Tips To Try Before You Toss!

Several years ago, I bought a crock pot from a department store. I rarely used it because I rarely cooked and the lid latch was very annoying and unhandy. One time I had made Hormel chili dip in the crock, and the plastic part of the lid cracked releasing the two tiny metal pins that were holding it in place. I had a ton of dip in that crock and didn't want to toss it, so I spooned through all of it to find the two tiny pins. For the next year and a half, that crock took up space in our garage with all the little parts in a zip lock bag just waiting for a solution. The crock pot was several years old, I didn't have the receipt, and I didn't figure there was much hope for it. When we moved, Greg asked if there was a need to keep it. I told him to pitch it because I couldn't use it without a lid, and it was just taking up space. He leaned toward hanging onto it, so I inspected the bottom and found an 800 number. After spending just a couple of minutes on the phone with a very nice CSR, she informed me that a new lid was on its way. All I had to give her was the model #.  A week later, I have a new lid and it didn't cost me more than 2 minutes to make the phone call.

Back in 2001, my parents helped me purchase a digital piano. They had previously loaned me their upright, but with moving and wanting to use the piano at different venues, a lighter weight digital seemed like a good solution. The Clavinova has served me well for these 11 years, but a couple of years ago (about the time the kids started practicing on it) it started to develop some sticky keys. I figured it was because of the extra wear and tear. After awhile, it became frustrating to try to play, and having to practice for weddings with sticky keys was no fun. I checked with a guy from church who knows quite a bit about electronics, and keyboards in particular, and he didn't seem to think there was much hope for it. I knew it wasn't something that I wanted to spend hundreds of dollars on, since the whole piece only cost $2,000 eleven years ago. I called our local Clavinova dealer, and the owner informed me that Clavinova had done a keyboard recall because of faulty keys and that my model might be eligible. Within just a couple of days, he and another employee came out and removed my old keyboard and installed another from the factory. After he put it all back together, he began to play it and noticed some squeakiness in the pedals some excess stress noise, so he and the other guy flipped it over and tightened all of the bolts for me.  Works like a charm now!  And all for a $100 trip/labor charge. 

If you have something that isn't working quite right or has broken without abuse, check the product or the internet for a phone number and call the service dept.  I can't guarantee it will always work in your favor, but these two items made it well worth it for me to do a little checking!

Turning House Into Home

After almost two weeks in our new home, this was the extent of my decor. :-)

And it was up because we really needed a safe place for the keys, wallet, etc., in the chaos of unpacking. I don't know about you, but for me decorating is purposeful. And sometimes it's downright confusing.

When we remodeled our first home, it had a very country flavor, and I purchased new decor and curtains for almost every room of the house. I never was crazy about how the master bedroom turned out (it never felt finished), but the rest of the house fit together so well. Then we moved from the cape cod back to a ranch. Knowing that most of the window treatments wouldn't work in the ranch, we sold them with the house. The ranch didn't have the country feel of the cape cod, so I leaned a little more with my primitive preference, and after 6 years it felt comfortable. I wasn't crazy about every detail, but the family liked it.

Now here we are again: back to the cape cod feel, which I love. Our family agrees that this house is so much more cozy than the ranch, and it's my job to accent and enhance its coziness and beauty with minimal expense. Fortunately, the decor from the ranch will work much better in this style of house, but proper placement is important. Many of the walls are plaster, meaning there isn't much room for trial and error. I really want to get this done so that I can feel more confident when having guests, but I know that staring at the walls won't give them the motivation to dress themselves.  :-)

Sometimes I just have to clear my head and bring myself back to the basics of decorating our home.  And there are a few key things that I have to remember:

