The Complete Guide to Having a Successful Garage Sale

Nothing says "green" like a garage sale!  Green in that you recycle things you no longer want (keeping it out of the landfills) and that people will hopefully buy and not need to require as much new stuff to be produced...and ultimately hopefully green in your pocket!  I'm known by many as a garage sale master so thought I'd share my tips of what it takes to hold a great garage sale in an organized way that will allow you the largest profit and the largest audience.

1) Gather up your gear - go through every closet, nook and cranny!  My rule of thumb is that if you haven't used it for a year - it goes!  Why clutter your house with "stuff" you don't use?  Unless there is great sentimental value, there is actually a lot of peace that comes with cleaning house!  Less stuff means less to clean and keep track of.  =)

2) Sort - look for stains, rips, tears, mold, etc.  These sort of items will make your garage sale look dumpy and may scare away customers who would be willing to buy otherwise.  Granted, if there is a hot item like an expensive Armani purse or Baby Lulu outfit you may want to still try to sell it, but most likely it does not belong in the sale!  Also, out-of-date items (unless you truly think they are collectible) should be given to Goodwill and not placed for sale.  I absolutely LOVE "no junk" garage sales and will sometimes spend half of my cash at such a sale because I know I'm getting quality items.

3) Get the kids involved - kids can help sort as well as contribute things to the sale.  What easier way to get your children to clean up their toy bins?  Give them incentive, say they really have been wanting a big ticket item for awhile, tell them that if they sell enough they can buy it (you can make up the difference or just use that as a down payment, it's up to you).  You may also find you have a natural born sales person on your hands, but be sure to coach them about the appropriate way to sell and avoid scaring away customers with too much sales pressure.

4) Price - the key here is to determine TRUE worth.  Completely disregard your purchase price!  Don't mark a toy that you splurged on and went over budget buying for your son for Christmas for $8 when other garage sales are selling the same item for $2.  You will simply not sell the item and end up donating it anyway!  If in doubt of what to price something at use these two rules of thumb: price it for what you would pay for it at a sale or if you don't have any idea price it at 10% of retail.  DVDs should be marked at about $2-3 (a little greater than rule of thumb) if they are in mint condition, if they all scratched up stick to $1 or less.  The goal is to move the stuff, not to cling onto it.  Please don't color code things, but price them out or do a sign saying "all shirts $1, all DVDs $2 unless marked" and place in appropriate areas (not one large sign for all).  The color coding or long list makes it obnoxious for buyers.  If it takes too much time to figure out the price, you will lose a lot of sales.

5) Timing - spring is an ideal time to have a garage sale as the weather is warm, but not blistering hot.  If you have a neighborhood garage sale, try to hold it the same weekend!  Try to open a day before the "big sale" because many of your neighbors will as well.  However, Thurs/Fri/Sat is sufficient.  Yes, there will be traffic to a Wed. sale, but in the long run it won't be worth your time.  All of the really desirable things will likely be gone the first day, regardless of a Wed/Thurs/Fri open and your profit per hour worked goes down with the length of your sale.  Most "die hard" garage salers like me trek out on Thurs as there are usually an abundance of sales and it is fun to score early deals.  If I see something has been open since Wed. I wouldn't stop since the general belief is that it is picked over after the first day.

6) Advertise the sale - there are plenty of free ways to do this!  Craigslist is great as is http://www.yardsalesearch.com - what I like about the latter is that there is a way for users to punch in a zip code and see locations on a map.  This is very helpful for buyers!  I thought of this idea a long time ago, but never had the resources to carry it out so I'm glad someone else had the same idea and carried it out!  Make sure to throw in as many desirable key words as possible such as "no junk!" (be truthful, though) or list out individual name brands that are high end (such as Hanna Andersson or Baby Jogger) as many people are in search of particular things.  The more things you list to drive traffic the better!

7) Signage - all your hard work will be for naught if you don't get good traffic to your sale.  If you read no other part of this post, I hope you read this one because it's essential!  Number one, size is important!  If you make a great big sign saying "HUGE sale" it will definitely make people more willing to stop (note: if your sale is not huge, don't waste your time having the sale!  Donate your items or team up with friends to combine your stuff for a "multi-family sale" which attracts buyers and spreads out the work). Most importantly, don't forget the LARGE arrow!  I so often see this mistake, where a well meaning person writes their address on the sign instead of an arrow.  Think about it, no one is going to whip out their GPS on the fly and the only people that do know exactly where your address is probably already passed the sale!  Do everyone a favor and make it easy - lots of signs with large arrows to point the way!  Make sure signs are sturdy and if it is a particularly windy or stormy day have someone check occasionally to make sure signs are still up.  If you buy a large enough sign you can put select "key words" on it to attract attention such as "toys, kids, tools, antiques".  Then you will know you are getting the right buyers.  If you have a mainly antique sale, you will get less drive bys by disappointed minivans and if you have loads of kids stuff you won't get the drive bys by people who don't have kids.  Try to have something for everyone, though!  If you don't have kids, team up with someone who does, or if you have mainly kids stuff don't forget to go through your closet, kitchen, and garage because people with similar aged kids probably need/want similar items to what you own.

