A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Anyone have any ideas??????

I think I've pretty much looked everywhere I can think of, but maybe you all have an idea that I haven't thought of. Maddie has started copying things she sees, so I think a play kitchen would be a great thing to give her for Christmas. Problem is, we don't have the money to pay for what the stores want for them. I've been stalking Craigslist for every city remotely close to us or my parents, but haven't seen any that are in good enough shape to put even the $40 or $50 that they are asking or when I email the people, they aren't willing to come down even $10 from what they are asking or they have the sale pending (which they are SUPPOSED to put in the title if it is pending but most people don't). Anyways, I've also looked on Ebay for these near us or my parents so that I don't have to pay a huge price for shipping. ...still no luck. I totally missed the yard sale season and a friend of mine said she saw alot of them for sale. Does anyone else have any ideas as to where I might want to look?

These are what I'm looking for....I like the Step2 brand the best...they are made well.
Step2 kitchen

That is very cute. I haven't seen that one before.

around christmas there should be lots of kitchens around. when my youngest was small we bought her a press-board kitchen---smaller than the one you have pictured, but she was still happy--then a few years later we got her better ones.--if santa also buys dishes she will still be very happy.

I would watch the stores, you might find somethng nice that would do for a few years.

AND keep watching e-bay---sometimes the shipping is free or very reasonable.

Oh yeah. No ideas, no help. It sounds like you have done what Iwould have tried back in the day. I am sorry.

I forgot to mention--

The year we bought her the plastic (was it fisher price??) kitchen set---we bought her the stove and the grandmas's went together and bought her the refrigerator.

That is another idea--call in the "cavalry". (grandmas are a great help.)

There is one on ebay in Harrisburg...pick-up only....Current bid is $51, it is missing most of the pieces that a new one would have...I'm not sure if Ilike that. The stove makes noise, but only with the pan, pot, and tea kettle that comes with it and the lady only has the pan. I'm waiting to see what STephen thinks of this. I don't have my hopes up.

if most of the pieces are missing I hope he says don't do it. For 40.00 more dollars you can get a new one with all the pieces.

How about the Good Will Store?

I've looked at the Good Will....they didn't have any. And I agree...most of the pieces are missing....I thought the same that you did.

I am seeing alot of this kitchen... Other kitchen It is the one that I would really really like to have, but you see that price....ouch!

that is a lot of money but I've got to say that we bought one for our house and for Darbi's house and Darbi is 9 and they still play with them. If you can scrape up the money it's worth it.

It would be really cool if 'daddy could built her one from ply wood that way ,,take about custom made, ,, Mommy could paint the burners on the stove,, little hinged doors for cabinets,,,, design it the way you want to,, and it could be a keep sakes Maddie's Kitchen,,!!!

Jen,
I will tell you what we did when I was first divorced and got no child support- my daughter was 8 and wanted a doll house really bad... I was broke... really broke.... we made her one out of some boxes and contac paper-- wallpaper we got free and odds and ends to make the furniture for it- I did buy the set of dolls for it at a yard sale.. you could do the same for a kitchen set.... bet there is even directions if you google it .... she will love it either way- and you could buy some small pans at a Goodwill tiny frying pan- omelet pan size , wouldn't make noise but pretending is good too.
Nana

jenn, have you heard of freecycle? there are groups all over the U.S. it is an internet based group whoes main theme is to keep things out of landfills. look up your county and put the word freecycle behind it. I have gotten some great things from this site as well as getting rid of some very good things that I just don't use anymore. the general rule is: you sign up to be a member and you have to 'offer' something before you 'request' something. but, we all have things laying around that can be offered up.
It might be worth a try.

Black Friday is coming Jenn, I know you like to go---maybe you'll find one somewhere on sale? I keep reading that there will be BIG sales going into December as stores worry about making a profit.

How about this one from target?

Also there is a $5 off coupon for Target out right now....on online purchases of $50 or more.....

that one looks good Loz.

how long is the coupon good?

