Beds, my ‘one’ weakness

Ok, so I have many more weakness than buying beds but this weekend this was my strongest weakness!
My husband had gone to Joplin Mo to help with the disaster relief and I kept my pregnant self at home with the kids. Oh, how I wish I could have gone!
And on top of that my close friend was getting married in Pennsylvania that day. It was a trip we decided against due to the long trip and being 8 months pregnant. (We live in Oklahoma. and for the record, we were pregnant before she got engaged. I just made the mistake of saying she couldn’t get married the month the baby was due. I didn’t mention we couldn’t even fly the month before that!) It was a terribly hard decision and though I couldn’t regret the wisdom of our choice, I did have to live with the regret that I wasn’t there.
So it seemed like everyone had somewhere to go and something to do but me. I know…poor me. Ukk. Ok, so what did I do? I went thrifting!

I got almost a dozen clothing items to resell from 99 cent day at the thrift store, then I hit up the surrounding areas for garage sales. The pickings were slim. It seems like a few people do annual garage sales on memorial weekend and then other people don’t even try for it.
I tried a few and ended up at one that had some promising kid items. Seeing I was pregnant they started mentioning things they would recommend. I wasn’t interested but I did eye some wooden twin beds they had laying out.
Now let me explain. I have my two kids currently in the same room. This gives us a spare guest room/ office which is nice. Once the baby comes I plan on putting bunk beds in there for the older two and the baby will go in a crib then toddler bed. I got a really nice solid wooden bunk bed for $10 without mattress’ (have those) at a garage sale last summer, we didn’t need them then but I sent them to my parents to store until we had another baby and needed it.
It wasn’t a fancy bunk bed. It had solid wooden head/footboards so it could only be used for bunk beds, and a nice ladder, but really it all needed to be stripped and re-stained from wear. And it didn’t have any side board to keep the kids from rolling off.
The beds at this garage sale looked like this:

The only reason I asked about it is they reminded me of twin beds I saw at a friends house.  They have two girls and their beds were matching white. I don’t think they were bunk but they were very cute and crisp in their room. And these headboard reminded me of those beds. So I asked the price.

“Um…$10 each” was the answer. I groaned. If she had said $20 each I could have walked away.
“Are they bunks?”
“Yes, but the ladder is broken so they are only good for being separate.”
“Not if you have a handy husband like mine they aren’t!” I thought
“Will you take $15 for both of them?”
If she said no then I could walk away right?
She said yes, helped me load and unscrew the pieces and got all the hardware labeled in a bag for me. And she threw in the broken ladder.
I haven’t set it up yet. I’m not crazy about orange wood so I’m painting it. Don’t hate me. I usually like the natural look better but these bed either needed stripped and re-stained or painted. I chose painting since it is cheaper (I have the paint) and easier.
All of that project will be posted later. Here is what I believe it will look like when it is assembled.

Actually the ladder is just fine. I started painting it right before it got too dark tonight. The parts that are broken are the slates the ladder hooks onto. I think I can just get new slates for it and drill holes. Anyway, you will see the finished (not orange) product as soon as I finish it and get pictures taken! I’m pretty excited. And the fact that the beds come apart will make them useful for as long as the kids are in my house.
Now to just find a new home for the $10 bunk beds that are at my parents house…maybe I can sell it for $25 to pay for both cost of bunk beds!
Oh yes! And when my hubby got home and I told him I got something we absolutely don’t need he responded with, “You got a bed.” Lol! He wasn’t thrilled to say the least, but when I told him the price and that she talked down from her original price he was hoping I got the whole thing for $10…yes, always wanting the lowest dollar. I think I would have felt bad if she would have sold it for $10 with all the help they did loading it for me!

Linking:
Thrift Share Monday
C.R.A.F.T 

Round Up

It was a slow week, I made some 99 cent sales but was able to ship for less so made a little bit more than my money back:

Boy's gap athletic shorts Blue size XXL (14-16)= $2.86

 

Woman's Merona Plum size 8 Fully lined dress= $3.58

And I did really well on two dresses I picked up while shopping local garage sales.

