One... two... three... ooh! A wheat back!
Sixty... seventy... eighty...
Fifty... one... fifty... two...
Plink! The distinct sound that I recognise and others ignore. The sound of a silver coin. Set that one aside...
Mulling over finances and having that little squeak of anxiety at the notion of being out of town for a few weeks and not doing what I do on a daily basis... buying and selling. Moving and shaking. Craigslisting and eBaying. Knowing that I will have to come up with money for rent, utilities, internet, phone. Necessities of the business. Not to mention truck insurance... a vet bill... potential for $675 worth of dental work for Cat... a new (to me) vehicle... a large expected yet unexpected debt to be repaid...
What's a monkey to do?
Sixty... seventy... eighty...
Fifty... one... fifty... two...
Plink! The distinct sound that I recognise and others ignore. The sound of a silver coin. Set that one aside...
Mulling over finances and having that little squeak of anxiety at the notion of being out of town for a few weeks and not doing what I do on a daily basis... buying and selling. Moving and shaking. Craigslisting and eBaying. Knowing that I will have to come up with money for rent, utilities, internet, phone. Necessities of the business. Not to mention truck insurance... a vet bill... potential for $675 worth of dental work for Cat... a new (to me) vehicle... a large expected yet unexpected debt to be repaid...
What's a monkey to do?
Today I decided to break out the change jars! So many people don't see the need for this, or even see spare change as an inconvenience! For me, it is my own little private savings account. I pay cash the majority of the time, not wanting to rely on plastic for my day-to-day spending. Every time I do, when I get home, whatever change I have accumulated goes directly into the change jars. Change not only in the monetary sense, but also in the definition of the verb: “to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone”. A jar of change. I am monetarily altering my future course. I like that!
The sum that is my goal is a bit daunting, but when broken down into digestible bits, it becomes easier to picture. 20 mannequins = September rent. Yard sale profits = October rent. Sold a mini fridge = phone bill. Sales of space heater + stereo receiver + sitting walker = utility bill (well, almost). With a little planning, you can get there. After a sale, I usually like to splurge on a little something for myself... a bottle of my favourite vodka... a nice New York strip steak... not this time around. I am financially storing up for winter.
Today I decided to grab those change jars to see what's what. Pennies first, let's just get those out of the way. I thought maybe two dollars... but it was three! Woo hoo! The little victories! $4 in nickels... $15 in dimes... when you are trying to get a business off the ground on your own, and don't have any viable assistance (banks, significant other), the little things are what get you by from day to day.
Everywhere I go I see dollar signs. It may sound like a bad thing, but when you are in my business, it is essential. If you are not economically challenged, it wouldn't necessarily matter to you. It does to me. Case in point, I went to visit a friend that owns his own (wildly successful) business (in this instance I am using the term [item] in order to maintain the anonymity of the business for safety reasons).
I brought him an item to see what, if anything, it was worth. In discussion, he points a few things out, and then says, “If it were like this [item], it would be worth money. That [item] (sitting on a shelf by his desk, something of his own personal collection) is worth $16,000, but I am not going to sell it.” WHAT??? I just about gagged.
Conversely, he said, “If it were that [item], it would be virtually worthless. Maybe $20-40.” Well, it just makes me think... $20-40 is not “worthless” to me. $20-40 = half my phone bill. I just don't understand the dismissal of a twenty dollar bill. Then again, I will pick up a penny on the street (heads up, of course) all day long. Most people would walk right by it, “It's just a penny.” Well, pennies add up.
So then my brain starts working, if these items are worthless to you, why not let me sell them? This is how I process... and in this case, that scenario may very well come to fruition with my friend. He walks past this wall full of [items] every day. People give him [items] all the time, he doesn't pay anything for them... and so therefore, these things just sit and collect dust. Would I simply let a $16K item sit around collecting dust? Heck no (not intentionally, anyway!)!
The reasoning? He doesn't need the money. I envy and admire anyone who is in this situation. He has a great job that he loves doing. As do I. His business is successful. Mine isn't as much... YET! His wife has a good job, and he just sent his son through college. I do have items that I enjoy looking at and would like to hang on to. However in my world, almost everything has its price.
