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Archive for July, 2007

Great Coupons Deals!

July 30th, 2007 at 03:54 am

I had good luck with toiletry coupons at the grocery store today (the store doubles up to $1).

I got:

2 4-packs for Cottonelle Kids Toilet Paper for $0.62 ($0.31 a pack.. although now I have to use TP with

Text is little puppies and monkeys on it and Link is http://www.cottonelle.com/products/kids.asp
little puppies and monkeys on it)

Secret Deodorant: $0.14

Old Spice Deodorant: $0.14

Tampax 20 count: $0.82

Skintimate Shave Gel: FREE

Degree Deodorant: FREE

As far as couponers go, I'd say I'm moderately into it. I stocked up on the deodorant since I happened to have good coupons for it and I'm down to my last roll (Mr. Bean is very brand loyal to Old Spice already has 2 rolls in queue). But now that I have enough deodorant to last us 8 months or so, I won't bother clipping deodorant coupons or going down that aisle until we're nearly out again. At that point, deodorant will go back on my radar.

I used to constantly scan of deals, but found it too time consuming and now only buy what we don't already have a little surplus of. The store does not allow you to use to duplicate coupons. I do have duplicates for the Tampax and the shave gel, so I may swing back into the store this week to pick up another of each (I'm having friend over for dinner on Wednesday so I'll probably need to pick up fresh salad fixings anyway). The shave gel isn't something I insist on using, but I like to have it. The bottle I bought today (for free!) is the only bottle I have at the moment. I find it goes on sale to the point I can get it for free only in the late summer/ early fall.

Garage Sale Earnings

July 24th, 2007 at 04:31 pm

Old Total: $1506.23
+ 240.10 garage sale
------------------------
New Total: $1746.33

My total for the 2-day garage sale was $240.10. My big ticket items included:

Stereo ($50)
Guitar ($40)
Desk ($25)
Sega Genesis and Games ($15)

All in all, I'm pleased. If the time permits this week, I'll write about it in more detail, but I wanted to get my final tally down for the count! My parents made ~$350, and our neighbors made over $900!

Stories from the Front Lines

July 20th, 2007 at 03:29 am

Day 1 of the garage sale is over. I made about ~$100, and my folks about ~$300. I did sell a guitar for $40, but the other ~$60 came from $0.50 here, $1 there etc.

When I think back to all the effort that went into the sale and cleaning and pricing of items though, $100 doesn't seem like much. However, nothing I sold is anything I'll miss, so there's certainly the added bonus of just having the junque out of the house. It gives me more space and will make the next move easier.

The sale didn't start until 9am, but the people starting come at 7:45am. I still had a little more pricing and organizing to do, and it was disruptive and nerve wracking to have them swarming about. Once the hard core dealers and such dispelled, it was a little more relaxed and enjoyable.

Tomorrow should be another long day and probably won't result in too many more sales (I feel like all my "good stuff" sold today), but we'll just have to wait and see!

Same destination, but different prices!

July 18th, 2007 at 03:21 pm

I'm planning to join Mr. Bean on his next business trip to LA in September. He's planning on taking a direct flight from Dulles to LAX. I'm going to fly from my podunk little town to Dulles and then connect to the same flight as his so we can fly together. I'm not buying 2 separate tickets- it's all the same carrier and just connects through Dulles. Interestingly, as the prices stand today, the entire cost of my round trip flight is $69 cheaper than his direct flight- even though we'll be riding together on my final leg and my trip has more miles.

Who would have guessed?

Beauty is in the Eye of Beholder

July 18th, 2007 at 05:09 am

Tomorrow evening I'm driving some 240 miles away with a car load of my finest

Text is j-u-n-q-u-e and Link is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junque
j-u-n-q-u-e to participate in my parents' neighborhood garage sale. We're participating Thursday- Friday although the actual sale goes until Saturday. The timing is perfect since I would have had to drive up there anyway to attend a family wedding on Saturday (albeit I would have waited until Friday).

It's always interesting to see what people will buy... and what fails to sell. Mr. Bean is in CA this week for work. We were on the phone earlier this evening and I asked if he would mind if I tried to sell an old Oxford blazer of his. The blazer is of poor quality and rather unattractive. His response was: "You can try- are expecting many hobos to come through?" Some combination of the use of the word "hobo" and my fatigue at the late hour made me laugh until I cried. The thing is: I bet it will sell!

What are some of the junquiest items you've sold at a garage sale? What have you been surprised to see people pass up?

My aunt commented that she sells less at neighborhood garage sales compared to when she holds one on her own. How about you? I know I'm not going to bother to lug a foldable chaise lounge I never use up to the sale- my parents are already trying to sell two!

Challenge Money and a New Bike!

July 11th, 2007 at 04:28 am

Old Total: $1486.23
+ 20.00 babysitting
------------------------
New Total: $1506.23

I made $20 babysitting tonight. I still need to take those clothes to Plato's Closet and start rounding up stuff to sell at my parents' garage sale next week. So much to do, so little time!

I bought a new bike today to replace the one that was stolen. I was perusing some online classifieds for bikes (both to buy and to try to see if anyone was selling mine) and ending up emailing someone about a used bike for sale. He was asking $100 but told me he would take $75 if I bought it today. He even drove the bike over to my office so I could test it out. The bike is a

Text is Mongoose Pro Rockadile SX from 2002 and Link is http://www.rollsritebicycles.com/MongooseRockadile_SX.html
Mongoose Pro Rockadile SX from 2002 and had hardly been used. I think it probably sold for ~$230 when it was new. After testing the bike out, I wasn't sure if I loved it (I think I'm still mourning the loss of my last bike). I asked him if he'd take $60- and he consented. I'm happy to have wheels again and feel like I made out pretty well for $60. The guy said he won the bike in a card game, so I figured he had no use for it (plus it's way to small for a man his size).

My bike was stolen!

July 9th, 2007 at 12:01 am

I stepped out onto my front porch this afternoon to hop on my bike and ride to the grocery store.

Hey wait, where's my bike?

My beloved bike had been stolen off the front porch!

Yes, I called the police and filed a report. I also walked around the neighborhood to see if I could find it abandoned somewhere. I checked the local classifieds to see if I could find it being re-sold. I'm not holding my breath.

I loved that bike. I loved riding the bike. Cruising home on my bike at the end of the day reminded me being 10 years old and cruising around my neighborhood on pink Schwinn banana seat bike.

I loved that bike and biking around so much I'll probably buy a new one. Unfortunately, they don't come cheap (even used bikes). I'll also need a new lock since my lock was dangling around the handle bars. No, it wasn't locked. I'm kicking myself now, but I thought it would be safe on the front porch of my own house.

I rode it home Friday and parked it on the porch. I don't remember tripping over it when I watered the flower boxes Saturday afternoon so it was probably stolen Friday night.

I don't like that someone crept onto the porch and took it. I'm not in anyway suggesting that the two events are related, but just earlier this week a few blocks from here a young woman awoke to her apartment being burglarized. The invader then beat and raped her. Such events are rare in my small college town. I have been extra vigilant to keep the windows shut and locked. I am thankful that I did not hear who ever took the bike off the porch because I think I might have suffered a heart attack had I awoke in the night to hear someone of the porch.

Live and learn, I guess.