How to Clean Up Your Stuff
Make the most money on your clothing, furniture and 'stuff' you'd like to consign by cleaning it up first. if you're stumped on how to do that, never fear, the web is here - and can help.
Great 'how to' informatiion can be found on how to clean just about anything here.
Save Christmas 2008! The White Elephant Can Show You How
There’s less than 80 days remaining until Christmas, and if you’re short on funds, the rapidly approaching holiday season is likely to induce panic. Don’t let current worries completely overwhelm you, or the worldwide money crunch steal the joy of gift-giving and special times with friends and family this season. It’s quite possible to buy delightful, meaningful gifts without racking up a credit card balance, draining your savings, or taking on a second job. How? The answer is quite simple: consignment.
Consignment shops like The White Elephant stores are a great way to turn unwanted or no longer needed clothing, home decor, shoes, furnishings, accessories, books, and house wares into cash. Keep in mind that there’s no need to “dig deep.” You don’t have to part with treasured heirlooms or high-value items—to the contrary, it’s the simple, practical items that sell quickly and are in highest demand. This season’s hot sellers include:
- Women’s tops, cardigans, cashmere, fleece and down vests, designer jeans, and women’s wear - especially plaid!
- Lamps, holiday decorations, entertainment décor, and tableware
- Hardback books (less than one year old), coffee table books, craft books, and cook books. CD’s and DVD’s. Anything for cold weather, in-house entertainment and fun.
- Modern bookshelves, furniture with storage, upholstered chairs, chaise lounges, small ‘anywhere’ and dining room furniture
- Wind chimes and clean bird feeders. At The White Elephant stores sellers receive the cash due from sales of consigned goods in a quick thirty days after items are consigned. By consigning items now, (and continually up to 30 days before Christmas) you’ll have the cash you need in time for all of your holiday entertaining, shopping and/or cash for your pocket too! Consigning a little every week makes it an easy thing to do instead of a large chore.
In addition to turning unwanted and unneeded items into cash for Christmas, there are many other incentives f
or sellers to consign. Ridding your closets of clutter is good for the soul and will help you prepare your home for holiday entertaining. De-cluttering now will also give you a head start on your New Year’s resolutions to become more organized.
By offering your items for resale, you’re also helping Mother Earth. It’s one of the easiest ways to ‘go green’ without spending a cent! Consignment shops like The White Elephant stores encourage recycling and reusing household goods and clothing, and do not contribute to the depletion of precious resources used in the manufacturing of clothing and furnishings. Since most consignment shops, like ours, offer a donation to charity option for unsold goods, you’ll also enjoy the satisfaction in knowing that your items may help a family in need or funding of a local, worthwhile charitable organization.
Benefits for Buyers
We know consignment shops are fantastic resources for turning unwanted items into Christmas cash, but what’s in it for buyers? Consignment shoppers can enjoy the freedom to purchase name-brand clothing, home furnishings, accessories, and jewelry at deep discounts. Typically, items at consignment shops sell for one-third or less of retail price, and clearance items can often be purchased for nickels on the dollar of the item’s original sale price. This 66% savings goes a long way when stretching your clothing or gift-giving budget. Keep in mind that a lower purchase price results in paying less sales tax – an added bonus!
Consignment shops like ours offer unique merchandise to buyers. You won’t find monotonous racks of a single style of clothing. Or, warehouse shelves of multiples of the same product. Variety adds spice and fun to shopping consignment! You’ll easily find many different categories of goods, designers, manufacturers and brands without the hassle of traipsing through the mall. The White Elephant is the perfect place to find that special, different, unique something to suit those on your list that collect something, have special hobbies or interests. Recipients of your gifts will appreciate the uniqueness, style, designer labels, and reputable brands available at high-quality consignment shops like The White Elephant stores. And, they’ll appreciate the care and thought you put in to hunting out that perfect, meaningful gift! An added benefit is that with lower prices, shoppers can often purchase more items for each recipient if you like.
