Freezer Inventory

On the weekend I tackled my deep freezer.   I have to say that this is a daunting task.

I took everything out of the freezer and out it in the floor.  I then sorted all the food into piles in the following categories:

Meat

Fruit

Desserts

Vegetables 

Those items went into reusable Sobeys bags.  As I put the items into the bag I wrote down th either name and created a tally mark for each item.  

Then the other items I put in the freezer near each other and also recorded it on the sheet

When I was done I taped it to the front of the freezer.  The plan to keep it organized is each time we take something out of the freezer we will cross off th etally.  For the month of February I plan to spend $75 or less a week on groceries.  Wish me luck!

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Sell Your Stuff Part Two

Now that you have all of your items in a milk crate, you are ready to take pictures.   ( if you collected more than one milk crate of items, way to go! )

I have a Christmas wreath hanger that I throw over a door for taking pictures.  I also have a kid size hanger and an adult hanger depending on the size of the item. 

Hang the item and take a picture if the front and the back of the item, I also take a picture of the tag and size.   

Items that aren’t clothes  if they can hang on the hanger it’s best for the pictures.   

Items that can be laid flat on a dining room table for a picture works also.  Remember the more pictures you can take the better and make sure you have good light. 

I suggest the milk crate size so it doesn’t get overwhelming.   Plus you don’t want to post more then 10 items a day since it bumps items down on a page. 

I created a FACEBOOK account for buying and selling items, and following groups.  I suggest this since Buy and Sell sites tend to take over your feed.  

I try to list things on FACEBOOK primarily.   You only need to create the ads once and then click post to other groups.

Items that are high value I post on KIJIJI also.  

Item size that don’t sell in a week I write in the comments the new price.   If it still doesn’t sell you can delete the item and repost it at the lower asking price.  

Items that don’t sell I box up to have a yard sale in the summer.  I also always have a bag in the go for low priced items to drop off to charity donations.  After a yard sale any items that don’t sell I donate. 

When I was getting out of debt I put the money once a month onto our mortgage.  Now I deposit it towards our trip funds. 

Good luck. I am sure once you reap the rewards of your effort both financially and from finding less clutter more relaxing. 

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It pays to be frugal. 

Sell your stuff part one

It’s halfway through the month of January and Christmas seems like a year ago.  I feel like I have a major case of the winter blahs and have been spending more time in our house than usual. I’ve been getting the urge to purge.  

I don’t know about you, but when I see clutter it stresses me out.  Since I purged our home last year I do feel more relaxed.   The added perk to purging is it can generate some extra money.  

I’ve been asked by a few people how to sell things online without getting overwhelmed.  I am going to break it into a few steps to help you out.  

I start with an empty milk crate, any small box will do.  Just make sure it is a manageable size. 

I carry it with me from room to room and scan if there is something that has been just sitting in a random spot for a hike without a real place of belonging and put it in the crate.  I’ve cut back on the amount of Knick knacks and a few end up in the crate from time to time.  

In my room when I’m frantically trying on clothes if something doesn’t fit I throw them off to the side.  Those items get collected for the milk crate.

Pick up a box and take a walk through your house and see what you no longer need and throw it in the milk crate.  

The next post will tell you what I do next to turn my clutter into cash.  Christmas credit card bills are soon going to be mailed out, or the cold has you dreaming of money for a little get away, this will help you.  

It pays to be frugal. 

Forgotten Money

It’s a fresh new year and it is a perfect time to start getting on track financially. I spent some time creating our financial goals for the year.  I then started to get creative about ways to make these goals achievable.

I took my loyalty cards out of my wallet and went in my app section of the phone.  I then made a list of every card and recorded the balance in the Notes Section of January in my Day Planner.
I plan to record the change each month of 2019. When I redeem the points I plan to take the cash value and apply it to my 2019 financial goals.

Here is a list of the loyalty cards I discovered with a cash value.  I found a few that I forgot about. Take an inventory of your cards, you may find some forgotten money.

Air Miles Dream
Air Miles Cash
PC Optimum
Swagbucks
Scene Points
Caddle
Checkout 51
PodCoin
PetroCanada
Aeroplan
WestJet
Best Western
Ebates

If you are missing and on this list contact me, some give us referral points

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Make or Save $5

Saving money can be looked at as a chore or as a game. Once I started to look at saving money as a game that I can win, I started to see an increase in how much I saved and used for debt.  

I play a little game called Make or Save $5 a Day, and for 2019 I am going to keep score. 

I plan to use my day planner to keep score. If I sell something online I will mark it with a $ sign and how much I made.  I also dream of a side hustle for this year and will record that info with a $ also.

If I save money I plan to use a ☑️ and the amount saved.  Pink sticker items, coupons and loyalty points is what I plan to use to keep score.   Flyer items sale price vs regular price is too much  effort for me in this category.  I will update monthly the progress I am making.   

I know that if I formally challenge myself I will see progress.

Anyone want to play? 

It pays to be frugal.