learn what their daily lives consisted of and that perhaps they gained testimonies similar to the way we do: slowly, line upon line. You also get to learn much about Christ's biggest critics (the Pharisees and other Judean rulers) who inadvertently contributed to the completion of Christ's Atonement.

The author has to take many artistic licenses in order to make the novels flow in a readable pattern. But I was happy to find that he sticks very close to the Gospels, often using the exact wording. He leaves chapter notes at the end of each chapter which gives more historical information and also cites his sources.

I came away with a greater understanding of the time in which Christ ministered and a stronger testimony and gratitude for the Atonement. I would recommend them to anyone. Let me know if you want to borrow them!

P.S. I purchased all these books secondhand! The first at DI and the next two at a used bookstore in Orem (Pioneer Books) for $9 and $12! I love good deals and recycling :)

Thrifting: Used Books

For some good Saturday morning entertainment, Nate and I stopped at DI (Deseret Industries). We were planning on going to Pioneer Books (used bookstore) in Orem for some summer reads. But we found all we needed at DI. It took some time--there is no real organization to their books-- but it was worth the search!

Mine:

Julie & Julia

new price: $6.00

thrift price: $1.50

The Notebook

new price: $7.50

thrift price: $0.75

Nate's:

Cold Mountain

new price: $24.00

thrift price: $4.00

The Journal of Joseph Smith

new price: unknown

thrift price: $4.00

Total new cost: $37.50

Told thrift cost: $10.25

Thrifting: Yard Sales

I think the first Saturdays of each month are going to be my favorite time of the month this summer! I went to a total of five yard sales this weekend! (Yeah, I know, I may need some help.) I first stopped by the big one at our apartment complex. There was a ton of stuff, just nothing we really needed. So I headed to the one I had been planning on. The poster read, "Multi-family yard sale: Vintage and Designer!" How could I not stop by? The photos below display my success.

Prints: $1/each I think I'll use this one for a birthday card maybe!

I picture this one to be framed in our (future) laundry room.

Key wall art: $2 I painted this after I took this photo with gold spray paint, but I think I'm going to try it in white or black.

Chair: $8. It just needed some scrubbing and good as new! I was thinking about sanding it down and painting it yellow to use it as a second chair in the office. But I think I like it how it is!
Blank canvas: $4 This canvas was still wrapped in plastic! I was so excited about it, I painted it as soon as I got home.

The rest of the yard sales I went to after this one were pretty junky. But I'll be back on the yard sale hunt next month!

Thrifting

I love thrift stores. Even before they were cool, I was a big fan. Provo is not quite as populated with thrift stores as Chipley, but Deseret Industries is always full of surprises. Here are some of my most recent purchases:


1. Eastland boots, $7.00. Found in the men's department. Really hipster, don't you think? Similar ones found here.

2. Gerald N. Lund novel, $4.00. I just started a New Testament class and was excited to find this book at DI. It will go perfectly with my study. There is a local used bookstore I've been meaning to check out that will probably have the next two. A new one can be found here.

3. LaCrosse snow boots, $7.00. Though they are not the chic-est thing out there, they are very practical for Utah winters. Perfect for really snowy days. Also they are the most comfortable boots I have ever put my feet in. Similar boots found here.

4. College Algebra textbook, $4.00. This was too boring to take a photo of, however, I thought it was noteworthy. Nate bought it to get some practice this summer to prepare for his calculus class this fall.

5. White board, $3.00. Also not visually interesting, but a good buy. This one was also for Nate, which he uses to work out homework problems. (We have also used it to play a good old-fashioned game of Hang-Man).

Total thrifted cost: $25

Total new cost: $225+