Giveaway Time - Mystery Surprise Prize, Good Luck Charm, and Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

I'm so so excited to bring you guys this Giveaway!  I found Anansi Boys at a garage sale a week or so ago & I just love it!  I thought I'd also include a Mystery Surprise and a Good Luck Charm in the Giveaway.  :)  :)  

How to Enter:

1.  You must be 18+

2.  Subscribe to my YouTube Channel Texas Gal Treasures

3.  Like Texas Gal Treasures on Facebook

4.  Leave a comment sharing what Super Power you would like to have!


Best of Luck!!

Life is What Happens When You Are Making Other Plans

You never know the direction your life will take in any given moment.  You can plan and prepare, but then life just happens and you decide what your priorities are, what is most important to you, and then you go in that direction.  You will know it is right because you have no regrets or qualms about the decision you have made.  I am honored to be able to be here for my mom.  It definitely wasn't planned, but thank God that I am where I am in my life-not working a 9-5 job that would cause extra stress with the guilt and juggling of missing work when I know that I need to be with my mom.

Sunday Chat - What's Coming This Week & Advice for a Giveaway

Good afternoon!!

I popped up a quick Live Hangout to discuss what was coming up this week!  On Tuesday at noon Central time, Jason T. Smith and I will have a live chat on my channel to discuss work, life, and other super important stuff.

We are taking a poll in ILOT (International League of Thrifters) to decide what the challenge for the week will be.  Toys are in the lead!!

And I purchased a copy of Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman & am going to host a giveaway for it.  I ask for help deciding what the criteria to win the book ought to be.

I've read, well actually listened to the book, and loved it!!  I'll add links to the book, both paperback and audio below. 

Garage Sale and Thrift Store Ride Along & Haul Video to Sell on Ebay, Etsy, and Amazon FBA

Hello everyone!!  I surprised myself with all that I found this weekend.  I wasn't expecting to find too much in the way of treasure as I was planning my own garage sale, however I hit 3-4 garage sales on Friday and one on Saturday and found some nice little nuggets.  LOL!!  

The garage sale went pretty well.  We started right around 8 and closed up shop at about 11:30.  We brought in about $150.  The kids attempted to sell water and donuts, but didn't have as many takers as we'd expected.  The took their earnings to the Lego store, pooled their money and bought a pack of 3 Minifigures.  

Dollar Tree Haul - My First Ever Dollar Store Haul - What Treasure Did I Find??

I've never done a Dollar Tree haul before, and I had a lot more fun with it than I expected.  I generally don't buy things to eat or put on my skin at the Dollar Tree, but there were lots of other goodies that I found to use in my day to day!  Check it out!!

Thrift Store Haul & Ride Along Video - What I'm Selling on Etsy, Ebay, & Amazon FBA

I had quite a fun time picking up some goodies at the charity shop.  I added some Periscope footage towards the end.  

My First Jewelry Jar Unboxing - Will I find Treasures?!

I had lots of fun unboxing this Jewelry jar.  There were lots of duds and some treasures.  

Weekly Sales Update Video from Sales on Ebay and Etsy

It's been so busy and fun this week.  The weather has been bananas, but we're rolling with it!  :) 

Reseller Chat - Live Hangout - Q & A with Chris Curone - The Walking Picker

I had a great chat with Chris Curone, The Walking Picker!  

Church Garage Sale Ride Along and Haul Video - What I'm Selling on Ebay and Etsy

I found some nice jewelry at a church garage sale this past weekend.  I spent $18 for everything.  Good times!!

Munchpak Unboxing with Tonya - Snacks and Innuendo

Oh My Goodness!  When Munchpak sent me an email asking me to do an unboxing, I thought it would be cool to try some snacks from around the world.  I had no idea just how much fun doing the unboxing would be!!!  

I asked Tonya to come over and try it out with me.  Two taste buds are better than one, I thought.

We had so much fun with lots of innuendos and laughs!  

Give Munchpak a try!

Etsy Teams Part 2 - Playing Games in the Teams

I use the Teams with in Etsy to promote my store and some of my items.  Check out how I participate with Teams to get more eyes on my shop.

