It's been a while since I updated on my book sales, so I'll wade right in.

The View From Saturday - $2.01

Vanishing Acts - $4.91

Someone Like You - $

The Mavericks - $1.80 profit

The Great American Novel - $4.77

Standing In The Rainbow - $3.06

Airs Above The Ground - $2.65

Fix It & Forget It Lightly - $7.43

The Cheehakoes - $8.14

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber - $4.08

Snow Crash - $2.32

Light - $3.05

The $20 challenge total is $785.36 now. That is an invisible number, as I had to close out my account in order to pay taxes. Mean, nasty taxes! Now I have to figure out a way to replace that money.

I took a pile of clothing to the consignment shop, things that I purchased at the last few yard sales I went to. I took some yard-sale purchased household items to another consignment shop, so hopefully that money will start to trickle in.

I've been getting the books that sold ready to ship, so I may as well update.

Delos - .88

Mommy Knows Worse - $4.58

Surviving Schitzophrenia - .81

Coming Out Straight - $13.19

Basics of Pistol Shooting - $4.73


Not very thrilling this time, but every little bit helps. This time adds $23.31 to $716.95, making the new total $740.26

I went to the bank and took out $40 so I could hit some garage sales. Well, I ended up going to two before coming home. The first one was an older couple, selling home decor, tools, housewares, golf items, etc. Nothing too exciting there. The second sale was awesome!

First of all, this garage was tricked out; it was the nicest one I've been in. The flooring was a combination of Pergo-type wood laminate and an all purpose carpet, like what you would have in a business. There was a pool table, a small bar area, and a very nice setup to store tools. There was a TV on the wall. I've never seen anyone finish a garage to look like a rec room before, but they did a nice job.

Anyhow, I was able to find tons of beautiful infant clothes and household items. I spent less than $45 and walked away with a huge box of goodies.

Yesterday I went to the library and spent $1.00 on two books. Don't laugh - they have sold already.

Guns, Germs, and Steel - $7.81 profit

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister - $5.14 profit

also sold last night;

Shoot the Moon - $2.48 profit


Totals for the last couple of days - $45.25 spent and $15.43 profit. I need to subtract $29.82 from the challenge total of $746.77 to make the new amount $716.95.

Here are some book that have sold recently;

Fibroids - $2.46 profit

The Joy of Fatherhood - .24 LOL

Blowing My Cover - $2.86

A Table in the Presence - $3.82

Crazy Plates - $10.14

I'm too nice sometimes. I assumed that the fatherhood book is for Father's day and there's no way it will get from here to California via media mail on time. People just have no idea how long media mail can take. So, I shipped it Priority. Sheesh. Big profit there. Anyhow, the challenge total is $746.77

I'm going to try very hard to buy and sell more books. We have a tax bill that is huge and needs to be paid. I think I'm going to have to use a chunk of the challenge money to help pay it off. It's also time to hit the garage sales to find things to sell, plus have one of my own.

With that said, here are a few books that have sold recently;

The Kite Runner - $2.86 profit

Blackberry Wine - $3.25

Jumpstart Prep - $1.93

Sick Puppy - $3.04

Snowfall - $1.45

A Red Heart of Memories - $3.91

Why a Daughter Needs a Dad - $3.79

Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting - $5.69

I would have done better on the last title but I decided to ship it via Priority mail, which costs $2.46 more. I'm assuming that it's a Father's Day gift and media mail might not get it there in time. A lot of people don't realize how long media mail can take.

The total for this lot is $25.92 and I'm hoping to work on adding and culling books from my bookshelf over the next few weeks.

I have $727.25 in the challenge savings account. I'm not sure if I'll be able to hang on to that. The tax bill is due in about two weeks. I also need to transfer some money from my last paycheck to add to savings. That's on hold for the moment while I go over our budget.

Yesterday DS had his graduation ceremony from elementary school. Next year we have middle school to look forward to - yikes! They did a nice job for the most part. I enjoyed the slide show; each kid was shown as a baby or very young child and then as they are today. I have to admit I got a little mushy over that part. It seems like just yesterday...(sniff)

I took him to a movie after he got home from school. I was going to add my piggy bank money to the challenge amount, but spent it yesterday. Movie tickets - $5.50 each (twilight show), candy, soda, and an ice cream at the store, $6.00, and popcorn at the movie theatre $4.00 (we shared a medium and it was just right). It was nice to have the money on hand for doing something fun and I wanted to celebrate with him the end of the school year. It was worth the $21.00 I spent.

