PLUS -- I write a lot of letters and long posts on Facebook and Etsy forums, so I don't always remember which details I have already shared in each place. I am working on a way to get that all organized so I can create a flow of thoughts. I hope that you will be patient if you read items more than once.
Do you think people really read all the FB comments? I wonder. I see thousands of comments on some posts. I have been notified of replies to some of my comments and it took me a LONG time to find them. I am trying to decide if it's worth the effort. I like to share my 2-cents, but is social media the best place to focus my time and energy....
I recently mentioned to someone that FB (social media) doesn't seem to build up relationships, isn't deeply personal, not intimate in a healthy way, and dangerous for many. I have only been discovering social media since late last year. I don't have hours to devote to social media, so I am trying to find ways to more closely track the people and groups that matter to me. So far, I haven't been able to do that. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. :-)
One special event I went to was the Grand Opening of SCRAP, a recycled materials reuse store in the local area. It was a hard decision because it was on a Sabbath Saturday, so I hope GOD didn't mind.
SCRAP, and other stores like it, are not exactly thrift stores. They are a (growing) effort by hardcore recyclers to reuse things as much as possible. The major goal of reuse organizations is to keep non-recyclable materials out of our landfills. To create income, they also sell donated materials that might also be found in a thrift store (like picture frames), but reuse stores are more like craft supply stores. :-) The challenge for people like me and others who shop "previously owned" stores is finding ways to use these materials. Recycling organizations like SCRAP focus more on education, and classes, and creativity.
Thrift stores sell more clothes and furniture and household items, some craft supplies, and items a recycling store would also have. Reuse stores get donations of older business equipment, used envelopes and paper supplies, materials falling out of use, industrial cast-offs, art supplies, mat boards and picture frames, storage tins and plastic containers, old magazines and books, building materials, yarns and fabric scraps, bottle caps and crafting materials, scrapbooking supplies, metals, plastics, wood, ribbons, and more. I have purchased old cutting boards, small sections of metal fencing, big spools of yarn from factories, and tons of things you really wouldn't find at a Salvation Army Thrift Store.
I love shopping at reuse stores like SCRAP and Habitat ReStore (which is about building materials and houses for low-income families). For my budget, they are required, but I think I would still shop them after I won a big lottery prize. It's the recycling philosophy that is important.
There are a lot of ways to survive when your income is limited. Some of the most obvious are shopping ::
- reuse stores like SCRAP and Habitat ReStore
- thrift stores like Salvation Army, Homeless Missions, and Goodwill's
- dollar stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar Stores, and Cash King
- discount stores like Walmart, Bi-Mart, WinCo, and regional choices
- yard sales and rummage sales
- swap meets and auctions
- and great sales anywhere!
Back to SCRAP, my search led me to several very interesting items. I found an older business planner from the late 1980's to early 1990's. The notebook was in fair condition and the planner pages that were available were in good condition. I liked the business focus and seeing what planners of that time had in them. I have never been able to afford things like it and haven't really had the life to incorporated them into. I don't like everything in my life to be connected to the internet, or on a computer. I like more privacy, and to be able to see, touch, and manipulate real life products. :-)
At this point, I am exploring the goal pages and the personal record pages (which will help me in my effort to gather all the information that will be needed after I die). I was excited to find a calorie counting page, pages with the most common misspelled words, and budgeting pages. I think the company was Hobbs... and it reminded me of a time management audio set I had (and may still have).
Another really fantastic item I found and purchased for only $1 was a book for kids that had a global focus and included crafts from other countries and details about various events and celebrations from around the world. It was dated about the same time as the business planner. I have only browsed it so far, but I am already trying to decide which crafts to try. :-)
AND -- I found a huge business 3-ring binder that is unlike any I have seen before. It has oval-shaped binder rings. I am looking forward to trying it out. If it works good, I will probably make it my main goal notebook.
I don't know if shopping "used" will come back into vogue, but I love to have some of the older products in my life. They are often like a private treasure to me. :-) They might become antiques if I live a long time. I see a piece of history, something that mattered to another person at one point in time, a discarded part of life that is still of use.
I guess the biggest event for my weekend
I haven't been able to do much buying for a long time, and haven't ever bought something from Etsy. I just discovered Etsy last year, and social media late last year. :-) I was able to make a purchase using PayPal and a regular purchase through Etsy's checkout process.
I am still going through the whole purchasing experience, looking for details that will be important to me and fees that might be attached to buying something. I will be going into this process more deeply at my Crafts Explored blog some time this week. Making my purchases at Etsy will help me with my future listing efforts.
Keep in touch with Crafts Explored to find out more about the online selling process as I learn it. I will be back tomorrow, GOD willing. :-)
