Just Between Friends of Everett / Monroe Fall 2017 Sale (Giveaway)

This is my first year of having a full time school aged child!!! Ahhh!! Penny is starting her first year of kindergarten, after having done a year of 2 day pre-school. Preparations for yet another big life change of the summer (right behind the birth of our third child!) have been in full swing for the month of August.

As I go through my own personal list of fall seasonal items that my kids will need and thinking ahead for the school year all I think of how much all of this back to school business costs! And this is for a kindergartener who doesn't really have an extensive class room supply list and she doesn't need a ton of clothes. So this idea intrigued me and I set out to run an informal survey in one of my local mama facebook groups to see how much other local families spent on back to school clothes.  Of the 60 mamas responded, the vast majority spend $250 or less per child, though a remarkable amount spend $500 per child as well. When you add in all the other things you need to buy for the start of the school year, like classroom supplies and electronics), it skyrockets so fast!

If you're like me, I'm always looking to save money where we can and my kids clothes are still very much a large part of our budget where we can cut corners. Having two daughters, two years apart helps in the handmedowns department and they both are pretty gentle on their stuff. But even so, they are still growing out of them quickly. I stretch our dollars even further by purchasing their clothes through Just Between Friends consignment sales - which have saved me boku bucks over the last 5 years that I've been shopping at these events!

What is Just Between Friends, you ask? "JBF" is a pop up consignment sale that occurs nationally and there happens to be one in Monroe, WA just in time for back to school!

Just Between Friends of Everett / Monroe 

September 13-16 2017

Evergreen State Fairgrounds
Full sale schedule here

You can find anything you need for back to school shopping at these events. Local families consign their gently used baby, kids and maternity items for up to 70% off the retail price. Each of the items is hand inspected to make sure it meets the high standards of JBF, so you can rest assured that these clothes will look brand-spankin-new (in some cases there are still tags on them) and not have to pay full retail. You'll find clothes, shoes, sports gear, toys, baby gear, books, dvds, kid related furniture, and seriously so much more. Each time I've shopped I've been able to fill my girls' closets with the upcoming size and season needs as well as a surprise or two. So don't miss out!

The best part? I've been an ongoing partner for Just Between Friends of Everett/Monroe and am sharing some awesome prizes for Pierogie Mama readers in preparation for the upcoming JBF Everett/Monroe Fall 2017 sales event! So check out the giveaway widget below for your chance to win presale passes and JBF bucks. Remember to check back daily because there are a few daily entry options that you can do in order to increase your odds of winning! And stay tuned for September 13 when I come back to let you know what I found when I went shopping - it's always fun to do the math and compare how much I paid versus how much I could have paid in retail!

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Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by Just Between Friends of Everett/Monroe. 

All opinions are my own.

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.

MommyCon came to Seattle...and I went!

Get your ticket for Mommy Con 2016 early! They always sell out, and here's a $5 code to get you started!

For the last few years my blogging bestie, That Mama Gretchen, and I have been pining away for a conference that we can attend together and to piggyback a mom's night out on. It's not easy, you know, when you've got two mamas who are on alternating years for pregnancies and birthing babies! But the fates aligned; MommyCon was coming to Seattle and even though Gretchen was in the final stages of her pregnancy with Baby #3 and I had not yet taken a night away from Ruby, we did it. We did it!

We split a hotel room at Motif, where the conference was to be held the following morning. After battling Friday evening Seattle traffic we checked and quickly made our way down to Frolick for an evening snack and a drink for me. There's something about a friendship that allows you to pick up and catch up with each other's lives, without missing a beat, even though it's been almost a year since we last saw each other in person. Well, keeping up with each other's blogs and social media kind of helps that.

Neither of us knew what to expect from MommyCon, even though we had heard great reviews. We stayed up late, talking about woven wraps, birth stories (one of our favorite repeat conversations), blogging life and real life. It was well after 1am before I shut my eyes and I couldn't wait for the following morning.

