The New Disney/Epcot Treasure I Found, Signed By The Artist!

I recently found this little treasue while shopping for eBay inventory.  It's so cute and would go perfect in my kitchen.  The only thing is, it has an original signature by the artist, Rachel Tribble.  It's from the 2008 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival.  Ms. Tribble's sunflower image was the art used for the event's posters in 2008.

I have just listed it on eBay, so wish me luck!!

More Success To Share - Selling Stuffed Animals On eBay

Last month, I shared a personal eBay selling story about a stuffed dog. To read it, click here. Since then, I've had more success selling stuffed animals and read a great article about a $100 bunny.

First up, in the past week, I sold this Classic Pooh Rabbit and this Russ Tiger. The rabbit was priced at $24.97 with the "or best offer" feature added. It had been in my eBay store for almost 4 months and you'll notice the buyer paid full price! The tiger I listed a month ago, also with the "or best offer" feature and I took a $20.00 offer. I paid $.50 for the rabbit and $.75 for the tiger. Not a bad little profit, if you can be patient enough the wait for the right buyer to come along.

Now, on to the $100 story. This is compliments of my eBay mentor Debbie over at eBay Mommy. She also has a great "how-to" eBay selling website in addition to the blog. And, she is were I learned/was inspired to sell plush. Anyway, head over to her blog and read her post about a Carter's bunny that sells for big $$. Also, if you look through her recent posts, you'll find one about yours truly. :)

Have a great weekend and happy hunting (thrift store, garage sale or your own closets)!!

eBay Selling Success Story - Walmart Stuffed Animal

I had some recent eBay success, a few weeks back, selling a stuffed animal that I thought I'd share. Stuffed animals can a huge success if you are patient.

I bought this cute little stuffed dog at a thrift store for $.59 and he sold from my store for $29.97. Check out the listing here. That's a $29.38 profit before eBay fees, just for a few minutes worth of work on one listing!

Now, like I said it takes patience if you're looking for that kind of profit. As far as success in selling plush (stuffed animals), the less common brands do better. What I mean is this Walmart dog sold for $29.97 but you might only get $10 for a Ty stuffed bear. It seems to be a supply and demand type situation as well. Think about it, if little Suzie lost her favorite stuffed dog, and if you're the only one on eBay with a listing, you'll most likely get your asking price. Listing them in a store format, rather than at auction, is the best way to go. Also, consider adding a "or best offer" feature to the listing. But, how do you know which plush pieces to price at $10 and what to price at $30 or maybe even $40? Take a peek around eBay. See how many others are for sell and price accordingly. No others for sell? Price a bit higher and add "or best offer".

For more about selling on eBay, read my eBay selling page! Thanks for taking a peek and good luck!

My Last Goodwill Trip For 2009 Was A Success

I thought I'd share my most recent trip to Goodwill with you. It was a good trip overall, but nothing was on sale so I paid a bit more than usual out of pocket. I could have done way better if I hit the New Years Day sale yesterday, but I can't win them all! I went ahead and went on New Years Eve so I could drop off a couple of boxes to donate. It was the last donation day for the 2009 tax year and it was worth the extra $10 or so I probably spent.

On the left is what I got for my kids. My son ended up with a pair of Gymboree jeans and two GAP shirts and my daughter got a cute pair of "like new" shoes for next year. I spent a total of $11.86 on them (with tax).

On the right is my pile of eBay goodies. I spent another $24.52 on eBay, including tax. I am guessing I'll bring in about $160 from it, once it all sales. That's like a 650% mark up! :)

Here's what I snagged for eBay:

Pair of Mickey Mouse glasses

3 Mugs

Cookie Stamp (new with tag)

Christmas plate

"Teacher" aroma pot thingy (new in box)

Breast Cancer/Pink Ribbon tie

3 kids designer sweaters (Talbots, Gymboree, Hartstrings)

Boys Talbots shirt

Vintage Lacoste sweater!!