8) Presentation - make sure to load things as much down the driveway as possible.  People that keep things in their garages may have great stuff, but many people will just drive by.  A lot of times people are looking for specific things so if they see something at a glance they will at least stop.  Group similar items together, and have things labeled as nicely as possible (don't make the buyer have to guess).  Selling clothing items as matching sets will allow you to sell more and you can mark up the prices accordingly (for ex: I might pay up to $1 for a shirt, but if it's a shirt and pair of pants that match and sold as a set I might pay $3-5).  Take the time to clean up items, a clean sale sells more because presentation really sells things!

9) Clean up - don't let anything back in your house!  One of the goals of a garage sale is to declutter, and if you don't care about something enough to sell it you might as well give it away.  Find a local swap, Goodwill, or needy family and donate.  You will bless them and keep your house clutter free!  There is no point in deep cleaning your house just to fill it back up, and under no uncertain terms do you want to keep things and try to sell it the following year in a garage sale!  If they didn't sell in three days, they likely won't sell in three days next year and why clog up your garage/basement?

10) Have fun - remember, you are doing this to make money and help the environment so don't get overwhelmed.  When the day(s) are done, go out and celebrate!  It is always fun to have a goal in mind (maybe in tiers if it's your first sale!) of what to do with the profits and how sweet it is when your goal is realized! 

The Importance of James, the Brother of Jesus

I have been thinking a lot about James, the brother of Jesus lately.  His testimony should remove all doubt for the unbeliever about Jesus' claim to be the Son of God, the Messiah.  Why is this?  Let's just stop and think about it for a minute.  If you yourself have grown up with a sibling, you will acknowledge that you see everything!  People are quite different in the public and private eye, and your siblings (and parents) know the good and the bad.  That is why it is so hard to shake a bad reputation!  So, add to this that Jesus was most likely the favorite son.  I don't know about you, but if an angel announced the birth of one of your children and you knew he was the son of God, my guess is you would treat him quite differently than the rest of your kids!  So, here it is - James, the son of Mary and Joseph, brother of Jesus, raised in a traditional Jewish home in the shadow of his perfect brother.  I know people try to make the apostles and disciples out to be these holy saints who can do no wrong, but in reality they are human like we are!  If we were in James' shoes, we'd likely view things skeptically.  In fact, in John 7:5 it says that Jesus' brothers didn't believe him.  James, I'm assuming, was among them.  However, he had a change of heart after he saw the resurrected Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:7).  We can be assured of his belief because James is then referred to in Galatians 1:19 as an apostle of Jesus (as well as brother).  It is also generally accepted that James was the writer of the book of James in the Bible....where he refers to himself as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (James 1:1).  Finally, Josephus, a non Christian reference documents that James (brother of Jesus) was martyred in AD 62.

I don't know about you, but that really is mind blowing!  Can you imagine, dying for the belief that your brother was God?  To do so, he must have believed it were true, and if he believed it were true - he would also be able to attest that Jesus' teachings were both true and that he indeed lived a sinless life.  How can we know Jesus lived without sin?  James is a testimony to that.  Although he did not say it specifically, his life and death speak that truth loud and clear.  I'm sorry, but I would not die for a lie.  He would not have died a martyr if he did not come to accept that Jesus was who He said He was - the Messiah, the Son of God, the savior that was sacrificed for our sins.  If James' testimony were not enough, Jude, another brother was also a believer after the resurrection and wrote the book of Jude.  It seems that God wanted to make it abundantly clear that from any angle even a skeptic 2,000 years later could see the truth.  That is why He made a way for multiple accounts to testify to the truth of Jesus' divinity and power to save us from our sins - because the multiple gospels, the testimony of Jesus' brothers, and even secular accounts all line up.  Most of these books were written close to the time of Jesus' death and resurrection so if it were false then these people would have been put down and there would not have been a mass spreading of the Gospel.  Whether or not you choose to believe is up to you, but "seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you!"  (Matthew 7:7)

Having a Servant's Heart

I was on my hands and knees yesterday scrubbing hardened milk residue and food particles from around my daughter's high chair and the thought struck me that instead of feeling worn out and begrudging the task at hand I should take the moment to practice having a servant's heart.  It does make a total difference when you are imagining scrubbing the floors for Jesus.  I mentally pictured the floor transforming into the floor of a palace and I renewed my efforts as I started thinking about how nice it would be to please the King.  The funny thing is, that is exactly what I was doing, though it seemed a mundane task.  When we shift our focus, not on the task at hand, but onto the eternal it gives our lives purpose.  That is something I think we all need!

Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

Beautifying with Aveda

While I am not one to spend a lot of money, I still live by the slogan "we are too poor to buy cheap."  This motto holds true for a lot of things.  While spending more money for fruits and vegetables versus the cheaper junk food versions may double the grocery bill, a healthy family will spend less in a doctor's office and will miss less work.

Along the same line of thought, I have really been getting into Aveda products lately.  The company started locally in Minnesota, and I know they make a big effort to be "green".  For example, they collect the tops of bottles (think bottled water, milk caps, etc) and recycle them to make their product bottles.  This may seem like a little thing, but since I've started collecting caps for their efforts you would be amazed at how many amass on a daily basis!  To my knowledge, this is the only recycling system currently in place that recycles bottle tops.

Aside from the environmental qualities of the company, I love the quality of the products.  The scents are very earthy and clean, they smell like essential oils were added - instead of some flowery concoctions that smell cheap.  They also leave your skin feeling soft and your hair shining.  =)  It is hard to find Aveda products on sale, however, so I was very fortunate to be able to cash in on a few local deals.  For starters, a local spa was offering with every $100 gift card purchased an additional $10 gift card.  Then, they are having a special sale day with 20% off the products.  So, for $100, I'll be able to get $137.50 worth of product (which is a savings of 27%).  Sometimes it takes some creative planning such as this to be able to afford otherwise "luxury" products, but it is definitely worth investing in a great company like Aveda.  Oh, yeah, and I also applied to the "pure privilege" program and since your first purchase points double, for the $200 I spent I was able to qualify for tier 4 (their mid tier) and will soon be receiving a $50 gift card off of a spa service (so that means a 50 min massage = free!).  I sure love a great deal!

Green Travel

I confess, I LOVE to travel.  There is something fun and exciting about seeing new places and experiencing new sights, cultures, and foods.  My husband and I just booked a trip to Florida to celebrate our ten year anniversary, and after booking it through Delta, we were told there is a "green" way to fly!  When I clicked for more information, they printed a cute little diagram showing how much carbon my flight was going to output, and how much of a donation to the Nature Conservatory would offset that.  They also stated that Delta has a fuel efficient fleet that gets 55 MPG - so, for the amount of people they transport that is pretty incredible and I now realize that it makes less of a footprint to fly vs. drive.  Just food for thought!

				1.005 Tons CO2		$ 20.10
2  Passengers		2616 Miles		How much is this?

Myth Busting

As I approach my birthday next week I have been thinking a lot about the wisdom I have gained in the past few years.  I know they say you grow wiser with age, but it isn't until you get older that you really realize the truth in that statement.  Part of it is the development of logic skills, because when you really think things through a lot of times you will "myth bust" things you have always accepted at face value.

For example, growing up my mom would always tell me that I never "took to the pacifier."  Her story of proof was that "the first time I gave you a pacifier, you walked right over to the trash can and threw it out!"  This was always accepted at face value that I simply didn't like pacifiers...then, as I aged and became a mom myself suddenly a new light was shone on this subject.  If I could WALK to the trash to throw it out, I was far beyond the age of introducing.  My guess is I had a little too much attitude one day, my mom saw a nuk nearby, shoved it in to "plug it" (LOL) and I marched over to the trash and threw it away in protest.

The moral of the story is that we always need to think things through - not just accept things as fact without exploring all of the outcomes.  My eyes were also opened to this after reading an article on "not being mean to your toddler" (sorry, I don't remember the source!) and the author made a good point that our little explorers are not trying to irk us (usually), but instead make mistakes or messes because they are trying to be all grown up.  I can't tell you how much those words of wisdom have helped me through the 2's with my son.  So many times I had the instinct to yell or get upset, but instead I looked at the surroundings and give him the benefit of the doubt (sometimes easier said than done).