The library is within a mile of the movie theater and you know I just had to stop to see if there were any good books to buy. I set DS up with a book of his choosing and one I grabbed on impulse, "Freaky Friday". He got really immersed in that one and seemed sorry to return it to the shelf when I was done with my book purchase. There are so many good children's books that just never go out of style.

I spent $6.00 on my books. As I was paying with the money from my piggy bank I was a little embarassed to be paying with quarters and dimes but the librarian was so grateful for the change. She said they needed it badly. The ladies that work at the library are so nice and I enjoy going there. I spent $6.00 and so the new challenge amount is $701.33.

Here are some books that I have sold recently;

Candy - $6.57 profit

Death On The Installment Plan - $7.96 profit

I Know This Much Is True - $1.91 profit

Into Love And Out Again - $4.20

Ishmael - $2.71

Bird By Bird - $6.46

The Underpants - $1.98

One Continuous Mistake - $1.69

The Sweater Letter - $17.02

The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows Of Josephine B. - $1.57

I'll be right back - I think I'm burning dinner...

OK, I'm back, and the rice has been rescued. The book sales for this time came to $52.07, and my new challenge total amount is $707.33.

Today while I was running errands I went to the bank to add to the $20 challenge savings account. I've been saving a percentage of my paycheck and today I added $60 to my saving account. I was delighted to see that the total is $715.26 saved.

This branch seems to always be slow. It's not the tellers, it's the customers. Today there was the woman, totally ignoring the fact that there were six people waiting in line, asking question after question about saving accounts, certificates of deposit, etc.

Let me tell you that the teller helping her is someone that I like. She said "Why don't you go over to the sit-down area, and someone is ready to help you there with your questions?" The woman said "No, I'm OK", and wanted more information. The teller said "You may be OK, but the people behind you are waiting for us to finish here. It would make more sense for me to assist them, and for someone to help you that can give you the detailed answers that you need."

It was so awesome. She said it in a nice but firm way. I know that anyone that has to deal with customers needs to keep them happy, but a little common sense is a good thing too. Luckily the woman took it the right way and went to be helped where she should have gone in the first place.

I haven't updated the $20 challenge in a kazillion years. Well, a couple of weeks, anyhow. Here are the books that have sold;

Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden - $3.50

The Known World - $4.19

The Dirt On Breaking Up - $2.50

Women's Encyclopedia of Natural Healing - $10.49

Dark Nights of the Soul - $3.76

Night of the Mary-Kay Commandos - $1.91

Detours, Tow Trucks, and Angels in Disguise - $1.69

The Wedding - $2.18

The Unbearable Lightness of Being - $5.57

I Know This Much Is True - $3.07

Those Pearly Gates - $4.64

Scary Stories 3 - $1.33

That adds up to $44.83 to add to my $20 challenge savings account. I also received a reward for opening a checking account at TCF bank for $50.00. Pretty good incentive! $568.43 + $94.83 is $663.26. I wouldn't have believed it would add up so quickly. I went to the library Tuesday and bought some more books. The total was $8.00, again. So my new challenge total stands at $655.26.

I went to the library the other day and found some more books to sell. The total cost was $8.00, and my new $20 challenge total is $568.43.

I never did take a photo of the front before DH put the mulch down. This is the after.

http://www1.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=42197118/PictureI...

I don't know if I'm doing this right. Let me know if you can see anything through my link.

Shadow is still in a lot of pain. She has a new Fentanyl pain patch and has been given a prescription for Valium. The muscle relaxers and pain pills weren't doing it, and she would just cry and cry. If this isn't resolved by the end of the week, we will just have to let her go.

I've been taking time off of work to care for her, and the vet bills are adding up.

I stopped by the paint store today. I'm going to paint the front door and garage door today, and keep an eye on the dog. Hopefully she will rest more easily today. None of us have been sleeping well.

The kids know that we may have to have Shadow put to sleep. They just want her to be pain-free. She is only 6 years old.

Well, I'm off to start scraping and painting. Have a good day.

I almost forgot - I deposited $110 from my last couple of paychecks into my $20 challenge savings account. The new total is $562.85 - I need to update some books costs and sales later. It's a big step in the right direction. I haven't saved money in too long.

I've sold a few more books;

To Do My Best - $8.51 profit

Sea Of Grey - $3.28 profit

Healing Foods - $9.87 profit

Youth Bible - $6.26 profit

Who Moved My Cheese? - $2.75 profit

Not bad this time. These books were from the Salvation Army. There's another library I want to check out. I also need to find time to hit the yard sales. My new challenge total is $463.40.

