Spring 2014 Consignment Sale

Today is the day I turn in our Spring 2014 Consignment Sale items.

My goals:
- To tag at least 50 items
- To make $100+

How did I do?
- I tagged 95 items!!
- We will have to see on the $100+

I learned a lot from the fall sale - Pre Sale Post and Post Sale Wrap-Up

This time I tagged everything in under 2.5 hours!
I made sure to tag all toys and shoes first as they sell really well.
Then I tagged all items $5 or more since I will make the most money off of them.
Lastly, I tagged my less expensive items.

I started tagging on Friday figuring if something came up I would have the weekend to work on it as well. However, a rainy day meant that I was able to get everything tagged Friday afternoon. Annabeth helped by "organizing" items for me.

Our 24 months and 18 months stacks! 

Our whole tote packed and ready to go! :)

I will update after the sale with what sold well, what didn't, and how much I made.

Frugal Friday 32

Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- While traveling we stopped at Bob Evans for dinner. We used a coupon to get Annabeth's meal for free! Saved: $3.00

- We had friends stay the night this week. Often we meet these friends for lunch at Panera Bread but to save money (and sanity with two little ones) I found a Panera Bread Macaroni and Cheese recipe online. I won't say that it was exactly the same but it was very good. Even with the fruit and veggies we added to the meal we were all able to eat for around $8 - much less than eating out!

- I was able to purchase some very sweet spring items from a friend for Annabeth. I was able to get 10 pieces (including American Girl and Talbots Kids brands among others) for $20. We love buying used and we love helping out friends!

One of the many cute outfits we got!

Annabeth loved the hat that came with this one!

- I used up the last of my birthday Starbucks giftcards on a treat drink. Saved: $2.98

- I was able to sell two shirts on facebook. Made: $10

What have you been doing to save money this week?
Are you ready for spring? I know we are!

Happy Savings to All!

"Buy Used and Save the Difference"

Homeschool Spring Break!

Woohoo! Spring Break!!

We have been going strong with homeschool since the first full week of January and like all students and teachers we needed a spring break this week!

We are still doing our morning lesson of prayer time, ABC, letter of the week, and letter/counting review. I moved The Lord's Prayer and Bible Time from the afternoon to the mornings for this week so we can take every afternoon off school.

You  may remember that in January I made some homeschool goals for the semester.
Where are we now?
- Annabeth can count from 1-15
- She can read her letters A-S
- She can read a few numbers (2,4,6)
- She can tell the difference between numbers and letters if looking at a page

Although I had decided to take time off from some school this week, I still found myself spending 2 hours organizing supplies today. My best friend teaches Kindergarten and my Mama taught preschool - elementary and they have both given me a lot of supplies. I had organized some in January but brought a huge box home since then. Annabeth and I put in a lot of hard work today and are all organized!

Our two sets of drawers - all organized!

The left one is ABC/123 Books, coloring/art supplies, early readers, flashcards, and workbooks

The right one is preschool to 2nd grade workbooks/worksheets, games, and manipulatives

A close-up of the drawer labels

They are all characters from Little Red Riding Hood 

I thought this paper was so cute!

Annabeth did some sticker work while I organized 

Showing off her "Dada Kisses Picture" she made for Mark today 

Us Girls.

It may not be a sunny beach spring break picture

but it is a sunny schoolroom/sunroom picture and that makes me just as happy!

You may also enjoy: Why We Homeschool 

Four Generations of Lipstick Girls

A few weeks ago, I posted about Annabeth following a family tradition of being a Lipstick Girl.

This past weekend, we traveled to Evansville/Owensboro for my Mama's birthday. One of her birthday requests was to make a Four Generation Lipstick Girl picture.

Momaw, Annabeth, Mama, me, and Lu

Four Generations of Lipstick Girls.

Frugal Friday 31

Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is how we saved money/spent money wisely/made extra money this week:

- We saved 15% on our grocery bill. Best deal: Special K Cereal Bars on sale for 2/$5.00. We had a mailed coupon for $1.50 off two boxes AND one of the boxes had an attached $1.00 off coupon. We were able to get one totally FREE!

- At our old house Annabeth had a very small room so we purchased a cheapie plastic three drawer dresser for her closet to store folded clothing. When we moved to the new house, I had visions of restoring an old piece of furniture. I wanted it to be white with pink pulls. We have spent months searching consignment stores, Goodwill, and garage sales and everything was either in very poor condition or far too expensive. Last weekend Mark and I had a date day and went antiquing. I turned a corner and there "it!" was! We did not want the bookshelf on the top so Mark was able to save us $25! We love buying used and local!