Lastly, I encourage people to try things that they may have written off in the past as unsuccessful because they may not have gotten the full picture.  For example, I thought I hated running due to my experiences growing up in gym class.  Once or twice a year they would throw you on the track and make you run a mile and gauge your entire fitness on that marker.  I was pretty athletic in general (playing soccer, volleyball, and basketball), but did not have much endurance for running.  Therefore I made it around the track one or two times before getting a splitting pain in my side and gasping for air, heart racing.  My best friend (aka "Gigglez") challenged me recently to shed the baby weight (per my request for suggestions) by running with her in a half marathon.  Never in my life had I ever desired to run for pleasure, much less a half marathon.  However, as a result of a scare of post partum high blood pressure with my daughter I was willing to try anything....  Lo and behold, after starting to train (the right way) I am finding that I'm increasingly enjoying it.  There is a certain healthy "rush" that runners get after running and my blood pressure has never looked better.  I still have six months to go, but things are looking up (I ran 5k the other day and lived to tell about it)!  I will update with progress on the training and any barriers or tips I come up with along the way.  =)

Theodore Roosevelt's Environmental Contributions

I have noticed that shifting to a sustainable mentality really does affect everything in your life.  Aside from the obvious, it seems that someone who tries to live responsibly has an entire shift in their value system regarding protecting our planet.  I am currently in a US History class and needed to write a paper on something in the early 1900s.  I chose to write on Theodore Roosevelt and his impact on environmental sustainability.  I had thought momentarily about posting it here, to share with the world, but knowing there are unethical people that copy and plagerize just to pass a course I decided against it...

To sum it up, Theodore Roosevelt was a real pioneer in American history in the green movement, he was simply in the right place at the right time (with the right values).  He took hold of his presidency around the time that the nation was rapidly developing the west, and he sheltered 243 million acres of land during his presidency (into national parks and reserves).  That really is mind blowing when you think about it!  I especially appreciate this quote that he made in 1910: “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the nature resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.” (The National Park Service. Theodore Roosevelt: The Father of Conservation, 2011).  


I was blessed to get my grade back on this paper and to have been asked by my professor if she could anonymously use my paper as an example to other students of a well written and researched paper.  It is nice to know that when you are passionate about something, that it is reflected in your writing, and that even when I feel overwhelmed with all the responsibilities on my shoulders I still can do a good job.  =)
 

Good Things Come in Small Packages

Sorry I haven't blogged lately, for a time I really fought over the issue on whether I really could make any significant contribution to the "green" movement.  A lot of things I love and would blog about are material in nature (such as the remainder of this post), which seems to run against the grain of the movement.  Less stuff is better for the environment, and reduces waste, etc....but the fact remains that we need "stuff" to live so I think it is worthwhile to mention the things I have come across that ultimately reduce our footprint and can make a contribution to greener living.  =)

So, onto "good things in small packages."  For years I've used those plastic dryer balls in my dryer in lieu of dryer sheets.  For one, they save money and they are less wasteful.  They also claim to cut down on drying time. I had never really tested the theory on the drying time, it did not seem to make much of a difference.  However, my sister in law came across these adorable dryer balls from Clean Spyria: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CleanSypria?ref=seller_info  The seller claimed they were better and more environmentally friendly than the plastic ones so since the dryer balls I had were on their last leg I decided to give it a shot.  I ordered 6 in custom colors and had the "frankincense and myrrh" scent added.  I got a confirmation e-mail the next day that they had shipped and by the end of the week I was able to test them out.  I was absolutely amazed!  They were just as cute in person and had a lovely scent to them.  The remarkable thing, however, was when I used them all of a sudden my washer and dryer cycles stopped at the same time.  Previously, it would take about a half hour to wash and an hour to dry.  All of a sudden, with only the addition of these 6 dryer balls, my dryer needed only half the time!  This is significant in both energy savings as well as time in general.  As a busy mom of two, going to school 3/4 time and running a small business, every minute counts so for my normal 4 batch laundry load I saved 2 hours on my day!  I will also add that the scent from the balls added a very light fragrance to the laundry which was especially welcome on my cloth diaper batches.  Highly recommended!

A Day in the Life...

I set a goal today to try and live as eco friendly as possible.  I live in MN where the weather varies a lot, so it is quite often that you will be running both the A/C and the heater on the same day to maintain a constant temp.  Yesterday I turned off all heating/cooling systems in the house and decided it was spring and fairly nice out so I would see how it went.  In the morning, it was rather cool, about 68 degrees inside.  I dressed the kids in long sleeved pants/shirts and their cloth diapers and made sure they had blankets for nap time.  By midday, the temp in the house was right where we like it 72 degrees, and by nightfall it was 75.  I realized with just this one day experiment how much we take our modern conveniences for granted.  Why must we keep the house at a constant 72 degrees?  It wastes electricity.  It's as simple as throwing on a cardigan in the morning, and taking it off at night.  I realize towards the summer when it's 90-100 out it won't be this simple, but in reality I think it's good to think about sacrificing a little to reduce the amount of electricity we use!

