does anyone give garage sale gifts?

[Sagginit]

yes! this is the perfect age to do it. the child has no clue and as long as he enjoys the toys why not? i can't tell you how many babies i have seen get gifts and all they want is the bag or wrapping paper.

when i was a child i got lots of bags of hand me down clothes from this girl i played with who was one year older, and about one size bigger after a certain time. i loved going thru these bags. when i was in college my mother used to pick me up "goodies" at her companies thrift shop and i never care if the designer stuff was gently used as it was still in great condition. honestly its just how your child perceives it. i got some new stuff so i never mind mixing in used. heck a chunk of my apt came from my brother and his wife that i was given or bought used and i still have no problem shopping used.

i think your biggest concern is how others will perceive it. one way to get around any judgement is to state it is not only budget friendly but good for the environment. i always donate old clothes as i hate to see them go to the landfill.

 

[MAPOrocks]

Definitely, I will give yard sale gifts to my children. I have a stash in my laundry rooms of tons of things that I will wrap up for their birthday. Brand new in box art kits/books/etc. etc. I also buy tons of Disney stuff to give them during our disney trips. They don't know or care about the difference, but I have also given other things as gifts. If the items are brand new in the box, who the heck knows the difference, but you. Also, there are many things my family collects that you couldn't get anywhere but on Ebay or at a yard sale, so of course, I pick up those and family members are quite happy!

 

[pigletto]

If I could go back and change one thing about gift giving when I was a young mother it would be to get rid of the idea that any 2 year gives a darn where their toys come from. I swear I thought I was going to win some kind of mommy award for having store bought toys for my one year old. And once the outgrow that toy (which will be in about 6 months) you end up donating or reselling it anyway to a much smarter mom who knows a baby could care less. If it's clean and works and you think he would like it go right ahead. And then pat yourself on the back for being smarter than I was!!

 

[StephMK]

yes! this is the perfect age to do it. the child has no clue and as long as he enjoys the toys why not? i can't tell you how many babies i have seen get gifts and all they want is the bag or wrapping paper.

when i was a child i got lots of bags of hand me down clothes from this girl i played with who was one year older, and about one size bigger after a certain time. i loved going thru these bags. when i was in college my mother used to pick me up "goodies" at her companies thrift shop and i never care if the designer stuff was gently used as it was still in great condition. honestly its just how your child perceives it. i got some new stuff so i never mind mixing in used. heck a chunk of my apt came from my brother and his wife that i was given or bought used and i still have no problem shopping used.

i think your biggest concern is how others will perceive it. one way to get around any judgement is to state it is not only budget friendly but good for the environment. i always donate old clothes as i hate to see them go to the landfill.

Exactly! My kids get hand me downs & don't mind mixing it in with their "new" stuff. DD's cousin buys more brand names than I will so it works for her. My nephew gets so excited when we bring him a bag of DS's stuff. He likes new & new to him items.

If I could go back and change one thing about gift giving when I was a young mother it would be to get rid of the idea that any 2 year gives a darn where their toys come from. I swear I thought I was going to win some kind of mommy award for having store bought toys for my one year old. And once the outgrow that toy (which will be in about 6 months) you end up donating or reselling it anyway to a much smarter mom who knows a baby could care less. If it's clean and works and you think he would like it go right ahead. And then pat yourself on the back for being smarter than I was!!

I know! CL was not around when I was a young mom and yard sales were not as popular for kid stuff. I did frequent a great consignment shop and never felt funny for it. Kids certainly don't know or care!

 

[purpledisneyprncess]

Of course you should do this and don't feel bad or guilty about it!

My son's birthday is in October. When he turned two he wasn't interested in opening any of his birthday presents from me. So they sat there unopened. At Christmas I put these same gifts in a Christmas bag and he was interested in opening them then. Saved me a lot of money!

At that age, they don't know the difference and it's a great idea. I would not hesitate to do it either. I grew up where my dad bought me everything under the sun that we wanted, new name brand everything, toys, clothes sneakers. BUT he never provided me with a savings. My mom was a little better as she was the saver. Not saying that the way my dad did things was wrong, it's just different from how I am as an adult today. I do not feel the need to buy my kids the newest, best of anything- they don't go without, but they aren't showered with gifts either. With that said, you can see that I would be perfectly fine buying things at a garage sale and gifting them- esp. if it's for my own child.