Plus-sized Christmas sweater

So overall, I spent $36.38 at Goodwill. Not considering the "Goodwill" part, $36.38 for just 3 designer items and a pair of shoes is an awesome deal! Do you have any great thrift store trips to share? I'm a thrift store addict and would love to hear about them, email me!

eBay Has Half Price On Auction Style Insertion Fees Today & Tomorrow

Today and tomorrow eBay if offering 50% off insertion fees on auction style listings (1, 3 or 5 day only). This is a great way to attract more holiday buyers and I'm not sure about you, but I could really use some eBay sales right now.

Here's the official eBay scoop:

"December 8-9, 2009, sellers who list 1, 3, or 5 day Auction-style item(s), and have a 12 month Detailed Seller Rating of 4.5 or higher on all criteria, will receive 50% off the standard Insertion Fee per item listed. New sellers who don't yet have DSR ratings are also eligible. DSR rating criteria for this promotion will be based on the previous 12 months. To see your DSR ratings, go to your Seller Dashboard within My eBay. For more information on DSRs, click here."

Promo ends Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 11:59 PM plus 59 seconds ET.

Here's a bit of my own advice....when doing an auction style listing this close to Christmas, be sure to add the "buy it now" feature as well. For example, start the auction at $9.99 or they could "buy it now" for $17.99.

Happy Selling!!

P.S. Here's my eBay store. :)

What To Sell On eBay - Sweet Pickles Books

A few weeks ago I posted an eBay success story about selling kids snow bibs. Something I am new at. Anyway, I asked for readers to share recent eBay success stories and Amy at Frugally Frugalicious left a great comment!!

She invested $2 in some books and sold them for $80. Holy cow!! I had to know more!!

Amy remembered reading some cute books she enjoyed as a kid and wanted to find them for her daughter. Recently while browsing in a thrift store she ran across about 20 of the books (Yay Amy!!). Check out this current Sweet Pickles books eBay auction to see what I'm talking about (not Amy's auction!). Anyway, they were priced at $.50 each but when she asks the salesperson, she tells her she will sell them to her for $.10 each! Amy kept a few for herself and sold the rest for $80. Way to go!!! That's an amazing price for vintage (1970's), used books. Not to mention she sold just a few random ones, and not the complete set of 40.

Here's the Wikipedia scoop: "Sweet Pickles is a series of 40 children's books by Ruth Lerner Perle, Jacquelyn Reinach, and Richard Hefter (who also created Stickybear and the Strawberry Library). The books are set in the fictional town of Sweet Pickles and are about anthropomorphic animals with different personalities and behavior. There are 26 animals—one for each letter of the alphabet. The books were published in 1977 and went out of print in the mid-1990s. The series' name is a pun; in each book, the main character gets into a "pickle" (a difficult situation) because of an all-too human personality trait. The front endpapers of the books portrayed the 26 characters, and the back endpapers portrayed a map of the town."

So, check out the current auction that I linked to. Remember what they look like and remember Sweet Pickles!!

Thanks so much Amy for writing me back and giving me all the scoop. I really appreciate it!! :)

Also, thanks to the Collectors Connection for the picture.

Making Money on eBay Selling Kids Snow Bibs

If you follow me Twitter, you might have read this morning where I was getting an eBay purchase ready to ship and decided to blog about it. Kind of a "success story" if you will. :)

Last spring I purchased 3 kids snow bibs (overalls) at a thrift shop for $2 each. I placed them all in my eBay store at the time. Remember spring selling on eBay is all about Easter, not snow!

First up , a pair of Barbi snow bibs in excellent condition (looked like a Walmart brand & was missing the matching jacket) sold about 4 or 5 months ago for $13.97. I shipped those to Canada, so the timing of the purchase makes more sense.

