How do you feel about garage sales?

How to score big at garage sales?



You'll need to develop a strategy — and learn how to haggle
How do you feel about garage sales? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Fall somewhere in the middle?

People tend to have strong visceral reactions to the idea of pawing through strangers’ used stuff in search of bargains. Even if yard sales aren’t your cup of tea, though, this column could help you view them in a new light.

With a little bit of advance planning, you can greatly improve the experiences you have at these events and save serious cash on all sorts of purchases, both big and small. So whether you’re a devotee of garage sales or the kind of person who simply gets dragged along to them, the following tips can help you bring home the gold.

1. Map out your route. Check your newspaper’s classified section and look for geographical concentrations of potentially good yard sales. You also can do the same thing online at Craigslist. Decide where you want to go before you leave home so you don’t get lost or waste time and gasoline.

2. Know the drill. Neighborhood- or street-wide sales and sales at churches, schools and non-profit organizations tend to offer the biggest and best variety. Sales in affluent neighborhoods typically have higher-quality items, although they may be overpriced. It usually isn’t practical to shop for baby clothes in a retirement community or antiques in a neighborhood with jungle gyms in every backyard.

3. Strategize about when and how to shop. If you go early in the day, you’ll get the best selection; if you go late in the day, you’ll get the best prices. Always try to get the seller to name a price first before blurting out what you’d be willing to spend.

4. Remember, you’re after bargains. Be aware of how much it would cost to buy a certain item new, and then try to pay 10 percent or less for it. Pay up to 25 percent for something you really want – (and maybe even a little more than that if it’s something you really, really want). Be sure to bring along plenty of small bills and change.

5. Haggling can be good for you. It might not be nice to haggle over some purchases – say, items in the $1-and-under bin – but don’t be afraid to haggle over items you care about. Consider leaving your phone number with the seller if you can’t agree on a price. You just might get a call if the item doesn’t sell.

6. Take all sorts of items on a test drive. Thoroughly examine the condition of any item before you buy it. Open all the drawers, plug in appliances, check clothing and books for mildew and hold vinyl record albums flat to see whether they’re badly warped. Look inside boxes to make sure they actually contain what you think they contain.

7. Expect great deals on clothes. You can find plenty of inexpensive clothes at yard sales because they’re generally poor sellers. When buying used clothing for kids, don’t put complete confidence in the size on the label. The garment has likely been washed many times, so it may have shrunk.

8. Know when to say no. The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that you do not purchase certain items at yard sales, including: soft bedding for babies, car seats, cribs, accordion-style baby gates, zippered bean-bag chairs and hair dryers with plain plugs. If you have a question about a specific item, call the commission’s hotline at (800) 638-2772 or visit this site to see whether it has been recalled for safety reasons.

9. Care for potential purchases. Pick up any items you may want and carry them around with you until you make a final decision. If you don’t, chances are someone else will snatch them up. If you’re shopping with small children, hold on to their purchases too. Drive around with a bag or bags and some extra newspapers so you can wrap up breakables and prevent purchases from rolling around inside your vehicle.

10. See the big picture. Examine yard-sale items not only for their primary uses but for their potential uses as well. Imagine how an item could look in the future with a little TLC. But if you know you’ll never actually restore an item that needs some help, don’t buy it and add to the clutter in your own home.

high levels of chemicals in infants using baby cosmetics

Study finds high levels of chemicals in infants using baby cosmetics

Babies exposed to lotion, shampoo and powder had more than four times the level of phthalates in their urine as those whose parents had not used the products. Previous research found that the substances altered the children’s hormones.

Infants and toddlers exposed to baby lotions, shampoos and powders carry high concentrations of hormone-altering chemicals in their bodies that might have reproductive effects, according to a new scientific study of babies born in Los Angeles and two other U.S. cities.

The research, to be published today in the medical journal Pediatrics, found that as the use of baby care products rose, so did the concentration of phthalates, which are used in many fragrances.

The lead scientist in the study, Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana of the University of Washington's Department of Pediatrics, said the findings suggested that many baby care products contain a variety of phthalates that enter children's bodies through their skin.

Manufacturers do not list phthalates as ingredients on labels, so it is unknown which products contain them.

The researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Rochester stressed that the potential effects on babies were uncertain.

But previous animal and human research suggests that early exposure to some phthalates could reduce testosterone and alter reproductive organs, particularly in males.

The three phthalate compounds found in the highest concentrations in babies in the study were linked to reduced testosterone in a 2006 study of newborns in Denmark.

Some scientists theorize such changes in hormones could lead to fertility problems and male reproductive disorders.

Representatives of the fragrance and cosmetics industries said they were surprised by the findings and questioned their validity. They said only one phthalate compound is used in baby products, and it is found in such low levels that they doubt it could explain high concentrations found in the babies.

In the study, doctors tested the urine of 163 children between the ages of 2 months and 28 months born in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Columbia, Mo., between 2000 and 2005. All had detectable amounts of at least one type of phthalate, and more than 80% had seven or more types.

