Dumping the Contents of My Head

Yep, that's just my colorful way of saying this post is just a mish-mash of random things rattling around in my head.


eBay
RE:Mr China/NY/CA Guy--Not a peep heard from him on Sunday.  Oh, did I mention he is now unregistered?  Gee, I wonder why.......!lol  I filed on him and got my fees back on 1 of the items.  Now that eBay has unregistered him, I'll write them to try and get my fees back on the other item.

Mr. Didn't Pay Me $249 Yet--Still no payment.  He has been filed on too.

Ty Lawyer Bullies--I changed "beanie" to "beanbag" in the listing.  DH gave me a "look" when I suggested I play around with these snakes.....playing with snakes will just get you bitten so I'm just going to let it go.

I sold a couple of things over the weekend...yah!  Now I need to get more listed while I'm on a roll.

One of the items I sold was a massive Mega Bloks set.  I went to the storage unit Sunday to fetch it so I could prepare it for shipping.  Now this box is 4.5 FEET tall and 3 FEET long.  I asked DH to get it out of the car for me.  DH knows me....I usually have multiple boxes of stuff in my car at any given time.  So he asked me how he'd know which box I wanted him to carry in.  I said, "It's the big box."  He just looked at me and reinterated, "How will I know it's the right box?"  I gave him a "look over the top of my glasses look" and said, "Unless you are dumb as a mud fence, you WILL know!"
He got the correct box....and on the first try!
LOLOL

Food
My new favorite food--I Love a freshly grilled hamburger or beefalo-burger.  Just season it up well with sea salt and slap it medium rare on a plate with a little puddle of ketchup.  If you have to bun it, bun sea salt, burger and a slice of tomato...that's it!
No cheese.
No other condiments or onions or bacon or other gunk.
Just the salt to enhance the beefy/buffalo-ness and some tomatoness.
Simple and nothing better.

I have also discovered that no candy/junk is better tasting than Peanut M&Ms.....DARK CHOCOLATE Peanut M&Ms. I picked some up for free on one of my many Rite-Aid excursions and finally opened a bag to try.
Dark Chocolate heaven!!!

Clutter/House Stuff
Other than it looks like a bomb went off in the Den, I need to get more stuff out of here.  I've got another load in DH's car heading for Sallie's on Tuedays and I started another load on Sunday to put in his trunk as soon as he empties it in a couple of days.
The living room is a mess too with all the stuff I got listed while DH was out of town.  I need to pack it all into boxes now and wait for people to buy it so I can ship it out.

I had daughter help me bring up toys from the basement on Saturday.....I had forgotten I still had stuff down there.  I am trying to be ruthless as I go through it all on whether to keep to sell or donate this stuff.
So far I've decided to send about 75% of it to Sallie's.  I'm only keeping to sell the stuff that after fees/shipping will give me a profit of at least $5 over what I paid.
The eBay criteria now is to list stuff for a REALISTIC Price that it will sell at quickly.  If it doesn't in 30 days, relist for a bargain price and if that doesn't work, off it goes to Sallie's after the 2nd 30 days.  According to my CPA brother, if you can't recoup at least 60% of what you paid on something in cash, it's more financially prudent to donate and take the tax write-off.  Of course, if you really really NEED the CASH, that rule of thumb flies out the window and you take whatever Cash you can get for stuff.lol

Anything that is very pricey to ship, that is not rare or valuable, will also just get donated since buyers don't seem to want to pay for shipping.


I donate every year to the local volunteer fire dept.'s fundraising auction that's held in the fall.  But the woman who runs it won't accept my donates until the month of the auction(even though they do have space to store the stuff in the fire hall).  I'd love to donate some of what is going to her but she's totally rigid on this.  I'm not planning on having much if anything left that donate-able by Nov. so she's totally getting nothing from me this year.  Her loss....