So what can I say about MommyCon? I was completely unprepared for exactly how great of a day that I would have. All of the vendors - spot on. I loved chatting with each business and met some people I had chatted with online and met new favorites. The brands ranged from cloth diapers, breast feeding support, babywearing, mama cloth, natural products for children and mama and so much more.

Between checking out the booths I attended several great talks - Cloth Diapering led by Jennifer Labit (owner of Cotton Babies), Wrapping 101, Co-sleeping and Beyond (so my life right now), Sex After Baby and Boobs and Bottles (both by Jessica Martin-Weber, AKA The Leaky Boob). I was so thankful that they were spaced out throughout the day because if I had to choose between any of those I'm sure my heart would have broken. Each of the vendors were so helpful and not pushy at all, which just makes everything so much better. I also was the lucky winner of a Cassiope Woven wrap that was a MommyCon exclusive - more about that later - but the excitement of their scavenger hunt was a fun addition to the day.

MommyCon is more than just a conference; it was a rejuvenation of what it means to be a mama. There were so many examples of a mother there, whether they breastfeed, bottlefeed, wore their baby in a soft structured carrier, wrapped them methodically, pushed them in a stroller or what was covering their bottom. It didn't matter if she had spikey rainbow hair or wore her business casual suit to attend. We were all there for the same reason - to gain community in this great journey of life and to better ourselves. For the first time in a very long time I was in a room with hundreds of other women and rather than worrying about the Mommy Wars, we all came together as we are.

Get $5 off your 2016 ticket by using promocode PierogieMama16!

Did you go to any of the MommyCon conferences?

Tell me about your favorite part!

Don't miss That Mama Gretchen's 7 favorite things about MommyCon post too!

Disclosure: I attended MommyCon Seattle 2015 as a media member and received a complimentary ticket. But seriously, I am so glad that I went and I plan on going any other time that this awesome event comes to my local area. And you should too!

What will you find at JBF Everett/Monroe this weekend?

Last night I got shop at the Just Between Friends of Everett/Monroe pre-sale event! You might ask...do I have to be a blogger to shop at this exclusive pre-sale? NO! As a matter of fact, my pre-sale pass was all thanks to being a consignor and for volunteering my time. So for the next sale, you can too! 

Anywho, as well know, I am a fan of JBF sales. Like - super fan girl - fan. Why? Because of this:

$5.88 / item on average.

This is enough to get excited for, am I right?

So as usual I snapped pictures of other fabulous things that you can find at JBF this weekend, so scroll along and check out these awesome items that local moms brought in for consignment.

 A whole aisle of Halloween / dress up costumes!

 Tons of brand new Melissa & Doug

So get yourself down to the Evergreen State Fairground this weekend!

Details:
Just Between Friends of Everett/Monroe consignment sale

October 1-4 2015

Evergreen State Fairgrounds

Commercial Bldg: 14405 179th Ave SE Bldg #400

Monroe, WA

website

Friday October 2 20159:00a - 3:00p Public Sale Day 2, free admission!
Saturday October 3 2015
9:00a - 5:00p Public Sale Day 3, free admission!
5:30 - 7:00p HALF PRICE PRESALE! Get your early access ticket here

Sunday October 4 2015
8:00a - 2:00p Half Price Sale - all items without a star are 50% off!
This is an abbreviated schedule; please see the full event schedule here.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by JBF Everett/Monroe. All opinions are my own.

Welcome to Skagit County, Just Between Friends of Marysville & Mount Vernon!

It's been a long time coming! Skagit County is getting ready to welcome the Just Between Friends consignment sale to the Skagit County Fairgrounds Pavilion from October 16-18, 2015.

Just Between Friends is a nationwide consignment event that takes place several times per year, typically in the fall and spring. Washington State boasts almost a dozen locations and the newest one is being held for the Marysville and Mount Vernon territory!

At "JBF" you'll find everything you need for maternity, baby and child through teen. Local families consign their gently used and new items for 50-90% off retail prices. It's my favorite place to shop for my two children's clothes because I can get everything they need for each season for literally a fraction of the price of what I'd pay at the store. Not to mention, children outgrow clothes so quickly that it makes financial and ecological sense to buy used.

