Monthly Archives:

February 2015

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 21 Recap

Day 21-

Hello again, savvy savers!  I hope you had the best of days! So, today’s challenge focused on Craftsy pattern selling! So how did you all do? For me, as I already have a new knitting pattern on my account, so I placed a new pattern up for sale, and then took an hour to plan a few new painting, kitting, and jewelry-making patterns that I can list in the next few days! It was really nice to be able to use some of my undergraduate and mater’s level art classes again! Education in action, priceless! Beyond this, I was able to glean a few ideas off of other accounts, and what even better? My husband, a crochet guru, said he may try his hand at both creating his own pattern line, and Paypal business account, too! So, today’s goal was a success! 

My Selling Goals Were:

  • To list ten patterns.
  • I hope to make $40.00 in profit.
  • I will be working on the write-ups of my other patterns this weekend
  • All items will be listed for the entirety of the next season.
  • Creating my pattern was quick, simple, and very gratifying! Woohoo! 

As well today I was also able to accomplish:

  1. As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
  2. Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
  3. I finished a day’s worth of clerking assignments ahead of schedule!
  4. I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
  5. Read my daily devotional.
  6. I waked two miles.

As well, today I saved:

  • I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95. 
  • I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag. 
  • I cooked three meals from my home pantry, saving $6.81 in the process.
  • My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
  • I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.

Total amount I saved my family: $21.38

This months savings goal remaining: $38.95

Please be sure to check back tomorrow for another way to save for this months No-Spend Challenge! 

Here’s to saving,

Shamrock 21

 

Challenge Links:

1 Comment

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 20 Recap

Day 20-

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope your day was productive! Today I wanted you to focus not on selling things gleaned from your home, but items that can be made from items you have on hand, by way of ETSY. Today, I asked you all to consider all of the homemade crafts, recipes, items, and crafts that you have a knack for making, can easily make from the items you have on hand at home, or items that can be made quickly, and then create an ETSY Shop. 

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As an ETSY shop owner myself, I am partial to this site, and hope that you all could consider this site! It’s beyond awesome! Please feel free to check out my shop, here!  As for me, as I already have a seasoned account, so I listed ten new seasonal items for sale; items for Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter, Spring, Mother’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo.

My Selling Goals Were:

  • I am going to list 10 seasonal items. 
  • All items will be listed for one season.
  • The items cost $2.00 to list, which was paid with funds from iBotta, in my paypal account. 

As well today I was also able to accomplish:

  1. As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
  2. Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
  3. I finished a day’s worth of clerking assignments ahead of schedule!
  4. I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
  5. Read my daily devotional.
  6. I waked two miles.
    1. I read part of a new review book.

Today I saved:

  • I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95.
  • I scored a free 1-year subscription to Midwest Magazine, a savings of $16.00.
  • I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag. 
  • I cooked three meals from my home pantry, saving $6.81 in the process.
  • My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
  • I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.
  • I earned $5.00 from Receipt Hog. 
  • I mailed off a package of coupons for Coups For Troops.
  • I enjoyed a Free Chik-fil-a- frozen latte!

Total amount I saved my family: $45.38

This months savings goal remaining: $13.95

Please be sure to check back tomorrow for another way to save for this months No-Spend Challenge! 

Here’s to saving,

Shamrock 21

 

Challenge Links:

4 Comments

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 20 (How to Sell on ETSY)

Day 20-

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope you all are well rested, and ready for a new daily challenge! So today I want to focus not on selling things gleaned from your home, but items that can be made from items you have on hand. I am speaking of ETSY. Today, I would like you all to consider all of the homemade crafts, recipes, items, and crafts that you have a knack for making, can easily make from the items you have on hand at home, or items that can be made quickly! Are you a painter, knitter, crafter, good at wood working? Can you make candles, wax melts, or boot cuffs? Then my friend, this is the post for you! As today I want you all to consider opening up an ETSY Shop. 

So, why ETSY? 

  1. If you’re an artist, jeweler, soap maker, knitter, baker, or you simply have a house full of vintage items, then you might be in a perfect position to start your own business on Etsy.
  2.  Etsy is an online marketplace designed exclusively for people selling handmade and vintage items.
  3. The site allows people from all over the world to sell their homemade goods, and anyone, from stay at home moms to well-respected gallery artists, to have an open market to sell their work.
  4. Currently, Etsy has over 400,000 sellers, 7.7 million listed items for sale, and over 7 million customers. In 2010, the site sold more than $300 million worth of goods. 
  5. Etsy is egalitarian in nature. This is not simply a place to make a quick buck, but a place where anyone can create a home business, where sales can range from simple, passive income, to massive, evolving sales platforms, depends on your schedule! 