I am addicted to 2 shows:the one on Sunday on TLC and the one on Monday on A&E.  Both are about Hoarding.
It's a fascinating subject to me because it hits close to home.  We have the hoarding 'gene' in my family and I believe this condition is partly to blame for my oldest brother's death...indirectly but still, it did contribute to his demise.  I've seen this stuff up close and personal and have helped a hoarder clean...if you can call it that.  Some nights I just want to reach through that tv screen and shake these people it's so frustrating that they just don't get it.  If only they could get out of their own heads and look at themselves.
agh....
Last night's episode they said the woman was an organized collector type of hoarder and that she had 60 bottles of shampoo, among a bazillion other things.
60 bottles of shampoo, huh?
Well don't look at me!lolol
I wonder if someone saw my hundreds of rolls of t.p. and my 50 bottles of shampoo if they would want to sign me up for this show?

I've rattled on long enough I guess.  Off to make a list for the food bank and get some stuff hauled up there.  Then it's back to going through eBay 'treasures'....oh joy!

So what is everyone else up to on this fine Monday?

Sluggy

Saturday Shopping.....Just Say Cheese!

I made 2 quick runs to 2 grocery stores on Saturday afternoon.

First the local independent chain grocer....

3 x Green Giant Veggies on sale $1=$3.00--use $.60/3 ManuQ doubled to $1=$2.00 for 3
2 x Wisk Detergent on sale $2.98=$5.96--use 2 x $2/1 ManuQ=$1.96 for 2
5 x Mighty Dog dog food cans on sale $.60=$3.00--use $3/5 ManuQ=FREE 5 cans
1 x 2lb. Strawberries on sale=$3.99 for 2lbs./$2 a lb.
2 x Store Brand 1lb. bags Mozzarella Cheese on sale $2=$4.00 for 2lbs.
2 x 1lb. Butter on sale $1.49=$2.98 for 2

I wanted to pick up more of the cheese because it was the larger grate size and without all those anti-caking ingredients some pre-grated cheeses have.  But these were the last 2 package in the store.....serves me right for waiting until the last minute to get some.lol

Grand Total spent....$14.93+$.54 tax=$15.47
Value of items...$41.25
Savings....$26.32

Since I didn't get enough cheese, it was off to Weis.....
Forget Kraft cheese folks, go try the Sargento brand.  They have a Mozzarella/Provolone blend that is yummy!  Sargento runs more than Kraft but find it on sale and use coupons and it's just as cheap or cheaper than bland old Kraft.

8 x Sargento Cheese on sale $2/bag=$16.00--use 4 x $.55/2 ManuQ doubled to $1=$12.00 for 8 bags
1 x Turkey Pepperoni on sale=$2.00
1 x Ground Beef $1.99/lb. 2.03lbs=$4.08
2 x Pork Boneless Ribs @$5.29=$10.58-$4.46 markdown=$6.12--use 2 x $1.50 Instant Discount sticker=$3.12
SubTotal....$21.20
Used a $3 OYNO Catalina for a Grand Total of $18.20



That was suppose to be my total.  Going over my receipt now I see the cashier didn't ring up one of the Pork packages but did take off the $1.50 Instant Disc. sticker so....$18.20-$3.06(cost of pork)=$15.14 TOTAL.
This means I paid .06¢ for 2.5lbs. of pork. 8-)

 Total spent....$15.14
Value of items...$42.35
Savings....$21.15

Grand Total spent....$30.61(before tax)
Value of items....$83.60
Savings...$52.99
Percentage saved....65.4%

I am happy with this percentage of savings, especially because nothing I bought was 'junk'.  ;-)

$30.61 for....
5lbs. of meat
1.5 lbs. of veggies
2lbs. of fruit
2lbs. of butter
6lbs. of cheese
100 oz. of laundry detergent
5 cans of dog food

Sluggy









   

Last Chance to Enter my Coupon Binder Giveaway! NOW CLOSED

LAst

***The Giveaway is now CLOSED!***
Winner will be announced this evening.

My Giveaway for the MEAD 5 STAR ZIPPERED BINDER ends Sunday April 18th!
This is your Last Chance to enter it HERE.

