Trash To Cash Changes to The BIG Challenge!

Another BIG Challenge! The first BIG challenge, back in February 2010, was to raise 4,000 to take my family to florida. This is what got me started selling clothes on ebay. I had 3 1/2 months to earn the money and our final total was $4353.96- all by selling trash. I learned so much! I learned that when you set a goal and share that goal with others, you are driven even more to achieve it. I learned that my family can work together to accomplish hard things and I definitely learned some great tips on how to earn money through ebay, craigslist and by having garage sales. So what's the challenge? My oldest daughter got engaged last week...

Here they are after the proposal- Yes, he invited us and we got the whole thing on video (we're THAT family) He had warned me that they wanted a short engagement- and an outside reception. Here in Arizona, because of the extreme heat, you have to be careful about outdoor anything after May. So, the date has been set for May 20 (that's this year folks, in case you were wondering!) During my plane ride to New York I carefully mapped out the budget for the wedding. We've had a few months of planning already going on, as they've known they wanted to get married. The theme: 50's, The budget: 5,000. For many of you $5,000 may not seem like very much for a wedding, but we're resourceful and I'm determined to plan an unforgettable evening- in my budget. How will I earn the $5,000? By selling trash. The BIG challenge- I have 6 weeks to earn $5,000 to pay for my daughter's wedding! How will I do it? Ebay, craigslist, and estate sales. Just like trash to cash, Wednesday's posts will show what I've sold and how much profit I've earned. I've been fortunate enough this last year to start an estate sale business and ironically I just scheduled two sales before the wedding- one of many blessings I'm sure our family will receive. I need all the My Dear Trash followers on board for this one. I've noticed a lack of comments lately- I know we're all busy- but I really need the support these next 6 weeks! During the first BIG challenge there were times when I wanted to give up, but your comments encouraged me and in the end we met our goal. So here's the first week's top sellers...

Women's Jessica McClintock Size 4 Soft Pink Prom Dress sold for $14.99

White House Black Market Size S Silk Zebra Dress sold for $14.99

Women's Jams World Size S Ranuncula Rayon Outfit sold for $14.99

Women's Jams World Size S Cantina Rayon Dress sold for $14.99

Women's Anthropologie Elevenses Size 4 Cotton Dress sold for $15.49

This Women's New With Tags Lane Bryant Size 18/20 Plum Knit Dress was listed for 3 weeks and was down to $5.99 when it ended up selling for $15.50

Women's Bebe Size L Cotton Zebra Print Dress sold for $17.25

Women's Alex Garfield Size 12 Black Long Suit Jacket sold for $17.49

This Women's Sangria Size 12 Light Blue Silk Halter Dress was listed for 4 weeks and was down to a $2.99 starting bid. What a blessing that it sold for $20.50

Women's New With Tags Bebe Size XS Red Silk Top sold for $20.53

Women's Anthropologie Kimchi & Blue Size M Cotton Dress sold for $23.00

This Women's Anthropologie Leifsdottir Size 4 Silk Dress was missing a button, but that didn't stop people from bidding. It sold for $38.00. I recently had a follower ask me to list the Anthropologie brands, to help them know what to shop for. Rather than list the brands- because I actually don't know them all- I will share a tip a My Dear Trash follower told me- look at the RN #. Anthropologies RN# is 66170- After a while you'll be able to recognize the Anthropologie look and tag styles, but I still always check to make sure it has the matching RN#. So, How did week 1 of the BIG Challenge add up? Let's take a look...

Ebay Total:$446.26

Costs: 64.00(clothes), 77.97(ebay fees), 40.51(paypal fees)

Total Profit: 263.78

We're off to a slow start- mainly because I was in New York and didn't get a chance to list too many new items. Give me a few weeks and I'm sure I can pull in that 800-1000 a week profit I need to reach my goal. I'd love it if some of you want to join the challenge and see what you can earn this next 6 weeks- Leave us a comment and let us know what you would do with an extra $5,000- and please cheer me on- I'll need all the help I can get. Love, Kelly.

For Week 2 of the BIG challenge visit here

Firsts!

Today my first little girl celebrates her first birthday.  Appropriately, she’s sporting her first pair of pigtails.  