One two three four... one. One two three four... two. One two three four... three... I finish up by counting the quarters. $60 worth! BAM! I also found 2 Liberty dollar coins, 2 Sacagawea dollar coins, a Martin Van Buren dollar coin, and an Andrew Johnson dollar coin! Score! This brings my total (so far) to $88! Score!
More recently, one of my friends (who always used to throw his pennies into any given parking lot until I yelled at him) have me a coffee can full of pennies. Another $10.50! Woo hoo! Embrace the "Jar of Change"! Thank Goddess for the little things...
So, despite the fact that you may think "it's just a penny", I recommend that you toss that penny in a jar, coffee can, whatever receptacle you so desire. Then, invite his friends. Soon, there will be a penny party! That, mixed with the melting pot of quarters, dimes, and nickels, adds up to be a collection that can be worth, as they say, a pretty penny!
Have a great weekend, y'all!
~m.
The sum that is my goal is a bit daunting, but when broken down into digestible bits, it becomes easier to picture. 20 mannequins = September rent. Yard sale profits = October rent. Sold a mini fridge = phone bill. Sales of space heater + stereo receiver + sitting walker = utility bill (well, almost). With a little planning, you can get there. After a sale, I usually like to splurge on a little something for myself... a bottle of my favourite vodka... a nice New York strip steak... not this time around. I am financially storing up for winter.
Today I decided to grab those change jars to see what's what. Pennies first, let's just get those out of the way. I thought maybe two dollars... but it was three! Woo hoo! The little victories! $4 in nickels... $15 in dimes... when you are trying to get a business off the ground on your own, and don't have any viable assistance (banks, significant other), the little things are what get you by from day to day.
Everywhere I go I see dollar signs. It may sound like a bad thing, but when you are in my business, it is essential. If you are not economically challenged, it wouldn't necessarily matter to you. It does to me. Case in point, I went to visit a friend that owns his own (wildly successful) business (in this instance I am using the term [item] in order to maintain the anonymity of the business for safety reasons).
I brought him an item to see what, if anything, it was worth. In discussion, he points a few things out, and then says, “If it were like this [item], it would be worth money. That [item] (sitting on a shelf by his desk, something of his own personal collection) is worth $16,000, but I am not going to sell it.” WHAT??? I just about gagged.
Conversely, he said, “If it were that [item], it would be virtually worthless. Maybe $20-40.” Well, it just makes me think... $20-40 is not “worthless” to me. $20-40 = half my phone bill. I just don't understand the dismissal of a twenty dollar bill. Then again, I will pick up a penny on the street (heads up, of course) all day long. Most people would walk right by it, “It's just a penny.” Well, pennies add up.
So then my brain starts working, if these items are worthless to you, why not let me sell them? This is how I process... and in this case, that scenario may very well come to fruition with my friend. He walks past this wall full of [items] every day. People give him [items] all the time, he doesn't pay anything for them... and so therefore, these things just sit and collect dust. Would I simply let a $16K item sit around collecting dust? Heck no (not intentionally, anyway!)!
The reasoning? He doesn't need the money. I envy and admire anyone who is in this situation. He has a great job that he loves doing. As do I. His business is successful. Mine isn't as much... YET! His wife has a good job, and he just sent his son through college. I do have items that I enjoy looking at and would like to hang on to. However in my world, almost everything has its price.
One two three four... one. One two three four... two. One two three four... three... I finish up by counting the quarters. $60 worth! BAM! I also found 2 Liberty dollar coins, 2 Sacagawea dollar coins, a Martin Van Buren dollar coin, and an Andrew Johnson dollar coin! Score! This brings my total (so far) to $88! Score!
More recently, one of my friends (who always used to throw his pennies into any given parking lot until I yelled at him) have me a coffee can full of pennies. Another $10.50! Woo hoo! Embrace the "Jar of Change"! Thank Goddess for the little things...
So, despite the fact that you may think "it's just a penny", I recommend that you toss that penny in a jar, coffee can, whatever receptacle you so desire. Then, invite his friends. Soon, there will be a penny party! That, mixed with the melting pot of quarters, dimes, and nickels, adds up to be a collection that can be worth, as they say, a pretty penny!
Have a great weekend, y'all!
~m.
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