My daughters love to do the ol’ bait and switch on me. I guess it is easier to just say you love something in the store than endure the endless questions about what is wrong with a garment from your mom who clearly wishes it would fit her.

So their closets are full of stuff that have never seen the light of day.

At least, bargain hunter that I am, I certainly didn’t pay full retail for any of it!

But still, it bothers me that I spent hard-earned money on something that was never used. I have a friend here at the News Center that has two young daughters that gets alot of these hand-me-downs. She and I have similar tastes so I know it is stuff she would have picked for her kids, too. Other items readily go to Goodwill or the Kidney Foundation store.

But sometimes you’d like to not just “give it away”, you know what I mean?

Garage sales are not an option for me. Waaay too much work for so little return. Consigning is the way to go. Or at least I used to think before I got so busy.

The typical consigning scenario is that you bring in the items that they are currently accepting in their store. You fill out all sorts of lengthy paperwork, get an account number and come back a month later or more, during the days they do payouts, to collect your cut.  Forget to come back during those payout days and you have to wait another month at most stores. Or worse yet, make the trip and find out that you only sold $2 worth of merchandise that month.

No thanks.

I am now totally in love with the franchises Plato’s Closet and Once Upon A Child. They take the hassle out of consigning kids clothes.

You take the stuff in, fill out a short form and browse while they review your loot to make a cash offer. You leave with some bargains from your browsing and/or some dough in your hand. Once Upon A Child even offers an additional incentive to take the payoff in store credit.

My girls have caught on and now I use the process as an incentive to clean their rooms. Outgrown clothes no longer linger in dresser drawers when there’s cash to be had.