My summer + fall finds at Just Between Friends of Marysville - Mount Vernon!

Just Between Friends of Marysville-Mount Vernon

Get your free ticket here!

April 26-29, 2018

Skagit County Fairgrounds, Mount Vernon WA

Just Between Friends sales feature clothes, toys, furniture and any other gear that you'll need for your kids from birth to teens at truly fair prices.  I can always count on finding "the basics" of each season for my three children, but I always find something new and unexpected too! And the best part is while I'm saving money on my end, my dollars are also providing for another local family through purchasing their consigned items. Win-win! 

Today I got to shop at the exclusive pre-sale event (pssst! Did you know that consignors and volunteers get that special privilege? Sign up for the next event!) and even though I am now shopping for three kids, one of whom is a total fashionista and definitely has an opinion on style, it was not overwhelming at all. Each size is clearly marked off on the long rows of clothing racks. It's easy to peruse through everything all at once. My middle child, Ruby (age 4), is now coming of age where clothes are beginning to matter to her as well, so she can easily flip through the bottom rung of the rack and show me things that she likes. Pretty much all things unicorns and sparkles.



Skagit County is a close knit community and it was fun running into a few of my bestie mama friends, as well as see quite a few recognizable faces. That Mama Gretchen, a real life friend of mine, is also showing off her finds so be sure to pop over to her facebook and instagram! P.S. can I say how much I adore her? She brought her brood of 4 kiddos, plus Ruby ended up spending a lot of time with them as well! I obviously love her for more than that little tidbit, but I felt like it was worth mentioning because shopping with 4 kids is not for the faint of heart! 

So without further adieu, I will show you what you might find at the sale this week!

I spy a BOB stroller! Tons of options at different price points.

 Babywearing! Whether you are a seasoned pro or trying it out for the first time, always great variety. Including this adorable TULA!

 There was a change at this sale that I appreciated - boys and girls shoes were put together according to size. At previous sales you'd have a rack of boys stuff and another of girls stuff. But shoes can be so gender neutral sometimes! Including KEENS (which is what I snag for the kids every time, but this time - I got a pair for myself!!).

 Remember how I said Ruby wants "all things unicorn"? Too bad that these were just a tad bit too small! A few tears were wept and I promised that the child that would get them would love them as much as she would.

See what I mean about something unique? You never know what piece of furniture a family is moving on from! I personally love toddler beds. Our kids cosleep with us until about 18 - 24 months and then they are ready for the toddler bed.

 Oh hai! This is my Mr. Cutie. He's 10 months old and growing too fast for this mama.

 A completely separate rack for team attire!

 Anyone going to Disneyland anytime soon? A whole BIN of different ears to choose from!

Also, here's a few of my finds. 

 It wasn't entirely intentional, but clearly I've got a theme going! They are just so cute.

 These three spring and summer dresses were under $10 total!

 RompHIMs for Holden! Haha! Whenever he isn't going to be crawling around in a shirt and diaper, of course.

 A few shoes. I always check for KEENS, Crocs and galoshes. This time I scored a set of KEENS for myself! The little croc Crocs are so cute, I couldn't say no.

 I found a unicorn sweatshirt and a cute "back to school" outfit for Ruby. I can't believe she will start preschool in the fall!

This is my pièce de résistance for the sale. 6 sets of pajamas for Holden - $11. A few of them were seriously only marked for a dollar!

What is on your kids' summer wardrobe must have list? Don't miss the Just Between Friends of Marysville - Mount Vernon, at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon, WA.

Thursday, April 26th | Opening Day!

10:00a -7:00p • Admission $2/door, FREE/online

Friday, April 27th

10:00a – 6:00p • Free admission

Saturday, April 28th | Half Price Day!10:00a – 7:00p • Free Admission

Sunday, April 29th | Up to 75% Off Day!

8:00a – 1:00p • Free Admission

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Just Between Friends of Marysville-Mount Vernon. 

All opinions are my own. Please see giveaway rules for full details. 

Bring on the savings! Just Between Friends of Marysville-Mount Vernon Spring Sale!

