How To Save $$$ on Storage Gear
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Another way to save money in the long run is to buy a dresser/changing table with an available hutch to convert it to a big-kid dresser/bookcase.
So you’ve got your baby gear stash started, and all the stuff is piling up. Where are you going to keep it? Typically, a dresser for baby’s clothes, a closet with shelves and hangers, and/or some plastic bins will do the trick.
Why do I mention your closet? Well, because if you’re like me you might be starting from scratch with that nursery! We hadn’t installed closet shelving in the room that was going to be the nursery when we got pregnant, so that went on the to-do list and in the baby budget.
Finding A Quality Baby Dresser on the Cheap
This one is all about patience. And it’s hard when you’re nesting like a crazy woman (I understand how it feels to NEED to collect baby gear!), but the best deals are worth waiting for–or maybe it’s more like lying in wait for. We had nearly given up on Craigslist for a baby crib and dresser when I went back for one last check and found more than a half-dozen decent-looking options all listed at once. One in particular caught my eye: a solid oak mission-style sleigh crib and dresser with changing table built into the top, both in a natural cherry finish–and $230 total! The sellers told me they originally had paid $1500 for the set. Now that’s a good deal. I swooped in with my checkbook and picked up the set the same day. Yeah, I felt a little bit bad that I came just before another couple that had arranged to look at the crib before I had called, but the seller told me he didn’t mind, and this is the hunt, people! If you find a deal as good as this one, you’d better go as soon as humanly possible to inspect that crib, or all that will be waiting for you when you get there is the outline of a baby dresser on someone’s dusty garage floor.
If you want a new dresser for your baby, keep an eye out for seasonal sales and coupons at your local baby boutique, and sign up for Babies R Us mailers, which offer occasional 20% off coupons for any single baby item. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for a 10% discount up front. My friend Tania swears by this method for creating instant discounts at Babies R Us. Whether you buy new or used, though, please check the CPSC recall database to make sure your dresser hasn’t been recalled. Dressers aren’t recalled as often as cribs, but it does happen.
How To Find Nursery Shelving and Storage Gear for Less
Next up, shelving. If you need to install closet shelving, look for a Lowes project starter coupon in the mail before heading to the store to pick out your shelves. Shelving is pretty easy to install yourself if your closet has standard dimensions and you don’t need to cut any custom-length shelves. If you’ve got the closet in good shape but baby will be spending a few months in your room, consider buying a small tower of plastic bins to use as an alternate dresser space for baby clothes and cloth diapers….
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