Apron Thrift Girl

ATG Sponsorship

Little Shop

It's that time of the month where I share with you different ways that you can sponsor and support this blog. My goal is to share with you all that I can about Thrifting and ReSelling so that you can be (and are) empowered ReSellers.

Here are the ways to Sponsor & Support Apron Thrift Girl:

• Browse the vintage wares of Little Shop (especially if you are local)
• Become an ATG Platinum Sponsor which is placement on right hand side under the fold.  150 x 100 monthly rate is $10.00. Minimum 3 months. (included will be a post to introduce new Sponsors with appropriate links)
• Place your name on ATG's peak viewing post, “Thrift Share Monday” which has 40% more viewers than any other day or post.  Your name and logo will be in a linkable banner at the top of the post.  Monthly rate is $50.00.
• Click on Amazon Affiliate Links within posts.
• Visit my Amazon Affiliate store which has my favorite and most loved items.
• Check out my favorite ReSelling tool on the sidebar of the blog which is also through Amazon.
• I'm considering offering a sponsorship for the ReSelling Challenge. If this might interest you please contact me. 

Thanks to all of you that read Apron Thrift Girl, for those that comment now and then, and of course those that comment faithfully every day. You know who you are. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Selena

2012 ReSellers Listing Challenge - Intro

February ReSellers Listing Challenge

I just completed filing my California sales taxes this morning. My eyes are sore from working on excel spreadsheets for the last 5 days, my bank account has less money in it than it did this morning but they are done and I can go back to focuses on ReSelling.

The most positive thing about doing this years taxes is realizing this:

I sold $53,818 of used merchandise in 2011. **mostly used**

I did this from working at home and doing what I love. That just amazes me. I also didn't work much this summer. I got off the computer and I spent time as a mom with my children. I worked very hard in February and in the fall. The rest of the year I worked part time around my children's schedules. What more could you ask for in a job that is your passion?

I do reinvested much of my money back into my business buying more inventory. I constantly buy and constantly sell. Okay so maybe I have more inventory than I sell but I always look at it as my tangible savings account.

What was really eye opening was discovering that my best eBay months were March & November. Each of those months followed the ATG ReSellers Listing Challenge.  You can't get better proof that what you put into this business is immediate in the rewards. Has anyone else looked at their numbers for the year? Did you have something similar with sales after the challenge?

It's been very hard for me to start up on eBay again in 2012. The holiday season left me tired and worn out. I enjoyed backing off of eBay and working on Amazon. It's such a different model and pace. I'm also trying to take Little Shop to a local level and sell items to my customers from the Waldorf Winter Faire. I haven't quite worked out how to offer both local and non local shipping with Storenvy. Does anyone know?

Last week I tried to take photos of jewelry to get back slowly into eBay but so far I've listed just two items. I need this challenge as much as anyone. I've asked on Facebook and those that answered are excited about the challenge.

Are you ready to accept and take on ATG's - ReSellers Listing Challenge?

The first official post will be on Wednesday, February 8th but your listings can begin tomorrow on February 1st!

Here's what I'd like you to do in order to take part in the challenge:

1. Comment today and tell us your Listing Challenge Goal.
2. Add a link to your ReSelling Venue/Store beginning next Wednesday. (optional)
3. Begin to List your items on February 1st - don't forget to tally up your listings since items hopefully will start to sell and disappear from your active listings.
4. Grab a Button and spread the word. We want to motivate & inspire.
5. Check in every Wednesday until February 29th. Share your progress in the comments.
6. Share your link here every Wednesday to show us how busy you've been. (optional)
7. On February 29th, share whether you've reached your goal and if you wish, share how many of your Listing Challenge items have sold.

Let's share our motivation.

Let's share our inspiration.

This challenge is open to any ReSelling venue whether it's Etsy, eBay, Flea Markets or Antique Mall. My main focus will be eBay.

Will you be joining us on Wednesday?