Secondly, for the first time - ever- I did a full week's worth of groceries without using a single plastic OR paper bag!  I used my handy envirosax and they were awesome.  One of them was so fully loaded I know it would have been considered a "double bagger" had I gone the other route.  I also decided to shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's instead of the normal chain grocers that I had been using.  I may have ended up spending a few dollars more, but the produce was all organic, as was the soy milk (for my son), and I got an incredible pizza from Whole Foods as a special treat.  After making it and putting away the leftovers, I realized that the mat the pizza was on was compostable!  It feels nice to support stores that are of like mind, that take the extra time (and money) to try to live sustainably.  Something just feels *right* when you are trying to do your part and live responsibly.  There is a totally different vibe in these sorts of stores over your basic chain (esp. super walmart/targets).

Finally, I've discovered the joys of hanging clothes on a line.  When I was a little girl, my grandma used to do laundry and hang them to dry outside.  Since I cloth diaper, I have always wanted a picture of the cute diapers hanging to dry in the sun, but that was not realized until yesterday, after my mom and I installed a new laundry line.  It took four blunders (and diapers dropping in the dirt) for me to get the knots right, but after it was done I was amazed at how nice everything was.  Today was the first time I dried actual clothing, and was a little hesitant as I typically have a LOT of laundry and knew I didn't have that much line available.  I could do about 3/4 load on the line, but on a hot day like today it took only about an hour to dry!  This was great, and I know it really will help the laundry smell fresher and last longer.  Above is an image of my son and daughters diapers on the line.  =)

Reuse: Children's Clothing

Anyone that has young children knows how quickly little ones grow, especially in the first few years.  I have found two great options for people that don't want to hassle with having a garage sale or listing things on ebay.  The first option is to consign through a company such as JustBetweenFriends (http://www.jbfsale.com/default.cfm).  I decided to give it a shot this past sale as I had a basement full of toys and my kids had grown out of a lot of clothes from the previous season.  I listed about 200 items, of which 75% sold.  I made a 70% commission since I volunteered, and yesterday (a week after the sale) I got a check in the mail for about $625!  This was amazing, as it's typically stuff I would just pass along or donate.  Now that we are on a tighter budget, I figured I could sell the things and use the money to buy things in the next size up.  I also was able to shop the presales since I consigned and volunteered and I scored some great deals on toys for my kids to play with this summer.  The best part is that I plan to resell the things at the fall sale and hopefully come out even!  The second thing I have discovered is a website called ThredUp (http://www.thredup.com/251731).  It's a great children's clothes recycling program.  Basically you can list your items in under five mintues (think stuff that didn't sell at JBF or clothes that are cute, but you never got around to using) and if someone buys it all you have to do is print the shipping label and the postal worker will come to your door and pick it up.  You can then turn around and buy someone else's box for $15.95 (including shipping) that has approximately 15 items in there.    They also have toys, maternity clothes, scrapbooking stuff, and books to trade.  There are no picts on the site, though you can request a seller send you a picture before purchasing.  One cool thing about this is that when you get the box, it's like Christmas!  I can't wait to get the boxes I just ordered in my first trial run, I'll see if I can upload a picture for a future post!  =)

Paper or Plastic?

My very first job was a bagger at Byerly's food store.  For $5.60 per hour (just a little above minimum wage at the time), I took the bus after school and bagged groceries to help pay for driver's ed classes (my mom held the policy that if I wanted to drive, I'd have to pay for every bit of the process).  During orientation we were taught to ask the question "paper or plastic?"  This may not sound weird to those of you who have heard this many times over, but they actually told us there was psychology behind it!  Apparently, when given a choice, people are compelled to pick the second option if indecisive.  So, at 3 cents per plastic bag and 5 cents per paper bag, Byerly's was training us to save them money with this simple trick.  I know there is debate on which option is worse for the environment, but I personally feel more comfortable picking paper if I do not have reusable bags with me.  I use it to hold my recyclable items at home, and therefore recycle the bag in the process. I know plastic bags are also recyclable, but the paper just feels more organic...  Anyway, I recently bought several Envirosax off of a deal website (check out: http://babyhalfoff.com/index.php/Envirosax-Reusable-Shopping-Bags-?___store=default if you wish to purchase some at a great price), and was surprised when they arrived and were the size of my fist.  They have very cute designs and are barely heavier than a standard plastic bag.  At first I was put off by this, thinking it was sort of a rip off, but now I see the beauty of being able to stuff three or four into my purse to use when needed.  I assure you, I'm not reimbursed for promoting any items at all on here, and my main goal is to buy less, but sometimes things are worth buying if they ultimately help you live more sustainably and will save you money in the future!