Offer for Target

$5 off $50 purchase

Special offer details and restrictions: And does not apply to partner businesses, custom clothing, personalized gifts, Apple iPods, Bose electronics or Amazon.com product purchases. Discount not available when using 1-Click® ordering online.

The expiration of this offer is unknown.

(another site I went to has it for expiring on Dec. 30th)

You have to google Target coupon codes though, I can't put the code because they all want credit for you using the link on their site...so there isn't an actual code to give....you just have to link to Target thru one of the coupon sites. Most work this way.

Cricket, I tried to sign up for the freecycle in our area. They never got back to me, so here I am waiting....STILL.

Loz, I like that kitchen.....it is only available online and the shipping is $30!! ACK! I hate Target when it comes to that...they have soo much online and practically nothing in their stores and they don't even allow you to order at a store and have it shipped to the store!

TRU had a kitchen on sale for $89, but it was really cheap looking....flimsy.

Oh....Daddy doesn't have time to build one...and I like the plastic ones because I would like to have it outside when we build Maddie a play house outside...that is a couple years down the road tho.

The goal is to have her kitchen in my kitchen so she can play while I cook. I'm sure Luke will play with the kitchen also, so it would definitely get used and it would be worth the money.....we just don't have that money right now.

I am on a freecycle thing here,just founded home's for
four of my puppy's and now finding home's
for my daughter's puppy's going great too and you can get alot of free stuff
that is good on there,ss u have not heard from them

the brand little tykes is VERY good. (very expensive though) the little tykes stuff will last forever even if it is kept outside.

yep that is what I have--I double checked it today. I thought it was another brand=--but I was mistaken--

Like I said, santa bought 1 piece and grandma's went in together and bought the other piece........I still have them---I think they will always stay at grandma's --if I am ever a grandma that is.....

I hate when the shipping is as much as the item.

UGH!! And lemme tell ya, most people on Ebay will rape you with the shipping too!

Joclyn, I think I am going to try again. I really have run out of options at this point. I am officially frustrated. I have been "haunting" Craigslist and Ebay both.

I must not know how to use freecycle. I went there and everything I clicked on just took me to advertisment from places.

You have to sign up for it and the moderator of the particular area for the one you are trying to use has to approve you before you can use it. That is why I can't use it yet...because the moderator never approved me.

I just saw a banner ad here on the forum saying that Toys R Us has free shipping on orders more than $50.....and of course the kitchen I want is out of stock. The other one for the same price is made by Little Tikes and it hasn't gotten good reviews at all. Grrrrr. I was willing to pay the full price for the free shipping even. <sigh>

have you actually been to the stores and looked at them in person? Do you have a Target or WalMart?

Target has absolutely nothing large in any of their toy areas....doesn't matter which store you go to. Same with Wal-mart....I don't even know if they carry the kitchen on their website...will look. Our Toys R Us is super small. They have some kitchens, but none of the ones I am interested in...only the really small, cheaply made ones. We are going to my parents house next week and while I'm there I will stop in to the big TRU there to see if they have it.

A friend of mine has a kitchen made by Step 2....very well made and Maddie loved it. If I pay full price for a new one, then I will get the small one that costs $99. If i can find one on Ebay good enough to get, then I'll try to get the one that costs $159 new or the next size up...can't remember the price on that larger one. I'm being super picky because this kitchen will most likely last for a good 6 years...maybe longer.

I don't blame you, Jenn. we had a cheap kitchen for first--it truely was a waste of time and money. It fell apart in no time, and she loved the kitchen so much, we bought the better one later.

As I have said--when Emily (my youngest) outgrew the kitchen, we packed up both pieces and they are in my basement as we speak, awaiting some new short people to come and want to use them.

BTW: Emily is 22.

