On the first day of Christmas (break)...

I have a love/hate relationship with breaks from school. I have ever since I was a student myself. I start break with a grand list of things I'd like to accomplish and I end the break with that same list mostly untouched. Of course every break I say I will try better.

I really need routine. When I don't have it, I get superbly lazy and also very anxious. Not a good combination. My goal for this current break is to try to keep some sort of routine... I will try to blog about it and see how it goes.

So Friday the 20th was the last day of school for the year! I love making that joke with my students, "See you next year!" Har, har. Saturday and Sunday were spent driving up to visit family. I got to visit with my grandma for several hours, which was actually quite nice. She is a trip. Ninety years old but still sharp as a tack. She is hard of hearing but otherwise still very with it. She still drives, actually, and watches Jeopardy! every day and reads every night. Also for the last twenty plus years she has eaten at Wendy's almost every day! In her own words, she is royalty there. They even get her tray ready for her when they see her in the parking lot and they give her little Three Musketeers bars. Every day she gets the same thing: chicken nuggets, a baked potato, and a junior Frosty. She has kicked cancer two times and has Type 2 Diabetes which she has managed well for a few decades. She is pretty awesome.

Over break I plan to get some work stuff taken care of, but I will do that after Christmas. For now my focus is trying to get the house in some kind of order. I did probably ten loads of laundry today and that's no exaggeration. We have two huge bags to take to Goodwill.

Well, I guess I will check in later. Happy Holidays!!

Antique Mall Update: Month 1

My first full month of having a display case at the antique mall is over. It was mildly profitable which is a good start and I hope to be an omen of the future.

I sold (prices after 10% commission):
Knife 7.20 - .01 cost (auction) = 7.19 profit
Gavel 7.20
Strawberry Shortcake ornament 4.50 -.75 (Goodwill)= 3.75
Xmas Tree teapot 9.00-1.50 (VOA)= 7.50
Australian penny 4.50-.01 (auction)=4.49
Lark Cherished Teddy 3.60-.01 (auction)=3.59
Miniature Taj Mahal 9.00-1.91 (VOA)=7.09
speckled frog 3.60-.90 (Goodwill) =2.70
Santa teapot 9.00-1.46 (VOA)=7.54
Back to the Future Delorean 2.70-.50 (Goodwill) =2.20
Fisher Price Little People bus 18.00 -1.00 (garage sale) = 17.00
owl necklace 4.50-1.00 (Amazon deal)= 3.50
Dukes of Hazard cup 2.70 -.10 (garage sale) =2.60
Fisher Price xylophone 7.20-1.00 (garage sale)= 6.20
hightop shoe trinket box 9.00 -2.99 (Goodwill) = 6.01
Webster's book set 7.20 -.96 (VOA)=6.24
Christmas music box 9.00-.45 (VOA)= 8.55
Snowman plate 1.80 -.45 (VOA) =1.35
bank shaped like a loaf of bread 9.00 -1.99 (Goodwill)= 7.01

Total, after commission and costs= $111.71 - $50 rent = 61.71

Maximum Capacity?

Display Case Update

I've sold 50$ worth of stuff in my display case! After commission it's $45. Good start. It costs $50 a month so I've got a little bit to go to break even, but of course I want to MAKE money. The month's only 1/3 of the way done though, and I'm hoping to bank on the holiday season!

Update

Hello blogosphere!

I have been busy. Working 3x a week until 6 pm, bowling league on Tuesdays (we're in first place! say what!), trivia on Thursdays, and doing some auction work here and there.

Unfortunately, my school had some terrible news on Friday. There was a horrible car accident (maybe you've read about it-- I know it was on USA Today's website) in which a family of 6 was killed. Both parents and four daughters ranging in ages from 2-16. They were hit by a police officer who was responding to a robbery. Well the 12 year old was a seventh grader at my school. Not personally my student, but still. Student of my friends, and a friend of my students. Absolutely heartbreaking. They had come to Iraq for a better life. They were on their way home from visiting with my former students' family... They leave behind 5 sons, three who attend my school. I am not specifically looking forward to tomorrow... but the healing process must begin...

I tried to balance out this tragedy the way I know how-- distracting myself and I do that with deal$. The Dollar General across from my school is going out of business so I've been checking in every few days. I went in today and their toys were 90% off! Yeah!!

Goodies including several Wuggle Pets for $1.00 each, and ketchup... lol... 

I also went today to start stocking my new display case at the antique mall! I am splitting it with my former student's aunt, the one who got me involved in the auction company. I am excited to see how this new venue turns out, especially since I barely have time for eBay during the school year (and not to mention I still loathe shipping!).