 

[njmom47]

When my kids were little, we moved next door to someone who's kids were a bit older than ours and we were pretty broke, so they gave us the kitchen and some big toys they wanted to get rid of. We cleaned them up, and put them under the tree that Christmas and I don't think the kids even knew. All they saw was new toys to play with!
I do agree with another poster though, if it was an adult or teen, I might say
"I saw this and thought of you" if I purchased something at a flea market or yard sale.

 

[dpswift]

He won't know the difference, and if you don't tell anyone where they came from, others won't have to know either. Go for it! Take the money you saved and put it in his bank account.

BTW-my kids are now grown but garage sale shopping was how they got many of their "new" clothes over their early years. You can get such good deals at sales on practically new things, and I went out shopping almost weekly during the warm months.

I have also purchased brand new-never used items at sales and gifted them to people. When it is something they want, do they need to know you didn't buy it at a store?

Totally agree for a 1 year old. In the years to come you will be much happier that you put something in a savings account for him. he will never know the difference. I say go cheap while you can and save save save. Time goes to quickly, before you know it he will be in college.

 

[richmond282]

Absolutely! I still buy some things for my DD8 at consignment sales and give them as gifts (not everything she receives is pre-owned though ). She loves Justice clothes and hey are so expensive. She loves the clothes I give her are Justice name brand and I love the price! I also, on occasion, give my nieces and nephews items I bought at consignment or yard sales as gifts. Granted their parents are all well aware and OK with it. I'm usually able to buy something much nicer for the same amount of $. Heck, some times my sis goes with me and picks out things her kids would like for me.

 

[brymolmom]

Another YES - TOTALLY YES!

I have done this for my kids forever. It doesn't even necessarily need to be in the original box - but to be a gift - it has to be in very good condition for me. I've done it for birthdays...The bike dd is riding right now was $20 at a sale as a bday gift. Would have cost $150 at least otherwise.

My kids are 9 and 10 now and I THINK that they are more conscious of money...maybe because I have always taught them to only buy on sale and to take advantage of bargains at places like garage sales.

If your son starts at age 1 to appreciate a perfectly fine toy that is just as fun without the high price tag...and you continue with this practice over the years...I think they end up less concerned about the price tag as they know they can have just as much fun without it.

ENJOY your good finds!!!

 

[bartleby1]

For a one year old, I say go for it! I wish I had thought of it when mine were little. When I think of all the money wasted on toys, UGH! If I had to do it all over again, I would have cut wayyyyy back on the amount of toys I bought, especially at such a young age. Go garage sale shopping and put the savings in a college fund if possible.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Dh and I are seriously considering not bothering with gifts for DD birthday.We certainly won't be going crazy! You can find amazing deals at garage sales and consignment sales. I say if you find something your kid can use go for it!

 

[vaDisneyGuy]

I say go for it!

I will also note that my husband and I very often buy each other gifts from the thrift store. We're big fans of vintage stuff and I am much happier knowing that 1. he saved money on a gift for me and 2. that we were reusing something so it's better for the environment.

I agree I love hitting the thrift stores, I also think it is better for the environment.

 

[crisi]

For your own one year old - yep. Its a great idea and I'd probably keep it up to some extent as he grows older. I didn't, but that's because I'm not a big garage saler.

 

[clh2]

GO FOR IT! Especially at that age!

I wouldn't give a "previously loved" gift to someone outside the immediate family; but I wouldn't think twice about doing it for that age - in your own family.

And - when they are done with it - you can probably resell it for about what you paid for it!

 

[mistysue]

At that age, I have wrapped toys my kids already had and given them those. Last year on Christmas my then 1 and 3 year olds opened a couple of things they had forgotten we owned. They didn't mind, they were excited to play with their "new" toys.

The line gets fuzzy with people outside of your house. I have a sister whose family is fine with garage sale/thrift shop stuff (they would even be excited that they got something someone got a deal on!), and I have some relatives who might be offended.
I don't care so much where something came from as whether it is a nice thing. If you find a new item and it costs $1 instead of $30, what is the difference besides the purchaser keeping $29 in their pocket? It's like saying you're too good for coupons. If it's old, used and worn out that's different.