Beautiful Skagit Valley in the Spring. The tulips are just now blooming, but we've had daffodils for a few weeks. #skagittulipfestival #skagitvalley #skagitmom #tuliptown #mountvernon #tulips #tulipfield #pnwisbest #upperleftusa

A post shared by Bianca @ The Pierogie Mama (@thepierogiemama) on Apr 7, 2017 at 8:39am PDT

Just Between Friends of Marysville-Mount Vernon

Get your free ticket here!

April 26-29, 2018

Skagit County Fairgrounds, Mount Vernon WA

There are a few things that I really love about Skagit County in the spring. Firstly, the tulips. DUH. If you haven't seen it yet, you usually have the whole month of April. Come on an overcast week day for lower (or non-existent) crowds and seriously, you'll be in love.

Secondly, Snow Goose Produce, opens around the first weekend of March. This has become my family tradition to get us all out there for some humongous ice cream cones in celebration of my two daughters' birthdays, which are both in early March. Snow Goose is also a great place to get cut flowers and local produce throughout the rest of the growing season and can't miss stop if you're up here for the Tulip Festival.

A tulip variety called "light and dreamy." As seen at Tulip Town in Mount Vernon, WA. These are on my order list for fall planting! #skagittulipfestival #skagitvalley #skagitmom #skagit #skagitvalleytulipfestival #tulips #tuliptown #skagittulips #pnwisbest #upperleftusa #mountvernon

A post shared by Bianca @ The Pierogie Mama (@thepierogiemama) on Apr 7, 2017 at 8:42am PDT

Thirdly is that all of this gorgeous blooming and springtime weather gets me into spring time cleaning mode; which means cleaning out closets and purging forgotten toys and making way for bigger sizes and new gear for the spring and summer...all thanks to Just Between Friends!

I blog about JBF a couple times a year and it's for a good reason - I save so much money each time I shop and I also earn almost the same amount back by consigning. As a single income family, with three growing kids, that's kind of a big deal!

Just Between Friends sales feature clothes, toys, furniture and any other gear that you'll need for your kids from birth to teens at truly fair prices. It's a wide range of brands and styles that will catch your eye. I always find something unique that I wouldn't find at any old department store! And the best part is while I'm saving money on my end, my dollars are also providing for another local family through purchasing their consigned items. Win-win! Rather than doing online meet up shopping, where you never know if you'll get stood up or if the items are what you thought they were, shopping at JBF is great because you have the leisure to look around at thousand of items in each clothing size, comparing in pricing but also have a standard of quality that ensures what you buy is in great condition. Each consigned items is inspected for wear and tear, as well as recalls, so you can rest assure that what you get is priced fairly, in great condition and safe.

I'm excited to continue my partnership with Just Between Friends of Marysville-Mount Vernon, and Courtney (the owner) has offered advance ticket options for Pierogie Mama readers! Keep reading because we are also offering a pair of presale tickets for one lucky winner!

Entry-Form

Thursday, April 26th | Opening Day!

10:00a -7:00p • Admission $2/door, FREE/online

Wednesday, April 25th | Presale Day! TICKET REQUIRED. Space is limited.

1:30p – 8:00p • Admission $20/door or $15/online

3:00p – 8:00p • Admission $15/door or $10/online

4:00p – 8:00p • Expecting Parents Shop 

4:30p – 8:00p • First Time Parents Shop

5:00p – 8:00p • Teachers and Military Shop

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Just Between Friends of Marysville-Mount Vernon. 

All opinions are my own. Please see giveaway rules for full details. 

Sneak Peek: Just Between Friends of Marysville - Mount Vernon consignment sale!

Remember when I told you that the Just Between Friends of Marysville / Mount Vernon spring sale was coming to Skagit County? Because of how much money I save by shopping at these events, and in turn consigning my kids' outgrown clothing, I don't have to shop at retail stores at all through out the year! Woop woop!  Today I spent **3 hours** pouring through the pre-sale to find the best deals on clothes for my kids, and tonight I'm going to give you a sneak peek at what you can find at the sale this weekend!

 Quite adorable! They staged a few different items to make it look like a nursery right by the cash register.

 Most JBF sales provide the big blue IKEA bags for you to use while shopping, but this time around JBF Marysville - Mount Vernon had shopping carts! Quite handy when you have a pre-schooler tagging along and you can (ahem) let then Netflix binge while you peruse the racks. No shame here.

