As we accumulated items needed for our upcoming baby, I found that most things we needed were little things -- five dollars here, fifteen dollars there. There were only several large items that we needed, one of which was the crib.
For us, my parents told us several years ago that their big gift to us with our first baby would be a crib. So that was one big expense we didn't have to worry about. However, probably many of you will not be so fortunate, and will find yourself forking over the big bucks to buy one when that first baby comes along.
My mom said in her post about laundry, "Cheap is getting the best price, no matter what. Frugal is getting a good product for the best price." I believe this applies here as well. You may think it's the best thing ever that you got a $30 crib, but if it falls apart in six months and you have to buy a new one, then you have been cheap -- not frugal. Especially with a crib, you want something that will last years, and hopefully multiple children. This means you want to find the best crib for the best possible price.
Here are a few tips on how to do just that:
First: Do your research. Shop around until you find something you love that is within your price range, then Google the item and see what comes up. I do this with random items and often Amazon or some random website will have your item for a little bit cheaper, or free shipping, or some other deal. Don't be fooled into thinking that only one store carries your crib.
Second: Wait for deals. Don't buy your item the moment you find it. Especially with the economy, big stores like Babies R Us or RC Willey are always having sales.
Third: Sign up for Rewards Programs, if they're free. They'll send you coupons and discounts in the mail. Also get on their mailing list so you are notified when there are big sales going on.
Fourth: Buy second hand, if buying a new crib isn't in your budget. Craigslist, garage sales, and Kid to Kid are all great options for buying second hand, as long as you get a quality product.
So, who else has great frugal ideas for buying cribs?
6 comments:
We bought a floor model crib during a sale almost eight years ago. It was already marked down as a floor model (I couldn't find any damage whatsoever on it) and then it was marked down even more for the sale. We had looked at it before, then waited for the sale to purchase it. Eight years and four kids later, it is in near perfect condition and I'm sure I will be able to make some money back when we are done with it and I sale it on Craig's List.
Ikea. They have several crib options, all of which are really affordable and most of which convert into toddler beds and thus will be useful for a longer time. They're no frills, for sure, but that's what we were looking for.
Ask around. We have received two cribs for free (my boys are close together) from friends.
When we were pregnant with our first, we shopped tons of cribs. We knew the options we wanted. We knew the type of crib we wanted. Then we shopped. Even when we traveled, we shopped the local stores. When we were visiting friends three states away, we found the perfect crib on an clearance sale at a big box store. It had a big dent in the box. We asked for the manager. The three of us all opened the box to see if the crib was damaged. There was a bit of a dent in the wood. Not structural, cosmetic only and really you couldn't tell unless you looked close. We asked for another discount and we receive an additional discount of 15%. We got a $300 crib for less than $100. This was great for us and is about to serve us for our third child.
We got a crib from a family member and I hated it because it was ugly and used. With a little work, though, we refinished it and it's not so bad anymore. Cribs especially are tricky, though, because some of the older ones don't meet current safety guidelines, but there are a bunch of websites that will let you look and see if your crib is one of the previously recalled ones.
I always make sure that I buy baby stuff that will last long. I want to be sure that it will still be used in the future.
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