Spring Cleaning and Online Yard Sales

As we live in a mobile home, space is limited. Even though I got rid of a lot of unnecessary things when I moved, I still feel overwhelmed with clutter and junk. My craft room is, well now was, one of the biggest problems. I had all sorts of craft supplies that I haven't touched since we moved in. Well it finally came time to get rid of the stuff closing in around me.

In order to cut down on the clutter, I needed to get rid of items I don't like anymore, don't use, haven't touched in a year, etc. I went through my various containers one by one, grouping items into two groups, sell and keep.

My favorite way to get rid of unnecessary items is through my local Facebook Yard Sale groups and Varage Sale. Find your local groups by typing "Yard Sale" into the Facebook search bar.

My tips for Online YardSale Safety and Success:

1. Price your items reasonably. This is a yard sale and people are looking for bargains. Start a bit more than you expect to get so you can reduce. 
2. Join more than one group. You get different people with different interests. Something that has no interest in one group may be a hot ticket in another!
3. Write a good description. Keep it simple and precise, but do make sure to disclose any damage. Include the town (or area of city) you are in. 
4. Bump your post/album at different times. Write in the comments section of your item/album the word "bump" to bring it to the top, or use the comment section to change the price. Do it at different times as people browse Facebook at all hours 
5. MOST IMPORTANT Always meet in a public place! Arrange a time and place to meet through the Private Message section rather than in the comments where everyone can see. On Facebook, regularly check your "Other" messages in your inbox (Click upper left corner, next to Inbox) as messages from people you don't know usually end up in there. I always pick a larger parking lot where there is a lot of traffic. I tell the person I am meeting the color/make/model of my car, and expect the same from them so I know who to expect. 

As far as payment goes, cash is king. Don't accept checks.You can even get yourself setup to take credit cards! If you have or sign up for a PayPal account, you can get a Paypal Here personal credit card reader for your cell phone. There are other personal credit card readers out there, I chose this one as it has a low fee (2.7%) and I already had a PayPal account. I have yet to use it, but I keep the option open. It did not cost me anything. 

How to Save Money at Target

Money is tight, very tight. With all the snow days and two vacation weeks so close together, it is hard to make ends meet. I am always shopping for deals. I will go weeks without finding anything worth pursuing, but every once in a while I hit it big! Today was one of those days. I thought I would share this example of how to get the most for your money. I don't run a couponing blog, nor do I want to, but I would like to share some simple tips and a real life example on how to save a decent amount.

Target is a great place to start saving big! Make sure that you have signed up for text coupons and downloaded the Target Cartwheel App for iPhone or Android. Also go online to http://coupons.target.com and print any relevant coupons for your needs. The text message coupons, or printed Target coupons can all be used as well as manufacturer coupons you either clip or print. The Cartwheel discount is applied last after all other discounts, but can be used with both Target store and manufacturer coupons. The Target RedCard automatically saves you 5% on everything. I personally love the debit card version as it doesn't add to my debt, but they do have a store credit card and a Visa credit card.

I scored big at Target today. My trick was to do two transactions to maximize my savings. Target is known for doing Buy X Number of products and get a Gift Card. I always do those together in a transaction first. Today, they had a deal on AirWick Air Fresheners. While the actual item wasn't on sale, it was part of a Buy 3 Get a $5 Gift Card promotion. To maximize my savings, I bought 3 items and used a $1.50 off coupon. I still get the $5 gift card but I also save that bit extra out of pocket. I also picked up a few other items while I was there and had coupons and Cartwheel savings.

Another thing to remember at Target is to scour the aisles for clearance deals. Most likely they are on the back side of the aisles, hidden from the main path of travel. I was able to find an awesome deal on my deodorant; normally priced at $3.99, it was on clearance for $2.78 and I had a $1 off 1 coupon, so it only cost me $1.78 for brand name deodorant with a travel size one attached! The feminine products were a great deal as I had 2 coupons, one for $1.50 off 2 and a manufacturer coupon for $1.00 off 2. I was able use Cartwheel off of the M&Ms as well as a manufacturer coupon.

I know that particular transaction doesn't look all that impressive, however I did save a total of $12.46. These were all products I planned to buy this week anyways, so any savings is beneficial.

My next transaction is where it's at, whatever it is. As you know I own two cats. Two cats who generate a lot of waste. Target had an awesome text-in coupon for $10 off a $40 pet purchase. A perfect chance to stock up on cat litter as my Black Friday supply was running low. I used a combination of manufacturer coupons and store coupons, plus the $5 Gift Card I scored on my previous transaction so I only paid $18.41 for nearly $50 worth of cat litter! Of course, in all the excitement at the register, I completely spaced using Cartwheel. I am kicking myself for that as I had an extra 10% off the Purpose litter and the Lightweight Litter. I know I can go to Customer Service and get the difference, but I'm already home now. Darn. However, I did save a total of $31.45 including the $5 Gift Card.