I found a few pieces of wispy hairs that held a rubber band and hey, that’s good enough for me.  I’ve waited a long time for this.  Eden loves playing with her Aunt Anna, my baby sister.
Happy Birthday, baby girl

My first and oldest son, Chandler has his first crush, a sweet girl from his school.  He found out it was her birthday and wanted to do something.  He took the camera and I saw him tooling around in the flower garden.  We downloaded the pictures and I taught him how to make his first collage.  We framed it, wrote "Happy Birthday" on it and took it to her house.  She loved it!

 

The valley of the sun has the first signs of spring in the form of gorgeous smelling orange blossoms.  I love going out first thing in the morning and taking in the smells. 

My boys jumped in the pool for the first time this year.  It got up to almost 100 degrees last week and they wasted no time at all.  The water was freezing, but they didn’t’ care.

Here are some "firsts" I found out thrifting and garaging.

I went to a yard sale in a retirement community.  Everything was very clean and organized.  Most of the trash was priced pretty high, until I saw this desk in the corner of the garage priced at $10.00.  

It was love at first site.  Since it was too pieces, I assumed it was $10.00 for each piece, but no, since it was “trash”, according to the homeowner, she wanted $10.00 for the entire thing.  

"Just take it away," she said.  This certainly isn't the first time something this wonderful has been labeled trash!

Seriously, look at the cubby with the rolling door.  Gorgeous!

It was a bear to move, and almost as heavy as one too, but I got it home and put pictures of it on craigslist.  It sold the next day to an interior designer, owner of Mackenzie Claire Collier Interiors.  It was love at first sight for her too and she promised to send over photos as soon as she gets it how she wants it.  

For the first time, I found a piece of Patagonia Trading Co. furniture.  I was at a church rummage sale high in the afternoon and it was nearing 100 degrees again.  Many of the vendors were packing up when a lady asked me to come look at her hutch.  

"You can have it for cheap," she said desperately.  "I don't want to lug it back home." This thing is huge and I was thinking how I could fit it in the back of my Honda Pilot when she said told me she'd drop the price even lower.  It was meant to be and for next to nothing, I brought it home. It's still on craigslist, but I'll let you know when it sells.  

After my surfboard experience, I figured these vintage ski's would be a great investment.

  Aren't they great!  

Unlike the surfboard that sold right away on craigslist, the ski's still sit in my garage.  I figured both surfboard and ski's are really popular as home decor items, but maybe Arizona doesn't have a huge vintage ski market because we don't get snow.  Either way, I think I'll take them down to our shop at Qcumberz and see how they do there.

And for the first time, I found a Odille Anthropologie dress for $1.00.  

I was so excited, brought it home and photographed it for re-sell.  To my disappointment, I realized the hemline was all undone.  

I might look into fixing it, but sometimes it's just better to move on.

With so many firsts, I wonder what I'll find for the first time next!

New York, New York! And A Big Challenge

I've returned from New York and all I can say is no trip would be complete without a visit to the local goodwill! Lucky for me there was a Goodwill outlet in Long Island City, which is just a short taxi ride from Times Square, where we were staying. Here's what it looks like... A huge room of bins- full of clothes. The really exceptional part of the New York outlet is that they sell the clothes by the pound...
I knew I couldn't fit too many items in my suitcase so I paid $1.69 per pound. They have hanging scales throughout the store so you can keep track of how much you're spending- they think of everything! I even talked my friend into making a few purchases for her family- who wouldn't want a designer skirt or shirt as a souvenir! Here we are with our purchases...
Yes, it was pouring rain, but what better way to spend a rainy day then shopping trash. I ended up with 15 items for just $13! My only regret? I left behind a Mercedes Benz leather jacket- it was a bit bulky and heavy for carrying around the city and packing in a suitcase AND summer items seem to be doing better on ebay right now. When I had a chance to look it up later, on ebay- there was one listed for $299.00- No bids, but WOW, I think I should have taken the chance. So, tomorrow I will announcing another BIG challenge. If you missed the first BIG challenge last year- which was to earn 4,000 to take my family to Florida you can see the first post here. Can't wait to tell you about the new Big Challenge- it will be part of trash to cash Wednesday. See you then. Love, Kelly.

I wanted to do something special for my dad & spent zero money doing it.

A few years ago, I received a phone call in the middle of the night.

“Come to the hospital,” my mom said.  “Your dad’s had a heart attack.”

I remember screaming and not recognizing the sound of my own voice.  

I drove to the hospital and ran inside.  My heart raced as I asked the receptionist, 

“Where’s my dad?  Is he going to be alright?”