Energy Saving Computers

Recently our two year old computer started to make a buzzing noise...the fan in the graphics card was going out.  As time progressed, we would have occassional computer crashes and this past week we realized we needed a completley new one.  The thought occurred to me to look into ways to make it more energy efficient.  I was surprised to find out that your graphics card actually consumes as much energy to run as almost all the other components in you computer combined!  So, making sure you have one that is not a power hog is very important.  I found out that GeForce cards should be completely avoided because in almost all comparisons, they are almost double the power consumption of a Radeon card.  A handy tool that I found is: http://www.hwcompare.com - you can plug in two cards to see not only power consumption, but other specs such as price, memory, and performance.  We ended up settling on a card that was powerful enough for our needs (my husband has a side job using HD video so it needed to be somewhat powerful), but wasn't demanding too much.  It is interesting that once you get in the mind frame of conservation, all sorts of doors open for you to change your habits as well as putting your purchasing power to good use.

God Takes Care of Us!

I'm so humbled and blessed...about a year ago my husband and I answered the call on our lives to go to Regent University, not having a clue how we'd pay for it.  With only one income, a toddler, and a baby on the way it did not make sense in the natural that we could go, but we were obedient and started going.  As I previously blogged, I've done a complete overhaul in our budget, trying to cut expenses to a bare minimum, live sustainably as much as possible, and give more.  Well, we just got our financial aid statement for next year and all I have to say is to GOD be the glory!  We are looking at going into this next year and adding absolutely NOTHING to our debt load!  What a blessing, as we were figuring it would be at least $10K worth of loans each year!  This is so exciting, I know God has great things in store for us!  This is just further proof that if we are faithful with what we have been given, God will be faithful!

Luke 6:38 (NIV): "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV): "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Financial Stewardship

As I had talked about upon beginning this blog, one of the biggest things I wanted to change about myself was my financial stewardship.  Well, I'm happy to report that I just got my credit card bills for this past month, and we have spent less than we have in at least 5 years!  Not only that, but we were able to live within our means even though my husband missed a couple of days of work (unpaid) due to sickness that had recently run through our house and without the extra we would not have made it to budget (as his pay was significantly less than budgeted this month).  The Lord blessed us with some unexpected extra income (my husband does wedding videography sporadically and was able to book a job this month).  Yet another testimony of God's faithfulness!  If we are faithful - He is!  God has never failed to provide for our needs.

I remember very clearly a few months after Luke and I got married we were extremely poor and didn't know how we would make ends meet.  I worked part time for Lifetouch for $8 per hour and Luke was unemployed.  We had rent to pay and my paycheck, in its entirety was just enough to cover it.  So, we were forced to make the decision - should we pay rent, or should we tithe and trust God for the remainder?  We ended up tithing, and God came through in a very unexpected way.  We got a letter with a check a few days later from the government, saying we had made an error on our taxes and they owed us money.  That's right, the government said they owed us money!  You know it's God when that happens!  The amount they gave us was in excess of the shortfall to pay rent, so we even had enough left over for other things like food that was also needed.

One last comment is on an article I came across today: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/03/24/thousands-christians-displaced-ethiopia-muslim-extremists-torch-churches-homes-2057387870/  Please pray for those who are suffering for their faith!  I can only imagine how hard it would be to lose both your house and your church while fleeing for your lives!  Pray also for the Muslim extremists who are blinded by their faith and are committing such atrocities.  If you feel lead, you can donate to: http://www.persecution.org/ethiopiacrisis/2011/03/22/one-thousand-given-food-for-a-week-so-far/ as just $5 will feed or clothe one of the displaced Christians.

Do You Have Affluenza?

My husband is also enrolled in school and came across an interesting documentary in one of his classes.  It's on so called "affluenza."  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E60sWCR4eLQ  Basically, it shows how we are so caught up in trying to keep up with the Jones' that we are actually less happy than we would be if we were just satisfied with what we did have.  It also says some pretty startling statistics such as we spend an entire year of our lives watching advertisements.  Now if that doesn't make you flip off the TV, I don't know what will!  I personally chose to go without a television upon the birth of my son, two years ago.  Upon that confession I am usually either looked at as though I am an alien from outerspace or am congratulated about how "good" that makes me.  The primary reason I originally decided not to have a television is that when I was younger, I have horrible memories of my daycare providers watching television all day long (typically soap operas) and forcing me to sit in front of a bowl of cereal I refused to eat until either I finished or she was done with her "soaps."  To this day I hate both soap operas and cereal!  The moral of the story for me was that I knew what a time waster television could be and did not want to fall into a rut of neglecting my children while at home with them because I was glued to the television.  As a result, I have a two year old who LOVES to read and is extremely smart and has a great imagination.  If he is over at a friends house (or grandma's) and the TV is on, he has about a five minute attention span before he's off looking for books or toys.  If nothing else speaks volumes, I think that does.  I highly recommend of economically disposing of your biggest time waster!  Not to mention there literally is almost NOTHING good on anymore.  TV shows used to have morals, now they portray adulterous relationships and broken families.  We laugh at them because we can relate...which makes me wonder if we relate because of how much influence these little machines have in our lives!  Also, to answer the question that I get the most - am I completely out of touch with the world without a TV?  Absolutely not!  I still have access to the internet, and although it is also a time waster, I have much more control of what I view and when I view it.  Plus, people are always talking...if something important happens (say a tsunami or even something way less dramatic like a large upcoming snowfall) people talk about it.  It takes two minutes to click on foxnews.com or other news source to get up to date.  I do not miss the television, and it's one thing I think if you break the addiction to you will be unlikely to ever go back.  I feel I don't have time right now to begin with, how much less would I have if I had "a show" that I was fixed on watching every night?