Not everything here is mine... I have a total of 10 cents invested so far.. I won 9 penny auctions yesterday plus the 1 cent premium. :)

Just a quick hello!

Yes, I'm still alive. Sorry for my lengthy blogging absence!

Summer is long gone and I have settled back into my work routine. It feels like I never left. Two weeks down (well 3 if you count professional development) already.

I'm working extra, doing the after school program 3 days a week, and I've made some connections with a local auction company. I did some running (getting the items during pick up) and helped write descriptions (it's all online, like eBay) so far, and I am scheduled to run for another auction next week.

After spending a month at my dad's hoarder's nest in the summer, I decided I can't keep buying so much stuff and just letting it sit around for months. So I've taken a step back, and I'm trying to organize and get rid of what I have before I buy more. It's hard though, because it's so fun. I'm doing just one consignment sale this fall and am marking down stuff so it goes. My plan is to purge and then start new. I mean, I'll still make profits, but my mindset is quick nickel not slow dime.

Well, see ya later!

Stuff, and other stuff...

Tis the second week of summer and I am pretty bored! Well on Thursday I head up to my dad's house where I'll be for an indefinite amount of time. He is having surgery on Friday, and being as he lives alone, I will be spending time as his caregiver so-to-speak. Which I hope doesn't really happen, as in, I hope his surgery is very successful and he doesn't need any help. Time will tell.

Anyway these past few weeks have been uneventful. We did the flea market again, saw a few free movies (Gofobo, anyone?) and the dog and I have been taking our daily treks through the neighborhood. Oh, and I found a new amazing show on Amazon Instant Video! It's called Out of Practice. It didn't even last a full season (although the whole first season did make its way online) and it starred Stockard Channing, Henry Winkler, Ty Burrell (better known as Phil Dunphy- dad on Modern Family.) and Christopher Gorham (better known as HOT). It is just hilarious. I highly recommend you check it out if able!

Decided to check some of my older entries. It's funny how the direction of this blog changed. When I first created it, I actually said I had created it as an outlet to express myself. Now it's part reflection, but also part sharing in this incredible thrifter community I've stumbled upon. By the way, in my first entry (dated 2010), I said I wanted to start trying to conceive in 2011! My, how things have changed. At this point, I don't know if I ever want children! (well aside from the assortment of furry ones and the ones I teach, who will forever be a part of me)

Anyway, so we did the flea market again, and here are the results from our second trip out. Like I hinted, I changed the direction to more or less "get it out of my sight, I am so sick of looking at it" items, which trust me, we have enough of. Made $68.50, not including the $10 fee.

$5 dolly step ladder thingie (paid 25 cents for at a gs)
$10 XBox HD DVD player and handful of DVDs (personal property)
$10 box of Power Rangers trading cards (free to me; from Dad)
$5 cat carrier (personal property...was our sweet little kitten's... R.I.P. Monty)
$5 4 comics (free; from Dad) and 2 video games (personal property- junk games from gs)
$2 dog pillow (personal property, which Daisy chewed a hole in, and then proceeded to never sleep on again. Spoiled mutt.)
$2 pocket packs of tissues ($2 at Dollar Tree- originally got for school goodies but never used)
$4 Halloween pillows (probably paid around $10 at Target- was going to use for decor but again, never used. Probably a good decision anyway. They were black pillows. Black + animals=mess.)
.25 single pocket pack of tissues (paid .25 originally at a back to school sale)
.25 microcassette (bought at an estate sale I posted about awhile back)
.50 Avengers jumbo eraser (bought for .20 at GW)
.50 grill stone (.50 TS)
$10 set of records (free; from Dad)
$14 pants (Carlos's)

Lastly, I have listed two of the Hot Wheels I posted about last week. One has a day left in auction. It is currently at $113.50. You can see it here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/271222095765?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
That's the biggest profit I've ever made.

A new venue, or alternate title: It pays (literally #christraeger) to eavesdrop.

So last week I was at my favorite (although I have one that is coming in at a close second- more about that in a moment) thrift and I was leisurely strolling the aisles, and I overheard a conversation happening between a worker and a customer. They were talking about selling at a flea market. Hmm, silly me, I didn't even realize we had good flea markets down here, despite the fact that I've lived here for almost 4 years. I guess I thought that the flea markets that did exist down here were in poor neighborhoods. Well I listened eavesdropped for a bit and mentally recorded the names of the two locations they were speaking of. When I got home I checked their websites, and I was very impressed with how professionally done the websites were. A quick decision was made; I would try my hand at selling at the flea market!

