I suppose because it's summertime, the topic of paper towels, paper plates, and disposable cutlery keep popping up. Sure, it's much easier to throw away your dinner mess rather than clean it up, but have you ever thought about how much money you are literally throwing away?
Many years ago while living in Georgia, my children attended a Catholic hybrid home-school program: Regina Caeli Academy. I met many wonderfully wise women during our time there. Many of these women had large families, and were stay at home mothers, who stretched dollars to make ends meet. One day we were talking about cleaning products, and tips to save time cleaning the house, and one young mother stated that she doesn't buy paper towels-ever- because the only reason you buy paper towels is to effectively throw them away, and she did not have the money to throw away. She used cloth diapers,handkerchiefs, kitchen towels, and rags for cleaning- all of which can be thrown into the washing machine.
Wow! That was a light-bulb moment for me! While I do still purchase paper towels and napkins, I use them as sparingly as I can....like a luxury item. Take a look at your trash and see how much money you are literally throwing away.Paper towels, paper plates, disposable cups, zip- lock bags, kleenex....just to name a few items. Washing dishes via the dishwasher or by hand only takes a few extra minutes out of your life. Put leftovers and snacks into reusable plastic containers. Rinse and reuse your zip-lock baggies if they only contained dry items.
Look in your cleaning cabinet. Clorox wipes? Dust wipes? Swiffer products? I find I can clean everything in my home with ammonia, Comet, bleach, 409, microfiber cloths and sponges. (Of course, never use ammonia and bleach at the same time, or it will create toxic fumes.) Many people clean with lemon, vinegar, and baking soda. There are many recipes on the internet for home-made, non toxic cleaning products- even laundry soap! I have not tried any of these recipes yet, but I hope to soon and will blog about my findings.
Here are some websites for cleaning recipes:
http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/environment/a/alternateclean.htm
http://www.shelterpop.com/2010/12/01/homemade-cleaning-solutions/
http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes
If you want to really go extreme, I have read several articles and blogs on people who are even going paperless in the bathroom! I, however, am not ready to do this- even though yes, I am literally flushing money down the toilet!
http://www.makingthishome.com/2010/09/29/a-paperless-bathroom
http://www.themomcrowd.com/living-without-toilet-paper
Do you buy several of these items every week? If you do, you could be spending up to an extra $25.00 on your grocery bill! I would rather use that money to splurge on entertainment for my family.
If you look in my closets, you will find some of the above mentioned items. Sometimes convenience is necessary. However, I use all the items sparingly, and replace them only about once per year. My goal is to get better and reclaim some closet space by eliminating these items altogether.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Pinterest, DIY, Messes & Successes!
I'm really all about giving "gifts from the heart". Personally, I'd much rather receive anything you put your time and effort into making for me, rather than what you shopped for in the big box store. On that same token, I'd much rather put my time and effort into making you a gift that wander aimlessly around a box store looking for something. Anything. A batch of my favorite cookies touches me more than a gift card that says 'I couldn't be bothered to figure out what you'd like- so here- you do it yourself'. My nightstand drawer is filled with homemade cards from my kids- they still make them at 14 and 16, and I hope they never buy me a card from Hallmark.
I have recently discovered the website Pinterest.com, and have become sufficiently addicted! Once you are a member of Pinterest, you can post pictures or tag pictures from the internet of things that interest you for other members to see. members can then "repin" the photo to their personal board for future reference. This site is full if DIY ideas, recipes, photos, fashion, home decorating, you name it! It has almost negated my need for magazines! (almost!)
I have been pinning gift ideas to my boards, and had decided to try a few out.
Project #1: Hand Stamped Washer Necklaces
I had seen several tutorials for stamped washer necklaces and I thought this would be a perfect gift for my niece's college graduation! The tutorials said you need a metal stamping set you could purchase very inexpensively from harborfreight.com. True. I bought the stamping set, and I bought a lot of corded necklaces from etsy.com and anxiously awaited for them to arrive. I went to Lowe's and bought three bags of washers because the tutorial said you might want to practice, and to have extras for mistakes. Check. thus far, my investment was about $25 for the stamping set, 10 corded neckaces, and washers. Good thing I bought extra!