Annabeth's beautiful new dresser! We loved the claw-feet at the bottom!

- Every week I check Craigslist and our county's Garage Sale Facebook page for people searching for certain items. This week a lady was looking for a girl's crib set. We had already been discussing selling Annabeth's crib bumpers, dust ruffle, and mobile so I sold it to her. Made: $15

- Our sweet friends the Tames Family asked if we would like one of their train tables. We happily said "Yes!" because Annabeth has really enjoyed playing with train tables everywhere we have seen them. Thursday evening Brandi, Nat, and Wesley brought over the amazing table and a train! Free fun! Thank you Tames Family!

Our new train table. Feel free to come play with us! :)

Annabeth had to rush in from dance class to get back to her train.

She absolutely loves it. 

- In anticipation of getting the new train table, we took Annabeth to Target to get her first train. We had seen some neat magnetic-wooden ones on the website, however, I missed the note that said "Online Only." In the store, the only little trains were battery powered. So, Mark and Annabeth picked out a larger train made by Lego that she got to build. She had a lot of fun and thanks to a $20 giftcard FREE!

What a blessed week we have had!

Do you pass along old toys? Where do you sell toys your kids have outgrown?

Happy Savings to All!

"Buy Used and Save the Difference"

6 Year Anniversary (with my wedding ring)

St. Patrick's Day 2008. I spent the day shopping at Oxmoor Mall in Louisville and went in a jewelry store for the 1000th time since getting engaged the June before. I was "just looking." But then I saw IT. THE ring.

I tried it on. It fit perfectly. It looked perfect. I made a down payment.

That night I let Mark know that I had made the first payment on my wedding ring. We exchanged photos and sweet messages that night. The perfect way to spend a long-distance-St-Patrick's-Day with my German-Irish Mark Patrick.

Yesterday, my sister and I were shopping at Oxmoor at I realized the store is still there, in the same place. Naturally my ring and I had to take a photo to celebrate our 6 year anniversary.

I am so blessed to be married to my best friend and while this ring anniversary is special, I am looking forward to celebrating our 5th Wedding Anniversary in just two months!!

Frugal Friday 30

Happy Frugal Friday #30!

Here is what we did to save money/spend money wisely this week:

- Thursday evening Mark's parents invited us to spend Saturday at "Discover the Dinosaurs"  We were SO excited but I panicked because I ALWAYS want Annabeth to have themed outfits for every birthday, holiday, and event that we are part of. So, Friday morning we got up and got to work. We crafted a dinosaur shirt and matching bow all from items we had on hand.

- Mark and I have been on a mission to eat healthier and get into better shape. Combined we have lost more than 20 pounds this year. This past week we stepped it up by joining www.myfitnesspal.com. We have friends who have successfully used the app/online program for years and love it. We had talked about joining a gym or doing Weight Watchers but we love that this is FREE!

- Sarah and Bella came up for the day. One of my favorite consignment stores, Growing Spurts, has just moved to a new location so we went to check it out. I found an amazing tutu dress for Annabeth to wear this summer. Saved: $28.00

- A friend from high school was in from out of town. Instead of meeting at a restaurant for dinner, I made dinner at home. We had a casserole and mixed berries. It was nice to use things from our own fridge/freezer instead of going out and paying much more for dinner out.

- Annabeth and I enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL weather this past Tuesday. We spent the whole day outdoors: walking the neighborhood, digging in the dirt, playing with neighbors, and eating dinner outside. Free, wonderful fun.

What have you been doing to save money this week?

Happy Savings to All!

"Buy Used and Save the Difference"

Lipstick Girls

My mama has a superpower.

As a little girl I was AMAZED by her ability to back the family car out of the garage while flawlessly putting on her lipstick. Every time. I was so in awe of the fact that she never hit the walls of the garage or messed up her lipstick. It was truly a superpower in my little girl eyes.

My Momaw also applies lipstick at the start of each day. As a child, it was a very few times that I saw her face without makeup. As soon as the first cup of coffee was finished her face went on.

Even still the two of the apply lipstick anytime they leave the house, at lunch after the meal is finished, usually without a mirror and always perfectly.

