We recently moved clear across the country from Pasadena, California to Bethesda, Maryland and it was a huge pain in the arse. But Craigslist, sweet Craigslist, made things much easier on both ends of the journey.
While working with a national moving company, we learned that shipping things across the country is priced based on weight—so the less stuff you have to haul, the cheaper your moving bill will be. Well, enter Craigslist. We sold or gave away everything from strollers to ski boots. Then when we arrived on the other side, we realized that we didn’t have enough storage space for things like china, barware and wine glasses.
Back to Craigslist!
Through this incredible online free-for-all, we have gotten just about everything we need to live our new lives, at a fraction of the cost it would have been to buy new. Plus we’ve met some pretty cool people along the way.
Think about all the times you’ve scored great deals on Craigslist—or sold items you no longer need. And join me in reciting this long-overdue Ode to Craigslist.
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Ode to Craigslist
Craigslist, I love you. Here’s why it’s so:
You help me buy furniture while saving dough.
But beyond furniture, plenty of stuff:
Like tickets and bikes and weights to stay buff.
In addition to buying, I’ve sold things there too,
A table, a blender, a stroller that’s blue.
After our move, boxes everywhere!
Posted “Free!” on Craigslist, 30 people were there.
Now that we’re here, we need two more things.
Each day we check Craigslist to see what it brings.
It just survived SOPA, to that I say “Whew!”
Without my sweet Craigslist, don’t know what I’d do.
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So there you have it.
Remember, if you need something, check Craigslist before you buy retail. You just might save some serious cash.
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We recently moved clear across the country from Pasadena, California to Bethesda, Maryland and it was a huge pain in the arse. But Craigslist, sweet Craigslist, made things much easier on both ends of the journey.
While working with a national moving company, we learned that shipping things across the country is priced based on weight—so the less stuff you have to haul, the cheaper your moving bill will be.
Enter Craigslist. We sold or gave away everything from strollers to ski boots. Then when we arrived on the other side, we realized that we didn’t have enough storage space for things like china, barware and wine glasses.
Back to Craigslist!
Through this incredible online free-for-all, we have gotten just about everything we need to live our new lives, at a fraction of the cost it would have been to buy new. Plus we’ve met some pretty cool people along the way.
Think about all the times you’ve scored great deals on Craigslist—or sold items you no longer need. And join me in reciting this long-overdue Ode to Craigslist.
***************************
Ode to Craigslist
Craigslist, I love you. Here’s why it’s so:
You help me buy furniture while saving dough.
But beyond furniture, plenty of stuff:
Like tickets and bikes and weights to stay buff.
In addition to buying, I’ve sold things there too,
A table, a blender, a stroller that’s blue.
After our move, boxes everywhere!
Posted “Free!” on Craigslist, 30 people were there.
Now that we’re here, we need two more things.
Each day we check Craigslist to see what it brings.
It just survived SOPA, to that I say “Whew!”
Without my sweet Craigslist, don’t know what I’d do.
*****************
So there you have it.
Remember, if you need something, check Craigslist before you buy retail. You just might save some serious cash.
Like what you've read? We pack some of our best insider know-how and savviest strategies into our free weekly emails. Subscribe today and let us help you live a healthy, happy financial life.
I bought a puffy down coat, some mittens, a lined purple rain coat, a down vest with a fake fur collar, and two new sweaters. And don’t get me started on all the stuff I bought for the kids… Yikes. A coat for each, hats, fleece jackets, a scarf, waffle shirts and a pair of snow boots, just to name a few.
What the schnark happened, you ask?
Three things.
1. We sold our house in Pasadena, California and moved clear across the country, to the Washington, D.C. area.
2. We are living in a temporary rental house and 97% of our belongings are in storage back in So-Cal, until we find a more permanent home.
3. Winter is coming. Actual winter, not Pasadena “winter-in-quotation-marks” winter.
Being long-time residents of Southern California, we were not equipped for the aforementioned actual winter, and so a-shopping I went! While it was pretty fun to shop again, I have to admit that the past year has changed me as a consumer.
Here’s how, and here’s why I would recommend this year-long challenge to a friend:
I am much pickier about what I buy, and find it easier to walk away from tempting merchandise.
I’ve learned that when I do walk away from purchases (including things online, by closing the browser), it’s easier to forget them later.
When there is something that I walk away from but don’t forget, I realize it was probably something I really did need or want—and that has only happened once all year. Once. Think about that!
I find it more difficult to spend money on anything, even those things that were not part of the challenge. They really have to pass muster, which has saved our family even more money.
Now that I’m shopping again, I tire of it more quickly.