Stamping the washers was not as easy as it looked! I tried several different methods, and found the best way was to sit on my brick stairs and pound the stamp onto the washer there. Even then, if your hand wavers even a little bit in between whacks, the letter image will come out blurry. After using most of the washers, I thought maybe it was the word I was trying to spell. My other niece has a birthday coming up, so I tried her name. Her sister's name. The year. After all the washers were used up, I had only about five sort-of usable stamped image washers.
Step two called for using a sharpie to fill in the stamped grooves, and wipe off the extra quickly with a baby wipe. This didn't work, either. ALL the ink kept coming out, no matter what I did- fat sharpie, skinny sharpie, shoe polish, you name it. I double checked the tutorial, found other tutorials, and finally surrendered. this project was a FAIL!
Project #2: Teacher Gifts
On pinterest, I saw that someone posted an idea for s'mores-on-a-stick, and I immediately thought this would be a great edible bouquet for end of the year teacher appreciation.
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/06/23/smores-on-a-stick-from-todays-creative-blog/
I found giant campfire marshmallows and graham crackers at Walmart, and purchased extra long pop sticks, chocolate melting wafers,cute cpcake liners, and large paper doilies from Michael's, I dipped the marshmallows into melted chocolate, and rolled the tops into graham cracker crumbs. I set the sticks in mason jars, and put them in the freezer for a few minutes to harden. I used 5 s'mores sticks per bouquet, and wrapped them with a doily and ribbon. They came out super cute, and the teachers loved them!
SUCCESS!!
Needless to say, my niece got a check for graduation, and I have a lot of necklaces I'm going to try to use for future projects. If anyone would like to try metal stamping, I have the stamps you can use for free! And if you decide to check out Pinterest.com for yourself, don't say I didn't warn you- it's awesomely addicting!
I have recently discovered the website Pinterest.com, and have become sufficiently addicted! Once you are a member of Pinterest, you can post pictures or tag pictures from the internet of things that interest you for other members to see. members can then "repin" the photo to their personal board for future reference. This site is full if DIY ideas, recipes, photos, fashion, home decorating, you name it! It has almost negated my need for magazines! (almost!)
I have been pinning gift ideas to my boards, and had decided to try a few out.
Project #1: Hand Stamped Washer Necklaces
I had seen several tutorials for stamped washer necklaces and I thought this would be a perfect gift for my niece's college graduation! The tutorials said you need a metal stamping set you could purchase very inexpensively from harborfreight.com. True. I bought the stamping set, and I bought a lot of corded necklaces from etsy.com and anxiously awaited for them to arrive. I went to Lowe's and bought three bags of washers because the tutorial said you might want to practice, and to have extras for mistakes. Check. thus far, my investment was about $25 for the stamping set, 10 corded neckaces, and washers. Good thing I bought extra!
Stamping the washers was not as easy as it looked! I tried several different methods, and found the best way was to sit on my brick stairs and pound the stamp onto the washer there. Even then, if your hand wavers even a little bit in between whacks, the letter image will come out blurry. After using most of the washers, I thought maybe it was the word I was trying to spell. My other niece has a birthday coming up, so I tried her name. Her sister's name. The year. After all the washers were used up, I had only about five sort-of usable stamped image washers.
Step two called for using a sharpie to fill in the stamped grooves, and wipe off the extra quickly with a baby wipe. This didn't work, either. ALL the ink kept coming out, no matter what I did- fat sharpie, skinny sharpie, shoe polish, you name it. I double checked the tutorial, found other tutorials, and finally surrendered. this project was a FAIL!
Project #2: Teacher Gifts
On pinterest, I saw that someone posted an idea for s'mores-on-a-stick, and I immediately thought this would be a great edible bouquet for end of the year teacher appreciation.
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/06/23/smores-on-a-stick-from-todays-creative-blog/
I found giant campfire marshmallows and graham crackers at Walmart, and purchased extra long pop sticks, chocolate melting wafers,cute cpcake liners, and large paper doilies from Michael's, I dipped the marshmallows into melted chocolate, and rolled the tops into graham cracker crumbs. I set the sticks in mason jars, and put them in the freezer for a few minutes to harden. I used 5 s'mores sticks per bouquet, and wrapped them with a doily and ribbon. They came out super cute, and the teachers loved them!
SUCCESS!!
