This was our first weekend free after moving into the new house, so we decided to start shopping for our baby. On Sundays most stores are not open in France but those looking for deals can find them during the summer at yard sales. Each Sunday, different communities hold yard sales to clean out their homes and sell the items they no longer use or want. Where I am from in Florida, we held yard sales at our own homes whenever we felt like it. However, here people must wait until their community sale.
This is my first pregnancy so my first instinct is to buy everything new since I want nothing but the best for my little girl. But you never know what treasures you will find at one of these sales. My mother-in-law is the yard sale queen – she goes each Sunday with a budget of only 15 euros and makes a game out of how much she can get that euro to stretch. She is amazing at bargaining! We decided to try our luck with her. I went onto Amazon.fr and created a wish list of items I wanted, then wrote down each item on the list and how much it costs. This would at least give me a reasonable estimate of how much I would be saving.
The first yard sale started at 9am, but we arrived a little late. It was amazing how many French mammas I saw there! Most mothers carried thier babies in slings or scarf wraps, rarely did I see a stroller. One young father had the most adorable red scarf wrap for his newborn, but it covered her face so we could not see her. With all these parents, I knew it was going to be war to grab the best deals.
The first item we came across was a bath tub on a pedestal. We do not have a regular tub or counter space for a baby bath tub so this was on my “need” list. This bath tub was in excellent condition and included a pedestal with a handy little shelf. Brand new it would have been around 20 euros, this one was 5 euros, mother-in-law bargained it down to 4 euros – sold!
Further down I almost passed by a travel bag with a pack and play. The bag looked brand new and carried the brand Hauck, which is a name I have stumbled across often on Amazon.fr when looking at baby stuff. We were told that it has never been used, so I asked if we could set it up to see. I could not find a marking, stain or worn spot anywhere. Brand new I would have spent at least 60 euros and this one was 20 euros, and no, she would not go down a dime. She knew she would sell it with all those parents carrying little ones.
The rest of the baby items we came across were just old or looked too shabby. We followed my mother-in-law to a larger yard sale within a 10 minute drive. We walked away from this one with a new table pad for changing diapers, floor mat with toys and a boppy. I was excited about the boppy because online they are 68 euros and this one was only 2 euros! It is in excellent condition, but would cost only 15 euros to buy a new cover for it later. Oh, and in case you guys need a new use for one of those, they are handy when laying back on the sofa and setting your laptop on top. I will not say how I know, haha.
If you need baby items over the summer, then I think you should definitely go to a yard sale or two. We were able to get 180 euros worth of baby stuff for only 27 euros, with everything in either like-new or new condition. These French mammas know what they are doing, so arrive right when it starts, bring a large bag to carry small items and do not take anything to the sale that will weigh you down. While much of the baby stuff is not in very good condition, there are many hidden gems. So get going before the summer ends!
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