Kids love toys, so buying your favorite tyke a few tokens of affection is a fail-safe idea to please them. However, you don’t want to drain your wallet in the process. Kids love toys that involve make believe yet balancing your budget is a reality. Here’s how to save money while you’re toy shopping.
Find Garage Sales
Kids love new toys, but that doesn’t mean the tokens actually have to be brand new and just out of the box. Find great deals at garage sales and cash in on the second-hand treasures of others. Get in the habit of checking local listings and perusing garage sales for used toy treasures.
Ask Friends and Family Members
Rather than locate second-hand items at garage sales, inherit toys from friends and family members that have no more use for them. It’s inevitable that kids grow up and grow out of playing with toys. Some moms and dads keep old toys in the attic but perhaps they would rather see the toys inspire smiles rather than collect dust.
Use Coupons
In the age of the Internet, it’s pretty easy to escape retail prices. Locate chances to save at a variety of sites like Paytm coupons. Say goodbye to paying retail and hello to a number of coupons on a variety of toys and home goods.
Access Ebay and Craigslist
Ebay and Craigslist are popular sites where you can find a variety of goods. Ebay allows you to make a bid on an item or pay for it outright. Vendors on Craigslist are often open to negotiations. You may be able to barter for other items to secure toys or make an offer lower than initially sought. Alternatively, try and sell toys that your tyke no longer wants so you have a larger budget for the things they do like.
Wait for Sales
If a particular item seems pricey at first, ask a store clerk about upcoming sales. You may have to wait a month or longer, but when the time comes, you can save on particular items. Certain times of year, like after Thanksgiving and the days following the holiday season, may also bring blockbuster sales.
Share with Other Moms and Dads
Go halves on expensive toy items with other moms and dads and have the kids share items. For one, you’ll save money. Secondly, you’ll teach the children the importance of sharing, which is a lesson they can bring with them through life.
Shop Around
Whether you use an online search engine to compare prices or visit several stores, don’t be satisfied with the initial price. For example, some vendors will undercut or match the price of competitors if you bring a lower price to their attention. In other scenarios, you can use online comparison shopping search engines to locate the best online price.
Put the Kids to Work
Depending on their age, make your child work for an allowance. Have them take out the trash, clean the home, or take care of family pets. It will teach them the value of a dollar and afford you some extra time and energy to do other things.
Jessica Melton is a single Mom of two girls who wants to give her kids the best, but that means finding ways to stretch her cash. She shares her tips and tricks with others, mostly through blogging.
Garage Sales are always a fun way to discover new toys/things while saving a few bucks. I once bought a limited Limited comic book for $2 at a garage sale that was worth $50 on eBay!
My kids do not take care of the toys they have so my husband and I stopped buying them. If they want something they have to save their own money. Now when we go to a store and they see a trinket they want, they know they have to pay us back when they get home.
I have found so many great deals on Craiglist since we started using it. Toys can be really expensive so it is important to find the best deals possible.
Very helpful! It can be so frustrating to spend so much on toys when kids lose interest so quickly. I love to saving money any way I can.
Toys are so expensive and you really can save a lot of money with these tips! I always look for sales and avoid buying them impulsively.
Inheriting toys would be a great idea. I for one had allowed other kids to inherit my toys when I grew up. This can really save you a lot.
I can’t believe how much money you can save my couponing and waiting for sales!!
Some lovely tips you’ve shared and reminded me to check out the local garage sale
These are excellent ideas. I never bought my kids a ton of toys and they always had plenty. They usually got stuff for Christmas, birthday, and rare occasions.
Toy shopping can sometimes kill us! Our kids don’t usually ask for much but if there’s a toy they really want, oh boy. I’d love to save on this over anything else! So this is wonderful.
I love garage sales! It’s amazing what you can find and sometimes the items are brand new and still in the package! I love to coupon also
My kids are very used to hearing “if/when it goes on sale” and they also know that I will shop around on the web before I pay full price for anything in the store. There are just too many deal sites and coupon sites out there not to take advantage.
Some great advice to save on toy shopping! I know people that have found $100 toys in good condition at garage sales for under $10.
Great tips. My kids ask me to buy a new toy almost everyday. Toys are not cheap 🙁
Great tips. Children outgrow toys even faster than clothing! And, toys are expensive and some of them are fragile too.
We love garage Sales for toys. When my daughter wants a new toys, I encourage her to save for it.
Back when my kids were small I would shop around and hit up all the sales for the best deals on toys.
I think that getting toys from yard sales and waiting for after holiday sales is a great idea! I always find the BEST deals that way!