I feel very good about everything we got done this weekend. I did indeed finish cleaning DD's room, and today we did lots of overdue yard work including putting together two new raised bed gardens and digging out a sprawling shrub and lots of weeds. I'll be reaching for the ibuprofen tomorrow, I bet.

Some of DD's outgrown clothes went to a freecycler today. Actually, I never even listed them on freecycle. This woman has been such a reliable freecycler, that I just e-mail her directly now when I have girl's clothes. She always shows up and loves DD's clothes. None of them are worth selling on ebay or Craiglist, but they have plenty of wear left in them.

May I just gloat a bit about how nice DD's newly clean room looks? We did a great job. We flopped on the couch last night and watched a Brit thriller on Netflix. Such a good feeling about all that work accomplished and very little money spent except on DH's birthday celebration.

I've spent two hours already in DD's room and am taking a short break. We're reorganizing her closet and preparing for redecorating her room. I had a huge pile of clothes that just went with DH to the charity shop. Another pile of my mom's things went with him too. I'm determined to get DD's stuff done today, and DH is also taking returns back.

Slow but sure progress there.

DH really enjoyed his birthday gifts, especially _The King's Speech_ DVD which we watched after returning from dinner last night.

Back to the excavation site--

I suspect we've had this discussion before, but I'm wondering how much, if anything, folks spend on gifts for their kid's teachers and other school staff. A mom at school shocked me this morning when she said she bought a (eek!) $100 gift card for her son's teacher.

I had DD write a thank-you note and gave the teacher a $20 gift card. The bus drivers each got a small Target gift card too. Am I too cheap?

More progress on the deluttering! I spent half an hour in the basement laundry room clearing things up and throwing misc junk away--and lo and behold--I found DD's long-lost Hello Kitty camera! She'll be thrilled.

I've also listed a couple of books on ebay. Slow but steady, I hope.

Today I shipped off my four ebay sales totaling $66. Not spectacular, but they were just taking up room in the closets. I'd like to list some more later tonight. I've started my closet reorganizing and am enjoying my new basement storage closet. I got rid of about 10 pieces of my clothing and three of DH's. The pile is getting huge so I'd like to drop them off at the charity shop tomorrow.

Here's to more delcuttering and a cooler day tomorrow!

It's very hot here. We live pretty close to Lake Michigan, and although it's much cooler by the lake, when I arrived at my evening class last night, my car thermometer said 102. I'm looking forward to a quiet day with some decluttering and puttering around the house. DD only has three days left of school and while I love her around, I'm easier to amuse than she is.
I've still got many garden and yard chores to do, but they might have to wait until it's less humid.

Two of my ebay items sold last night, and one has already been paid for. So, I'm adding a whooping $5 to my totals, and I'll be eager to add more tomorrow.

Here's to a quiet day!

I'm so pleased at how much I got rid of today!
I gave our toddler travel bed to a co-worker, our old fax machine to another one, and was going to donate a strange bust of Shakespeare to the department office, but I dropped him--and the bard's head went rolling down the street. For a moment I was upset, but then it all seemed very funny. I picked up the head and put it over the department mailboxes. It's lovely.

I took a large bag of books to Half-Price for the lofty sum of $5.50 and stopped to get the Walgreen's freebies of the week and an anniversary card for DH. It's our 10th anniversary today.

I really want to get rid of more, more, more! Decluttering becomes a habit after a while for me.

That's what my home office is--a dig site. Everything gets thrown in here when I'm doing an emergency clean, I got tons of my mom's stuff in here, the dog's crate, and so many books, I'd rather not discuss them.

My cast-off books aren't worth much on Amazon, so I'm torn between donating them to our local library or dumping off a load at Half-Price books. But I've made a big bag, mostly of once-read novels and books I used to teach, but will never again. I moved our "travel" section downstairs, have found a new owner for the fax machine and the toddler bed, but I must admit, it's still too full and a little depressing.

I'm going to take a break, head to the grocery store,and start again after dinner tonight.

For the past few years (oh man, nine years!) we've been making do with an IKEA dresser. I never liked it, but got a great offer on my antique dresser when we moved.

But we were both pretty tired of it, and DD has been putting up with the free dresser I trash picked and repainted before she was born. Her dresser is WAY too small for her, the drawers stick, and only about half her clothes fit into it.

That said, it was time for a dresser. I've looked, and looked, and looked some more at estate sales and resale shops, and two years ago found a new Amish-made dresser that I fell in love with. We have a short wall in our room which complicates finding the right size dresser too. We resisted the dresser for years, but as DD's clothes get bigger, so does the need for a new one. Today, I bought it. I found the same dresser cheaper at a different store, they did a pretty-good deal on it (after I said I'd think about it and suddenly $200 fell off the already discounted price). I'm thrilled and happy, and in four weeks DD will get our IKEA dresser and we'll have a wonderful cherry swoon-worthy new one.