A nurse came and walked me into a room with beaming lights.  On the hospital bed laid my dad, surrounded by a team of medical doctors.  My dad is as tough as nails, but the look in his eyes showed me he was in a lot of pain.  You see, for almost 20 years, my dad has had severe back pain.  He’s had to sleep in a Lazy boy recliner because he is unable to lay flat on his back.  So there he was in the hospital, suffering through a heart attack and stretched out flat on his back in a bed that looked more like a table.  He was pale, almost gray, but in a reassuring way, he gave me a “thumbs up” accompanied by a weak smile.  I would have done anything to take him out of that experience. 

 

My mom, along with my sisters and I, talked in the hallway.  Although we weren’t certain he would make it, we knew he knew we loved him.  We hugged and prayed.  It was all I could do to ask God to let him live.  I wanted more time with my dad.

My prayer was granted.

After receiving three stints and recovering for a week, my dad came home from the hospital.

My parents live down the street from my house.  Every day, my dad rides his bike by my home as he heads out to the high school track.  He runs the bleachers every day and is in the best shape of his life. He gives me a thumbs up whenever he rides by.

My dad loves musicals.  I grew up to the soundtracks of The Sound of Music, Music Man, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Fiddler on the Roof.  When I heard Fiddler on the Roof was coming to ASU’s Gammage, I knew I had to go with my dad.

So, where did I start?  

I priced tickets.  

I wasn’t surprised to see the good seats selling for $120, but I wanted the good seats and hoped I’d find discount tickets on travelzoo.com, but that never happened.  The show was sold out, so I turned to craigslist.org.

I found a lady selling row 22 tickets for $75 each.  She was the director of a timeshare in North Scottsdale and the tickets were left over from what they give to people who tour the timeshare.  I asked if she’d take $50 a ticket.  Sold!

My dad is a humble man.  He is happy with a homemade meal and conversation with family.  He loves his children and works most weekends in the yard.  I run into him from time to time at yard sales or at the local thrift store and it’s always a pleasure.  He shares everything he has, mostly his life wisdom. He’s spiritual, a scholar and a lover of the human mind.  As a psychologist, he remains enthusiastic about what we as humans are capable of if we set our mind to it.  He’s never one to quit, yet he's satisfied with his life.

I wanted to show my dad a good time, all on the tab of my dear trash.

I knew that would make him proud!

Last week, I sold the following items to pay for an evening out with my dad.

I paid $5.00 for this Hot Wheels table at a garage sale and sold it for $40.00.

That paid for dinner.

Next, I found this bedroom set; a high boy dresser and a buffet dresser.

I sold it for $120.   

Then I sold this vintage dresser for $75.00.

 That paid for the tickets. 

My dad and I, along with my beautiful mom started with dinner at Pita Jungle.  

He’d never tried hummus, falafel or schwarma.  He loved it.  After dinner we surprised him, finally telling him we were going to see Fiddler on the Roof.

”Are you kidding me,” he said with a chuckle in his voice.

We met my sweet sister and her husband at Gammage.  

The show was amazing.  I felt so nostalgic listening to “Sunrise, Sunset”, “If I were a rich man” and “Matchmaker.”  My dad teared up several times.  My favorite part was the scene of the Sabbath prayer.  I was able to find the music from the original film on youtube.

The show meant so much to me and I’m glad to spend a night with my dad, thanks to the sell of a few pieces of dear trash.  

That made my dad proud!



Linking up to:

How Losing A Camera Was The Best Thing For Earth Day

Last week I misplaced my camera.  I was completely lost.  I felt like a spinning top wobbling to and fro, ready to fall at any moment.  

I turned my house upside down, looking in the places I usually leave it, then to look in the same spot again a few minutes later.  By midmorning, I felt a headache coming on.  My camera is my livelihood and without, I realized I was out of business.  Ironically, I’d just taken pictures of my trash and was ready to download the pictures and start posting.

I went for three days without a camera. 

I try to look for the good in situations like this, so instead of mopping around (which trust me, I did do that for a while), I took it as a sign that I wasn’t supposed to be soliciting trash to the international on-line community.

God had a different idea for me, so I went to work on other things.

With Earth Day coming up, I wanted to coordinate another My Dear Trash Earth Day Book Drive with Changing Hands and Bookmans.  I love both of these book stores and appreciate all they do in the Phoenix area.  They offer workshops, bring in authors and promote all sorts of literacy events.  Together, we hope to collect books for the Friends of the Phoenix Public Library.  Last year, our community donated over 800 books to the Earth Day Book Drive.  You can read about that here and here.