Needless to say, my niece got a check for graduation, and I have a lot of necklaces I'm going to try to use for future projects. If anyone would like to try metal stamping, I have the stamps you can use for free! And if you decide to check out Pinterest.com for yourself, don't say I didn't warn you- it's awesomely addicting!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Where's the beef? Meatless Meals
Almost everyone I know is doing some version of "Meatless Monday". Forgoing meat once per week is a great way to save money on your grocery bill. During Lent, Catholics abstain from meat on Friday. That's already twice per week, So I wondered, could I give up meat altogether for Lent this year?
Yes!
Let me clarify: I gave up meat, but I did not go vegan. Fish and eggs are still on the menu.
The first thing I did was go through my recipe box and write down all the meatless recipes I already had, and figure out which recipes could be modified to exclude meat. I was a little bit scared that we would be eating spaghetti with marinara and fish stick for six weeks!
I was pleasantly surprised at all of my options...my list included items such as black bean burgers (a favorite of the whole family), spinach ravioli lasagna, eggplant au gratin, cauliflower macaroni and cheese, fish tacos, and shrimp and grits with spinach...when all was said and done, I had twenty-five recipes to get started.
I was a little worried, because my husband did not go meatless for Lent, nor did my youngest daughter. I can honestly say that, as a family, we did not miss the meat at dinnertime.
When I was a part of a homeschooling co-op, I knew a very wise woman who had 10 children. One day she told me she was going to put a chicken in the oven for dinner. I asked her how many chickens do you need to cook for a family of 12? She said, "you didn't listen to me- I said I put 'a' chicken in the oven- when you have a large family, you need to stop looking at meat as the main course...it's a side dish." Hmmm. Like I said- a very wise woman.
Lent is over, but I think we will consider meat as less of a staple, and continue include more meatless meals into our weekly dinners.
In case you would like to try going meatless, here are a few recipes for inspiration:
Rainbow Pizza
1 loaf of french bread, split
broil in oven until toasty (about 4 minutes? just watch it)
spread with alfredo sauce
add chopped red, yellow, and green peppers
add chopped purple onions
sprinkle with mozzarella cheese
place back under broiler until cheese melts (2 minutes?)
.....................................................................................................................................................................
Baked Nestled Eggs
2 packages Archer Farms squash risoto, prepared
(found at Target)
3 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
6 eggs
Stuff pepper halves with risoto,
spray Pam in baking pan, put remaining risoto in pan
arrange peppers among risoto, so they are level
crack eggs onto each pepper half
Bake at 400 for 30 minutes
salt & pepper to taste
.....................................................................................................................................................................
Creamy Cheese Grits and Spinach
28 pieces medium deveined & peeled frozen shrimp
1 package frozen chopped spinach, microwave cooked
1 cup quick cooking grits
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 package mozzarella/provolone cheese blend
bring grits, broth, milk, salt, and garlic powder to a boil
reduce heat & simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes
until thickened
stir in spinach and cheese until well blended
Top with shrimp boiled with Old Bay seasoning
Yes!
Let me clarify: I gave up meat, but I did not go vegan. Fish and eggs are still on the menu.
The first thing I did was go through my recipe box and write down all the meatless recipes I already had, and figure out which recipes could be modified to exclude meat. I was a little bit scared that we would be eating spaghetti with marinara and fish stick for six weeks!
I was pleasantly surprised at all of my options...my list included items such as black bean burgers (a favorite of the whole family), spinach ravioli lasagna, eggplant au gratin, cauliflower macaroni and cheese, fish tacos, and shrimp and grits with spinach...when all was said and done, I had twenty-five recipes to get started.
I was a little worried, because my husband did not go meatless for Lent, nor did my youngest daughter. I can honestly say that, as a family, we did not miss the meat at dinnertime.
When I was a part of a homeschooling co-op, I knew a very wise woman who had 10 children. One day she told me she was going to put a chicken in the oven for dinner. I asked her how many chickens do you need to cook for a family of 12? She said, "you didn't listen to me- I said I put 'a' chicken in the oven- when you have a large family, you need to stop looking at meat as the main course...it's a side dish." Hmmm. Like I said- a very wise woman.
Lent is over, but I think we will consider meat as less of a staple, and continue include more meatless meals into our weekly dinners.
