RHEA LANA'S CONSIGNMENT TIME!!!
I'm a mommy of 2 beautiful children: Aspen, my sweet and spicy 5 year old daughter and Hunter, my super cuddly and wild almost-2-year old son.
These two keep me going day in and day out, so we pretty much do whatever it takes to give them the best that we can...and you all know how expensive "the best" can be.
About 4 years ago I was working in childcare, in the nursery, and one of my babies' mom began telling me of a children's consignment event that she participates in. I lived in Conway, AR at the time and my Aspen was only 2 years old. Lisa, mom of 2, Meagan and Mason (the baby boy in my class), filled me in on all of the details.
2 Times per year: Spring/Summer & Fall/Winter
Lisa told me how awesome the sale was and how it had blessed her family by helping them to save money and stock up on a season's worth of clothes for her kids in one place at one time!
So I jumped in! And I am so thankful!
That first sale, I consigned the minimum amount of clothes and volunteered for 2 shifts. And was able to shop early! I had so much fun working with the other volunteers and the ladies of Rhea Lana's and the shopping was so great! I don't remember how much I spent that first time, but I remember how fulfilling it felt to purchase good, quality clothing at great and affordable prices for my sweet girl!
And since that first time, I have consigned, volunteered, marketed, and shopped til I dropped at Rhea Lana's Consignment Events in Conway!
This year is no different! I attended marketing day at their Conway office, grabbed a car magnet as part of marketing and signed up to work my shifts at the sale!
I have begun pulling out all of Aspen and Hunter's spring/summer wardrobes from last year and going through their toys, books, movies, and games that they have outgrown.
I will begin washing and cleaning up all of the items that are still in good, gently used condition and prepare them to be entered into Rhea Lana's easy-to-use consignor system. In this system I customize everything that the labels will say: the description of the item, the size and the price, with a minimum price of $3.
I also get to choose if I would like this item to be sold at half-price the last two days of the sale, and if I would like to donate items if they are not sold when the sale closes.
I make all of these decisions, prepare my items by marking, hanging and packaging them properly and on the scheduled drop-off day, I take my items to the sale to be inspected and dropped off.
This sounds like a lot of work doesn't it? But I have so much fun doing it!
One thing that I enjoy about it the most, is that it is a trip down memory lane! Each outfit has a memory attached to it and this process is a great way to remind myself of special times that I have had with my kiddos. And by consigning at Rhea Lana's, we get to let go of the item (not the memory) and allow someone else to make their own memories, with their own children, without having to spend a fortune on a dress, pair of shoes, or the cutest set of pajamas you have ever seen!
Plus, I am making room for more memory making clothes, shoes, toys, books, and games for my own kids!
Each step in the process is thoroughly explained and any tips and tricks are shared on Rhea Lana's website, including tutorial videos!
http://www.rhealana.com/
Almost every sale that I have participated in, I have either made money or broken even, meaning I spent the same amount of money on new items as I did on the 70% profit of the items that that I sold.
I can't explain how excited I am when Rhea Lana's comes around! My friend Cara and I normally sign up to work on the same shifts so that we can work and shop together. The early shopping pass that we earn allows us to shop at 8 am before the sale opens to the public, and we get there about 6:30 in the morning! The last 2 or 3 sales, we have been among the first 3 people in line and the other ladies that are in line with us are the same ones as the sales before, so we have gained friendships as well!
Just a little more information and then I will stop jabbering! :-)
In an average sale, now that I have two children,
I try to have a list of things that we NEED before I shop.
I highly encourage you to check out Rhea Lana's website and check on a sale that is near you or any of your family. This is a great opportunity to recycle, so to speak. Clothes are expensive!!! Even for the tiny humans that we have been gifted to take care of on planet Earth! In the economy that we live in, it is hard to afford to buy brand new seasonal clothes for each child in our family, and Rhea Lana's helps to ease that burden, whether you choose to volunteer, consign and shop, or you just come to take advantage of the great shopping prices! There is something for every family!
These two keep me going day in and day out, so we pretty much do whatever it takes to give them the best that we can...and you all know how expensive "the best" can be.
About 4 years ago I was working in childcare, in the nursery, and one of my babies' mom began telling me of a children's consignment event that she participates in. I lived in Conway, AR at the time and my Aspen was only 2 years old. Lisa, mom of 2, Meagan and Mason (the baby boy in my class), filled me in on all of the details.
2 Times per year: Spring/Summer & Fall/Winter
- Purchase, gently used children's clothes for great prices!
- Consign your gently used children's clothes to make some extra money
- Volunteer to work during the event to earn early shopping passes
- Help market the event to earn early shopping passes
- Sales in about 16 states and about 49 cities!