I'm thrilled; truly thrilled.

We e-mailed a bunch of friends and relatives about our UK trip yesterday. We always stay in London and few days and then head to a rental place near my in-law's home. Usually after a week there, we head out and explore another part of the UK.

After reading an interesting article in the NYT, we've decided on East Anglia this year, and wonder of wonders, one of our friends has a holiday cottage there (or her mother does) where they think we can stay for free! This doesn't seem like such a big deal in the US, but everything I've looked at was over 100 pounds a night for the three of us. This will be great news to the travel budget if it works!

I've just clicked on the "submit grades" link, and I think I'm done with the semester.
I've spent the morning returning library books, taking the dog to the groomer, returning a redbox film for my night class, and ordering some books that I'm requiring for my fall classes.

Any hour now I'll be ready to start cleaning our home office. Or the bedroom. Or the family room. Or the bathroom. Or DD's bedroom. I've got plenty of housework to catch up on, but am actually looking forward to it. Maybe I am my mother: I love a clean house.

On the financial front, I read some editing projects, took a couple of surveys while I was grading, and am scouting (not very well) for some UK lodging bargains.
I've also sold a book which I'll post tomorrow.

We're having a quiet day--which is lovely. Fire in the fireplace and lots of reading.

Yesterday I finally got rid of my great aunt's dishes. I'm going to start a sort of freecycle/classified service in my university department, and yesterday was a way of testing the waters. I couldn't sell these darn dishes for love or money, yet seven folks all wanted them for free. I'll be glad to declutter them.

I'm teaching the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tomorrow in my Bestsellers class. I really enjoyed the book, so it should be fun to teach.

We've had the oddest weather. When DD and I were leaving church, it started to rain, hail, sleet in huge bucketfuls. We were soaked, and my new shoes leaked badly. Glad to be inside!

I planned to walk with some friends this morning, but it's 32 degrees and sleeting. We went inside the nature center instead and drank coffee.

DH is still away, and we're coping, but I haven't achieved as much on my break as I'd like. I guess I have five more days to go, so maybe now's the time to step up the office cleaning.

I've got tons of my mom's china stashed in my home office, and while I'll keep her "good" set, there are way too many misc cups and plates in assorted other patterns that I need to either try to sell or donate. I find myself having real emotional resistance to it; it's like losing part of her, I guess. But they're not doing anybody any good in my office!
I'm going to devote the next two hours to listing and sorting them. If they don't sell on ebay in a week, I'm taking them to the consignment store or Goodwill.

But the storm seems to have passed. I stayed up and graded papers because I just had to watch the storm. We indeed had thunder and lightning, but we're all home and everything closed up for the day. DH has made his rounds with the snow blower, and we're all clear now although the snow was over the dog's head. I think we've had about 18" of snow.

Glad we're safe and sound, and happy to stay indoors for today!

About to start a big pot of something to simmer on the stove. I become so domestic in this weather.

Good luck to the rest of you affected by this!

I've sold lots of books and a couple of other things on ebay for (I can't quite believe this myself) $478 in the last two weeks. Some of it was stuff from the closets, unused textbooks, some of my mom's things--and I'm going to have to start tipping the guys at the PO soon, I'm there so much.

I advertised on freecycle for someone to get our moving boxes from seven years ago, and they actually came on time today! In between, I met with a student, dropped my book donations at the library, and another huge box at the Salvation Army.

I'm very pleased with how well it's all been flying out of here. Long may it continue! Great buys on red peppers and Yukon golds--so that looks like dinner tonight.

It's been a cold Sunday here, but we got some things done. DD has tomorrow off, and we have fairly lofty ambitions for what we can accomplish. The husband took an old TV to Best Buy today to be recycled, and they charged him $10, but gave him a $10 gift card. A bit strange, but we're going to need a few things from Best Buy soon anyway.

The January decluttering continued with promises from Freecyclers to pick up boxes tomorrow, and one showing up today to pick up some software DD had outgrown.

I've got Cornish hens in the oven with sweet potatoes, we're back from skating at the school rink, and life seems pretty good right now!

Happy Martin Luther King Day tomorrow to all of you!

