The Frugal Musician catches up on 27 things

I wanted to catch you up on my bag items, since last week was so hectic.

I added the above office supplies. I once had a cool wipe off board but now I work in a sunroom (I AM SO LUCKY) and there is only one small wall, so I no longer use the board making the  eraser and wipe off spray useless. The staples don’t fit my stapler and I don’t have any idea where they came from

I’ve also added a few more camisole tops that just didn’t look right on me this season, a puzzle and a few children’s toys I had upstairs in my gift drawer. I have over 27 items in the bag now so Monday it will be time to donate these to the thrift store and start a new bag.

Try moving one thing a day out of your life. Reduce it, reuse it, or recycle it or donate it. Clearing physical clutter really helps clear mental clutter as well!

The Frugal Musician has had a busy week…

Yes those are my little brown feet. And let me tell you, they are as tired as the rest of me!

Last week, Sister called with a potential beach trip for June 1-8, so Moonstruck and The Frugal Musician and Alunatunes all went into HIGH gear to try and get ready. By Tuesday, it was all just a fleeting fancy, but I was not disappointed. My Sister is the ultimate real estate agent, Mom and wife and manages all of this while Husband is mostly on tour.  For her to really have fun and relax during our little beach excursion, she has to not be in the middle of a deal. She”s finding herself in the midst of several, which is a very good thing for a real estate agent in this economy.

Even though we didn’t get to go to the beach, the thought of being gone forced me into working 15 hour days. So I got A LOT done with my business (which is public relations and publicity for bands, if you didn’t know that already!) but neglected my Frugal Musician posts.

Which brings me to the picture above. This is the donation bag that has been in the bottom of my closet since May 01. Some things I could not fit into the bag and I still want Boyfriend to clean his closet before I take this to the thrift mart on Monday.

I received an email from my thrift mart last week. Donations are needed and the store is offering a $5 gift certificate for dropping things off!

Giving AND getting is perfect!

27 things project May 19

Sometimes my thrift mart has half off sales. These shoes were $1.00 and are brand new. And they’re a size 5. I wear a size 7.

I thought perhaps I could sell them but had no takers.

So in the bag they go…..

These Easy Spirit shoes were made for walkin…and that’s just what they’ll do………..

27 things project May 18

I boxed these items no longer wanted by Boyfriend up to send to Son One and Son Two.

Son One has Crohns disease and can now wear the size 29 waist black jeans because he has lost so much weight. The hodie is new and he can wear it next winter.

Son Two lives in NYC and can use the casual dress shirt for everyday and the collared shirt for golf.

I had these for sale on craigslist.org for awhile and then thought, oh what the heck, I’ll send them to the boys!

27 things project May 15

Yo HO HO and a cut out of a pirate!

This again came from dad’s house (are you noticing a trend?). I LOVE pirates. I thought I might hang it on my office wall and use it as a corkboard.

But I work in a sunroom where there are three glass walls. And very little wooden wall space (except for the ceiling…)

So in the closet it will go. I can see it in a child’s room or possibly a rec room.

He’s such a happy pirate, he deserves more than the deserted isle of the upstairs closet.

27 things project May 14

Boyfriend is a sound engineer and gets all manner of tee shirts from bands and organizations. He’s also a big fan of the funny tee.

The funny tees he purchases at Walmart or the like and the band tees, well, they’re usually a large, or extra large or an extra extra large.  Boyfriend wears a size small on his lanky, thin six foot four body.

I was reserving these tees for a yard sale. Every year I think I’ll have a yard sale and make money. And every year, I have a well constructed, well thought out, well advertised sale which garners me about $8.

It’s simply not worth the effort.

So into the give away bag at the bottom of the closet the tees will go.

They shall live another day to add humor to someone else’s day….

27 things project May 11

I’ve been somewhat hesitant to let these speciality wall plates go. I tried selling them on craigslist.org to no avail.

Two of them are plaster pieces. We removed them from our 1949 house when we redid a few rooms. On the back of the 3 outlet wall mount is a price in pencil of $24.00. The small version is marked $12.00. So I thought I may have some sort of special antique on my hands. But I guess not.

The other white light plate is porcelain.

SOOOOO – In the give away bag they go!

They’d look really nice in a teenager’s room or maybe a baby’s room. Having neither, it’s better to give them away to someone who can perhaps use them!

27 things project May 10

My mom and dad bless me with a subscription to Prevention Magazine which I love.

I pass them along to the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament up at Belmead in Powhatan. The sisters live on very little income and things like magazines are appreciated. Every few months I gather my Prevention Magazines and send them to the sisters.

www.francisemma.org

You can read about these remarkable nuns and their work to preserve the heritage and environmental beauty of Belmead in Powhatan VA.  Consider making a donation to help them in their effort to preserve this 2,000 acre tract of land and the buildings on it. It is indeed a fascinating and warm story for a Mothers Day.

27 things project May 09

www.stampouthunger.com

The National Association of Letter Carriers had their national Stamp Out Hunger Day Saturday May 09.

I donated a couple of boxes of mac and cheese and a couple cans of tomatoes.

So while this was not an item for the bag, I gave something away!

Did you participate in Stamp Out Hunger?

27 things project May 8

 

I bought this book at a yard sale and intended to sell it at my half.com bookstore. But I discovered it was not selling for what I bought it for. Usually I can buy books and sell them on half.com and make a bit of profit. We live in a college town, and I can really make a nice little income from side hustling books during the spring (graduation) and the fall (new school year).

So I put this book on my shelf thinking I might read it ”someday”. But my shelves are cluttered with “someday” books. Mostly I read historical fiction, Jane Austen and metaphysical books.  Most of my financial reading is done via blogs and online.

So in the bag it goes.

According to Amazon: Chatzky begins with short and savvy history of how Americans turned from market observers to “in the game all the time participants.” Then, she focuses on how to use market down turns as an opportunity “to take back our money by living within our means.” Chatzky’s down to earth advice is practical and confronts the reader head-on with a non-nonsense approach: “five steps to wanting less,” “Feng Shui finance to simplify,” “advice for the organizationally dyslexic,” “non-gaseous goal setting,” or “how to stop digging a financial hole and spotting unconscious spending.”

I think someone would really enjoy this book particularly in this economic climate. There are too many books on my shelf and I always look forward to passing them along!