Rent-A-Toy For Frugal Parents

Rent-A-Toy is a new company that helps parents cut cost and clutter by renting out toys.

From anywhere in the US, you can hop on Rent-A-Toy's website and pick out what toys you'd most like your kiddo to have for awhile. The toys are sanitized and tested to ensure they aren't broken, so there are relatively few safety concerns beyond what a parent would have when buying a new toy.

When your child has outgrown or is bored with the toy, you send it on back to the company and rent out something else.

The whole program is pretty darn eco-friendly in philosophy, but if you really want to get green about it, you can choose from their selection of environmentally friendly toys.

The pricing is pretty reasonable, with plans starting at $25 a month, delivery is free, and pre-paid return labels are included with the shipment.

While it might be cheaper to head down to the local thrift store or network with other parents to accomplish the same toy recycling, this program is still a neat way to use toys already in the life stream and have an excuse to get rid of old toys - after all, they have to be returned at some point. It also shows us another way in which recessions are good for greening us up.

Via Alternative Consumer