Apr 17, 2011 | Downsizing, One year of downsizing
[item] Red with white trim glass vase [purchase info] Purchased at a thrift store [time in my possession] Approximately 8 months [last used] 4 months ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Given to a friend [info] I bought this to use in my...
Apr 16, 2011 | Downsizing, One year of downsizing
[item] Half bag of Flexbond tile and stone mortar [purchase info] Purchased new at Home Depot [time in my possession] Approximately 1.5 years [last used] 1.5 years ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Given to a friend [info] I didn’t...
Apr 15, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping, Thrift store
About 2 weeks ago, I decided to downsize my wardrobe again. Why? I realized I still have too many clothes I don’t wear. I started by purposely wearing things toward the back, things I haven’t worn in a while. That led to either realizing I really...
Apr 15, 2011 | Downsizing, One year of downsizing
[item] Various books and magazines [purchase info] Mostly purchased used or at a discount [time in my possession] A year up to 10 years [last used] 5 months to never [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Medium [destination] Sold to the used bookstore [info] I...
Apr 14, 2011 | Downsizing, One year of downsizing
[item] Black metal coffee themed bookmark [purchase info] Purchased at Barnes and Noble new, with employee discount [time in my possession] Approximately 17 years [last used] 16 years ago [difficulty level in getting rid of it] Easy [destination] Thrift store [info]...
Apr 10, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping, Recycle, Repurposed, Save $, Thrift store
There’s a lot of stuff that might be considered trash, but before you throw something away, think about the possible uses for it. These are partially full cleaning supplies and pesticides, well, there’s also a random bottle of unopened champagne too....
Apr 8, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping
I love actsofsharing.com, where you can share all your stuff with your friends. I’ve been using this quite a bit and I think it’s great for many reasons, one of them being the organization of sharing. How many times have you gone to lend a book or a...
Apr 8, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping, Repurposed
While in the process of ridding my house of many unused things, I received a Facebook message about a garage sale. This is not just any garage sale, it’s a sale to help someone in need. Here’s the info from Facebook. We will be holding a HUGE Charity...
Apr 6, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping, Thrift store
I found myself at a thrift store about a week ago, one that I haven’t visited in a long time. I really didn’t need anything, but since I was on that side of town, I decided to check it out. In the past, any good must be purchased, but now I apply my new...
Apr 5, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping
When you own a lot of stuff, especially anything with electronic parts, you’re going to have some maintenance to do. Some will be planned, some will not. Here’s a few things I’ve been thinking about buying if I could. Car fuses. I blew a fuse in my...
Apr 4, 2011 | No retail shopping, Repurposed, Save $
I have really come to hate the taunting music played from the ice cream truck, getting louder as it gets closer to my house. As soon as I hear the fain sounds of it, I know what’s next. Mom!!!!! The ice cream truck!!!!!! My kids know I’m not a fan of...
Apr 2, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping, Save $ |
Deciding to get a pet of any kind is a big decision, not only for the responsibility associated with them, but for the expenses you will incur. A couple of weeks ago we adopted Zuri, a 6 month-old kitten. She’s precious and is the perfect fit for our family....
Mar 31, 2011 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print |
My youngest son came home with this a few weeks ago. I’m not sure why he decided to draw this, but I’m glad he gets it. Joe likes money and likes to spend money, but he also lives in the real world. He’s 10 years old and somewhat budgets his money,...
Mar 30, 2011 | No retail shopping, Recycle, Repurposed |
I quit using plastic garbage bags, or any type of plastic lining in my trash cans. Why? I just don’t see why we need to place trash in plastic bags, taking much longer for it to decompose in a landfill. I thought back to my kids earlier diaper days and the...
Mar 28, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping, Thrift store |
It starts when we’re born. Accessories. “My daddy is the best” and “My mom is better than your mom” on our shirts, iconic pacifiers, hair bows in more styles and colors than Baskin Robbins has flavors, complete ensembles of coordinated...
Mar 28, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping, Save $, Thrift store
Buy one, purge one. I’ve been practicing my “buy one, purge one” philosophy and it’s going well. I was hoping to photograph all of the items, however that would take a lot of time. I am doing it though. I don’t shop near as much as I...
Mar 26, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping, Save $
I’ve gotten a few questions on my new grocery shopping plan. I shop more frequently, but buying less, limiting myself to 25 items or less. You can read the story about the downsizing and new shopping plan that was published in early February 2011. Take a...
Mar 26, 2011 | Ideas, No retail shopping, Save $
Maybe I’m a mean mom, but I make my kids try new foods. I don’t make them eat it if they don’t like it and I don’t go out of my way to get things that will gross them out. Both of them like pistachio nuts so I thought I would make some...
Mar 24, 2011 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print, Recycle, Repurposed, Save $, Thrift store |
I decided to check out a little boutique in downtown Frisco. Yes, I said boutique. I heard a story about some recycled jeans they are selling and decided to check it out. The Blue Door Boutique, a cute little shop with a lot of style, carries a lot of interesting...
Mar 23, 2011 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print
Wow! Day 300! Actually, that was yesterday, as I’m a day behind on the blogging. It’s just a number, but I feel like I just made that last turn into the final stretch. The funny thing? I plan to keep going once I hit the finish line. I’m sure...
Mar 23, 2011 | No retail shopping, Sharing |
A long time ago, I had a friend a that used the saying, “You can’t get blood from a turnip, but you can take the turnip.” I never paid that much attention to it, as I really didn’t need a turnip. Fast forward many years and here we go with...
Mar 17, 2011 | Downsizing, Mini challenges, No retail shopping, Save $, Sharing |
We’re taught from little on that we should always share. As we get a little older, we have our own stuff, but we’re still told to share on occasion. Then we hit our teens. I don’t think anyone told me I should share anymore at that age. We start...
Mar 14, 2011 | No retail shopping, Sharing
Do you share your stuff? If you need a drill, do you go out and buy one or do you try to borrow one? I mean, you just need a hole, right? I own a drill. My dad gave me a new DeWalt drill about 10 years ago, but that one got lost on a mission trip. I never found...
Mar 8, 2011 | No retail shopping, Thrift store
I dropped off several bags at the Goodwill trailer, and the only logical exit is to drive behind the shopping center. It’s a strip mall with a grocery store, a couple of restaurants and lots of small mom and pop type stores. As we were driving around back to...
Mar 8, 2011 | Downsizing, No retail shopping
My friend was garage sale-ing and ran across an estate sale from a hoarder house, listed on craigslist. I had to work Saturday and Sunday, but decided to check it out after work on Sunday. Unfortunately they had closed up shop but I snapped a few photos while making...
