It seems that money is tight everywhere; the price of gas, groceries and so much more has sky-rocketed recently. It makes sense, then, to look for gently used items for babies and kids. Anyone who?s ever had a baby knows that she/he outgrows clothing and even toys in the blink of an eye.

This past weekend I hit the jackpot! There was a neighborhood/multi-family yard sale in our neighborhood and after my older boys? soccer games, I managed to find the few families who decided to keep their stuff out for sale well into the afternoon.

The fact that the oldest homes in our neighborhood are only about eight years old, means that the majority of families who live here are younger ones with young children. I found a few families whose kids had outgrown their baby gear and walked away with some amazing finds.

Although we already paid full price on a brand new baby swing, I could not resist the like-new portable baby swing by Fisher Price. It is easily moved from room to room, plays soothing music, and has flashing colorful lights. I got it for an entire five bucks!

It?s nice to have one swing in the family room and the other in the kitchen or wherever I happen to be.

Another purchase was a backseat toy panel for rear-facing babies. I had just been telling my husband that our poor little baby has to stare at the back of the seat for his entire first year. I kept meaning to get him some kind of backseat toy to make car rides a bit more interesting, but never got around to it. I ended up finding a cloth panel with a mirror and colorful pictures of cars on it. I have yet to put batteries in it but can?t wait to see what music/sounds it plays. The cost for this toy: $3.00!

I also found, believe it or not, a matching porta-crib and high chair by The First Years. It was in decent shape and the woman was selling both for $10 total. I took her number, thinking that my mom might be interested in these, as she now has seven grandchildren, three of who are aged 1 or under.

Sure enough, my mom was interested.

Check the classified section of your local paper for garage sales, flea markets, and ?articles for sale?. Keep in mind that newer neighborhoods often tend to be home to younger families and can be the best places to find gear for babies and little kids.

I’ve never claimed to be an expert when it comes to parenting, but there is one piece of advice I can confidently pass along and know that it will help you in the long run when it comes to your children and your household: Don’t let the clutter of baby toys get out of control.

As the months roll by with your newborn you’ll notice that there are certain toys your baby grows out of. It might be a toy that your baby has always gravitated to before in the past, and sometimes that can make it harder for you to acknowledge that your baby has lost interest in the toy and has moved on to other things. If the toy has sentimental value to you then wrap it up and set it aside, but otherwise you should have a box or bin somewhere within your house which can hold the toys that you’ll get rid off. I like to take these toys to Goodwill, but some moms I know list things on eBay or have garage sales so they can make some money off the toys. Whatever your method, just be sure you don’t allow your home to start to mirror a toy store. If you don’t get practice about weeding out toys that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

I make it a practice to sift through all the toys whenever a birthday or major holiday rolls around because I know relatives are going to send a bunch of stuff to my kiddos. Now that my daughter is older I can include her in this practice, and she understands that the toys are going to other kids who don’t have as many things to play with. The benefit is two-fold: My house doesn’t get overrun by toys, and my daughter learns about giving to people less fortunate. That’s a win-win situation.