Shopping at JBF consignment sales also keeps dollars local; as all of the items are being consigned by local families. When you buy from a JBF sale, a parent in your community is getting funds back on their initial clothing investment and they in turn can keep the ball rolling in buying the next set of clothing sizes for their kids.

Over the last two years I've been paring down our baby clothes, toys and gear in storage in preparation for someday baby #3. As I become a more seasoned parent I take note of what clothing items and gear works for us best and I'm able to pass on what we're done with. I've prepped those items for JBF sales and have seriously cashed in on what was sitting in storage for over a year! Click here to learn more about how to consign with JBF and what the benefits are.

Check out my previous JBF posts to see all of the great deals that I've found!


Finally, I'm excited to introduce the awesome woman who is behind this event. I've gotten to know Sheila in real life since we met at the Just Between Friends of Everett sale almost a year ago. Since working together we've become great friends and am really excited to share about her JBF sale. Sheila has a heart for community and you'll see her sharing a ton of Skagit and Whatcom county local family events on the JBF Marysville/Mount Vernon facebook page. As she's been preparing for this brand new sale she's shared with me how excited she is to get to know the families of Skagit county.

Sheila and her JBF Marysville/Mount Vernon team are excited to get YOU shopping at this brand new event, so she's offered up the following prizes to Pierogie Mama and Bits of Sweetness readers!

Winner 1: First Pick Shopping Pass + $10 JBF Bucks (11:30am shopping time, Oct 16)

Winner 2: First Pick Shopping Pass + $10 JBF Bucks (11:30am shopping time, Oct 16)

Winner 3: PreSale Pass + $5 JBF Bucks (1:30 p.m. shopping time, Oct. 16)

Winner 4: PreSale Pass + $5 JBF Bucks (1:30 p.m. shopping time, Oct. 16)

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The Just Between Friends of Marysville / Mount Vernon consignment sale is taking place 

Oct 16 - 18, 2015. 

Skagit County Fairgrounds Pavilion

1410 Virginia Street

Mt Vernon, WA 98273

Friday October 16, 2015 - Presale Day!
11:30 - 2:00 Volunteer, Consignor and Vendor Pre-sale shopping time (learn more)
2:00 - 2:30 Expectant, Foster, First-Time Parent Presale 
2:30 - 3:00 Military, Teachers Presale
3:00 - 8:00pm General admission Admission $2 or free with this Eventbrite Pass

Saturday, October 17th:
Public Sale and 1/2 Price Presale Day 9:00a - 5:00p Free admission to public
5:30 - 7:00pm 1/2 Price Presale!
All items without a star are 1/2 off.

Sunday, October 18th: 
½ Price Day
(ALL TAGS W/O A STAR ARE DISCOUNTED) 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m Free Admission

Click here for a full sale calendar

Why is Supporting Cancer Research Important to Me? Sheila's story

I'm on a journey to raise $500 before September 27th to benefit cancer research through the Jimmy Fund Walk and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Today I am honored to welcome Sheila, a good friend and new owner of Just Between Friends Marysville/Mount Vernon, a consignment sale event that is coming to Skagit County in Washington State! JBF Marysville/Mount Vernon has partnered with my goal and today we are sharing Sheila's story about why supporting cancer research is important to her. 

We are still looking for donations to reach our goal - please consider pledging $5 or more! Donate here. 

_____________

As far back as I can remember, I've heard the scary 'C' word mentioned in hushed adult conversations among my family.  Another aunt, uncle, or cousin has been diagnosed with cancer.  Another aunt, uncle, or cousin is dying from cancer--another aunt, uncle, or cousin has died from cancer.  

I remember a hushed conversation my parents were having one night where my dad was crying.  I was eight then.  This time, it was my grandmother who was very sick and going through chemo for colon cancer.  That previous summer, I had visited her in South Carolina, and she had lost all of her thick, wavy hair and a ton of weight.  I didn't understand the side-effects of chemo at eight, nor the severity of the situation.   When I look back to that summer trip, it's so bittersweet.  We had built many great memories together and planned so many things for my next visit.  I left with a happy heart, eager to return to her.  Little did I know, the embrace she gave me at the airport would be the last one from her.  I wish I remembered it more.