Lisa told me how awesome the sale was and how it had blessed her family by helping them to save money and stock up on a season's worth of clothes for her kids in one place at one time!
So I jumped in! And I am so thankful!
That first sale, I consigned the minimum amount of clothes and volunteered for 2 shifts. And was able to shop early! I had so much fun working with the other volunteers and the ladies of Rhea Lana's and the shopping was so great! I don't remember how much I spent that first time, but I remember how fulfilling it felt to purchase good, quality clothing at great and affordable prices for my sweet girl!
And since that first time, I have consigned, volunteered, marketed, and shopped til I dropped at Rhea Lana's Consignment Events in Conway!
This year is no different! I attended marketing day at their Conway office, grabbed a car magnet as part of marketing and signed up to work my shifts at the sale!
I have begun pulling out all of Aspen and Hunter's spring/summer wardrobes from last year and going through their toys, books, movies, and games that they have outgrown.
I will begin washing and cleaning up all of the items that are still in good, gently used condition and prepare them to be entered into Rhea Lana's easy-to-use consignor system. In this system I customize everything that the labels will say: the description of the item, the size and the price, with a minimum price of $3.
I also get to choose if I would like this item to be sold at half-price the last two days of the sale, and if I would like to donate items if they are not sold when the sale closes.
I make all of these decisions, prepare my items by marking, hanging and packaging them properly and on the scheduled drop-off day, I take my items to the sale to be inspected and dropped off.
This sounds like a lot of work doesn't it? But I have so much fun doing it!
One thing that I enjoy about it the most, is that it is a trip down memory lane! Each outfit has a memory attached to it and this process is a great way to remind myself of special times that I have had with my kiddos. And by consigning at Rhea Lana's, we get to let go of the item (not the memory) and allow someone else to make their own memories, with their own children, without having to spend a fortune on a dress, pair of shoes, or the cutest set of pajamas you have ever seen!
Plus, I am making room for more memory making clothes, shoes, toys, books, and games for my own kids!
Each step in the process is thoroughly explained and any tips and tricks are shared on Rhea Lana's website, including tutorial videos!
http://www.rhealana.com/
Almost every sale that I have participated in, I have either made money or broken even, meaning I spent the same amount of money on new items as I did on the 70% profit of the items that that I sold.
I can't explain how excited I am when Rhea Lana's comes around! My friend Cara and I normally sign up to work on the same shifts so that we can work and shop together. The early shopping pass that we earn allows us to shop at 8 am before the sale opens to the public, and we get there about 6:30 in the morning! The last 2 or 3 sales, we have been among the first 3 people in line and the other ladies that are in line with us are the same ones as the sales before, so we have gained friendships as well!
Just a little more information and then I will stop jabbering! :-)
In an average sale, now that I have two children,
I probably save over $261 per child!!!!!
I will show you how I got that number: based on average prices at http://www.carters.com/carters (a brand that I have preferred for my kids from birth-5 years) and my experiences at Rhea Lana's.I try to have a list of things that we NEED before I shop.
- Example: 6 pair of shorts, 2 short sets, 10 shirts, 4 pajamas, 3 shoes
- The average price I would pay at Rhea Lana's will vary, but be close to the following:
- 6-shorts $5 per pair = $30
- 2-short sets $5 per set = $10
- 10-shirts $3 per shirt = $30
- 4-pajamas $4 per set = $16
- 3-shoes $5 per pair = $15
- For a Grand Total of $101
- Keep in mind this price will vary because each consignor (and there are about 1,000) choose the prices for their items. A shirt with consignor 'A' may be $3 while the same shirt with consignor 'B' may be $5. And the older the child, I have learned the price may go up a bit.
- The average prices below are from the Carters website, linked above: (and I even cut them a break considering they offer online coupons and they have seasonal sales as well.)
- 6-shorts $15 per pair = $90
- 2-short sets $30 per set = $60
- 10-shirts $10 per shirt = $100
- 4-pajamas $13 per set = $52
- 3-shoes $20 per pair = $60
- For a Grand Total of $362
Like I said, that is for ONE child and the savings is IMMENSE!
And if you are anything like me, you don't just stop at what is on your "list"...I go kind of crazy, because it is such a bargain!!! And don't forget that the last 2 days of a season's sale, anything that does not have a Red Dot on the tag is HALF-PRICE! This is a great time to go back to the sale, see what is left and grab a few more, even more affordable items!
Stop by at: www.rhealana.com
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Stopping in my Rhea Lana's twitter account! I just blogged at the fabulous event as well! Your post was great & I love the comparison of prices! Good luck finding some steals in the coming weeks! =)
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