Thrift Share Monday - Greyhound

Greyhound Bus $5

Fridays tend to stress me out even though it's my favorite day of the week. In a perfect world, I would have a babysitter arrive at the house at 6 a.m. They would wake the children at 7 a.m., feed them, make their snack for their school day and drive them safely to school. This would allow me to easily get to Friday estate sales, sign my name up on the list and wait patiently in my van and eventually in the line to get in the sale during the first wave of shoppers.

Instead last Friday left me rushing the kids to get out the door early, racing to the school to drop them off, driving as quickly as I legally could to the one estate sale in Santa Rosa in the north of town only to discover that I was 25th on the list. Sigh. The only really positive note though about this frantic morning is that when they opened the door to let us in, they let 25 shoppers in the door! Usually it's 10 or 15, sometimes 20 but it's a rare day when it is 25 people. Luckily the house was huge and I got in!

It was a great sale for inventory that included books, DVDs, perfume and jewelry. As Julie Andrews would sing "these are a few of my favorite things."

Saturday took me to Sebastopol to an estate sale that my friend Amy told me about. It was a sale that I hadn't even seen until she mentioned it. I arrived at 8 a.m. and waited with a few other people until they opened at 8:50. A woman running the sale told us that the good stuff was in the house and the garage sale stuff was outside. I spent time in the house first but I found most of the best finds in the garage including the Greyhound Metal Bus above.

I opened up a box that included lots of vintage metal toy trucks, the Greyhound bus, 2 Tomy Tuneyville Choo Choo Trains and some vintage toy plastic dishes.

Embroidery Thread $2

I found buttons, thread, vintage typewriter paper (thanks to Amy), mercury glass beads, an old school chair and an entire collection of Victoria Magazines.

Lampshade $2

It felt like ages since I had been to a sale with vintage items like this. It was fun to thrift with Amy, discover vintage toys and especially to find the Greyhound Bus. It's not exceptionally valuable especially in the condition that it's in. I had considered selling it at the flea market but I've decided to keep it. It's such an iconic symbol of American transportation from the past. It's now in my living room on the vintage stereo cabinet.

Did you go thrifting this weekend?

Thrift Share Monday celebrates the Art of Thrifting. As a community of readers and bloggers we are able to connect through the process of buying second hand, selling and sharing.

We Thrift  - We Share

Here are some guidelines if you would like to join Thrift Share:

• Your Thrift Share Monday blog post should include your thrifted finds from the weekend.
• Create a blog post with photos of your items.
• Link your Thrift Share Monday post back to Apron Thrift Girl.
• Link to your Thrift Share Monday post on Apron Thrift Girl using inlinkz below.
• If you participate with Thrift Share Monday regularly, please add a button to your side bar so that we can build our Thrift Share Community.

Don't forget to visit Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds.

**Amazon Affiliated Link is included in this post which helps support Apron Thrift Girl

Share Exchange Clothing Swap

We are lucky to have what we call The Share Exchange in Santa Rosa, California. This is a fantastic and inspiring model that includes frugality, thrifty living and community building in the Share Exchange.

Here's what they are about:

"The Share Exchange Innovation and Incubation Center is Sonoma County’s first coworking space. We offer an affordable place to work during the day and hold community events in the evening. 

In addition to having a physical cowork and event space, we are big proponents of LOCAL and SHARING. Often these things can save money and resources.

As such, we are home to the first Made Local Marketplace where everything in our store is made here in Sonoma County. We represent almost 200 local artisans!

If you are short on money, you'll be interested in the Sonoma County Time Exchange which is an hour-for-hour exchange of services.

We find effective resource sharing tools and promote them locally:

Rentalic -- peer to peer sharing of goods

Urban Garden Share -- matching urban farmers with land owners

Neighborhood Fruit -- helps you find and share fruit locally

Santa Rosa Tool Library -- a local lending library for all kinds of tools

This coming Saturday they are having a Clothing, Jewelry, Book and Exercise Gear Exchange. For a small fee of $5.00 you can bring a bag of good, usable items and trade them for something New To You.