Just a few, precious months later, in October of 1990, my grandmother passed from colon cancer.  She was only 60.  She was only our family's everything--our matriarch, our anchor--our glue that held us together. 

Cancer research is important to me because when I think of my grandmother, I can't help but to also think of how cancer robbed our family of her prematurely.  I can't help but to think of my father's tears that night...or of mine.  

I've recently discovered that a genetic mutation predisposing us to certain types of cancer exists in my family's genes.  What this means for myself, my children, or their children, I'm not sure yet.  I will pray for the best.  What I do know is that I am grateful for the men and women researching the scary 'C,' and I am hopeful that by the time my children are adults the scary 'C' will be a little less frightening.  

Sheila Palaruan and her husband, Bryan Palaruan, are the owners of the new Just Between Friends Marysville/ Mt. Vernon children's consignment event.  They met in 2002 while serving in the Navy onboard the aircraft carrier, USS J.C. Stennis.  He claims she hit on him.  It totally didn't happen. Together, they have two children, Luciana (3), and Josiah (1).  They also have too many pets to name, and are proud residents of the Sky Valley.    

MCS Touch A Truck Recap!

Holy cow I am behind on a lot of posts. Seriously. So today I'm just going to limit this post to mostly pictures, because there's little needed beyond that.

Last week was MCS's Touch a Truck event. Without sounding overly gushy, this was hands down the best way to spend $20 for a day of fun for a family of 8. Not kidding. Let me begin...

Firstly, Touch a Truck was hosted at Monroe Christian School and coordinated by my lovely friend, Molly. See her? Powerhouse woman who is the definition of go-getter. Deserves an award, this woman.

Follow me on instagram! @Thepierogiemama

It all started in the morning when my husband was picked up at our house by the Kenworth Mariner's truck. We got 2 Kenworth big rigs represented at this year's MCS Touch a Truck and it was pretty cool to see the look of amazement in Penny's eyes when this big truck rolled up to our house and dad climbed in.

We followed shortly after and here's a snippet of our day.

In addition to the 50+ trucks that were there, there were a ton of free activities included:
Face Painting, Caricature Drawings, Bubble Soccer, Agility Training, Kindermusik Mini Classes, Storytime, Bubble Blowing, Craft Tables, Balloon Animals, YMCA Activity booth, live music, petting and feeding ponies & bunnies, juggling lessons, nail art, toddler zone, meeting Blitz the offical Seahawk mascot, the Reptile Man and sooooooo much more. 

Over 2,500 people came and there are tons more pictures on their facebook page.

Keep in touch for next year!

Website Facebook

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by MCS Touch A Truck. All opinions are my own.

Meet Eunice - Owner of JBF Everett, plus a giveaway!

Just Between Friends is a nationwide consignment sales event that features children and maternity clothes and gear. Each event is a local franchise and the items that are consigned come from families in the area. In the last 3 years that I've been shopping at these events I've spent less than $1,000 on clothes and toys for both of my girls! Because the wide range of sizes are available at these sales I am able to shop ahead for what I'll be needing in the near future - so I'm also saving a lot of time by having it all available in one spot.

This summer JBF Everett is mixing it up and adding in a 3rd consignment sale event! I am beyond excited for another opportunity to de-stash our kid clothes and gear and to .. well .. stock up on more. If I'm being totally honest.

JBF is really what started my commitment to thrifting or consigning most of the clothes and toys I buy for my kids. The cost of children's clothing is incredibly high and for the short time that they wear it, I can hardly see the reason why I should spend the money! Buying clothes on consignment or thrifting is also a very "green" activitiy - it's giving life to

Today I'd like to introduce Eunice, the owner of Just Between Friends of Everett/Monroe. She and I have worked together since her first event in Monroe and I always love getting a chance to talk with her when we meet up. If you happen to spot her at a JBF event, be sure to pull her over and say hi! This woman is a meticulous powerhouse, and she's often seen buzzing around the event like a determined humming bird! ;)