The great part of all of these things is that they ultimately save money for our family and make me feel less gripped by consumerism. Seems like a great way to start our new adventure in an exciting and beautiful part of the country. Lucky for us, many of the kid-friendly activities here in the Washington, D.C. area, (like all the great museums and monuments on the National Mall) are free, which adds even more fun to our new frugality.
We will certainly miss our friends and all the fun we had back in California, but we look forward to making new friends and new memories here in D.C. So here’s to the end of the No New Clothes in 2011 Challenge: a sometimes difficult, but a financially and emotionally worthwhile challenge. It’s the end of one adventure and the start of a new one!
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My birthday was July 7th and let me tell you, it was wonderful!
My husband and his parents took pity on me and both gave me generous gift cards at clothing stores where they know I love to shop.
And both insisted that I break my “No New Clothes Challenge” and freshen up my wardrobe immediately as part of the “special occasion” rule, which I thought was a bit of a stretch, but, hey, twist my arm!
Plus to be honest, I think my husband is a tad embarrassed by this whole thing. And this is a man who is willing to wear non-hats as hats in public, just to make his family laugh.
Because I have not shopped for clothes in so long, the experience of shopping and the new clothes themselves continue to buoy my spirits, even now.
Now that it’s late August and I’m settled nicely back into the rhythm of the challenge, I don’t feel much of an urge to shop or really even to thumb through catalogs the way I used to. It’s crazy. Not shopping for clothes for myself seems very normal now that it has been eight months. The clothes I bought in early July all still seem so new to me, whereas last year, something I bought would seem old within a week or two and the shopping experience would wear off immediately.
On a separate note, but perhaps somehow related, we are now deep in the process of wrapping up our lives in Pasadena, California and moving across the country to relocate to the Washington, D.C. area. It is thrilling (I love change) but sad at the same time. We will miss our LA-based friends so much. So I wonder how much of my lack of need to shop also has to do with my depth of focus on our move.
Who knows?
Stay tuned for an update from the East Coast and whether the change in scenery and season has an effect on my mood to shop.
After all, the fall is beautiful back east and the leaves will be, well, fallin’...
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That’s me up there in the picture, with my NEW SHOES THAT I WON ON TWITTER!!!!
Let me explain how it all went down…
I really, really dig the folks over at JaneNation because they have fun, engaging content that is relevant to women. So I “retweet” their “tweets” on Twitter, which is the human thing to do, if you like and respect someone’s work out in the, ahem, Twittersphere. I know. Stay with me if you are not a Twitter person. It is not all this nauseating. What I have said is simply that I I repeat what they have said to my audience of followers.
I also like to enter their contests because they are fun.
They had a contest where you could enter to win a new pair of “Claire Driver” shoes by Johnston and Murphy. Well, I didn’t even know that Johnston and Murphy made shoes for women, but since the contest entry form was so dang cute, I entered.
Days and weeks went by, and I went on my merry way and completely forgot about the contest.
Then I got this email with the title “Claire Driver Shoes” in the subject line.
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Wendy-
We heard the news that you are the big Jane Nation Claire Driver Winner! Congratulations!!! We want to get you your new shoes as quickly as possible. Here is the link for you to get a closer look:
Please let us know what size you would need, color and a mailing address you would like them sent.
We have been having very positive feedback on the comfort and great style of these shoes. Hope you enjoy them!
Thanks for participating in Jane Nation’s Promotion.
*********************************************************
What the whaaaaaaatt?!??!!
Since I work at home and my husband does too, he was the only person I could scream to about this. Unfortunately, men do not quite “get” shoes as much as women do, but he did enjoy watching me dance around the basement office to celebrate. I then camped out on the front porch, waiting for them to arrive. (Hence the photo taken on the porch)
So what’s the take-away in all this?
You never know what is out there for you on Twitter. Sure, the shoes were an incredibly lucky win for me, but getting to know the team at JaneNation, the @in_your_shoes team who handled the promotion and the folks at Johnston and Murphy who took such great care of me throughout the fulfillment of the shoe delivery, was a fantastic experience from start to finish.
And who knows where else it may lead?
Especially now that I’m wearing such comfortable and impressive shoes!
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No New Clothes in 2011 Challenge: Whew, that was close!
By Wendy Mihm | Wednesday June 22, 2011
Halfway, baby!! Halfway.
I almost cracked and gave in again, just a little over a month after my last slip-up, which happened right before Mother’s Day.
Here’s how it went down…
I was doing some routine shopping at Target, but was not at my usual Target location. I had to drop off a load of stuff at Goodwill, so I was in another part of town. Maybe it was the different store layout that made the whole experience seem more exciting than my usual semi-weekly Target trip, and therefore much more tempting…
I made an unusual detour into the women’s clothing section and found a neatly-merchandised stack of cap-sleeved t-shirts with what appeared to be ink-stamped polka dots in faded colors. One was off-white with pale green polka dots that I thought looked fun and summery.