Connections....So Much More Than a Weekly Sales Update This Week

So, this week's Weekly Sales Update got a bit emotional for me at the beginning.  I have had an interesting and busy-busy week or so that lead up to my outpouring of thanks.  

I've been, I hate to say "dealing" with family stuff because it makes it sounds like I don't want to, helping my family with different issues.  Taxes have been hanging over everything.  Income tax, Q1 tax, Personal taxes, etc etc & I wanted to make sure all these things were dealt with properly.

An interview I had with Stephen Peterson aired on his channel Ecommercemomentum.com.  This came about in totality by the generosity and friendship and support of my friend, Jason T Smith, who passed my name on to Stephen as he was looking for an Etsy seller to interview.  The talk opened up so many revelations within myself that I may have known, but never really put my finger on.  I like reselling.  I love the hunt.  I like bringing in extra income.  BUT (and this is what I learned) the community, the sharing, the support, the channel is what I love.  Creating videos and sharing and communicating and laughing with everyone about this wacky thing that we all do is what feeds my soul.  I love making the videos.  I love the response that I get from everyone.  I love the support.  I don't know if that makes me sound vain or something, but it is.    I was exhausted (in an emotionally good way) and overwhelmed with the interview and all that I took away from it.   

Stephen quoted Zig Ziglar, "Have an attitude of gratitude" and while I had heard that before, it really sunk in that that was how I was feeling about everything.  It summed it up.  

I also began listening to the book, The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer.  Honestly, I felt ashamed just by the title.  Who am I to ask?  What would I ask for? Why?  But those initial emotions scared me into reading/listening on.  It was way way more than about asking for stuff.  It wasn't like that at all.   The give and take flow back and forth between friends and family.... the venerability to put yourself out there when you really need something.... the fact that most people want to help    These things made me think.   Our past & our experiences mold us into what we are, and the importance of stepping back to review our grooved out, built in responses cannot be over emphasized.    

I realized that the Art of Asking struck such a nerve with me because of my past.  People in my past that took and took and took and tried to take more to the point of frustration and annoyance and anger.  So much so that I never-ever-ever wanted to be that in someone else's live.  I never wanted to be viewed as, "Oh boy, here comes Margaret again"   Well, not for sucking others dry.

I haven't finished the book, but I feel pretty good about the way that it is going.

Here is her Ted Talk:

 This week also marked the milestone of the YouTube channel hitting 4 thousand subscribers.   With all the realizations going on with the interview and book,  emotions took over and I felt the need to get them all out there and say, "Thank you"   

Thank you for being there for me.  Thank you for watching and commenting.  I see you.  You take your time to watch and comment and it means more to me than I could ever express.

Nic Hills & I got together for a Live Hangout as well, which I'll share in a few days.  He and I have gotten to know each other, along with a few other UK resellers, and I am lucky enough to call him and the other's friends.  The Q&A went quite silly at the end, but I didn't want to keep asking the same cookie cutter reseller questions that get asked all the time. Hint: We find out if Nic can fit his fist in his mouth.

Munchpak reached out & asked if they could send a box for me to try.  Tonya and I recorded and uploaded that video yesterday.  We had a major blast!!!  I also saw a few other YouTubers upload vids about it.  I think it's so cool!  I love seeing everyone's take on the unboxing and process and tastes.  :)  

Also, Tonya & I hosted a live hang out with The Bonafide Hustler about Snapbacks.  Our group, The International League of Thrifters were doing a Snapback challenge this week and we thought we'd find out a bit more.  Again, I'll share that vid in a few days. If you just can't wait, it's on Tonya's channel Thrifty Treasures.

Last night, Theresa of ThriftyTheresa interviewed me.  Hers was one of the first YouTube channels I started watching.  I was honored.  It was a great chat and I loved talking with her.

Wow.  I haven't written that much in a really really long time.  

Friends...  Again, I thank you.  Take a look around.  Find something to be grateful for, even if it is the running water in your kitchen, the bed you sleep in, or the sky over your head.  Find something of beauty to make you happy.

The very best of best wishes to you.  

Until Next Time.

Margaret

Please tell me what you are grateful for.  I would love to hear it.

