Once Upon A Child
How is my baby seven months old (today!!) and I had made it this long without going to Once Upon A Child? I frequented the Anchorage one as a child with my mom and also a few times since with friends who had babies and for a long time just assumed that it was local to Anchorage. It wasn't until after moving to Maryland that I realized it was a national chain.
We were lucky in that we were gifted a lot of new items and given some hand-me-downs as well. There were a few things we wanted to buy brand new (for various reasons, whether it be for safety or because we want it to be able to last through a few kids) but I am definitely not against used baby gear! I bought the boppy and bouncy chair used at our church garage sale. Some family friends who have three children gave us an exersaucer, some clothes, and some diapers. Besides all the new clothes Clara has been given, I have a friend whose daughter is five months older than Clara who sent us a lot of her old clothes and a cousin whose daughter is a year older who also gave us a large bag of clothes around Thanksgiving. Besides the occasional outfit I've purchased here or there (whether because it was a special occasion or just so irresistibly cute) I really haven't had to buy that many clothes. But Little Miss is growing, and growing fast. She is in 9 month clothes and it won't be much longer until she is in 12 month; she already wears a couple 12 month outfits. She needed some new clothes. She has also been practicing her latest trick, standing while holding onto something, and I really wanted to buy her an activity table, such as the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Fun With Friends Musical Table (phew, is that a mouthful or what?!) listed on Amazon.com for $40! I am asking around about the best consignment shops in the area, but I remembered hearing that there was a Once Upon A Child nearby. I did a quick google search, got directions, and Clara and I were off!
Well, I should have known that I wouldn't find it right away. If you use mapquest for the address they have listed, it brings you to...nothing. So I ended up having to drive up and down a section of Rt. 3 in Crofton a few times, and those of you who live in the area know how much fun that road is and how *easy* it is to turn around on - note the sarcasm. But I found it after about 10 minutes and felt pretty stupid because I passed it two days a week for seven weeks when I was taking Clara to my Aunt's house while I was working. The store itself is smaller than the one in Anchorage but I found everything I was looking for and more! I can't believe I haven't shopped there before. The clothes were all in great condition, looked very clean (although of course I still washed them when I got home) and they had a small selection of toys. They had about eight activity tables to choose from! I ended up with eight outfits (11 separates), the activity table, and a Fisher-Price corn popper (priced at about $25 brand new) all for $55! Some of the dresses I purchased could have easily cost half that, each. Here is what I walked away with:
We were lucky in that we were gifted a lot of new items and given some hand-me-downs as well. There were a few things we wanted to buy brand new (for various reasons, whether it be for safety or because we want it to be able to last through a few kids) but I am definitely not against used baby gear! I bought the boppy and bouncy chair used at our church garage sale. Some family friends who have three children gave us an exersaucer, some clothes, and some diapers. Besides all the new clothes Clara has been given, I have a friend whose daughter is five months older than Clara who sent us a lot of her old clothes and a cousin whose daughter is a year older who also gave us a large bag of clothes around Thanksgiving. Besides the occasional outfit I've purchased here or there (whether because it was a special occasion or just so irresistibly cute) I really haven't had to buy that many clothes. But Little Miss is growing, and growing fast. She is in 9 month clothes and it won't be much longer until she is in 12 month; she already wears a couple 12 month outfits. She needed some new clothes. She has also been practicing her latest trick, standing while holding onto something, and I really wanted to buy her an activity table, such as the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Fun With Friends Musical Table (phew, is that a mouthful or what?!) listed on Amazon.com for $40! I am asking around about the best consignment shops in the area, but I remembered hearing that there was a Once Upon A Child nearby. I did a quick google search, got directions, and Clara and I were off!
Well, I should have known that I wouldn't find it right away. If you use mapquest for the address they have listed, it brings you to...nothing. So I ended up having to drive up and down a section of Rt. 3 in Crofton a few times, and those of you who live in the area know how much fun that road is and how *easy* it is to turn around on - note the sarcasm. But I found it after about 10 minutes and felt pretty stupid because I passed it two days a week for seven weeks when I was taking Clara to my Aunt's house while I was working. The store itself is smaller than the one in Anchorage but I found everything I was looking for and more! I can't believe I haven't shopped there before. The clothes were all in great condition, looked very clean (although of course I still washed them when I got home) and they had a small selection of toys. They had about eight activity tables to choose from! I ended up with eight outfits (11 separates), the activity table, and a Fisher-Price corn popper (priced at about $25 brand new) all for $55! Some of the dresses I purchased could have easily cost half that, each. Here is what I walked away with:
Clara is clearly thrilled about mommy's bargain shopping, she loves the activity table.
The funny thing is, there was a nautical dress just like that last one on Zulily the other day that I almost purchased for $22 plus shipping. Glad I held off! :) I do love Zulily though, if you're not a member yet and want to be, let me know because I get credit for referring you! Their bargains don't quite compare to Once Upon A Child, but for new and often highly coveted items they are a great site!
I'm so proud of my bargain shopping skills. ;) Now I just have to remember that if I go there frequently I am not actually saving any money, only if I go there when I would otherwise need to pay full price somewhere else. ;) LOL.
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