Today, I sold and shipped a pair of Columbia snow bibs. They were navy blue, in excellent condition, and sold for $27.97. Plus, I still have a pair of kids Obermeyer's left in my store at $17.97. ***Update*** The Obermeyer pair sold on October 25th, just 3 weeks after this post. :)

Looking at all 3 pairs, once the 3rd pair sells, that will end up being about $60 in gross sales. With only spending $6 for the snow bibs, my inventory only cost me 10%. I only pay a little to PayPal and eBay after that, but once it's all said and done it's about 25-30% in inventory and fees and 70-75% profit. Impressive business model overall, I'd say! And $60 is certainly not bad off of a $6 investment. I have no knowledge of cold weather wear, I've never even been skiing. I took a small chance (as far as my experience on the items) and it is paying off. As usual, I think the key to success on eBay is listing items in a "store" and being very patient. Once you have a few hundred items listed, you should be selling something every day or so.

Have an eBay success story? I'd love to hear it! :)

Thrift Stores...It's All About The Hunt

I made another thrift store run!! I'll have to admit, as sad as I am that my kids are growing up, I'm loving this whole back-to-school thing. We had a fabulous and lazy summer, and now we're all adjusting to a new routine. Anyway, I should be hitting the stores on a regular basis again. Last night I was lucky enough to have an hour alone to hunt in Goodwill. I love finding a great deal!! Pictured is what I am planning to sell on eBay.

- 9 mugs @ $.59 each (I love selling mugs!!!)
- Precious Moments baby booty bank $.79

Good price points for things to resell on eBay at around $10.

- Mikasa Anniversary plate $1.99
- Girls inflatable Speedo suit $1.99
- Girls Ralph Lauren swimsuit $1.99 (I sold this same style, in gently used condition, last year on eBay for $25 eBay at auction)
- Infant Hanna Andersson dress $1.99
- Pitcher $2.99
- Pampered Chef Round Stone in box $2.99

These items were a bit "pricey", but I feel confident that I can get $12-20 for these treasures.

On this trip I also picked up some things for us. I already had everything put away before the picture, sorry! For us I got:

12" Globe (new in box!!) $8
Gap swim trunks for next year (son) $1.99
Old Navy, lined khaki pants for this year (son) $1.99
Dress for me, still had Nordstom tag, $3.99
Tennis ball $.39

So, in one hour of treasure hunting, I saved goodness knows how much ($100???) and I should eventally make about $150-180 off the rest.

Read more about eBay selling on my eBay selling advice & resource page. And, no promises on when I'll get this all listed, hubby is on a 2 week vacation. But, it's fun having him around! :)

An Update On Last Week's Thrift Store Post

Last week I posted (here) about a trip to the thrift store, where I listed everything on eBay. Well, the auctions have ended and I thought I'd give an update.

I had 4 out of the 11 listings sell at auction.

Ralph Lauren Bermuda's $16.06 (I paid $3.99, kind of steep, but it paid off)
4 Egg Nog Mugs $9.99 ($.59 each)
Dumbo ornament $9.99 ($.99)
Keebler mug $9.99 ($.59, plus this customer bought 2 more mugs from my store)

So, I grossed $46.03 off my $14.57 cash investment. I say grossed since that's not including my eBay or PayPal fees. I feel that if I at least make my investment and initial listing fees back with the auctions, it's a good day (it was a good day). I moved the remaining 7 items to my store for a total of $82.79. They each cost $.03 a month to list, once in the store format. Physically I took the items from my "auction" bin and put them in the appropriate, labeled, clear plastic tubs.

Halloween and Christmas have been hot sellers this week, so get them listed as soon as possible. Have a great week!