In addition to purchasing clothing and gifts with your consignment earnings, you may find some fantastic merchandise to spruce up your home for the holidays in a budget-friendly manner. Set a beautiful holiday table on the cheap, update your guest bedroom for a few dollars, or purchase games and toys to occupy visiting youngsters. Also, if you’re cramped on seating, November is a great time to find outstanding deals on new-to-you, larger ‘experienced’ dining room furnishings.
The White Elephant stores also offer a layaway service for buyers looking to stretch out their purchases over the next few months to help their budget!
Consign now, and have the cash-in-hand when you are ready to deal with Christmas and shop. Consignment shops like ours will help you enjoy Christmas instead of stressing about it, adding to your worries and incurring additional debt. Being short on cash doesn’t mean you have to skimp on friends, family, or style this holiday season. This year, ring in the New Year with a de-cluttered home and a clear conscience. When you shop and sell at The White Elephant this holiday season, your wallet (and everyone on your list) will thank you.
Free Off-to-College Checklist
Need help organizing for college? Overwhelmed by details of what you need and what you need to purchase? We can help!
Download our free checklist to help get planning underway!
And, don't forget! Our stores are a great resource for recycled, sustainable, earth and budget-friendly goods!
If clothing items, dorm room furniture or furnishings are on your list - visit our stores often! We receive new merchandise on consignment all day, every day 7 days a week!
Budget Friendly Tips and Tricks from The White Elephant Consignment Stores
5 Ways to Entertain Your Kid(s)
The Younger Crowd That Is! · Make Your Own Play Dough - Combine 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and 1/2 cup water. Divide the stuff up and add a different food coloring to each portion to achieve the desired basic assorted colors. Pick up some inexpensive cookie cutters at The White Elephant or WExchange Thrift for the kids to use to cut out shapes to mess about with. Buy a set of inexpensive saucers from either shop for just them to use for this activity and let them create their own play dough 'dinner' to arrange on their 'best' china.
· Dr. Seuss Comes to Life! Don't have the book? Both The White Elephant stores and WExchange Thrift have multiple copies for $1! One 'staycation' day give your child the book at breakfast (or read it to them) as you add some blue food coloring to the eggs you're scrambling. Remember - take pictures!
· Get 'Em Silly with Homemade Silly Putty! First be sure you get the kids into the play clothes you bought at WExchange Thrift! Pick up a few books with non-coated pages of pictures. If you hunt down one of the pretty vinyl colored tableclothes at The White Elephant before you get started, it'd be best! (Doing this activity outside, away from upholstery and carpet will make the experience lots less stressful for YOU!)
Take some white glue like Elmers brand. Combine two parts of the white glue with one part of liquid starch (on those lower shelves you rarely look at in the grocery or dollar store laundry isle -about $1.25) Voila! Silly Putty - let them go nutty! (Remember? One of the things they can do with the stuff: If they press the flattened stuff out over part of the non-coated pages of pictures in the books you bought - remember - the picture will be 'transferred' to the putty - which they can stretch this way and that!) - Remember - take pictures!
· Let YOUR 'Little Monsters' Make Their Own! For a great 'staycation' memory make snack or lunchtime fun! The White Elephant has lots of picnic baskets in all sizes and price ranges. WExchange Thrift has lots of various size baskets. While at either place find an inexpensive short story book with an appropriate monster theme.
Pack the basket with a 'monster lunch', pick a shady tree, visit a local park to enjoy your Monster Lunch! Don't forget the camera! Let the kids take turns reading the story, or read it to them if they can't yet.
MONSTER LUNCH INGREDIENTS
Cut up chunks of cheese, fruit, watermelon, celery sticks, into rough basic shapes (circles, squares, triangles, long strips). Give the kids toothpicks (if the kids are old enough) or potato sticks to skewer and affix the pieces together to recreate the story's monster. Indulge their appetite and their imaginations. Take pictures of their artistic food creation before it's gobbled up!
