Favorites 9/14/10 + article Shabby Really is Chic

I noticed an amazing thing this weekend in my area.  As you may have recalled from my Dumpster Dilemma post, I was contemplating manually gutting without a dumpster.

Metal Old School Kitchen

Well, majority ruled in that case and dumpster it is.  Now, that doesn’t mean that I can’t start my scrap metal salvage plan a little early.  The room adjacent to the upstairs bath will have to be gutted too, as the piping to the bathroom is running along the outside walls the room next door.  This room is a second kitchen. Apparently, once upon a time, a mother and daughter lived here and didn’t get along, so each one took a floor of the house, hence the second kitchen.

I haven’t posted anything on craig’s list lately, so I figured I’d take a shot and post my 1920’s kitchen and a power washer I no longer need. I posted this little kitchen for $50. Last year I posted my entire old oak kitchen multiple times without any takers.  This year, within 10 minutes of posting, I got a farmer salivating for these cabinets to use in one of his barns. So, initially when I thought they most likely will end up as scrap metal, are now getting me $50 and 4 pumpkins.  To top it off, I got a second caller begging me to sell them to him so he could restore the 1920’s mafia house back to it’s working class glory.

The next morning, I sold my 10 year old power washer for $75.  After that I went yard saling with Babci. There were tons and tons of cars at each and every tag sale.  At this point in the season, I’m kind of burnt out from yard sales and wasn’t expected such crowds, but now it feels like the next great American past time.

Have you noticed an increase in how much money you’re getting for second hand items?  I heard the used car market is also booming.  Are people actually becoming more thrifty? I’m wondering if it’s just my imagination, or a regional thing. Please do tell.

Anyway, here are some of my favorite posts for the week. There were loads of great articles.

Frugal Dad had a wonderful guest post On the Conflict of Gift Giving.

Invest it Wisely writes about one of my favorite topics   Should I pay down my Mortgage vs Save it in an Emergency Fund. I like this article because the math works in favor of paying down your debt, which I’m always in favor of vs more risky endeavors.

Here’s a good idea if you want a lucrative career change, panhandling. What a great article on Savings Advice.com. I would have never guessed panhandling could make over $50K/year.

The industriousness of Choosing Voluntary Simplicity’s Stone Walkway is impressive. That’s my kind of project for sure.

Budgeting the Fun Stuff has an article about her Drama Queen Co-worker that made me laugh. Yeah, she’s not over reacting. If I were calling someone in customer service, I’d cringe if I knew she considered herself one of those.

Everyday Tips had a great article on 10 Tips for Buying a New Home.  It really got me thinking about the crazier things I’d do next time around, like knocking on the doors of neighbors to see what the neighborhood is really like.  I may do an article on it myself soon.

Financial Samurai had a killer week. I loved all his articles and it was tough to pick just one, but if push came to shove it would have to be this one on Government workers and the back taxes they owe.

Dinks Finance had a thought provoking article about financial freefall.  I agree with a lot of the article except the connection between being overweight and not being good with money (Hello, Oprah!)

Money Beagle honestly doesn’t feel bad for a couple who got their unemployment checks cut early.  Yup, I don’t feel bad either.

Thanks to everyone who is coming over and reading the blog. I really appreciate your visits and comments.  I think if it weren’t for the comments, my nutty schedule would have put this hobby on the back burner by now.  I may not be able to post everyday, but I’ll do my best to produce something fun to read once or twice a week.