Nice Inexpensive Swing Sets

Craigslist has some great sets online.

I second Walmart. I looked every where online in the past month. I finally had it narrowed down to one or two and was just about to buy when I thought about checking Walmart first. They had one of the same ones that I was looking at for $399 and I was just about to pay $758. I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old and I think we will get lots of use out of it.

Good Luck.

Check Toys r us. You could also check Menards or Home Depot. I think the last few years they had some do it yourself ones. Otherwise you could check Craigslit for a used one. Sometimes they have Rainbow sets for pretty decent prices. Goog luck!

We got ours from Walmart very inexpensively. It lasted around 3 years. I think it was around $150.00. Also Menards had some sets too!

I got mine at walmart for about $130. It has a small playhouse, a slide, 2 swings, monkey bars, and one of those trapeze hanging things for kids to hang from, etc. One one side there is a ladder to get up to the little playhouse and slide, and on the other side of that there is a sort of rock wall to climb. I have been very happy with it. My husband put it together fairly easily (I helped). We've had it a year now and my kids love it, especially the 4 year old (obviously the 1 year is still too young but I put a baby swing on it for him and he likes that). We might put a gravel pit under the playhouse part (sort of like a small sandbox). This is the kind that is wooden. I was going to get a metal one, and i still kind of wish I had since it will be easier to take apart and move when we eventually move, but oh well. This one is really nice and seems more sturdy than a metal one.

Just wanted to comment on your comment that your 5-year old will lose interest. We had a pretty elaborate swingset when I was growing up, and we (me and my 2 younger sisters and younger brother) each continued to use it until we were at least 10 and some of us later (my brother in particular would do a lot of imaginative play with his friends that involved climbing and chasing each other etc)--spent HOURS on that swingset/jungle gym. I had to convince my husband to get one last summer when our daughter was turning 4. I was pregnant with #2 and told him I had no energy to take her to the park every day after daycare when it was nice. We really splurged and went with a Rainbow and paid it off over 6 or 12 months. He now agrees that is was one of our BEST "investments". HOURS and HOURS she played on it last summer and is now begging to go outside everyday this spring (so far it's been too wet back there most of the time) But when she is out there, I can see her from the kitchen--it's GREAT!!! I guess my point is to really consider it an investment. Kids don't get enough exercise these days. We even sit outside with her with her little pool and sprinklers and make up "races" (Go through the sprinkler, up the ladder, down the slide, run around the tree, jump in the pool and splash 3 times and finish on the swing)--she LOVES this game. Good Luck and have fun! My personal take is that swingsets are one of the best investements for kids b/c it's fun but it's exercise and fresh air too! Oh, and we have known many people who wil buy used ones from ads in the paper and then re-sell them after the kids outgrow them! Just make sure everything is in good condition and safe.

I have a playset that I want to sell. You can come and look at it and name your price. It is wood (Menards set), 2 swings, and space for another swing or glider, slide, monkey bars, canopy, and steeing wheel. Let me know if you want to look at it sometime.

We got one from Menards for around $160. It is wooden and has 2 swings and a narrow platform for the slide with with a canopy over it. Wooden boards to climb up to the slike platform with some handles so he can climb like a rock wall if he wants. Nothing huge or elaborate but perfect for our son. He is almost 4 now and we've had it for about a year and a half.

If you plan to stay in your house for awhile you might want to think of it as an investment and get one that will last for several years. We splurged on a Rainbow almost 8 years ago and it is still going strong. It is still sturdy and safe and my 9 year old still plays on it regularly. The only thing we have had to do is stain it and it could use a new canopy. I have two boys and I am a SAHM. When my kids were the ages of your kids we were on the playset EVERY DAY that the weather allowed. We also used the slide sometimes in the winter--you can really cruise when it has a little snow on it and you are wearing snowpants! Someone posted a question on this website yesterday about playsets so you might want to look back and see the responses she got. Also, the more accessories you are able to add the more you can extend the life of it. We have a fireman's pole and monkey bars and even the 12 year old will still use those sometimes, take a quick swing or play in the sandbox. I was on Craig's List yesterday and was amazed at the number of used Rainbow systems that are available for sale. Have fun.

www.craigslist.org S.! Playsets are always on there... as a matter of fact, that is how we sold ours! Good luck!