Add It Up

 

The Happy Badger's been a busy bee. And I've got the hives to prove it, too.



I have a young guest coming to visit for three weeks, and suddenly
I am allergic to my own home. These things, they happen.

Ever seen the classic 80s movie Trading Places? Remember the triumphant commodities market scene, when Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd's characters stop buying orange futures low and start selling them high? Imagine a six foot tall Arab-American mother in Murphy's place.

SELL! SELL!

In a month and a half, I have found and made some amazing commodities of my own. These sales pushed my "Trip-For-Trash 2014" fund past $7,200. Since that fund just wouldn't break $5,000 for months and months, I also feel like Eddie here:

Feeling Good

Today, let's review some memorable sales, shall we?

I finally sold this mirror jewelry rack through craigslist, which The Man and I made out of an abused and abandoned antique chair.

Read about how we made it here.

35 bucks. Sigh.
The happy new owner, doing early Christmas shopping. The mirror really isn't THAT heavy...

 

Yes, The Badger has lurked in unexpected corners, hustling her wares....

3rd Friday sales of magnet sets and vases made out of 35mm films put another $85 in the kitty.
Enjoy them, Vera! And thanks to Jen at W@atercooler!
 

A dear friend from Encina High School in Sacramento literally surprised me on my den's doorstep. And I did what? I lived up to the Badger moniker and harassed her and her friends until they bought a couple vintage comic book boxes for $15. Seriously, it was a good deal and, umm, a unique souvenir of their trip....

Likewise, Facebook Friends have been attacked by the Badger recently. For their Andrew Jacksons, they received awesome decoupaged cigar boxes featuring vintage comics and Life Magazines. Each one--which take a couple days to finish--buys less than two gallons of gasoline in Norway, proud purveyor of Europe's most expensive gas. Still, I am satisfied with these exchanges. Every bit counts.

Sophia Loren with another of the world's most beautiful women, Fiona Galloway!

BEST quotation EVER. Viva, Sophia!
 

Batman AND The Joker AND a color slide lampshade  AND the Louis Armstrong wine box
all found new homes in Missouri. Cherie Lawrence, you are my biggest fan.
Altogether, these will get us almost a whole tank of Norwegian gas!

The Odyssey flew to Santa Barbara, where it will contain a teenage boy's secrets.
Let's not pry into those....

I have no mercy: I "strongly encouraged" the mom who painted faces at
my daughter's birthday party to buy this dynamic duo for $6.

The woman who sold her house in Croton to my friend bought a
couple of these for a male friend, who rightly loves them.

And finally, FINALLY, I have sold early Happy Badger projects. Craigslist and friends came through, but Etsy let me down.

The Kitchy Cool Lamp moved down the street to a great neighbor.
Sadly, it only netted $15, but at least it's found a good home.



I sold Smiley, the Suitcase Endtable, through Craigslist. $40!

I also want to make a photo thank-you to the neighbors and strangers who threw out these amazing items in the past weeks.


Even missing a few parts, this auto-top storage sold in less than 2 days on craigslist. $60.

My friend/spy in Croton-on-Hudson told me
when this mid-century masterpiece was thrown out.

Turns out that 1967 Stanley Danish-style dressers are seriously sellable.
36 hours on craigslist and it sold for $300 cash: no knobs, no questions.
Dear Spy Friend, you just earned yourself some commemorative reindeer jerky!

Koch and Lowy: solid brass midcentury extendable reading lamps.
"Where did you find these beauties?" you ask. In the Metal Recycling Bin
in front of a house in Ardsley, of course. Pristine ones sell for $400 each on Etsy...if they sell.
In two weeks, this pair was snapped up by a savvy (read it "hella rude") craigslist shopper for $200 cash.

 

A cruise through Pleasantville never disappoints. A few metal screws, some JB Weld, a coat of paint....
Now you can relax on this fine black bench outside of Trilogy Consignment in Tarrytown.
Remember to go inside and buy something from the Wear It But Don't Bear It collection!
By the way, if you want to make friends with men in an auto shop, ask for JB Weld. Amazing.

$7,200.
Covers airfare for four, plus hotels/hostels (remember, half the time we'll be sleeping on floors in Scandinavia and England), car rentals, and some gas.

I'd like to make another $800 in the next three weeks, so keep buying my goodies and curbing the good stuff, Westchester!

We'll be singing "Let It Go" in your honor at this Norwegian fjord.

Copyright 2014, Tanya Monier