Five Frugal Things -- I Sold Two Items for the $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge!
1. I sold two Goodwill bin items for my $100 Goodwill Gift Card Challenge!
- The "Spot The Dog" stuffed animal. Only a $15 sale, and $11.67 after eBay fees. However, that's more than the $9.21 I spent that day for four items. (North Face coat, coffee grinder, LeSportsac purse and the plush.) This means everything else that sells from this bins haul will be pure profit!
Click HERE to see the eBay listing.
- The Oakiwear kids' rainsuit, which I also picked up at the bins, as it was lightweight and sells new for $90. (The sweet spot when you pay by the pound!) I took an offer at $28 and I earned $27.85 after eBay fees. I accidentally earned a few extra bucks on shipping, which I don't fret about as it balances out when I accidentally undercharge on shipping.
Click HERE to see the eBay listing.
Total profit thus far is $91.25, which will be donated to the Oregon Food Bank in one lump sum at the end of the challenge. The gift card still has a balance of $63.14 and I currently have six challenge items listed just waiting for buyers.
Today is Goodwill's 10%-off senior discount day, (you only have to be 55!) so I might stop into a standard store en route to my free haircut.
2. I helped my mother organize an area of her bedroom and came home with a book for my little free library and a couple nice pieces of bubble wrap to set aside for eBay shipping.
3. I also brought home a couple pairs of socks to darn. They're hand knit by my sister and worth the effort to keep in circulation.
4. I stopped into Dollar Tree to pick up AA batteries for my TV remote control and noticed that:
A) There were only seven batteries in the pack, which was disguised by clever packaging.
B) The price had increased from $1.25 to $1.50.
Still a bargain, but interesting to track.
5. I shipped both eBay items in inside out Amazon bubble mailers.
Now your turn, what frugal things have you been up to?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
Click HERE to join The Non-Consumer Advocate Facebook group.
This blog post includes eBay referral links.
I recently resisted buying 4 pairs of nwt Eddie Bauer slacks for $80
I have a dozen pairs of slacks (business casual) in my closet. I only work 4 days a week
I returned a dress as it would have been #10 in my closet
I again decided not to purchase another pair of shoes..I have at least 2 dozen from sandals to sneakers
I continue to pack a very boring snack/drink for my 3 hour shift at work
Boring is often what gets you ahead financially.
1) Requested free USPS package pickup for my recent eBay sale vs running the errand to drop it off. Saves time mostly.
2) DH successfully repaired our washing machine, using a part he bought + YouTube videos. He is not, I repeat, not an appliance repair person, but loves a challenge & his mind just must work that way. So far in the past few weeks, he's successfully repaired our dryer (both washer & dryer are really old), washer, the dishwasher (newish, but a lemon & he's repaired multiple parts of it) & the refrigerator ice maker. I'm so impressed with him being willing to experiment & learn new things to make our appliances last longer & keep them out of the landfill.
3) Made a delicious chicken Dijon dish last night, and finally used the last of the heavy cream leftover from DS18's NY dinner party with friends.
4) DH deseeded the last few pomegranates, which made an excellent & healthy snack for me + DS19.
5) I'm continuing to eat things from the pantry & fridge for lunch, including the chicken noodle soup that I made over the weekend using a rotisserie chicken & the last of a bag of carrots.
Your husband has become an appliance repairman IMHO. Good job husband!
1. I made the most terrible veggie pie concoction but my husband and I ate it for two nights and it's finished. It was very cheap.
2. Bought sausages on flash food app.
3. Occasionally the culinary department at the high school where my husband works sends out an email saying there is food available. Yesterday there was delicious chicken chili with a lot of meat and my husband went down and got a huge bowl full. He ate it for his lunch and saved the leftover baked potatoes he had taken for his lunch to eat today instead.
4. We each picked up a cup of coffee from the car dealership. Dh saved it to drink this morning. I am not a coffee drinker.
5. I saved the bubble wrap and the packing tape from an Etsy purchase that I'd made. Packing tape comes off bubble wrap so easily. I have hanging from the edge of a table. Hopefully I make an eBay sale soon and can use it. I have been good about listing on eBay everyday.
I’m so impressed with your gift card challenge.
My computer, which was on the blink, has suddenly started working again! I have no idea why, but I'll take the win. Glad to be able to read your posts again.
-- I just ordered a double curtain rod so that I can (finally!) replace the old insulated curtains with the thin ones that match my new bedspread + some insulated liners. They were supposed to fit on a single curtain rod, but didn't. So we'll try again. I ordered via Walmart instead of somewhere more expensive; after all, the curtains and bedspread are from Temu. But the liners are from Penney's; they should've worked better.
-- Last week, I somehow threw my back out, and I'm really hurting on one side. (Missed 2 shifts at work, I'm so much in pain.) I'm using some samples of Bengay-type ointment I got free at the store to try and treat it. Also, OTC pills purchased via Medicare Advantage card, so no out-of-pocket payments on that.
-- Went to the chiropractor yesterday and used my Medicare Advantage benefit. Only had to pay $15 instead of $99. I'll have another appt tomorrow.
--Got some books, some real "keepers", from Little Free Library. I reuse the printed name badge stickers from church as labels (aka "book plates" if you're in to antique terminology).
-- Used one of the thrifted greeting cards I've bought and collected to send a birthday card to a little girl from church. She's gone off to boarding school this year, and I like to send her surprises. I think I paid either a dime or a quarter for her card. Enclosed 2 of those cute little writing tablets sent from St. Jude's Children's Hospital; they're small enough to easily fit inside the envelope. So my biggest expense was the "forever" postage stamp, bought long before its price went up. Hallmark has nothing on me! No way I'm going to pay their high prices for greeting cards.