So last Saturday we did just that. I only had a day to prepare, so I gathered a bin of plush, a bin of cake pans, and a few random oddities. We set up shop at around 6 am, paying only $10 for our space. In a short 4 1/2 hours, I cleared $78 (after fee). I also learned that I will not get eBay prices, so I will be varying my inventory for this upcoming weekend, and doing more or less "take this please I can't bear to look at it anymore" items. Here is what I did sell:

A bunch of comic books- $25 (free to me; from my dad)
An "I kiss better than I cook" sign, which actually went to an older man, which in hindsight, is creepy, $2 (probably what I paid for it- from a gs)
3 of DH's video games- $12 (he probably had $20 invested in them)
a curtain rod- $5 (originally purchased for our personal use but has been taking up space in the garage for 2 years- probably paid $12 ish)
a Hindu god statue- $10 (.50 at gs)
Attorneys at Flaw board game $2.50 ($1 gs)
Wineopoly board game $2.50 ($1.99 gw)
Likes and Gripes board game $3 (probably $1.99 ish VOA)
Toy Story travel pillow $3 ($1.25 I think, CVS clearance)
VS dog $1 (.50 VOA)
glow sticks $5 (originally paid $11.99, bought them for a school event my first year teaching but never used them)
Barbershop DVD $1 (IDK)
2 ties $10 for both (probably around $5 for both- Ohio Thrift)
another DVD $1 (free to me; from my dad)

As you can see, the profit margins are slim, but rookie mistakes, chalk it up to the learning curve, profit is still profit, and like I said, I know better what to bring next time!

As for that second favorite thrift I mentioned earlier...

Yesterday I had to go to the P.O. and on my way home I dropped off books at the library and I just had to check out the Goodwill. Cuz you know, I hadn't been thrifting in 6 days. But it was an instance when it PAID to stop. I stumbled upon a delightful assortment of vintage items, from the late '60s and '70s, all in their original packaging. I assume all donated from the same person. For whatever reason, Goodwill significantly underpriced said items. Which is quite a surprise because the Goodwills down here actually make a point of gathering their high-end merch for a live auction each weekend. But for whatever the reason, I was able to snag 3 red-line Hot Wheels cars, STILL IN THE ORIGINAL PACKAGING, for .99 each. Um. Guess what? Completed listings go up to $200 each!!! SAY WHAT! I have already listed one, and it already has two bids up to $60.99. Um. I paid .99!! I also got a new in packaging 1967 Barbie dress set. Completeds show around $80 and that's for USED. Golly goodness. I will keep you posted! Definitely had a WOW FACTOR moment! #storagewars

Up, up, and away!

My sales have been terrific lately! Of course, that is motivating me to list more and more.

First, let me tell you about an odd coincidence and thrifter's dream scenario from Mother's Day weekend. Carlos and I were back up north, visiting our parents. We had went to this little hole-in-the-wall thrift that I miss dearly, and then out to lunch. Carlos told me I could pick one more thrift to go to... You know, for some reason he doesn't like spending his whole Saturday at Goodwills! Go figure! So I picked the one across the street from our old apartment, because given the two GWs I had to choose from, this one is generally better to me. We make it to the GW and Carlos has to go to the potty quite badly, but apparently the cashier tells him the light is out in the bathroom. So he heads out to use the facilities in one of the nearby stores in the plaza. However, he comes back and says that 1. the hardware store doesn't have a public restroom, and 2. he wasn't going to go to the bathroom at Alco (discount store) because it was going out of business and looked like a ghost town. He said everything there was 90% off. I end up going into the Goodwill bathroom to check the light and low and behold, it works fine. So Carlos quickly does his business and then we are off to check out Alco! They had just marked everything to 90% off the night before. Literally 10 minutes before we got there, the manager announces that it is time to fill a cart for $10 because he wants to close the doors within the hour! I felt like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep! I picked up everything sellable, which wasn't even very much. But even still, I managed to get nearly $700 retail of items... vacuum filters, some pregnancy tests, catfish bait. You name it, if it was still sealed and not broken, I took it home with me. Paid $10.68 with tax.

Thank you Carlos's full bladder as well as the miscommunication about the GW bathroom light!

From Alco, so far I have sold:

Lot of 4 New NIB Remington Clean Xchange Razor Replacement Cartridges Nanosilver


Accepted best offer of $13.00 plus $7.30 shipping

and

4 New Sealed First Response Rapid Result Pregnancy Tests Expiration June 2014

Accepted best offer of $10.00 plus $7.30 shipping.