"Phthalate exposure is widespread and variable in infants. We found that mothers' reported use of infant lotion, infant powder and shampoo was significantly associated with . . . urinary concentrations," the scientists wrote in the new study.

In the study, babies exposed to baby lotion, shampoo and powder had more than four times the level of phthalates in their urine than babies whose parents had not used the products. The highest levels were reported in babies under 8 months old, and those exposed to lotions.

Previous studies have focused on a different route of exposure for children: sucking on soft, vinyl toys. Phthalates, in addition to helping cosmetics retain fragrance and color, are used as plasticizers in some vinyl. A recently passed California law will ban six types in children's toys and feeding products, beginning next year. But no federal or state law in the United States prohibits their use in personal care products or cosmetics.

The study is the first to report that skin transfer may be a main route of exposure for babies.

In their report, the scientists advised parents who want to reduce their baby's exposure to stop using lotions and powders unless their doctors recommend them for medical reasons. They also suggested limiting use of shampoos and other products. Many adult lotions and other personal care products also contain phthalates.

John Bailey, chief scientist for the Personal Care Products Council, an industry trade group, said diethyl phthalate, or DEP, is used in the fragrances of some baby lotions and other baby products.

But DEP is used at "very low levels, in the part-per-million range, below what could possibly account for the levels they are finding" in the babies' urine, Bailey said. "All of the other phthalates, if they're present, have to be coming from someplace else," such as plastics or other products, he said.

Bailey said he couldn't explain why the researchers found such high concentrations in the babies that used lotions and the other products.

But he said the scientists shouldn't have advised parents to stop using them because they did not test any products and cannot prove they were the source.

"The results that are being presented and the conclusions being made don't make a great deal of scientific sense," Bailey said. "There's a lot that makes you question whether their findings are valid."

Europe has banned some phthalates in baby toys and cosmetics, but not the DEP found in fragrances.

More than half the mothers in the new study reported using baby shampoos on their infants within 24 hours of the urine tests, and about one-third had used lotion, and 14% used powder within the same time period.

No link was found to baby wipes or to diaper creams.

The highest concentrations in the babies were for a phthalate known as MEP, which comes from DEP, the compound used in fragrances. One baby had an extremely high level of MEP -- 4.4 parts per million.

more...

Chemicals in Baby Products Linked to Possible Hormonal Problems
A new study reports that shampoo, lotions and powders put babies in danger as they contain chemical compounds suspected of causing reproductive and endocrine abnormalities.


The study involved 163 babies, most white, ages 2 to 28 months, living in California, Minnesota and Missouri. The researchers measured the levels of nine different phthalates in urine from diapers. They also questioned the mothers about use in the previous 24 hours of baby products including lotions, powders, diaper creams and baby wipes.


Phthalates are found in many ordinary products including cosmetics, toys, vinyl flooring and medical supplies. They are also used to stabilize fragrances and make plastics flexible. The substances are currently under attack by some environmental advocacy groups, but health experts do not know for sure what dangers, if any, they might pose. Therefore, the federal government does not limit their use, although they are restricted in California and some other countries.

“We found that infant exposure to phthalates is widespread, and that exposure to personal-care products applied onto the skin may be an important source. This is troubling, because phthalate exposure in early childhood has been associated with altered hormone concentrations as well as increased allergies, runny nose and eczema,” said the study’s lead author, Sheela Sathyanarayana, an acting assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Therefore, Sathyanarayana advised parents not to use lotions and powders on infants at all, unless a doctor prescribes them. Parents can treat dry skin in babies with petroleum jelly, which provides a protective barrier but is not readily absorbed. However, water alone or shampoo used in very small amounts is generally enough to clean infant hair. In addition, parents shall seek products labeled “phthalate-free” to be sure their babies are safe.

“Babies don’t need lotions. It’s the one time in your life that your skin is perfect,” Sathyanarayana said.

The study had a bad reception within the Personal Care Products Council, an industry group. Its chief scientist, John Bailey says the study is senseless, adding that only one of the phthalates found in babies’ urine in this study is used in personal care products, the USA Today reported. Some of the other phthalates detected in this study are not typically used in cosmetics, suggesting that children were exposed another way.

Spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration, Stephanie Kwisnek said it “has no compelling evidence that phthalates pose a safety risk when used in cosmetics. Should new data emerge, we will inform the public as well as the industry,” the Associated Press reported.

In addition, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the health effects in humans are uncertain.

"Although several studies in people have explored possible associations with developmental and reproductive outcomes (semen quality, genital development in boys, shortened pregnancy, and premature breast development in young girls), more research is needed," a 2005 CDC report said, according to the AP.

However, Sathyanarayana said that more research is needed to determine if exposing very young children to phthalates is linked with reproductive or other problems. The study was published in the scientific journal Pediatrics on Monday.