Wow! There’s so much left on your Goodwill card!
I’m spending the day deep-cleaning my kitchen drawers. I have a kitchen that is all drawers, so I keep things like flour and sugar and oatmeal in them. Eventually, I get a layer of flour and sugar everywhere, so I empty the drawer, vacuum it out, wipe everything off, and reload. Of course, I found several things I don’t need. For example, I’m not sure how I own three tea diffusers. There are also things like “the least favorite bowl scraper” and “the wooden spoon that caught on fire”. I also found an interesting assortment of plastic cutlery. Some of these items are going (back) to Goodwill, and some are going into the garbage.
Another discovery was several bags of unlabeled Winco bulk items. The identities of some are obvious (nuts, popcorn). The identity of others is not obvious (gluten free flour? Protein pancake mix? Tapioca flour?) I’ve resolved to not only write the bin number on the twist tie from now on, but also to write, in plain English, what is in the bag, and keep the twist tie with the bag! Sometimes, I remember the number until I get to the register, and don’t bother to write it anywhere. Since I can’t gamble with the possibility that my gluten free flour is actually protein pancake mix, I ended up tossing some things. That’s not frugal!
Your blog is such a delight, I just love reading about your daily savings. You've helped me think of some new, frugal ideas!
1) I stayed home sick a few days and hand stitched some hankies out of a flannel shirt DH recently bleached at work. I'm almost looking forward to my next cold so I have something soft to wipe my nose with.
2) A student of mine (I'm a teacher) gave me some awful-smelling hand soap for Christmas. I hate it, but I'm using it anyways, because free.
3) DH is helping me package up an ebay sale as I write.
4) I warmed a frozen Christmas dinner in my mini crockpot for lunch. Beef stroganoff. Better than takeout, and easy on the wallet.
5) After reading for a long time, I decided to comment here. This is my entertainment for the evening, so thank you!
Fry Girl, what a great idea to use flannel for handkerchiefs! I have some vintage handkerchiefs that are so stiff they hurt my nose.
Welcome, Fry Girl! I sympathize with you on the awful-smelling hand soap. Our dentist gave my kiddo strawberry toothpaste which it turns out we all hate. I'm taking one for the team and using it up, because as you said-- free!
I love following the Goodwill gift card challenge! You're doing great!
Katy,
Some of the things you sell on eBay are things I never knew existed: like the child’s rain suit. Who knew?
1. I got a cabinet on Craigslist I planned to use in the bathroom but it was too big. I got the husband to mount it in the garage for storage. It was free & now it is useful.
2. I found a mesh wastebasket. I’m spray painting it to go in a bedroom. It will match a lime green wicker chair.
3. I found a large sack of in-date packages of fried pork skins. These I donated to the 12 step groups across the street. Bacon flavored pork skins are not to my liking.
4. Got my 1/2 gal of free ice cream at Publix for my birthday offer.
5. Going home using my frequent flyer miles. I have a teaching gig lined up. Money for unexpected bills (that always seem to crop up).Texas
We call those full body child's rain suits "muddy buddies" and they are the cats miaow I didn't have them for myself but I got them for each of my three kids and boy howdy do they make a difference in rainy weather.
My grandson is very tiny so he is in a muddy buddy that's too big, but even so we roll up the sleeves and he can sit down as many times as he wants outside and when we come in we just unzip him and everything underneath is dry
1. My husband called out sick today. Thankfully he has a lot of sick time at work so he'll still get paid, plus we're saving on gas.
2. I didn't leave the house at all today. My kids were wanting to go out but I wasn't feeling well enough, yesterday took it out of me and I wanted to stay close by in case hubby felt worse.
3. I nibbled through some left overs for lunch, still more for tomorrow!
4. I made pizzas for dinner, even though no one was really very hungry. Now we have a ton of pizza left over which may need to be frozen since we barely touched them. Luckily I made it with all dairy free ingredients so we both can have it.
5. I dragged out a box of mega-blocks from our den/kids area and put them in the living room for the day. The kids loved it. Something about *slightly* rearranging belongings makes everyone of all ages very happy apparently haha
Well done on the sales for the challenge!
* It has been quite cold here (minus 4 degrees Celsius during the coldest night so far) and instead of buying a thicker duvet I have just placed a blanket over the existing one.
* My son found a rusty old horseshoe on a walk (we brought it home to display it in the garden) and we were joking that it brought us luck immediately because on the way back we found a 2 Euro coin on the ground!
Found a pair of scissors on a different walk and brought it home to be cleaned and used.
* My son’s car is currently in the garage (Frugal fail incoming … it’s not sure if it can be fixed at a reasonable cost. The car might have to be scrapped.). Instead of adding him to my insurance as an additional driver so he can drive to work twice a week in my car I have offered to drive him there and collect him, too. This saves us about 50 Euro. He can take the bus to college, but his work place is not on a bus route.
That's a great return on your Ebay sales. I'm excited to see the total.
1. I went to Walgreens for my flu shot and received a 20% off coupon. I used it for some plane snacks since I had nothing else I needed.
2. I uploaded all my receipts to fetch and also My Purina rewards.
3. I'm eating up all the food in my refrigerator which makes for a few odd meals.
Nice work on the EBay sale, you sold an item for $28 and earned $27.85. So just a .15 transaction fee? Am Reading that right! What’s you secret to such a sale!