Space: The Final Frontier

Nerd Alert!

Not exactly, sorry to disappoint.

I've just been wondering lately about the issue of space.  The American obsession with space.  I guess you could call it white-picket-fence syndrome, and I am not immune in the least.

Don't we all just want a few bedrooms, a couple of baths, and a nice yard?

Correction.  We need five bedrooms, a two-car garage, marble countertops, finished room over the garage, workout room, playroom, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, walk-in closets and a perfectly manicured lawn.  Might as well throw in a few stainless steel, upgraded kitchen appliances while you're at it.

Sound dreamy?

But how much space is too much space?  What do you really need to live comfortably and with some sanity?  I understand wanting the home to be an escape from the stresses and messes of the outside world.  You should feel solace in your home.  A sweet cocoon for you and your loved ones.  I get it.  Can you get a square footage on that feeling?

With this move we are gaining a bedroom, a master bath, and more storage.  Of course, this new rental is far from our Dream Home.  But, lately, I'm trying to sort out what that dream involves.  What do we really need to get that cocoon feeling?

Or, do we need bigger homes, simply because we keep acquiring stuff?  I don't want a home overflowing with items that are not useful, beautiful, or meaningful to me.  And I certainly don't want to be identified by what I own.  That is part of the American dream I would rather not awaken.

What's your definition of the American Dream?

Sellin' my wares.

This past Saturday marked my first real life adult attempt at a yard sale.  I talked previously about some of my goals for the sale here.  I was planning on holding the sale later in the month, but I spotted a huge community sale just down the road for Saturday.  I decided to jump on the bandwagon, and hopefully glean some traffic my way.

(I believe in clever signs.)

I placed an ad on Craigslist and tried to be as detailed and concise as possible.  There were tons of others to check out, so I could see what others were listing and saying about their sales.

We didn't have a ton of hot ticket items, mostly baby clothes, a few toys, adult clothes, home goods, books, and DVDs.  We made about $57 after the sale - not too shabby!  A neighbor advised me to check out a used bookstore that had recently opened around the corner to sell our fiction titles.  My husband carted them over and scored another $15.  Everything else went to Goodwill, so I am free - FREE! Goodbye clutter.

(dollar, dollar, who's got a dollar?)

I was literally scouring our house for anything I could toss/sell/donate.  I think I made a pretty hefty dent.  At least in my closet and bookshelf.  I feel about 10 pounds lighter...really.

Here are a couple of tidbits I learned from the sale:

• Get large, clear signs up earlier than later around the neighborhood
• Piggy-back off another nearby sale
• Gather several families to host a multi-family sale
• Have at least a few larger pieces to draw in customers 
• Use a money belt or *gasp* fanny-pack to hold your money
• Price fairly, but be prepared to let some items go for less

It ended up being a really beautiful morning, and I had a dear friend come over to "help" me with all my "customers".  We had coffee and warded off early-morning mosquitos with a leftover citronella candle.  Not a bad way to start the day.

Do you have any suggestions for how to run a successful yard sale?

Thrifty Thursday: Homemade Foaming Soap

How much hand soap does your family use during a month?

How much do you spend on hand soaps?

Do you notice fancy hand soap when visiting someone's bathroom?

Am I the only one who thinks about these things!?

Don't answer that.

In an effort to trim our household budget, I was really inspired to make our own homemade foaming soap after reading this DIY post from Live Renewed.  I took the tip and bought some Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap in a lavender scent.  It smells fantastic and I am anxious to try it out.  For now, I'm trying to use the rest of our Dial soap.

Okay, maybe I'm using an extra pump or two so I can empty the bottle quicker.

Have you ever used Dr. Bronner's soaps?  It's made from organic oils and I like that there are only 10 ingredients.  I also just like to say the word, jojoba.  Try it.  Rolls off the tongue.

Trash or Treasure?

Lately, I've had an incredibly strong desire to purge our home of lots of "unnecessaries".  Couple that with the need to pay down debt, and guess what you get?

That's right.  Yard Sale!

Yard sales of my childhood were fun times to practice simple money skills, bartering, simplifying, and working the merchandise.  Also, a chance to sell my rocks.  You thought I sold lemonade?  Think again.

I've been gathering books, old toys, clothes, and other knick knacks that are not adding to our life.  It's my hope that when we do make a move, this will allow us to make it swiftly and with less headache.

I am finding that organizing a yard sale as an adult is much different from childhood.  In fact, it's a lot of work!  I want to do it right, and make it worth our time.  I found this article from Money Saving Mom really helpful.  The Small Notebook also inspires me to live simply and with less stuff.

Do you feel weighed down by the material possessions in your home?

Have you considered downsizing for sanity?

Zen Habits has a great article on how to purposefully purge.  He challenges you to pick the 100 items you cannot live without.  Then, you work hard at cutting out the fat from your life.  Do you really need the three pairs of black flip-flops or 1997 text book?

Yard Sale To-Do List

• Signage!  Get the word out with good ol' sharpies.
• Advertise on Craigslist with specifics we are selling.
• Team up with other families or friends looking to sell too.
• Organize the goods in an appealing manner.   Since we have some gently used clothing, I'd like to borrow a stand or make a cheaper solution to display them.
• Do some research for what a good sale price would be on our nicer items.
• Consider a two-day sale to really move items out.
• Sell baked goods! Not rocks.