backyard playsetsIt's that point of calendar year again: playset season. The time when millions of parents prepare yourself to shell out thousands of dollars for small-scale yard jungle gyms for his or her beloved children.For a long time I'd were able to effectively avert this dependence on suburban family life. And then, 1 day something happened.I cracked.I cannot even blame my kids. They never badgered me or complained. I'm not sure they desired a playset. No. I wanted one.If we were outside in the garden my kids wandered around aimlessly, invariably coming back inside to the couch. I needed to shoo them back again outdoors and shout, "Go play!" But with what? We didn't have a pool or swings or perhaps a paved driveway to draw on. I chosen for my very own sanity and their survival we needed a playset.Visions of summer season days whiled away on the swingset or in the attached fort with children's laughter floating by over a balmy air flow, danced in my head. But I wanted a very important factor to be perfectly clear. EASILY was going to take out another mortgage to financing a playset, my kids were heading to have to go on it--literally.The playset we eyed-up experienced a house-like enclosure and a picnic table and was nearly as large as my house. It was certainly the right dwelling for just two smallish people. They could come inside for the winter but not until then. Of course, if we ran some electric wiring and plumbing related to the fort, I would not ever have to see them again.But much like most fantasies, once noticed, the facts on the floor don't quite match the eye-sight, and so it was with the playset.My research on playsets commenced well before springtime because I thought if we bought in the off-season, we might be able to get a reasonable price. I was mistaken. You can find no fair prices when it comes to playsets. I have no idea if the hardware is solid yellow metal or if the structure is made of rare, endangered solid wood, but bargains aren't to be enjoyed. So I considered an option a friend advised: used playsets. You can get a complete playset for 50 percent the price. That possessed my name written all over it.Unfortunately, it didn't have my husband's name written onto it. He was against the complete playset idea from the beginning--it would ruin his lawn. If, however, I would insist he acknowledge he has children and that they require toys and games, then he identified he would desire a deluxe model worthy of being located atop his pristine lawn.Still, I extended in my search for pre-owned models, persuaded I could satisfy us both. And I was successful to find a used playset in relatively good shape large enough for two school-age kids. It even got a rock wall membrane. But the best part was it only cost about a thousand bucks. Victory was mine.Then my hubby described the playset was anywhere outside the tri-state area, and we didn't have a vehicle large enough to transport it even if we do want to take the half-day drive to move get it. I nodded silently. I understood. And with much heart, I gave up on my used playset search.For those who have never had the knowledge of searching for a playset, it's a significant daunting task. There are plenty of makes and models and levels and configurations to choose from, and everything the real playthings are extra. Perhaps you could buy a fairly cheap wooden frame, but your entire children would be able to do is stare at it wistfully since it would be nothing more than an large sawhorse.I continued to comparison shop online for weeks until the day finally came when I discovered my dream swing action set. It possessed everything I'd thought. The only real problem was I couldn't afford it. Over the course of the following weeks, I went to the playset several times, hoping to occur upon a sale. Then, mid-summer, it finally happened. The company got what constituted a storewide sale in playset circles: free gangplank weekend. I used to be sold.Free gangplank weekend was a huge coup for me, and I breathed a sigh of pain relief that the hunting and agonizing and planning was over. Then the sales guy strike me with the costs. Just under $2,000. And it was FREE gangplank weekend!The playset has been bought and payed for, shipped and erected in our yard for nearly a year, but it hasn't been used much. Or possibly I should say it was not played with as much as $2,000 would warrant. We haven't made our money back onto it yet, but a few items have been worthwhile their price. The swings and trapeze pub. That's really all you need. Take it from someone whose been used up.The youngsters still wander aimlessly about the back garden, ignoring the one component, the priciest one, for which they lobbied so vehemently, the fort. It rests empty except for the birds and the squirrels. But maybe if we installed a Tv set in there...