The Great Bargain Finder

I would have to say that when it comes to finding great bargains, my mum is the BEST! She just has a knack of finding things. Like earlier this week, when we had a call from her. She was in Sallies (Salvos, 2nd Hand Opportunity Store) looking for some things for herself, but had just happened to walk past a stroller and a carseat. Off we headed, to have a look.

The carseat, unfortunately had an expiry of December 09 so we gave that a miss. But the pushchair, looked great. It was just what we'd originally been wanting to get, but had been having trouble finding. You see, Boyo and I wanted a rear facing stroller or pushchair. There's some talk about the fact that most strollers these days face the baby away from the parents, which actually limits their social engagement with the significant people in their lives - an important part of development in the baby/toddler age bracket. I didn't like the idea of having to look through a peep hole in the hood to see what my baby was doing, or of trying to point out something of interest and them not even being able to see me! The only issue was that rear facing strollers are pretty much a non-event in today's flash baby market...they are not at all 'in.

We love getting out walking, so having one that would be robust enough to use on all the gravel walkways around Tauranga was also a requirement. Plus there were the usual requirements that it must fit in the boot and be able to be folded easily.

There it was, a second hand pushchair that can be either forward or rear facing, light enough for me to get it in and out of the car, fairly easy to collapse and erect again, and in pretty good nick overall. After a bit of time with the three of us (plus a few staff members before Boyo and I arrived) working out how to operate handles, seat, harness, breaks, wheels, and so forth, we took it. The grand total? $30!!!

Here it is~our brand 'new' stroller, seen here in it's forward facing position!

It doesn't have a storm or mozzie cover. We can add them if we decide we want them. And it needs all the fabric bits washed. Not a big deal. We don't get the cosy foot warmer thingy that new strollers often seem to come with (that the kids feet can go in), or the food and drink tray for either adult or child...but then why is it that we 'need' a food and drink tray when out walking anyway? Whatever happened to sitting somewhere to converse and eat facing each other, after we get to our desination? Or popping a water bottle in the basket underneath for those quick sips along the way?

Anyway, we are all rather chuffed with Mum's find. She is the baby-gear-finding legend in our household! And the stroller is still proudly on display in the lounge!

Amy