Good Luck to All!

Sluggy

It's Here Finally......Rite-Aid's WELLNESS Program Goes National April 18th

Sunday, April 18th is the day that Rite-Aid Drug Stores rolls out it's Wellness+ Program to all it's stores across the US.  You can go read up on this program, which essentially is a Customer Loyalty type Rewards Program, on their website or HERE.

Basically you present your card at the register every time you make a purchase so they can credit your account with your purchases.

For every 125 points you accrue from purchases, you are mailed a one-time 10% off shopping pass.

Once you have spent $500, you are eligible for a 10% discount throughout the store on regular priced items(some items are exempt like gift cards, phone cards, money orders, prescriptions, etc.)for the remainder of the calendar year..  If an item is on sale but a 10% reduction on the reg. price is more then you get whichever price saves you more money.

After you spend $1000, you earn a 20% discount on regular priced items.
At the $500 spending level you also get a certificate for a free health screening.

The spending points accrue and are valid toward your discount for 1 calendar year.  The beginning of a new year and you lose your discount level you have earned and start all over again accruing points.

Now if you are signed up and participate in the Single Check Rebate Program, Rite-Aid will or already has signed you up for the Wellness+ Program and has mailed you a program card. 
Isn't that nice of them?

Even though I already have a Wellness card I received a new card in the mail a few days ago.  It's not a duplicate but has a new member number on it.
Not sure yet if the old card will become obsolete and I'll be forced to activate this one to use or if I can use either or both.  I guess I'll find out the next time I hop over to Rite-Aid to buy something.

Now there are reports that along with the roll out of the Wellness Program nationwide, there have been changes to the Coupon Policy at Rite-Aid....thanks for the heads up on this from my bloggy friend over at I'm So Pretty I Fart Fairy Dust.  If accurate, this Coupon Policy will negatively impact the coupon using shopper and make it much harder to walk out of Rite-Aid with a load of stuff for pennies on the dollar.
I am so hoping this is NOT true.

Since I mention Rite-Aid on my blog frequently, they have been emailing me information now and again on 'goings on' at Rite-Aid that they want spread among the online community.  When my corporate mole contacted me about getting the word out about the roll-out of Wellness+ nothing was mentioned about any changes to the Coupon Policy like Fairy Dust heard about from another blogger's personal experience in the store. 
So I have contacted my source inside Rite-Aid Corporate on the details about any Policy changes and will update my readers once I hear back from my main man. ;-)

So stay tuned on this.....

Sluggy

What else?.....eBay Fun Part "Whatever"!

Remember Mr. China/NY/CA guy?

Well I refunded his payment and filed to cancel 1 of the 2 transactions after he ignored my emails for 2 days where I asked him to explain a few things before I shipped the toys.
Then I went and reported him to eBay for suspected suspicious behavior.

That evening I get an email from eBay that Mr. China/NY/CA Guy has denied canceling the transaction and eBay will NOT be refunding my Final Transaction Fee of $3.40(plus the initial listing fee of .20¢) because the buyer won't agree to cancel it.
WTF?!
Then I get an email from Mr. Guy that he wants me to cancel both transactions at the same time.
???
Well I can't do that because you already denied the cancellation of the 1st toy, can I, you dumb shit!?
Now if I cancel the other sale the 'nice' way he's going to deny he wants it cancelled and I'll be out another $6+ on those FVFs.
This a-hole has already cost me $3.80 in fees and a week's worth of having 2 items available for sale.

So I filed a Report on him that he violated my terms of sale for the other toy.
Screw him at this point!
I'll at least get my FVFs back on that one and he won't be able to leave me a negative on that sale.