In case you would like to try going meatless, here are a few recipes for inspiration:
Rainbow Pizza
1 loaf of french bread, split
broil in oven until toasty (about 4 minutes? just watch it)spread with alfredo sauce
add chopped red, yellow, and green peppers
add chopped purple onions
sprinkle with mozzarella cheese
place back under broiler until cheese melts (2 minutes?)
.....................................................................................................................................................................
Baked Nestled Eggs
2 packages Archer Farms squash risoto, prepared
(found at Target) 3 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
6 eggs
Stuff pepper halves with risoto,
spray Pam in baking pan, put remaining risoto in pan
arrange peppers among risoto, so they are level
crack eggs onto each pepper half
Bake at 400 for 30 minutes
salt & pepper to taste
.....................................................................................................................................................................
Creamy Cheese Grits and Spinach
1 package frozen chopped spinach, microwave cooked
1 cup quick cooking grits
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 package mozzarella/provolone cheese blend
bring grits, broth, milk, salt, and garlic powder to a boil
reduce heat & simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes
until thickened
stir in spinach and cheese until well blended
Top with shrimp boiled with Old Bay seasoning
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Our New Lawnmower is Reel Cool!
Our last house had a giant yard......our current house has a small patch of 'grass' in front. I use the term grass loosely- the landscaping has been neglected for so long it's mostly leaves and weeds.
We used a riding mower to cut the yard before...but that was going to be a bit much for our little patch of lawn. Our intention was to go get an electric mower that I could easily start. After looking at our options, and realizing that we would need a 200 foot power cord from the outlet in the garage to the front yard, we took the plunge and decided to try a reel mower. Lowe's has a 90 day return policy, so we thought, "why not?"
Well, so far, so good! On the pro side: it's really quiet and lightweight. It uses no gas or electricity, so it's very eco-friendly. The model we chose has an adjustable blade height, so that's a plus, too. The cons are: it uses no gas or electricity..you have to PUSH it! You really do need to add some elbow grease. It doesn't do well over the bumpy tree roots- we have to go back over some areas with the [gas powered] weed-eater. On our first time out with it, two separate neighbors asked if we wanted to borrow their lawnmower!
The verdict is: I think we are going to keep it.. for now. We'll have to see how it works with the thicker grass this summer. I think if we can remember to walk it around every couple of days, and not let the grass get out of control, we will be fine. Who knows? Maybe I'll look into some drought resistant landscaping options and render our 'reel cool' lawn mower obsolete!
We used a riding mower to cut the yard before...but that was going to be a bit much for our little patch of lawn. Our intention was to go get an electric mower that I could easily start. After looking at our options, and realizing that we would need a 200 foot power cord from the outlet in the garage to the front yard, we took the plunge and decided to try a reel mower. Lowe's has a 90 day return policy, so we thought, "why not?"
The verdict is: I think we are going to keep it.. for now. We'll have to see how it works with the thicker grass this summer. I think if we can remember to walk it around every couple of days, and not let the grass get out of control, we will be fine. Who knows? Maybe I'll look into some drought resistant landscaping options and render our 'reel cool' lawn mower obsolete!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Secrets to Hosting a Successful Yard Sale
It's officially spring, so you know what that means.......Yard Sale Season!!
My husband will tell you that our home is tastefully decorated in "Early Yardsale". Ha, ha! That's fine with me- I love the hunt for a perfect 'treasure', and I love that nobody else has the same decor...ours is definitely unique!
We recently held two yard-sales on consecutive weekends in March. We did the first sale at our "old" house, then put everything that didn't sell into a truck and held a sale in our new neighborhood. Between the two sales, we grossed over $500.00! And we didn't even sell all that needed to go: we took a truckload to Goodwill, brought a piece of furniture to a consignment store, and broke a substantial piece of furniture, which we put on the curb and someone picked up (free, of course!)
Here are some tips that I have learned over the years that help make your yard-sale the most profitable it can be:
1. Put the yard-sale on the calendar. It gives you a goal to shoot for. A successful yard sale takes planning! As you get closer to D-day, if the weather looks bad, or you have an unplanned kids event you can't get out of, you can change the date- it's not set in stone, but writing it down makes it an event and it will help you to keep yourself accountable.
