Frugal tip of the day - Free Yoga :)

 
So I've been doing a lot of yoga lately. I started about a year ago, give or take, and it has helped me to stay calm as my life has become increasingly more diverse, and I take on more responsibility over my own life and the lives of others. In light of my extreme poverty this summer, I stopped going to my yoga studio. I think it's been months since I was last there, and every time I thought of it, I got a little sad. But then I had an idea. YouTube!

So I am now practicing more than ever, with friendly yogis who've done the world a huge service by donating their time and talent to the world wide web. My spine is straighter, my brain is clearer, and I'm generally a happier person (also, my blood sugar is always better with yoga than with any other form of exercise). I did this one yesterday, and tried a pose I'd never done before. I don't know what I'm going to do when I go back to my garage, and lose out on the benefit of a living room to spread out in ;)

But just in case you're wondering, I will definitely go back to my local neighborhood studio when I have the funds to do so. I think it's important to support the people who pour their lives into the health of the community.

Thrift Share Monday :)

Shimano clip-in Mountain Bike Shoes

On Saturday morning, I went out and had a breakfast burrito with friends, then stopped for some thrifting on the (long way) home. I had a gift certificate for $30 to one of my favorite stores, and spent all of it on shoes to sell and clothes for myself. I was going to wait until the end of the summer for clothes shopping, but I had to spend the money all at once, so I split it on my business and myself. I feel like it was a good combination.

Good 'ol Swedish Wooden Clogs :)

I sell a fair number of shoes, so I'm always on the lookout for good quality pairs. It's been difficult to sell high-quality unknown European labels, however, so I've been more cognizant of that lately. I have a wonderful pair of sandals, that look just like Birkenstocks, but they're not, so in my shop they've sat for months. Some things I buy without even thinking, like these clogs. I've sold at least two or three pairs over the past year, and they tend to sell pretty quickly, especially if they're a reasonable size (these are a 38).

Aerosole Patent Leather Pumps

I also look for high quality sports shoes, like the Shimano shoes at the top. I always think about how expensive a sport can be, especially as an adult, and how nice it is to be able to still do the thing you enjoy without having to worry as much about money. My friends love rock climbing, and I found a pair of rock climbing shoes last week. We worked out a deal. They really wanted them, and it was a no-brainer to sell them to friends (and quick!).

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl.

What do I do with my car?

Two days ago, I was in a hit-and-run on a local freeway. A large truck was swerving in the far left lane, ran into me on my driver's side, then sped away. There was a fair bit of traffic, and I couldn't move or swerve. It all happened so fast, and for the next several hours, I wasn't quite sure if I had done something wrong, but no, it was an accident, and it sucks, and that's just how it is.

So now my car is in worse shape than ever, and I don't want to deal with it anymore! I just want it to end, this whole car craziness. I don't want to drive a car that people feel compelled to run into (as per this comment last night from a friend: "Yeah, I'd run into that"). This darn rabbit keeps digging me into a deeper financial hole, and all I want is out, out, out!

Yesterday, on a lovely trip to see my parents, and do their laundry (disabled parent = need to be productive in the face of chaos), a friend offered me a non-running 1990 Toyota Corolla which needs the following: serpentine belt, temperature gauge, radiator. It's been sitting in their back lot for at least a year, and was running fine until the aforementioned items exploded from the dashboard (no joke). The car has air conditioning, four doors, and upholstery, all of which I covet. And it may be free (before repairs, obviously). So I'm spending a few days deciding what it will cost to fix, whether or not it's wise to do so, and praying to God that somehow, in some small way, I can be relieved of this mess.

Peace out :)

Saving $ @ thrift stores - Part 2

A textbook on etiquette - PhD reading material :)

A couple thrift stores in my city have used Groupon as an avenue towards bringing in customers. At least, I imagine it brings in new customers. I think this is more profitable in advertising than it probably is in actuality, numbers-wise, but I'm beginning to think (based on my own behavior) that a lot of those Groupons don't ever get used, and then the store pockets the profit. I'm all for it. If you paid for something you then never used, that's on you. Sorry folks. I've done it myself, then hang my head in shame. I usually don't buy these things, because it just doesn't make sense to me. There's a time limit, and thrift is not a predictable activity. I'm not much of a gambler, although reselling is always a gamble.

One of these same avant-garde stores has a bag sale every couple months or so, where you purchase a bag of clothing for $10. When I first started doing this, I filled the bag full to the top. But now, I just get the things I want. I don't need to be bringing home things I don't need, or will never sell. I think a whole lot of people use these weeks to stock up on merchandise, but they don't look like online sellers. They look like full-time yard salers (yes, we have those in my neighborhood). No matter what, the cashier gives me a weird look when my bag isn't bulging, but it's still financially positive for me. I just have learned to buy less over my past year of reselling.

Having a super-small space has really helped me to learn to take in less merchandise. It saves me time when I'm not trying to sell things that will never sell, and it helps me not go crazy stepping over inventory in my living room. Also, I have a couch now, and I lie on it and read, so I think this strategy is really serving me well in the long run.

Saving $ @ thrift stores - Part 1

Rare hardcover library version - very cool :)

Today, after at least a year of working at it, I was able to get $10 worth of free merchandise from the rescue mission thrift store. They offer a "frequent shopper" card, where when you make ten trips and buy $5, you get your card initialed, and when you have ten, you get $10 free! The thing I dislike the most about this one is that it took me a really long time, and a lot of money to get to the end of the card. Today, I think that they just gave me all of my stuff for "ten dollars", even though it may have been a little over that. It felt good, mostly because I have $12 in my checking account and nothing is selling in my eBay store.

At another place in town, you get a stamp for every $10 you spend, but if you spend $30 in one purchase, you get three stamps. I like this way of doing it a lot better than the earlier way. I have not finished filling up my card, but I have seven out of 10, so I'm pretty close. This card has taken me less money to fill up, so in the long run, I like it better. However, the guys at this thrift store never flirt with me, and the guys at the rescue mission think I'm awesome, so I'm calling it a draw.

Not enough makeup

Time travel with authentic Jacobean embroidery!

So over the past five years, I have worked myself into a continual semi-conscious state by putting myself through school - by myself. I never payed a cent for tuition; unfortunately, my government loans did all of that (ack, repayment!), but I did do the rest mostly by myself (minus some dollars here and there from scholarships and loan overflow). Boo-yah.

Unfortunately, this doesn't feel like such a big deal on the flip side. Now it feels like I'm some sort of hippie dreamer who wears used clothing and got a masters degree for fun. I don't wear enough makeup to be taken seriously. I swear everyone's teeth were whiter than mine at the ceremony on Saturday. I had a weird growth on my eyebrow. And then when it was all over, I ate a burger made of beets.

It really just couldn't get any worse.