How We Made Extra Money Using Craigslist, Ebay, and Rummage Sales

Posted on August 21, 2012 by marissa

I love looking on Craigslist at what people in my area are selling or trying to barter. It can be a great place to find stuff you need, sell stuff that you don’t need, or resell something to make extra money. Sometimes you can even find some good stuff for free that you can sell to make extra money! This weekend, I will be listing a bunch of our stuff on Craigslist to make extra money. We’re hoping to get enough money to replenish our emergency fund after we cleaned it out to buy a used van (more about that later.)

I would normally blog about Frugality on Fridays, but I’ve decided to combine topics today. Topics will include Frugality, Fitness, and Fun. And, they will all relate to making extra money with Craigslist somehow. So, here we go…

Frugality

Make extra money by listing things you don’t need anymore on Craigslist. Easy, right? Just look around your house, take some pictures of the things you don’t need anymore, and post it on Craigslist for free! Then, just wait for someone to call you, pay you, and pick it up. And, if there’s no one in your area that wants it, there’s sure to be someone out there in eBay Land that wants it. We actually tried selling a Limited Edition Harley Davidson Leather Jacket on Craigslist, had someone come take a look at it, and they passed it up for $300. Then, we listed it on eBay with a starting bid of $0.99 with no reserve. The winning bidder paid $600! So, we made twice as much money by listing it on eBay.
Save money when you purchase things on Craigslist. Make sure you don’t pay the asking price by offering to pay cash at a lower price. We bought our used mini van off of Craigslist just yesterday. We offered them cash if they would knock off $600. They agreed and we are now the proud owners of a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country that we paid only $2800 for. Many people are more than willing to negotiate and come down on their asking price. Just have the courage to ask and bring cash if you can.
Have a Rummage Sale and list it on Craigslist! Some of my family will be having a rummage sale this weekend and I was more than willing to put an ad on Craiglist for them. Why wouldn’t you put your rummage sale on Craigslist? It’s free advertising! Of course you’re going to list your rummage sale on Craigslist when it’s free! Who’s going to pass up free advertising?

Fitness

So, I purchased a Malibu Pilates Chair with 3 Workout DVDs from a woman off of Craigslist for only $25! It was still in the box! Everything was still in the packaging. It retails for around $500! It will give you a great workout if you have a little extra space. Sadly, I found that we don’t have a little extra space. At least not any usable space. Having 4 small children doesn’t really allow for personal space other than our bedroom. If I were to set the chair up (which I did by the way) in my living room, my kids would think I had bought a jungle gym for them to play on in the house (which they did by the way.) My two year old especially couldn’t keep his hands off of it. So, back in the box it will go. I’m still debating whether I should keep it or sell it and make some money off it. I’m leaning toward selling it to make some extra money.
The Malibu Pilates Chair is a great exercise tool and would be great to have if I had my own workout room. I’ve discovered, though, that I really only need a couple of 3 pound weights and an exercise mat to get a good workout. I’m thinking that I’ll try making a couple hundred dollars off of the Malibu Pilates Chair and put that money toward my healthy food plan. What is my healthy food plan you ask? It’s simply that, a plan to eat healthy. I plan… to eat healthy! But, healthy food costs a lot more than empty calories. So, we just have to make it a priority to eat healthy. Which means, any money we can spare will go toward healthy eating. It’s a work in progress. Just put some of that “extra money” toward buying some cook books with gluten free and sugar free recipes. I made the gluten free/sugar free chicken fingers last night and they were AWESOME!

FUN!

Isn’t it fun to go to rummage sales? I just love looking through all of the junk until something catches my eye. My husband and I mostly go looking for things that we can purchase for less than $50 and sell for over $100. We did make a large purchase one time, though. My husband found a Vintage Slingerland Drum Kit and paid $300 for it. We turned around and sold it for $800. That was the most we’ve ever made on a resale item. And, the whole experience of buying it and finding out how much it was really worth was a lot of FUN! It’s such a thrill!
When finding things on Craigslist, at rummage sales, and at thrift stores, it’s not really about making money. Making extra money is a nice outcome. But, for me, it’s mostly about FUN! It’s fun to hunt for treasure!
Want to read some Mindless Banter about Rummage Sales? Check out my husband’s blog post. You’ll either laugh until you cry or be completely dumbfounded.