Both were purchased using buy it now for $19. I am amazed. I thought I had priced the BIN for really high. Once again, always price stuff in BIN so you won’t regret it!

 

Empire waist Liz Claiborne Dress size 12 Brown =$18.41

 

Vanity Pink Polka-Dotted dress Halter top = $20.81

 

Talbots size 4 Long Red Skirt with Black&White belt =$6.22

It was a slow week. My inventory was down but I managed to get 10 more items to relist this weekend. Hopefully sales will pop back up. Also the weather and storms effect people buying as well.

 

Total: $42.27

Uses for Borax

If you read my post about homemade laundry soap and you tried it you probably had a ton of Borax left over. You could save if for the next time you make the soap, or try some of these cleaning tips with it:

Dishwasher detergent:
Mix half Borax with half Baking soda and whalla!  A great dishwashing detergent! Just use 2 TBSP per load.
Borax and baking soda are both natural disinfectants and mild abrasives so they work hard together to get your dishes clean!

Roach killer:
I didn’t know this one before but if you mix equal parts of sugar with Borax the roaches will eat both and die from the Borax. You might have some dead roaches you have to sweep up but that is better than live ones! Just sprinkle along base board or behind fridge.

Rust remover
Lemon Juice & Borax
These two can be mixed together in equal parts and sprayed or dabbed on object. Or object can be submerged in solution. Soak for 30 minutes the rinse and dry. Repeat if needed.

Scented Spray cleaner
1/4 cup of dishwashing soap
1/4 cup of white vinegar
2 tsp of Borax
3 1/2 cups of hot water
Lemon or citrus essential oil (5-6 drops or more)
Mix and pour into a spray bottle.
Use this in every room of the house, the lemon helps to cut grease.
Floor and wall cleaner

• Fill a bucket with about 1 gallon of warm water.
  
• Add about 1/3 cup Borax.
  
• Add 1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent.
  
• Mix in about 1 tablespoon ammonia.

Scouring Powder (for kitchen and bathroom)

• Measure 1/4 cup borax; pour into a container.
  
• Add 1/4 cup baking soda.
  
• Add 1 1/2 cups hot water.
  
• Stir until mixed.

How to dry flowers with borax

• Cut flowers you wish to preserve, with or without stem.
  
• Sprinkle borax on the bottom of a small box such as a shoe box.
  
• Add up to two flowers.
  
• Completely cover with more borax.
  
• Tape the box shut.
  
• Let sit at room temperature for about one week.
  
• When dried completely, strain off the borax powder; may be reused for more flower drying.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner Pour 1 cup of borax into the toilet bowl at night before you go to sleep. The next morning clean out the toilet bowl with a brush. You will find the job effortless because the borax has loosened all the grime buildup. Note that this method of toilet cleaning works very well for rust rings.
Flea Killer Sprinkle borax on dog beds, carpets, and other areas where you suspect that fleas are hatching. Borax releases boric acid, which is a poison (note that very high doses would need to be ingested to harm a pet or human).
Mold Inhibitor This method of inhibiting mold is very good to use on areas where mold and mildew is growing but that you don’t need to worry about paint being damaged. Make a thick borax and water paste. Smear it on the moldy area. Let set until dry (overnight or longer). Sweep up the powder, and rinse off the rest.
Mice Deterrent Sprinkle borax on the floor along the walls (mice like to run along the side of walls). They don’t like getting the borax on their feet, so they are less likely to return to that area of the house.

All Purpose Cleaner Put 2 teaspoons of borax in a spray bottle with 2 cups of very hot water. Shake to blend.
Another All-Purpose Cleaner and Disinfectant 1 teaspoon borax 1/2 teaspoon washing soda 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

• In a spray bottle that will hold at least a pint, combine the ingredients. Add 1 cup very hot water and shake well, mixing and dissolving the dry ingredients.
  
