Thrifty Thursday!

As I reported a few days ago, I am officially an eBay/thrift store addict as of late.  We all know that I LOVE a good deal, and thrifting/ebaying has started to feed my compulsive shopping habit [I'm only half-kidding when I use that term... I think I should probably be in therapy for my shopping "issues"] in a major way. 

My mom and I went shopping at bunches of places on Sunday, as is our weekly routine.  My mom is awesome.... the greatest shopping buddy/source of encouragement/occupier of Jameson/anything else you could ever want.  I convinced her to stop by Goodwill as our very last stop.  J was worn out after a long day of shopping/couponing, and we were all kind of ready to get home.  She turned into Goodwill and immediately J whines from the back, "I'm tiiiiiireddddd, I don't liiiiikkkeee thhhiiisss stttooorrreee." After promising frozen yogurt afterwards, J was down for a few minutes of shopping.... and I do mean a FEW minutes.  We walked in and I went straight for the clearance racks.  My eyes lit up with excitement when I spotted the greatest signs ever made .... there were gigantic signs on every clearance rack advertising $0.50 clothes!  FIFTY CENT CLOTHES, PEOPLE!  THIS IS HUGE!  Of course, everything was mostly picked over, but I ended up getting $4 worth of stuff.... that's 8 items if you're keeping track. :]

Here are some of my awesome finds, which I brought home, sorted, and posted on eBay later that night:

This J. Crew tank is in perfect condition, and I listed it at $4.99 + shipping.  It is still an active auction, but there are already five people "watching" the item.

This J. Jill sweater is still active, as well.

This Gap skirt ends tonight and already has 4 bids!

I got a few other things, including two Ralph Lauren polos for Adam, and a Crescent t-shirt for J. :]

I also went to Target this week, where I used my awesome $5 off any denim product to score FREE jeans that were clearanced to $4.98.  Those are also listed on eBay. :]

The Target printable coupons from their website are sometimes amazing, and this week was THE week to print them!  Not only did I score the $5 denim coupon, but I got lots of up&up brand coupons.

Here is a summary of my Target trip this week:
2 Mossimo Distressed Jeans: $4.98 x 2 = $9.96
1 up&up Bleach: $1.42
2 up&up toothbrushes: $1.22 x 2 = $2.44
1 up&up pantiliners: $0.89
Seventh Generation dish detergent: $2.69
2 up&up Pain Reliever 24 ct.: .99 x 2 = $1.98
4 Tide Stain Release: $3.48 [on clearance] x 4 = 13.92

Total before coupons: $33.30
I used the following coupons:
2 $5/1 Target Denim
$1 off any up&up cleaning product
2 $1 off any up&up oral care
$0.75 any up&up feminine product
$1/1 Seventh Generation product [Target q]
$1/1 Seventh Generation product [printable from SG website]
2 $1/1 up&up pain reliver
4 $3/1 Tide Stain Release, 2/27 P&G

Total after coupons: $3.55

The lady in line behind me said, "WHOA, can you teach me how to do that?!  You're a professional!  Where did you get all those coupons?!" while the cashier called over another employee to show her my receipt.  I love it when this happens, although it embarasses Adam to death. 

Regardless, I am a thrifty saving mama.  I guess I would call myself somewhat of a professional.... after all, I DO blog about it, right? :]

I have lots and lots of items still listed on eBay right now, so I'll wait until they end to post my weekly totals there. 

Until then, xoxo....

eBay!

I mentioned last week that I have become an eBay junkie as of late.  It's true.  I have.  I am determined to make this work for me.  I was a bit discouraged earlier this week when one item that I posted didn't sell, but my discouragement was quickly dismissed when I found this awesome Anthropologie skirt for $2.49 at the Salvation Army thrift store in Athens.  It is posted now and has lots and lots of "watchers", so we'll see if this is my big seller.  The auction ends tonight.  

The most surprising item that sold this week [and the only "Buy it Now" auction I had] were these shirts from Old Navy that I pulled right out of my own closet:

Yikes!  The colors!  The brightness!  It's blinding me!  Anyway, they actually are really cute, but they don't fit anymore [thanks to my amazing 30 pound weight loss], so I decided to sell them of course.  They are really awesome summer shirts.  I don't remember how much I paid for these last year at Old Navy [but I know it wasn't very much at all... maybe $1 each when they went 1/2 off the clearance price], so I'm counting them as a $0 investment.  I figure that I paid next to nothing for them in the first place, and I wore two of them [the turquoise still has the tags attached] enough to make it worth the maybe $3 that I spent on all three.  Anyhow, they sold for $12.50 as a "buy it now" auction! 

I also sold this cute Express size 3/4 dress:

I got it at Goodwill on $1 day and it looked really good, except when I got home I noticed that the fabric was a bit yellow, instead of the crisp white that I needed to sell.  I researched how to make whites whiter online, and finally covered that whole dress in white vinegar, a bit of peroxide, and some Borax.  She came out whiter than Tiger Woods' mistresses....

When I found this amazing Ann Taylor dress, I knew it would be a big hit:

I paid $2 for it at the Salvation Army thrift store, and it ended up being a great seller, with twelve "watchers" by the end of the auction.  I also learned a lot about how to list items, because I received a question from a potential buyer asking for several specifics that I now include in each and every listing that I post.  That eBayer that asked the question ended up purchasing the dress, proving that customer service sells. :]

I also learned some lessons this week [other than posting more specific details in my listings].  I learned that I will never start another auction at $0.99.  I ended up selling this new with tags American Eagle shirt for $0.99. 

I bought it at Goodwill on $1 day, so I ended up just breaking even on the price.  That didn't make me so happy.  I will start all auctions at at LEAST $2.99 from now on.  I thought that starting the auction at $0.99 would pique interest and have buyers bidding like crazy, forcing up the purchase price, especially since it was new with tags.  Lesson learned.  No more 99 cent auctions.

Anyhow, for this being my very first week of eBay selling, I'd say I did quite well, considering that I had a LOT to learn.  Here are my totals:

Total Spent [clothing]:  $8.99

Total Loss [eBay fees, PayPal fees, shipping]:  $33.15

Total Net Profit:  $58.14

I really don't feel like that is a bad profit at ALL, considering that I work full-time and spent two full days with my main squeeze last week, away from eBay and all things thrifting.  It's just my first week. Who couldn't use an extra $60?  I spent about two hours [estimate] sorting, taking pictures, and posting the items. That's $30 per hour! Not too shabby if I do say so myself.   I have a dream of this turning into more than a hobby, and I am determined to make it work. Adam and I had a long chat about all of this, and we have come to an agreement... if I can sell so much per week, I can quit work and have my own little business going.  How amazing is that!?  I kept telling and telling him that things would be sooo much easier if I didn't work full-time, but he would have none of that until I showed him proof that I can do what I love AND earn a living.  I definitely think I can be a professional shopper/thrifter.  I am more than qualified for that position. :]

I still have ten items posted for sale, and will see how they turn out this week.  I'll be back on Sunday with a full report. 

Until my next post, xoxo....