The following is a guest post by Liz from Sturm und Mom.

As a Mom of six kids, I rely on hand-me downs to stretch my budget. But sometimes an item doesnʼt get “worn out” enough by the time the last child has outgrown it.  And what about the oldest — where can I get hand-me-downs for her?  The solution: childrenʼs consignment stores!

These are gold mines for the de-cluttering Mom.  Buy and sell all types of childrenʼs gear: clothing, toys, footwear, swings, strollers, high chairs, books, tapes — in other words, the works. They are an fantastic place to get barely used childrenʼs clothes, often with the tags still on, for a fraction of the price.

Consignment stores work by selling gently used items for you, and keeping a portion of the price (usually around half.) Unlike thrift stores, they pre-screen and organize all the merchandise in a shopper friendly format, making them a super go-to resource for the frugal parent.

Here are some tips to make your consignment shopping and selling, something youʼll be doing again and again.

1) Before you bring your items in, either phone or drop by to see what your local storeʼs policies are. For some stores you need an appointment, and others are drop in. Find out if they pay you up front for the items they take, or after they sell. Most stores have a limit on the amount you can bring in at one time, and the type of items they will take, so check ahead to avoid aggravation and a wasted trip.

2) Make sure the items you want to sell are clean, in good repair, freshly washed and folded (if clothing.) If itʼs been washed so many times that you canʼt read the tag, itʼs not suitable for consignment. Time your items to correspond with the seasons (bring in summer things during the spring, not November.)

3) Camping trip in August and no warm sweaters that fit, or swimming birthday party in February but the swimsuitʼs bit the dust? Consignment stores are great places to get out of season clothing in a pinch.

4) Come shopping with a list. Donʼt undo your savings by buying what you donʼt need.

5) Check consignment first. I donʼt know how many times Iʼve ended up paying full price, only to find the exact same thing on consignment for significantly less.

6) My experience has usually been that consignment stores have a lot of what I am looking for in stock, but not always. Supply can vary from week to week, so check back and donʼt get discouraged.

So, attack those kid piles! Your local consignment store is waiting and ready to turn your bursting drawers and over-flowing toy box into some money in your pocket.

Liz is a Mom of six kids 10 and under, who is always trying to get her dollars to go further, and do things better.  Her hobbies are cooking, reading and crafting.  She blogs about motherhood at lizsturm.wordpress.com.

Photo from here.

The following is a guest post by Crystal Evans, owner of Canadian online store, ONS Gear.  Enjoy!

According to Statistics Canada, consumers in Canada spent $16.5 billion in online shopping in 2010. There are so many ways to save when shopping on-line, but many of you aren’t taking advantage! I feel compelled to share a few tips with my fellow Canadian…

1. Use the coupon code! If you click onto a site to take advantage of a discount being offered with a coupon code… Make sure you enter the coupon code upon checkout! Yes, it happens! On-line shoppers end up clicking here and there throughout the web store and forget to enter the coupon code before checking out, consequently paying full price!
2. Search for a coupon code! If you’ve found a product you like, don’t automatically accept the regular price. Take a moment to run a Google search for “product name” coupon code. There are often bloggers or deal sites offering coupon codes. You won’t find one every time, but it’s worth trying.