So I have already cleared my initial investment and then some.

Additionally I've sold:

NIB NEW HINK PINK Riddles Word Game by Discovery Bay Games
Sold for $19.99 plus $8.00 shipping; paid $4 (discount store)

New in Package Sealed Vintage Bar of Dial Gold Deodorant Soap 5 oz Still Smells!
The second bar sold, to the same buyer. $9.99 again and $4.00 shipping; paid .50 (estate sale)

New Pack of 5 Philips Norelco Nivea HQ150 Advantage Shaving Lotion Cartridges
$9.99 plus $2.80 shipping; paid 50 cents (VOA)

Lot of 5 Anthony Horowitz Books Alex Rider Series Scorpia Ark Angel Snakehead
Accepted $17.00 plus $4.00 shipping; paid $5 (VOA)

Lot of 10 New Mens Fruit of the Loom Boxers Size Sz Extra Large XL Underwear
Accepted BO of $20.00 plus $6 shipping; paid $8 (Morse Rd. GW)

And, saving the best for last...

Little Einsteins Pat Pat Rocket & Transform & Go Rocket Four Figures Included

Sold for $69.99 plus $15 shipping!! Paid $8 at a consignment sale!! In the words of Ms. Frizzle, ya-ha-ha-hoo!!!!

Best Feedback Ever

I got this feedback the other day...

"Thanks my Girlfriend Loves it, because it looks like me"

It cracked me up because it was for... The Chia Gnome.


Ch-ch-ch-chia.

Going with your gut

A few posts back I blogged about an estate sale I went to. I went once on the full-price day and returned on half-price day. I spent a total of $12. Well so far, I have sold the set of 3 vintage lip balms for $9.99 and I woke up this morning to having sold a vintage bar of soap for $9.99.

New in Package Sealed Vintage Bar of Dial Gold Deodorant Soap 5 oz Still Smells!


Sold for $9.99 plus $4.00 shipping.

It just humors me what people will buy. And this was an example of going with your gut. I walked back upstairs probably about 3 times to look at this soap (it actually came in a two-pack so I will still be able to list the second bar!) and I could not get eBay to work on my phone... So I just took a gamble. Paid $1 for both bars. And I think it was a pretty good turnaround!

I think that's most of the fun of selling on eBay... going on a hunch and seeing that it pays off.

Last week I went to a church sale on Friday evening. I've posted about this particular sale a few times before, I just love it. It's right down the street from my job, and they hold the sale twice a year. You pay what you believe is a fair offer. This time I was at first very disappointed, scanning through the toys and books and finding only junk. Then I went over to the craft table, and found a bunch of new cross-stitch kits. I have never sold cross-stitch kits but have heard some can be pretty profitable. I grabbed a handful, then kept shopping, finding a Boynton mug (my fourth!) before eventually stumbling upon the kids' clothes and getting a ton for the fall sales. I paid $7 for everything.

I listed one of the cross-stitch sets so far. I kid you not, it sold in 5 minutes.

New Displaymates CCS Counted Cross Stitch Kit Christian Inspiration 07324 Box

Sold for $17.00 plus $5.80 shipping.

Now, the downside is... this buyer, who has a 1293 feedback score, hasn't paid!! He/she purchased this on Tuesday. But, I'm not sweating it too much. If he doesn't pay, I am super confident I can resell easily, given the fact he bought it so fast!

Since last time, I've also sold:
New NIB Hands Free Black Bluetooth Blue Tooth Digital Watch with Microphone

Sold for $23.00 plus $8.00 shipping, paid $13 I believe at CVS 75% after-holiday clearance
I very much overestimated shipping here. I think it ended up being around $4. Which is good, because...


NEW NIB CHIA GNOME DWARF PET HANDMADE DECORATIVE PLANTER GRASS GROW A BEARD

Sold for $14.99 plus $5.00 shipping. Believe I originally paid $5 or less at CVS clearance

...I seriously underestimated shipping here. It was closer to $12! WHOOPS...

Off with a bang

Yesterday's start to garage sale season was excellent. We hit a handful of singles and two church sales. I came across 6 to 8 sealed blank VHS cassette tapes ($3 for all), two metal hooks with monkeys on them to consign ($1 each), a damask teapot (will try on eBay, and if it doesn't too well there I'll keep it--$2), and a huge bin of Barbies and Bratz like dolls for $3. I've already pulled them out and sorted them and listed them for the consignment sale this upcoming weekend. I listed $48 worth! Also I pulled out a few to try on eBay- one is a Harry Potter doll. He is wearing a Hogwarts sweater but no pants, LOL, and he is missing his glasses. Also two Indian Barbies wearing beautiful saris. The snaps seem to be messed up so I might ask my mother-in-law to sew them for me. But her track record at returning stuff is not so good, so I might also just list as is- looks like I could get 30$ or so. That's it for the singles. Oh yeah, also Carlos got a 22" Acer widescreen monitor for $20. I guess that's a great deal? Hopefully when he gets bored with it it will generate a profit on CraigsList.

