Local Treasure Hunts

It seems like no matter what size city we grow up in, that famous phrase comes from our lips: "There is nothing to do here." My sister has an acquaintance who calls Tucson, "Nothing to Do-son."

The truth is, there is usually something going on in our own backyards, but we need a sense of adventure, be open to some creativity, and ready to explore.

I like to google the word "Festivals" + the city I live in + the year. So, "Festivals Tucson 2009." And thanks to the Internet, we have found some local treasures.

• St. Demetrios Greek Festival (September) $3 Entry Fee
  
  
• Tucson Celtic Festival & Highland Games (November) $12 Entry Fee ($10 if you bring a non-perishable food item)

• Winterhaven Festival of Lights (December) Free

I have also googled "Things to do in Tucson," and the first website that came up was from Trip Advisor. Of course! People travel to the cities we live in and post what to do around our towns, sites to see, and restaurants to try. Reap the benefits of the tourists' work; I like that. Trip Advisor listed museums, hiking routes, farmer's markets, and artisan neighborhoods and shops, all low cost or free to do.

Then, there are always the wonders of Facebook. It is amazing what suggestions you can get by simply posting your status as, "What is there to do in Tucson this weekend?" or "What is your favorite thing to do in Tucson?" Then, you get the local flavor:

• Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Ranch $5 Entry & Feed Fee



• Disney Lane (near Christmas) Free

Happy exploring, and I hope you fall in love with your back yard!

The $5 Jewelry box

I have to credit my friend, Kat, for this stroke of brilliance. I was getting the tour of her house when I encountered the way she stores her jewelry in her closet. She had taken a peice of foam core, hung it in her closet, and hung her jewelry there for storage and display. And here is the brilliance of it:

• Everything is neatly displayed, making it easy to decide what to wear.
  
• Necklaces are not lost in a nest of knots.


• Takes up no shelf space, like a clunky jewelry box, and clothes can be hung in front.


• It's cheap

So, I decided to copy my friend and bought the supplies:

• A piece of foam core ($2.50 at Target)


• Push pin tacks ($1.99)

One added perk is that I had to go through all of my jewelry, and I ended up finding pieces I had forgotten that I owned. I cleaned out old and outdated jewelry, untangled necklaces, and set aside the pieces I wanted to keep. I really was limited to the space on the board, so it is actually a great way to limit how much jewelry I am hoarding.

I laid the board down on a flat surface, arranged my jewelry on it, and then placed the push pins where the jewelry is to be hanging from. Then, I removed the jewelry from the board, placing everything in the same order on another flat surface, so I didn't forget where I had placed all the jewelry. Then, hung the board in the back of the closet with a hammer and three small nails. Finally, I hung all the jewelry up. The foam core may not be as thick as the push pins, but it works.

When to Ebay, Craig's list, or Buffalo

Ahhh...the classic dilemma: How do I sell my stuff? It's a great way to make a few extra bucks while ridding my life of the excess and clutter that is around me. But, when do you use what resale service? Here's my quick guide to when to use what service:

1. Ebay

• This is where you make the most money.
• Items that are like new or slightly used.
• Items from brand names and stores that are sought after.
• When you have 1-5 items to get rid of.
• Useful if you have the time to sell each; about 30min-1hour for each item to set up, sell, and mail.

2. Buffalo Exchange, Plato's Closet, or other trendy used clothing stores, or Bookman's

• Average $2-$5 per item (maybe up to $10 for bigger items).
• It seems like these stores have a mental block from taking everything, they may take 10%-60% of your items, so you have to come with a lot.
• Good for if you have at least 2 large bags full.
• Items can be from new to more used than items you would put on Ebay.
• Brand names, styles from within the last year, or great vintage pieces.
• Most helpful if you can block out a morning or afternoon and hit all the stores that buy used clothing with the same bags.

3. Craig's list

• Craig's list is great if you just want someone to come and take your stuff more than you want to make a couple bucks.
• Don't expect to make money, maybe $2-5 for a bag of clothes.
• Price items based on what you would expect to pay at a garage sale, because that is what Craig's list is, a giant garage sale.
• Items can be in any condition.
• Should't take a lot of time or energy--it's more like a creative dump.
• One word of advice: never meet someone alone, bring a buddy.

Your mom always said that there are starving people in the world...

One thing I have never been able to master is meal planning. It seems like a couple times a month I end up trashing groceries that went bad or buy groceries that never saw the light of day (or the inside of my stomach). I found a jar of red curry in my fridge today that hasn't been used for over a year. In fact, if I recall correctly, I think I used it for one dish, one time.

One problem, that whole "I look into the fridge and can't find what I want, so I'll go get what I want" attitude that I can blame on being American, but will just blame on me. What if I just ate what was in my fridge, even if I don't want spaghetti from yesterday, instead of leaving the house to grab some food "to go," which really means, "to go to my house and eat at the coffee table."

Wow, that might require things life self-control or resisting instant gratification. That's a novel idea.

But still, how do I plan meals that are: cost effective, efficient, healthy, and full of ingredients that won't end up in my trash can because I couldn't figure out how to use them again?

My Closet: The Black Hole of Time

I waste so much time each morning trying to figure out what I am going to where. I sit on the edge of my bed, stare at my closet and try to put an outfit together, while trying to remember what I want to wear later in the week. I also am amazed at how many tops I own, and how few bottoms.

I'm telling you, figuring out what to wear would be a 10-20 minute process.

First step: I had to clean out the closet, and I'll share taht 8 trash-bag story later.

Second step: I spend 30 minutes on laundry day putting together my outfits for the week and hanging them as such, thinking about what I have going on during the week.

Now, I get up in the morning and just grab the next outfit, and this has saved my life in the morning.

It also helped me to figure out how much excess clothing that I had in my closet, realizing that I could go through months of outfits without wearing certain items in my closet.