Jane Austen Had the Right Idea

Another great quote from Real Simple Magazine that really applies to how I feel:

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort.

— Jane Austen

Enjoy your weekend.

Flea Market Selling - Is it Still Profitable?

About 10 years ago, I sold some collectibles at a local flea market. Business was slow and everywhere around me I heard the word "ebay" floating around. So, I decided to forego the flea market junket and sell only on ebay. I did pretty well for quite awhile but have recently noticed that ebays fees have risen so high that they're taking a good 8% of my sales in fees. Not so fun when you spend hours photographing, describing, listing, packing, driving to the post office, filling out customs forms, and also paying Paypal fees because you no longer want to wait for personal checks to clear the bank.... and on and on.

I will be trying my hand at flea market selling again this Sunday. Let's hope people will be shopping for holiday gifts this weekend - buying gently used items - sort of like "recycling" as it were.

I'll keep you posted....

A Week for Saving Money

Today is Wednesday - day 3 of my "use up food that's in the house" week. Last month, I blogged about an article in Woman's Day magazine suggesting ways to save money by foregoing grocery shopping for one week (except for milk and produce) and, instead, using up what's in the freezer, refrigerator and pantry.

I've been successful in this endeavor so far by being creative with leftovers from Thanksgiving, and dishes I've frozen over the last few months. I've still got 4 days to go but I'm confident I can do this! And the best part, is I've saved over $100 this week which will definitely go towards a happy holiday for my family.

I'll post in another few days on how we're doing.

Thanks for reading!

The Couch Doctor - You Learn Something New Every Day

I saw this article in the Los Angeles Times on Thursday and found out something I've never known before. There is actually someone out there who will cut your sofa in half, or in more pieces than that, if it can't fit into your home or apartment. His name is Sal Giangrande, otherwise known as "The Couch Doctor". He works in New York and helps people who can't fit their sofas down the long narrow hallways and into their New York apartments.

Now, if we could only find someone like that here in Los Angeles. Anyone out there know of someone?

The Shelf Life of Spices

I tend to use spices more during the holiday season than at any other time of the year. Sage for the Thanksgiving turkey, cloves and ginger for the pumpkin pie, not to mention spices for all those Christmas goodies we love to bake and the nutmeg for the eggnog.

The holidays are also the time I try and replace my spices with fresh ones. The shelf life of most common spices is 6 months to a year, at best.

According to Southern Living's Storage & Organizing Magazine, the 10 most common spices are:

basil
bay leaves
cayenne pepper
chili powder
crushed rosemary
cumin
garlic powder
ground cinnamon
italian seasoning
thyme

I have to add oregano, parsley, ginger and curry to this list for me.

Store spices in a cool, dark, dry place, away from the stove and heat. Keep spices contained in their original jars with the lids screwed on tightly.

I try not to buy the larger sizes of spices unless I know I will use them frequently. Spices like allspice, cloves, sage, rosemary, cumin and cardomom come in convenient small containers which makes it easier to toss them when they get old. Watch for coupons in your Sunday paper to save on spices as well.

Holiday Mail for Heroes - Send a Card Through the American Red Cross

Here's an opportunity to do something special for our troops this year. Red Cross and Pitney Bowes are teaming up and collecting holiday cards for distribution to service members, veterans and their families in the US and around the world. The goal is to collect one million holiday cards to send. The deadline to send your cards to the distribution site is December 10, 2008.

Click here for more information.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I just wanted to wish all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving. The official start of the holiday season. I want to give thanks for all the blessings I have in my life - family and friends like you.

Take care today and eat as much as you want!