The church sales were great. I hit both sales at half price time! Oh yeah! At the first sale I scored a vintage Pound Puppy (25 cents), a Jessie from Toy Story lunch box (25 cents), these things called Yoga Toes for 50 cents- um, what?, two play McDonald's headsets from the '80s (my cousin had this McDonald's drive-thru window thing where you had play McDonald's food- I loved it- and remember these headsets. They were $1 for both), some clarinet reeds (25 cents), a new in box Sponge Bob Christmas ornament for 50 cents, and that might have been it.

The final church sale was awesome!

 I scored this huge pile of teaching books. These are great resources, in fab shape, and easily resellable. I only picked the ones I wanted to read, but there were still so many left. Can you believe they were 2/25 cents?! What is even better- one of them I will need for a college class in the fall, and I would have had to shell out over 30 bucks to buy it on Amazon! Score! I also got the "my first curl" box on top, Harry Potter bed sheets and pillow case, a giant pen I need for a skit we're doing for the students tomorrow (to psych them up for state tests- ugh),  a box of kitschy vintage bridge score pads, a vintage Strawberry Shortcake game, a bag of Handy Manny PVC figures (thanks She Thrifts, She $cores! for that tip!), and a musical Weebles RV/camper.

Success! A great start, hopefully an omen for the future! Have a great week!

It's time!!

I am super excited for tomorrow!! It will be my very first garage sale Saturday of the year! It's been sooo long. I am finally done with teaching test prep, so Saturday mornings are going to be full of bargain hunting! Yeah, yeah! Is it pathetic how excited I truly am? I feel like I did as a kid for Christmas....

Like I've mentioned before, I'm in the middle of my consignment selling season. I've completed two sales, one is this weekend, and the final one will be next weekend. I'll just share a few of the better flips....

A book of dino mazes... Free to me as Carlos found them one day in the middle of the street. Sold for $1.50 (get $1.05 from that)... Yeah that's not a big flip by any means, but it was free to me... moral of the story is, you never know where you might find inventory!
arcade ball game... paid $5 at after-Christmas clearance at CVS... sold for $20.00 (I make $14 of that)
nerf gun... Same deal, paid $5 at after-Christmas clearance but this time at Kroger... sold for $20 so I get $14
Fisher-Price Incrediblock and 16 or so Peekablocks... Paid $2 at a garage sale last year... Had to pay a few bucks to put batteries in it... Sold for $30 (I will get $19.50)

Only 1 eBay sale since last time... A new in box Harry Potter trivia game sold for $16... paid $1.99 at Goodwill...

I have too much stuff.

I feel as though I spend more time in the cycle of buying, making a mess, and organizing than I do actually selling, listing, and shipping. Who feels the same way? eBay has been very slow for me lately, but I haven't really been listing, just relisting, and I guess a lot of what I've been relisting time and time again are duds. It's funny though, I'll have something listed for months, the listing will run out, it will sit unlisted for a week or so, and then when I go to relist it, bam, it sells within a few hours. Like the Lalaloopsy backpack below.

New with Tag NWT Lalaloopsy Sew Cute Heart Shaped Blue Backpack Back Pack Bag

Sold for $19.99 plus $4 shipping, paid $3.99 at GW. Still have a pink one to list too.

The only other sales since I last posted were:

Lot of 3 New in Package Sealed Vintage Chapstick Chap Stick Lip Balm Blistex 70s

Sold for $9.99 plus $4.00 shipping, paid roughly $2.75 at estate sale in last post.

SEASHELL SEA SHELL CIGARETTE ASHTRAY FOLK ART VINTAGE CANDY DISH? DECOR


This picture looks kind of stupid with the pen. Oh well I've never been one to care too much about my pictures, maybe I should, but I don't.
Sold for $9.99 plus $10 shipping to Canada. Free to me, from my dad's collection of junk of varying sorts.

NEW NWT DISNEY CLUB PENGUIN BEANBAG PLUSH RED PUFFLE SNOW ANGEL


This was one of those finally sold after listing a million times things. Sold for $14.99 plus $4 shipping (although I ended up paying more for shipping because I put it in a priority box and didn't wrap it all the way, just covered the markings up, so the clerk advised I ship it priority cuz one of the mailmen might charge postage due on the buyer's end...lesson learned) Paid only $1.80/.90 each at VOA.