 Sports apparel is always a favorite! I picked up Seahawks and Oakland Raiders sweatshirts.

 So cute! Tons of well made and like-new handmade items.

 Have your pick and find the best deal!

This may have been one of my best steals. 3 excellent used condition Bum Genius 4.0 cloth diapers with inserts. These retail for $20 each, and after 5 years of cloth diapering 3 kids, with many of my originals still in rotation, it was irresistible to snag a pack to freshen up the stash for Holden.

So what did I come home with? Even after shopping at these events for the last 5 years, I was amazed at how low the prices were.

There ya have it!

This sale is on now through October 1 at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon Wa. See full details here.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Just Between Friends of Marysville - Mount Vernon. 

No other compensation was provided. All opinions and photography are my own.

Meet Courtney, the new owner of JBF Marysville - Mount Vernon! (Giveaway)

Friends, did you save your back to school shopping dollars for the fabulous Just Between Friends consignment sale that is coming to Mount Vernon this month??! I am a huge fan of these sales, I try to hit up each one of them during sale season because you just never know what great deals you can find. The most local one to me, JBF Marysville - Mount Vernon, is coming to the Skagit County Fairgrounds this month and I am pumped to shop and consign!

In the last year you may have noticed that a new face is heading up this consignment sale. Let me introduce to you the new owner of JBF Marysville - Mount Vernon: Courtney Evans! Read on for the Pierogie Mama exclusive interview to learn more about the mama behind the scenes.

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The Pierogie Mama: Courtney, this the second sale you are hosting for Mount Vernon, but this is your second JBF business! Tell me why you love JBF and what made you want to add Marysville - Mount Vernon to your territory?

Courtney Evans: I started with JBF as a consignor. I was drawn to JBF because of the convenience and values each sale holds. I participated in a consignment event where we had to hand write all of our tags, and then for the register they took the tags and hand added it with a calculator. First it was the longest 2 weeks of my life having to write all those tags! Second, once I picked up my unsold items, I had no idea what sold and how much to expect in my check. When I found JBF I was amazed at how it was all online, easy to use, and I could track what was selling. Then one day I was playing around on the computer and read that JBF is a franchise business. I was talking to my husband about it and he was SO encouraging! He just kept saying, "You'd be great at that! You should do it! What are they going to say? No? Then you'll just keep consigning and doing what you're doing." So I took the plunge and pulled up the JBF application process, and you wouldn't believe who filled out most of my application... MY HUSBAND! I had originally applied to start the Marysville Mount Vernon territory, life had other plans for me and I ended up taking over the Issaquah territory in 2016. When I caught wind that Marysville Mount Vernon was up for grabs in the Spring, we jumped on it. I grew up in Marysville and worked in Mount Vernon for years, my husband grew up in Arlington and currently works in Mount Vernon. So we have a deep connection and ties into the area. Anyone up here can attest that the small town feeling you get when walking around town and chatting with members of the community, and that feeling is honestly the reason why I wanted to add the Marysville Mount Vernon sale.

TPM: That is awesome, Courtney! It's great to not only have your hubby behind your dreams but for it to work out so well for your family and timing as well. Since you already have ties to the area, give us some Skagit love - where is your favorite place to eat and park to visit? Is there somewhere you want to visit but haven't gotten a chance to yet? 

CE: I absolutely love to take my kids to Jungle Playland, especially when they have the spray park going! As far as parks, I haven't explored many yet.. If anyone has recommendations, I'll definitely take them! As far as places to eat.. there are too many to limit! I'm such a foodie, and a sucker for good sushi, Mexican, or pizza!

TPM: I have yet to visit Jungle Playland but I know it's a ton of fun. One of my favorite local parks has been Donovan Park off Old Highway 99 - it's just down the road from me and the perfect summer oasis for the wide shallow creek. But now that summer is at a close and colder weather is upon us - you'll find me and my brood at the Childrens Museum at the Cascade Mall more often! My favorite pizza place is (whispers) Costco. My middle child, Ruby, loves her some Costco lunch! ;) But if you were to ask me where I would want to go for lunch it would either be Calico Cupboard or BowEdison for a date night with the hubs. 

