Helpful Mom

It’s donation time for the Ronald McDonald Sale!

The Ronald McDonald House sale is coming, the Ronald McDonald House sale is coming!  This is my favorite garage sale of the year.  It’s unbelievably huge and the prices are fair.  I love that they actually test everything, all the games, toys, and puzzles have been tested and marked if any parts are missing.  I love that, I hate buying a toy getting it home to find out you put batteries in it and it doesn’t work.  This way that never happens, it’s awesome.  They run it out of the former Dick’s sporting goods store in Henrietta so you can kind of picture how huge it is, they fill the entire store packed to the gills!

What I like to do is donate to the sale in September so I get a special donor ticket which allows me into the donor sale which is before the public is allowed into the sale on Oct 14.  But be prepared for Black Friday type lines and crowds.  For the donor sale I usually show up an hour before the doors open and have to wait in a line that goes all the way to the back of the building and loops back to the front.  Inside isn’t much better once the doors open, security telling people not to run and crowds of people with their carts loaded up.  Then once you’re done you have to wait in a line that stretches to the back of the store.  It’s unbelievable!  But I love it, I go every year without fail.  I go for the donor sale and then again on Saturday afternoon for the bag sale where you can fill a large bag with anything for $5 a bag.  I did this when I was pregnant and had a whole wardrobe for $ for my first baby.

Because of the crowds I leave the kids at home with my husband or a babysitter.  And I bring my own cart with me because they don’t have any there for you.  A shopping cart, or a stroller is a must have because you can’t possibly carry that much stuff in your arms.  But despite the craziness this is also the most organized garage sale you’ve ever seen.  Everything is sorted into departments, like Toys, kids clothing, housewares, books, etc.  There are numerous checkout lanes and they do accept credit cards for purchases over $10.  They also have a number of people available to help you get big items out to your car too.

And it’s all in the name of charity, the Ronald McDonald House which helps families who have children in the hospital.  The sale starts Oct 14-16 at the former Dick’s Sporting goods store in Henrietta across from Walmart on Marketplace Dr.  When more details come out about donating I’ll be sure to let you know, but for now make sure to save the dates this is not to be missed.

WeePeats Children’s Consignment Event at the Dome Arena on Calkins Rd in Henrietta.  September 27 & 28 $3 admission, ages 18 & up.  They sell anything and everything for kids! Saturday from 9am-6pm and Sunday is 50% off sale from 10am-2pm.  Quality, like-new kids stuff at 70% off retail.  Toys, baby equipment, books, DVDs, clothes-newborn~junior sizes.  If you find their ad in the Shopping Bag and bring it with you you’ll receive  $1 off admission.

And the Ronald McDonald House Charities annual garage sale is in October.  This is the biggest sale in our area hands down!  I stumbled across it a number of years ago and now eagerly look forward to it each fall.  This year it will be in the former Dick’s Sporting goods store across from Walmart in Henrietta, and they will fill that whole place up completely!  I will donate stuff so I can get tickets to their Donors on sale on Wednesday night from 6-8pm, there will be people in a line wrapping the building, it looks like the morning after Thanksgiving! Then I go back Saturday morning for the 50% off sale to scope out what is left before going out to wait for the $5 bag sale that starts at 12:30pm.  I used to go with my family when I was pregnant and my mom and I would fill bags and my dad would take them to pay for them.  It was a crazy family event.  I pick up kids clothes and shoes and store them in boxes marked by sizes in our shed for the future.  Toys, of course, books, craft supplies, videos, if you want it they have it, and of course those things you didn’t know you were looking for ;P

When is this great sale you ask?  The donor sale is October 22 from 6-8pm, Thursday Oct 23 10am-8pm, Friday is 20% off from 10am-6pm, Saturday from 10am-12:30pm is 50% and they close and reopen for the $5 bag sale from 1-3pm.(the bags are BIG ones)  They do accept credit cards if the purchase is above $20.  If you are interested in donating check their website for dates and times.  In return you will receive 2 tickets to the donor sale.