Here are the recent titles of books I've sold;

Five Quarters Of The Orange - $5.61 profit

Second Helpings - $3.71 profit

Delivered From Distraction - $9.86 profit

Hank Zipter book - .80 profit

Shopaholic & Sister - $3.07 profit

Magical Thinking - $5.15 profit

Yay, You! - $4.76 profit

Daughters of the Moon - The Sacrifice - $3.89 profit

Hellion - $1.45 profit

Seven Laws of Teaching - $2.76 profit

Dead Man Walking - $2.49 profit

How Men Have Babies - $4.16 profit

Matters of the Heart - $4.62 profit

Pretty good this time. I love it when the books go for a high profit. It balances out the inexpensive ones. Total profit this time comes to $52.33, making my new total for the $20 challenge $432.73.

Bee Season - $2.13
The Heart Revolution - $2.20
The Passion - $4.35
The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club - $2.09
The Dante Club - $2.02
Grand Central Winter - $2.40
Little Green Men - $1.45
Wait Till Next Year - $1.45

Total for these books is $18.09, and I made an additional $35 on E-Bay. Added to the previous $327.31, my new total is $380.40 so far. Now that yard sale season is almost here, hopefully I can invest some of this money in more things to re-sell at the local consignment shops.

Well, I was able to take care of all of my errands. First stop, Salvation Army. I spent about $4.50 on books and also got some other items. A soap dispenser for the bathroom I'm remodeling. It's of Pooh bear in the 100 acre woods. I know, I'm weird. A new computer keyboard for $5.99 - it's a nice one. The space key on this one sticks and drives me crazy. A very pretty new wreath for the front door. I've had my eye on one at Target for a while, but it's $30. This one was $2.99 and is still new. It's not the same one but is just as nice. A Pfaltzgraff item to sell on E-Bay. Pretty good haul today.

I went to a consignment shop I frequent and they had a couple of checks for me. They came to about $27; I really need to bring more items there. Last summer I bought things at yard sales and consigned them, and this year I'll add the costs and profits into the $20 challenge amount. I just love yard sales.

Next the bank, I transferred the money into my savings account for the $20 challenge and deposited my checks. Emergengy fund established!

Another consignment shop, this one a children's one. I got $8.00 there, and resisted buying a shirt for DS.

The paint store. I got a small can of ceiling paint and a small roller to touch up said ceiling and paint the trim and door. I'll probably have time to do that next Tuesday.

Next, Target. I returned a towel bar that was too short (duh) and found some hand towels on clearance. Very pretty.

Finally, the library. I did that last because it's the most time-consuming. I spent $20 and got lots of good ones.

I came home, made cookies, listed the books, and here I am!

Whew.

If my math is correct, I can add $10.50 to the $20 challenge fund. I made $35, spent $24.50 on books to sell- so the new total is $327.31

I haven't made an update on the $20 challenge lately. I've been selling things, just haven't taken the time to add it up. I'll do books this time and E-Bay next time.

The Truth About Beauty - $7.55 profit

Cloud Nine - $1.64 profit

Angels In America - $7.97 profit

Bubbles A Broad - $3.10 profit

The Seventh Moon - $3.22 profit

E - $2.93 profit

Harvard Yard - $3.31 profit

The Trial Begins - $12.34 profit

In The Face of Death - $7.75 profit

So the new total is $267 + $49.81 = $316.81. I think with the E-Bay sales it should be close to $375 by now.

I still haven't done anything with this money. For now I'm putting it all into a savings account - at least it will be in one place.

I sold a couple more toys on E-Bay, and made $33.95 profit to add to the $20 challenge. I also sold the following books;

Siamese Cats - $10.60 profit
The Cocktail Party - $3.35 profit
Teenagers book - $1.55 profit
The Ending of Time - $6.11 profit
The Undertaking - $4.28 profit

Not bad this week so far. Total net is $59.84! My total for the $20 challenge is now $267 exactly.

With the books that I sold recently, my $20 challenge fund is up to $207.16. I have some auction items that end tomorrow and they seem to be doing pretty well. Payday is today, and I bought some extras. I get paid every other week and splurge a bit each time. We have financial goals, but it's also important to me to enjoy my life and treat myself. I bought;

Four t-shirts for DH, and some socks that were on clearance. Boring, I know. What can I say? He was happy.

I found a beautiful necklace for DD's Easter basket. It was $14.99, on clearance for $3.39. This week some of the Easter candy was on sale, so I picked that up also. A $10 gift card for DS for his Easter basket. I'll get another one two weeks from now when I get paid again, and their baskets will be done. I have a few toys and beauty supplies hidden away for the kids' baskets, so I'm set. I spend much less money when I take the time to think things through instead of shopping at the last minute.

