Embarrassed to Be Me

When I first meet someone, I make an attempt to pass for normal. But, when I'm introduced by a friend, I realize it's already too late when I hear the inevitable, "So you're the one who ________ " (fill in the blank with something unusually thrifty, or some curiosity I've sold online). I feel relieved if it's only mildly embarrassing. 

Last week I volunteered at New2You, the thrift store that supports my son's school. Introducing myself to Kris, a fellow volunteer, she began, "I remember hearing about you"--Oh, no, I thought, wondering what strange tidbit she'd present--"from someone, but I don't know who, and I don't remember what." Could it be from the other Laura, about the distressed feminist T-shirt I rescued from the thrift store trash bin last time I volunteered, or could it be from Pam, about the lip balm tin, or..., The possibilities raced through my mind, but I successfully kept my mouth shut, reveling in a rare moment of being almost memorable, but not quite.

Perhaps it's because I was a misfit as a child, never quite so strange to be taunted openly, but unusual enough that the other kids would sacrifice their social standing by getting too chummy with me. My only truly loyal friend through middle school was a boy who sucked the spit from his braces at regular intervals. We'd play chess during lunch break. I think of him occasionally, considering if he ever outgrew his gawkiness. Part of me hopes not; the awkwardness was part of his charm.

I'd never want to relive middle school; I'm not sure anyone would. Perhaps if I had attempted to act more normal, I would've been accepted by my peers. But then I think of some of the most fun I've ever had. It was when I was being myself, with my friends.

And the most fun I've ever had volunteering at the thrift store? Definitely the time I rescued the T-shirt. Whenever I see Lora, she asks me if I've sold it. I trust I will, eventually, and I can't wait to forward the "Etsy Order Confirmation" email to her. We'll both be laughing. I'll probably even give a snort or two, even if it is embarrassing.

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You Have a Friend in Pennsylvania

Between Michigan and Upstate New York lies Fairview, Pennsylvania. A few months ago, on their way back to Michigan from visiting my brother's family in the Albany area, my mom and dad took the Fairview exit. We had visited my old high school boyfriend there on Avonia Road on several occasions, what seems like a lifetime ago. My mom wondered, after 20 years, if she'd still be able to find the house where he had lived.

Indeed she was, and his former home was serendipitously near a rather large yard sale. She bought several items for my Etsy shop, but some of the most interesting stuff was in the trash pile. Some things are just interesting, regardless of value.

Many sellers on Etsy offer what is called a Pay It Forward listing. The idea of a "PIF" listing is just to recover selling costs, offering something just to be nice, or just for the fun of it. The person purchasing a PIF listing should, in turn, do something nice for someone else.

Last week I finally sorted the box of Catholic statues and paper ephemera that my parents found in the trash at the Avonia Road, Fairview, Pennsylvania yard sale. Grouping the statues, I found some interesting, some kitschy, but the armless Mary just plain sad. I couldn't bring myself to throw her, and trusted, with all the crafty people on Etsy, someone would give her a second chance.

What a second chance she received! I really enjoy earning a living by selling online, but I do so love finding homes for things the average person wouldn't think twice about throwing away. This forlorn little statue gave more satisfaction than usual. The buyer, Donna Maria, lost no time fixing her and restoring a babe in arms, leaving postive feedback for the transaction, joining my Facebook page, blogging about it, and sending me photos. I'd say she has already paid it forward. She gave me a smile. And she might yet infuse hope in some hapless soul sunk low, that there's a loving Creator, waiting to fix you up and make you new again, in a form more glorious than before.

And all because, over 20 years ago, I had a friend in Pennsylvania.



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10 Crazy Secrets to Saving Money on Printer Ink Cartridges

When I hear people decrying the high cost of printer ink, I cannot join the lament because it costs me almost nothing to print. While some of my strategies won't work for you, some may apply to your situation. Read on, for 10 crazy secrets to saving money on printer ink cartridges:

I can find ink for my old printer at
garage sales and thrift stores.
Courtesy: 360 Technologies

1. I use an old printer, from 1998, for which it's easy to find ink cartridges very inexpensively on eBay, at garage sales, or thrift stores. If you have more than one printer (if you see another one in the trash or really cheap at a garage sale, you might want to pick it up), you double your chances of finding a good deal on the right ink cartridge.

2. Know what kind of ink you use, so you can take advantage of thrift store or garage sale bargains. Expired ink, even ink that is several years expired, is usually fine. Writing your ink types on the back of a business card kept in your wallet, or keep a memo on your iPhone.

3. Exchange your used ink cartridges at an office supply store for store credit. An ink cartridge you paid $2 for could yield $2 in store credit once you've used the ink. If you use your store credit for something you have to buy anyway, this essentially makes your ink free. For that matter, if you're driving down the road and see a printer in the trash, stop the car and nab the cartridges to exchange, even if you leave the printer behind.

4. The pen is your friend. Print less. If there's only a small amount of information you might need, grab a pen and scratch paper to jot down pertinent information; or, if you can just save it on your computer or flash drive, do that instead. 

5. Reduce the size and print quality. The method varies by operating system, but in Windows Vista and Windows 7 (which is all I can vouch for), in the "Print" pop-up window, go to Properties, and in the Paper/Quality tab, choose "draft;" in the Layout tab, I often choose two pages per sheet. Not a good idea for a doctoral thesis, but it will be good enough for many applications.

6. If you're printing a document for which you can choose the font, choose a thrifty font. Some fonts use far less ink than others.

7. Proofread and use the Print Preview feature so you don't have to reprint due to a typo or other error. If you need to make multiple copies, print just one first, to be sure everything is fine, so you don't end up with 20 sheets that have errors. Depending on how cheaply you find your ink, it might be less expensive to use a copy machine to make additional copies rather than printing them all on your printer.

8. While you're saving ink, you can save paper, too. Make a stack of scratch paper with blank back sides, and keep it near your printer, so you can save your good paper for when you really need it.

9. Don't print this blog post. 

10. Did I miss anything? If you have any other strategies for saving ink, please comment!
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