The Lost Art of Sharing

Spring is finally starting to manifest itself here in the Midwest as well as the snow melts away in the 40 degree weather and rain has been coming down washing a lot of the salt off the roads.  I absolutely love spring as there is a general feeling of renewing everywhere.  One of the things I have been thinking a lot about is the lost art of sharing.  As children are growing up, we encourage them to "share their toys" as it's the nice/right thing to do.  If little Jimmy hogs a toy (even his own) when a friend wants to use it, they are discouraged from their poor behavior and often an adult will step in to facilitate the sharing.  The irony for me is that adults rarely share!  We have lost a lot due to the fact that we have become an individualistic and selfish nation.  Once upon a time, an entire community would come together to build each other up.  They would hold a "barn raising" where everyone would bring their own tools and sacrifice their own labor, often for days at a time, to help a neighbor out (building things such as barns, houses, etc).  In turn, often the favor was reciprocated.  I was primarily raised in an apartment and held this fantasy of community and sharing in house dwelling.  When we finally did buy our own house I was shocked to find that people were so cold and closed to outsiders.  I held a "housewarming" party to try and meet my neighbors, so I could be actively involved in my community and only ONE person showed up!  Now I realize there may still be communities like I referenced above, but I think they are fading fast. If your lawn mower broke down, how likely would you be to petition a neighbor to borrow theirs?  Perhaps chipping in for gas and maintenance, and possibly even taking turns doing each others lawns?  Instead, people just take a trip to Sears or other store and buy a new one.  Similarly, every winter I see those that are out breaking their backs shoveling snow by hand where there are one or two freshly snowplowed driveways only steps away.  Now it is one thing to simply talk about things such as this and a completely other thing to DO something about it.  So, I decided that I would go through things that I owned and never used (such as muffin pans, tablecloths, etc) and posted a general "free" ad on my facebook wall.  I figured not only would I be decluttering my house, but there may be friends that were in need of the very items I was seeking to dispose of.  Low and behold, ALL of the items I listed people snatched up!  The awesome part of this is that often this lends to a snowballing effect - sort of a "pay-it-forward."  When those friends go through their closets to declutter, they will possibly think of doing something similar.  Plus, when I give these items away, it forces me to get together with people I may not have seen in awhile and helps keep communication between friends open and alive.  In the same way I think we need to be more open about asking for things when needed.  Pride is often what keeps us from doing this...when it is more of a blessing to give than to receive!  Often the other person is more than happy to share what is theirs, and are unaware of your need because you don't ask.  A great case in point is that I was able to borrow an infant attachment to my double stroller from a good friend that no longer needed hers.  This was a great blessing to me, as a new one would have cost $40.  The key is that the more we share, the less we buy - which saves us money, time (you have to work to make money!), and the environment is less impacted as less products will need to be produced to fulfill the needs of the community.

Also, a quick update: We did get the slow flow shower head I had previously mentioned installed this weekend.  It was actually this model: http://www.waterpikecoflow.com/VBE-453/ it came equipped with the option for navy showers, which I was quite impressed with!  It basically had a button to push that would lower the flow to conserve water while lathering.  Although I didn't use this feature, I liked that you could hardly tell it was slower flowing than the previous model.  The only downfall is it was somewhat cheaply made and after just four showers in our household, it was already in need of re tightening as it was leaking and spraying everywhere!  I suppose if I were to buy it myself (as this was a gift) I'd definitely recommend getting a model that was better built, as you tend to get what you pay for.  =)

Responsible Parenting, Part 2

Something really caught my attention today in the April 2011 edition of Parents magazine.  A reader had written for advice and here was the dialog:


Q: Last week my son came home from school with bulging pockets.  I made him give the items back and apologize.  But yesterday I received a not that said he had stolen again and lied about it.  Is this a phase? deltachild