Update soon about my consignment sales...

spring break

Spring break is here! Yay! No vacation plans, but I do plan on getting inventory organized. Garage sale season should be here very very soon and of course, I want to buy new stuff, which means I need to make space. I'm also getting ready for 3 more consignment sales I'll be doing over the next month or so. The first consignment sale I did last weekend earned me an $84.75 check. As of now, I have $604 worth of inventory listed for the next one.

I managed to find an estate sale on Friday to satisfy the garage sale itch. I have been to maybe 3 estate sales in my whole life but that will be changing. I never thought to go to them before because I always had the notion that it was too expensive for my tightwad taste. That, and old people's junk was not my cup of tea. However, now that I resell, that mindset has changed. I am on the hunt for those lucrative vintage sanitary pads. But this sale was for a gentleman, who it appeared lived the bachelor lifestyle, so no luck with that, but here is what I did get:
$1 2 bars of vintage Dial soap
$2 family size bottle of 1990s Herbal Essences shampoo (I will be using this- OMG it just smells so good! I saw on a commercial that they are bringing back these scents as well as the retro packaging- I'm in heaven)
$2 set of 8 new in package blank VHS cassettes
.25 rolodex
$2.75 3 tubes of 1970s Chapstick and Blistex- all still sealed

Then I went back yesterday for half price day. For $4, I walked away with:
2 boxes of floppy disks (sealed)
1 microcassette
a Smithsonian mug

Will keep you posted on what sells. I already have a $9.99 bid for the lot of lip balms.

eBay:

Akai MPKmini MPK Mini 25 Key Laptop Production Keyboard Midi Controller

Sold for $61.00 plus $10 shipping, came from husband's personal stuff. He originally paid around $30.


LIFE'S TOO SHORT NOT TO LIVE IT AS A TEXAN COFFEE MUG TEA CUP TEXAS FLAG

Sold for $9.99 plus $7.30 shipping, paid probably 59 cents (Goodwill)

Spring time

So it is officially spring which means a few exciting things! It is consignment season, and also garage sale time is coming soon! I am itching to get to a garage sale but they haven't started just yet. Maybe the weekend after Easter?

I did my first consignment sale this weekend. It is a new one and pretty small, but the upside is you get 70% (the other one I do is 65%) and it's a $15 consignor fee (other is $25). Plus they sort all your stuff for you instead of the other one where you have to play find the unsold items in a frenzy of other people. I still find it secretly humorous that I do all these kids' sales when I haven't any kids myself. :) It looks like I made almost $85. It's a start, especially considering I left one tote at home... Hee...

I just went to Chicago with 10 students for our annual spelling bee. It was an exhausting trip (had to be at the school at 5:30 AM Friday and got back to the school at 3:00 AM Saturday, FYI Chicago is a 6-hr drive) but good news is my 5th grader won the 3rd-5th grade bee! Well she tied for first place because we were running way behind so they declared co-winners, but I bet she could have taken it all. There were at least 100 spellers. I am such a proud teacher.

On the eBay front...

Haven't been listing in awhile as work has taken precedence. I've been doing aftercare till 6 once a week and Saturday school which is test prep. Also had major grading to take care of for report cards, and a bunch of entries to submit to a writing contest. We've been going to the Y more often lately to work out too! Next week is spring break!! Maybe I'll get some items listed then.

CJ CHRISTOPHER AND & BANKS 3X BROADWAY MUSICAL NYC NEW YORK PLAYS THEATER JACKET

Looks way better in person. Sold: $23 (best offer) and free shipping. Forget what I paid, maybe $5? VOA I think.

DISNEY STORE SPECIAL SECRET AGENT OSO PLUSH STUFFED BEAR ANIMAL TOY 14" SOFT!


Sold $9.99 plus $5.00 shipping. FINALLY this was paid for. It sold probably half a dozen times and I had to open unpaid cases every time. So weird. Anyway picked this up for $2 at a GS. Thought I'd get more but alas.

VINTAGE SUSAN BRISTOL WOMENS SIZE LARGE CARDIGAN SWEATER RIBBONS BOWS

Sold $9.99 plus $7.50 shipping. Picked this up in my big collection of Christmas sweaters. Go figure it sold this close to summer time. Paid, um, $3-5ish?