What Can I sell:

  • Crocheted items
  • Soap, lotions and candles
  • Handmade clothing
  • Jewelry
  • Paintings
  • drawings,
  • sculpture
  • Handmade furniture
  • Books and magazines
  • Vintage items (20 years or older)
  • Quilts
  • Bags and purses
  • Baked goods such as cookies, cupcakes, bread, jam, etc.
  • Yarn and other supplies catering to the handmade/crafting crowd
  • Blown glass
  • Handmade paper items
  • Upcycled goods
  • Nearly anything! 

How to Sell:

  1. You should first start by figuring out what you will create and sell.
  2. Next inventory what supplies you have on hand to create your products.
  3. Setting up a Seller Account on Etsy is an easy, two-step process.
  4. First, you’ll need to have a Paypal account, and a valid credit card. 
  5. Next you need to enter your billing information. You will need a valid credit card so Etsy can verify your identity.
  6. You’re now an official Etsy seller.
  7. Setting up your shop is going to take more time. You can create a customer banner for your Etsy store, and you’ll want to upload a picture or logo so customers can put a face or image with your shop.
  8. Next create a prototype of several items.
  9. Next,  you’ll also need to photograph all your items, and create a listing for each one. You’ll also need to insert “tags,” or keywords, that will help customers find your items.
  10. Cross list items; For instance, imagine you’ve just listed a turquoise necklace. You would use tags such as “necklace”, “turquoise necklace”, and “blue”, all which will help your item get noticed when customers search for those specifics.
  11. Pay for your listings.
  12. When items sell, be sure to quickly ship, usually within a business week, and mail all parcels with signature confirmation delivery. 
  13. Payments will be added to your sellers account within 48 hours of payment clearing.
  14. All listings will need to be renewed seasonally!
  15. You’re now a seller! 

Sellers Tips:

  • Fees are charged per sale; a flat 3.5% fee will be added to your sellers account only if an item sells.
  • Fees are refunded on returned items.
  • Be sure to create a clearly expresses return and shipping policy.
  • Be sure to create a detailed customization policy, if you plan to allow changes be made, per order.
  • Consider changing stock seasonally.
  • As your store grows, your sellers account ceiling will grow accordingly; the larger the shop the more charges can be added to your account.
  • All account fees are due the first business day of each month.
  • You can charge shipping costs to your account, up to your limited account cap.
  • Account caps are evaluated and adjusted bi-annually in July and December; you are emailed if your account cap changes.
  • Be sure to create an email account to go with your shop name; i.e. etsyshoptobenamed@gmail.com.
  • Always use USPS’s Media Mail option, for shipping heavy books.
  • Be sure to create a Facebook fan page, to advertise your goods.
  • You can create in-app ETSY coupons for customers; be sure to include a thank you card with your coupon code enclosed with each order to promote return business.
  • One week after delivery, you can politely ask buyers to leave you ship feedback.
  • Never list orders for items that you cannot fulfill or have stock to prepare! 

Support:

  • One of the most amazing aspects of Etsy is the amount of support and the sense of community you get through the site.
  • Etsy has a lot of helpful tutorials to help sellers get more exposure and earn more money.
  • The forums are extensive and Etsy’s thousands of sellers will help answer any question you have about setting up your shop.

So today I challenge you to sell items on ETSY! Moreover, do you already sell on ETSY? What has your experience been like? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! Be sure to come back this evening to see how my daily challenge went, as well as how I was able to additionally save around my home!

Here’s to saving,

Shamrock 21

 

Challenge Links:

3 Comments

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 19 Recap

Day 19-

Hello again, savvy savers! A new day, a new daily challenge, as part of our No-Spend Month Challenge! So today I challenges you to focus on Amazon sales!  For me, as I already have a seasoned account, I listed ten items for sale.

My Selling Goals Were:

  • I am going to list 10 household items; 12 Blu-Ray Discs, and 10 PS3 Games.
  • I hope to make $100.00 in profit.
  • All items that do not sell will be donated to charity.
  • All items will be listed for one week.

As well today I was also able to accomplish:

  1. As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
  2. Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
  3. I finished a day’s worth of clerking assignments ahead of schedule!
  4. I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
  5. Read my daily devotional.
  6. I waked two miles.

Today I saved:

  • I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95. 
  • I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag. 
  • I cooked three meals from my home pantry, saving $6.81 in the process.
  • My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
  • I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.

Total amount I saved my family: $21.38

This months savings goal remaining: $60.33

Please be sure to check back tomorrow for another way to save for this months No=Spend Challenge! 

Here’s to saving,

Shamrock 21

Challenge Links:

3 Comments

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 19 (How to Sell on Amazon.com)

Day 19-

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope you all are well rested, and ready for a new daily challenge! By now, you’ve probably heard of, purchased from, or price matched by way of Amazon.com. It is currently the largest retailer in the world, and honestly one of my favorite shopping venues as not only to they sell everything under the sun, offer free shipping  with Amazon Prime, or on orders of $35.00 or more, they also do not charge sales tax! Woohoo! Amazon makes the act of shopping in your slippers, a state of mind! 

