With the loss of most of my freelance money, I do everything I can to make our dollars stretch. I rarely buy Lucy’s toys new because, at this age, she could care less. Of course, for her birthday and Christmas she gets brand new items (usually purchased with gift cards I’ve gotten through rewards websites), but for every day toys, she’s still at the age where she doesn’t care where toys come from, and I’m going to use that to my advantage.

I love finding sites online where I can browse toys and clothes for sale, make a deal and then pick them up. One new site that I’ve recently come across is , a site similar to Craigslist. On Ubokia, you can choose from several categories and then select if you are looking to buy an item or if you want to sell an item. One aspect that I thought was really cool is that you can look through a list of peoples’ wants. I’ve never seen it presented that way on a website before.

In order to buy items listed on Ubokia, you must first list a “want” item (which really helps you in the long run anyway because you might end up selling it!). Then, you can start a conversation with the seller and go from there. Buying through a blog marketplace means you are connecting with other like-minded people, making it easier to find what you want and in general your interactions are more pleasant than something like Craigslist. Ubokia is easier for buyers because all they have to do is post a want and let sellers come to them. No more searching! And, it’s easier for sellers because they don’t have to wait to potential buyers to view their products. They can immediately connect with buyers.

From what I understand, you can purchase items from anywhere in the country (as long as they’re willing to ship) because, rather than paying in person, Ubokia uses uTrust and payment is made through PayPal. With uTrust, Ubokia is the safest way to buy online, which I’m sure will ease the minds of those people who are wary of buying items online with credit cards and other bank information.

The one thing I was bummed about was not being able to find anything in my immediate area for Lucy, but I’m going to keep looking. Maybe I can find a seller who will mail items to me and, hopefully, items in my area will be listed soon!

Have you ever heard of Ubokia? Do you plan to check it out?

I was compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.