I have learned to do the same. I do it so often that Annabeth asks to have some as well as we head out the door. I have always agreed and so my two year old has painted lips. Often I put Annabeth in her carseat and exclaim, "Ah! Lipstick" and put mine on before leaving the garage. Last week, for the first time I did it, perfectly, while backing the car out of the garage. I now have my own Mama-Superpower.

Today the weather is beautiful and so I asked Annabeth:
"Please get ready for a walk. Please find your tennis shoes."
but Annabeth heard,
"Please get ready for a walk. Please put on your lipstick."

This is how I found her...

All I could do was grab the camera and capture the moment.

My Fourth Generation (maybe more) Lipstick Girl.

Discover the Dinosaurs

Last Thursday, Mark's parents called and asked if we wanted to spend Saturday at "Discover the Dinosaurs." Annabeth LOVES dinosaurs so we quickly said yes. Annabeth and I spent Friday making a themed outfit. I think it turned out pretty cute...

All of us really enjoyed the event (Discover the Dinosaurs Website). There were about 40 huge, moving dinosaurs, a place for for the kids to dig for bones, 3D pictures, bounce houses, mazes, a toddler dinosaur playground, dinosaur rides, gem mining, and even face painting.

It was a little dark and VERY loud so in the beginning Annabeth was afraid but snuggling Daddy made her brave.

Once we got to the toddler playground she decided that she really liked it.

We were so proud of her for riding her first ride! SO big!

Annabeth was definitely on the young end of children who would enjoy this event but I think she still had a lot of fun. She is still talking about the fact that she rode a dinosaur! That really thrilled her! :)

***A Note for Christian Families: This event does include signage that includes evolution 'facts.' Our family believes that the Bible is completely true and that every word in it is the Word of God. We do not believe in evolution or subscribe to "scientific evidence" as for the creation or age of the world. For families with older children who are reading, you may want to discuss what your family believes before they read the signs posted. Before going in, we explained to Annabeth that we believe that God created our world in 6 days, resting on the 7th, that he made the dinosaurs and took them away from the earth, and that we do not believe the earth to be millions of years old. Overall the event has a fun, family feel and is not designed as a museum where the posters are meant to be studied.***

Frugal Friday 29

Happy Frugal Friday!

Here is what we did to save money/spend money wisely this week:

- Last Saturday Annabeth and I attended a Bridal Shower for my soon to be SIL and BIL. We took a homemade card, gift purchased with our Christmas giftcards, and wrapped it in paper received from my Momaw.

- Annabeth loves playing with baby doll strollers at family and friend's houses but she does not have her own at our house. I thought I would just go purchase one but even at consignment stores they were $10 - much more than I wanted to spend! We solved the issue by borrowing one from Mark's parents' house. They have three, one for each granddaughter, but since the big girls are only here a few times a year we will just return it for those weeks.

Annabeth is having a lot of fun pushing Pink Baby Kitty around the house

- Monday was Mark's 26th Birthday! His parents took us out to dinner at the Mexican restaurant by our house. Although they were paying, we still found a $5 coupon to help with the cost of dinner. :)

- Instead of purchasing a bakery item Annabeth and I made Chocolate Chip Pie and served Kroger ice cream for dessert.

- We enjoyed the week at home and did a great deal of spring cleaning to keep us busy.

- Instead of paying for an outing this week, in addition to our usual storytime at the library, we enjoyed playing in the snow and taking walks to watch construction workers and cranes build a new house in our neighborhood. Annabeth loved all of the machinery!

What have you been doing to save money this week? Do you do store-bought or homemade desserts for birthdays and holidays? Any tips for saving on store-bought treats?

Happy Savings to All!

"Buy Used and Save the Difference!"

26.

Monday was Mark's 26th Birthday!

Last Wednesday, Annabeth and I made Mark's card and wrapped his present. As soon as Mark came home from work, Annabeth began telling him all about it. Needless to say, he ended up opening his present that evening after dinner. Mark hates to wait for surprises so I think that worked out just fine for him.

Helping Daddy open his Notre Dame Tervis Tumbler 

She loved the bubble wrap!

Mark spent his actual day working. Annabeth and I made one of his favorite casseroles when he came home for lunch. Then after work, we met his parents and brother for Mexican food. Annabeth and I made homemade Chocolate Chip Pie and served it with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Mark enjoyed opening some more Notre Dame themed gifts from his family.

Happy 26th Mark!