The Pierogie Mama: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your beautiful family, Eunice! 
Eunice Gong: Thanks for asking! My early years were spent traveling the world with my family since my dad was in the military. It was an adventurous time for me being able to experience different cultures throughout the US and Europe and eventually we settled here in Washington. This was actually the second time I lived it Washington as we first came here when I was 4-6 years old and then returned again in the late 1980's when I was in high school. I did the typical teenager things, played sports (soccer/softball) and hung out with my friends. I worked 2 jobs at a grocery store and library plus babysat on the weekends to earn money for college. I attended the University of Washington as a psychology major then got the travel bug and headed south to study physical therapy at University of the Pacific in California. I was fortunate to meet my husband, Michael, within the first month of starting college at UW. In fact, I met him while we were both participating as lab rats in a psychology experiment! We were only 18 years old at the time with so much to accomplish individually and together, so it was 7 years before we got married and then it took another 7 years before we were able to have kids. Marcus (8 years old) was our first born and then Tala (5 years old) came along 3 years later. Both kids were our miracle babies in so many ways as we thought at one point we weren't going to be able to have kids, let alone two, so we feel truly blessed to have these two little ones in our lives. We've homeschooled them each starting at 3 years old. Marcus did attend K-1 grades, but we decided to bring him back to homeschool and have been loving the time together to live, laugh and learn as a family ever since! 

TPM: When you're not prepping for the next JBF sale, what are you and your family up to? 
EG: I worked as a Physical Therapist before I started coordinating JBF Everett/Monroe. Helping others to recover from pain and injury is still very rewarding for me, so I continue to work part-time in addition to running JBF. Evenings and weekends are primarily spent homeschooling the kids so I'm sure you can imagine how busy it gets the 2-3 months before an event. However, when I'm not working or homeschooling the kids, I'm usually spending any spare time I have out exploring life with my family/friends.   

TPM: How did you first hear about JBF? Describe your journey to becoming an Owner. 
EG: I was initially introduced to JBF when my son was 1 years old. A friend in my baby group told me about this "REALLY BIG kids' sale" that I just couldn't miss! So I went with her and was instantly blown away by the concept of helping parents, the community and the environment all at once! I started out as a Shopper that first sale, but by the next sale I was signed up as a Shopper, Consignor & Team Member. From then on I stopped shopping retail and was hooked on JBF! I spent the next 5 years happily saving and selling off items from my 2 kids at several of the area JBF sales. I enjoyed helping out and connecting with some amazing moms in the process...some of which I still know and keep in touch with through JBF. So when the opportunity to take over the JBF Everett/Monroe territory from the previous owners came up, I jumped on it and have enjoyed helping other families and the community ever since! By the way, the friend who introduced me to JBF, has become one of my best Consignors. Isn't it crazy how things turn out?

TPM: How long have you been the Owner of JBF Everett/Monroe? How has the sale changed in the amount of time that you've been running it? 
EG: I've been the owner of the JBF Everett/Monroe territory for the last 2.5 years. We started off in Monroe with just 2 sales (Fall and Spring) for the first 2 years and now we've grown to hosting a third event in Everett this year (Summer). My goal for the territory is to be able to host events all 4 seasons so that Consignors can have more options to clear out the clutter in their homes and earn money as well as offer more frequent opportunities for Shoppers to come and get the things their children need at huge savings with us rather than having to pay more with retail.   

TPM: The Puget Sound area has quite a few JBF locations to shop at throughout the year. I love that as a Shopper I can expect the same care for quality of consigned items and a similar format at each event. But tell me, how does JBF Everett/Monroe differ from other local consignment semi-annual sales?
EG: Because Just Between Friends is a franchised system, you'll see a lot of similarities and benefits to working with JBF as a whole because you can tag your items for one event and then take them to ANY of our 9 events throughout the Puget Sound (and North America if you ever move). However, each Owner has their own strengths and focus for their event. For me, it's about having a welcoming, family-friendly event that is well-organized and accessible so that it benefits all of our Consignors, Shoppers, and Vendors. 

