Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you’d like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
I was wondering how you felt about plastic storage containers.
I have a ton of Rubbermaid & their new recent line of canisters for sugar, flour, etc.
I also use & have a bunch of the Pyrex. But the Pyrex has plastic lids. I guess I just want my family safe…& I’m trying to be as green as I can be at the same time.
-Dorthey
I’ve switched out most of my plastic containers for Pyrex or stainless steel. I do still have some plastic containers for things like flour and sugar, though.
The plastic lids on the Pyrex don’t bother me a great deal because they typically don’t touch my food. Plus, they’re very durable, and durable plastic is much more eco-friendly than disposable or poorly-made plastic.
If the plastic lids bother you, you could switch to stainless steel food containers. These are more expensive, though, and you can’t see through them, which is a major downside in my opinion. When I can’t see the food in my fridge, I’m so much more likely to waste it.
As a Christian, I was wondering what your perspective is on prepping or long term food/water storage?
-Suzanne
I feel fairly neutral about it. If a Christian decides to stockpile supplies, I think that’s fine, as long as they’re placing their ultimate trust in God and not in the supplies.
And by the same token, I don’t think Christians ought to feel an obligation to stockpile.
I am about to let go of about 20% of all of my possessions. I could give it away or I could make money with it.
But how?
Do you have any ideas/resources on how to make money from what we already posses?
(Without spending hours and hour in front of the computer, trying to make it on eBay… I’m stingy with my precious time:-)
-Helena
Gosh, this is something I struggle with too, so I’m probably not the greatest person to ask! I get so frustrated with the time investment required to sell things, especially when the items don’t even sell.
Because of that, nine times out of ten, I opt to give my things away, either on Freecycle or to a charity.
The only times I choose selling are when I have items that are fairly valuable. If I think I can sell something for $50 or more, then I usually feel it’s worth my time.
One exception is books…I can list those super easily on half.com (here’s how that site works) and print shipping labels from home, so I don’t mind selling books that go for $10 or less.
You might want to see if there’s a business in your area that specializes in selling things on Ebay. These stores work kind of like consignment stores…you drop your things off, they sell them for you and keep part of the profit. This would net you less money but would save you a ton of time.
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Readers, how do you sell things without wasting a bunch of time?
And feel free to weigh in on the other questions as well.
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Today’s 365 post: Stupid blender.
Marian
Tuesday 14th of May 2013
I just found this (http://ebaytradingassistant.com/directory/index.php) which allows you to sell thing on Ebay via a third party.
SmartChoice
Thursday 1st of November 2012
One way to save money and eat more nutritionally is by canning some home grown food each year. Each year I can 2-3 different items and store enough for a couple of years. It helps replenish the soil by planting different items each year.
MelissaB
Sunday 19th of August 2012
Could someone explain the stockpiling question to me? What does it have to do with Christianity?
So confused...
CJ
Sunday 19th of August 2012
We have never been Prepper types. We own a pretty successful business, my husband a 22 year law enforcement veteran, and a former bi-vocational pastor. About a year and a half ago, I felt an urge to stock up on a few things here and there. My hubby doesn't really pay attention to what I purchase and had no idea. On his own, he had purchase some extra food items and household supplies(toilet paper, etc). He has also converted our savings into precious metals. We both began to talk about how we had felt led to do such things, and found it quite funny in a way. Well right now as I am writing this, our business has been idle with our CFO managing it for the last four months. My husband has become ill and we have been staying in a hotel that needs to be connected to the Mayo clinic. Our middle daughter, who still lives at home, is at home taking care of our livestock, dogs, yard, garden, etc. She has all the food and household items she needs. We were also able to sell some of our precious metals to cover some of our expenses for our stay. Although we are on a tight budget, my husband is able to focus on getting well, trusting that God led him to stock up for an occasion such as this. Our youngest DD, who is only 6, is with us, and since we homeschool, we were able to bring school with us. Sometimes, I think God leads us to "prepare" for the unknown for reasons such as this. Also, our ancestors did some of th very same things. They would put their harvests, go to town in the fall season to stock pile for winter months, etc. They are still trusting in God. I think he gave them the knowledge and faith to know that they had to do those things to sustain life to carry out what his plans were for them. I'm offering different perspective from someone who scoffed at those unsual "prepper types". Blessings,CJ
LolaB
Monday 20th of August 2012
Our ancestors harvested food and stockpiled because they didn't have the year-round access to fresh food that we have now! They had to do it or they would starve!
I'm not against stocking up if a staple (toilet paper, canned tomatoes) is on sale but am not sure what the Christian connection is?
Kailey
Tuesday 14th of August 2012
It can be a little time consuming, but in our community, people have created groups on Facebook (mom's buy/sell/swap). You take pics or your items and post them with a brief description and a price. It's kind of like fishing! Throw in your line and let it soak for a bit! Eventually there's a bite! It's great because people will pick up the oddest little things! I don't let it interfere with my day as I can leave the item on my porch, and people have been awesome at leaving the money in the mailbox! Items range from books to clothes, shoes, purses, movies, cds, furniture, home decoration, etc. It's a great place to post garage sales, or ask where you can find desired items. In July, I made around $300 and was able to find some great used clothing and some toys for my kids. It's been a great way to buy and sell things, as opposed to garage sale-ing...not having to cart around 3 little ones is fantastic!!!