Favorite Thing #55: Kijiji.

Kijiji.

That's it. Plain and simple. I love kijiji. I would like to thank the creators of this marvelous service (eBay is responsible as I understand it). You've done a good thing.

This past weekend, I made a total of $335 thanks to this marvelous service. Brilliant right? Of course I was selling fairly high ticket items, but still, that's a considerable amount of "found" money just sitting in my basement.

Exhibit A.
I finally decided to sell my elliptical. I don't use it. But I do go to the gym. So its not that I'm letting it collect dust and using it as a clothes hanger, I am actually working out, just not at home very much anymore. Now that Abbi is in Kindergarten, I try to get out 1-2 times per week to the gym in the morning and put Gabe in their childcare service. At $4-$5 for 2 hours of care, it really is a bargain.

I also randomly decided to go for a run over the weekend, in the snow. I haven't run outdoors since probably October. I assumed that I would likely break my ankle from slipping on the ice, but it was a beautiful 0° with a gentle snow falling (and yes, its true, a 0° day feels like Spring after a week of -20°). I figured, how bad could it be? And it was actually pretty good. I did my old 5km run, and felt great afterward, plus no broken ankles. So this provides hope that I don't have to limit my running career to the summer months. I'm also thinking running will be my main source of exercise while I'm on the Island, so I was also trying to gauge where I was at. One of my spin instructors mentioned that spin is an excellent source of cardio, which might be why I don't really feel like I've missed a beat after 5 months of no running. Not to mention my legs have strengthened considerably since starting spin classes.

Exhibit B.
Rob's Mom's library card catalgoue. She had given it to me a few years back. We had thought it would work in my craft room as storage, and the table that the card catalogue nested into would work as a fish tank stand. Two problems with this plan. The stand would likely have been too weak for any kind of aquarium once it had water in it. And the second problem is that I don't have a craft room. At all. Dear...

So Rob's Mom figured it might be worth $50 online. Well, I did my research and these little puppies are in huge demand these days because they just don't make them anymore. At all. So scrapbookers and crafters are all about these little gems. This 15-drawer card catalogue fetched us a generous $300! We split the proceeds, and voila, one less unused item in my basement!

So what will I do with my new found riches? Well, I have a few ideas...

Exhibit C.

A new camera. I really have loved our Panasonic Lumix. It takes beautiful pictures and is easy to use. I would like to stick with something similar, but one without a rechargeable battery. That has been the bane of my existence. The battery runs out of juice mid-snap or there's nowhere to plug it in to charge it. So I'll stick to a camera with good ol' AA's from now on.

Exhibit D.

A new pair of running shoes. I need a new pair before I head to the Island. Partially because I'll be doing so much running and I need better shoes to offset the knee pain I was experiencing by the end of last summer. Plus I don't want to have to pay all the bloody sales tax BC requires. 5% sounds just about right to me.

Exhibit E.
A sideboard/buffet/credenza/Hoosier thing. Whatever you want to call it, I want one. I would like to put it on the bare wall in our living room. I have great visions for this piece of furniture. It shall house kids craft/activity items, as well as table linens and possibly pantry items.

I would love to have an old antique like the beauty pictured above, but at $835, its way out of my price range. As are most that are currently listed on kijiji. So I have to be realistic about what I can afford and what it needs to do. I found this bad boy for a mere $100, and its probably one of the most functional pieces of furniture I've ever seen.

Exhibit F.
So I'm hoping this might be it. While I am beyond tempted to paint it and rip off the melamine top (ugh, ugh and more ugh), it is a nice piece of furniture with lots of potential. Now I have to wrangle the husband and a few of his buddies to haul the sucker for me. Oh Honey?

Exhibit G.
And hopefully, when its all said and done, maybe there will be a little left over for a little mini shopping spree for me! And yes, even $20 can fund a shopping spree at Value Village. I really only one pair of pants that actually fits right now. The rest are tolerable, but nothing that I truly love. My friend thought I was crazy that I used to buy up pants (on sale) to put in my one day pile. OK, maybe it is a bit crazy, but when you actually get there (to that one day point), it is nice to have a giant stash of pants to enjoy. But apparently I didn't have the foresight to buy pants in my current size, because my bin is basically empty!

All in all, it was a successful weekend!