Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Preparing for the Spring Garden

Our dollar store has seeds out!  I picked up veggie and wildflower seeds, and I'm preparing the beds with leaf and twig mulch, kitchen scraps, Starbucks used coffee grounds, and wood ash.

Pinning gardening ideas at Pinterest. Check it out here.

Our small pond sprung a leak, so I'm turning it into a veggie garden in the spring.  I've been prepping it with aquarium prunnings, leaves, sticks, and kitchen scraps. In the spring I'll add a few bags of soil.  Source.
 The idea of this layering method is from this book:  
Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!

Sunday, January 24, 2016

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.

3D Geography Ideas

See here.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Make Some Cash: Online Consignment Store

I haven't tried Swap.com yet, but I heard that they accept consignments through the mail with prepaid shipping. Might be a great way to easily turn your gently used clothing into some cash.
Quick guide to selling.

They are taking spring and summer clothing until May. If I try this, I'll report back with my experience. I might have some items that didn't fit my daughter stored away.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

100 Ways to Save Money

I've exhausted all these options! Life is still expensive, but these ideas help. See here.

Random rant:

What's with all the hidden medical costs even when paying through the nose for insurance?! Such a ripoff.

Etsy Book Sale: Any Three Books for $15.00 Free Shipping

See here
.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Children's Books Pre-K Through Eighth Grade .49 Cents Shipped

This looks interesting! Supposedly .49 cents a book shipped. I haven't tried them, but it looked like a good deal for children's contemporary best sellers. See here. I'd love to visit this place. The store in located in a North Carolina.

DIY Rustic Pedestal

Saw this over at Pinterest. I am going to try this! Link is here. I will share it when it's done. I have a candlestick like this, but I'm not sure the top is wide enough. I'm working on some upcycling distressed pieces now for Etsy, so this would be an easy project to work in.


Thursday, December 17, 2015

Discover Kids Free Homeschool Resource Grades Five Through Nine

Discover Kids has some free content which is helpful as a supplement across subjects. The site is not interactive and is for reading only. Offers three reading levels for grades five through nines. Sign up is free. See here.