A: Our son tried this too, and I'm betting that it will pass soon.  Make sure that you and the teacher are on the same page.  both of you should watch his pockets and remind him that, if he comes home with stuff that isn't his again, he'll lose a privilege of be put in a time-out.  Mom2NinoandAlly

Really?!?  I realize we are in an age where spanking is taboo and viewed by many as child abuse, but if "proper discipline" would equate stealing to a time-out I think we have fallen beyond lax in our parenting standards.  I believe the punishment should fit the crime, and in the REAL WORLD stealing would get jail time.  Just because they don't punish children on the same scale as adults, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be driving home the idea that this is a serious offense.  Personally, if this were my child I would have a serious talk with him, then I would subject him to community service.  40 hours of working with the underprivileged, at a food shelf, etc. will show him a couple of things.  If he is "acting out" to get attention, volunteering with him would give him the attention he needs, but in a proper and healthy setting.  If he is stealing because he is envious and coveting his neighbors belongings, than spending time with people that have considerably less than he does should knock that out of him as well.  Plus, in the real world criminals are given community service for this very reason.  If the child was older I would also have him watch a documentary on prison, and make a point that he does NOT want to go there.  That stealing is wrong in every way - morally, Biblically, and socially.  It scares me to think that a popular mainstream magazine such as Parents would be doling out such harmful advice!  I will be writing them a letter on this one!

Responsible Parenting, Part 1

"Train a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not turn away from it."  Proverbs 22:6

I have been thinking a lot today about what it means to be a responsible parent.  Training our children to be responsible adults that love God is probably the greatest responsibility most people will ever have.  I have two small children and I can definitely see how they are like sponges and imitate even the smallest habits.  I was washing my face when I noticed my son reaching out to the faucet to turn on the water.  I said "no touch!" as I did not want him to waste water, and he proceeded to dip his little hand in the "discard" water and then patted his face.  What I had initially perceived as the desire to waste water just because he wanted to play, was actually his attempts to imitate me.  Every day I can see that he is trying to figure out the world - the difference of right from wrong, how things work, what pleases or annoys people, and he surprises me daily!  One thing I have been challenged on in the past month or so is my son's fascination with light - turning light switches on and off continuously.  I told him (as I always do) that it wastes energy and that in broad daylight we shouldn't need to turn on any lights.  This morning he had his Twilight Turtle (a battery operated turtle that shines stars on the ceiling) that he was playing with, experimenting with the light.  I decided to just observe his play, and was fascinated by how he went about experimenting.  First, he brought it into the bathroom and turned on the light and then he noticed that he couldn't see the light in a fully lit room.  He then tried to figure out a way to see the stars in the room, and discovered that if he pulled out a drawer and tucked it inside, he could see the light from the darkness of the drawer.  After a few minutes I walked over and told him to shut it off and gave him some crayons to play with.  Later in the evening that same day, my son noticed that the hall light had been left on and he shut it off saying "turn light off."  My point for mentioning this is that sometimes we get overzealous in our efforts to conserve energy and we inhibit growth and learning in our children.  It is okay to allow them to experiment and explore, as long as they are ultimately learning that it's important to try and conserve our resources.

Eat Your Veggies!

I asked my professor for some suggestions on improving my lifestyle and he suggested I take the following quiz: http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/  I recommend taking the extra few minutes to do the "detailed" answers rather than the quick version.  Once I took the test, I was surprised to see that it would take 3.9 planets to sustain my lifestyle.  Here I thought I was not making much of an impact, being a stay at home mom (not driving many places), recycling, trying to live responsibly...  The thing that surprised me the most was that eating meat and animal products really increases your global footprint.  I have thought a lot about switching to a more vegetarian diet for health reasons, but it has been hard convincing my husband who LOVES his meat.  He grew up on a farm raising hogs, and I know that his father looked down upon vegetarians so that has rubbed off.  Apparently it's manly to love meat and lots of it!  I am going to attempt to talk to my better half and see if he'd be willing to switch to a diet with less meat products.  Moral of the story is eat more veggies and less meat!

A New Idea

I had an idea that I think is worth looking at!  As our water is so precious and limited, why don't we use seawater in our toilets?  We do not drink the water, there is no reason to have as good of quality water getting flushed with our waste as the water we drink.  Sea water is obviously more in abundance as well, so we wouldn't be wasting something that is limited as a resource.  I googled this idea and see the Chinese have already implemented such a system: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009summerdavos/2009-09/10/content_8675129.htm  Apparently it cut down 1/3 of their total water consumption as well as saved the city money.  Although this may not be realistic to try and implement in the inner United States, those on the East and West coast should not have a problem putting this into action!  I think this idea is worth petitioning your local congressman about!