TPM: Ok so back to the sale - the JBF consignment sales are awesome because they are a franchise system so the formula is very similar across all of the sales.  As you mentioned before, the biggest difference you'll find with JBF from other consignment events is that when you consign your tagged items are able to be sold at any JBF event whether you're in Washington or Florida. Your sales are uploaded online and everything is super easy to track and that's what gave me the comfort of knowing my hard work and childrens items are going to be valued and taken care of by the sale I take them to. The JBF owners work with their consignors to help price items fairly to get the shopper the best deal and the consignor a great payout for their items. What have you seen as far as how much shoppers are saving and how much a consignor can expect to make?  

CE: My favorite part is checking out the receipt once the shoppers check out. At the bottom of our receipts there is a line that says, 'You paid x amount of dollars per item'. This is so fun to me, it's a visual way for shoppers to SEE the savings! As for the consignors, our average consignor check is over $250! I don't know about you, but there is A LOT I can do with $250..

TPM: I am pretty sure that all of my consignment check gets recycled into buying clothes and other items for my kids at the next JBF sale, which I absolutely love. I know that by closing that loop I'm saving myself money on what I buy but I'm also keeping those funds local by purchasing another family's consigned items. That makes a tangible differences versus taking our dollars to a large corporate store. 

TPM: What are some of the items that shoppers can find at JBF sales? For those families who are going to consign, what are items that shoppers always look for? 
CE: Shoppers can expect to find EVERYTHING they need to raise a kid under one roof. From maternity and baby equipment to Juniors and prom dresses. If there is something you are looking for, it'd be silly to pay retail, when the odds of finding it at our sale is HUGE! For the families that are tossing around the idea of consigning, if it's time to purge your house, do it! Make some money on those items your kids don't use anymore! We make it so easy to participate. We offer multiple consignor 101 parties on Facebook, that you can watch live or come back when it is convenient. These parties will take you step by step of the tagging process. If you find that you are stretched for time and just don't have a way to tag, we offer personal tagging. We have taggers that will do the hard work for you, and you STILL cash in! There is some cost involved with having a personal tagger, but in the end you will end up making money for less effort than trying to do a garage sale. 

You can find us on Facebook @ JBFMarysvilleMountVernon, 

and we are newly on Instagram @JBFMarysvilleMountVernon

When you shop at this event, be sure to track her down and say hi! Keep reading because we've got an awesome giveaway for ya... two prime time shopping passes to get in before the public on Wednesday September 28 from 3:00 - 8:30 pm! You can purchase these tickets as well.

Stay tuned for a follow up blog post showing you what I found at the presale and what you can expect that weekend!

Just Between Friends of Marysville - Mount Vernon

Fall 2017 Sale

September 28 - October 1

Full sale schedule here

Skagit County Fairgrounds 

Entry-Form

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Just Between Friends of Marysville - Mount Vernon. 

All opinions are my own. See giveaway details for rules. 

Just Between Friends of Marysville-Mount Vernon Presale Sneak Peek!

This weekend is the Just Between Friends of Marysville-Mount Vernon consignment sale! Would you believe me if I told you that I shop for my two daughters' clothes just twice a year? It's true! The Just Between Friends consignment sales are all I need because there are literally thousands of items in all kids sizes that I can choose from in one place at amazingly low prices. Plus, I get to unload our outgrown clothes by consigning them as well!

So you can easily scan my blog to find out all the reasons why I love JBF, and one of my favorite things to do is make sure I get to shop early at the presale event by consigning. But don't worry - even if consigning isn't on your radar, the public sale is chock full of great stuff. Let me show you!

But first; my ever so sweet Ruby. Isn't she just darling? She admired herself in front of this vanity for a few minutes.

Tons of great babywearing gear at this sale! MeiTeis, a few woven wraps, Beco, Moby stretchy wraps and others.

And a kids wrap! Because babies wearing babies is the cutest thing ever.

Sorting through the books is one of my favorites. I always find something super old from my childhood and I feel like I need to rescue it.

Sports fan gear..need I say more?

And the girly stuff. Swoon! My wedding anniversary is on the 4th of July so I am always on the look out for cute patriotic outfits for the kids.

So many summer items. Mostly boys bikes this time, but I also snagged a plastic pool (you know the kind!) for my kids and their cousins to "whirlpool" in this summer.