Reseller Chat - Live Hangout with Nic Hills

I had a really fun chat with my bud, Nic Hills!  We talked reselling and lots of random stuff!  :)  Good times were had by all!  

Thrift Store & Garage Sale Haul Video to Sell on Ebay, Etsy, and Amazon FBA

Yes!  It's another haul video.  I've gathered lots of treasures from thrift stores and garage sales.  :)  Good times!

Mug Challenge Results

This past week we had a mug challenge over in our group The International League of Thrifters.  I challenged myself (and others) to get all of our unlisted mugs up and for sale.  While I did photograph and list quite a few, I still have others that haven't made it up yet.  Much like our game and plush challenge, I'll have to make time to go back and list the left overs!

Here are the mugs that I did manage to list:

I know a few of them aren't exactly mugs, but they were in the basket & got a chance to shine!

I even sold a few mugs this week:

Train mug sold on Etsy for $14.99

Edward Gorey mug sold on Ebay for $15

Astroworld mug sold on Ebay for $15

Stacking Starbucks mugs sold on Ebay for $20

Thrift Store Haul - What I Am Selling on eBay, Etsy, and Amazon FBA

My haul has gems and duds.   I found everything from games and tapes, to mugs and plates.  I even got a bit of friend mail from Nelli!  Check out what she sent me.  :) 

Mugs - My Process for Shipping Mugs for Ebay and Etsy

I love using the 6x4x4 boxes to ship mugs.  When they weight is over 16 ounces, I just pop the box into a padded flat rate envelope and away it goes!

Mugs - My Process for Selling Mugs from Start to Finish on Ebay and Etsy

Mugs can be a fun way to earn a bit of extra money.  Some are quicker sellers than other, but they are generally cheap to pick up and fairly easy to store.  Check out how I sell mugs from start to finish!  

Weekly Sales Update Video from Sales on Ebay and Etsy

It was a really great week as far as sales go.  There was quite a variety that sold including china painting VHS, plush, cufflinks, mugs, and knick-knacks.

I made about $400 profit for the week which I think is pretty good!  I listed about 50 items this week, and am planning on keeping better track of the number of listings and purchases throughout the week to share with you.

Group Listing Challenge - Plush

Our group, The International League of Thrifters, had a Plush listing challenge last week.  Everyone jumped on the challenge & ran with it.  I got lots of plush photographed, listed, and even sold!  

Here's a sampling of some of the plush I listed this week:

The last 3-4 of these were listed before the challenge.

I still have about 1/2 a laundry basket full of plush that I didn't get to photograph and list.  The wonderful thing is that some plush sold during the challenge!

This I <3 Guts Brain sold for $17.49, and I bought it for $2.

The Sinclair dinosaur sold for $13.50 and was bought for $2 as well.

This week we have a Mug Challenge!  Follow along here or over in the group, The International League of Thrifters.

Edit & Improve Photos for Ebay & Etsy With Picmonkey and Preview for Pictures

I use Preview on my Mac and Picmonkey via the web to edit photos to make them stand out.  

Garage Sale Haul to Sell on Ebay, Etsy, Amazon FBA, and Antique Booth

I found lots of great things this week (and a few duds).   I'll easily make my money back on the gems, and donate back the things that were not the best.  

A set of salt and pepper shakers had me fooled.  The were really pretty, but not worth much.  I  might try them in the booth.    I found a few Ty bears, games, puzzles, toys, and American Girl dolls.

Most of all, I had lots of fun treasure hunting at Garage Sales!

Houston Meet Up Green Room Hangout - Pick Ups from Thrift Stores, Garage Sales, & Pawn Shops

We had an amazing time hanging out with other resellers and pickers!

Weekly Sales Update Video from Sales on Ebay and Etsy

I had some nice sales this week.   A little of this and that sold, including thimbles, tins, and hats.  Plus a pretty funny story about a buyer wanting me to model a hat.  

It was a great week for treasure!

I found a sweet Selena shirt for Chad, The Golden Finger Picker.  He's the ultimate Selena fan.  I got some sunburst plaques for Tonya, and Nelli found a Harry Potter wallet for me!