I picked up the shirt. The cut looked flattering. The cap sleeves were definitely cute. $10.00. Hmmm. A tad pricey for Target, but decent for such a pretty summer top… and the fabric seemed to be a nice quality too.
The next thing I knew, I was holding that sweet little summer number up to my chest to see how it might fit. Not bad. I thought about my “No New Clothes” challenge and how well I’d done so far. “What’s one little $10 t-shirt? I deserve a reward for doing so well for 6 months!” I rationalized.
Sooner than you can say “Pathetic Excuse” that thing was in my cart, and I was off to the grocery section.
As my shopping list got checked off, I began to feel more and more lame. And the shirt began to look less and less cute.
I must have picked that thing up no fewer than eleven times between the bananas and the toddler toothpaste.
And by the time I reached the checkout line, I felt so guilty about that $10 t-shirt that I practically thrust it at the poor, confused woman at the register and said “Here! I definitely don’t need this!”
Halfway, baby. Halfway.
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It’s May, I’m more than 5 months into my “No New Clothes in 2011 Challenge” and, to quote my 2-year old son,
“I don’t like it!”
Maybe I was just Cukoo for Cocoa Puffs when I took this challenge back in January, but for some reason, I didn’t think it was going to be that hard. Well, now it’s getting hard.
The tops were for Mother’s Day. Aahh, but why did I buy two?
Because I could not decide.
Talk about a break down!
But let me at least attempt to explain myself.
My husband takes the kids and me out to a very special lunch for Mother’s Day each year. We make an afternoon of it. We take a lot of pictures. I wanted to look and feel fantastic.
But the truth is, I did have something in my closet that I could have worn.
So yes, people: I BROKE MY STREAK!
But that does not mean the No New Clothes For a Year Challenge is over!
No siree!
I am getting right back on my horse and will ride again.
The point was and continues to be saving money to buy our next house, and two cute tops will not stop me from helping our family reach that goal!
So here we go again. Stay with me as I re-group, re-motivate and try to get through the next 7 months (SEVEN MONTHS?!) without buying any more new clothes…
(gulp!)
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I know this is not technically a finance topic, but I am going to make it into one because I am just so mad about this.
SAVE YOUR MONEY. BOYCOTT ABERCROMBE AND FITCH. There. Now it is a finance topic.
Abercrombie and Fitch used to be just another over-priced retailer that was really good at playing on the insecurities of tweens, teens and 20-somethings who were willing to pay a premium to feel like part of the in crowd. But now they have vaulted over the line of serious bad judgment into outright promotion of sexual predation.
They are marketing padded, push-up bikinis to little girls as young as 8 years old. Let me say this again:
They are marketing padded, push-up bikinis to little girls as young as 8 YEARS OLD.
Here’s a video so you can have a look at the actual bikini tops:
Now before anyone without a brain in his head waves this off and says “Relax, it’s just a swimsuit,” let’s examine what’s really going on here. This marketing campaign is opening the door to all of the following:
The idea that the little girl (who was probably sleeping in a crib just 5 or 6 years ago) is a sexual creature.
The notion that the little girl’s body is not acceptable the way it is—it needs to be augmented.
The possibility that a sexual predator or otherwise creepy man or older male will take notice of her.
The concept that childhood is something to be rushed through so she can get to adulthood, which must be much better.
The idea the little girl should be sexy by now.
All of these ideas make me physically ill. All of these things are wrong—you know it and I know it. For better or for worse, Abercrombie and Fitch is a leading retailer, which means that if this concept succeeds, other retailers will copy it, and our daughters will continue to be sexualized at a younger and younger age. They will continued to be robbed of their childhoods.
Don’t take this lightly, fellow Mamas! You are in charge. Step up!
Save your money—boycott Abercrombie and Fitch, at least until they stop selling these horrible, awful, dangerous padded bikini tops to our precious little girls.
For more on this topic, here’s a link to an excellent article in The Washington Times (it’s where I found the video). You’ll see that I’m not the only Mama out there who is really angry about this.
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Well, it has been almost 3 full months now, and I have not bought a single stitch of new clothing in all of 2011!
But I have to tell you, it is getting difficult.
My sweater rotation is a little tired. My boots have done their walkin’. I’m looking forward to the warmer weather so I can start pulling out my short sleeves and tank shirts. However, I’m a bit worried that I’ll grow tired of these really quickly. You see, usually I refresh them with a smattering of new Ts and tanks throughout the season, since it stays so hot for so long here in Pasadena. Now I’m wondering how I’m going to pull it off this year without that mid-season zap. Hmmm…
I’ll have to get creative by layering and combining them in fun new ways with different skirts and pants and, gasp, shorts! Maybe I’ll pull in a friend to take a look at what I have to see if she can pull my things together in fresh new combinations that I hadn’t considered before. But rather than focus on my neuroticism, let’s look at the good news.