Overwhelmed By Food

Posted on August 16, 2012 by marissa

I’ve been a little overwhelmed by food lately. It’s just that there is so much that goes into meal planning. I’m sure I don’t need to tell the average homemaker that.

Every week, I go through the same routine.

Find recipes for the week based on our health needs and budget
(What should my budget be?)
Go through pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what needs to be restocked
Make a shopping list based on the recipes and restocking needs
Find any coupons I may be able to use
Find time to go to the grocery store without the kids having to tag along
Go to the grocery store and resist impulse buying (avoid bakery at all costs!)
Try to be as frugal as possible without sacrificing the health of our family
Don’t forget main ingredients! Get EVERYTHING on your list!
Get home and unload groceries (freezer items first) without getting distracted by the kids
Make the next meal of the day and prepare meals ahead of time if possible

This gets to be pretty overwhelming every week. I suppose some people have meal planning and grocery shopping down to a science. I’m not one of those people! I would say there are three categories of grocery shoppers that people fall into.

Category #1: The Budget Busters

These grocery shoppers are the type that don’t do any planning. They look around the kitchen a while before going to the grocery store. Once they are there, they proceed to put whatever looks good into their grocery cart. ” Hmmmm, I think this $10 jar of almost butter looks good. I think I’ll get that! Oooo, and that! And, I could do something with that!” Before they know it, they’ve got a grocery cart full of condiments and they’ve gone way over their budget. And, they almost always run out of meals before the week is over.

Category #2: The Mindful Mommies

These grocery shopping mommies will do their best to find food that’s healthy AND on sale! If they can get something that’s healthy AND low-cost, then they’ve “done what they came to do.” Mission accomplished! Planning healthy meals and staying within the monthly budget are a mindful mommy’s constant companions. She eats, sleeps,and… well, eats her mission to have healthy, low-cost food in her home every week.

Category #3: The Crazy Coupon Crew

These Coupon Crazies are Crazy about Coupons! All they care about is spending the least amount of money possible. No time to worry about whether or not that bag of potato chips is healthy or not. ” If there is a coupon for it and it’s a double coupon day, then I’m buying it! After all… food is food, right? Gotta make sure we stay UNDER budget!” So, they spend all of their time clipping coupons instead of planning meals. And, when the shopping is all done, they’ve got a pantry full of processed food and a rather empty fridge.

Want to know how I came up with those categories? They’re ALL Me! I’ve been to both extremes. I’ve been that Budget Buster who goes down every isle and searches for anything that catches my eye. I’ve been part of the Crazy Coupon Crew and only cared about dollars and cents. And, now, I’m starting to settle into the middle category where I should be at this point in my life. I’m a Mindful Mommy with 4 beautiful children and a great husband to think about. It’s a little overwhelming at times, but I know it’s worth it. As long as my family is eating healthy and our finances aren’t suffering, I will feel confident in saying, “Mission Complete!”

The Importance of Women’s Fellowship

Posted on August 15, 2012 by marissa

Our Fall Women’s Fellowship Bible Study sign up is here and I’m debating whether or not I should sign up. I don’t know why I’m even questioning it. I should have been zoned in to the sign-up table right after church on Sunday. But, I hesitated and decided to think about it until next Sunday.

Some things that were going through my head at the time were…

Is a women’s bible study important enough to take time away from my family?
Should I spend money on the study book and the gas to get there every week?
What if I can’t make it every week? I’ll fall behind on the study.

All of these are, of course, excuses. After all, I know the benefits of being in fellowship with other Christian women.

For me, the benefits of Christian women’s fellowship are…

Being lifted up every week through God’s Word and prayer
Smile: Maybe given a good face lift too from all of the smiling and laughing!
Being encouraged by other believers
Smile: They’ll give you a good kick in the butt every week to be your best!
Being refreshed and renewed, ready to face life
Smile: You’ll get a much needed break from the dishes, laundry, and crazy kids!
Being blessed by new and developing friendships
Smile: We all need somebody to lean on… just call on your sister in Christ!
Being fed spiritually
Smile: Maybe fed a few yummy carbs too! Women love to bake!

So, what is my final decision? I will be signing up first thing Sunday morning! Praise the Lord!

Do We Need Two Cars?

