Transfer Tuesday and Paying Down Debt

Happy Tuesday! It is that time again to make a weekly payment ( no matter how big or how small) to our debt. I find it very satisfying to apply something to our debt every week. It gives me a goal to find extra cash and it is encouraging to see the balance go down.

Previous balance (two weeks ago) 82,211.86

Credit Card Rewards $145.88
eBay earnings $2000.00

New Balance $80,065.96

I have got to find $66 by next Tuesday to get that total below $80,000!!

I set a 2020 goal of reducing the Heloc balance by $20,000. We started on Dec 14, 2019, with a balance of $84,630.00

Here is my HELOC debt tracker. I like visuals and I came up with this graph to track my debt repayment. Each square is $50, Each column is $2300.00. If you look at the bottom of the graph you can see a tiny purple hashmark. This designates $20,000.00 in DEBT REPAYMENT which is my goal for 2020.

Today, I will be catching up on yard work. There is an acre of fenceline to put weed killer on and get rid of the grass that the mower won’t reach. Then, hopefully, I can get the mower out and get the grass mowed. Before the yardwork, I need to run to Aldi’s to get butter and onions. And to pass by the Goodwill to drop off a bag of stuff.

Yesterday I was able to vacuum, dust and catch up on laundry. That is an endless chore, but it always feels better to get it done. I also went to Publix to pick up a few things we needed, cat litter, cat food, soda, paper towels, etc.

While at Publix, I noticed that they have a new way to earn money with qualifying purchases of eligible products. When you purchase $50 of eligible products you will receive a $10 Publix Gift Card. Each household is allowed to earn up to 12 Publix Gift Cards per household per year.

Here is the link if you are interested. You scan in your receipt with the eligible purchases marked with an asterisk, as well as the total spent at the grocery store. There are a few hoops to jump through, but it’s not awful.

Here is the link if you are interested.

www.stockingspree.com

Here is a link to Pennies Not Perfection my inspiration for Transfer Tuesday. I stumbled onto her channel late last year, Mary is a young working mother that inspires this old lady to do better.

In three months, we have earned $27.15 on the GET UPSIDE app. Get UPSIDE is easy to use. Just ope the app to see the cashback offers near you, pay with any credit card or debit and take a picture of your receipt. Use my link to get started. You will save $0.15 per gallon your first time! My GET UPSIDE link. When you sign up, I will earn a penny per gallon off of your purchases. It adds up quick.

Have a great Tuesday!!

Sunday Stuff

We are back to normal-ish around here with everyone on the road to recovery. The last few days I have been catching up on cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping. I have been to the store almost daily because I keep forgetting stuff that I thought I had on hand. Next week should definitely be better.

If you recall, about 10 days ago I had to take our bulldog in to get treated for her runny nose. The vet gave her antibiotics. When I was down and out for the week following her visit, she did not get her pills in a timely manner if it all and the infection went into her eye. I had to take her back to the vet to have her eye looked at and she did end up having pink eye. So now she is on antibiotic eye drops and pills for her stuff.

We are enjoying winter-like weather, temps in the ’50s with blue sky and super low humidity. The house is open and I am slowly getting stuff done in the kitchen. Eggs have been steamed for the hubs lunches next week. There were a few items to pitch in the fridge due to lack of use. Old lettuce and now furry strawberries.

I am working on pulling the tax info together so I can make an appt to get that done this month. It is a chore that overwhelms me. One day it will be much simpler when we finally sell my parent’s home. Tracking the eBay stuff is a bit overwhelming too.

eBay was super busy when I was sick as a dog two weeks ago. Big sales mid-week are not the norm, but I guess it is when you are under the weather. I schlepped myself out of bed, to the she shed to get the items and then managed to get them packed. My son-in-law toted them to the Post Office. And now that I am up and around, eBay is slow. Which is fine, I am still catching up on house stuff.
I am hoping to get out and about today, even if it is for a drive. Or maybe a nap instead.

When I was ill, I did entertain myself with YouTube. I watched Coffee with Kate and Prepper Princess. Both are very different but interesting.

Easy Crockpot Lasagna Ravioli

This is an easy, delicious one pot dish that is easy really easy to put together. All you have to do is brown the meat, and then layer everything into the crockpot.

When I buy packs of hamburger, I will cook it with onions and the divide it up and freeze it for future use. What is not shown is the jars of spaghetti sauce that I used, typically any jarred sauce will work. I defrost the pre-cooked burger, add the sauce with a little sugar.

Then we layer it up. Oh, before we start to layer it up, I will put in a Reynolds crock pot bag which makes clean up so easy.

Sauce, frozen cheese filled ravoli (typically BOGO at Publix, pre shredded mozzrella cheesse and continue until the pot is full.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until the sides of sauce are bubbly. Easy and delicious.

My Listing Was Removed: Embargoed Goods Policy

Oops. One of my listings was removed recently due to the Embargoed Goods Policy. I guess I wasn’t surprised as the item was a hand made doll from Cuba.