Earth Day is dear to my heart.  

I love the idea of celebrating nature and its beauty.  I look at this time of year as an opportunity to re-commit myself to doing my part to help the world in the best way I know and that is by purchasing things used.  I do my part to buy second-hand, use things out instead of throwing things out and give back by donating things I no longer need to people who do.

So, in addition to the My Dear Trash Earth Day Book Drive, Kelly and I are having a linky party on Earth Day, Friday April 22.  Thanks to those of you who participated in our April Fool’s Linky.  It’s so cool to see the trash you’re bringing home.  Once again, anything you’ve found out thrifting or garaging or just picked out of your neighbors garbage can (hee, hee, hee), if you’ve kept it, re-salvaged it or re-sold it, we want to see it. 

We are also having an Earth Day give-away.  Two $25.00 gift certificates, one from Changing Hands and the other from Bookmans will be awarded to two lucky earth lovers.  To enter, become a follower and leave a comment stating what you will be doing this year to honor Earth Day.  I know we can all learn from each others ideas.     

So, back to my camera.  

On the third day of its disappearance, my son Chandler walked in from the back yard with my camera.  “I found it in the in the grass,” he said. Of course, I tackled him with hugs and kisses, which he graciously accepted.  I downloaded the pictures on the computer and found the culprit. 

Who'd done it?

Look's like my Payson had taken the camera into the backyard to shoot off some photos, but never brought it back in.  

Those are some skilled photos, my boy.  I'm just glad we found the camera the day before irrigation.

Another irony?  I'd mentioned to my neighbor Jeff that I'd lost my camera.  Now Jeff is an electronics genius and has about every great gadget know to man.  He's the guy who always has the latest and greatest.  He told me he'd just upgraded his camera and would be happy to sell me his used camera.

I love it.  A used camera!  You say used and I'm in!

Never mind that his used camera is a Sony 12 Zoom 5.1 Mega pixel professional camera.  He brought it over and I fell in love, so today, I am now the proud owner of one point & shoot cheapy camera just found in the grass and a super cool, super trashy used amazing camera.

Jeff had me practicing picture-taking in the front yard.  

Look at my princess!  

I'm going to be using this camera all the time.

Even my dog, Sierra looks like a super star.

Thanks Jeff for the new "used" camera and for spending time with Eden.

I'm giving you my "used" point & shoot camera to my boys.  No more will I get on there case if they want to go outside and take pictures of the grass or the sky.

I plan on celebrating Earth Day all month long.  Hope you do too.

Drop-off locations for the book drive include:

*Changing Hands Bookstore*

6428 S McClintock Dr
Tempe, AZ 85283

*Bookman’s*

8034 N. 19^th Ave.

Phoenix, AZ 85021 

or 

1056 Country Club Dr.

Mesa, AZ 85210

*Any Phoenix Library Branch*

Wedding Centerpieces Number 6, 7, & 8

Because I'm in New York right now, I thought I'd give you the last of the centerpieces (I know, I really have 2 more- but I didn't get them photographed in time- I'll show them after the wedding) Here's number 6...The theme is "For Time and All Eternity" The wedding couple belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and will be married in the temple for time and all eternity.
I picked up all the pocket watches for $1.00 each at a yard sale. The pedestal is an estate sale leftover and the black clock was another garage sale find for $3.00. Here's centerpiece number 7...
"Sew In Love." This one is missing a little frame with the couple's picture. The frame will be painted the turqoisy blue color the bride has chosen and be place just to the left of the bowl with the wood spools. Laura loaned me the lazy susan and all the sewing supplies are from yard sales. Here's centerpiece number 8...
This is my second, "Two little love birds" theme, but I just love it.
The birdhouse was $1.00 at a yard sale and received a coat of paint and some shredded bird and nest paper in their color.
The ornate bowl and the tweed birds are on loan from Laura. The buttons will be a little more scattered and again, this centerpiece is missing a framed picture of the couple- but it's one of my favorites! Let me know which one is your favorite. If you missed centerpieces 1-5 start here. Please vote- I'll be returning from New York on Thursday, and I'd love to see lots of comments. The wedding is Friday evening so I'll be sharing the photos next week. Have a great week. Love, Kelly