Posted on August 14, 2012 by marissa

We’re in a bit of a pickle right now. Our second car is on its last leg… finally. I mean, what did we expect? It’s a 1993 Toyota Corolla and it has been in my family for years! I think my oldest sister learned to drive in that car. We’ll be ok though, right? We don’t need more than one car. That is, if we don’t ever have to go anywhere as a family. Our other car is a reliable 2004 Honda Civic that we purchased about 6 years ago in a moment of weakness. We’re still paying for it, although not for much longer. Everyone keeps telling us that we need a van, and I guess they’re right. We are a family of 6 after all. We need to be able to get to church on Sundays. No question about that. And, I’m definitely not going to be asking my parents to help us out every week.

So, I guess we’ll have to put our house hunting off a while longer in order to stay on track with our financial plans. We just did some landscaping, which added a few thousand dollars onto our credit card balance. So, we’re set to have all of our cards paid off by April of next year. Once we have those paid off, we should be able to save for a down payment on a house.

It is very tempting, though, to just refinance and include all of our credit card debt in that. But, we only pay 1.99% on $5000 of credit card debt at this point. So, to refinance that balance into, let’s say, a 3.5% interest 30 yr mortgage would be stupid to say the least. We just need to be patient and help each other stay on track. It will all be worth it in about 5 years when we own a rental property (our current home) and have only our mortgage on our nice new home with plenty of space for our 4 children… make that 6 children in another 5 years.

Now we just have to find a van that is reliable and doesn’t cost more than $3500. Good luck with that, right? Maybe we can swing having just one vehicle? Would it be worth it to sell the Honda for a few thousand dollars and get a van when my husband would have to take it to work every day? There aren’t many fuel efficient vans out there to my knowledge. What to do, what to do?

Option #1: Sell the old car for $500 and buy a used van for $3500

Pros: We would have two cars and a vehicle that our entire family would fit in

Cons: We would have to buy the van on credit and would have to hold off on buying our second home

Option #2: Sell both cars for $4500, buy a used van with cash, and use the bus for work

Pros: We would have a larger vehicle that our entire family would fit in and we may end up with some extra cash

Cons: All of that extra cash would go toward gas! NOT fuel efficient at all. Inconvenient to only have one vehicle.

Option #3: Sell the old car for $500 and just keep other car

Pros: We would have some extra cash and no additional debt

Cons: We would not be able to go anywhere as a family and would only have one small vehicle

Are you in a similar situation? Please share your vehicle woes and put in your two cents about the above options. Which one will it be? Option#1, 2, or 3? Our fate rests in your hands! Until we take it back into our hands of course.

Finding the Time

Posted on August 13, 2012 by marissa

I often struggle with time management. I try to sit down every night and write a schedule out for the next day. But, unfortunately, many nights I go to bed feeling overwhelmed. And so, the next day I scramble to get things done. I don’t think about slowing down to read to my 4 yr old or listen to one of my 7 yr olds jokes that make absolutely no sense. I do not think about slowing down to interpret my 2 yr olds babbling. And, why would I even need to stop and make funny faces for my 8 month old when he has three older siblings that will happily accommodate him AND add singing and dancing for an extra laugh?

Timmy, Abigail, Ethan, and Eliza

Those things all seem to take a back seat to the laundry and dishes, the bills and financial planning, and the meal planning and grocery shopping. Sometimes I wish I had more time. But, after really thinking about it, would it really make a difference? Probably not. I would still feel overwhelmed and race through the day like I’m running a marathon. I do know this, though. I NEED to find the time to just enjoy life. I NEED to build a relationship with each of my children. And, I NEED to do it NOW. This verse comes to mind: James 4:17, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”

No more excuses. And you know what? I bet the laundry and dishes will still get done somehow. The bills will get paid and our future will be secure (in the Will of God.) And, our family will still have breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. If not, at least we will have love for each other and a clear conscience before God. Who says you can’t live on love… and PB&J sandwiches?

Rent Our House?

Posted on August 7, 2012 by marissa

Should we rent our house out and buy a larger home? Or, should we stay in the house and add more rooms in the basement? Either way, we’ll be spending money. If we buy another house, we’ll need money for a down payment and closing costs. Plus, we’ll have to do some touch up work on our current home before we could rent it out. If we added rooms in the basement, it would cost us just as much and it wouldn’t add much value to our house in todays market.

Right now, we’re leaning more toward buying a larger home and renting out our current home. With the market and mortgage rates at a new low, this would obviously be a great time to buy. It is not a good time to sell, however. So, that is why renting our house seems to be our best option. Plus, we wouldn’t just be breaking even on renting it out. We’ve estimated a rental INCOME of around $200/month.