· Mystery Hunt- You'll have fun making a quick stroll through The White Elephant to find two or three inexpensive little 'prizes' to make your Mystery Hunt a big hit. A stuffed animal, doll, toy, game, DVD, CD, piece of costume jewelry... and the like that you can easily hide inside or out to play the game.
Next, mix up some invisible ink! Either 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 2 teaspoons of water; or, use lemon juice. Use a cotton swab (the pointed kind used when doing your nails is easiest) to write clues for the kids to guess where to locate the hidden prizes!
Supervise your children as they hold the 'clues' close (but not too close) to a hot light bulb and the secret 'clues' will magically appear as the 'ink' turns brown. Then....let the hunt begin! Remember - take pictures! Have fun!
Make Like Martha
5 Things to Make 'Going Nowhere'
Seem Like 'Going Somewhere'
Make Like Martha - Take a time out shortly before your vacation 'at home' and stop by one of The White Elephant stores, WExchange Thrift or other house of bountiful bargains and 'good things'! Budget $20 or so and pick up a few of these easy ways to break the routine, spiff up your home, and add those special touches you read and hear about all year and never have the time to do for yourself or your family. The website I'm Not Martha didn't become popular a few years ago without reason. But now is your chance to Make Like Martha!: -A pretty vase, a plain vase - or two or three. Add flowers, grasses or silks you find to an entryway, dining room and outdoor table just like many hotels and B & B's. Flowers and long grasses (shake to dislodge any bugs) can be gathered easily from your garden or roadside - silks are often available at stores like ours way below retail -Crystal anything makes everything look special! Consignment stores like The White Elephant and WExchange Thrift are usually perfect places to pick up crystal glasses, barware, serving plates, vases and the like for pennies on the dollar. WExchange Thrift has a seemingly never ending supply - and yep - mismatched is okay 'cause anything crystal - well just looks great! Make your meals special events. Visit Martha's website or her blog for some great looks and tips on how to 'entertain' your own family in style and on budget. We can help too! -Few things will serve to remind your family faster that you're on vacation....than if you start eating different things than you usually do (we all have our routine old standbys) - and nothing beats homemade from scratch. Have fun trying some new, simple recipes while you take a break from the work-a-day world and remind yourselves what it used to be like, how differently we ate when we had more time in our lives. Our stores regularly get in all sorts of gear that might help you out! Currently we have
- fish fryers to cook fish over open fires like your grill or outdoor chimnea -
- ice cream makers
- old-fashioned shaved ice makers (what fun - shaving up ice and adding food coloring and flavors to suit) -
- bread makers - and
- cookbooks! Forget online sites. Pick up an old-fashioned cookbook, a glass of mint tea and head for the hammock and plan some fun for the family foodies!
-If fashion is a passion check us out before you 'head away'! Pick up a casual summer outfit for yourself, your spouse or kids that spells 'vacation'! A Hawaiian shirt or tank for him - a pretty, floaty sundress or Lilly Pulitzer shift for her....whatever - the object is simple - Vacation Duds! Add a pair of flip flops for everyone in the family, a pair of drop earrings or a bangle just for this special trip! If you want to really come in under budget - shop our sale racks where you'll find incredible, affordable steal deals. Check WExchange Thrift out as well. Kid's clothes are usually less than $2 - a tshirt $2 - a dress $10 or less! Martha always looks casual and comfortable when on vacation as you can tell by her blog.
-Flop Out gracefully! Yep, just pop in and select a pretty, thriftfully priced comforter or colorful quilt, take it home and when you head off into the back yard, park or other local destination to relax while on vacation be sure to take your new purchase and..flop out. You won't worry about messing up your everyday stuff and can ensure your and your family's comfort outdoors while reading, picnicking, daydreaming or just people watching Have Fun!