Fall has finally descending upon Virginia and it's time for us to get out our long pants and sweaters. Yep, you guessed it -- Comfort and Joy were wearing the same couple of outfits everyday few days because they'd outgrown all their warm weather clothes- that is until the package from Nana and Grandpa arrived. Thank You!

But that won't keep us going all season. And sadly they have now reached the size where I have a problem with buying much of the clothes that are available in the stores. You know this. You've been there.

So I procrastinated, bought a couple of long-sleeved shirts to add in the rotation, and just did another load of laundry. Until I remembered that there were other options.

Locally, we have several consignment stores for children's clothes. I'm sure there are some in your area. I also figured at this point in the season they'd probably be tapped out but I'll be making a run out there for sure. But that's quite a drive for me and I have to schedule it around carpool and my other work.

But last night I let my fingers do the walking - or the bidding, I should say - and I got a good headstart on their fall/ winter wardrobe by checking out eBay. Yep, I don't know why I always forget it exists until my brain is just tapped out but I do. It was the same way when I got the Dansko shoes, remember? So far I managed to get some very nice Hanna Andersson sweaters for the girls at an incredible price - and for those of you unfamiliar with Hanna Andersson products you should hop on over and take a look. You'll fall in love and let me just tell you that these things will never fall apart and the quality is amazing even though the prices are staggering.

I still have some other bids out there waiting and I'll be patient. I have a maximum bid in my head and I make sure to keep postage in mind because otherwise it might become a huge vortex of 'bad idea' - instead of a labor and time saving option.

Any other ideas you have that you'd like to pass along because I'm ready to call this a wonderfully Cool Idea!

For the last day of this part of the Christmas in July series in which we are looking at ways in which to make out-right cash in preparation for the holidays we'll be looking at traditional ways to bring in cash.

If you've been listening to the news or the radio at all you've probably heard or seen a piece on 'How to spiff up your Yard Sale'. Last week while I was traveling I saw the the Today show for the first time in F-o-r-e-v-e-r and they had competition between two families to decide the best way to handle a yard sale. I didn't find that piece in their archives but here is another with some great tips.

This can work well depending on the type of stuff you have to sell and the area in which you live. Remember though that there are other options. For children's clothes there are great resale stores in most areas. Books can also find homes in second-hand stores. But what about other, harder to place items? Or maybe you live in a more remote area or you have difficulty getting around?

Then let the internet work for you. EBay and Craigslist are modern-age forms of the yard sale except that they are not limited by time or geography. If you have never sold anything in these venues before you might want to just dip your toe in the water and try it once to learn the ins and outs of the process. Make sure that you take the necessary precautions in regards to communications, information transfers, and money exchange, etc.

And there you go. Today is now just over a little less than six months until Christmas so let's start pacing ourselves for the planning that this will entail. I truly think that if we are careful to plan ahead then the meaning of the holidays will continue to shine through for each of us - no matter what form th holiday takes for you.