So now he keeps sending me emails through eBay asking me "what's the matter?".
Get.
A.
Friggin'
CLUE.

eBay acknowledged my "report of suspicious behavior" on Mr. China/NY/CA Guy.  They will investigate(not holding my breath)but because of confidentiality they can't 'share' with me what they find....blah, blah, blah....yah, I know their spiel.
I wonder how much longer they let him act the predator on eBay before they decide to yank his account.  Hopefully before 32 sellers lose their items and get hit with chargebacks....but probably not.


I also have a potential situation with a buyer who bought something 6 days ago and still has not paid me.
My terms of sale are payment within 1 week as listed in the auction/listing.
This buyer has ZERO feedback....another just signed up person....and he owes $249.
Oh, I am just a eBay Loser Magnet, huh?


And I got an email via eBay's system.  I now have a high powered Chicago corp. law firm demanding I remove the word beanie from a listing.  Seems Mr. TY Warner of Ty Beanie Baby fame has bought the exclusive use of the word Beanie among others and you can not use it to sell something on eBay....unless it's a Ty toy.  Gee, I thought a beanie was a generic word for a generic type of doll?
I guess Mr. Warner can't think of anything else to do with his billions of $$$s(put in his pockets by little guys buying his schlocky toys in the first place)other than paying high-priced lawyers to bully the little guy just trying to sell a couple of things online.  I know I am powerful but I never thought I was a menacing threat by trying to sell a few beanie dolls!lol

Since I am already in a very pissy place when it comes to dealing with eBay, I was thinking of changing the listing by rewording it(not removing the highly offensive word buy moving it in the listing title)and adding a bonus item of a hat if you buy my dolls.....a BEANIE type hat!
Now I am sure they don't have the market cornered on the word Beanie in the hat world, so I'll sell a hat with the dolls and still use the word in terms of the hat.
LOLOL

Or I could just substitute the alternate Beanbag for Beanie.
And send a snitty reply to the lawyers of course.

I know....I am spending waaaay too much of my energy and time on this.
I just hate bullies....
And lawyer firms.

Sluggy

Splurge Week...But Still Under Budget

Longtime readers of the blog probably noticed that there was no Meal Plan Monday post on Monday....or Tuesday 'cuz sometimes I don't get it together in time for Monday posting.
But I did NOT post a MPM this week.

DH was out of town most of the week.
Daughter works evenings, 4 nights a week, so if she doesn't like what I am serving she either makes her own dinner or skips it and eats at work or eats my meal as a leftover if any is left when she comes home.
#2 son often doesn't eat at all, since he will gorge himself as soon as he gets home from school or he'll not like what I am serving and just do without.....even though he is hungry. Oh to be a teen again and be able to do that....

Some nights DH and I are the only ones who eat my dinners.  If that happens and we are left with lots of leftovers, we then eat those leftovers another night.  Since I could have potentially made meals all week and had NO ONE except me here to eat them, there would not have been room in the fridge for all the leftovers. 
So I just said screw it to the meal planning this week.
Besides I was just tired of cooking and thought I would enjoy the break for that chore.

However with no plan in place I was flying without a net.  After meal planning for going on 1.5 yrs, that is a scary place to be for me. 
But it didn't seem that big of a problem until Friday afternoon.
That's when I just went plum loco and the wheels went flying off the truck.

Yah see....Price Chopper NE had fresh Maine Lobster this week for $5.99lb.  A most excellent price for lobster in this landlocked state situated squarely outside of New England. 
After ignoring the siren song of those yummy water bugs for the better part of a week, I finally couldn't hold out any longer and jumped into the car to head to PC.
And I bought 6 lobsters.  Say hello to my little friends.....

And I cooked them all up and ate TWO of them straightaway!
I heart lobster!
Nom, Nom, Nom....................

Since daughter was off to work and #2 son had filled up on 89¢ burritos at Taco Bell, I threw the other 4 in the fridge.  They are destined for lobster rolls or lobster Newburg or something in the next couple of days.

The damage to the grocery bill for 8.70lbs. of lobster?
$52.11.
Eek!

