Alright, so I’ve been notably unmotivated regarding this challenge. HOWEVER, I finally sold this ridiculous cape for $79!
Not bad, not bad at all.
Day 20
Listed thus far: Sarah Coventry brooch, vintage candelabra, Springer spaniel belt buckle, Cabela’s socks, Avon necklace, vintage ice cube tray, viking like candelabra, and vintage Looney Tunes DEKA plastic mug, vintage knitting supplies, Vera scarf, The Bon-Ton vintage gloves, vintage leather cloak,
Total sold: $89.49
I know, I know, it’s just pathetic. Only 12 days in and already I’m considering throwing in the towel? I’ll give you my reasons:
I’m tired of listing stuff online. It’s annoying and time consuming and not bringing me any money.
I’m not getting rid of stuff. I’m just getting rid of stuff that I think will sell. And that’s very different.
Also, I’ve only made $10. And it’s been almost two weeks.
I don’t have anything to list today. We’ll see what I come up with in the next few days. Gggrrrrr…..
Summer 2006 was the summer of yard sales. My college roommate Megan and I went to dozens of yard sales that summer. Every Saturday was a new adventure to find the ever elusive items that we could sell on ebay to make a few extra bucks.
In talking with some old ladies running a church rummage sale in some small dusty town in Kansas, I learned about Vera Neumann scarves. Collector scarves from post World War II era America, usually in beautiful bold colors and signed “Vera” with her signature ladybugs present somewhere in the pattern. The old gals convinced me to pay $1 for one of their Vera scarves and I’ve hung onto it ever since.
Until today, when I listed it on ebay:
It doesn’t have Vera’s signature ladybugs, but I’m hoping to get a few bucks for it. We shall see…
Day 7
Listed thus far: Sarah Coventry brooch, vintage candelabra, Springer spaniel belt buckle, Cabela’s socks, Avon necklace, vintage ice cube tray, viking like candelabra, and vintage Looney Tunes DEKA plastic mug, vintage knitting supplies, Vera scarf
Total sold: $0
My college boyfriend taught me how to knit. His mom had taught him as a kid and he was quite good. While he was knitting complicated patterns for cabled neck sweaters and intarsia hats, I was still knitting scarves and wash cloths.
In fact, I never graduated from the scarves phase of knitting. The only thing that progressed in my knitting hobby was my super human power to accumulate knitting gear. Knitters know how addicting buying yarn can be. I even bought sets of needles in various colors and sizes, including vintage knitting schwag:
That’s right! Vintage 1950s Made in America knitting gear by Marcia Lynn – and still in original packaging.
Unfortunately, they don’t sell as well as I’d hoped. So I’ve combined them into one listing to increase their odds of selling. Starting bid is only 5.99.
So far I’ve put 9 listing on ebay and only one thing has a bid (the Avon locket necklace) and even that’s only going for $2.99!
I keep telling myself that at least the stuff is listed and not just wasting closet space. *sigh*
Day 6
Listed thus far: Sarah Coventry brooch, vintage candelabra, Springer spaniel belt buckle, Cabela’s socks, Avon necklace, vintage ice cube tray, viking like candelabra, and vintage Looney Tunes DEKA plastic mug, vintage knitting supplies
Total sold: $0
That’s right, it’s storming outside. A classic Spring Midwestern storm that’s kept me mostly inside. But I did muster up the energy to visit a nearby thrift store just for fun and found these:
Cabela’s Men’s socks. They retail for $12.99 and I got them for much much less than that. A friend at work recently made a profit off some Cabela’s clothing by listing it on ebay, so I decided to go ahead and take the chance. Plus, if they don’t sell at least The Beard can wear them.
Then I felt guilty for buying something to list when I have stuff at home that I should be listing. And since it’s a stormy day, I made the most of it by listing three additional items:
A costume jewelry necklace, a weird kind of viking candelabra, and an old ice cube maker. I’ve listed them all.
So far the most views one of my items has gotten is nine. NINE! That’s it! I don’t know why I have a bad luck streak with ebay going but I hope it ends soon.
Day 4
Listed thus far: Sarah Coventry brooch, vintage candelabra, Springer spaniel belt buckle, Cabela’s socks, Avon necklace, vintage ice cube tray, and viking like candelabra.
Total sold: $0
So far there’s no buyers for my vintage candelabra or brooch so I found something random that is so random it just might sell!
Behold! A vintage springer spaniel belt buckle!
Somebody has to be into Springer Spaniels enough to want to keep them near their button fly, right?!
I can only hope. I listed it starting at $4. We’ll see if I get an interest over the next 7 days.
Day 2
Listed thus far: Sarah Coventry brooch, vintage candelabra, Springer spaniel belt buckle
Total sold: $0
It’s been a week since Money Challenge #1 ended. It was quite humbling to come up short by almost $200. But I learned some valuable lessons to help aid me in accomplishing future challenges:
1. Don’t stop the winning streak. I quit collecting money everyday on Day 12 of my last challenge and never fully got back on board. That was a mistake. Taking a break made me lose the momentum needed for achieving the objective. In the future, there should be a daily blog post to stay motivated.
2. Be reasonable with goals. The Beard thinks it was silly to set a random dollar amount in the last challenge. When I told him I wanted to somehow make $500 in 31 days, his response was, “How did you come up with that amount as a goal?” I didn’t have a good answer. I guess it’s better to set smaller, more realistic goals.
3. Stay motivated. I could have psyched myself up more to help myself stay motivated during the last half of the challenge.
So I’ve decided to take on a similar challenge with different goal points. Plus, this one combines my love of accruing extra money with my desire to downsize my belongings in hopes of embracing a more minimalist lifestyle.
So the new challenge is:
Everyday Listing/Selling for 31 Days
That’s right. I have to list or sell something every day. Every day, I need to put something on Craigslist or Ebay or Facebook to sell or I need to somehow sell something by taking it to a resell shop.
Although I haven’t created the rules of the challenge yet, I’ve already decided to list something. So, as of Day 1, I’ve listed this brooch on Ebay:
This kickstarts Day 1 of the challenge. Hopefully with a daily goal as part of the challenge I’ll actually be able to achieve it!
How To Be Poor 