WAY OT: Now that I've lightened up I want to lighten up: Living on a budget with a DS

I've got China (ebay or replacements unlimited) Sterling flatware (??).  I don't have electronics really.  I've got a collection of broken computers that have not been made safe to take to the dump (how do you clean off personal stuff from a computer that won't work?).  And I have no idea what else.

I have furniture... 

A treadmill that I may keep depending on if I find a house

And I don't know WHAT else.  

Will a used but working cell phone sell or should I donate it somewhere?  Do you just take the SIM card out or can you clean off a SIM card?

My McCoy is 50s-80s I guess.  I just think it is pretty.

Going now to google VonBriggle as I've not heard of it.

~Becky

 sterling flatware is worth a LOT - if your kids don't want it and you want to unload it, try ebay or such.
I have an entire set of completely unused Royal Doulton china that my kids don't like the pattern of, and I can't find anyone to buy it though.    Replacements Unlimited, etc., will buy individual pieces, but not an entire set.

Try asking at local antique stores if they will let you show it on consignment.  Can you sell it in bits and drabs to RU or would you get less that way? Ebay?  Craigs list?

I have a complete set of Lennox I want to sell, a huge set of a rare China that we think came in flour bags, and another set of cheap china (not stoneware or every daywear but not the good stuff).  I don't know how I'm going to get rid of it.

~Becky

A friend of mine has a 2nd job petsitting.  She only does visits and no overnights at their house or hers and she pulls in about $12K extra a year.  Of course this is in California and she has been doing it for a while but it can be great money.  If you do overnights at their house you can charge a good rate.  Also try going to groomers and seeing if they need extra help.  If they have clients with difficult dogs to groom you can do a desentization and counter conditioning sessions with them to get them more comfortable with grooming.  Dog walking or puppy socialization classes are popular here also. 

Cheers,
Cathy

Those are really good ideas.  Especially about working with a groomer.  I would like to learn to be a dog groomer anyway.

~Becky

Stop using a debit card. Take only the cash you need. It will prevent impulse purchases.

Works really well grocery shopping. Take a list and bring only what cash you have budgeted. You won't be able to throw unnecessary extras into your cart because you won't be able to pay for them.

I think the debit card is the devil.  I agree with you.

~Becky

I trimmed my grocery bill a good amount by stopping in my local stores and picking up their weekly fliers before I make my shopping lists.  I plan my weekly meals by what is on sale.  Also, the two stores I use the most have store club cards that provide extra savings.  And don't forget about coupons!  There are many websites that provide them.
 

Smart shopping and coupons.  Check.

THANKS!

~Becky

Another thing you might consider - get a vac****ealer and buy in BULK.

I snagged a Seal-A-Meal from a thrift store the other day for a whopping $2.50.  It is an older model, but it works just fine.  Now I can go to our local Cash-N-Carry and buy the 5# bag of cheese and split it into smaller, usable amounts that can be sealed and frozen.   This way I get my cheese for about half of the normal price at the grocery store for an 8 oz block.

Some friends and I were also going to try to go halfsies on a side of beef, but the guy we were hoping to buy it from no longer will do it.  *Sigh*  I so wanted to tell people I'd eaten half a cow by myself.    Looks like we may be getting one of the hugh tri-tips or other type of roast from Costco and chopping it into managable blocks soon.

Once we borrow a meat slicer from another friend, we plan on buying the whole roast, breast, etc of lunch meat and slicing them into small portion sized bags as well.  You can get these huge beasts pretty cheaply price per pound and then freeze them as well.

I think this will end up saving us mucho dinero, even taking the cost of the special bags into account, since we can buy in bulk and freeze the stuff without risking it going bad or getting freezer burn.   Luckily my friends have an extra full sized freezer that they keep plugged in all the time, so no extra money out of my pocket to store the stuff.    On eBay I've found much cheaper bags and bag making materials for vac****ealers than the FoodSaver brand, so I'll let you all know how they work out.

I'm also going to 'bag up' individual portions of shake mix to bring along with me traveling.  I"ve had the ziplock bags break in my purse and boy was it messy.   The vaccum bags are more heavy duty and can easily be make into whatever size I'd need.  

--
On another note, if I'm recalling correctly, your NC house is near Ashville.  Is it close enough to consider renting out as a vacation home?  Sking in the winter and beautiful mountains in the summer -- there might be some people who would be interested in renting a home for the same price as some of the hotels. ???    You might want to check into home-switches also, though I doubt Ashville is a big International vacation spot.