How Much Uff Is En-uff?

I know what you're thinking, "What the heck is she talking about NOW?!"

Uff.

Uff is the newest second-hand clothing (only) shop in downtown Jyv�skyl�!!

And when you shop - you're helping others in need.  Read more about it here.

Located beside the Post Office downtown.

With the exception of already priced items or smaller items like scarves and belts - here's the price list for every day of the week.
Monday - 7�
Tuesday-Wednesday - 6�
Thursday-Friday - 5�
Saturday - Monday - 4�

This is for the first opening 2 weeks and then they are individually priced items!

They are closed on Sundays after the first two weeks (they opened officially on September 17th).

Uff also re-stocks EVERYDAY with second-hand items for you to buy!

Parking is limited because you have to share with post office customers...but it's near the main bus stop downtown!

I brought a double stroller inside (one child in front of the other) and it was okay for maneuvering but I ended up leaving my sleeping child and the stroller near the front of the shop where there was a bit of space.  A double stroller side by side may not be so easy to push around indoors.

There's lots of women's clothing, some children and men's too.  

Today there happened to be a 5 for 20� sale - so I scooped up 3 coats, a couple of shirts and 4 scarves for 34� and some change.

I will try and brave the crowds this Saturday I think!! :)

And in Finnish, it's pronounced more like "oof" than an English "uh-ff".

BIG NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I took my kids to Silinteri for a nap.  As in, by the time I get there and they're in the stroller - they're asleep.  I park them off to the side and quickly zip up and down the aisles before one of them makes a peep.

I found a few DVDs and some comfy clothes (ok - they were sweat pants...and some "exercise" tank tops for when I take the dogs out!) and a nice dress shirt....summer-y clothing.

Anyway, I get to the cash and the guy I see regularly (I'm pretty sure he's an owner) - says, "Did you hear the big news?"
"No..." - me - thinking I won something....
"We're closing....we have to be out of here by the end of July.  We're also opening up a shop in Tampere but we're still on the hunt for a location here.  So we'll probably close a bit before the end of July so we can have enough time to clean this place out..."

You know when Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker that he IS the father and Luke starts to have a stunned face and begins yelling, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"   ?

Well, that was me - the stunned face bit and in my head all I could scream was "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Thankfully, there was a line forming behind me and I just said calmly as possible:  "That's awful!  Why are you guys moving?"

"Because they (the city I assume?) wants to build more crappy apartment buildings here, " as he inserts my bank card into the machine.

"Well, that sucks!!" - me (crying a little inside)

So you may want to spread the word if you live in Kortepohja, JKL area....

#26 Reminder!

Hey folks!
Just a reminder that I'm renting Table #26 at Silinteri in Jyv�skyl� (Kortepohja area) and have just dropped prices on a lot of great things for babies!
I have TONNES of cloth diapers (most are stain-free!), diaper covers (all Imse Vimse brand) and some maternity clothing and some small baby clothes too (62-68cm).
Thanks!

The 1 Non-Trustworthy Finn...

I have lots of experience shopping second hand and lots of positive experiences making purchases from Finns - either in person or online...or at the second hand store Silinteri.

The kids were dead asleep this afternoon and with it raining out and looking quite gloomy, I took advantage of being indoors (but not at home so I couldn't "see the mess") and went into Silinteri to walk around.

One of the first great things I find is a cute pink Samsung S1070 digital camera for 15�.
I'm always hesitant on buying "major electronics" (DVDs are one thing - a camera is another!) - and I noticed the lady was setting up her table.
I asked her if she spoke English and she said no.
I said "Oh..." and was going to leave the camera on the table but then I remembered my current digital camera is literally falling apart (screws and all) but still works pretty well.
Then I got brave and pointed at the camera and asked her slowly, "Does this camera work?"
She looked at me.
"Is it okay?" I ask and give her a thumbs up or down sign.
She smiles and responds "Oh! Yes it works!!!"
Fabulous!  It takes 2 AA batteries and my memory card fits in it just fine (SD one) and I am literally tickled pink by this new digital camera.  The screen didn't have any scratches and the camera was in pretty good shape.

I walked around some more, found a toy phone for V�in� (those Fisher Price heavy duty ones are pretty tough!), a couple DVDs and a novel (okay - I admit it...it was "Eclipse" by Stephanie Meyer).

After a quick trip to the grocery store for some things, I head home and quietly try some charged batteries into the camera.

IT DOESN'T WORK.


Why the heck would anybody sell a BROKEN digital camera for 15�?!
Further more, why would she point-blank LIE to me about it working?!
It's almost Christmas - it could have been a gift for someone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you imagine how embarrassing that would be, giving someone a broken camera for a gift?!  Perhaps that someone who doesn't have funds to buy their own digital camera or has never had one before?!  Thank goodness I checked it! (And no it wasn't a gift for anyone else thank goodness....it was just to replace my Pentax for major trips we have coming up next year).

SHAME ON YOU LADY!


**PS It's table 53 - and my friend told me I can file a complaint with the Silinteri staff...I plan on it tomorrow.**

Table 29 has been UPDATED!!!!!!!!!

Table 29 at Silinteri (Kortepohja area of Jyv�skyl�, Finland) has been updated with LOTS OF GOODIES!
I'm currently sharing the table for another week (we have yet to discuss how long we'll keep the table) with a great friend of mine...and guess what she put for sale?

• DVDs (I'm sure most have Finnish subtitles too!)


• Books (Many are in Finnish!)