Wylie Mom's Weekly Recap - Week 26

Wow, it's hard to believe that 2009 is already half over! As far as last week's tracking it was a slow financial week, but a very action packed week personally (son's birthday and family visiting!). Here are the numbers:

Savings - $55.52

- saved $12.68 at Walmart (didn't blog...it was boring)
- saved $2.89 at Sonic (free Wacky Pack printable coupon from Sonic Birthday Club)
- saved $24.95 at Albertsons
- saved $10 at Party City ($10/30 Party City coupon)
- saved $5.00 with Papa Murphy coupon (I got 2 family sized "take and bake" pizzas & some cheese bread for my son's birthday party...it feed 14 people for $21)

eBay Sales - $122.45

Misc. Income - $16.99

-$2.00 cash at Half Price Books (I took in 8 magaiznes, that I got for free)
-$5.00 from Synovate Research (surveys and product trials...e-mail me for a referal)
-$9.99 rebate from Centrum

Weekly Impact - $194.96
Yearly Impact - $9,284.26

I'm happy (and thankful) about the eBay sales. A total of $122.45 in sales and only $9.99 was made at auction (one item!!) and $112.46 was from my store (9 items!!).

My favorite item that sold was this cool Pottery Barn plate. I found 4 of them at a garage sale a few weeks back and paid $1 a piece. I listed 2 of them auction style first, starting at $9.99 and they went unsold after 7 days. So I moved all 4 of them to my store and priced them at $13.97. They all four sold, 12 days later ($55.88)!! I paid $7.44 to eBay ($.70 original auction listing fees, $.03 store listing fee and $6.71 final value fee) and $2.27 to PayPal. So, $55.88 minus $4 for the plates minus $9.71 in fees equals $41.91 profit. I cleared $10.47 per plate, and my goal is $10 per item. I paid 7% in cost of goods sold and 18% in expenses and made 75% in profit. Very nice!

Have a great week!!

Once Upon A Child Sale This Saturday!

As far as I know this is good for the Garland, Flower Mound and Plano locations only!! Once Upon A Child is a kids and maternity resell shop. Since they are franchised out, sales and stuff will differ a bit from store to store.

Saturday - June 27th, 2009

"Join us for this GIANT clearance event! Save more by the hour on ALL Redline Items!"

10:00am - 1:00pm - Save 50%
1:00pm - 4:00pm - Save 60%
4:00pm - 6:00pm - Save 70%

Overall, I like shopping here. I would say their prices are a bit high, but that's where the sale comes in. Not to mention the frequent shopper discount card (it takes me a few years to fill!). Anyway, they price on a scale. So, Target shorts would be about $3 or $4 but Ralph Lauren ones $8 or $9. Which is why, overall, I favor thrift stores for name brand finds ($1-2).

On the flip side I would also recommend selling here. They take toys, equipment and clothes regardless of the season. For instance, some places will only take fall stuff in the fall. I will point out this is not a 50/50 consignment deal. They are buying the items outright, and you will get about 30% of the selling price point. I sometimes take things here that didn't sell at consignment (The Mulberry Bush) and are not "eBay worthy".

Sometimes after the Moonlight Madness sale they run a $.99 sale if there is a lot of merchandise left....keep an eye out for that. And, I have bought used name brand clothes here for my kids, they have worn them, and then I resold them on eBay for a profit! Be sure to only purchase items in excellent condition. Sometimes, I get lucky and will find something new with tags!

All good reasons to find a Once Upon A Child near you and check it out!

I'm Such A Lazy Shopper!

Other than a trip to Sprouts, it had been 2 weeks since I grocery shopped. I mainly just needed dairy and some chips/snacks. We have a stocked pantry and freezer otherwise!! I headed to Alberstons yesterday morning, before the ad arrived at the house, so I had to just wing it this trip.

I spent $29.39 and saved $23.45.

This week at Albertsons Kraft Cheese is 5/$10 ($2 each). Now this wasn't tagged of course, but here's there catalina deal:

Buy 3 (6 oz or larger) Kraft Cheeses and get $2.00 off your next order (oyno, or a catalina)
Buy 4 get a $3.00 catalina
Buy 5 or more get a $4.00 catalina

I was bummed this wasn't tagged in the store since I bought 2 Kraft Cheeses. I would have got at least one more, darn it! This deal runs 6/19 until 7/12.

I also saw catalina tags on Jello Pudding 6 packs, buy 2 get a $1.00.