• From the blog of a friend, decorate for us, not for others.  Unless my decor would be offensive or uncomfortable for guests, I should go for what we like.  In these days of blogs and Pinterest, it can be so easy to decorate to impress others when our real goal should be to provide an environment that feels comfortable to our family.
• Avoid clutter.  I'm not big on knick-knacks (which often end up looking like clutter), but I have to be careful because primitive decorators love to sell them, and although they are very enticing to me in the boutiques, I don't have time to dust and arrange stuff.  And our family prefers the look of less.  Sort of helps one to breathe better.  :-)
• Functionality is key.  How many times have I arranged and rearranged in my mind, simply because I want the spaces in my home to be functional.  After living in a place for just a few days, one can see placements that make things more difficult.  So we move them, and then we spend another week getting used to where things are now.  :-)  Balancing visual appeal with functionality isn't always easy, but it's worth the effort.
• Incorporate sentimental pieces into decor.  This is something I have done minimally, but would like to do more.  When we remodeled the first house, we had the windows replaced.  I kept one of the old windows to use as decor, and whenever I see it I'm reminded of not only the work that we accomplished together, but of the really great times that we had when we lived in that home.  I have several keepsakes that I would like to weave into displays, and I'm anxious to see how that turns out. 

The atmosphere in our homes is created by a combination of aesthetics and values, but overall, there are several characteristics that I want my home to generate:

• Wholesome purity
• Calm
• Warmth
• Welcome

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Buying/Selling Good Used Kids Clothes

(logo from corporate website)

OUAC is a chain used clothing store, which also offers a small variety of new items.  They are a franchise store, and have locations in multiple cities and towns. 
One of the biggest complaints from people who are used to shopping garage sales and thrift stores is that OUAC is overpriced, and for many items I feel they are, as well.  Some things to keep in mind when buying from OUAC:

• Tops will usually run from $2.99 to $4.99, depending on name brand.  Bottoms are about the same.  I paid $8 for a Tommy H. denim dress for Allison that was used but adorable, modest, and in excellent condition. 
• Skirts of a modest length can many times be found at OUAC.  They are worth more to me because they are difficult to find. Since I don't sew, I have no difficulty paying $4.99 for a skirt that we can feel good about.  I recently paid $3.99 for a dressy CATO skirt at OUAC that still had tags on it.  I know that Cato clearances out little girls skirts quite often, but the chances of me finding that skirt for that price are too slim.
• OUAC sells about everything related to baby.  You can probably get things off Craigslist or at garage sales a little cheaper, but if you need something in a pinch, you can count on this store to have it.
• They often have "bag sales" and "discount days" which they advertise through email if you are on their list.  They also have a stamp card which can be used for discounts.
• Even though they are a higher end used clothing store, now and then you may find a spot on an item.  I have never asked for a price reduction (I don't buy stained items), but they may do that.

Things to remember when selling to OUAC:

• It is important to call your store before you take in items.  Not all stores accept all seasons and sizes at all times.  They become especially overrun with infant and toddler items.  Just check to be safe, especially if you are driving a distance.
• This store would buy a name brand item that has some wear (not stains or holes) before they would take a Walmart item that looked much newer.  Name brands are not a big deal to me, but they are to OUAC!  I tend to buy clearance name brands now because I know they provide a bigger return and many times cost me less to start with!  They seem to especially like Osh Kosh (best success for me), Old Navy, Gymboree, Gap, and some Children's Place.  Carter's does ok, too.  They readily took all of my Laura Ashley toddler dresses, which I had found at Value City for almost nothing.
• OUAC does not wash or iron any items.  They must arrive ready to sell.  They hold each piece under a light and inspect for flaws, stains, tears, etc.  If there is a stain, they might rub a Shout stick on it to see if it will come out, but for the most part, they will not accept anything that isn't shelf ready.
• OUAC will not accept outdated items.  If something has a history of not selling well for them, the won't accept.  If they don't accept something, they will give you a reason.  Usually they either already have too many, the item has a defect, or the item has not been a good seller.  I took them a ton of maternity clothes that were name brand and were in excellent condition, and they only accepted about three pieces.  The styles were a problem.  In my circles, the styles were fine, but I'm assuming that this generation of pregnant women prefer tigher, more form-fitting maternity clothes.  Anyway, that is something to consider.
• Clothes should be folded and in boxes or totes, not bags.  They don't like bags.  :)
• OUAC pays cash on the spot, or gives a slight increase if you will take store credit. I have not done store credit because I do not have a local store, and I do not purchase frequently.

