Craigslist: My Favorite Frenemy

It's genius, a website for selling and buying used things, especially when it comes to baby supplies. But when there is one specific thing that you want, it can drive you mad. After playing with our neighbor's castle slide, I knew Topher needed one. Not only because it's fun for him, but also because it's a way to wear him out without having to exert any extra energy myself (this turns the slide from "fun" to "lifesaver".) But finding the one I wanted meant checking new Craigslist listings every 5 minutes or so, and then if by some miracle the castle slide did show up, I would email immediately only to be told that the owner had just sold it 5 minutes ago. This is when Craig got on MY list. Finally I turned the tables and listed an "item wanted" ad and got a few responses for similar slides. And then the magic email came. A woman had the slide I wanted, and she would sell it for $25. This is the exact same slide that we just saw in Walmart last week for over $70. So we bought it and picked it up last night and now Craig and I are best friends again.

I used to be appalled by large pieces of kiddie equipment in people's homes, by the way. I found it tacky to say the least. I have reformed. I understand that when something makes your child squeal and laugh and wears him out, you just don't care that there's an enormous molded castle slide smack dab in the middle of your living room. In fact, it made me wonder why I'm always trying to make my house look as though we don't have a toddler. We DO have a toddler, and he's awesome, so we're just going to go with it.

I also used Craigslist to feed Topher's newest addiction: Elmo's World. Instead of buying the DVD's at $13 a piece, I found a listing for FIVE Elmo DVD's for $12. Pure bliss.

My advice? Get on Craig's good side and he'll treat you right.

--KC