In January, my Amex bill, which is the bill we put all of our regular household expenses on, including anything I would buy for myself and the kids, was almost $300 lower than it normally would be.
In February it was about $350 lower
That means in just two months, I have saved our family $650, simply by not buying any clothes for myself and by strictly limiting the clothes I buy for the kids to the absolute necessities. $650, people.
I have also opened an Orange Savings Account with ING Direct and transferred this money, along with a large chunk of money that was just sitting in our regular savings account, earning virtually no interest. We are trying to save for a house and now that money will be earning at least some interest (1%) instead of just sitting there as if it were just stuffed under a mattress, doing nothing.
Yes, it is very difficult at times to simply walk past tempting displays of beautiful clothes. But here are some tricks I’ve found to make it easier.
Limit my exposure to temptation by not putting myself in these situations in the first place. Avoid the mall!
When tempting catalogs arrive, recycle them immediately.
If I find myself in a tempting situation, because it’s impossible to avoid them entirely, remember, which do I want more: another pair of pants in my closet, or a new house?
There’s still plenty of 2011 to go… Care to join me in the No New Clothes for A Year Challenge?
What would you do with all the money you save?
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Save Money: Join My “No New Clothes For A Year Challenge!”
By Wendy Mihm | Saturday January 29, 2011
Yes, you read that right. I’m challenging myself to not by a single stitch of new clothing for myself in the year 2011.
I’m calling it the “No New Clothes for a Year Challenge!”
One of our core beliefs here at FinancialRx is that an occasional splurge is imperative, healthy and fun. Without it, we can develop pent up demand, which can build up like water behind a dam, which can then burst forth uncontrollably, resulting in a dangerous, out-of-control spending spree.
To avoid this, I’ve built some rules into the challenge. Here they are.
No New Clothes For a Year Challenge Rules
Reasonable clothing purchases for children are allowed. Children are growing, they need clothes, and buying them is just as much fun—often even more fun—than buying them for yourself.
Reasonable shoe purchases are allowed. The definition of “reasonable” extends to the replacement of current shoes that have worn out, such as running shoes, or sensible shoes that are used over and over again that have begun to really show their age (i.e. become embarrassing).
Occasional accessory purchases are allowed. “Occasional” is defined either as every other month, or for a special occasion, such as to attend a wedding, fundraiser, or holiday event.
Clothing purchases may be made only for the following occasions: a wedding, funeral, or business-related event or special occasion comes up and I really, really have nothing appropriate in my closet that fits properly.
It is January 29th as I announce this publicly, and I am proud to say that I have already had 29 days of success. So far. We’ll see how I’m doing come March, July and October. And executing this successfully has already taken practice and discipline.
What has been strange, however, is that I have not had to talk myself out of buying any particular item that I wanted really badly. It has been more subtle than that. It has felt more like I’ve had to get myself out of the habit of buying—like I’ve had to just say to myself “Oh yeah, I can’t buy that anymore” and then just walk away.
But do you know what? I can’t remember a single thing I didn’t buy.
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The last one I had, I retired because it had that weird, plastic-y, cheap-leather-that-did-not-age-well look. It was about 8 years old and it was time for it to go anyway.
Since then, I have looked every season to find a new one, to no avail. They were all either too expensive or too cheap looking or too 18-year-oldish or too Harley-Davidson-ish.
But then the September 2010 Nordstrom catalog arrived and this gorgeous thing practically jumped off the page and hollered my name!
The price was just about what I had planned to spend, too. Ok, maybe a little more. So I tossed some fish crackers into baggies, my kids into the car and headed for a very rare excursion to Nordstrom. When I touched the leather, it was like butta, I tell you, BUTTA! I figured that I wear a leather jacket so often, and for so many years, that it was worth the expense. With a 4-year old and a toddler in tow, I had no time for deliberation…
The verdict? SPLURGE!
What do you think? Did I do the right thing?
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Comments for
Ode to Craigslist
Ode to Craigslist
No New Clothes in 2011 Challenge: November Update
No New Clothes in 2011 Challenge: August Update
I Won New Shoes on Twitter!
No New Clothes in 2011 Challenge: Whew, that was close!
No New Clothes in 2011 Challenge: May Update
Boycott Abercrombie and Fitch
Update: No New Clothes in 2011 Challenge
Save Money: Join My “No New Clothes For A Year Challenge!”
I Splurged on a Leather Jacket!
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