to buy kids birthday pressies off Ebay?

[mustsleep]

right it's a bit long so bear with

dh is self employed and just been earning half what we need in a month! the washing machine has just died so I will be doing it in the bath for the forseeable future!!

anyway it's ds (11months) and dd's (4years) bbirthdays next month, dd is now not having a party as we don;t have enough cash

we just don;t have enough cash to get them loads of toys for their birthdays I have got dds an elc garage and lift off rocket for ££30 off ebay and have just bought dd a load of bratz stuff

will just be having a little family party for them both

my sister has just said to me that she thinks it's really scabby that I've got them second hand for their birthdays and that I should have jus got them one thing brand new each
If I had of just done that though ds wouldn't have got either thing and dd would have hardly of had anything

so IABU the stuff looks in good condition and you only throw the boxes away

your sister is being horrible

I buy presents for my children from ebay

it is not scabby

YANBU. My DCs mostly get second hand toys for their birthdays and Xmas. I don't think they realise and it saves them getting frustrated when you are trying to get them out of the box when they are new!

I get a lot of things from our local car boot sale. Well worth a look as you can pick up some real bargains. It meant they could have a decent lot of Lego to built things with rather than a few bricks and DS got a bike for his birthday which he loves and would not have got otherwise.

It's probably been mentioned but do try Freecycle for your washer. You can put a wanted notice on and explain your circumstances.

Good luck and ignore your sister!

Surely it is better to get them what they want second hand than something they dont really want but is cheap? I know what I would have wanted as a kid, and at that age they do not know there's such a thing as second hand anyway!

I think it is your sister who is being unreasonable, surely she knows your situation? Why can she not be a bit more supportive?

I remember when DS was born and we bought him some clothes from ebay... we were bold enough to tell friends this when they admired them and they were horrified!! I'm sure they thought I was a terrible mother! FFS it's not like they came with poo stains and fleas in them, and I did give them a wash before he wore them!

People need to get over themselves, being a bit more thrifty and reusing/recycling stuff is one way to help the environment, I know that I would rather teach my kids this ethos than the disposable consumerism that has surrounded me in my lifetime.

YANBU. I've got my eye on some stuff on ebay for DS's 2nd birthday. He'll never know and he'll end up with more than if we bought it new.
It's madness buying things new really, when you see what they go for on ebay or charity shops.

Whenever I buy DD something second-hand, I chuck a dollar or two into her piggy bank. By the time she's 16 and aching for driving lessons or whatever 16-year-olds want in 2024 she'll have enough saved up in there that I hope she'll appreciate the power of frugality.

YANBU - you buy what you can afford and your sister needs a slap.

WRT the washing machine - I don't want to sound patronising but is it a case of a real blocked filter and pipe? I had a similar problem in january - I tried to wash the doormat - which promptly disintegrated, I flooded the floor at least 3 times... eventually I managed to clear the filter & pipes. I know what it's like without a washing machine though... mine broke somewhere around early-2007 and it was May 2008 before I was able to buy a new one.

YANBU. I bought ds1's birthday pressents this year from a car boot sale! Bargain

Ninedragons- What a fab idea WRT the money saving for DD, think I'll be doing that from now on Thanks !

I've got my dts presents from freecycle in the past

We went through a period of about 6 mnths, and things were jsut impossible. We couldn't pay the bills let alone any extra. We snapped up toys on freecycle, and also checked Money Saving Expert 'grabbit' boards for bargains at christmas.

I bought the older two GBA from eBay, bought nice bags to put them in, and decals to spruce them up, and they didn't notice a thing. Kids really don't notice that easily. I gave dd a spare dvd player from the loft that was all boxed up, and nearly got caught out as there was a dvd left in it!

Car boots can def be ace. My latest bargain was the set of Little Miss books, in immaculate condition for £3! I'd get down there.

skihorse you don't sound patronising lol, the thing is it's a stupid hotpoint washer and the filter is underneath for some bizarre reason, dh has emptied the filter, taken the pump off as that was what the error code was saying was faulty and there was nothing in there, looked at pipes etc, we think that it may need a new pump but not too sure

we are going to try and get it fixed hopefully but it has wrecked our kitchen floor and bottom units cos everytime dh has to tip it up to get to the filter all the water inside the machine goes everywhere

YANBU. My ds2 turns 2 in a few weeks and loves sesame street, if I didn't get it 2nd hand he wouldn't have something he loves.

He doesn't care where it comes from as long as elmo, big bird and cookie monster are on it.

Trust me I have kids that discover things long after they have left the toy shops. DS1 its Thunderbirds, Joe 90 and Captain Scarlet and DS2 its sesame street. So their toys are second hand but they don't care.