I found a bag of what appeared to be handmade dolls at the thrift store for $4.94. They looked interesting and I did see where two of them had Cuba on the base of the dolls. It was 40% off day so the bag was around $3.00.

I listed all three dolls and over time two of them sold. One went via global shipping to Italy and one went stateside. The third one had a couple of watchers and I figured it would sell soon enough.

Then I got the official e-mail from eBay:

Your eBay listing has been removed: Embargoed goods policy

Hello happi_girl_thrift,

Some of your listings haven’t followed our Embargoed goods policy. We understand that you may not have been aware of this policy or that this may have been an oversight. So, in this email, we’re including some policy information to help you with your future listings. We also had to take the following actions:
– Listings that didn’t follow eBay guidelines have been removed. A list of removed item(s) is available further down in this email.
– We have credited all associated fees except for the final value fee for your listing(s).

Sellers can’t list embargoed goods or pre-embargoed goods from these countries or regions:
- Cuba
- Crimea region of Ukraine (as defined under applicable sanctions)
- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)
- Iran
- Syria

The listing was pulled and now I have this cute and unique doll from Cuba. I may keep it, or I may try to sell it on another platform. But, I will check their policies carefully before listing

. Isn’t she cute?

Have you ever had a listing removed by eBay?

What Sold on eBay 10/28-11/3 2019

This week was a better week! Wouldn’t it be nice if every week like this week? My biggest sale is a coffee cup that sold for $450.00! I found this mug at a thrift store earlier this year for next to nothing. I was not able to look it up on my phone, the reception was lousy at the thrift store. But I had a gut feeling it had some value. Always go with your gut.

When I got home, I looked on eBay solds, Etsy and Worthpoint. The information I gathered led me to list the mug for $599.00 with a best offer. It would always be wonderful if items sold as soon as you listed them. Sometimes it happens and the item will sell in a couple of days, and then again things will stay listed what seems like forever.

Be patient, and know and trust your gut. Sometimes it seems like nothing will sell and you lose all confidence in your thrifting ability. Don’t worry, you still got it. Thrift, List and forget it.

Total Items in Store 725

Items Sold: 13
Gross Sales: $675.02
Cost of Items Sold: $12.50

Highest Price Sold: $450.00 Wedgewood Eric Ravilious 1937 Blue Alphabet ABC Mug

Average Price Sold: $51.92
Returns: One (Semi Resolved) Global Shipping Item Ceramic Napkin Rings (One was chipped)

UPDATE: I asked the customer to initiate the return process, he, in turn, asked for a partial refund. I explained that eBay would mediate the return and he would get a refund. He was not happy with that, I guess he wanted a refund and to keep the napkin rings. In reality, that is what would happen. Oh well. I will watch my feedback and if he dings me, I can show eBay that I asked him to return the item but he more or less refused.

I called eBay and they told me to tell the customer to request a return and that they would mediate it. Typically when you ship an item via Global shipping and the item arrives at the eBay global shipping warehouse at Erlanger, Kentucky without damage, the seller is off the hook for any returns.

Money Spent on New Inventory This Week: $20.00 at Thrift Store in Orlando (most items are listed and a stein that sold for $21.00 covered the purchase at the Thrift Store.

Number of items listed this week: 29

Listed 1/19 From a large bag of Christmas Ornaments $2.99
$0.25 each

THRIFT STORE $3.00 FOR A SET OF 4 ($0.75 PER SET)
BOUGHT IN 10/19

This week I plan to keep on listing. I set a goal for 50 items a week, I don’t always reach that goal, sometimes life gets in the way and I just do the best I can.
How was your week? Did you get any listing done? Are you happy with your sales?

Monthly Goals for November 2019

Monthly goals are hit or miss for me. I have good intentions at the beginning of the month then things sometimes go south. My last Monthly goal post was in August How’s that for consistency?

Oh well, I still want to keep trying to do better and keep things on track.

Financial:

Keep dining out to $150
Track grocery spending this month
Continue to build my eBay business (Here are my 2019 goals)
Rebuild short-term savings account to $1000 Hovering at $865

Family:

Weekly dinner with grandkids, daughter, and son in law
Have two date nights with my mister
Touch base with my sons with text and or phone calls.

Fitness/health:

Walk at least 2 continuous miles 4-5 times a week.
Lose 8 pounds
Strength training at gym 2-3 times a week We have a gym membership through husbands’ work but have not been for MONTHS!

Work:

eBay List, list, list!

Personal/creative:

Spend time with a friend (time to use that Disney Pass)
Continue to research paternal side of the family
Find a hobby that explores the creative side but does not break the bank 🙂 Gardening, rock painting?

Here is to staying on track with a manageable list of goals this month. We did get our two-mile walk in this morning. The weather has finally changed and it was in the 70’s which made for a much more enjoyable walk.

