Thrifty Finds

Things are getting back to normal. This weekend I visited one of my favorite thrift stores and found a few treasures. There were few if any garage sales this weekend. The heat of summer in Central Florida coupled with the high humidity can definitely deter even the die hards from having a garage sale.

I love the shade of pink on these Franciscan earthenware. The pattern is Desert Rose. There are two desert bowls and one serving bowl. There is some wear,not to mention a small chip on the backside of the larger bowl.

This is one of 9 STUDIO NOVA salad plates Barrier Reef Fish. They are perfect for a beach themed table setting.

Here are some Fischer Price little people. I am going to save them until I acquire more and am able to offer a large lot for sale. Hoping that my grandson does not find the stash.

And of course there will always be mugs. Here are a few that will be listed this week. No doubt, I cannot complete a thrifting trip without picking up a few mugs.

Hope you had great luck with your weekend thrifting!

Here is what's cooking this week at Cents to Save

A Nice Change

This week I returned to work, at both jobs.  It is nice to get back to the normal day to day activities.  I missed scanning ( am an ultrasound tech) and interacting with my patients.  In fact, I had a sale of a mug on eBay today.  And I did not feel the need to return the customer's money because I was so overwhelmed with my mom's passing and getting the funeral together.   So I think for now things are slowly falling back into place.

I know grief is a funny animal and it could hit me totally differently next week or even next month.  But for today, I am good.

Here is the mug that sold today for $16.99.

It is on its way to Kentucky

I am thinking about contacting the previous customers that I received refunds from me.    I hope that they understand my situation and would again be interested in buying the item they wanted.  Who knows, right? 

Will keep you posted. 

Getting Back To A New Normal

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and support on the loss of my mom. Each comment of support
meant so much to me. The viewing and funeral were this past weekend and although emotionally draining, I feel a great sense of relief and a small amount of closure. Time to embrace each day and move forward.

Before mom became really sick, I decided to close my eBay store. Between work and taking care of mom, I was completely overwhelmed with taking care of my eBay store. Little did I know that when I closed my eBay store, eBay would keep it open for another 30 days. I did not have the time or energy to delete each item so there were the occasional sale here and there. I quickly emailed the customer and briefly explained my situation with a prompt refund. I was so overwhelmed with taking care of mom I just did not have time to do any eBay stuff.

In fact, when I decided to close my store, I "purged" a large amount of my eBay stock via large construction trash bags to the curb. I guess I felt it necessary to do so as it was a form of something I could control in my life. At that time, there was not much else I could control.

The store did close, BUT the remaining listings remained active. Again, there were some unexpected sales this weekend, and again I had to email the customers and provide a refund and brief explanation. Several of my customers wrote back and said that they too had gone through a similar situation and that they completely understood.

I will be getting back to thrifting in the near future. It will be a slow return, but thrifting and re-selling gives me a great deal of satisfaction and pleasure. Oh, There is the stuff in my mom's home. So much stuff! I will be selling that on Craigslist and or eBay. Of course there will be items that I cannot part with, but for the most part, I will be selling or giving away a great majority of it.

There are other things to take care of too. But that will happen in time. Right now, I am getting back into my "groove" and finding my new normal.

Saying Good-Bye

 

On Thursday, May 30, 2013 mom left this world to be with her heavenly family. No more suffering, no more pain. She fought a valiant fight against the cancer that consumed her, but she had no more to give.

Her last week here with us was spent alleviating her pain and discomfort with the help of Hospice. After her last doctor visit with her primary, mom became weaker and more disoriented. She declined food, but would still take liquids.

We were with her around the clock, taking care of her, talking to her, watching her breathe.

My kids and their families were able to spend individual time with mom and say their good-byes through out the week. At the time we did not know it was her last week on earth,but it appeared God granted us that precious time.

Her final breath was drawn at 1:20 PM with me by her side. It was peaceful for both of us.

The last 18 months with mom ( when the cancer returned) have been a blessing for me and my family. We were allowed the pleasure to share the difficult journey with her,help her with my dad, lift her spirits, and reconnect.

God was gracious with my mom.

 

What the Heck?

With all my mom is going through, I have decided to close down my eBay store. I am a bit overwhelmed with taking care of mom and making sure she gets to her doctor appointments. Not to mention the two part time jobs. Well, I "tried" to close my store this weekend. Evidently eBay will let it stay open for another 30 days mandatory. I have physically reduced my inventory on hand ( donations to salvation army, etc.) but now I am removing the listings to the stuff that I no longer have on hand.

And don't you know that I have had a sale everyday since "closing" my store. Crazy, ain't it?

Renovation Taking Place....

Happy Girl Thrift is under construction.  For the most part, the big renovation is about done.  There is a bit more tweeking to be done but overall I am thrilled with the results.  I have been working with Van at "Thirft Core" and she has been very patient with me and all my ideas. 

I love the logo (brand) and the color combinations.  It makes me very happy!  

Sales and Listing on ebay have been slow.  I have been so busy with mom and her declining health that I do not have a lot of time for ebay right now.  I still do some shopping at the local thrifts but that is more a retail therapy for me.  Helps me to cope with the situation.  At least is is cheap retail therapy :)


I hope you all are finding bunches of treasures!

Checking In

These last couple of weeks have been busy, not necessarily  with eBay, but with other family matters.  If you did not already know, my mom is fighting breast cancer (2004) that has metastasized or spread to her skull and her spine.  This has been going on since December 2011.  

She has been in and out of the hospital numerous times.  In fact, she was just in the hospital with nosebleeds and disorientation last week.  They are still not sure what caused that, in fact we are going to see her neurosurgeon today to rule out some causes of her current condition.  I guess we need to find out if this is her new normal or can surgical intervention improve her condition.

In a way, I guess eBay being slow as molasses is not necessarily a bad thing, as my plate is pretty full with two part time jobs and the care of my mom. I am blessed to have the support of my family and as the only child I am grateful for them. 

Looking forward to a productive weekend and I hope the same for you all too!