When all is said and done, I saved $43.91 in both transactions, all off things that I was purchasing anyways. I can't complain about that.



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Notice anything different?

I decided that it is time to try and step this blog up a bit. First thing that needed to be changed was the template. I wanted something simpler and sleeker and a bit more welcoming. Thank you to Blogger for providing some beautiful designs to chose from, pretty darn nice for free if you ask me!

Now, I'm not new to the world of blogging, I've had this blog for a few years now but never really gave it much attention. It was just a place to share aspects of my life, review products I get to try, and basically write whatever I felt like writing. I think now is the time to turn up the professionalism and make this blog a more interesting destination.


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Trail Mix My Way

I don't like 99% of all store bought pre made trail mixes as 99% of them have either raisins or cashews or both. The other day the boyfriend had a great idea of making our own trail mix for something different to snack on. So we did...

I made mine with:

Pepitas (Raw, Hulled Pumpkin Seeds)
Sunflower Seeds (Raw, Hulled)
Slivered Almonds
Sweetened Shredded Coconut
Honey Roasted Peanuts
Dried Cranberries
Plain M&Ms
Dove Dark Chocolate Covered Cranberries

The majority is the pepitas and sunflower seeds and almonds. I wanted something sweet so the coconut and honey roasted peanuts were added. To add some interest I added a few M&Ms, dried cranberries, and Chocolate covered cranberries.

All I can say is YUM! I thought I'd share this yummy, somewhat healthy snack idea!

#FrostyVoxBox Wrap Up Review

I was very excited to be selected to participate in the #FrostyVoxBox campaign! It was so funny as I had just commented on a photo Influenster had posted on Instagram of the Vox Box about how much I would have enjoyed trying that particular set of items, then within the next couple days I got my invite! Yay!

Contained in my VoxBox was:

• No7 Protect & Perfect Advanced
• NYC Expert Last Lip Color in Sugar Plum
• Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Decaf Green Tea
• EcoTools Hair Brush
• Rimmel Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
• Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner
• McCormick Gourmet Thyme (hehe, they sent me Time in a Bottle)
• Fruit Vines Bites

I was most excited to see the Rimmel products, as I am already a huge fan of their makeup line! It is affordable, but offers a great selection of quality products! I was also in need of a new waterproof black eyeliner pencil, so the timing couldn't have been better. The eyeliner of course did not disappoint! I will post a separate, more in depth review of the Rimmel Products in my next post!

The NYC Lip Color was a surprise like as I was worried it would be too dark for me. I am not much of a lipstick wearer because it is a pain, and I can never pick a color that suites me. When I put on the Sugar Plum color, I was surprised how it looked on me, it was a few shades darker than my natural lip color but not so dark it looked silly. I was also very pleasantly surprised how creamy and smooth it felt. Normally I don't like the texture and "taste" of lipstick but this was was actually quite nice. It didn't last as long as I hoped, but a quick touch up would have brought it right back. For the price ($1.99) it is totally worth the purchase in my opinion, even if you have to touch up once every few hours. I would definitely buy this product again. 

The biggest hit for me was the Ecotools hair brush. I am picky about hair brushes as I get a lot of tangles and knots with my way-too-fine hair. I was skeptical about this brush, which is the Sleek and Shine Finisher model, but I love it! It is my new go-to brush for everyday use! It doesn't necessarily detangle but it does an awesome job of making my hair not look greasy and "clumpy" like the brush I was using. Ecotools claims it speeds up the hair drying process, but as the only hair dryer I own is in my craft room and I have never used on my hair, I can't verify the claim! 

While strawberry is one of my least favorite flavors, I did like the Fruit Vines and plan on purchasing the cherry flavor in the future. The texture was just right, not too sticky, not too hard. I ended up eating a lot more in one sitting than I had planned lol, especially as I dislike strawberry. 

I have yet to try the No7 serum as it is a tiny pack so it will be nearly impossible to talk about how well the product works. I could say how it initially feels, but one or two applications isn't going to lead me to give a good opinion. 

As for the tea, I really don't like peppermint flavored anything other than the little starlight candies, and even those need to be mild, so I did not try the tea. I know Celestial Seasonings is often regarded as an excellent choice and they have a huge variety of flavors, so I'm certain this Candy Cane Lane tea would be very good if you like flavored teas. I just don't. 