I love the entire concept of Share Exchange and hopefully will attend the Swap this Saturday.

Do you have something like this in your community?

Store Closing Sales

Various Flea Market / Craft Fair Supplies

There are those moments while thrifting that I really try to suppress some of my emotions. I do this often at Estate Sales. When I arrive at a home of someone who has died you see their entire life around you. You see their clothing still hanging in the closet, you see their collection of perfume they may have had since they were a young bride, or there may even be food still in the pantry. I do try to connect with the previous owner and piece together a little of their life in my mind. I also whisper small words of gratitude as I shop when I find something that is dear to me. I don't shop in an oblivious bubble that these things didn't once belong to someone full of life.

Today I stopped by a toy store in Petaluma that is closing it's doors in the next few weeks. I love to shop a Store Closing sale and yet at the same time, I don't like it. It's so sad to see someones dream and passion end. I realize that sometimes they go on to better things but often, especially in this economy, they close because they can't stay in the black. Each time a physical store closes, we lose something that is part of our local community.

With that said though, Store Closing sales can be a very good source for inventory, fixtures and supplies. The items above: spinning rack, bracelet display, ring display, jewelry holder, and table sign holders came to $20. They will be a part of my upcoming Flea Market booth.

The thing that I try to do when shopping at a family estate run sale and a Store Closing sale is to be respectful and kind. They deserve that much.

How to find a Store Closing Sale?

A great source for finding Store Closing sales is Craigslist. I simply type in Store Closing into the search bar and typically 5-10 listings appear. Sometimes you can get an idea of price in the individual listing. Another suggestion is reading your local paper, especially if the establishment has been in the community for years. The other way is by word of mouth. What's been your best find from a Store Closing sale?

By the way, the store in Petaluma has a lot of Manequin supplies which are great when taking photos of clothes. If you'd like the address, please email me.

Did you enter for the Shoppee App Giveaway?

Here are the winners:

Here are your random numbers:

12 domestic diva 
21 Pamela 
27 JosephineTomato
19 Amy Stark
5 Leah
2 Karen Therese
10 Melissa
24 Karen
11 Shana Stein
23 Heather

Timestamp: 2012-01-26 13:46:38 UTC

If the winners could email me, I'll send you your free codes for the App.

Here are your random numbers:

12
21
27
6
5
6
10
24
11
23

Timestamp: 2012-01-26 13:46:38 UTC

Thrift Share Monday - January 23

Cathrineholm Bowls

It was a very wet weekend in Sonoma County. After a couple months of sunny and sometimes warm days the rain was very welcomed. It also meant that there were only a few sales to attend. I did go to one on Friday where I found a set of Cathrineholm Lotus Bowls.

Set of 3

They are in beautiful condition, so yellow and very cheerful. They can do really well on eBay and Etsy. This set on eBay sold for $172. Some of the rarer colors are the blue & white, pink & white and orange & white. I think this set might do well because it includes 3 pieces.

Mercury Glass Beads

These were from a few weeks ago but I found them in my Office Reorganization of 2012 and just can't resist how beautiful they are.

Last week I decided to simply clear my desk off and ended up rearranging my entire office. Does that happen to any of you? I do like the change though and each step forward with organization helps me feel more efficient in my job.

This is my first full week back to work since the children got out for winter break in December. Cerys finally goes back to school and I can finally start working on eBay again. I posted a recipe on Flavorstitch for an Immune Boosting Smoothie that I gave to Cerys every day.

Here's to a productive and healthy week for all of us.

Did you go thrifting this weekend?

Thrift Share Monday celebrates the Art of Thrifting. As a community of readers and bloggers we are able to connect through the process of buying second hand, selling and sharing.

