Etsy Store Experiment

I started selling on Etsy in April, and it's been slow going since that time. My expectations were to sell at least four items a week, but that has not happened. I'm lucky to sell two a week.  You can make slightly more per item over ebay, but sales are much slower.  So, I'll be closing shop in April at the latest.

My next venture will be clothing on ebay. I may fare better with these items. Although access to quality items in my area is limited, there may be a better return at ebay with the clothing. If so, I'll need to stock less at home - always a good thing. Etsy is great if you sell upscale sought after collectibles, or are talented with handmade. I find ebay easier to figure out as far as learning what sells, and it casts a wider net with the non-vintage sales. There's more opportunity for me there.

The remaining books in my Etsy store will be kept for our homeschool, and the other items will go to a yard sale and/or charity.

I'll probably list a few thing on Etsy in the future, but only unusual highly sought after items. I do find these a few times a year.

Thrift Finds for Math

Picked up a making change game today, and six or seven BBC Earth Life nature puzzles all for .59 cents a pound!

We'll check this game out tomorrow.

From the Manufacturer

Exact Change combines an excellent teaching lesson with fun, fast paced action that the entire family will love. The goal is to play all of your cards first. You can discard cards by matching the color of the last card played, by matching the currency value (play a penny on a penny), or by making EXACT CHANGE. Making exact change allows you to discard multiple cards that add up to the value of the last card played. If the last card played shows a quarter, you can make exact change by playing two dimes and a nickel…allowing you to discard three cards in one play

Frugal DIY Math Games with Dice

Just pinned a few to Pinterest

DIY giant dice game.

Connect Four

Final Count Down

10,000 Dice Game(Farkle)

By the way, I see dice all the time at the thrift store for pennies a piece when sold together bags. These are very inexpensive math games for home learning.

Illustrated Storymaking in Elementary School - Blank Hardcover Story Books

White Blank Books with Hardcovers 6"W x 8"H (6 Books / Pack)

My daughter(third grade) asked for a hardcover blank page book to make her own illustrated storybook. I found these(pictured and linked) on Amazon. They've got 16 bank pages and a blank hardcover. She has since asked for more, and I got a set of six. Short stories with illustrations can be done easily in this 6 x 8 hardback.

I've been collecting art supplies from the thrift for years, so we have a huge stash. I also noticed you can purchase supplies in "lots" off ebay. This is so much less expensive than building your art center with new items that tend to be overpriced.

Thrift Store Curriculum Finds for Third Grader

I've been finding very inexpensive items at one of our local thrift store for my children's education. Thankfully, the "pickers" pass by the children's education books and activity kits. Thrift stores, yardsales, and church sales all potentially have things you can use for science, English, math, geography, home economics, you name it.

A few items I picked up this week for my third grader:

I think I got this for under dollar.

Ancient Egypt Mummies; More by Creativity For Kids (1153)

And we watched this video on Queen Nefertiti on YouTube while putting this together. She loved it!

The other day I found a covered wagon kit. I found this for a quarter in the bargain bins. We worked on it today and  listened to this read aloud book, Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails on YouTube.

Covered Wagon Wood Craft Kit 

Vintage Book Finds

Some great finds at one of our local used book stores, about $5.00 each:

Misericordia Readers, Sixth Reader, 1934(Nihil Obstat Catholic school reader, Sisters of Mercy, Baltimore, Md)

1952 early reader, What's Next(third grade? - need to research) , Scott, Foresman and Company
Young Folks Library, 1902, Thomas Baily Aldrich, Hall & Locke Company.

Treasury of Life and Literature, Volume Four, 1937, Rollo Lyman, et al; Scribner.

The Lion of the North(30 years war), (first edition?), G.A. Henty, A.L. Burt Publisher

Some of these we'll use for summer reading.

Saving Money at the Thrift Stores

This is a good time to check out the thrift stores; people are cleaning out their closets. We brought a load of outgrown clothes and toys to a local thrift yesterday, and decided to do some shopping as well. I was able to find some light jackets, girl's winter pajamas(for next year), new-with-tags tops(Target and The Children's Place, long sleeved for next year) for my daughter, and a few summer T-shirts and Khaki shorts for my teenage son. I spent about $45.00 for 27 items(20% off with frequent donate card).

Sometimes I find next to nothing at the thrift stores, and other times it seems I've hit the mother load. To be successful, I have to check frequently. In the end, I save quite a bit of money on clothing and household goods. This goes a long way toward creating a savings cushion and extra money for vacations.

Quilting with Vintage Handkerchiefs

I got a vintage hankie during my last visit to the thrift store, and I'm building a collection. A friend shared the prettiest idea for a quilt. She made butterfly patterns from the hankies, and stitched them to the front of a handmade quilt.




Butterfly Hankie Quilt

Here's some more wonderful ideas for hankie quilts


I've made small toddler quilts before, and I still have one to finish up. I might try one or two hankies on the toddler quilt.