The same goes for the McCormick Thyme. I know McCormick makes a high quality product that is worth the extra money, I just don't cook with seasonings very often, and even less often needing Thyme. Had it been garlic salt/powder, that would have been tried and tried. I don't have a sensitive palate, so the cheap-depot spices are for me as it is insanely rare I use them. I would like to try the McCormick Cilantro though as I love to make my knock-off Chipotle cilantro-lime rice!

Overall I enjoyed the products in my Frosty VoxBox! I suggest you go out and try them!

2014

So I'm a couple days late on my 2014 wrap up....but oh well. Not sure anyone actually reads my blog anyways!

2014 was a good year and a bad year. It was a great year as far as love goes, which is the most important thing! However medically, not so good. I've struggled with extreme exhaustion. For 2015 I'm looking for answers! There is no reason for a 29 year old to be falling asleep at inappropriate times, like riding on the back of a motorcycle.

The biggest thing that happened this year was moving into our little mobile home! It is my first house, so that was very exciting. I think my favorite part is being able to customize everything to be how we want. Our living room was the first project as it was just primer white when we moved in. We picked a pretty slate blue. The next project was the bathroom. First thing to go was the awful fake gold knobs and fixtures. Then we removed the old lady pink floral wallpaper (bleh!) and painted a nice shade of green on the walls, one shade darker than the to-be bedroom color. We are going for a country cabin outdoor theme.

The most fun this year was going on motorcycle demo rides! I sold my Vespa at the beginning of the season due to the aforementioned medical issues. I did have a couple days where i felt better and was able to test ride 4 models of Harley Davidsons (Sportster, TriGlide, Softail Slim, Softail Heritage), and 2 Indian motorcycles. I fell in love with the Indian Scout. It was the perfect fit for me in both size and power, plus the price is somewhat reasonable.

My boyfriend and I had a blast touring around NH and parts of ME on his motorcycle. We got to see a lot of beautiful scenery and eat a lot of ice cream. The weather actually cooperated without it being too hot or too wet on the weekends so we went out almost every one!

As far as what 2015 will bring? I'm not sure. I am hoping for financial relief. I am going to work harder to pay off my debts so I can be in a better position to maybe upgrade my car and buy a motorcycle. Sad thing is if I didn't have self-inflicted stupid debt (credit cards, student loan) I could easily add that motorcycle and pay for my share of life expenses. Not sure how I'm going to achieve it other than physically cutting up my cards.

Hell has frozen over. I have started going to the gym with my boyfriend....and even scarier....I don't hate it!! Not only is it something to do, but I actually feel better after going. It's only the first week, and I haven't had to work all day before, but so far it's not so bad!

I know the best part will be having my boyfriend by my side. We have so much fun together! Even my cats love him!

My Favorite "Holiday"

Today is traditionally considered Black Friday, a wondrous day of best price of the year sales. Recently, stores have started their sales as early as Wednesday and most big stores start their sale on Thanksgiving. I am "old fashioned" as far as in store shopping....Friday is the day. I got up at 5:30am to start my shopping spree.

Me being me, I had bookmarked a wonderful site called bfads.net which had leaked ads. I created a spreadsheet of all the deals I was interested in, I collected coupons, I made a "day of" checklist; I was prepared; and boy did it pay off!! Combining sales and coupons I saved $352.41, an average savings of 49% at 8 stores including Walmart and Target. The majority of my purchases were very boring; household supplies at CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. But the savings in that area were massive....an average of 62%, my best transaction was 84% at CVS! Very exciting to watch the numbers drop. We now have a year supply of laundry detergent, plenty of toilet paper, and plenty of paper towels! Luckily my bf was able to finish building the shelf in our laundry room cabinet this morning so I had a place to store all this stuff.

I was also able to buy 115 pounds of cat litter, 16 pounds of food and a couple toys at a lovely 50% off at Petsmart.

As far as the fun stuff, that was limited this year due to a lack of fundage, but I still managed to get some nice things at an average of 38%. Much of that was purchased online Thursday as many sales went live. The best part was being able to get exactly what I wanted while avoiding crowds and traffic.

We definitely won't need to buy M&Ms anytime soon lol! I think 6 bags will last us a while. I was very happy to find an inexpensive Wall Mount for the bedroom TV. I will no longer have to worry about the cats knocking it off the bureau! Yay! My best find was a camouflage lightweight hoodie for $10 at Walmart. They were sold out online and in the first Walmart I went to. Even in the second Walmart there were none left anywhere, except one that I found mixed in with the women's jackets! Lucky for me, it just happened to be my size!

Now, to wait for my online orders to arrive....