I also picked up a few things while at PC that I found good prices on.  And I used No coupons. **Sluggy  hangs head....**

2 x Lobster Rangoons on sale BOGO=$9.99-at this price, cheaper than the Chinese restaurant
1 x Tortillas--had $1 instant savings Peelie on it=$2.29
4 x Shredded Cheese on sale BOGO($2.99) plus 2 bags had $1 instant savings Peelies on them=$3.98
2 x 10lb. Red Potatoes on sale BOGO($3.99)=$3.99 **Not Pictured
1 x Gallon of Milk=$3.15**Not Pictured

The cheese was $1 a bag, the tortillas(something we needed)were $2.29 & the rangoons were half price.
Not too bad in the savings dept.

Grand Total spent with lobsters.....$75.51
I saved $22.96 on the groceries and $26.10 on the lobster for a savings total of $49.06.

I went to the local market earlier this week for ricotta, deli cheese and frozen veggies(all on sale) and spent $17.73.
So my grocery spending for this week is $93.24.
Considering the only other money I've spent this whole month of April was $4.80 last week for milk at the convenience store I don't feel so awful.

My April spending is at $98.04 and there are exactly 2 weeks left in the month.
Even though I'll be picking up some more grated cheese Saturday at Weis, I'm still well below my $250 monthly budget for food/toiletries.

I think this got the Splurge thing out of my system now!  It just goes to show that by being frugal for the most part, you can allow yourself some splurges now and again and still stay on track.  It's when the splurges start to outnumber the frugal times that leads you into trouble.

Would I have still spent $52 on lobsters if I had spent more of my April budget to this point?
Maybe.....it all depends on how much was left in the monthly budget or if I had extra funds I could cover the purchase outside of the food budget(would NEVER put this on a credit card!).  I might have bought fewer lobsters if the money was tighter.
But it wasn't.....because I am frugal in most everything else.

Do I regret now spending that much on a luxurious want?
Not really.....I didn't put the purchase on credit and I have more than enough cash to cover it.
It was weird however spending that much at one time, on 1 purchase.  I don't think I've spent $75 in a single transaction in ages....lol

Sluggy

Where & How to Find More Money....Besides Robbing a Convenience Store

Since today is INCOME TAX RETURN DAY and most of us are shaking our heads about what percentage of our income we are required to give to Uncle Sam every year, one of the topics at the forefront of most people's minds is how to make MORE MONEY!

Face it, outside of Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and George Soros, who can't use more money?

So how do you find more money?
Where do you find more money?
The possibilities are endless and all around you if you just take some time and think about it.

Now many bloggers will tell you that you can make money online quite easily by reading emails, doing surveys, being part of a research panel and that sort of thing....just click on this link and go sign up.


Yes, you can make money this way.  I don't consider this a very lucrative way to get cash.
It takes little skill but it takes A LOT of your time filling out surveys, clicking on links, reading emails.
And all the ones I've ever tried or heard of make you spend a lot of time jumping through their hoops to make anything substantial.  Some bloggers promote these ways of making money because they want you are a referral, meaning if they recruit you, they make something when you sign up through them. 

And most of these internet moneymaking deals don't pay you in cash but in gift cards.  You can't fund a 401K with a gift card...lol
And the ones that do pay out in cash don't offer you enough 'work' per month to make a difference in your bottom line.

Now I am not talking here about Mystery Shopping.  That's a whole other story from what I hear.  If you get in with the right company & you have the availability, you can make significant income.



Besides your regular job(if you have a regular job), you could get a second job....also called a side job or a side hustle.

That second job can take many forms-working at a regular business in your off hours, as a cashier at Target, waiting tables at Olive Garden, restocking shelves at Bath & Body Works, or any other of the endless possiblities out there.
This type of second job can be good in that you put in the time, collect the paycheck and go home.  Beyond the stress while you are at the job, you don't take this kind of job home with you like you may a regular job.  But usually you need to be pretty flexible and available to work the hours your boss needs.

