‘I’ve saved over $360 on big baby items with one simple tip’

I can safely say that since becoming a parent, I feel like I’m constantly spending money. 
From groceries to nappies and wipes to new clothes, because your kid is constantly growing, then throw in the fun stuff like toys – honestly, it’s a lot. 
During maternity leave, I realised money was going out a lot quicker than it was coming in and I needed to figure out a way to buy those extra things.
It all started with the urgent need for an activity centre. I turned to Facebook Marketplace – after a friend told me to look there – and so far I’ve saved over $360 on a couple of big items.
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And if you’re a parent who’s not doing this, you need to start looking.
My daughter was on the move enough to be constantly crawling around, getting into everything and pulling herself up, and I had so many people tell me to get an activity centre to pop her in. 
After a quick google I found one that I liked, but at around $270 brand new, I just couldn’t justify it. Especially when I knew it would be one of those things that was only really useful for a few weeks. 
There was a lady in my suburb selling the exact activity centre I had my eye on, and the best part? It was for a fraction of the price at just $60. 
I snapped it up and it was basically brand new. Turns out her kid never liked it so it was just packed in the box and taking up space in the garage. 
That was where my love affair with Marketplace began and honestly, it’s become one of my biggest parenting hacks. 
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The next great buy I got was a Little Tikes Princess Cozy Coup, which I snapped up for $60 – a big saving when they retail for around $140 brand new. 
The stickers are a bit faded but it was mostly used indoors. The best thing is it really doesn’t matter because she loves it. 
My latest purchase was a play kitchen, and the dream one retails at over $350 – that’s out of the question right now, so originally I just parked it for Christmas. 
That was until I spotted one on Marketplace for $30. It came with some pots and play food and I couldn’t have replied quicker to snap it up. 
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All up the kitchen and other bits would have been over $100 new, so it was a steal and my daughter hasn’t stopped playing with it since. 
I’m not the only one who’s snapped up great bargains, either.
One of my friends from my Mother’s Group scored an Uppa Baby Vista 2 pram – with everything – for just $500, which is a saving of at least $1200. 
That same friend has nabbed a practically brand new nappy bag at a fraction of the retail price. Another mum sold her Snoo on Marketplace, making up a bit of cash while on mat leave too.
Pick how far you’re willing to go for something and stick to it. A lot of people don’t want to post and the price you’ll pay for shipping a big item is ridiculous. 
Know what you want and start searching for it. Soon enough, it’ll be all through your algorithm. 
Search for specific key words to help filter your search 
Don’t just send the auto ‘Is this still available?’ message – send an actual message and you’re more likely to get a response.
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