2. Now that you know when you're going to have the sale, you need to decide what to sell. Designate an area to put everything you want to sell: the garage, a spare bedroom, etc. Let your family know to go through their things and put what they want to sell in your "area". Tip: I have encouraged my kids in the past to part with their things by promising them something special with the money they make. One year, we bought new beach toys with their proceeds. Maybe a new Wii game would entice your kids to part with their beloved belongings? Make sure everything you are going to sell is in good condition, has all the pieces, is working, and is clean. If you are overrun with Happy Meal toys, put them in a shoebox and offer the children shopping with their mothers a free toy. This will keep the kids from whining and/or distracting their parents from purchasing your things!
3. Figure out where you are going to hold your garage sale. In the actual garage? The yard? The driveway? Are you going solo, or will you have a neighborhood yard-sale? Don't wait until the last minute to figure out the details- yard sales start very early in the morning and you need a plan to execute everything smoothly.
4. Do you have tables to display your items? If not, see if you can borrow tables from family, friends, and neighbors. If you are selling clothes, use (or borrow) a clothes rack. This will make all the difference. if you cannot find a clothes rack to use, be creative! Tie a bungee rope between two sturdy trees and hang your clothes there, or if you have a garment rack for your car, back your car up to the sale area and pop the tailgate and hang the clothing there. Bookcases work well for displaying books..empty small ones in your house and bring them out side. You can use masking tape to mark "Display only- table/bookcase/rack not for sale". Unless, of course, you plan to sell it, too!
5. Decide how you are going to advertise your yard-sale. I was shocked to find out the local paper charged $30 for an ad run only one day. Instead, I advertised on craigslist.org, facebook, and made directional signs. I got tomato stakes from the garden store, and stapled poster-board sign to them. Don't be afraid to get creative! One year, we had a blast making signs that said "you're almost there", "keep going" , "too late to turn back now!" Lots of people commented on how fun the signs were to follow. If your town recently had an election, sometimes you can gather up the old political signs (for free!) and staple your sign over that.
6. Make sure you have change. Small bills and lots of quarters. most people who shop yard sales know it pays to have small bills- easier to negotiate if you're not paying with a $100 bill! Also, decide if you will accept checks for big-ticket items. you have a better chance of selling if you do. It's a risk, I know, but amazingly, I've never had a bounced check for a yard sale item. It's your call- sometimes you just have to assess the person and hope for the best.
7. When you set up your yard sale, it's all about the display. I often do a "drive by"- if I don't see anything enticing, I wont bother to stop and look. If I see a bunch of boxes and clothes on the ground, forget it! Put your big ticket items out front where people can see, and use tables to display everything else. Try to keep like items together. You may even bundle things to get a bigger price. I recently filled a plastic toolbox I was selling anyway with a bunch of hair bows and hair accessories. I got $10 for the whole thing, but would have had to sell each item for $.50. Also, I filled an old jewelry box with costume jewelry I was selling...$8 for the whole thing! I like to pretend my yard is my 'store' and make things attractive as if I were in a mall. At my recent yard sale, several people asked where my shop was!
8. Which brings us to pricing. I know you like your stuff and want top dollar for it, right? Keep in mind this is a yard sale. People who yard sale are looking for a bargain. If you have a one-of-a-kind-autographed-poster, you might be better off trying to sell that on eBay or craigslist. Otherwise, the purpose of the yard sale is to get rid of your stuff and make some money so you can buy new stuff, right? So, price it to sell! Personally, I don't put a price tag on anything, unless I am firm about what I want to sell it for. Even then, you have to be prepared that you might not sell it at your asking price. You can put out signs for bulk items like "Books- 2/$1.00 or VHS movies: 50 cents each! Also, be open to bartering. This spring, a lady wanted a love seat, a rocker, and some buckets that I had for sale. She said she couldn't afford to pay for them, but could she clean my house in exchange? Heck, yeah! Since we were moving and getting ready to list our house for sale, her cleaning my house took one thing off my back, and she did a great job,too!
9. Here's an idea that's always worth mentioning: especially if you have older children that can help out, consider having a refreshment area. People shopping yard sales are hungry & thirsty! Sell lemonade and banana bread, or cookies and bottled water, have out a carafe of hot coffee - you get the idea. Put the kids in charge of the refreshments, and you will make a nice profit on that, too!
