Is eBay Selling Worth Your Time Anymore?

While I wait on tax documents to get here so I can power through the taxes, and the much dreaded FAFSA(yes, I said that word!), I've been going through and calculating my eBay numbers.

Yes, if you sell stuff on eBay it's income and you had better report it.
I'm just sayin'.....

Even with just selling stuff for 2 months last year, the amount of paperwork and numbers I have to wade through is mind numbing.  It took me three solid HOURS to get through it tonight!
Ugh.

After deducting all the fees, supplies and the costs of the goods I sold, I netted a whopping.....you'd better sit down for this!......$1710.10.

And that's not deducting for the portion of the storage unit fees I incurred to store the things I sold.  I "could" deduct that IF I could come up with an acceptable formula to divide the storage unit fees between the square footage the eBay stuff occupied and the square footage where all the non-eBayed stuff sat.  I could also try deducting lots of other things too....like part of my internet connection cost, part of the cost of my computer/printer/paper/ink/etc.  But all that takes documentation and effort and sends up audit flags.   I'll just take that hit and not even bother.  I am beyond caring to go there.lol

So in the end all the fees I paid to sell this stuff?
It almost cost me as much as I netted!

I will not depress myself by figuring what my hourly wage was to make that $1710.10.
But I suspect I'd be better off wearing a paper hat and asking if you want fries with that! lol

This all just confirms my belief that selling on eBay as an income stream is so not worth it.  Might have been years ago but now?.....nah!

It's a great way to get rid of things you have laying around the house and such.  Or selling off things you don't want anymore.
But as a sustainable fulltime job?  Not so much.

I'll stick to Focus Groups and some Survey work.....though my patience for that stuff is wearing thin too lately.  ;-)

I need to find someone who wants to pay me to sit around and drink adult beverages!
Yah, now THAT'S the kind of work I could so get into!!  8-)

Sluggy

What I've Done....Er, Mostly Avoided This Week

On Tuesday I dragged my self out of bed long enough to take #2 son to the eye doctor.  He had failed the vision test at school...uh oh.....

At the doc's office, #2 son learned he has joined the family "bad vision" club on Tuesday, as he is now nearsighted.
Plus got the astigmatism from dear old mom's genes.
Double bonus!

I had my vision checked as well since it was time and yes, the doddering old mom's eyes have gotten worse in the last 2 years.  Pretty soon they'll be fitting me for a white red tipped cane and/or a big guide dog in a harness to haul my carcass around.

I don't mind eye exams.
It's the picking out new frames I can't stand.
Why must they change all the styles every 2 years?!?  I find a style that doesn't make people turn away in disgust at my face and then the next time I need a new frame, the style is gone and I have to ferret out another style that works with the few good points on my visage.
It's so totally unfair I tell ya!

After the psyche scarring episode over at Pearle Vision Center, #2 son and I went down the strip mall to Ollie's.
Ollie's is the local discount/closeouts store, much like a Job-Lot, Odd-Lot, or the now defunct Value City.  I am a card carrying member of Ollie's and they had mailed me a 15% off Coupon to use before Valentine's Day.

Since I've spent so little from the food budget this month, we stocked #2 son up on vital junk food and I got a few deals as well......

I got 5 boxes of kitchen bags-45 count for $4.24 after 15% discount.  A real good price!  Between this lot and what I already have in the stockpile that I got for no OOP at Rite-Aid over the course of last year, we should be set for garbage bags at least until the Fall.
4 bottles of 100% juice for $1.69 each.
3 jars of mandarin oranges for $1.35 each(ignore that 1 is already empty!lol)

Then for #2 son's dining pleasure....
4 boxes of Mac and Cheese "crack" for .76¢ each.(close-out because it's jack-o-lantern shaped)
2 packages of cookies for .76¢ and $1.69.
1 package of kettle popcorn for $1.27.
And a huge 2 foot tall container of pretzel logs for $4.24. *Not pictured as it's already disappeared into the depth's of his room.*

I spent $43.01 with tax.

Afterwards we met Hubs and went over to Denny's so I could cash in my Free Birthday Grand Slam Meal Coupon.   Mmmmm.....French Toast, a couple of eggs and assorted breakfast meats made my tummy happy.  #2 son got a Grand Slam and Hubs got a Chicken Sandwich.  We dropped a $20(including a righteous tip) and headed home.

And other than chauffeuring duties, I haven't left the house since then.
I wander around the house and think about cleaning and decluttering or doing laundry and then I go lay down and rest instead.
Or I go read emails/blogs until the feeling passes and then I go lay down instead.

I can't seem to shake this thing.  Being sick on your birthday blows, ya know?
Plus I've been in a major funk.  Having relationship issues with the daughter lately doesn't help.

Don't mind me.  I'll just be over here in the corner wallowing in self-pity for a bit longer.

Sluggy

January Food Spending Week 3, Meal Plan January Week 4

*I am taking part in Precious' MONEY SAVING CHALLENGE again for 2012.  You can find her blog FRUGAL MAKES CENTS and a list of other participants and their blogs  HERE.