I am pretty sure I need to upgrade my walking shoes, after this morning’s walk my knees were hurting. I am currently icing them down to reduce the pain and inflammation. I had both knees replaced in 2016-2017 and I sure don’t want to do that again.

Do you set monthly goals? Are they helpful or do they stress you out?

Saturday’s List

I love a good list! They keep me motivated and on track. Yesterday was a good day, all of my things to do were accomplished successfully. The weather was still warm, about 90 degrees which has been better than the 105-degree temps we have been experiencing for the last week or so. Those temps are just too much.

My daughter, her husband and two kids have been living with us since mid May of this year. They moved out of their house, put it up for sale, gave away or sold most all of their furniture, home decor, dishes, you name it. They want to downsize from a 2800 sq feet home to a live a life in a 5th wheel RV.

Their house had a contract in less than 10 days, and the closing will be Tuesday. Then, when they get the funds, they can pay off two vehicles, the RV and credit card debt and basically start over. The last month and a half has been lots of fun having the grandkids and their parents right down the hall. For the most part, all has gone pretty smoothly. We take turns preparing dinner, my daughter keeps her side of the house clean and my son in law is a great cook.

They are planning to stay with us when they get the RV and living out back. Luckily we have an acre and there is room for everything, the RV, the extra vehicles and the kid’s trampoline. My daughter works 7 days on and has 7 days off. They are going to travel on her days off and probably homeschool the kids. We will see what happens with all that.

Back to getting busy for today with a list of things to do:

Continue to go through the closet with the goal of listing the clothes or recycling to Goodwill.
Clean and organize my eBay shipping supplies.
Sweep front porch and organize the plants.
List 10 more items
Garage sales in the AM

We are expecting a buyer from eBay to pick up a vintage Trolley (located in the lower right corner of this picture. He is traveling from Alabama on his way to Disney.

My husband’s job is always remodeling and upgrading. He gets to bring the industrial stuff home, otherwise, they would just throw it out.

The buyer might also be interested in the hook in the upper right corner, he said he wants to have a look at it when he gets here.

Update: He bought the hook too!

Time to get busy with the day! Hope you all have a great Saturday!

Things To Do Today

Lists keep me focused. When I write things down, things get done. While on summer break from work there are many things that need to get done at home.

Organizing and going through the closets is on my radar as is repotting a Christmas cactus from its original plastic container into its permanent pot that is being reused and repurposed from a previous Christmas cactus that was moved into a bigger pot after Christmas.

~~Pick 10 items of clothes I haven’t worn in 6 months (or longer) an list on eBay.~~
~~Repot Christmas cactus~~
~~Pack up and ship sold item for eBay before the mailman passes by~~
~~Trim the front hedges~~
R~~un to Goodwill with donations of unsaleable items~~

That’s about it for the day. There are daily chores, laundry, run the vacuum that are going to get done as well.

The heat is miserable and oppressive. So it’s best to get out early and get things done or wait for the evening when the sun is setting. When running errands, I will stalk parking in the shade to try to keep the car cooler. It may be a placebo effect, because it is still hot as heck regardless. Oh well, that is summertime in Florida!
Happy Friday! What are your plans for the day?

Listing Daily

While enjoying my summer break I am making a concerted effort to grow my eBay store. My current subscription allows 1000 listings monthly for a base price of around $70-$80 per month. The actual monthly bill is more that the base price, as you have to factor in the fees that are charged when your item sells.

I am spending most of my time listing items I acquired through a purchase I made on Facebook Marketplace in May of this year. An individual posted a picture of 40 packed USPS boxes, two lamps, and several framed pictures for $100. Her stipulation was that the price was for all the items including the boxes sight unseen, just take pay the lady and take them away.

40 boxes filled with leftovers from an estate sale

It has been almost a month and a half since I picked them up, and most of the boxes have been opened and gone through with about half of the items going to the Goodwill. The items I took to Goodwill were damaged, or in my opinion, not adequate for resale in my store.

That being said, there are still a LOT of items that I will be listing, have listed, and I am excited to see how they do in my store. Currently, I have added at least 200 items from what I call the 40 box challenge. I would estimate that there are at least 300 to 400 more items that I can list from this particular purchase.

As of now, about 5 items have sold from the the 40 box challenge for an amount of approximately $60 gross. Breaking even on the purchase will be a relief and then it will be list,list, list and wait for the sales patiently. Thats just the name of the game when it comes to eBay, list and be patient.

I look forward to reasonable weekly encouragement and information related to eBay with a podcast from Jay and Ryanne over at Scavenger Life. They have been selling consisently on eBay for at least a decade with great success in their eBay business and their other businesses. I would recommend listening to them if you want to learn more about running a successful eBay business.

My listings are up to 514 with a goal of 750 by the end of July. Sounds attainable, right? We just do the best we can every day and keep it positive! Earlier this year I did write down goals for my eBay store with regards to the number of listings, expected income, etc. I will share them in an upcoming post. Life does get in the way of plans, but we will continue to make it work.

If you have an eBay store, are you building up your inventory?