For me? A towel bar for the bathroom I'm working on and a pair of socks. WooHoo! I'm going to get into the habit of recording the extra things I buy. That will be boring for anyone but me, but it will help when I look back over this Blog in the future. I can see what is useful, and what ends up being dumb purchases.

I've been working steadily the last few days, so that's good. Sometimes when I feel discouraged about the bills we are dealing with right now, I think about people who are sick and can't work, or those that can't find a job. We have insurance through my husbands' job. Some of the people I work with are uninsured and can't afford medication they need. We all have to be employed 1,000 hours before benefits kick in.

I see people evey day that come in and apply for work. I enjoy what I do and feel lucky. You never know what will happen tomorrow, but so far I like my co-workers and am content.

I sold a couple of books for the $20 challenge;

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - $8.52 profit

A Redbird Christmas - $5.32 profit

Against Deconstruction - $2.23 profit

What I've been doing to figure out the $20 challenge money, is to only add the books and items I've sold since I started the challenge. I've been selling books for a few years now, on a casual basis. When I decided to do the $20 challenge I really stepped up my efforts to find good items to sell. It's fun to see the amount of money grow as I work towards my goal.

Today three books sold, but one counts towards the challenge.

Creator, Protector, Destroyer $4.48 profit

I'm going to get on E-Bay in a little while and list some more items.

$20 challenge total - $191.09

I picked up some more books to sell this past Wednesday. I spent $13 at the library and $9.36 at the Salvation Army. Some of them are for the kids and me to read, but most will be just to sell. I have a bookcase in the family room chock full of items to sell. I put them in alphabetical order for quick and easy access. Some weeks are better than others, but I usually sell several a week. Sometimes I go to the post office if I have errands in that direction, and sometimes I weigh the packages and print my own postage. If I send at least one item Priority mail, the items go on the front porch and the mail-lady picks them up for no additional charge. Earlier this week, I put 11 packages on the porch and they were picked up. Very nice when the weather's not nice, I don't have errands near the post office, or if I'm mailing a lot of items.

I use Endicia as my online postage service. It's easy to use, and the fee is $9.95 a month. Between E-Bay and the amount of books I sell, it saves that much (and more) in gasoline alone, not to mention the convenience.

$20 challenge total - $186.61

I sold a book for the $20 challenge;

Flags of Our Fathers - $5.85 profit

New $20.00 total amount is $208.97.

I did well on E-Bay this past weekend. Here are the totals;

Toy - $19.24 profit
Toy - $20.82 profit
Toy - $17.34 profit (set)
Starbucks card - $ 3.71 profit
Game - $65.70 profit

The Starbucks card sold for $4.98, and has a $5.00 value - go figure! By the time I pay the listing fee, final value fee, Paypal fee, and a stamp it goes down to $3.71. Those darn fees add up fast. This week's total for E-Bay came to $126.81.

I have $203.12 for the $20.00 challenge right now. Tomorrow I'll go out and see what books I can find to sell online.

Work has been busy and challenging the past few days as I learn more about how to do things. I like it a lot, and hopefully I'll continue to like it. We have bills to catch up on now and need more of an emergency fund. I keep trying to decide what to do with the $20 challenge money. Do I pay down debt? Establish a savings account?

Today I played the Coca Cola Olympics game that I posted about a few entries back, and won once today. I didn't have time to play yesterday, and won't tonight either. So far I have been lucky enough to win 7 times, for a total of 35 2-liter bottles of Coke products. Sweet! This promotion ends soon, but I'm hoping for the best. This is definitely not a necessary item but DH has to have his pop. A savings of about $35 is great!

Today I'm volunteering for a charity event before work. Free food for all who participate, and it should be fun.

One toy has sold on E-Bay for $20.00 which surprised me. There must have been a battle at the end. It only cost me about $3.50 - awesome! The rest of my auctions end tomorrow and then I'll put up some more items. Auctions that end on Sundays seem to do fairly well for me.

I've been put on 40 hours at work, finally. That should result in some pretty good paychecks and allow us to start catching up on the bills.

I'll update the $20.00 challenge amount Monday after I ship a bunch of items out. I need to figure out shipping costs. I'm not doing nearly as well as some, but pretty well for me. That's what counts in the end, right?

Yesterday I did indeed get paid. I took $39.40 from my check, and here's where it went;

$20.00 for gas. That should hopefully get me through until my next payday in two weeks. I mostly go back and forth to work, to the local grocery store, etc, and I still had a few gallons left from last time. Not bad.