3. Request a discount! Don’t be shy! For smaller on-line stores, e-mail the company and ask if they could offer you “trade show pricing” or “friends and family pricing” or maybe a discount if you order more than one. If not, be sure to ask if they have any sales planned in the near future (might be worth the wait!). For both small and large on-line stores, be sure to sign up for their monthly e-newsletter to be the first to know about deals and sales.
4. Ask about sizing! On-line store owners are more than happy to answer questions about sizing and fit. Contact the store by e-mail or their “contact form” to inquire about whether their sizing is accurate or fits a bit loose or even a bit tight. You’ll be glad in the long run that you took those extra few minutes to ask, rather than having to pay for shipping again later when you want to make a return or exchange.
5. Seek out Canadian sites. Often times, a Google search will point you toward the product you want, but on an American site. Do a bit more searching to see if that same product might be available on a Canadian-based web store. Not only will you save on shipping by staying within Canadian borders, but you are also contributing to our Canadian economy by supporting a Canadian business.
6. Ship it to the correct address! When ordering through PayPal (or any other on-line payment system with which you have an account) make sure you’re address is correct! I can’t tell you how many people e-mail me within 3 minutes of pressing the “checkout” button to say that they’ve moved and that the PayPal system has their old address.
7. Ask about local pick-up options! Click on the web store’s “About Us” page or “Contact Us” page. If they are in the same city as you, or a city you visit, or a city in which you have family, make arrangements for a local pick-up to save on shipping. It’s probably more environmentally friendly too, since you’re reducing the load on our transportation system… but that’s a whole other blog post!
8. Go in with a friend! You can also save on shipping by chipping in! Ask your sister-in-law, ask a neighbour, ask a co-worker. If you all shop on-line regularly, check with each other before placing an order. With Christmas shopping on the horizon, splitting the shipping can be an effective cost saving measure, especially when done time and time again!
9. Bulk orders! This is a combo of # 3 and # 8. The savings are adding up here ladies! If you find an awesome product on-line, but it’s expensive and/or you only want one and/or it’s large or heavy (costing more on shipping), set up a bulk order. Put out a notice to your co-workers, post a message on Facebook or ask your fellow mommy group or book club members if they too would be interested in purchasing this same product for back-to-school, Christmas, etc. Then, e-mail the company and ask for a bulk order discount. Even if it’s just 10% off, it’s better than paying full price. Plus, you’ll save on shipping by dividing it amongst the group of you.
10. Share! If you’ve found a great product, experienced exceptional customer service or enjoy returning time and time again to the same on-line store, take the time to tell others! Share it on social media or tell your friends at work! Don’t keep it to yourself! A great deal is meant to be shared!

 Crystal Evans is an online shopper and online store owner: www.onsgear.com!  Right now, Crystal has the Get Your Socks On Event running through October 21, 2011.  For each pair of socks purchased at The InnoShop during this event, ONS GEAR will donate one pair of baby Stay On Socks to St. Mary’s Home in Ottawa, keeping one more baby warm this Winter!

The following post is a guest post by Lori from Frugal Edmonton Mama.  Enjoy!

Credit card bills, utility costs, mortgage costs and groceries are only a few of the common costs that we face while running a household. These costs are often high and many families are finding that the dollar does not stretch as far as it used to. Rest assured, there are small changes that can be made in your lifestyle that can help you to simplify and leave more money leftover in the budget at the end of the month.

Five changes that can help to frugal-ize your lifestyle include:

Ditch the Debit Card
A few dinners out, a stop at the movie store and the mall – grabbing a coffee on the way into the Supermarket, these are all money traps. Leave the debit card at home and it will be just that much harder to reach into your wallet and grab the last twenty bucks. Do this for one month and you will likely be shocked at how much you are impulsively-overspending.

Cut One Luxury
Something as simple as cutting the movie channels from the home cable network can save up to twenty dollars a month. It doesn’t have to be cable, it could be that expensive latte on the way to work, or that splurge on expensive eye-makeup can save hundreds of dollars each year.

Brown Bag It
Brown bagging it has come a long way since cold sandwiches. Choosing recipes for dinners that would refrigerate well for the next day to make hot lunches for the next day is a great way to repurpose meals. Finding inspiration through Bento lunches, and having fresh options available can be a great way to give the Brown bag a make-over.

Bring the Restaurant to Your Kitchen
With a little research through popular recipe websites; you can bring your favourite restaurants home. These popular copycat recipes are readily available and ready to be made in your kitchen. With the ingredients purchased, it’s likely that the ingredients on the shipping list will make more than one meal. Plus, it’s often less expensive than eating out. What a great idea for date night!

Stop Buying New
Bright and shiny items from the store only remain bright and shiny until you bring them home. Why not buy used from classified sites, local sales and even swaps for baby and children’s gear. Purchasing these gently used items used can save up to fifty percent on the items that may have been purchased in store anyway! Give your wallet a break and break the addiction to new items.

Frugal Living doesn’t have to mean that you have to change all the aspects of your lifestyle. Consumers can make slight changes in the way that you live can help to find the extra money in the budget to reduce the pinch that comes with increased living expenses.

What was your first step to frugal living?

Lori is the Mom behind Frugal Edmonton Mama and posts deals, the latest coupons along with where and how to use these coupons and promotions to save money on household costs, food and everything else.

Image from here.