Advice for new parents... mostly us Mums that love to shop!

Today I purchased my fourth stroller/pram... four strollers you say? yes I know... it's been a learning curve since I was pregnant, so now as a sort of experienced stroller buyer I want to pass on what I've learned... 

The first stroller we bought was a huge Graco Travel Stroller with the infant car seat was about $250 which we used until my car was stolen (which at the time we needed to upgrade to a convertible car seat, so the timing was good, but wish I had the infant car seat to sell with the stroller now but that's another story) So I wanted a jogging stroller to use for walks and for runs, so bought an Instep for about $130 (but that too was in the car when it was stolen) so we then purchased a Jeep jogging stroller which is a beast! that cost $160 but used a 20% off coupon, so ended up paying $130. It's great for big days out as it has the storage to hold a cooler of food and water and things for the beach! Now that we are planning to go to Australia, I didn't want to have to carry the Jeep stroller (as it doesn't fold quite in half because of the wheels) I wanted something that would recline all the way, be able to use for walks, fold in half and be light... that is where the Baby Jogger City Mini Comes in... brand new this stroller costs $230 and I was able to get a second hand one for $150 on craiglist.com. 

Baby Jogger City Mini

So I wish I knew what I wanted to buy when I was pregnant, cause if I had've known more people with kids and asked the right questions or did more research, I think I would've ended up with the City Mini, it has all the features I need and will fit into a car, a truck or SUV. So I still have the Jeep and will probably keep it for those beach days or big days out and use the City Mini for those quick trips to the shops, traveling and everyday use. 

Now that I've gotten that off my chest... my next bit of advice is CRAIGSLIST! www.craigslist.com it's the best place to buy anything second hand. Whether you're on a budget or not, it's a great place to sell your stuff and to also buy any baby toys, clothes (I bought clothes for Connor the other day for 18 months, 2T, 3T, 4T and 5T for $50, I would say there was at least 20 pieces of clothing per year) not bad hey? Now I know that craigslist is huge in the states, but when I checked Brisbane, there wasn't much available... so where do Aussies advertise to buy/sell their stuff? (ok I know I am Australian, but I haven't lived there in about 8 years, so help me out!)