Well I just looked at Walmart's website.....why I didn't think to look there is really beyond me! They have the $99 kitchen on their site for $79..yay! AND they do website to store shipping for it for FREE! The next size up kitchen (the one that I really REALLY want) is $137 and change....divide that by the 6 or 7 years that it would be played with and it all of a sudden isn't all that much. The deluxe kitchen (the really nice one that would be great to have...in other words if I came down on Christmas day and it was in the living room I would pee myself) is $277...I think it is like $299 everywhere else but I can't remember. ...still too much to put out...but the $137 we might be able to do especially since we won't have to pay for shipping and I do not think that we will be buying anything else for Christmas anyways. We have some toys that Maddie has never played with that were given to us that I am going to wrap up...who cares if they are second hand...and she won a ton of books at the church's harvest fest (she never even knew it....she won all these tickets and that is what I spent the tickets on). I'll get some fun little things for her stocking and be done if we get the kitchen. I'll have other family members buy her some pretend food to cook and stuff.

Congratulations, Jenn. I am so happy for you !!! and when kids are small like that--her kitchen is plenty--esp if she is given play food and some dishes by other family members. and the other things will just be icing on the cake, so to speak.


Again, Congratulations !!!

There will be pictures, after Christmas right???

Awesome Jenn! I am so happy that you found it so conveniently! That all sounds like a plan. She will not know or care that some toys are second-hand. Or that she won the books. She will be overwhelmed with all of her gifts.
And yes, Share a pic or two please.

There are always pictures....I am a Momarazzi! Stephen hasn't said if we can get the $137 kitchen or not. We are buying Luke his new car seat the first week of December and it will cost....get this...$139. GRRR. I do have a 15% off coupon for the store we are buying it from that is good for that week, but it is still going to put a bit of a dent into December's budget. We are still trying to get back "on our feet" from not having an income for like 18 months. We will get there eventually. Once Christmas is over, those extra little expenses will disappear. I've been saving lots of money by couponing wisely....what doesn't get spent from the grocery envelope each week is being set aside for a Disney vacation in 4 or 5 years (shhh...don't tell Stephen! He'll want to spend that money somewhere else!!! )

Jenn--Oh Jenn--I have some good information for you!!!

I just saw on TV---

Dec 1---at any rate the monday after Thanksgiving--is now called Cyber Monday.

perhaps there will be deals then----AND the news article said one can ask for a digital coupon to use on items as well.

I thought it would not hurt to try for a coupon right???

Good luck.

My mother did this. Every penny saved on coupons went into a vacation fund. And back it those days it was pennies saved. And found money went in too, like a dime in the parking lot, etc. She kept very accurate accounts of everything. It was quite fun to read through some of the old accounts after she passed away.I have a record of the doctor's payment from my birth. Yay! I'm paid for!

So what if you were not paid for, Tina, then what--Does the Dr. own you????



I have a note book from my grandmother---(Mom's mom) she wrote down when the kids married, had kids, my uncle passed away--all major things that occured in her life.

I guess there was a lot of record keeping like that "back in the day"

Yup! Cyber Monday is a great day....you find better deals than Black Friday even! Last year was a very good cyber Monday. I've been looking at ads and such for it. :) As far as asking for coupons...do I email the store's customer service and ask if they have any online coupons to be used for that day?? I haven't heard of that.

Cyber Monday just doesn't have the same satisfaction for me. I like to brave the maddening crowds. Plus I have no money left by Monday.

Tina, I'm glad you're paid for. :wink:

I save my change all year...first half for the outlets, second half for Black friday, it really adds up to a lot!!!!!

I am pretty fortunate to understand the value of money.I look around for change on the ground.I save extra change so I can convert it into dollars and then deposit the money in the bank. Then I can use the money to pay for gardening expenses(seeds,tools,fencing,etc.)My siblings are spoiled and greedy.They steal money from me, my parents, even from each other. Then they blow the money on candy from the gas station nearby and that candy is pretty expensive.I'd rather buy candy from the dollar store where they sell candy for 3 or 4 for a dollar.The gas station sells candy for 99 cents each.What a rip-off.

when my kids were that age I used to save old egg cartons, cereal boxes, cracker boxes, ext. they loved to use that stuff in their play kitchens.

good deal you found something affordable!