There is a third option of course. It’s an option I don’t really like to think about. It involves spending another winter couped up in an 1100 sq ft house with 6 people. I would say that our health depends on us getting into a larger space BEFORE the winter colds and the dreaded flu hits. It is a known fact that people get sick more often when they work or live in crowded conditions. I would also like to put in an extra vote for my sanity. We should definitely get into a larger space BEFORE winter.

In order to do that, we must first consider our buying power. What can we afford? Sadly, we do not have much of a down payment. In fact, we don’t have ANY down payment. So, we would have to put aside our surplus for a couple of months instead of paying down our debt like we had wanted to do. We may even have to borrow part of the down payment from a family member. YUCK! I don’t like thinking about that. But, that’s what family’s for, right? Just kidding of course. That’s why it makes me sick just thinking about borrowing money from family. I don’t like owing anyone anything. I would much rather be the one lending out the money. I suppose if someone we trust just happened to have, o let’s say, an extra $10,000 just laying around, they wouldn’t mind earning something like 3% interest on that money.

Definitely something we’ll have to pray about. In fact, I think I’ve been praying about this every day now for about a month. I’m not sure if the Lord is answering my prayer now, but we are supposed to go look at a house this evening. It is a little over our budget, but it’s a short sale. So, maybe the bank will consider a lower offer. Like $20,000 lower than the asking price. Hmmmm, not so sure. But, just looking can’t hurt, right? I guess we’ll see.

Gluten Free Banana Bread Pancakes

Posted on July 31, 2012 by marissa

No Gluten/Wheat

No Refined Sugar

All-natural ingredients

Good to the last bite!

Gluten Free Banana Bread Pancakes

1/2 c. Buttermilk (powder)

2 c. gluten free all-purpose flour (usually a combination of rice flour and starches)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups water (more water for thin pancakes and less for thicker)

2 mashed bananas

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 c. coconut oil/vegetable oil

2 eggs

Blend dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients. Mix well and scoop onto 375 degree skillet. Turn over when bubbles start to form. When done, serve with sliced banana and 100% all-natural maple syrup.

Yummy! My kids LOVED these and so did I.

10 Best Apps for Homeschooling: Early Education (Pre-K, K5, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and 3rd Grade)

Posted on July 25, 2012 by marissa

The iPad and iPod have been instrumental in educating our young daughters. They use the iPad almost every day to learn and play. Our oldest daughter, who is 7 now, has been using the iPad and iPod for homeschooling since she was 3. Our youngest daughter, now 4 yrs old, also uses the iPad and iPod for homeschooling. I’ve found that my oldest daughter has excelled through this type of interactive learning. She has a very “hands on” personality and enjoys learning more when she can interact with it. On the other hand, my youngest daughter has been doing well with, and enjoying, her workbooks. But, she has also come to love the educational apps we have gotten for her on the iPad and iPod. Every day there are new, fun children’s educational apps introduced for the iPad and the iPod/iPhone.

We believe that the use of tablets, such as the iPad, in schools and for education will increase exponentially as our children get older. We would be doing them a disservice if we did not teach them the latest technology. The iPad and the iPod have ushered in a new form of homeschooling. It’s a form of homeschooling that is more efficient and more fun! As a parent, I’m always looking for the best ways to educate my children. With the iPad, I feel confident I’ve found the best tool for teaching my children at home.