Check it out.  You might find some new ideas for incorporating frugality into your life there!*


I love searching around for old photos and advertisements featuring kitchens from years gone by.  These are mostly the kitchens from my youth in the 1960's or earlier.  

Today's kitchen......

Here's a 1960's beauty!  The rustic country americana kitchen look.  Wooden cabinets with those black iron handles that allude to a barn door and the requisite RED wallpaper.  I'm surprised there is no chicken motif going on as well!
While the '60s saw the end of metal cabinetry in the American kitchen in favor of wood, the colorific appliances were still  hanging on.
And those lovely yellow appliances....just makes your mouth water, or would that be your EYES WATER?!?lol

Enough of that, onward to the Meals and Food Spending. 8-)


Last week's meal plan is in the books.  Here is what actually happened....

SUNDAY--Chinese Take-out *I wasn't feeling too well

MONDAY--Sloppy Joes(with ground turkey or chicken), Rolls, Green Beans

TUESDAY--homemade Chili, Cornbread

WEDNESDAY--?

THURSDAY-- ?

FRIDAY-- ?
SATURDAY--homemade Chicken Pot Pie-Daughter made this and it was good!

Yes, those are question marks for 4 days of my menu.  I was sick all week with sinus problems.  I hung in there for 2 days and made a couple of crockpot meals(just throw the main components all in the pot and make the rest of the family sort it all out)but I didn't eat any of it.  I had soup and applesauce and bagels or Hubs got me some Egg Drop Wonton Soup at the Chinese place.  The family fended for themselves with leftovers and whatever they wanted to fix the rest of the week.

I was beyond caring what they ate by Tuesday. lol

Since I wasn't on top of my food waste game last week(and no one else here seems capable of dealing with this issue), we lost some items while I was indisposed.

I also didn't step foot into a grocery store all week.  Hubs and daughter picked up some rolls, milk and eggs along the way as needed and threw the receipts on my desk.....how thoughtful.  The weekly spending was $8.31.

3 Weeks in and I've spent $160.93 of my January food budget.  $139.07 left for the month.  There isn't much in the sales ads that is thrilling me, so I may not be venturing into the stores again this week.  You'll see better why I don't need to shop below.

Going into Week 4, we have Sloppy Joes and Chili leftover from Week 3.

This week's menu.....

SUNDAY--homemade Pizza, carrot & celery sticks w/dressing

MONDAY--Leftovers or Burritos

TUESDAY--Denny's for Birthday Grand Slam

WEDNESDAY--Red Robin for Birthday Burger

THURSDAY--Baked Potatoes with Toppings, Mixed Veg.

FRIDAY--Lone Star for Birthday meal
SATURDAY--Chicken & Dumplings with carrots

Items needed for this menu are nothing.  2 of the meals planned but not fixed last week are here and a whole bunch of free birthday meals so not much cooking this week.  The only new item this week is chicken & dumplings
While my meals will be FREE, the Hubs and son's meals will come out of the Entertainment funds for the month, not the grocery funds.

So what is everyone else eating this week?  

Sluggy

Songs for a Grey Day..... & A Secret Revealed

Go HERE for a snappy song to lift your spirits.
And Big Kenny.....that would be the tall one of the two......I wouldn't throw him out of bed for eating crackers in it.

And here's my country music street cred.
This guy is a distant cousin.  You may have heard of him before?

And for a laugh, did you know he was a Champion on Star Search in the '80s?
Love the mullet.....lol





Sluggy

Is it Really Monday AGAIN?!?!

* Being sick on your birthday sucks.  Ok, so this isn't startling news to anyone.  As of this morning, I do feel like I have turned the corner on this thing however.  I am drained of energy still but I am on the mend.

* Being sick for a week turns your Meal Plan into a Meal Disaster.  I made a few things this past week but lots of other things didn't get eaten, still other things didn't get put into the freezer in time(which makes me sick again to thing about the waste) and the fridge needs a good clean out.  The freezer, pantry and stockpile as well could use a good clean out also.  Having the offspring home and pawing through the freezer, pantry and stockpile means nothing is in it's place.  Daughter hauled back 2 bags of foodstuffs to college(which I didn't inspect or "ok" before it left the premises)so if anything comes up missing, I KNOW where it is.lol

* Being sick while trying to show your 19 year old daughter how to do her taxes is NOT found under "Fun" in the dictionary.   Come to think of it, neither is doing your own taxes and TWO, COUNT 'EM TWO FAFSAs......

* Being sick is not conducive to figuring out ones Goals for the new year.  I know everyone is probably bored to tears with my Monthly Food Budget spending reports and my Monthly Savings Challenge reports and my Weekly Meal plans and the little bit of Shopping I do each week(IF I do any).

So what say you dear readers?.....should I continue with these reports and plans? 
How about I bring back the Sluggy's Boring Box Giveaway?

Bueller?......Bueller??.......

I will have my List of Goals for 2012 later this week.
Hey, at least I'm getting them done before January is over!...maybe......lol

Sluggy