10. When the yard sale is over, have a plan for what to do with the stuff that doesn't sell. I usually have a box that goes up to the attic for the next yard sale, a box that goes to Goodwill, and a plan such as consignment stores for any big-ticket items left. You can also consider freecycle.org for anything you just want gone.
Good Luck and Happy Selling! If you decide to have a yard sale, let me know- I do love a treasure hunt!
My husband will tell you that our home is tastefully decorated in "Early Yardsale". Ha, ha! That's fine with me- I love the hunt for a perfect 'treasure', and I love that nobody else has the same decor...ours is definitely unique!
We recently held two yard-sales on consecutive weekends in March. We did the first sale at our "old" house, then put everything that didn't sell into a truck and held a sale in our new neighborhood. Between the two sales, we grossed over $500.00! And we didn't even sell all that needed to go: we took a truckload to Goodwill, brought a piece of furniture to a consignment store, and broke a substantial piece of furniture, which we put on the curb and someone picked up (free, of course!)
Here are some tips that I have learned over the years that help make your yard-sale the most profitable it can be:
1. Put the yard-sale on the calendar. It gives you a goal to shoot for. A successful yard sale takes planning! As you get closer to D-day, if the weather looks bad, or you have an unplanned kids event you can't get out of, you can change the date- it's not set in stone, but writing it down makes it an event and it will help you to keep yourself accountable.
2. Now that you know when you're going to have the sale, you need to decide what to sell. Designate an area to put everything you want to sell: the garage, a spare bedroom, etc. Let your family know to go through their things and put what they want to sell in your "area". Tip: I have encouraged my kids in the past to part with their things by promising them something special with the money they make. One year, we bought new beach toys with their proceeds. Maybe a new Wii game would entice your kids to part with their beloved belongings? Make sure everything you are going to sell is in good condition, has all the pieces, is working, and is clean. If you are overrun with Happy Meal toys, put them in a shoebox and offer the children shopping with their mothers a free toy. This will keep the kids from whining and/or distracting their parents from purchasing your things!
3. Figure out where you are going to hold your garage sale. In the actual garage? The yard? The driveway? Are you going solo, or will you have a neighborhood yard-sale? Don't wait until the last minute to figure out the details- yard sales start very early in the morning and you need a plan to execute everything smoothly.
4. Do you have tables to display your items? If not, see if you can borrow tables from family, friends, and neighbors. If you are selling clothes, use (or borrow) a clothes rack. This will make all the difference. if you cannot find a clothes rack to use, be creative! Tie a bungee rope between two sturdy trees and hang your clothes there, or if you have a garment rack for your car, back your car up to the sale area and pop the tailgate and hang the clothing there. Bookcases work well for displaying books..empty small ones in your house and bring them out side. You can use masking tape to mark "Display only- table/bookcase/rack not for sale". Unless, of course, you plan to sell it, too!
 | ||
| I used the armoire shelves to display items |
6. Make sure you have change. Small bills and lots of quarters. most people who shop yard sales know it pays to have small bills- easier to negotiate if you're not paying with a $100 bill! Also, decide if you will accept checks for big-ticket items. you have a better chance of selling if you do. It's a risk, I know, but amazingly, I've never had a bounced check for a yard sale item. It's your call- sometimes you just have to assess the person and hope for the best.
7. When you set up your yard sale, it's all about the display. I often do a "drive by"- if I don't see anything enticing, I wont bother to stop and look. If I see a bunch of boxes and clothes on the ground, forget it! Put your big ticket items out front where people can see, and use tables to display everything else. Try to keep like items together. You may even bundle things to get a bigger price. I recently filled a plastic toolbox I was selling anyway with a bunch of hair bows and hair accessories. I got $10 for the whole thing, but would have had to sell each item for $.50. Also, I filled an old jewelry box with costume jewelry I was selling...$8 for the whole thing! I like to pretend my yard is my 'store' and make things attractive as if I were in a mall. At my recent yard sale, several people asked where my shop was!
 | |
| Books organized by genre on table |
9. Here's an idea that's always worth mentioning: especially if you have older children that can help out, consider having a refreshment area. People shopping yard sales are hungry & thirsty! Sell lemonade and banana bread, or cookies and bottled water, have out a carafe of hot coffee - you get the idea. Put the kids in charge of the refreshments, and you will make a nice profit on that, too!