We Thrift  - We Share

Here are some guidelines if you would like to join Thrift Share:

• Your Thrift Share Monday blog post should include your thrifted finds from the weekend.
• Create a blog post with photos of your items.
• Link your Thrift Share Monday post back to Apron Thrift Girl.
• Link to your Thrift Share Monday post on Apron Thrift Girl using inlinkz below.
• If you participate with Thrift Share Monday regularly, please add a button to your side bar so that we can build our Thrift Share Community.

Don't forget to visit Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds.

Shoppee App Review & Giveaway

Shoppee - Smarter Shopping Made Easy

Last Fall when Dave and I sat down to reexamine our monthly expenses, food was what we spent the most on after rent. Living an organic, holistic and gluten free lifestyle doesn't come cheap in our daily lives. Although I will add that this is an investment in our bodies and our future and so for us it's worth every penny. Dave is in his 40's and I am in my 30's and we aren't on one single prescription drug and we are rarely sick. I feel that both of those facts help with our healthy diet.

So how does one stay frugal and healthy? It's an ongoing challenge. I have to shop smartly and I achieve this by using the Shoppee App. I know that many of you are Amy Dacyczyn fans and still remember her infamous Price Book. I myself had one up until this last year but I always found it tricky to use and cumbersome.  Trying to juggle shopping with children and writing down prices and ounces was just plain difficult.  Thankfully price books can now come in the form of an App. I researched for the best app on-line as well as looking at the apps themselves on my iphone.

Shoppee was the closest thing to Amy's price book that I could find.

I now use it every time that I shop whether it is on-line at Amazon, at Costco, visiting the Grocery Outlet, ordering from Azure Standard or shopping in our local grocery store. Finding the lowest price is one of my key goals when buying food.

 
Here's a screen shot from the Shoppee App website. You are able to look at individual stores to see what items that you have purchased there, the size and for what price.

This is my favorite screen because you can bring up an item such as milk and make a direct comparison on price and size.

From this image you can see the price of milk per gallon. Both Aldi and Coscto are the same price while milk at Giant Eagle is the most expensive. When I am adding new items that I purchased under the individual store item, I'm able to type in information in the Notes field. I will often add that the price is a Sale price.

My favorite store in all of Sonoma County is a fabulous local company called Oliver's Market. When something is on sale at Oliver's it isn't just 25¢ or 50¢ off but sometimes it's as much as $4 off. A few times a year Oliver's sells Napa Valley Organic Oliver Oil 25.4 ounces for $7.99. This is an amazing price. I'm able to go into Shoppee and see that most stores sell this size from at least $12 and more. This tells me to buy and stock up for at least 4 months.

This app can be useful for any size of food budget. The App is only $1.99.

When I contacted Shoppee to let them know that I wanted to write a post on their fabulous App they generously offered me 10 apps to giveaway to my readers.

This app is for anyone with an iPhone or the iPod touch. It should work on an iPad as well but it will be a small screen.

Would you like to win one?

Please share your a tip on saving money while grocery shopping.

If you'd like some extra entries please comment separately for each one to let me know that you:

• Stumbled this post
• Tweeted about the Giveaway
• Shared on Facebook
• ReBlogged about the Giveaway

I'll announce the 10 winners next Thursday, January 26th.

**Amazon Affiliated Link is included in this post which helps support Apron Thrift Girl

Buttons for Sale - SOLD

These are from my own personal collection. They lost their home as I needed the vintage set of drawers that they were living in for another project that I'll share with you very soon. I figure it is time to sell them as I continue to downsize my collections.

I was planning to sell them next fall at the Waldorf Winter Faire but I thought I'd offer them here first in case anyone is interested. I'm asking $25 (SOLD) for all of them plus shipping. I was planning to sell them for $3 each at the Faire so it does include a small discount. If they are light enough to go by airmail (US) I'll ship them for free.

A facebook reader has claimed them. Thank you!

