Day: January 11, 2006

Book Orders

By / January 11, 2006 / 4 Comments

I remember when those book orders that schools sent home actually had books. Oh the books are still there in boxed sets designed to be attractive to adults, but my kids never covet the books. My kids always want the “miniature dragon painting kit” or the “SECRET CODE door alarm” or the “Super Secret Diary Kit with Charm”. (These book order people really know the “hot” words for kids.) My kids want the overpriced kitch. I have continued to pay them allowances despite our tighter finances and what they do with their allowance is their choice, but I cringe whenever those book orders come home. All I can really do is force them to think it through before they plunk their money down. I make them sleep before deciding. Sometimes this causes them to forget the essential item completely. I try to remind them of the things they were planning to save money for. But if all my tactics don’t work, then I let them spend the money. They may regret it, but buyers remorse is an important learning experience and it is better to have it over something small and kitchy than over something large and expensive. Of course they frequently aren’t remorseful at all. In which case maybe the money they spent is worth it to them even though it seems a waste to me.

By / January 11, 2006 / 2 Comments

I think that one of the reasons I’ve left all these thoughts and feelings about radiation therapy boxed up for so long is fear about how it would affect Howard if I opened it up. For me talking about all this stuff may be therapeudic, but it was significant in Howard’s life too. I never want to make his day worse. That hurts. However I began unpacking this box on Howard’s advice. Apparently the advice is good because since I unloaded in the last few entries I’ve felt much better about the season and life in general. It is tempting to say “good enough,” but I think I need to finish or I’ll still have this box hanging around with a few things rattling around in it.

I asked Howard if reading my “radiation saga” was affecting his mood. He was having a down day on the same day I wrote about the process of radiation therapy and I was worried that my entry had contributed. Howard told me two things. First that he didn’t think that my entries were affecting his mood. Mostly he was reading them and thinking “I didn’t know that. Or that. Or that.” He came to the conclusion that I’d really bottled up lots of stuff. Which brought him to his second point, even if I was affecting his mood I needed to write it all anyway.

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Garage Sales

By / January 11, 2006 / 6 Comments

Where I live garage sale season starts in March. It doesn’t get really moving until April or May, but the first sales are there in March. A significant amount of our household needs are supplied from garage sales, so starting in March I’ll be hitting one or two each week. BUT there is no point it going to the sales at all if I don’t know what I am looking for. So I’ve begun compiling my “Looking For” list. Some of these items I hope to find at garage sales, some (like underwear) I hope to find new in a store, but on clearance. The key is to anticipate needs before they arrive and you have to solve the problem today.

With this in mind I began creating an inventory of the kids clothes. I rifle their drawers and laundry baskets to figure out exactly what they have to wear right now. I count short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts, short pants, long pants, sweaters, swimsuits, tennis shoes, sandals, church clothes, socks, underwear, and any other clothing item I come across. Then on the same paper in the next column I tally everything the next size that I have in boxes waiting for that child to grow. Gleek is currently size 4T. I have boxes of size 5, 6-6x, 7-8, and 9-10 clothing all waiting for her. I’m not going to need to look for many clothes for her, except for size 5 & 6 short pants which apparently Kiki completely wore out. This is incredibly useful information because when I hit a sale, no matter how cute the clothes are I know I don’t need to buy any pants in size 5 because she’s got 10 pairs waiting. Kiki and Link each have a really long list of the kinds of clothes I’m trying to find for them. Patience will help me find clothes for my kids for $1 or less per item.

Clothes are not the only thing on my “Looking For” list. The biggest item on this year’s list is a set of bunk beds. I need a set for Link and Patches to share. Patches currently sleeps in a toddler bed, but he’ll outgrow that sometime late this year and before he does I need to have bunk beds because that room is too small for a pair of twin beds. I know that I want the bunkbeds to be sturdy and I prefer a wooden frame to a metal one. I want the price to be under $100 (preferrably under $50). Beyond that I’m not picky about style or wear & tear. I’ll watch all summer and only if I’m unable to find this deal will I consider plunking down more money.

Small items make the list too. Things like clothes pins for the clothesline I intend to build, a dish drainer, 2X4 lumber for some projects, and items for next Christmas.

Armed with my list I sift through thrift stores and garage sales much more efficiently. Also I won’t forget what it is that my family could use. Last year I acquired most of the things on my list by August, so I just stopped going to garage sales for the rest of the year.

Last April I had this to say about garage sales:

This morning there were a plethora of garage sales. I left the house to buy gas for the mower and ended up being gone for an hour because I kept driving past sales and stopped to see what was there. I didn’t find any big scores, but I’m slowly accumulating information which I’m using to figure out when a garage sale is worth the time and gas to find. I’m going to list them while they’re in my head so that I don’t forget:

Garage sales which advertise in the paper have more stuff than ones which just throw up a few signs on nearby corners.

Garage sales which run for two days have more stuff than sales which only run for one.

Multi-family sales tend to have more stuff.

Multi-family sales are sometimes annoying because you have to pay more than one person for individual items.

If the sale is more than 5 minutes away by car, it isn’t worth the time and gas.

I don’t have to get all the sales today, there will be more next week, and the one after, and the one after…

It never hurts to see if the seller is willing to accept a lower price.

If the price isn’t listed on the item ask “Would you take…” rather than “How much?”

No garage sale item is worth arguing over. If the seller isn’t willing to come down to a price I’m willing to pay, then I need to walk away.

Garage sales are best first thing in the morning before they have been picked over or after noon when people are tired of sitting in the front yard and just want to get rid of stuff.

I don’t have to hit garage sales every week, I have all summer to slowly collect what I need.

Keep track of the kinds of things I’m looking for so I can make decisions quickly.

Take as few kids with me as I can possibly manage.

Be picky. Just because I have money with me, doesn’t mean I need to buy something.

Any time I’m considering buying something ask myself: “what will I use it for and where will I put it?”