Just when you think you have enough toys, garage sale season comes up again! A few weeks ago, my friend emailed me a listing of sales in her neighborhood, and I wasn't sure if I was even going to go this year. I had visited her subdivision's sales (the biggest production I've ever seen...complete with grilled hot dog sales, etc.) the past two years, and always went home with something great. Two years ago, our big hit was a huge stuffed Elmo toy for $2 (Samedh was a huge Elmo fan back then). Then last year, I seemed to hit the mother load: a Little Tikes picnic table, Fisher Price Grow-to-Pro Basketball Hoop, and 3-sided Step 2 Easel, all for just over $30! (Oh, and that does not include all the huge bargains we found in our own neighborhood last year as well!)
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So this year I was seriously thinking, What more could Samedh need? Our toy supply is more than complete, and another garage sale would simply be creating a "need" for something that we really didn't need. But then I looked at the listing. Two families had train tables for sale. When there are train tables, there are probably trains, so I thought it was worth checking out further. I had learned from my friend that her neighbor's table was white with storage bins, which sounded ideal to me. So off Samedh and I went, joined by my mom (who thankfully has a van), and our first stops were to the homes selling train tables. The first table we looked at was huge and heavy, also white, but it had no storage bins. The asking price was $80, which was not a price I wanted to entertain. I had seen a used white train table with storage bins available on craigslist for $120, but the thought of paying $80 at a garage sale just didn't sit well with me.
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Then we walked to the next block and took a look at the second table. THIS ONE was exactly like the table I saw on craigslist, bins and all, but it had no price tag on it. Great, I thought. If you have to ask the item's price, it's probably something you can't afford. But then I thought back to the Step 2 Easel from last year. That also had no price on it, but when the woman selling it suggested $4, I quickly took her up on it. So I asked about the train table, expecting another $80 figure. I was quite relieved when she responded, "How about $40?" She said it was light-weight, and easy to transport. Then she presented four gallon zip-lock bags full of Brio trains, wooden tracks, and other accessories for $15. As a mom of a little boy with Thomas trains, I know that these particular trains and tracks would coordinate with Samedh's existing set. I also know that one small pack of Thomas add-on tracks costs roughly $25, so I was really excited to see these offered at the sale.
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While I was contemplating the $40 table, I quickly scooped up the four bags of train tracks, knowing that this purchase alone was going to make Samedh's day. But then the $120 craigslist table flashed through my mind. This was the SAME style table for only $40, it was light enough for me to carry myself, and my mom had her van for easy transporting. It seemed too good to be true, and it was definitely a bargain I couldn't pass up. In the back of my mind I had a feeling that Pankaj was going to question my paying $40 for a play table, but this is something that Samedh can get lots of use out of for several years. Sure, there were other little treasures that we picked up today (games, puzzles), but the train table and accessories were the big hits. And after today, we are definitely done buying the big toys. Our stock is complete. Until next year...
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