DH and I tackled the basement organizing for 90 minutes or so this afternoon. We had a mini-debate on whether to throw away our wedding cards, but feeling cluttered and unsentimental, we decided to read through them and then throw away most of them--except for those from our parents. I am SLIGHTLY embarrassed to report that while reading through them, we found a Crate and Barrel gift certificate for $50 tucked inside a card. It was dated May 2001. There was no expiration printed on it, so we're assuming it's still good. So the basement cleaning has paid off!

Beside that, we hauled an old TV upstairs to take to the recyclers, a box of books to donate to the library, and a big box for the charity shop. And we actually got some straightening done!

One of the books I listed this afternoon has already sold! It's been a good day.

It's been a nice quiet day here. DD started her Saturday French lessons again, so husband and I went to the local Einstein's for a bagel sandwich with the coupon. We stopped at a library out of our normal orbit to get a DVD I need for my Monday evening class and discovered a bunch of things we'd like to see there.

Another of my million reasons to love the library--DD signed up for the book club at the local library, but forgot her book at school yesterday. The discussion is Thursday night, she's not finished with it, and school is closed for MLK Day on Monday. The local library was out, and I checked Barnes and Noble but didn't want to pay $5.99 for a copy. The other library had a copy, so all's well.

DD has also outgrown her skates, so to avoid my clutter build-up, I've already listed them on Craigslist as well as some books on Amazon.

It looks like football night in Wisconsin, and we've bowed out of a party to stay home, snuggle in, and watch the game.

Sometimes winter is not so bad.

I went downstairs this morning to do a load of laundry and thought--man--some of this has got to go.
I think guilt makes me hang onto things. I bought a framed chicken picture (don't ask) at an estate sale a couple of years ago. About two weeks after I bought it, it fell on my head. That should have been a sign that it and I were not meant for each other. The glass broke, the picture tore, but still, it's been in the basement since then. Today it got boxed up and has exited the house.

My slippers, ruined from another spilling disaster, were also downstairs. I was putting away wine, dropped a bottle (of course the good stuff) and the slippers were beyond help. I've since bought a new pair, but the ruined ones stared sadly up from the laundry room floor. They've left quietly with the chicken picture.

DH and I need to spend a couple hours in the basement tomorrow getting it up and running nicely. Sometimes I feel like shouting at things, "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

I knew there would be treasure in the guest room if I cleaned it. I found a lovely photo of a London Underground sign by St James Park that I framed and put up, a suitable hostess gift for an upcoming dinner with friends this weekend, and three items that I bought for gifts and didn't give. I had a couple of days to spare with the TJ Maxx gifts and ToyRus too, so I took them back today to a total of about $75. It was very satisfying to get the stuff out of there, and I found a Hasbro rebate for a Toys for Tots donation, so I got that filled out too.

I'm not quite done in there, but it looks so much better. I'm tempted to post a photo of the closet when finish!

I'm glad to be back in SA-Land and will post goals tomorrow. My first one will probably be to clean my home office which shows all the signs of my recent neglectfulness. For now, I need to head off to Walgreens and redeem some bonus bucks that expire today.

I've got a few weeks off from teaching but have a big project to put together. This is the ideal time to straighten things up and create some calm zones both physically and emotionally.

Glad to be catching up with you all!

Except for some very basic vigilance, my finances have not received much attention lately. Work is very busy, and the glorious autumnal weather beckons whenever I get a spare moment.

Hoping to find some of those spare moments this weekend to pay bills, figure out next year's flex spending and insurance, and clear out more clutter.

My current decluttering campaign is helping me find things I forgot about. Onward with that!

Happy weekends saving advice(rs)!

Looking at our list yesterday, I estimated $500. We needed a bunch of bookshelves, a desk for DH's new office, storage, and then there's the usual IKEA flotsam that creeps into my cart. I was $46 off and exhausted when we got home. But DH has already started setting up his home office, and his former bookcases have migrated to our daughter's room.

All of that assembling inevitably means unwanted junk is more apparent. DD has outgrown a dollhouse and tons of books which I've just listed on freecycle.

After the shopping shock, it's been quiet but busy. My week's goal is to move lots of this stuff out of here--either through the garbage, freecycle, or the charity shop. Organization beckons.

I've got a long-cooking beef roast in the oven, and it smells heavenly here. We also managed without turning the heat on last night, despite the 35degree temps. I love fall!

The carpet installers came yesterday and the carpenter came today to finish off our basement project. It's officially done! Done and paid for!

Next step is moving the treadmill in and next weekend, a trip to IKEA.

Hooray!

It's not really wealth, but I spent a lot of time this morning in my university office. It's a horrible office,cramped, dirty, and tiled, and I've been there 15 years. I share with another instructor, and we've got lots of stuff. If the janitorial staff clean it twice a year, we're doing well. The state budget cutbacks seem to have hit our cleaning staff hard.

