Consignment Shopping: Does it make sense?

When I first started hearing about consignment sales a few years ago, I kind of wrote them off thinking, I shop sales pretty well, buy off season and purchased from yard sale sites, I don't really need to shop those.


The challenge with my strategy was that it could be really time consuming, require searching photo albums or Facebook groups for the right items and sizes wasn't always easy and then coordinating a plan to meet a stranger at a convenient time was not always easy. Shopping clearance from previous seasons can be tough too, I've gotten burned a few times committing to a size for the next season while things are on sale but then realizing I overshot the size when spring or winter rolled around.

I went to my first consignment sale about 5 years ago and I was hooked. I look forward to shopping them each year, they save a ton of time, money and make getting what we need for each season way easier than buying sales the season before (you never quite know the sizes you need until you need them!) Here's a quick price break down giving you a feel for the kind of money that can be saved while shopping these events.

I have created a simple price breakdown using moderate pricing comparable to what you might pay at Target or Old Navy. Overall I'd estimate that many people may spend much more at higher end stores such as GAP or Gymboree so the total cost estimate could be significantly higher than the estimate of $216.  My estimate above allows the average mom to save almost $150 per season or more depending on how much you were spending on retail items.  If you multiple that times each child with two main seasons (fall/winter and spring/summer). That savings adds up pretty quickly! $300 in savings per child per year.  That's around $900 per year in savings for a family with 3 children!

Lower Prices + Higher Quality!

I find that I am able to buy those higher end brands of clothing that I knew will last for a fraction of the price at seasonal consignment events.  When I comb through the clothing racks at these events I often look for the brands I won't pay full price for and always come away with a TON of amazing, beautiful clothing, toys, books and more for a fraction of the cost of what I would pay retail. Want to shop consignment? Click here to learn more about The Kids Clothesline.

This girls dress marked at 50% off at Gymboree right now is still at least 3 to 4 times as expensive than you could expect to pay at a seasonal consignment event.

Another company we LOVE to buy from but can get pricey is Primary.com. The styles shown above are sold for $12-$18 each! You could easily but 3-4 items gently at a seasonal consignment event for the price of one here. I created a cart with a few items to build a spring wardrobe for my daughter and between bathing suits, short, shirts and 2 dresses my total was up over $263 and that didn't even include the sandals or sneakers we need!

Take a look at just how many items they will have at the event! This event slideshow is an awesome preview of the vast variety.

                

If you've never checked out a seasonal consignment sale now is the time! The Kids Clothesline's Spring event is going on this week! You can shop during the following hours and check it all out for yourself.  While we featured a price comparison for clothing, clothing isn't the only thing you will find at The Kids Clothesline.  You'll find amazing deals on outdoor toys, strollers, furniture, movies, books, games and much more. Saving on your kids' clothing is just the beginning!

We love shopping these sale events and always come away feeling like we got a great deal on lots of things we needed. Additionally it is really awesome to know that by buying at The Kids Clothesline you've supported another family by purchasing some of their items! 

Sponsorship/Affiliate Disclaimer: 

This article was sponsored by The Kids Clothesline. LVFGS received compensation for writing this blog article, however all opinions within are 100% accurate and true and have not been altered as a result of compensation. lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net only exists because of hours upon hours of work that comes directly from the heart of a mom who wants to make the Lehigh Valley a better place to raise your family. Because of our effort we publish a resource that makes your life as a parent easier, makes the Lehigh Valley more welcoming to a family new to the area and helps make the Lehigh Valley a more vibrant and engaging place for families to grow and live. In order to make it possible to continue doing this we must find ways to generate income from our work. At times you will see posts from sponsors who pay us a fee to help them spread the word about their business or event. This article may contain affiliate links from businesses that give us a very small portion of your purchase should you decide to purchase. Barters and fees that we receive from our sponsors and affiliates help make the website the best it can possibly be, they put food on our family's table and allow us to keep doing what we do! By patronizing the businesses who support us and by choosing to opt in to offers we share you keep lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net alive - making it possible for us to continue to provide information and engaging content for years to come. Without you and without our valued sponsors the website could not continue to operate. Opinions expressed in this article are 100% honest and real and are not in any way altered based on sponsorship agreements, barters or payments we have received as a media partner. We love all of our LVFGS Families and thank you for you support. 

Weekend events for Kids in the Lehigh Valley

The weekend is here so let's have some fun! Here are a few amazing activities you can enjoy with your kids this weekend in the Lehigh Valley! 

Let's uncover some summer fun and break out to find something to do with Lehigh Valley Find and Go Seek!

To see a full list of activities for the weekend click here! 

                                     

            

Looking to save some money while enjoying some time out?

These weekend deals will save you up to 50% off regular price! 

$5 admission to American on Wheels! Save 50%!

Save 50% off a visit to Game Changer World Family Entertainment center!

Save $4 on every admission to Crayola Experience!

