It has been a week of frugal high fives mixed in with a somewhat costly mistake.
Let’s start with happy thoughts first:
We sold some stuff on Craigslist: I swear, we’d be lost without this website! We sold our coffee table and an end table. Both of the pieces, we have had for years and it was really time for them to find a new home. Our living room feels much more open and airy. And since I am apparently clumsy, the fact that I won’t hit my knee or shin against the coffee table anymore, is an added bonus.
I am so very proud to say this next sentence: the money we received for the two tables went directly into our emergency fund!! I might be doing a little dance right now 🙂 Fully funded E.F.? We are slowly, but surely making our way!
Found an old gift card: I was cleaning out my wallet and found a gift card to a children’s consignment store that I had forgotten about. Last summer, I traded in a lot of my daughter’s newborn and 0-3 month clothing and instead of picking out new clothes right then and there, I opted for a gift card.
I am so glad I found this gift card! I can use this card to stock up on some winter clothes for her. I tell ya, kids grow up sooooo fast. I am just trying to keep up!
And now to my costly mistake:
When my husband and I purchased a crib for our daughter, we bought one that would transition from a crib to a toddler bed. This would save us money and we wouldn’t have to buy a separate toddler bed when the time came for her to sleep in a “big girl” bed.
What we didn’t do at the time, was buy the separate conversion kit that you need to actually convert the crib to a toddler bed. This crib is over 2 years old and apparently, not only do they not make this style of crib anymore, they don’t make the conversion kit or toddler rails anymore as well. I have looked and looked, and there is not a conversion kit to be found.
I don’t want to purchase a random conversion kit and toddler rails because there is no way to know if it will even work with this crib and then that’s even more money down the drain. We just kept putting this task on the back-burner and now we are paying for it.
So, the game plan is to sell the crib and use that money to buy a toddler bed. I’ve been pricing some toddler beds and hopefully we’ll be okay dollarwise.
For future reference folks, buy the crib, toddler rails and conversion kit at the same time. Take my word for it…
We need to sell on Craigslist also. I never have, but I’m always looking at it!
My husband is really good at selling our stuff on Craiglist. He knows exactly what to price stuff at to get it sold as quickly as possible.
A suggestion… Instead of buying a toddler bed, get a twin matress and set it directly on the floor (no frame or boxspring). If your little one rolls off of the matress in the night there will be no injury. When you are comfortable with how well your child is staying in bed at night, just purchase the bed frame and such to go with the twin matress. Cuts out the cost of a toddler bed altogether 🙂 That’s how we did it for all 5 of our kids.
Oh, wow! Thank you so much for this idea!!! I’ve been stressing over this and you just gave me the perfect solution 🙂
Really!? Oh good! I’m so glad to offer a helpful suggestion.
Oh Mackenzie, I have a gf that just tried to GIVE me her toddler bed. Since I already have one (I bought the convertible that goes from crib to toddler bed to full-size), I told her to give it to someone else. Hope you find one!
-M
Thanks Michelle! 🙂