TPM: When I shopped at JBF for the first time I was really impressed with the wide range of what you can find. It's not just kids clothes! There's all kinds of gear (like bedding, bath, babywearing, car seats, strollers), toys (new and vintage) and local vendors set up too. How much does the average Shopper save when they shop at JBF? 
EG: Each Consignor prepares and prices their own items to sell at our Events. However, it's my job to educate our Consignors to help them know what to sell and how to price everything to provide a large variety of reasonably priced items for our Shoppers. Because of the awesome job our Consignors have been doing, the average savings has typically been up to 50-90% off of retail for our Shoppers!

TPM: For those interested in consigning, what kinds of items sell the best at your sales?
EG: Baby Gear/Equipment such as car seats, strollers, swings, activity tables, beds, etc. tend to sell the best and are in high demand as they can usually be very expensive items if purchased new. 

TPM: I shopped at JBF for a couple years before taking the plunge to consign. I was convinced that I should save each and every onesie, baby sock and bath toy for the upcoming "someday babies." After I consigned the first time, it's been addicting with how good the purge feels! What kind of advice would you give to the hesitant potential Consignor? What is the average payout per Consignor, and your best guess as to how much time it takes for a Consignor to prepare? 
EG: That's a great question and your experience is exactly the advice I would give to a hesitant Consignor - to shop and get to know how our event works first before taking the plunge to consign. In addition, sign up on our mailing list, follow us on Facebook on both our fan page and our new Consignor group page and also attend one of our Consignor 101 meet-up sessions so that you can see all the great tips we give to Consignors and also ask your own questions. The more knowledgeable you are, the less intimidating it will seem and therefore the better you'll do. In fact, a great example occurred this last Spring event with a Consignor who had been a Shopper the first 2 years at my event and then finally took the plunge and consigned. She is on the mailing list, follows us on Facebook and attended my Consignor 101 and it all paid off as her first Consignor check was over $550! This result was a little unique as our average Consignor check is $347 and 90% of her items were clothing which tend to be in abundance and therefore has to be competitively priced, but because she took her time getting to know the system and followed our suggestions she was able to have a great result. 

TPM: What are your best tips for a first time Shopper or Consignor? 
EG: The best tip I have for first time Shoppers is to make a list of what you absolutely need (including your children's shoe and clothing sizes) so you don't forget anything. In addition, bring a friend with you as shopping is so much better with a friend.

For the first time Consignor, I recommend coming to a Consignor 101 meet up session first to learn what you need to know about pricing, prepping and tagging your items. If you can't come to a Consignor 101 then join our Just Between Friends Everett/Monroe Consignors group on Facebook to ask questions and get great tips. 

TPM: As both a Consignor and Shopper, I've always been very impressed with how smoothly the event runs! There's A LOT of preparation that goes into running these sales! How DO you DO it?? 
EG: A lot of coffee and late nights! LOL! Truthfully, I have awesome Event Staff and the Team Members that give of their time to help me run things during the event. Without them it wouldn't be the fun and well-organized event it has become. 

TPM: I've noticed that the tags are sometimes marked as "Donate." Your website says that Consignors can select for their unsold items to be donated to local charities. Which ones do you work with? 
EG: We currently work with Arlington Kids' Kloset and The Treasure Chest as our charity partners. To date, we are proud that our Consignors have donated over 5,028 items valued at more than $21,372 to our charity partners.


TPM: When is the next JBF event? 
EG: Our next event will be a Summer Event held June 25-28 at the Everett Community College in the Student Fitness Center. I'm especially excited about this event as it will be our first ever Summer Event and also because it will be our first time hosting an event in Everett. Since taking over the Everett/Monroe territory it has been a frequent request to host an event in Everett. However, we first needed to start in Monroe before growing into an event in Everett. However, now that we've reached that milestone, I'm really excited to bring JBF to the other side of I-5. I look forward to everyone joining us!  Please stop me and say "Hi!"

