Sunday, August 31, 2008
The Book that started it all
This is the book that started me eading Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series. If you don't like the typical romance book, you will still like this book. By the time you finish reading this book, you'll be glad that there are so many more of the Cedar Cove series already written.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sigh
The last Friday before school starts was overcast and cool. Today, a constant rain is falling and my gas tank is almost on empty. I hope these aren't harbingers!
My son did come home with a treat for me though, the Twenty Wishes book by Debbie Macomber that I've been dying to read. I'm really enjoying reading the book and I'm wondering if I need to write my own list of twenty wishes?
How about you? Have you ever wished for something, but the wish cost too much money, or was outrageous, or you were too old for it? I think we all have at one time of another when we've allowed the voice of reason to intrude.
Do you remember what it was? Does some small, secret part of you still want it?
Hmmmm ...............may-be it's time to write a list!
My son did come home with a treat for me though, the Twenty Wishes book by Debbie Macomber that I've been dying to read. I'm really enjoying reading the book and I'm wondering if I need to write my own list of twenty wishes?
How about you? Have you ever wished for something, but the wish cost too much money, or was outrageous, or you were too old for it? I think we all have at one time of another when we've allowed the voice of reason to intrude.
Do you remember what it was? Does some small, secret part of you still want it?
Hmmmm ...............may-be it's time to write a list!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Today is the day!
I'm excited about it, I admit it. Today is the day that I became a Tupperware consultant!
Woo, woo!
I'm so excited because Tupperware has been so imprtant with helping my husband to fight diabetes, help us save money , and reduce the amount of waste that we generate.
My website is sagharborgifts.org
I think the lunch kit that I have pictured above would make a good fit for anyone who wants to start taking a smart and healthy lunch or supper to work or school. It's 50% off, but only for a limited time, so ifyou are the least bit interested, order it now.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Death of Ebay
I think I started to sell my hand made rosaries and necklaces on Ebay about 1998. That was the year my mom asked me what I would like as a birthday gift, and I chose to take an adult ed class at the Sag Harbor High school in jewelry making. At that time, Y necklaces were all the rage, and what is a Y necklace but a rosary with a clasp. I made so many necklaces, one adult woman couldn't wear them all. An Internet friend, Mary P I think it was, told me about Ebay and I became a seller.
Back then, Ebay was a lot more fun. Listing fees were ten cents, or may-be even less. The final value fee was a smaller percentage too.
If your item sold, you could make a windfall and Ebay shared the profit with you, which was only fair. After all, in what other way could you have such a vast exposure to your auction? You couldn't.
If your item didn't sell, it didn't matter. All it cost you was a dime.
As they say, nothing lasts forever, and Ebay began to change. The listing fees became higher and the final value fees for things that did sell got higher also. Ebay sellers grumbled, but chalked it up to the cost of doing business, and business was being done.
But the world was changing now too. First the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in NYC. The result of that was businesses and industries that never recovered. Jobs were being sent over seas or south of the border and Ebay was affected with more sellers and less buyers. I know that there will be those who argue with this assessment of mine, but I'm reporting it the way it affected me.
Now selling wasn't as much fun. There were more people selling what you were, or a close enough to it, and less people buying. Auctions usually ended lower than they had in the past. Because the listing fees were so much higher than when Ebay started, a failed listing cost on average at least 50 cents and often more.
I took a rest from Ebay this summer. I haven't decided if I'll return for the Christmas season or not yet. I don't mind Ebay profiting when I do, but when I don't sell anything, I do mind Ebay still making money off of me.
Today I got a letter from Ebay. In the near future, checks and money orders will not be an accepted way of paying for items paid for on Ebay, no matter what the wishes of the actual seller are.
Ebay will also dictate how much can be charged for shipping on many categories. The alternative is to use the Ebay shipping module where the buyer can see what the actual cost of shipping will be. That would be good in theory, if the Ebay shipping module actually worked reliably and consistently. My experience has been the opposite. Outrageous shipping that was calculated has led to irate e-mails from would-be buyers that never returned, probably thinking that I was a shyster. I belonged to many Ebay sellers groups that had members that experienced the exact opposite, shipping quotes that were much too low. They made the sale all right, but lost any profit they had made because they had to make up the difference between the charged shipping and the actual shipping.
It's really a shame that Ebay's success has led to so many bad judgements which has caused so many long time buyers to stop selling on Ebay.
I remember when Ebay was fun.
Back then, Ebay was a lot more fun. Listing fees were ten cents, or may-be even less. The final value fee was a smaller percentage too.
If your item sold, you could make a windfall and Ebay shared the profit with you, which was only fair. After all, in what other way could you have such a vast exposure to your auction? You couldn't.
If your item didn't sell, it didn't matter. All it cost you was a dime.
As they say, nothing lasts forever, and Ebay began to change. The listing fees became higher and the final value fees for things that did sell got higher also. Ebay sellers grumbled, but chalked it up to the cost of doing business, and business was being done.
But the world was changing now too. First the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in NYC. The result of that was businesses and industries that never recovered. Jobs were being sent over seas or south of the border and Ebay was affected with more sellers and less buyers. I know that there will be those who argue with this assessment of mine, but I'm reporting it the way it affected me.
