Pass it on

Today I went to the mother of all consignment sales. It was AMAZING! While I was less than enthused about standing in line for 1.5 hours to check out, I walked out with more than an arm-full of terrific deals having paid out only 50 clams. Not bad, I'd say. http://www.passitonsale.com/ (Typically, you don't have to stand in line that long. I just happened to arrive at the worst possible time today.)

Last year I experienced for the first time the sheer awe of an entire field house filled with everything from bassinets and strollers to Halloween costumes, bottles and bottle warmers to books, and rows and rows of clothing. Jonas was just a few weeks old and it was our "outing" for the day. I was so proud of myself just for getting out. I was tickled pink and doubly proud of the wicked buys I found. There was no way I was going to miss it this year.

Now, as you can see, the economic side of this is clearly a driver for me. But it's more than that. I just love the notion of passing things along. Why does everything need to be brand spankin' new? So we can each use something for a few years and toss it in a landfill? Now, my husband would be the first to tell you that I don't part with things easily, but he knows that I can do it. You can't hold on to everything. The key for me is just knowing that something has had a good long, productive life.

My dad, who is a retired teacher, used to have a plaque up in his classroom that offered a few pearls of wisdom:

Use it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do, or
Do without.

Words to live by.