Skate at Steel Ice Center and save up to 52% off! 

Save up to 37% off at Sky Zone Open Bounces this weekend

Save 55% on admission to the Museum of Indian Culture

Looking Ahead!

Sponsorship/Affiliate Disclaimer: 

lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net only exists because of hours upon hours of work that comes directly from the heart of a mom who wants to make the Lehigh Valley a better place to raise your family. Because of our effort we publish a resource that makes your life as a parent easier, makes the Lehigh Valley more welcoming to a family new to the area and helps make the Lehigh Valley a more vibrant and engaging place for families to grow and live. In order to make it possible to continue doing this we must find ways to generate income from our work. At times you will see posts from sponsors who pay us a fee to help them spread the word about their business or event. This article may contain affiliate links from businesses that give us a very small portion of your purchase should you decide to purchase. Barters and fees that we receive from our sponsors and affiliates help make the website the best it can possibly be, they put food on our family's table and allow us to keep doing what we do! By patronizing the businesses who support us and by choosing to opt in to offers we share you keep lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net alive - making it possible for us to continue to provide information and engaging content for years to come. Without you and without our valued sponsors the website could not continue to operate. Opinions expressed in this article are 100% honest and real and are not in any way altered based on sponsorship agreements, barters or payments we have received as a media partner. We love all of our LVFGS Families and thank you for you support. 

Zaycon Fresh: What to know before you buy!

Zaycon Fresh has suspended operations 

if you have ordered recently and have not had your order fulfilled please contact them for a refund or follow their page for updates.

I recently discovered Zaycon Fresh and really wondered could this be as good as it sounds? At first the pricing didn't look that fantastic to me. It seemed pretty on par with what I pay for the bulk packs about $1.99 per pound for boneless skinless chicken breasts) at Wegmans. Until I realized that they offer a ton of amazing promo codes on a regular basis and it is a fresher, higher quality product that they offer. Click here for the latest promo codes! My first order included 40 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts at just 99 cents a pound with their promo code! 

After reading more about the company and how they do business buying through Zaycon began looking better and better. They do a WAY better job than I can explaining it here. Take a look! 

        


It makes a lot of sense when you think about it! Prices better or comparable to the grocery store AND higher quality. Plus buying a lot at once will reduce your trips to the grocery store, saving time, gas and energy spent each week making sure your family has what it needs.



But what will I do with all of that meat and chicken? My best suggestion is to look up some great freezer meals. Prepare full meals with your fresh chicken and meats before your freeze it and now you are saving time in two ways! Here are a few links to some of my favorite freezer meal lists.

20 Freezer Meals in 4 Hours - Stockpilingmoms.com

17 Freezer Meals Free printable Freezer Meal Plan - New Leaf Wellness

Another great tip is to whip up or purchase some of your favorite marinades and throw them in the bag with your chicken as your portion it out - you will be ready for easy grilling just by pulling your bag from the freezer.

Adventures in Legoland: Legoland Discovery Center Philadelphia

We recently look a little trip down to Plymouth Meeting to check out the Legoland Discovery Center at the Plymouth Meeting Mall!

It has been ages since I visited Plymouth Meeting. My family used to go to the Ikea that used to be located on the same property on a regular basis when I was a kid and occasionally we would stop over at the mall before taking the Northeast Extension home.

All I remembered about the place is that it felt HUGE and it had a carousel inside.  All those things are still true, its still pretty big, theres still a carousel inside AND now it also has a major family attraction attached, the Legoland Discovery Center.

The Legoland Discovery Center is literally located inside the mall, which seemed odd to me initially - I had a hard time picturing how something so large could be fully enclosed in another building but it totally works and makes the attraction especially attractive for a cold, super hot, or otherwise ugly day, because not only is the attraction inside but its also attached to a giant mall that has restaurants, indoor play areas, a carousel and shopping that you can all access without going outside once you've entered the building.

                                   

                 

You must access the  Legoland Discovery Center from inside the mall, and because of the mall's size parking in a lot that is close by helps make getting there a bit quicker.  Its is super easy to get there from the Lehigh Valley. Take the NE extension of the Turnpike (476) South to Plymouth Road in Plymouth Meeting. Take Exit 333 from I-276 W and make a right into the mall parking lot.

When you pull in stay to the south (right) side of the mall and follow the road past Whole Foods and aim to part in the area that is circled. This will put you at the closest entrance to the center. The map above suggests parking in a different lot (which you can do but it involves walking into a building and then out again and into a different door - its confusing, but we did it and survived).  For directions from other locations besides the Lehigh Valley click here. Once you enter the mall just follow the signs.

The entrance is easy to find and sorts visitors into two lines, those who pre-purchase and those who want to buy their tickets on the spot.