Thrift Share Monday - January 16

Metal Sculpture

Estate Sales have begun to pick up in our area. There were probably 6 in total this last weekend. I was still nursing Cerys back to health so I had to miss all the Friday sales. I did manage to get to a couple on Saturday including the one where I picked up this fab sculpture. It isn't signed but does look similar to Curtis Jere's Raindrop Tree. It may be a copy of one of his sculptures. I have plans to sell it but for now it will be enjoyed in our living room on top of our mid century modern stereo cabinet.

Vintage Notebook 25¢

I still can't resist vintage notepaper, especially for this price. Many of my vintage stationary supplies sold very well and quickly at the Waldorf Winter Faire. I'm going to collect these through the year and sell them next December. I'm hoping to be a vendor at a few more Waldorf schools this year to help with my 2012 financial savings goal.

Brookstone Pool Table $10

I want to discuss children and money a bit more in depth but for now I'll quickly share that on Sunday when Keiran and I were at Costco, he found a Cars 2 activity book that he desperately wanted. He had some money that his grandmother had given him before she travelled home to England. I asked if he wanted to spend $7.99 on the book.

The difference in a child's thought process when it is their money or "mom buys it for me" is night and day. He placed the book in the cart and then said to me "no I don't think I'll buy it" and went and put it back. A couple months ago he begged me to buy this poorly made table top pool table. It was a piece of junk so I stood strong and said no and that we'll wait for a better one. Yesterday at a yard sale we found it. Brookstone doesn't seem to sell these any more so I have no idea of the original price. Amazon has a folding mini pool table for $149. Ours is very solid though and last night it was played with for at least three hours. As I type this Dave and Keiran are playing on it again. I'm so glad that I said no to the junky one.

The lesson that I am teaching Keiran in delayed satisfaction is priceless.

Did you go thrifting this weekend?

Thrift Share Monday celebrates the Art of Thrifting. As a community of readers and bloggers we are able to connect through the process of buying second hand, selling and sharing.

We Thrift  - We Share

Here are some guidelines if you would like to join Thrift Share:

• Your Thrift Share Monday blog post should include your thrifted finds from the weekend.
• Create a blog post with photos of your items.
• Link your Thrift Share Monday post back to Apron Thrift Girl.
• Link to your Thrift Share Monday post on Apron Thrift Girl using inlinkz below.
• If you participate with Thrift Share Monday regularly, please add a button to your side bar so that we can build our Thrift Share Community.

Don't forget to visit Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds.

**Amazon Affiliated Link is included in this post which helps support Apron Thrift Girl

Did you go thrifting this weekend?

Thrift Share Monday celebrates the Art of Thrifting. As a community of readers and bloggers we are able to connect through the process of buying second hand, selling and sharing.

We Thrift  - We Share

Here are some guidelines if you would like to join Thrift Share:

• Your Thrift Share Monday blog post should include your thrifted finds from the weekend.
• Create a blog post with photos of your items.
• Link your Thrift Share Monday post back to Apron Thrift Girl.
• Link to your Thrift Share Monday post on Apron Thrift Girl using inlinkz below.
• If you participate with Thrift Share Monday regularly, please add a button to your side bar so that we can build our Thrift Share Community.

Don't forget to visit Her Library Adventures for Flea Market Finds.

Savers - Martin Luther King Day Sale

Savers - Martin Luther King Day Sale

"In honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, on Monday, January 16, all Savers thrift stores will offer 50 percent off. With more than 100,000 items on the sales floor at any given time, and 5,000 new items added daily, Savers is a mecca for shoppers seeking value-priced treasures. January is an especially good time to stop into Savers as many cleared out their closets and donated goods around the holidays to make room for new gifts."

I used to love going to the sales on Monday holidays when I lived up north in Washington. My nearest Savers is about an hour and a half away so I will be missing out but I hope that many of you can take advantage of this sale. And that you'll be sharing your finds on Thrift Share Monday of course.

Here's a link to find your closest Savers store.

Have a fabulous Thrifting weekend.

xoxo

Selena