• To use, simply spray and wipe. This can be stored indefinitely.

Homemade 409 Recipe:

• 2 Tbsp. Distilled White Vinegar
  
• 1 Tsp. Borax
  
• 1/8 cup Dawn Dishsoap
  
• 1 cup Hot Water
  
• Triggered Spray Bottle {16 oz.}

Pour vinegar, borax and hot water into spray bottle. Then continue filling spray bottle with cool water. Add Dawn Dishsoap last. {no need to shake}

Remember remember: NEVER MIX BLEACH AND AMMONIA TOGETHER!

G-Sales still pay off!

Last Saturday I went g-sale shopping with my sister and we hit a bunch. I got some material, wooden spoons (always need more of those) a nice umbrella stroller (for $3! Used 1 time…retails for over $20) a laundry basket for $1 and 2 watering cans for the kids. Here’s one:

I got that one for $1 and a yellow one that is much easier for kids for 5 cents. The way people value things differently is amazing!

I also got some clothing and shoes for the boys.

But after all that shopping I ended up with just two things to resale:

 

Empire waist Liz Claiborne Dress size 12 Brown

And

Vanity Pink Polka-Dotted dress Halter top

Neither are brands I’ve sold before. The Vanity dress was new with tags so I figured it would do ok. It got a bid in the 1st 4 hours! I was happy with my $9 bid until someone did buy it now for the price of $19! Wow! That paid for the whole $12 I spent on everything- which was mostly stuff I kept!

The Liz Claiborne dress had a few watchers, finally after 4 days or so it got a bid of $9.99 then sold a few minutes later for $19.99. Buy it now! I made $40 off of 2 $1 items! Yep! I’m on cloud nine right now!! I guess if I could go g-saling and make $40 every weekend doing what I love I would be very happy! Specially if it was off only 2 items!

Homemade Laundry Soap

You never know what you get when you go to Wal-mart. Specially when you’ve been under budget all month. This is what I brought home when I did a run for protein drinks. I’ve never bought protein drinks and had a terrible time finding them. Thus the reason I found soap while looking for drinks…lol!

I found Fels –Naptha! I’ve never found this stuff before but at this out-of-the-way (yet huge) wal-mart, there it was, and right next to the washing soda and borax. Everything I need to make my own homemade laundry detergent. So, as any good wife does I scooped it up even though I am not even close to running out of laundry detergent. (still working on 5 gallons of liquid detergent I made in Janurary.)

I was surprised at how yellow the Fels-Naptha is! I guess it is a stain removing bar. I think you get it wet and rub it on the stains on your clothes. Glad they came out with Shout, though I bet this works great too. It was 99 cents a bar.
There are many recipes for home made landry soap. Many can be found here. I like this link because it has so many you can see what you have on hand and then make it. Or you can try out liquid instead of powder…lots of options.
The recipe I used this time is a touch different and even with that I changed it a little. I got it from Mommy minded blog here!

Here is my adapted version:
1/2 cup grated Dove bar soap (if you leave it out for a day or two it is easier to grate)
1/2 cup grated Fels-Naptha (About 1/2 bar)
1 cup Washing Soda (not baking soda)
1 cup Purex Crystals
 

First I grated theFels-Naptha


Then I stuck it in my (Little) food processor to created a finer grate.
I did the same with the dove bar. Then I got a large bowl out and added 1 cup each of the washing soda and the borax.
You will probably have a lot of both the borax and and washing soda left over. Good for you. If you don’t use borax for many other household uses just save it for the next time you make this soap!
Here they are all mixed together. You can stop there…or add the Purex crystals. I was going to stop there but when I was looking at the crystals in wal-mart and deciding not to get them. That would add about $4 to the price of this detergent! A customer walked by and saw me studying the bottle and said, “Oh, that stuff is amazing. Have you ever tried it! It is wonderful!”


