For the love of garage sales **UPDATED**

I must start this post with a confession: I love garage sales. The thrill of the hunt, the bargains to be found, and quite frankly the money that is saved! Two dear, dear friends and I have made a annual trip to a nearby suburb to bring home vans-ful of treasures, most of which is like new. Most of what my kids wear is from these jaunts. To them "Woodbury" is some fine, far-off boutique that 75% of their clothes magically appears from each May. :) One year I figured out the savings of Old Navy ticket prices to what I bought each item for- like I said- practically brand new! It was HUNDREDS of dollars.

All that being said, I have posted a banner on the side over there to the right that describes a measure the federal government would like to take- in the interest of keeping our children safe- to stop the resale of children's toys and clothing. I understand that the lead in toys can be very dangerous to kids and don't want to belittle what families have gone through who have faced tragedy as a result of lead.

I DO, however, see buying used clothing as a very cost effective and earth-friendly way of caring for my family! This is generations old! Who hasn't worn hand-me-downs? We are a one income family, and I, for one, can attest that going out to buy brand new clothing would rock us financially.

Read this link (More detailed and garage sale-specific) or click on the banner for an overview and let me know what you think. :)

**UPDATE**
A friend e-mailed me this after a little reseach online. She didn't tell me where she found it, but I'm posting it because it gives me hope. :)

I'm bored at work, so I went to the actual government website (http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html) and started combing through it to see if I could find anything about this. From what I found, it looks as though the rule only applies to toys *manufactured* after Feb 10, so I don't see how this would affect yard sales or consignment sales at all since if you're selling something after the date this goes into effect, then it will already be labelled. And I didn't see anything about clothing (except a few things that could contain lead, like jewelry) included in this at all. This is from the FAQ:If you have a “children’s product” with possible lead content, do you have to have a certificate on November 12, 2008, even though the lead rule is not effective?No. The lead content limits for children’s products do not go into effect until February 10, 2009. As stated above, children’s products manufactured after February 10, 2009 (600 ppm), will need a general conformity certification based on a test of the product or a reasonable testing program for products and children’s products manufactured after August 14, 2009 (300 ppm), will have to be certified based on third-party testing of the product by accredited third party laboratories.Q: Will infants’ crib bedding, blankets, bath textiles, and apparel fall under the heading of “durable product”?A: No. Congress did not define the term “durable,” but it is commonly understood to mean able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration. Cloth/textile items are generally not considered to be durable goods. None of the items Congress specified in section 104 as examples of durable products are items made entirely of cloth, rather they are primarily made from rigid materials (e.g., cribs, toddler beds, high chairs, strollers, bath seats).