Another deal, I used my 2 Kool-Aid/Sugar coupons from a few weeks back. Kool-Aid is priced at Albertsons 8/$1.00 ($.12 each). So I purchased 20 packets and 2 C&H sugars at $2.19 each. That's $6.78 for Kool-Aid and sugar. But I used the 2 $2.00 off sugar coupons plus 2 $.35 off C&H sugar coupons that were tripled...calculator sounds......okay, that $.68 total for 20 packets of Kool-Aid and two 4 pound bags of C&H. But wait, there's more!! I'll list the Kool-Aid on eBay (to sell internationally most likely) and make about $10 back. So, free sugar plus a small profit! :)

For example, here's an eBay listing that has ended, 50 Kool-Aid packets sold for $24.95! Which is amout right, $.50 a packet on eBay.

Be sure to visit the Albertsons website, there's a Coke/Disney matching game you can play for a chance to win a Disney Resort vacation. Good luck!

Wylie Mom's Weekly Recap - Week 23

Last week shaped up pretty good thanks to a nice eBay week. Since my stock piles are so full, I'm not as shopping much these days, so no drug store trips last week.

Savings - $148.28

- $43.54 at Target and $55.27 at Albertson's
- $20.00 cut hubby's hair at home
- $29.47 (my last 2 Bzz kits, Neutrogena and Off)

eBay Sales - $318.51

Misc. Income - $9.00 from Survey Spot (read my survey post here)

Weekly Impact - $475.79
Yearly Impact - $8,323.12

Now that I'm looking at the numbers.....it was a great week! Woot woot! If I "gross up" my weekly figure to account for gas, taxes, etc. (to pretend I worked outside of the home for this $$) I would have had to made $634.38 or $15.85 an hour at 40 hours a week. Not bad for staying home with my kiddos, is it?

My favorite item from last week is still pending, but in it's place I have my SUPER FAVORITE eBay item of all time to share! McDonald's Happy Meal toys. Yup, you read that right, Happy Meal toys! I list them straight to the store for $4.97, new in package. That means they are unopened/still in the sealed plastic. I've been selling a few every month for a while now, but this weekend, I sold 19 toys to one person!! That was almost $95!! I only have a few left, and sold another last night. Here's what I figure, after paying for the Happy Meal (prices vary per market and Happy Meal type), eBay fees and PayPal fees I break even (a few cents to no profit). But, I did feed my kids (and usually myself) and let them play with some kiddos. So, basically I use McDonald's for a "FREE" lunch and entertainment in rainy weather.

Yes.....I'm crazy! Have a great week! :)

I Headed Into CVS At The Last Minute...

I really hadn't planned on going to CVS last week. But, after I read my SIL's post I decided to go ahead and give it a shot. I was so excited that everything I wanted was in stock, which is rare at the end of the week! Here's what I purchased:

Transaction #1

2 ACT Total Care $7.58
Edge Infused $2.89
Bayer Crystals $2.00
2 Extra Gum $2.58

minus

(2) $1.00 ACT newspaper coupons
B1G1 Free Extra newspaper coupon
B1G1 Free Extra coupon e-mailed to me from CVS
$10.00 in Extra Care Bucks

Total OOP = $.47 and I got back $8.89 in ECB ($2.89 Edge, $2.00 Bayer and $4.00 ACT)

Transaction #2

2 Crest Pro-Health toothpaste $5.76
2 CVS nuts $1.98

minus

$1.00 Crest P&G coupon
$.75 Crest P&G coupon
$2.00/2 CVS nuts coupon from magic coupon machine (be sure to check it first!!)
$4.00 in ECB from transaction #1

Total OOP = ZERO and I got back $4.00 in ECB from the Crest

Overall, I spent $.47 in cash OOP. I saved $30.13 and I only "lost" $1.11 in ECB (I started the week with $10 and ended with $8.89). Not bad!!