So as you know, I have two daughters aged 5 and 3 and then baby boy is on the way for this summer. My 3 year old is lucky enough to get all of her sister's handmedowns from last summer, so I did very little shopping for her. My focus at this sale was bigger sizes for the 5 year old and adding to our growing stash of boy stuff.

One of my favorite things to do after a presale shop is to compare what I would have paid for my items if I had bought them in store and what I paid for them at JBF. It's ASTOUNDING.  I'm a fairly frugal person at heart, so spending a ton of money on kids clothing is really not my thing anyways, but I always give myself a pat on the back after shopping at JBF. Buying used clothes is important to me not only because of the cost savings, but because of the environmental impact as well. Think of all the resources we are using up because so few clothing items are passed on. And trust me, I'm a mom of almost 3 kids, I know that some clothes just can't be passed on. They've had a good life. And that's what textile drives are for! Most thrift stores that you can donate clothes to have an outlet for where their "unsellable" items get sent to and that includes textile recycling.

Anywho....

Taking a look at all the brands that I bought and running a comparison online, these same items for my 4T/5T daughter would have cost me $114 retail. Instead, I paid a whopping....

And SQUEEE! I got to venture into boy land for the first time ever! Our little Pierogie Boy has been immensely blessed by handmedowns from two families and our baby showers, so again, I don't have a ton of shopping to do for his arrival! But I had to pick up some cuteness at the sale.

The boy clothes blew me away.. $142! A few of the items I picked up were retailed a little pricier than I imagined.

And there you have it! So much to stock up on for this upcoming summer and beyond.

April 28 - 30, 2017

Skagit County Fairgrounds, Mount Vernon Wa

Find out more details on the full sale schedule here

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Just Between Friends of Marysville-

Mount Vernon. All photography and opinions are my own.

My hometown favorite - Just Between Friends Marysville - Mount Vernon Spring Sale

Hey Skagit Mamas!

My little family and I have officially lived in Skagit County for A YEAR and I am reminded of this because my first blog post last year about our move was also about the Just Between Friends Marysville - Mount Vernon Spring Sale! Since then we have gotten to know the community a lot better, have completed a year of pre-school, Awana, met local readers and found all the awesome places for kids to explore (especially to break up those winter blues and cabin fever).

Now that Spring is here, and I literally looked out my window for a break of rain and a hope of sunshine, I am ready to start prepping for warmer weather. I've been going through the girls' clothes - and in more exciting news; thinking ahead of our upcoming Summer Baby BOY - I am looking forward to this edition of my local JBF sale.

So you already know from following my blog that I love JBF for many reasons; it saves us money, it saves the environment and supports local families too. I've been a shopper and consignor for the better part of 5 years and my consignor check sort of rolls into the next sale for what I'm going to need to buy for the next size up for my kids. It's such a blessing to not have to worry about that sort of thing.

Over the years I've seen a ton of stuff for sale at these events and I am always surprised with something new. One year I got a play circus tent, which has been perfect for summer outdoor imaginary play. I've gotten tons of Disney Store brand clothing at a fraction of the cost. Keens & Crocs shoes are a staple in my house and I always am shopping for bigger sizes and consigning the smaller ones, because those shoes are seriously indestructible and work well in our climate for most of the year. "Standard" items in my two girls wardrobe is always leggings, long sleeve and short sleeves, Columbia style zippies and sweat shirts - also really easy to find and shop around for an awesome deal; usually $3-4 a piece. Pretty soon I know we'll be entering the arena for sporting equipment and from what I've seen the selection and condition are great at these sales.

Do I need to go on to show you just how pumped I am??!! 

The Just Between Friends Marysville - Mount Vernon team is partnering with me to get two winners an awesome prize package - each winner will get a PRIME TIME PASS + $10 JBF bucks to spend at the sale!! Woop woop! The prime time pass gets you in the door as early as Thursday April 27 from 3pm - 9pm, but if you can't make it that day you can shop anytime during the sale and still be able to use your JBF bucks. So check out the giveaway widget below; remember there are tons of ways to increase your odds of winning by coming back daily too!

Entry-Form

April 28 - 30, 2017

Skagit County Fairgrounds, Mount Vernon Wa

Find out more details on the full sale schedule here