 

[LuLuO]

I bought a ton of toys for my 1 year old son at a garage sale I was thinking about giving him some toys for Christmas and his birthday. Is that to cheep?

I give my kids garage sale and thrift shop gifts all the time. Why would they care? They're getting something they want and I'm not paying a lot for it. We don't just do this for our kids but the rest of our family (parents and siblings, nieces and nephews). Almost all of my kids clothes are bought from yard sales and thrift shops also.

I do only give new gifts to people outside of our family.

 

[smidgy]

At that age, I have wrapped toys my kids already had and given them those. Last year on Christmas my then 1 and 3 year olds opened a couple of things they had forgotten we owned. They didn't mind, they were excited to play with their "new" toys.

The line gets fuzzy with people outside of your house. I have a sister whose family is fine with garage sale/thrift shop stuff (they would even be excited that they got something someone got a deal on!), and I have some relatives who might be offended.
I don't care so much where something came from as whether it is a nice thing. If you find a new item and it costs $1 instead of $30, what is the difference besides the purchaser keeping $29 in their pocket? It's like saying you're too good for coupons. If it's old, used and worn out that's different.

of course it's fine to give your own child garage sale toys!

now to get to the part I bolded. in my family, the adults do a grab bag. $30 limit. I picked my DIL's name. shes is an avid reader an a teacher. she wanted to read through the entire James Patterson's Alex Cross series over the summer.
I bought her the newest hardcover and was going to buy her one paperback. (she already told me which ones she had already. then I thought.. she wasnt to read the entire series.. would she rather have 2 brand new books, or a whole ton of used books?
so I started on my quest. hit thrift shops and garage sales. 3 libraries in our area have used books for sale. I ended up getting her 10 of the 18 in the series, plus a few of the Women's Murder Club series. yes a bunch of the books looked used, but she had a huge box of books to open!!! and read! (ended up spending a bit opver the limit, but it was worth it to see her face!)

 

[Styx Fan]

For my own kids or DH....no problem. My daughter got a used DS game at Christmas...don't think she even noticed. My son got a used plastic kitchen for his 2nd birthday. Loved it to pieces

But even for them I would only buy things in excellent condition. Things in close to new condition. Or collectables/vintage pieces.

I have bought things at thrift stores or garage sales for other people also, but only if it truly like new and they didn't know where it came from. I'm just to insecure otherwise. I have picked up books and pottery in particular.

My DMIL is a wonderful, generous gift buyer who spoils us all rotten. But she has even been known to gift a 2nd hand item to us. It was an small electric appliance she knew we wanted that turned up brand new at our church rummage sale. She knew we would appreciate where she got it, so she shared the story with us. If it hadn't been at our own church, she never would have even seen it....she never hits a garage sale or thrift shop

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I say yes, go for it!
I do this for our kids and for DH too! He appreciates whenever I can save our family money and we both agree that our kids have plenty of stuff!
Grandma came across an awesome garage sale with tons of lego sets really cheap. My boys look forward to another set from grandma every year!

I have often given my kids used toys - esp expensive ones that are in great condition. The biggie with this was Legos. When DS was 5 or 6, I explained that we had a set amount of money to spend for his bday, etc. I showed him what that would buy from the Lego catalog vs what it might buy at a yard sale. He thought I was crazy for even asking- he wanted the bigger pile!

I will also give nice used items to people I know also are ok with it. My neice wanted an American Girl doll, but I found a like new one at Goodwill, just missing the box. She was THRILLED. On the flip side, a $100 doll is a bigger gift than we'd usually give in our family, so I had to send emails out to the other relatives saying "she is getting this, but only because it $20!!"

 

[snarlingcoyote]

For a one year old, I'd have no problems giving GS presents.

For older folks, it gets tricky. You just sort of have to know who will be offended and who won't by GS gifts and when to omit the origins of a unique present. (For example, I found this wonderful, handmade item at a GS that I knew would delight Aunty Who. However, Aunty Who would be offended by a GS gift. . .soooo I bought the item, made sure there was no way to know it came from a GS and wrapped it up. Aunty Who still raves about this present 7 years later. I have never told her where it came from.)