Sawyers-Specialties Blog

Yesterday, we headed out to the York Fairgrounds for one of those Merchandise closeout type sales they hold in expo centers everywhere. We’d tried this once before and weren’t too impressed with what we saw, but it had been a few years and we decided to try again. The admission was $6 per adult (free for kids 12 and under) so our grand total was $12 to get in. Of course, the advertisements promised $99 TV’s, $5 Levi jeans, and all kinds of other incentives to show up. The first thing in the door, there were signs everywhere saying that the jeans price was a misprint and there were no HDTV’s or anything else worth showing up for basically. This show was about half the size of the last one we attended and no real bargains that I could see. Clothes were still do expensive (we’d have done better at the outlet malls nearby), computers were along the historical reference book category (most were slower than my oldest computer which is 6 years old). Very disappointing, total waste of $12 and to be honest, someone should sue them for false advertising. We tried it twice… not doing it again.

 Some good did come of our excursion though. We stopped by Value City on our way home. This is not a store that would be anywhere in our normal commute. There we found quite a few clothes on discount, 40% off in most cases. My daughter has been outgrowing her pants, in height not waist. We were able to find her quite a few pair of pants, many with matching belts that were only 5.99 - 7.99 after the discounts. I spent $102 dollars on a bag full of pants and a few shirts for me. There are a lot of children’s clothes posted on Freecycle, and it’s very easy to get rid of things there, but there’s a lot of competition to receive clothes, so I normally don’t even try. My daughter gets a lot of hand-me-downs from friends which she loves, but somehow, we ended up with a lot of size 6 pants which are all getting too short, she too small for the next full size up, so strangely enough, we’re finding a lot of size 5/6 and 6x that find her (beats me how a child can be too tall for a 6 but the 5/6’s are longer, it may just be manufacturer or just the style these days with the bootcuts and such).

One more stop at Ollies rounded out the day. I got a great book on making storage shelves and cabinets for only 4.99. I’m pre-planning making over my son’s old bedroom into an office after he graduates from college. I’m hoping to do a great “Trading Spaces” type makeover on a tight budget. After watching what they do to create storage, I  think just about anyone with some self-confidence and the right tools can be pretty inventive on their own. I LOVE to watch TLC’s Flip This House and Property Ladder. It’s really opening my eyes to what can be done with the space I already have. Sometimes, you just have to allow yourself to experiment and realize anything you don’t like, you can always paint over later

I admit it. I need a support group LOL. This weekend, I finally decided that the desk that we put upstairs 2 years ago to make room for the Christmas tree was never going to see use again. It’s been sitting in the middle of my son’s bedroom (he’s only here a few days a month) for all this time. Of course, we wrestled it down the stairs and out the door with the idea that we’d put a free sign on it and let it find it’s way to someone else’s home, only to realize it was raining lightly and chances were good it would be ruined before rescued, so we trudged around the side of the house to the porch and called on the local Freecycle group to the rescue. Thank goodness, within the hour it was gone to a new home with someone across town.

3 bags of fabric that my mother gave me almost a year and a half ago, with the instruction to find it a new home have finally left the spot next to my bed (I have no clue why I didn’t post them sooner), also found a new home along with a scooby doo interactive book and a mismatched scooby doo pillowcase. Last week I gave away a stack of programming books that was at least 3 feet high. Haven’t cracked one of them since I was in school 5 years ago and don’t expect to ever again.

Why do we hold on to things we don’t need? It’s very frustrating to not have room for the things you really do want, but the inability to get rid of things without guilt or regret. I’m slowing trying to part with things that don’t make me happy, I can’t say I’ll ever recover from my packrat “illness”, but, I can say that I’m doing better than I was. Part of my recovery is learning to say No. For years, people were always trying to give me things I didn’t need. When I said no, they looked at me like they couldn’t believe I was turning down such a great item (whatever it may be). So, to avoid disappointing someone, I’d take it home, and put it somewhere. I recently found a baby pool float tucked behind a bunch of things on my bookshelf. I have no clue how it got there. I have half an idea where it came from, but not when. My youngest child is now 9 years old. Chances are good that this item has been in my home for at least 7 years. It’s practically brand new except that it’s not in a package of any type, so, it’s finding a new home tomorrow.

We can all use a reminder now and then: Just because it’s free, doesn’t mean it’s worth taking, and just because it’s worth money doesn’t mean it’s worth keeping.

I’m going to encourage each of you to go through a few closets and bookshelves (you may not need to go very far). Fill a bag (any size, start small if you need to with a plastic shopping bag) and donate it to charity or join a local freecycle or other gifting group and find it a new home, fill one bag with junk that broken, stained, hardened beyond use (lotions in the back of the closet are a good candidate for toxic disposal :p) and with any luck, you’ll find a few things you didn’t know you had and might enjoy. Most of us start a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, make your home part of that plan and drop a few unwanted pounds in items that are collecting dust around your home (husbands and children don’t count). Involve the kids too while you’re at it. My daughter loves handing down unwanted items to other children. Her barney tapes (which she inherited from her older brother) are slowly finding their way into other homes. I believe by the end of the week we’ll have uncovered the last of them.

If you’re looking for a support group for housework, you’re in luck, check out http://www.flylady.com and join the mailing list for weekday “missions”, a series of themed steal missions into the deep recesses of your medicine cabinets and closets. Each mission is a short adventure that even us working moms can handle if we put our minds to it. 

Unlike a tax deduction, which reduces the amount of income subject to tax, a tax credit directly reduces the amount of federal income tax you pay.