Or that second job can be working for yourself, at your own business.  If you have a hobby, you can parlay that love of whatever it is into a business. Usually you can make money via a product or a skill.

Products
Have a love of tying flies?....sell those flies you make to flyfishing people all over the world via internet or locally at a specialty sporting goods shop or via word of mouth or Craigslist.
Do you sew or do ceramics?  Stitch or paint up some inventory of goods and hit the craft show circuit.
Love to cook?  Get a food cart and hit the county fairs & carnivals to sell refreshments to hungry fair-goers this summer.

Skills
Are you a wiz at math or can play a musical instrument?  Parlay those skills by offering tax preparation to the math challenged adult, math tutoring to school students needing extra help or offer music lessons.
Another teaching outlet is to find a local Adult Education program and offer to teach a class in a subject you are proficient in to night time learners.
If you are a cooking fool offering in-home chef dinner services to folks too busy to cook.

Another way to find money is on eBay or Craigslist or a local online Sales site.  If you have stuff you no longer need or use, go sell it and recoup some cash.  It's a win/win situation doing this.  You add to your bank account and you get clutter out of your life!

Notice I didn't say make money by selling on eBay, etc.
To actually make money on these sites is quite difficult now.  To make money you need to make a profit.  If you are selling items on eBay that are used that you bought for retail price which is higher than what you can get for them used, you are NOT making a profit on them(except in rare situations like items in such high demand that they sell used for more than they cost new at retail price).
You are making money true, but you are just recouping a portion of what you paid for it in the first place.

I think it's so deceptive(not maliciously so)when bloggers post that eBay and such are great ways to make money.  They are great ways to turn stuff into money and recoup some of what you have spent in the past.
But don't look at eBay as a way to finance your life.
Unless of course you are buying things low and can sell them on eBay for more than what you paid(on clearance at retail or for dirt cheap at a yard or estate sale, etc)...plus all the fees(eBay, auction management, Paypal, photo sites, packing supplies, paper & printer ink, etc.)you need to pay.  And don't forget that when someone pays you for the item and shipping via Paypal, the amount they send you as the part for shipping costs will NOT cover the full amount to ship, because Paypal takes a portion of those funds with the portion of the funds sent for the payment on the item.

So how have I found additional money in the past?

Since I know how to sew, I have sewn for people who can't sew.  I made gowns for a high school chorus, I did alterations on clothing for neighbors, I made costumes for a production at a dinner theatre, I served as a wardrobe mistress for a local opera company.  I was going to teach sewing lessons but that particular time it didn't pan out.  I made drapes for Industrial Shows and for a big name Shoe Designers Fashion Show in Manhattan.  Back in the '80's when the Cabbage Patch Dolls first came out,  I couldn't sew doll clothes for them fast enough to sell.

I also have some skill at painting and crafts.  I have sold painting at art shows, I have painted ceramics and sold those at craft shows, I taught art lessons to kids.  I made assorted crafty Christmas ornaments, Wreaths, Pillows, Quilts and sold them as craft shows as well.  When my Native American ceramic pieces did well I taught myself how to make intricate Dream Catchers with sinew, leather, beads and feather to augment my sales.

I have bought items and resold them on eBay for a profit, though this was a much easier thing to do about 6 years ago.  I don't recommend this to anyone nowadays unless you really know what you are doing!  You can easily lose money trying to do this now.

While in college, I matted and framed art posters for the Admissions Office, I assisted an Art Show curator in putting up an Art Exhibit, I hemmed dresses & jeans for other students, I typed research papers for a blind student, I tutored someone's Haitian nanny in reading English,  I read and sorted play submissions  & sewed costumes for the Theater Department.

Almost anyone can find something they can do, or teach or make that someone else will pay you for.

Have you had any luck turning a hobby or skill into a side job or even a career?  Leave a comment and let us know what and how you did it!

Sluggy