Now selling wasn't as much fun. There were more people selling what you were, or a close enough to it, and less people buying. Auctions usually ended lower than they had in the past. Because the listing fees were so much higher than when Ebay started, a failed listing cost on average at least 50 cents and often more.
I took a rest from Ebay this summer. I haven't decided if I'll return for the Christmas season or not yet. I don't mind Ebay profiting when I do, but when I don't sell anything, I do mind Ebay still making money off of me.
Today I got a letter from Ebay. In the near future, checks and money orders will not be an accepted way of paying for items paid for on Ebay, no matter what the wishes of the actual seller are.
Ebay will also dictate how much can be charged for shipping on many categories. The alternative is to use the Ebay shipping module where the buyer can see what the actual cost of shipping will be. That would be good in theory, if the Ebay shipping module actually worked reliably and consistently. My experience has been the opposite. Outrageous shipping that was calculated has led to irate e-mails from would-be buyers that never returned, probably thinking that I was a shyster. I belonged to many Ebay sellers groups that had members that experienced the exact opposite, shipping quotes that were much too low. They made the sale all right, but lost any profit they had made because they had to make up the difference between the charged shipping and the actual shipping.
It's really a shame that Ebay's success has led to so many bad judgements which has caused so many long time buyers to stop selling on Ebay.
I remember when Ebay was fun.
A new endeavor
I'm planning on starting to sell Tupperware within the next few weeks. Why you ask? Well, this decision has been while coming.
In the past, I've sold Avon (which enjoyed) and Watkins (which I left when they started selling their product in WalMart, and I refuse to buy now.)
What has bought me to the decision to start selling Tupperware, is the Green movement. Huh?
In our town in Connecticut, we have mandatory recycling. Although that might sound bossy at first reading, I welcome it.
No longer is it nagging old Mary that insists on recycling, it is our local government that must be obeyed!
Truthfully, our garbage is pretty minimal these days. We buy precious little prepared food and we do a lot of cooking from scratch.
But here is when I started to think about Tupperware - my husband was diagnosed as diabetic. When you are diabetic, you need to eat every three hours to keep your blood sugar even. Grabbing a donut, or a cup of coffee won't suffice. The snack needs to be a protein or low carbohydrate one.
Think about it, everyone should have such a snack every three hours instead of the usual cup of coffee, donut or candy bar that Americans have started to depend on.
Implementing this course of action is nearly impossible though. Go through your usual food store and try to find a snack that is 200 calories or less, 15 carbs or less, tastes good and won't send you to the poor house buying it?
The choices are few , all of them are expensive over the long term, and none of them could be considered a natural or fresh food.
My friend Lynne has been my Tupperware consultant for years and she sends me the Tupperware flyer every now and then. So now, with my husband and portion control in mind, I peruse the Tupperware flyer for their sturdy containers , in the size that I need, usually a cup or less.
Now my husband brings to work everyday what I call his "food kit." It was very easy to put together, is flexible, and best of all, is reusable. We bought the insulated box and containers once, and have been reusing them for over a year now. All that is thrown away per day, on average is a plastic sandwich bag, sometimes not even that much.
The best news is that my husband's diabetes is under control, with very little effort from us.
I hope you will check back often as I blog more.
In the past, I've sold Avon (which enjoyed) and Watkins (which I left when they started selling their product in WalMart, and I refuse to buy now.)
What has bought me to the decision to start selling Tupperware, is the Green movement. Huh?
In our town in Connecticut, we have mandatory recycling. Although that might sound bossy at first reading, I welcome it.
No longer is it nagging old Mary that insists on recycling, it is our local government that must be obeyed!
Truthfully, our garbage is pretty minimal these days. We buy precious little prepared food and we do a lot of cooking from scratch.
But here is when I started to think about Tupperware - my husband was diagnosed as diabetic. When you are diabetic, you need to eat every three hours to keep your blood sugar even. Grabbing a donut, or a cup of coffee won't suffice. The snack needs to be a protein or low carbohydrate one.
Think about it, everyone should have such a snack every three hours instead of the usual cup of coffee, donut or candy bar that Americans have started to depend on.
Implementing this course of action is nearly impossible though. Go through your usual food store and try to find a snack that is 200 calories or less, 15 carbs or less, tastes good and won't send you to the poor house buying it?
The choices are few , all of them are expensive over the long term, and none of them could be considered a natural or fresh food.
My friend Lynne has been my Tupperware consultant for years and she sends me the Tupperware flyer every now and then. So now, with my husband and portion control in mind, I peruse the Tupperware flyer for their sturdy containers , in the size that I need, usually a cup or less.
Now my husband brings to work everyday what I call his "food kit." It was very easy to put together, is flexible, and best of all, is reusable. We bought the insulated box and containers once, and have been reusing them for over a year now. All that is thrown away per day, on average is a plastic sandwich bag, sometimes not even that much.
The best news is that my husband's diabetes is under control, with very little effort from us.
I hope you will check back often as I blog more.
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