eBay purchases

I've been spending WAY too much time on eBay, and not just because I've been selling off my grandmother's stuff. No, I've been selling off some of our stuff, too, and buying a few things for Liza's wardrobe for this fall. The $120 we got for three Hard Rock Cafe beer glasses just about pays for all the Hanna Andersson stuff I've bought for her, so I don't feel like I'm doing too badly. And the Hanna stuff is just too cute to NOT buy, even if it does sell for a lot more than my usual consignment purchases. Not familiar with the wonders of Hanna Andersson? Check out their web site: http://www.hannaandersson.com/division.asp?mcn=1&gpId=156

Here's Liza, modeling some of our recent purchases, which include one of their signature "Hanna" play dresses with matching leggings:

We also got a playdress with matching tights:

Oh, and did I mention that the tights have a secret?

Yes, Susie, these are the "monkey butt" tights I was obsessing over when you were out here. They're part of the "Jungle Journey" line that Hanna had last year ... each year they come out with the same general pieces in a different theme. This year it's barnyard stuff, I think, while last year was Jungle Journey and the year before was By the Sea. The things are so cute, and if you miss out on them while they're in the catalogs, your only recourse is to get them on eBay. I'm still trying to track down the Jungle Journey hoodie jacket to go with her dress, and there are some other lines I might see if I can get a decent price on.

I have a confession to make - I've wanted a pair of the By the Sea pants for my kid since before I was pregnant. Half of the reason I had a kid was to have something to dress in the By the Sea pants with crab embroidery ... and then they stopped selling them. As if having to live down the monkey butt tights wasn't enough, check out what I got Liza in the next size up, so it should fit later this winter and going into spring and summer:

The By the Sea pants with the crab on the ass, just like I wanted!! I had to roll up the pants twice to keep them off of her feet for the photo, but the waist fits now, so she could even wear them this winter if I really wanted to push it.

The bad news about this stuff is that the used pieces of discontinued lines sell for as much (sometimes more) than new pieces of their current lines. So while I can buy, say, a new jacket for $35 at the Hanna web site, I might have to pay $38 for the Jungle Journey one, if I get sucked into a bidding war. I've decided to put my foot down and say that I don't need any of this stuff badly enough to pay more for used than I would for new ... after all, she's only going to get to wear each outfit a handful of times, thanks to my penchant for buying way too many clothes for the kid.

The good news is that the used pieces of the discontinued lines sell for as much (sometimes more) than the new pieces of their current lines. That means that as long as I am buying in-demand items, keeping them stain-free and in relatively good shape, I'll probably be able to sell them for almost as much as I paid for them when Liza finally outgrows them. Even if I lose $10 or $15 on the transaction, that's still less than I would pay for a new, less cute outfit from Target. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Plus, I get to put a crab and a monkey face on my daughter's heinie. Woohoo!