Craigslist- Selling

My husband has a couple things up on Craigslist for sale right now, so I was inspired to write a post about selling on Craigslist. I'm sure it will be followed soon by a post on all of the great finds we have gotten from Craigslist.

Here are some of the items we have sold on Craigslist over the past few years:
- Oak table and six chairs
- Bathroom faucet
- Broomball shoes
- Front door we had replaced
- Outdoor lights we didn't need

A storm door and large tarp are on there now.

and the most exciting item we sold was....

A Mazda 929!

When we were moving back to Minnesota from Long Beach, we decided to get rid of my husband's car. A few days before we moved, he posted it for sale. It was gone and we had cash in our pocket about three hours later! Amazing.

Tips for Craigslist Selling:
1. Make sure the title of the posting is descriptive and includes the price
2. Include any relevant measurements, sizes, material information and always include at least one picture, hopefully more than one. Many people won't consider an item that doesn't have a picture. And make sure the picture is high-quality and really shows the detail of the item.
3. If it's a product that is available in the marketplace, include a link to the item for sale on Amazon or other retail site. This is especially useful for furniture.
4. Provide your contact information- at least your email address, and preferably a phone number, and be prompt about answering calls and emails. There is nothing more frustrating than wanting to buy or learn more about an item and having to wait hours or days for someone to get back to you.
5. Don't put something up for sale if you don't plan to be home or available for the rest of that day and/or that weekend.
6. Fridays and Saturday mornings are good times to post items as most people are home on the weekend.
7. If you don't feel comfortable having someone come to your house to see an item, arrange to meet them in a nearby public place such as a gas station parking lot, library, etc. If they are coming to your home, make sure someone else is there with you just in case.
8. Only accept cash and don't ship items, there are a lot of scammers out there!
9. If something sells or you decide it's no longer for sale, remove your posting.

Here's a link to the Craigslist How-To section on the Craigslist site in case you want more information.

Happy selling!

Thrifty Recipe- Poppyseed Dressing

A few months ago, I was making a spinach salad and had a taste for poppyseed dressing like they serve at D'Brien's, a deli in downtown Minneapolis. After searching the web, I found a recipe that I've made a few times now. It keeps in the fridge for about a week and is great with spinach and strawberries, or really on any salad. As you'll see, homemade salad dressing is a thrifty and healthy alternative to packaged, highly processed dressings.

Poppyseed Dressing
from http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 teaspoon grated onion
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon black poppy seeds

1. In blender or food processor combine sugar, vinegar, salt, mustard, and onion and process for 20 seconds
2. With blender or food processor on high, gradually add oil in a slow steady stream
3. Remove from food processor and stir in poppy seeds
4. Store unused dressing in refrigerator for up to a week. Stir before serving.

Great deal on grapes at Cub

For the second time in the past month, Cub grocery stores has an amazing deal on grapes. They have a coupon on the first page of their circular for a free pound of grapes. Basically if you buy grapes and use the coupon, they will deduct the cost of one pound. I make sure to pick a bag of grapes that is just one pound of a little over, so it's free or almost free. If you go through the self check-out lane, they don't take the coupon away, so I have already used the coupon a couple times. Fruit salad anyone?

Thrifty Travel Strategy- Frequent Flier Credit Cards

I know several people who use a credit card to earn frequent flier miles. We have a Charles Schwab card that earns us cash back and an Exxon Mobil card that earns us free gas, so we haven't tried the miles thing yet. The New York Times recently had an article reviewing the different frequent flier credit cards. Sounds like the US Bank Visa FlexPerks card was their choice, do any of you use it?

Article from NY Times

Fourth of July Treat

We went to our friends' annual Fourth of July BBQ today, which was a lot of fun as usual. I wanted to bring something festive. My mother-in-law gave us a bunch of fresh raspberries she had picked at a friends' house and they inspired me to make a patriotic treat. I made a batch of blue Jello Jigglers (using the recipe on the box), then cut into small cubes and topped each with a dollop of whipped topping and a raspberry. Perfect! They were a hit at the party, not to mention that they were easy to make and thrifty to boot. I think I will do something similar in other colors for Halloween, Christmas.... the possibilities are endless.

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!

Hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend. Make sure to check out all of the celebrations happening in your town. Parades, community concerts and events, and fireworks displays are a great way to spend time with your friends and neighbors and celebrate our country. And many of the events are free!

Dollar movie theaters

Just got back from date night with my husband. We saw the movie Date Night. :) How is seeing a movie thrifty? When you see it at a budget movie theater. The Hopkins theater is our nearest one. Movies are $3 after 6pm and $2.50 on Tuesdays. When we lived in Long Beach CA, we found a budget theater in the Huntington Beach. Most cities have one, and while you won't get stadium seating or the most recent releases you will get to see a movie in the theater for much less than regular theaters charge. They try to make up for the cheap tickets with regular-priced concessions, so watch out!