LOT OF 6 VTECH VSMILE DISNEY GAMES CARTRIDGES TINKERBELL ALADDIN LITTLE MERMAID

Sold $27.88 plus $3.50 shipping. Picked up for probably $2ish. VOA.

HUGE LOT OF 9 NEW NIP BLU BLUE RAY BLU-RAY DISCS DVDS FACTORY SEALED SHEEN ALLEN

Sold: $14.99 plus $6.00 shipping. Last lot of Dollar Tree DVDs. Paid $9.00. Total profit for all 26 DVDs: $19.

Sales

Yikes... It's already March! Consignment sale season is coming!!

Here are my recent eBay sales...  Nothing to go crazy for but for the amount of effort I'm putting in, it's rather consistent.

HUGE LOT OF 9 NEW NIP BLU BLUE RAY BLU-RAY DISCS DVDS FACTORY SEALED SHEEN BATES

Sold for $15.00 plus $6.00 shipping. Paid $9 (Dollar Tree)

NEW NIP Truth and & Life New Testament Dramatized Audio Bible 18 CDs

Sold for $19.99 plus $4 shipping. Paid $2.92 (VOA)

Lot of 8 Books The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey Spud Murphy

Sold for $17.50 plus $4 shipping. Paid probably no more than $5.

VINTAGE NEW NIP STAR WARS R2D2 R2 D2 KEYCHAIN ALARM CLOCK 1997 WORKS!! LUCAS

So glad to get rid of this!! Had it for over a year with no interest...
Sold $7.00 and free shipping, paid $2.99 (VOA)

Women's 2X Plus Size Alfred Dunner Cozy Red Sweater Perfect for Winter!

Sold for $14.00 plus $8.00 shipping, paid 19 cents (SA)

Huge Lot of 17 Goosebumps RL R.L.Stine Books Give Yourself Ghosts of Fear Street

Sold $19.99 plus $4.00 shipping, paid no more than $8 (probably much less)

My theme song

Have you heard the song "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore? It's quite the hit and it's very catchy, one of my current workout songs. Also I've decided it is my theme song. If the game of thrifting was a sport, I would come out to this song. Here are some of the lyrics I can relate to (expletives deleted)...

I hit the party and they stop in that --
They be like, "Oh, that Gucci - that's tight."
I'm like, "Yo - that's fifty dollars for a T-shirt."
Limited edition, let's do some simple addition
Fifty dollars for a T-shirt - that's just some ignorant ---
I call that getting swindled and pimped 
I call that getting tricked by a business

And this part, I think I will sing in my head every time I'm at the thrift from now on...

I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I - I - I'm hunting, looking for a come-up
This is  awesome!

Slow and steady wins the race

Here are my recent sales... Nothing to write home about.

V TECH VTECH VSMILE V SMILE ART STUDIO GAME CARTRIDGE ONLY REPLACEMENT

Sold for $12.99 plus $3.50 shipping, paid no more than $2.00 (VOA)

New NIP High Falutin Footless Spanx Size D Nude High Waisted Pantyhose A72593

Sold for $9.50 plus $4.00 shipping, paid $3.25 I think... (VOA)

New POG Milkcap Milk Cap Maker Refill Pack 75 Blank Milkcaps Vintage

Sold for $9.93 plus $4 shipping; Paid 50 cents (VOA)

Boyds Bea R Hope 2008 Daffodil Days American Cancer Society Teddy Bear Plush

Sold for $12.99 plus $4.00 shipping, paid $5 (VOA)

Sales for January

A few sales...

NEW LOT OF 4 TERRY’S DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGES ORANGE BALLS 6.17 oz CANDY EXP 2013

Sold for: $24.99 plus $10.00 shipping. Picked up each for $1.99 after Christmas, or $8 total (Giant Eagle)

NEW LOT OF 2 TERRY’S DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGES ORANGE BALLS 6.17 oz CANDY EXP 2013

Sold for $9.99 plus $7.00 shipped. Again picked up for $1.99 each for $4.

WOMEN'S SIZE LARGE ALFRED DUNNER ZIP UP SWEATER WINTER ICE SKATES SKATING

Sold for $9.99 plus $7.30 shipping. Paid a few dollars (3? Ohio Thrift). 

4 NEW NIP MISTER MR COFFEE REPLACEMENT WATER FILTER FILTRATION DISKS DISCS

Buyer bought 3 listings of this or 12 discs. Sold for $21.00 plus $3.00 shipping. Paid a whopping $1.25. (VOA) BOLO!

