The axe has fallen ... and it missed us (this time)

Mr. Goat's company laid off 15% of its employees today. He wasn't laid off, but he's looking at taking over half the workload of someone who was. Since he already works an 80 hour week, things could get ... interesting around here. I can relax a little on my decision not to spend any extraneous money, but I am still not joining the local golf course.

I am waiting for my latest round of ebay to finish tonight before updating my earn more challenge. I am still behind, but it looks like I'm only about $250 down, with a week and a couple of days left to go.

I am debating trying to donate plasma for one more week. On one hand, it would probably push me over goal. On the other, two hours of driving and eight to ten hours of waiting for $60 is really hard to get motivated to do. That's pretty much all my free time for this week. I am crossing my fingers that a couple of big items sell well on ebay later this week, and I'll be able to forgo any more plasma donations and still meet my goal.

Getting the Flu Shot message out

Since adults only need 2 flu shots this year, it's not quite accurate. But you have to give them props for the effort ...

Lost Steam, but Getting Back on Track - Day 14

The plasma donation last Wednesday did not go well. I waited four hours and finally left in frustration, as I had a doctor's appointment that I needed to make. Since I was a no-show (signed in but did not donate), I am ineligible to donate for a certain period of time. I need to call the center and find out how long that period is, but I may have blown all my plasma money for September. At any rate, I didn't get any plasma donation money for this week.

That evening, I slipped on a wet porch and fell down four stairs, giving myself a nasty bruise and difficulty moving all weekend. It also knocked a lot of my challenge energy out of me; I didn't do anything for the rest of the week but ship items that had already sold on ebay and half. Mostly I zoned out on the Aion open beta.

However, last evening and today I have started to get back on track. Half and ebay have been slow but consistent earners for me, so I have listed 17 items on ebay and now have more than 50 items on half. This evening, I added my total sales from ebay and half for the month, and subtracted shipping and supplies, for a net of $95.25.

So my total money earned for the challenge so far is $185.25.

I am way behind.

If I can make as much from ebay in the second half of the month as I did in the first half, I am looking at ~ $280 for the month, way short of my goal. Four more plasma donations (assuming I can do them at all) puts me up to only ~ $410.

I do have some clothing that I decided would not move well on ebay, and I am going to try to consign it. But the reason it won't move well is that it is mostly stuff from Macy's, which has such a low resale value that I can't expect much from it, even if it sells.

Time to shift the prayer wagon into gear, and ask for some energy and inspiration.

Days Off

I fell down some stairs yesterday, so I am giving myself a few days off. Expect an update after this weekend, once the Aion beta goes offline;)

Spend Less or Earn More? - Day 9

Musings of a Midlife Mom asked: is it easier to earn less or spend more? So far this month, earning more has felt like pulling teeth, so I have to go with spending less. As I said in a previous post, I am doing both this month, due to job insecurity. And it has been much easier to stretch the grocery budget a bit than to figure out how to make extra cash.

That's why I'm glad that I signed up for the challenge. It has forced me to move beyond my comfort zone and really think about the ways I could add more income, and whether those ways are worth it to me in the long term. Without the challenge, I don't think I'd have ever tried plasma donation, for instance. I certainly wouldn't have discovered how much fun it is to check my ebay auctions and discover that an item was bid on, or bid up, since the last time I looked.

Speaking of which, I have sold two items, and have two items with bids (once of which ends this evening). I have achieved a sales rate of 4 of 13. Therefore, I have decided that I will continue to put items up on ebay for the remainder of the month, rather than taking them to the consignment store. Unfortunately, no one has paid me yet, and I can't count it as income until I have it in my hot little hands (or paypal account, as the case may be). So I have zero income for today. Look for a big jump in my balance tomorrow, though, as it is a plasma donation day and hopefully I will have some money coming in from ebay as well.

Challenge Totals:
Today: $0/18.55 = (18.55)
Total: $99.27 /166.95 = (67.68)

P.S. I have found 14 more books to list on half, so did accomplish the goal I set for myself yesterday. My goal for tomorrow is to list or re-list 5 items on ebay.

Half sales from the weekend - Day 8

I got the three books ordered off half over the last weekend off today, for a gain of $8.37 after commission and postage. I've been working really hard on the farm for the last couple of days, and extra money has sort of fallen by the wayside. That, and I am waiting for my ebay auctions to close to see how I come out re:ebay or consignment.

My goal for tomorrow is to find 10 more books that I can live without and list them on half. I also have one ebay auction ending in a sale tonight, so hopefully they will pay me and I can get it shipped off tomorrow.

Challenge Totals:
Today: $8.37/18.55 = (10.18)
Total: $99.27 /148.40 = (49.13)

Yale Fail

Yale University has removed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad from an upcoming book about how they caused outrage across the Muslim world, citing "a substantial likelihood of violence that might take the lives of innocent victims."

This is wrong on so many levels, I can't even start.