Moreover, you can also sell on Amazon, too! The Amazon’s seller program, similar to Ebay, although it doesn’t offer auction-style selling, it does offer sellers to sell items such as textbooks, books of all values, conditions, and print-type, dvd’s, music cd’s, collectibles, and more! 

So, why Amazon? 

  1. Registering an account is free is you sell under 40 items per month; if you are selling more than 40 items per month, there is a monthly fee of $39.99.
  2. Simplicity: You can watch movies, listen to music, and then sell for profit, or Amazon gift cards, to buy more of what you want, or apply to monthly groceries, by way of Amazon Pantry and Amazon Subscribe & Save! 
  3. Extras: Somehow you ended up with two identical books/kitchen utensils/wall clocks. Rather than keep both, list one for sale.
  4. As a profit-driven venture: Thousands of businesses use the service to sell products.

What Can I sell:

  • Anything! Books, video games, movies, craft supplies, kitchen accessories, …the list goes on.
  • Keep in mind that some categories are off-limits, such as “adult products,” and if your item is on the off-limits list, you’ll be notified. 
  • An item may be in “acceptable”, “good”, “very good”, “like new” or “new” condition.
  • It’s a good idea to be honest about the condition, accurately describing it as best as you can.

How to Sell:

  1. Click here and sign in with your Amazon email address and password.
  2. Next, enter your legal name and read the “Agreement”. Accept the terms and select “Continue”.
  3. Add your credit card information: Amazon needs identity verification, so it asks for valid card information.
  4. Choose your “Display Name”, aka shop name. Enter your mailing address.
  5. On the next page, agree to be called or texted, as a  verification step.  A PIN will be provided, which you will need to enter before registration is complete.
  6. Congrats–you’re a registered Amazon seller! 
  7. If you have not already set-up two or more payment methods, on a buying account (one of which is a bank account), or if you have changed your payment method in the last 7 days, you will have an additional 7 day wait before payments are directed deposited into your bank account. 

How To List An Item For Sale:

  1. From the homepage of your Amazon seller account, go to “Add a Product” (in the lower left sidebar). This takes you to another page where you can see if the product is on Amazon already. If not, choose “create a new product”.
  2. List your item. Be sure to use a good quality stock photo, and then enter as much information about the product as possible. 
  3. Before you set a price, gauge how others have priced it based on the condition. If it’s priced too high, it probably won’t sell; if it’s price too low, then it will sell really fast but you won’t get as much as you potentially could have.
  4. Note that all shipping charges are preset. 
  5. You can also opt to have your items mailed to Amazon, who will mail them on your behalf.
  6. Amazon sends an email to you when a product sells.
  7. If you prefer to mail parcels yourself, try to ship the item–with signature confirmation/tracking– be sure to do so within 3 business days to keep your customer happy.
  8. Funds are deposited into your banking account on a scheduled basis.
  9. After items have been received for a full 3 business days, you can request buyers leave you a product review, and a sellers review, too!

Sellers Tips:

  • Fees are charged per sale.
  • Fees vary based on the category and the selling price.
  • Amazon deducts them from your balance. 
  • Always use USPS’s Media Mail option, for shipping heavy books.

So today I challenge you to sell 10 items on Amazon.com! Moreover, do you already sell on Amazon? What has your experience been like? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! Be sure to come back this evening to see how my daily challenge went, as well as how I was able to additionally save around my home!

Here’s to saving,

Shamrock 21

 

 

Challenge Links:

2 Comments

February No Spend Month Challenge: Day 18 Recap

Day 18-

Hello again, savvy savers! A new day, a new daily challenge, as part of our No-Spend Month Challenge! So today I challenges you to focus on eBay sales! 

For me, as I already have a seasoned account, I listed ten items for sale.

and each item has seven days to go, and so time will tell on my sales! The one positive note here, is that each item has had over 100 views, so that rocks, right? 

My Selling Goals Were:

  • I am going to list 10 household items; bedding sets, lamps, chair, desk, book sets, and small kitchen appliances.
  • I hope to make $100.00 in profit; minus the $5.00 seller/paypal fees. 
  • All items that do not sell will be donated to charity.
  • All items will be listed for one week.

As well today I was also able to accomplish:

  1. As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
  2. Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
  3. I finished a day’s worth of clerking assignments ahead of schedule!
  4. I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
  5. Read my daily devotional.
  6. I waked two miles.

Today I saved:

  • I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95. 
  • I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag. 
  • I cooked three meals from my home pantry, saving $6.81 in the process.
  • My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
  • I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.

Total amount I saved my family: $21.38

This months savings goal remaining: $81.71

Please be sure to check back tomorrow for another way to save for this months No=Spend Challenge! 

Here’s to saving,

Shamrock 21

 

Challenge Links:

4 Comments