Ok, so I am a sucker for personal recommendation. Into the cart it went!
I got the smaller bottle which was $3.97. Not a terrible price to try something out.
I did find a facebook coupon for $1 off here, after I got back. Guess I should have been more prepared.

So I added a cup of that to the mix and was surprised the all the color!

This is after making several batches. I think I did 4 but I should have counted.
Check out the containers I got at a thrift store. They were $6 and NOT on sale but I was a sucker and really liked them. I need to make another label for the new soap. I added a hook using a paperclip and it works great to hold my 1/8 cup scoop that I use for measuring.
If you have a front loading washer you can get by with just 1 tablespoon. Also this is perfectly safe for HE washers. The problem with normal soap is it suds to much for the low water volume of the he washers. This stuff cleans but without a lot of suds. Making it perfect to replace the money making scheming HE detergent makers =)
I didn’t get a picture of the liquid detergent that I have but here is the new and the old powder.

It is a lot. I mean, when you only use a few Tablespoons think how long this stuff will last me. I think I might end up mixing them to make the Purex last longer. We shall see.









So here is a break down of cost:
Per batch:

Washing soda: 1 cup = 4 cents
Borax:            1 cup = 3.5 cents
Fels-Nelpha    1/2 cup= 48 cents.
Dove soap     1/2 cup = 9 cents
Purex crystals 1 Cup = 96 Cents
Total cost for 1 batch = $5.57 for 64 loads- Or about 9 cent per load.
Wow the Purex really adds to the cost!

Linking:
Mad Skills Party

Money Making Garage/Yard Sales.

I wanted to post how I was doing with the last 2 weeks of yard sale shopping!
I find that garage sale shopping can be trickier than shopping 99 cent day for clothes at my thrift store. Mainly because I end up coming home with so much more stuff to keep! Proof of it can be seen here and here.
So this year I am trying to keep careful track of my spending and my selling. Well, I do that anyway but I’m doing it separate for yard sales so I can make sure I’m still making money, not just spending it!
The first weekend (4/30) I spent $16.20 on items. Here is what I got to resell and how I’m doing so far.
The next week I spent $14.50 and that post is here.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Price paid: $1

Made: $12.28


Price paid: $.50
Profit $9.93




Paid: $.25
Profit: $6.79
 

Paid: $.25

Profit: $1.30

MOTHERHOOD Maternity Pink White Polka Dot Dress Medium

Paid: $1
Profit: $8.49


 

TONKA METAL DUMP TRUCK VINTAGE 9 1/2" long by 4" wide

Paid: $1.75
Profit: $7.01



2011 leather envelope system
Paid: $.50
Profit: $9.94


American Eagle Green short skirt size 12 mini
Paid: $1
Profit: $6.27

Ralph Lauren Polo dress w/onesie size 6-12 month Pink & Red

Paid: $2 for both

Profit: $7.56

 

 

 

 

Item	Price	Sold For	Profit
Nike Skirt	$1	$14.50	$12.28
American Eagle Long Jeans	$.50	$12.50	$9.93
Ellie Saddle shoes	$.25	$10.25	$6.79
Dave Ramsey Envelop System	$.50	$11.08	$9.94
Red Prediction Shoes Lace up	$.25	$7.50	$1.30
Pink Maternity Dress Size M	$1	$10.50	$8.50
Tonka Dump truck	$1.75	$18.00	7.01
American Eagle mini skirt	$1	$11.94	$6.27
2 Ralph Lauren dresses	$2	$9.98	$7.56

Total Profit: $69.58
Ok, that is the profit I made off what I spent that I sold. Yay!
On everything (personal, stuff for kids and household) I spent about $30 during those 2 weeks. I’m happy that I still came out with almost $40 profit so far and I get to keep a lot of the stuff.
I still have a breast pump that I have someone interested in from Craigslist for $60.
Now I can garage sell with peace that I am making money and not just adding junk to my house! LOL! Well, at least making money while adding stuff to my house! Ha ha!