Once I decided to buy the Crest, I remembered I could sell it on eBay (I have in the past!!). Crazy I know, since toothpaste is something most couponers get for free. But, then that same day I see, Suzanne, the eBay Selling Coach post this. I decided to get a regular Pro-Health and a Nighttime Pro-Health thinking that will make a nice auction. Yay!!

Wylie Mom's Weekly Recap-Week 16

Here's how last week turned out for me:

Savings, detailed below - $122.94

- $39.59 at Kroger
- $18.59 at Albertsons
- $12.22 at Walmart
- $52.54 in products to try

eBay Sales - $92.85 (that was 6 store items)

Misc. Income, detailed below - $40.59

- $3.81 PayPal MasterCard cash back from March (I forgot to track this!)
- $.53 BigCrumbs
- $32.50 check from confidential panel (hubby and I both)
- $3.75 Caregivers Marketplace rebate

Weekly Impact - $256.38
Yearly Impact - $6038.52

It was not a huge week, but I'm not feeling too bad. Last weekend was Easter and I was out of town. Not to mention I had very few auctions ending because of that same reason. I did sell 6 store items. I'm very thankful for my store sales!! I listed 31 new items last week and will aim for 35 this week.

As far as something fun I sold, here's a cute Tommy Hilfiger dress that went for $9.97, the week before last. Another store sale. I bought this dress last year sometime at Once Upon A Child for about $5 or $6. I remember it being on sale and I got a few other things and used a $5/$25 coupon. Anyway, my daughter wore this dress a lot last year, and I still turned a profit on it! I will admit, I do spend a bit of time on the kid's laundry, I wash inside out in cold and hang to dry. And it wasn't a huge profit, but you can shop smart for kids clothes!!

For example: I'd rather spend $20 on a new Gymboree outfit ($15-20 considering a good sale at Gymboree!) and sell it later on eBay for $10 than get a new outfit at Target for $10 that has no resell value after it's worn. Both outfits "cost" $10, but why not get the better quality (and way cuter!!) item....? Just another crazy way I look at things, using the power of eBay. :)

Have a great week!

Kids Mammoth Crocs For $9.99 at Dillard's

Hubby was off a few days ago and we headed to the mall to get the kids new Crocs for the summer. Well, no such luck on summer Crocs, but we picked them each up a pair for next Fall/Winter. Dillard's has the kids Mammoth Crocs on sale for $9.99. They normally retail for $29.00, so I saved $19.01 on each pair.

Now, two different things can happen from here.

1. Both pairs fit the kids in the fall and they get to wear them. Yay! Then the following year, I'll sell them on eBay starting at $9.99. My last pair of kids USED Mammoth Crocs I sold went for $13. So, my kids get to wear Crocs for FREE...I might even make a few bucks.

2. They don't fit the kids. I think the brown pair will be too small for my son next year. They didn't have the next size up, but I still bought them. Why??? If they don't fit, I'll sell them NWT (new with tags) on eBay and start them at about $19.99. That's $10 more than I paid. So selling one pair online, NWT, will pay for both pairs and then I'd still have my daughters used pair to sell when she's done (I'm sure her pair will fit).

Either way, my kids get "free" Crocs and I'll make a few bucks as well. Yay eBay!!

Sign Up for eBay's Daily Deals Newsletter And Get A $2 Off Coupon

This is a great deal since eBay coupons are pretty rare! The first 50,000 people to sign up for eBay's Daily Deals Newsletter will receive a $2.00 off coupon.

Hurry and sign up here for your eBay $2 off coupon and spend it here in my store. :)

Thanks to SwagGrabber for the heads up post.

Wylie Mom's Weekly Recap-Week 4

And I thought last week was bad! It was a slow week, mostly due to the fact I didn't shop (read: save) much and had very slow eBay sales.