$14.00 for dinner. I had a night out with "the girls" (and one guy) and got a burger and fries, plus a rare drink. It was delicious. After that four of us went to a comedy club, where I opted for water. The tickets were free, as my friend won a contest and snagged four tickets. The comedy show was great and we had a good time.

So, I have $5.40 left. Wahoo! That should be just fine, actually. I don't spend money at work and don't need anything right now. It will be kind of fun to see if I can hang on to it.

I opened a new checking account at TCF Bank, and they have two offers going on. You get $50.00 for signing up for direct deposit and $25.00 for signing up for automatic bill pay. I'll do both of those and add the funds to the challenge money when it comes in. I like this bank a lot, and it sure is convenient - next door to work. You can purchase gift cards there for all kinds of places, and they have a free coin machine. You bring your change in, drop it into the machine, and it gives you a voucher to take to a teller for the money. I like that a lot, as I do save change. It will be very easy to take that change and deposit it. I think I'll open a savings account when I have the time and put my $20.00 challenge money there.

Not much else going on. I did spend money last night on myself, but it was well worth it.

Yes, tomorrow is indeed payday. I get paid every other week, which keeps me honest, I guess. I mostly use my car to go back and forth to work, so I can get away with filling up the gas tank when I get paid. I do take out some "mad money", but that usually goes to the kids for allowances, DD's school lunches and movies, and things like that. I spend money at the Salvation Army and library, purchasing things to re-sell online.

Yup, I'm wild and crazy LOL.

No books have sold recently, but E-Bay is going OK. The auctions are at $28.00 right now but hopefully will go up more - they end Sunday. I have three toys at auction and the Starbucks gift card. I decided I want the money more that I want a Frappa-Chappa-Chino (or whatever).

Does anyone know if TCF Bank has any deals when you open an account? I'm thinking about going with them, and some extra $$$ to add to the challenge money would be nice.

I was in a hurry this morning, so the lunch that I threw together wasn't great. A sandwich and an apple. Uh-oh. I knew from the start I would probably break down and buy something at work. Then, someone kindly offered me a bagel, and it was just the thing to tide me over. No spending today! I'm trying hard not to spend money on extras. I'm a girl with goals (and credit card debt).

Today I saved $7.89 by using a coupon plus my discount for groceries. Almost everything I have listed on E-Bay is selling, and another book sold online. I'll figure that out when I ship it. So far I'm inching along. I think it's time to look in the chip bag for one that looks like Elvis or Jay Leno.

$20 Challenge total - $76.31

I sold a couple of books yesterday, and went to the post office today.

The Human Side of Cancer - $3.04 profit
Surviving Grief - $4.65 profit

Today I had errands to run and the post office is right on the way.

I'm trying to decide what to do with the $20 challenge money. We have credit card debt, and it makes the most sense to start paying down the highest interest card first. It does feels better to take care of the debt that has the lowest balance, just to get it out of the way. What do you think?

$20 challenge total - $68.42

Woot! Today I got credit in my Paypal account for taking part in some online surveys. One was for $5.00 and another was $2.00.

My E-Bay auctions ended last night, and here are the totals;

As I See It book - $2.25 profit
Nancy Drew book - $3.43 profit
toy - $11.71 profit
toy - $11.76 profit

That includes my listing fees, shipping, and so on. I went shopping and found some more things to list. The total cost was $15.60 - I hope they do well!

My new total for the $20.00 challenge is now $60.73

Wow! DD went to the mailbox, and came back with yesterday's mail. Here's what I got this time;

A $5.00 Starbucks gift card for filling out a survey. This is a nice find, as there is a Starbucks at work. I might sell it on E-Bay and get the $$ for it. What to do?

A free sample of Dove deodorant. I figure it's about .50 worth, and it smells really nice. Yay!

A free sample of "Move Free" for joint pain. I originally intended this for my dad, but my fingers have been stiff lately on my left hand. I'm going to give it a try and see how things go.

So, with the deodorant and the dishwasher samples, I can add .70 to my $20.00 challenge money. Not sure what to do with the Starbucks card yet, and I don't know how much "Move Free" costs.

I'm eating a late lunch, and added the dinner rolls from last night's dinner to my plate. Amount saved - about .20 not thrown away. Hey, every little bit helps.

New total - $29.68

EDITED TO ADD - Flash just mentioned to me that an 80 count package of Move Free was $30.00 on sale, so I'm going to add the extra amount to my total. This free sample has 28 tablets, so the extra $10.50 is a nice savings. I hope I notice a difference in my fingers.

New total, again - $40.18

Thank you Flash.