 I highly suggest buying your tickets in advance (they are cheaper! ) plus it speeds up your arrival, because people who are already ticketed get to go through a different line.  This isn't a cheap family outing especially if you pay full price so plan to spend the day here. My best advice would be to arrive for their opening and enjoy the attraction until lunch, then grab some lunch in the mall or utilize the Legoland Discovery Center Cafe.  Once the kids have had a break just back in to do some of their favorite things again. 

Note: if you exit with the intention of coming back that day, you must confirm re-entry will be available with an employee, restrictions due to capacity limits may apply. 

  Discount Tickets that will save about $5 per person. These are available directly on their website here or by clicking the photo above. 

You can also look into some even deeper discounts on sites such as Groupon.

Groupon has had tickets for 1/2 off admission at Legoland Philadelphia in the past, the most recent offer is now sold out. We will update if additional offers are found!  

Annual passes are also available for families who'd like to visit many times!

When you enter Legoland Discovery Center They have a short themed ride that the whole family can hop on. Everyone gets to hold a magical wand that you can use to point at targets while on the ride to earn points. This was cute and a nice surprise! 

The Legoland Discovery Center is divided into a few different areas.  For the young ones there is a toddler area that features a small slide (pictured below), Large scale legos (pictured below) that are appropriate for preschoolers and toddlers to build with. This area also has a cool bubble feature (Pictured below) that my kids really loved. 

The space also features a number of different building stations that provide models for building, platforms and more. The one featured below was demonstrating how to build a sturdy structure.  The lego building mats were all mounted on earthquake simulators that shook your building are varying rates to put it to the test. 

They have a 4-D movie theater that shows a short lego themed film (similar in style to the LEGO movies) on a regular schedule. See the schedule when you arrive to fit this in to your visit. This may be a little bit too intense for little ones. 5+ are ideal and it might work well for some brave 3 or 4 year olds too.  Its not exactly scary per se but it was loud and there are "4-D" elements that appear like sprays of water, bubbles and puffs of air which startled my littlest one.

One of the neatest parts of the attraction, that my kids were really focused on was the indoor lego city. This this is a massive mini city filled with buildings that mimic famous scenes in Philadelphia

. You can find Gino's Steaks, the Reading Terminal Market, Lincoln Financial Field,  trains, taxis and a lot more. Children can interact with this exhibit by touching buttons that activate various features. 

Another hugely popular attraction was their indoor playground/climbing structure. This is basically a huge pirate ship playground that kids can play inside. It features climbing obstacles, tunnels and more. Children must be over 36 inches to enter.

You'll find tons of themed building stations, a create your own LEGO car and track equipped with a big slide that kids can ride down and race their cars to the bottom! 

There are a few life sized lego people which my kids thought were really funny. Most specifically this one because my name is Stephanie! 

There is a small cafe inside that has fast bites and a space for eating as well. We didn't eat here so I can't attest to the food or its quality but generally it appeared to be mostly kid friendly foods (soft pretzels, pizza etc.). I believe there were also some premade sandwiches in the cooler, but overall I'd probably opt to eat elsewhere if I had a choice, but its certainly a convenient option to get a quick bite in. 

We really did have a great time visiting Legoland Discovery Center Philadelphia! Our visit lasted about 2.5 hours from start to finish and we only ended up leaving out of a need to get home for naps that afternoon.  For my kids the 2.5 hours wasn't long enough, they really did want to stay longer  and it was a struggle to get them to leave. 


The drive from the Lehigh Valley really was super easy and I would certainly go back again, my kids refer to it often and they enjoyed themselves. I would like to make plans to stay longer next time, especially since the admission prices are a bit steep.  If you have a lego obsessed kid you can do memberships to the facility which give unlimited admission for the year.  

I've heard feedback from people that they thought it would be larger or have more to offer, I didn't feel this way.  I thought the attraction had about what I would expect to see.  There was a lot to do even if your child isn't really into Legos (mine aren't).


If you visit please let us know by leaving a comment! 

Sponsorship/Affiliate Disclaimer: 

lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net only exists because of hours upon hours of work that comes directly from the heart of a mom who wants to make the Lehigh Valley a better place to raise your family. Because of our effort we publish a resource that makes your life as a parent easier, makes the Lehigh Valley more welcoming to a family new to the area and helps make the Lehigh Valley a more vibrant and engaging place for families to grow and live. In order to make it possible to continue doing this we must find ways to generate income from our work. At times you will see posts from sponsors who pay us a fee to help them spread the word about their business or event. This article contains affiliate links. We have received tickets for free  to visit this attraction in exchange for our honest review. Barters and fees that we receive from our sponsors and affiliates help make the website the best it can possibly be, they put food on our family's table and allow us to keep doing what we do! By patronizing the businesses who support us and by choosing to opt in to offers we share with you you keep lehighvalley.findandgoseek.net running - making it possible for us to continue to provide information and engaging content for years to come. Without you and without our valued sponsors the website could not continue to operate. We love all of our LVFGS Families and thank you for your support.