My routine these days is to keep a tote strictly for OUAC clothes.  As the kids outgrow things, I sort them either into a Goodwill bag or the tote.  If they brand is right and it is in good shape, it hits the tote.  When the tote is full (or when I'm headed to a city with OUAC), I take it along, drop it off, and come back for my cash and leftovers within a few minutes or sometimes as long as a couple of hours, depending on how many people are in front of me. 
What do you do with unused or outgrown clothing?  I'd like to hear from you!
***I visited the Greenwood, IN OUAC store a couple of nights ago.  It is much bigger than any other location I have been in, and I was able to snag a two skirts that I'm excited about.  Until you've had to buy for a girl with long legs and a tiny waist, it's difficult to appreciate this!

Cherokee Khaki - $3.50

Old Navy Denim - $4.50

(back)

Their 70% off sale is in progress, and we were able to get a couple of extra things dirt cheap. I was a little disappointed, though.  I called ahead and asked if they were accepting all items, and they said yes.  I took my tote, and they only purchased a few items.  They paid me $13.50, which was good for what they took.  I'm going to go back through the items I have left to determine why the weren't purchased, then I will take them to the Findlay, OH or Ft. Wayne, IN store next time I am in one of those areas. 

Happy Friday!

What to do with the 'undies'?

For the last 11 years, clothing storage has been a huge frustration to me. I don't mean the 'hijack your life and push you toward the brink of suicide' type of frustration, but a complete annoyance, nonetheless. After Baby #1, I saved everything that wasn't Similac/poo poo stained, and stored it in a spare room (we had three spare rooms at the time...wow). Fortunately, it was easily reachable, since Baby #2 came 14 months later and was also a boy. They were both born in winter, many clothes were able to be used again. As Baby #2 outgrew, the clothes were placed back into the tubs.
Then we moved, and once again I had a great storage area...a huge walk-in attic (not the kind you have to bend in half to walk into) right off of our bedroom. It was perfect.
Baby #3 came along in the spring, and she preferred pink to blue and was completely pint-sized, so only a few of the unisex newborn items were used. Since this little gal was the first daughter and the first granddaughter on the maternal side, she was given a wardrobe fit for a princess. As she outgrew them, her clothes were also transferred to the attic.
And we moved. House #4 (if you count the apt in which we lived for the 1st 9 months of marriage) is equipped with an overhead attic that is very narrow, and a shed at the edge of the backyard. Closet space is abundant, but out-of-the-way storage is a little more limited.
As we began to contemplate whether or not we would add #4 to the family, I began to get pretty edgy about all the kid stuff that had accumulated, but didn't feel that I could let go until I knew for sure what the future would hold.
Baby #4 came through liking pink, as well, and that was my cue.  Let the purge begin! 
I decided to have a garage sale (my husband will cringe if he as much as reads those words!), and pulled out stacks and stacks of clothes.  After the huge effort to match, price, and execute the sale, I was pretty disappointed.  Over the next couple of years, we had garage sales a couple of places, and I would pull out the piles again and again, getting rid of a lot, but still having way too much left. 
I felt like I needed to get some money from the clothes (as opposed to dumping them at Goodwill) since I was constantly needing to update wardrobes with bigger sizes.  Any little $ would help, right?  But the hassle just wasn't worth the meager amount we would take in. 
So, I began passing everything off to other kids in the church who would be able to use them.  Bags and bags of nice clothes.  At one point I was starting to think that it might be overwhelming for the mom who was the biggest beneficiary so, knowing that she has a small house, I asked if she wanted more or if she was maxed.  She indicated the latter, so I was back to square one.  I didn't like the idea of consignment with the waiting for payment, etc.  I sold lots of little girls dresses on Craigslist, advertising them together in sizes.  That seemed to be easy enough, but still a little complicated with meeting people, etc. 
Finally, I decided to sell to Once Upon A Child.  I was pretty amazed.  I had purchased items there, but never sold to them.  It has taken me a bit to get the hang of it, but I seem to do better each time.  People are always interested in hearing about how to sell to them, and I will do a post on it later in the week.  It's not rocket science, but I have found a few tricks in being successful with this company.
My real question is, what is the best thing to do with good, used underwear?  There are close to 20 pair of boys size M sitting on my dryer...waiting for their fate.  I have almost pitched them, but every time I get close I think about kids who have nothing and it makes me feel terrible!  Does Goodwill sell used undies?  I'm quite sure OUAC does not accept them.  Is it gross?  Should I throw them away?  Is there another alternative?  I don't want to have nightmares about underclothed children because of a bad decision.  :-)