October 2014 goals
Hooray for crisp air, babbling brooks, pink sneakers, everyday adventures, and the month of October!
September goal recap:
Sort pile in small bedroom
Weekly tennis dates with John in addition to our monthly couples tennis dates
Edit and sort photos from Natalie + Joe’s wedding weekend, Maine, and family Christmas card shoot
Open an account at my local consignment shop and bring in items to sell
Write at least 8 blog posts this month
Yeah!! Feeling pretty good about my progress last month! The only thing I did not check off was selling my clothes at a consignment shop. I actually tried – I rounded them up and took them in – but they said they weren’t currently accepting items and to call back in three weeks. Harrumph. I only have about five items to sell, and I’m wondering if I should continue to pursue the consignment route… or perhaps I should try to sell them on instagram? Or post them on the lightly-used EFM Facebook page? Happy to hear any thoughts or advice from friends who have successfully sold clothes recently.
On to October goals!
— Finally paint our front door now that the weather is cooler!
— Make sure my voter registration is correct after our move last year
— Dust/spot clean the inside of my car
Aaaand… that’s it!
Well, not exactly – I’m also planning to check off many of my fall to dos this month, including but not limited to picking apples, hosting a pumpkin carving night, handing out candy to trick or treaters, cheering under the Friday night lights, making pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and frequenting the NC State Fair. On top of that, I’m traveling to New York/New England twice, and welcoming house guests one of the other remaining weekends. It’s going to be a great month! :)
If you’ve posted October goals, I’d love to take a peek – leave a note in the comments!
P.S. The Caitlin Wilson Designs giveaway is open until Friday!
You should see if there are any popular fb trading pages in your area. There are TONS in Houston. There is one in my part of town with 10k members. The idea of doing it by area allows you to have someone pick up from your house or meet at a close coffee shop so you do not have to fuss with shipping. This weekend I sold a picture frame from anthro (just no longer went with my decor) and wireless keyboard for my iPad (3 years old and lightly used) for $45. Way more than I would have gotten from consignment! Kind of a joke now among all my friends (“well, just sell it on MAT”) I bought a fabulous antique Chippendale china cabinet on the page for about $400 when all the comparable ones I had seen in antique shops were $2000+.
I’d like to go apple picking, pumpkin patch exploring and hiking with my mister and our pup this month. This will be our second Midwestern fall so I’m looking forward to embracing the quick fall temperatures and the changing leaves.
I’m sad I won’t be home for the N.C. State Fair this year but I may be making a sneaky trip home to surprise my niece for Halloween…fingers crossed :)
Hi! I worked at a consignment shop for a long time and I can tell you that if they’re the kind of place that tells you to come back in three weeks, chances are they probably will next time, too. Consignment stores just get so inundated! The money of consigning is better than other methods, but less convenient. I recently had some good luck selling clothes on Twice (liketwice.com/A05jt). You don’t make as much selling, but for my first time they gave me like a $16 ‘thank you credit’ or something so I was able to buy a new to me dress from them for free. It’s also super easy which is great.
Thanks, friends!! Triangle peeps, if you know of any FB groups in our area, comment away!
I can’t wait to see what color you decide to paint your front door… and the NC State Fair is awesome! I also plan on crossing plenty of fun things off of my Fall to-do list this month. October is the greatest! My goals for the new month are here: http://stephseekingjoy.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/october-goals/
Hey Emily!
I think your town has a “Buy, Sell, Trade” Facebook group. I typed your town into the search field and the page came up immediately. I’m a member of the Wake Forest BST group and people sell clothes on it all of the time. You create your own price, bargain with people, and you can give instructions on the person to pick it up at your house or elsewhere- exactly what Jennifer was describing in Houston.
Second- when are you going to New York? We’ll be there the second weekend of October. Hoping to see you guys soon!
Hi Emily,
I love your blog and really admire you as a person, but I have to ask, why don’t you donate your clothes.
It always rubs me the wrong way when I see instagram sales and people trying to make a few dollars when these clothes could go to some one in need. I know there are so many options for donations that help many different groups and people.
I am sure the money adds up and helps your financial plan goals, which is another aspect of your blog I truly enjoy, I just don’t understand the thought process behind it. Would be willing to share? If not, I understand.
I really do not mean to be mean, but I just thought I’d share my 2 cents.
Hi Anonymous! I welcome your question and don’t think it’s mean at all! I actually do donate most of the clothes I’m looking to get rid of, normally to Goodwill. The 5 items I’m referencing in this post are expensive and “designer,” so I’m looking to recoup some of the cost – which, as you noted, is one way we keep our overall household budget in check! Also, we choose to do most of our charitable giving monetarily instead of in-kind, because my economist husband believes it’s more efficient :) Again, I REALLY appreciate your question and the heart behind it! Thanks for reading and your kind words!
Good luck with your goals this month, you’ve now made me want to start playing tennis again!
I want to go apple picking this month too!
Question for you- Do you do anything special when welcoming house guests? Maybe a plate of cookies or a specific welcome basket? Just trying to get ideas for making guests feel welcome in our home.
Have you heard of Tradesy? It’s an online consignment store– but you set the price and ship the item yourself, which is nice because you can control how much you receive for the item. It’s much easier than Ebay, and only for clothes/shoes/accessories. There’s an app for you phone that makes the entire process extremely easy. I’ve sold a number of items through it.
This photo is FUN! I need to post a bunch of stuff on IG/Ebay/Craigslist to get rid of it and earn a little extra holiday cash!
I also put my main October goals in a blog post yesterday: http://www.isleofviewblog.com/2014/10/zero-quiet.html
Love the door painting goal! That’s like the most important part of the entire outside of your house, I think. :) Here are my October goals! I can’t believe it’s already halfway through the month…I’ve gotta get going! Hugs, Diana :) http://creatingrealjoy.com/2014/10/october-goals/