But I got scrounging today and donated an extra (circa 1969) yellow steel desk to one of our teaching assistants who has no desk, making room for a surplus (again 1969) gray steel bookcase I scrounged from the janitor's surplus furniture haul. A co-worker donated an old typewriter table that will house our PC. She got a lamp left by a former office mate, and we got a free calendar from the bookstore. An hour with a roll of paper towels, some picture hangers, and some Windex could really help the place.

I cleaned out files, emptied three ring binders never picked up by students, and gave them to our office manager who was happy to have them. I'm no economist (actually I did an econ minor in college), but it seems as if there's enough stuff to go around here--we just need to reallocate it!

I've sold the last of the discarded textbooks that I foraged (and blogged about). I'm happy they're gone, and my bank account is also happy.
But I've been at the P.O. so much, I suspect the postal workers think I have crushes on them.

And I've managed to freecycle everything from a load of kid's videos to a pinata. Someday I'll find the floor in my office. It's probably time for me to list some more of my mom's things--perhaps tomorrow morning.

I suspect it's the cooler weather, but I feel upbeat and energized about my world. Or maybe it was the holiday?

The Home Depot measuring team is coming out tomorrow to measure our basement for carpet. That and the closet system are the last steps before we move things back in there. Progress!

We're just back from an expensive but delightful two weeks in the UK. We've eaten a lot and spent a lot, but it was just wonderful.

We did have some small unexpected savings: at the most expensive guesthouse/hotel they had a problem with their hot water tank and were without hot water for 12 hours. Because of the inconvenience, they gave everyone there a free night's lodging. This was a bit undeserved for us since after I awoke to see the notice of the problem on the note under the door, I checked the hot water--and we all got up and had quickie showers before they ran out.

We did take a foldable cooler with us and had some snacks in it, but no one could really say we economized much. The London hotel had an "executive lounge" where we had drinks and snack, but the costs probably outweighed the savings. We spent a week near the in-laws, saw tons of friends, and just enjoyed ourselves--especially on the seaside and at the historical sites.

But all good things end, and I've taken on an extra class to help rebuild savings. I sold a book today and managed to get some things listed on ebay.
More of the same is scheduled for this week.

I love to travel; it's so wonderful. We're already planning the next trips,

The basement project continues, but today the electrician's bid came in. He was (gasp) $4000, and the others who bid were a bit higher. The former homeowner wired huge swathes of the basement himself, and none of it is up to current code. Honestly, I thought the electrician would be 1-2000, so I am feeling a little sick now.

My brain is working OT trying to come up with ways to save on other things, especially until my university paycheck begins in the fall. We have the money for it, but it would hit our domestic emergency fund pretty hard. Ugh Ugh Ugh.

I took a bunch of stuff to the charity shop yesterday, and bought a compost bin on the way home. I'm not sure whether it was the right one or not--it got mixed reviews, but this is our first foray into compost, so we'll see.

I've got four ebay auctions ending this morning, and the oddest thing is what's selling best: the white fur headband from my 40-year-old Chatty Cathy doll. And Dh wanted to throw it away....

It's cool and rainy here today, so after a trip to the grocery store, it's stay at home and clean day.
I'm still in the midst of the battle to see what the child has outgrown; the short answer is nearly everything from last summer!

We've spent the last week clearing out the basement, trying to get ready for the big remodeling project.

Our contractor would like us to have an open ceiling, with the floor joists exposed--and it would be $1000 cheaper than drywall, but I'm not sure it'll give us the finished look I'd like.

So, to help get the junk out, I gave away tons of stuff on freecycle: old cassette cases, old mirrors, outgrown kid's clothes, etc, and we sold our room-sized air conditioners. Nothing like a hot spell to sell air conditioners! I've listed children's books on ebay, sold some, and listed more kid's clothes on craigslist. Stuff that wouldn't sell has headed to the Salvation Army shop, but I suspect we'll have two or three more trips there before we're done.

I've still got one evening class going, and have done some pickup work evaluating portfolios for students who want credit for their "life experiences."

Although we have so much left to do, I thought I'd restart my blog to get me mindful of money again.
I'm glad to be back.

Work is very busy, and my budget has been stretched by two weeks worth of English house guests who ate and drank everything in the house while not even bringing a hostess gift. I guess they think it's THEIR English castle.

So, now my house is again a mess, I'm way behind at work, and to save some time, picked up meatloaf mixture at the local grocers last night. I baked it right away, but it was spoiled or something. Even mt DH who will eat anything won't eat it.

Bah--need to get caught up!