TPM: Thank you so much for sharing a little bit about yourself and giving us some valuable insight into your JBF Sale! Anything else you'd like to tell the wonderful JBF Everett/Monroe and Pierogie Mama community? 
EG: I just want to say "Thank You!" to all you amazing mamas for all of the love and support I have received right from the very beginning! You have embraced me into your community and I feel very much that we have created our own fun JBF sub-community. It couldn't have grown this much without you all and your feedback. I look forward to continuing to grow JBF Everett/Monroe into the premiere children's and maternity consignment event.

This summer's Just Between Friends of Everett event can be found at the
Everett Community College at the Student Fitness Center. 

Thursday June 25, 2015

• 12:00p-7:00p PRIME TIME SHOPPING: Shop BEFORE Everyone else! Purchase tickets here
• 1:00-7:00 PreSale for First Time Parents/Grandparents, Expectant Moms, Foster/Military Parents & Teachers Get your free ticket here
• 2:00p-7:00p Public Shopping is open! $2 Admission or Get a Free Pass

Friday June 26

10:00-6:00p Free admission

Saturday June 27

• 9:00a-5:00p Free Admission
• 5:30p-7:00p HALF PRICE EARLY BIRD SHOPPING! Items without a star are 50% OFF Purchase Tickets Here

Sunday June 28

8:00a-1:00p Free Admission 50% off items without stars

Click to see the full sale schedule 

Eunice and the Just Between Friends of Everett team wants to spread the JBF love and along with the Pierogie Mama, we invite you to enter the giveaway below to get a chance to win early access passes and JBF Bucks!

Winner 1: Prime Time Shopping Pass (good for 6/25, 4p-7p) + $10 JBF Bucks

Winner 2: Prime Time Shopping Pass (good for 6/25, 4p-7p) + $10 JBF Bucks

Winner 3: PreSale Pass (good for 6/25, 5p-7p) + $5 JBF Bucks

Winner 4:  PreSale Pass (good for 6/25, 5p-7p)  + $5 JBF Bucks

Entry-Form

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Just Between Friends of Everett. 

All opinions are my own. Winners will be contacted via email. Your presale passes will not be mailed to you. They will be available at will call at the event. JBF Bucks are only valid for the JBF Everett Summer 2015 event. Please see giveaway details regarding winner policies.

Monroe Christian School's Touch a Truck Event!

Here's another local-to-me event that I'm super excited to share about! If you are in the Seattle / North Sound area, check this out.

Monroe Christian School is hosting their annual Touch A Truck event in Monroe, WA. You'll find a wide range of vehicles as well as other family fun. 

You'll find everything from Kenworth semi trucks, SWAT and K9 units, milk trucks, fire trucks, tractors, double decker busses, an ice cream truck, the pace car for Evergreen Speedway, excavating equipment, and the pretty awesome HAWK-YEA bus!

My husband doesn't often ask for shoutouts on the blog, but if you visit the green Kenworth Truck (pictured above), he'll be there to teach you all about Kenworth's state of the art natural gas technology! Feel free to be a little starstruck. ;)

This is also a new announcement.. BLITZ (as in, THE Blitz) from the Seattle Seahawks will be there too!

They'll have pony rides, Webbly, the Aquasox Mascot, balloon animals, caricatures, The Reptile Man, juggling acts. There will be a toddler activity area with bubbles, side walk chalk, coloring, story time, and music. Dante's Inferno will be serving  up 7 kinds of hot dogs and sausages, chips and drinks. Grab some ice cream from Moonie Icy Tunes Ice Cream truck and coffee from Sharinabeans Espresso.

May 30, 2015 10:00a - 3:00p
Horn free hour from 10:00 - 11:00

Monroe Christian School

1009 W Main St, Monroe, WA 98272

I've partnered with MCS Touch a Truck to giveaway 2 family passes for the 2015 event! Each pass is good for 8 people (under 2 years old is free). Check out the giveaway widget below to enter.

Buy a family pass and get $5 off the family pass
use promocode PIEROGIE. 

Connect with MCS Touch A Truck 

Entry-Form

Disclosure: Thank you MCS Touch a Truck for sending my family to Touch a Truck 2015! We had a blast last year and can't wait to see all the new fun in store. All opinions are my own. 

See giveaway details for full rules.