10. When the yard sale is over, have a plan for what to do with the stuff that doesn't sell. I usually have a box that goes up to the attic for the next yard sale, a box that goes to Goodwill, and a plan such as consignment stores for any big-ticket items left. You can also consider freecycle.org for anything you just want gone.
Good Luck and Happy Selling! If you decide to have a yard sale, let me know- I do love a treasure hunt!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
How To Live Well
My mother sent my daughter this card for her 14th birthday......very wise and relevant- weather you're 14 or 144!
How To Live Well
May you keep getting to know yourself better-and keep loving what you discover.
May you never stop learning, growing, and dreaming.
May you travel to places you always wanted to go-and find yourself right at home wherever you are.
May you take up something new- or something old that you put aside once upon a time.
May you take good care of yourself in every possible way- and let those who love you take care of you now and then, too.
May you remember all the happiness you've known and believe with all your heart that some of your best joys are yet to come.
May you live each day like you've only just begun.
But most of all, may you never forget how deeply you are loved.
-hallmark greeting card
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Saving Green by Moving Green
In my effort to live my life more simply, I am consciously aware of my carbon footprint, and what we are consuming on a daily basis.
Nothing makes your consumption more evident that making a move. (By the way, you have no idea how truly dirty your house is until you move.....I really think people should be forced to move every five years purely for sanitation purposes- I thought my home was relatively clean: not!)
During our latest home move, we were fortunate to be able to take our time moving, which helped the process go much greener than we thought.
Our last move was an out of state move. I hired a moving company, and decided to let the moving company pack the kitchen for me. With little kids, this made sense: I could use my kitchen right up to the move, which freed me up to pack the rest of the house. I was horrified when I was unpacking the new house, and found the movers had used a whole box filled with paper to pack one serving platter. I was also horrified to find they packed my trash!!! Yup, I opened a box to find my garbage had moved across state lines with us!
This move was different. I hired a local moving company to move the furniture only. I was able to save money by using a smaller truck, and I used a company that charged by the hour. Everything else has been moved over with laundry baskets. I didn't buy a single box, packing tape, or packing papers. Since we are still readying our old house for sale, every trip I make, I pack up the car. Laundry baskets go back and forth with me. I use old bath towels to cushion anything breakable. No boxes, no tissue paper, just my laundry baskets and my own sweat equity.
It doesn't sound very simple- it sounds like a lot of trips back and forth and a lot of gas, right? I'm making the trips anyway; in between cleaning both houses & driving the children to their activities, I haven't been doing any extra driving. Plus a bonus, as I empty the laundry baskets in the new house, I put things away as I go- virtually eliminating packing or unpacking. I can see what is going to work in the new house, and what is going directly to yard sale. Double bonus: the kitchen was all set up before we even officially moved in!
Nothing makes your consumption more evident that making a move. (By the way, you have no idea how truly dirty your house is until you move.....I really think people should be forced to move every five years purely for sanitation purposes- I thought my home was relatively clean: not!)
During our latest home move, we were fortunate to be able to take our time moving, which helped the process go much greener than we thought.
Our last move was an out of state move. I hired a moving company, and decided to let the moving company pack the kitchen for me. With little kids, this made sense: I could use my kitchen right up to the move, which freed me up to pack the rest of the house. I was horrified when I was unpacking the new house, and found the movers had used a whole box filled with paper to pack one serving platter. I was also horrified to find they packed my trash!!! Yup, I opened a box to find my garbage had moved across state lines with us!
This move was different. I hired a local moving company to move the furniture only. I was able to save money by using a smaller truck, and I used a company that charged by the hour. Everything else has been moved over with laundry baskets. I didn't buy a single box, packing tape, or packing papers. Since we are still readying our old house for sale, every trip I make, I pack up the car. Laundry baskets go back and forth with me. I use old bath towels to cushion anything breakable. No boxes, no tissue paper, just my laundry baskets and my own sweat equity.
It doesn't sound very simple- it sounds like a lot of trips back and forth and a lot of gas, right? I'm making the trips anyway; in between cleaning both houses & driving the children to their activities, I haven't been doing any extra driving. Plus a bonus, as I empty the laundry baskets in the new house, I put things away as I go- virtually eliminating packing or unpacking. I can see what is going to work in the new house, and what is going directly to yard sale. Double bonus: the kitchen was all set up before we even officially moved in!
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