We have this sale in my city that is kind of the mother of all consignment sales. It’s held in this huge convention center and pretty much swallows the thing whole twice a year.

It’s called the CCC Sale (It stand for Children’s Clothing Consignment but it is now sooooooo much more than just kids’ clothes), and I  went once about 8 1/2 years ago before Ezra was born and found all kinds of great, gently used, well-priced baby items that a first time mom needs.

The thing is, it’s so massive that it’s a wee bit intimidating. There are amazing deals to be had, but being an ardent Goodwiller, I have always preferred to spread out my deal-digging rather than cramming it into one intense marathon of jostling bodies and long lines.

HOWEVER.

When Tess, the sale’s creator, offered to give me preview passes this year (which basically gave me semi-first dibs, along with a decent-sized group of other women the night before the sale officially started), I jumped at the chance. I didn’t have anything specific in mind, other than summer shoes for my kids, but I knew, through the grapevine, that the sale had grown to include everything from grown-up clothes to home decor and everything in between, and I was intrigued.

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(Top: Old Navy/CCC Sale, $1.50, Belt: CCC Sale, $0 (Came with a dress), Skirt: GAP, nabbed by Mandy from a clothes-swap for me, $0, Shoes: Payless, $9…TOTAL: $10.50…and this was my EASTER outfit!)

So, several weeks ago, after I taught my usual Wednesday double at the gym, Mandy and I joined my friend, Liz, (Tess gave me four passes total) at the sale and shopped happily until almost midnight (I was less happy when I woke up the next morning at  4:30 AM to sub a 5:45 BODYCOMBAT class after the twins and Della decided to wake up crying in the middle of the night. Argh! Teaching a high energy cardio class on 3 1/2 hours of split up sleep is…interesting).

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(Top: A boutique brand I can’t remember/CCC Sale $3, Jeans: Chip and Pepper/CCC Sale, $8, Shoes: MIA/Clothes-swap, $0…TOTAL: $11)

I managed to come away with a decent haul of kid shoes, a few cute home decor accents, and a few items for me, but then I ended up with a little free time on Saturday after our family Carry a Jerry run, which is their 1/2 off tag sale day, so I went back for another round, and that day, I really scored!

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(Top: Old Navy/CCC Sale, $3, Shorts: GAP/Goodwill, $3, Shoes: LOFT/Goodwill, $3…TOTAL: $9)

I found cute floral dresses for $2.50 and Anthropologie jeans for $4 , which beats the, ahem, pants off Goodwill prices, not to mention the fact that the selection was generally better (and definitely cleaner) than Goodwill. Yes, there were lots of overpriced items, but there were also really fantastic deals to be had with a little determined digging. IMG_0788 IMG_0797

(Dress: CCC Sale, $2.50, Skirt: Goodwill, $3, Boots: Seychelle’s/Amazon, $15…TOTAL: $20.50)

Funny story about this outfit: Shaun saw me walking around fully dressed for church, and then ten minutes later, I was wearing a completely different outfit—a tank top and pink lace skirt, and he quirked an eyebrow at me and said, “Why did you change? I liked that dress.”

To which I replied, “I didn’t change. I just put the dress in the dryer to get some wrinkles out. This is what I was wearing underneath.”

And that, my friends, is how you wear a cute dress that is both too short and too low-cut—with another entire outfit under it!

When all was said and done, I was pretty thrilled with my CCC Sale buys and will be doing my best to score more free preview passes again next year. If you’re in the East Texas area, you should definitely check it out!

Have you ever worn two outfits at once just because you loved a dress so much that you were determined to overcome its fit problems?

Any big consignment sales in your area? Scored any great deals? I know we’re not the only place with these kinds of massive sale collaborations. There are several in Dallas that would probably blow us away!

0 Comments

  1. Hi,
    I must study from you! You might be amazing! My business is at this time throughout Korea using my better half and so about to people varieties of things doesn’t happen a lot. My business is learning to get a ton and also snatch it up though. Thank you to your posts. They are and so pushing.

  2. I have the same top that you scored (the one with the lace of which you forgot the brand) and I got it on sale at Anthro for 20$. You definitely scored the better deal 😉

    Best Sarah

  3. I need to learn from you! You are amazing! I am currently in Korea with my husband so going to those types of things doesn’t happen much. I am learning to find a good deal and snatch it up though. Thanks for your posts. They are so encouraging! 😉

  4. I’m in the Dallas area and I love the Just Between Friends sales! I haven’t really found any great deals on anything other than childrens/maternity but I’m always really happy with what I leave with!

  5. I love scoring those really good deals, too, but I never look as fashionable as you! Yesterday, I went to a Goodwill to help a friend find overalls and ended up not only finding overalls, but getting two Vera Bradley bags (excellent condition) for 3.99 each. 🙂

I love hearing from you guys!