NEW NIP KJV KING JAMES COMPLETE AUDIO HOLY BIBLE ON CASSETTE ALEXANDER SCOURBY

Sold for $24.00 plus $6.00 shipping, paid $4.99 (Ohio Thrift)

NEW NIP BROBEE YO GABBA GABBA CUDDLE CUDDLY PILLOW STUFFED PLUSH 2 FEET TALL

Sold $22.99 plus $10 shipping. Paid $12 (Black Friday at Walmart)

VTG HERSHEY PAYDAY PAY DAY COFFEE MUG CUP PEANUTS CARAMEL ELEPHANT UNIQUE RARE

Sold for $7.00 plus $7 shipping; paid perhaps 59 cents (Goodwill)

Windows 8 Pro Pack Full Version 32/64 bit BRAND NEW SEALED (SKU#:3UR-00001)

Sold $69.99 plus $5 shipping; DH got for free with his laptop 

HUGE LOT OF 8 NEW NIP BLU BLUE RAY BLU-RAY DISCS DVDS FACTORY SEALED SHEEN BATES

Sold $15.00 plus $6.00 shipping; Paid $1 each/ $8 (Dollar Tree), not the best profit but I've relisted it many  times and just took the BO. 

Is it February yet?

Well, 2013 has not been off to a good start for me & my family. But I guess the worst is over (hopefully).

In short, my father-in-law was diagnosed with liver cancer a few days before Christmas. January 8th we learn the cancer had spread throughout the entire body. January 9th, he entered hospice. He passed away January 16th at age 57.

We got to say our goodbyes and he passed away surrounded by family. It wasn't a surprise, per se, as he has had multiple health problems since I've known him and he was a heavy drinker throughout most of his adult life. Even still. It came on so quickly.

So Carlos & I are now both members of the dead parents' club, with one of each left. It's tragic and we are unlucky, as we are both in our twenties. My mother-in-law has been holding up okay, but her finances and living situation are in limbo and her health is not perfect either. She has Type 2 diabetes, and the stress of her husband's illness and death have caused her to have some rapid weight loss, which can't be good. We've also taken in her dog... not what I had planned but we'll see how that goes.

It seems like we are getting back into our routines. I started my spring college class. I'm getting some items up on eBay and soon will be getting ready for spring consignment season! Yeah!

Anyway, off I go now... but soon I will post a sales update.

When all else fails... sell your dad's underwear

Happy New Year! I made it to NYC for NYE, which let me tell you... is insanity. Did you know you actually have to pay to be in Times Square? A few hundred dollars per person. Then they block off the streets and street corners. We had a great spot in a park, of which we got kicked out at 8 PM because there was a private party. My overall reaction is that it's kind of like Black Friday on steroids... A lot of waiting in the dark and cold... I did enjoy the city; it was my first time ever being there. I will go back, but not on NYE!

Anyway, back to the thrifting front...
I'm trying to get my "eBay room" cleaned and organized. That is what I have on the agenda for these last few days of winter break. It had been looking much like a Hoarders episode.

We went to visit my dad the weekend before Christmas. Every trip to my dad's results in his giving us lots of random oddities to sell on eBay. It's sort of annoying, because it's mostly older things that are not my area of expertise, and they sit for a long time because I don't feel like researching them. But then my dad bugs me every time I speak to him about what I've sold, so I'm trying to get better at listing the items he gives me. Plus, it's free money because he doesn't want anything back. Well this time, he gave me several pairs of underwear. He bought them all but then realized it was the wrong size or fit. Add this one to your BOLO list, friends:

NEW 11 PAIRS FRUIT OF THE LOOM HANES UNDERWEAR MENS BOXERS BOXER BRIEFS SIZE MED

Cost: free to me, Sold: $29.99 + $3.00 shipping


NEW 6 PAIRS FRUIT OF THE LOOM HANES UNDERWEAR MENS BRIEFS BOXER BRIEFS SIZE L

Cost: free to me, Sold: $10.49 + $3.00 shipping

The ones still in the package did better. I will definitely look for those at yard sales this year!

Other recent sales:

Women's Plus Size 3X Croft & Barrow Snowmen Cardinal Sweater Beading Snow Winter


Cost: ?? $5 or less... one of my pile of Ugly Xmas Sweaters (Ohio Thrift); Sold: $29.99 + $7.30 shipping

Relisted after Xmas and changed the wording a bit. Sold within a few hours. My thoughts for next year are to find ugly, gaudy WINTER sweaters...

NEW NIP TAMATOWN TAMA-GO TAMAGOTCHI MAMETCHI #26616 VIRTUAL PET BONUS DVD BANDAI

Cost: $4-ish (discount store); Sold: $24.99 + $4.99 shipping