My 4 yr old with the iPad

10 Quality Educational Apps We Use for Home Schooling and for Fun

TeachMe: Toddler, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade
These educational apps are by far my favorite homeschooling apps for the iPad and iPod! They’re only $0.99 each and my children love them! They are fun, educational, and super easy to navigate. You can also change settings and add/delete users quickly. I love that I can just hand the iPad or iPod to my girls and they can navigate through each app easily with little to no help from me. I can not say enough good things about these apps. They are wonderful!
PBS Kids Video
This is the best free app for early educational videos on the iPad and the iPod. I love that my 2 and 4 yr old can watch Curious George, Sesame Street/Elmo, and Cat in the Hat for free without being subjected to advertisements. We also have Netflix, but I would rather have them watching only educational videos. PBS Kids Video is easy to navigate and I feel comfortable letting them use the app unsupervised. My 7 yr old also likes this app. She watches Arthur, Word Girl, and some of the other educational shows on PBS Kids Video for iPad and iPod.
BrainPop Jr and BrainPop
The BrainPop Jr and BrainPop Featured Movie are free educational video apps that add just a little extra knowledge to our weekly routine. These apps offer 1 free video and quiz each week, but you can upgrade at any time in order to view more videos and take the quizzes that go with them. (WARNING: The videos available through this app may teach the theory of evolution and may need to be monitored by young earth creationist parents and others apposed to the theory of evolution.)
Kids Reading Comprehension: Level 1 and Level 2
These reading comprehension apps are a great choice for any child that is ready to read on their own. My 7 yr old has gone through Level 1 and is now going through Level 2. I love these apps because they aren’t only teaching reading comprehension. Each Level is filled with short, educational reads that contain photos and illustrations.
Monkey Preschool Apps
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox and Monkey Math School Sunshine are great apps for 3 and 4 yr olds. My 4 yr old daughter has lots of fun just playing with them. The fact that they are educational is just a bonus. The 99 cent price tag is great too!
ABC Pocket Phonics
When it comes to learning how to read and write, this app is a great option. It is great for that extra practice time that is often needed, but not always wanted by you know who. My girls never had a problem sitting down with this app and using the “magic pen” with the iPad. It’s a great addition to our Reading/Writing time and a welcome tool for homeschooling. The full version of this app is $2.99 and well worth it. A great find!
Stack the States and Stack the Countries
If you’re looking to get your youngster started on geography, then these are a great way to get them excited about it. These geography apps for kids are colorful, cute, and fun. Stack the States is only $0.99 and you can get Stack the Countries for just a dollar more.
Telling Time
A wonderfully customizable teaching tool for learning how to tell time. I can start my youngest homeschooler out with the simple hourly and half past analog recognition. After those are mastered, I’ll just switch on the quarter past analog recognition and move forward from there. A very clean and comfortable app. Love it! $0.99 for an app you can grow with. The developer has many other apps I would like to try soon. If you’d like to check them out, the website is www.grasshopperapps.com.
MindSnacks: Learn French, German, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and English
After going through a French immersion week, my 7 yr old was delighted with these free language apps. Although the first level is the only free part, it’s enough for a beginner to start off with. We may choose to upgrade once she has the counting down.
Nth Fusion Apps
The app that my daughter is using right now is the Geometry 4 Kids app. It teaches geometry basics in a clear and easily understandable manor. I’m excited to try out all of the other early education apps by this developer. I will definitely be getting the Book Report app and the Body Organs app.

We Have Grass!

Posted on June 22, 2012 by marissa

We recently had to install a new lawn after destroying it last year while waterproofing our basement. We had to excavate around the foundation of our house, and the machines we used completely destroyed our lawn. So, we set out to do some landscaping this spring. And, we’re starting to see green grass!!!!

Here are some pictures of the lawn install progress…

Front Before

Front Corner Before

Back Before

Front in Progress

Side in Progress

Back in Progress

Front with Grass!

Back with Grass!

More to come Next Spring! We are planning to save up a good amount of money to put some bushes, plants, and maybe a couple trees in next spring. This install was about $2000 in labor and another $1000 in materials. That is not including what we did with the perimeter. Home improvements definitely aren’t cheep!

Our next project will be to add a couple of rooms in the basement. Hopefully, we will have the time and money to do that this winter. It’s getting a little cramped in our 1100 square ft house with four children!

And the Winner is…

Posted on June 19, 2012 by marissa

Dean O. from Kirkland, WA, is our winner of two free bestselling Christian books! Dean will receive his free books, “Sacred Marriage” and “Sacred Parenting,” for winning our blog contest for the month of June. We will start another contest shortly, so subscribe to our blog posts to stay in the loop!

Family Financial Fun Blog

Family, Finances, Faith, Food, Frugality, Fitness, and Fun!

How We Made Extra Money Using Craigslist, Ebay, and Rummage Sales

Frugality

Fitness

FUN!

Overwhelmed By Food

The Importance of Women’s Fellowship

Do We Need Two Cars?

Finding the Time

Rent Our House?

Gluten Free Banana Bread Pancakes

Gluten Free Banana Bread Pancakes

10 Best Apps for Homeschooling: Early Education (Pre-K, K5, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and 3rd Grade)

10 Quality Educational Apps We Use for Home Schooling and for Fun

We Have Grass!

And the Winner is…