I decided long ago, that my life would not be as stylish, or as fancy as others. This was the decision made when I had my first child, and living with a spit up stained shirt was my lot in life. While I’m not a big fan of huge plastic yard toys that can make a backyard look tacky, I’m resigned to the fact that I have two young children to entertain. They will only be young once, so I’m going to make it as fun as possible!
How will I do it? For free! The above pictured Pirate Ship from Little Tikes was absolutely FREE! My Father told me he knew someone that was about to throw this away, and asked if I wanted it. My first instinct was, is it in good shape? Usually toys sit out in the back yard, accumulate dirt and mold and are not usable again. But this was actually in pretty good condition. Once my kids are too old for it, I’m sure I can find someone to pass this on to.
Similar items sell for around $300 new. Just imagine if I spent all that money on it, and my kids only played with the thing for 2 minutes and moved onto something else (like they just did). I’ve resigned myself to not spend much money (if any) on toys for my kids, because they seem to prefer cardboard boxes over an awesome pirate ship in the backyard! Go figure.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
agreed!! not to mention it’s so much more earth-friendly to “borrow & share” big toys like this. we try to do that as much as possible. (btw, the cardboard box always wins here too!)
I have been known to pick up toys both big and small when people put them out at the curb for garbage pickup. I learned it from my mom.
You can also use Freecycle or Kashless.org to get rid of something like this (or find something!). We’ve received many things from Freecycle!
I love using Freecycle.org! It’s a great way to pass on things you don’t use anymore to others, and also get free things from other people!
That looks better than the FREE swing set we have in our backyard. It may be an eyesore, but our kids have used it and used it and used it…
We have a huge Little Tikes “rock wall” and slide someone gave us for free. It retails close to $400! We also have a free swingset that really should have been free… ha ha. But our kids love it. I bought the 8 in 1 adjustable playground over ebay years ago and saved a lot of money. Hopefully I can sell them later (except the swingset!) although these midwest winters are a little tougher on items than when we were in California.
Well, our playset in the back yard wasn’t free except in the sense that my dad built it for our kiddos as a gift to us. But, the same system you used got us free wooden bunk beds at just the right time. My parents knew somebody who was redecorating their college-age son’s bedroom. That saved us a ton of money, and I can’t believe they were going to throw them away.
.-= Crystal´s last blog ..3 years =-.
Ditto on the Freecycle. I have gotten toys, clothes and other stuff and also given away my kid’s lightly used toys among other things. It is a great way to recycle things and get nifty stuff for free! I have an awsome bouncy horse (the old style with the springs) that my son LOVES and flies on that a client had in her garage and gave to me when she heard I had a toddler. Free stuff is awesome! I am not ashamed to get second hand, or third or fourth hand for that matter.
Okay, I’m 24 and I would kill to play on a pirate ship like that!
I’ve been wanting one of the old-fashioned spring style horses for my kids! I used to play on one for hours and hours at my grandmother’s house as a kid. The mystery is where to find one… and where to put it once I do!
Even dirty plastic toys like this work out great — I just go at them with a MagicEraser and water. MagicErasers are much cheaper than the free toys they clean! (Not that anyone would ever actually have to PAY for a MagicEraser lol).