• Clothing


• Some dishes


• Cross-stitching AND KNITTING magazines (English) - all great condition! (Original costs are at least 9-10� a piece!)


• RUBBER STAMPS (at only 4� a piece - they are a STEAL of a deal!)

And there is much more to come as she's really cleaning out her stash of things...not sure what's left because she un-packed things with the store closing shop in 30 minutes and I'm sure a good chunk was sold already!!!

I'll be adding some more things as I find them and reducing prices too!  I'll keep you all updated!!

Table 151

Hey Folks:

Just a head's up - as of July 18-30th, 2011 - my friend and I are renting a table at Silinteri Second hand store (across from S-Market in Kortepohja - Jyv�skyl�) to sell our stuff!

Lots of clothes, craft supplies, yarn and toys need to be SOLD!!!
Look for Table 151 (near the far end of the shop).

Have a great day!

Extra Alphabet and an awesome deal

Today I woke up with a "feeling"....
One of those feelings where I didn't want to go downtown but I had the urge to shop.  And I felt like the second-hand shop nearby, Sillinteri, was calling my name...
I rarely ignore those feelings or sudden urges to cruise through a second hand store - because more often than not - I find something at a wonderful price and something useful for my son or the home...

Today was no exception.

I wasn't feeling all that great today (possibly coming down with a cold?) and started my morning with a trip to the playground with my (almost) 20-month old...he was bored and only wanted to keep eating crackers - so my "Shopping Senses" got tingly and I walked over to Sillinteri...
I didn't get a basket right away - thinking I wouldn't find anything bigger than a novel or a cloth diaper...
Well, wasn't I wrong!

I found 9 Chick-Lit novels (Queen of Babble series by Meg Cabot, The Nanny Diaries and some others) in English and all super cheap.....I grabbed a basket as the hood of my son's stroller wouldn't hold or support all of them.
Then I saw a laptop for 2�!  Not any kind of laptop but a children's laptop!  I confirmed with one of the workers that the label said it worked (although the power key is stuck - it thankfully auto-shuts off)...
And look at the inside of this thing:

Fisher Price's Laugh & Learn Preschool laptop

Note the funny alphabet?  � is a Swedish "A" and � and � are Finnish letters

I continued on and found some cloth diapers - which I'm constantly collecting if I can find them at cheap prices!  This way I'm prepared for whenever we have another kid (no rush! I just love a sale!) - and often times, I find bigger cloth diapers and can slip them onto V�in� now - so we save on disposables too!

Well, I was about to leave when I decided I'd do another quick run through and hit up some aisles I had previously missed...

WOW! Good thing I did!
For 20�  I found a baby back-pack carrier...no not a Manducca (I have a Patapum - which is quite similar) - but a "Deuter Kids Comfort III "!
What does that mean? I had no idea either...I just saw it's sturdy frame, it's hiking-like style, the big zippered enclosures for diapers etc. and the real eye catcher?  The sun/rain roof!

It still has the original foam and plastic protection on it!

Now, my husband wasn't terribly pleased when he saw I came home with "more stuff we probably don't need" - but once I did some research online and saw how much money we saved - even he couldn't disagree with this AMAZING find!

Okay - let's do some math and I shall explain what I learned about the "Deuter" brand.

The Deuter brand is a Germany-based company - mostly hiking and camping equipment stuff....kind of like MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-Op in Canada) I guess!

And then I started looking up this specific model of back-pack carrier....

• It was rated one of the Top 10 carriers in 2011 in a Youtube video....
• It's normally sold for 200-240�...(on MEC's site - I saw it for 315$ Canadian + taxes)....I PAID 20� FOR THIS!!!  And it's practically brand-new!
• It has large compartments to carry diapers and a hydro pack if you have one...
• There is a little zippered pouch near the hip band which contains a little mirror that sticks inside with velcro!  This way you can keep an eye on your little one and see how they are doing!
• Sun/rain roof can be zippered away or opened
• High back for the child - so their head and neck don't snap back like many other carriers do...
• Lots of room for a child to grow and move around in - without being in control of the walk! (aka if V�in� wiggles a bit - I often don't feel it because this carrier is so sturdy and has great padding).
• A kick-stand so you can fit your child in there without it toppling over
• Easy to adjust!
• The chin rest/pad is removable and you can wash it by hand!!  My son loved this feature and looked so comfy resting the side of his face on it while dozing during our trip to the grocery store.
• Here's the site with more specific information

Look at the TERRIBLE neck support from the Patapum! (This was taken when he was  17-months old)  Thankfully he didn't seem to mind this pose...but it was really scary to see him hang his head backwards like this!

I started slowly by taking my son to the nearby library, about 10 minutes away from our door and other than the fact that I did not properly adjust it - it was still quite comfortable!  I didn't have pains in any one particular spot of my body - which was a real joy!

So we returned some things at the library and I rushed home to adjust it as well as I could - and off we went to the grocery store (which is about 15 minutes away - walking at a lazy pace pushing a stroller)....With the exception of the hot temperatures (not the carrier's fault!) - it was a pleasure to carry and use!

I only brought 1 plastic bag with me because I didn't want to put eggs in the carrier's zippered pouch and a baguette wouldn't fit either...but for the most part - a lot of things did fit and yes it does add weight - but it's worth it for the convenience of not having to carry extra bags!

We met with my husband on the way back and he was really impressed with how comfortable and well-supported V�in� looked in it!

When we got home this is what happened:

He didn't want to get out of it!