Grocery Savings - $41.78

eBay Sales - $44.17

Misc. Income, detailed below - $32.68

-$20.00 from Revolution Money Exchange, I made money with the refer a friend program last summer/fall, but just now cashed the last of it out of my account. Revolution Money Exchange is like PayPal, but with no fees!
- $5.68 from BigCrumbs, from some Christmas shopping. I still have more pending.
- $7.00 cash rebate from The Caregivers Marketplace (this one I got $1 per Huggies pack, but they are now only paying $.75 a pack)

Weekly Impact - $118.63
YTD Impact - $648.26

My weekly amount grossed up is $158.17 and usually makes me feel better. Ugh! Not this week. My eBay sales were low, since during week 3 I only listed 12 new items. No new listings = low sales. This week, I listed 29 new items. So, I should see better sales for week 5.

Lastly, have you tried SwagBucks yet? I use it for my Google searches, no extra clicking or signing in. I just go to SwagBucks instead of Google to search. You can even add a toolbar. Anyway, I'm up to 30 SwagBucks in a little over a week. I only need 50 Bucks for a $5 Starbucks GC. Free stuff is waiting for you...are you going to let it pass you by?

Wishing you a money making and saving week!!!

Wylie Mom's Weekly Recap-Week 3

I was a bit surprised (not in a good way) about my numbers this week.

Grocery and Drug Savings - $94.94

eBay Sales - $123.85

Misc. Income, detailed below - $23.99

-$20.00 from a confidential panel hubby and I are on
-$3.99 back from Excedrin rebate (I'm not counting the savings/earnings from rebates until they are received)

Weekly Impact - $242.78
YTD Impact - $529.63

Grossed up that is $323.70 for the week or $8.09 an hour (at 40 hours a week).

I really need to get my eBay numbers up! I only listed 12 new items this week. So, this recap is actually turning out to be a good thing. It is the perfect tool to let me know where I stand today and where I need to be going tomorrow.

Also this week, I earned $10 in ECB for doing a quick 10 minute survey. This was not tracked yet, I'll do that when I actually receive the ECB which will be next month. I also earned some random points, etc. at MyPoints, Inbox Dollars, Swagbucks, etc. Look at those surveys and point programs daily!! I have mine all set up to go to one e-mail box. That way, when I have a few minutes, I have a "one stop" survey shop ready to go.

And, I went to Goodwill this week. I spent $22.16 and got 5 things for the kids (clothes) and 9 things for eBay. There is really no good way to track those savings, but when you buy name brand clothes (my son got yet another Janie and Jack sweater from Goodwill) for your kids at $.99 to $1.99 each....you do the math. Savings $75-125......? But again, I won't plug those numbers in. Just something for you to think about.

Have a great week and remember to think of the financial impact of all you do!

Wylie Mom's First Weekly Recap

Here's my first weekly recap of how I did saving and or making money for the week. Week one was really short, so this will be for Jan 1 through Jan 10.

Grocery & Drug Savings - $124.05 (CVS, Walgreens and Albertsons)

Misc. Savings, detailed below - $5.70

-Wacky Pack coupon for son's 1/2 Birthday (balance was paid to GC from Christmas), sign up for the Sonic Birthday Club here, saved $1.00
-Free Redbox rental with Monday's free rental code, saved $1.00
-Starbucks "tell us how we did" receipt coupon (balance paid to GC earned from Pamper's Gifts to Grow points), saved $3.70

Gross eBay sales - $157.10

Weekly Impact: $286.85
Yearly Impact: $286.85

Just to give you an idea of how I look at that number, $286.85 "grossed up" for working outside the home would be $382.46, divided by 40 hours a week and I made $9.56 an hour. See more about my "grossing up" in this post. Not bad....but I have lots of room to improve! And of course you know I "work" more than 40 hours a week, haha! But, that will be my yard stick for comparing my numbers. Also remember, this was all done from the comfort of my own home or with my kids tagging along.....cool job, huh???

I also (finally) listed 21 more items on eBay.....I need to get those numbers up, up, up!!!! So, lots of room to improve there. :)

How did you do last week?