For this blog post I’m writing about several of the activities I’ve been doing over the past month or two, and just for fun, I’ll rate them for you!
Cleaning Out My Bookcase
Right around New Year’s Day, I spent a happy afternoon completely cleaning off my two bookcases and sorting them by genre. I came across books that I haven’t read yet but really want to, so it was kind like getting free books!
Winter activity rating: A+.
Bagel-Making
In late January, I got together with a co-worker/friend, Jen, and we made bagels! I’d made them before, so I supplied the recipe and Jen supplied the kitchen.
Some people say “I didn’t know it was possible to make bagels at home”, but yes, it’s quite possible and only a little more complicated than making regular homemade bread. You shape the bagels and boil them for a few minutes before baking, so that gives them their chewy crust. I also used a good brand of flour because they are mostly flour and I thought that would give them a better flavor.
Homemade bagels are much better than bought bagels, and somewhat healthier than doughnuts. I’m not sure where my hand-written bagel recipe is right now, but there are lots of recipes online, and you can spruce them up with different toppings.
Winter activity rating: A+.
Ramsey Financial Classes
In January, my aunt and uncle started hosting weekly “Financial Peace University” meetings in their basement and inviting random people to attend. I also started listening to Ramsey podcasts and occasionally watch some of his videos on Youtube.
Dave Ramsey is pretty famous for his radio show and books where he gives people advice about money, investing, saving, etc. Like any famous person, he’s got his fans and his haters.
I’ve learned a lot from his show, but like anything, you take the wheat and leave the chaff. I like his advice about planning, doing real math, being the tortoise and not the hare, and not feeling sorry for yourself— everyone has some setbacks and some advantages in this life. On the negative side, I’d say his focus on wealth-building is too strong. Not everyone’s dream is to become a millionaire.
When I discussed this with my brother, Ken, he wisely said, “Remember, on the Ramsey show, they aren’t selling financial advice, they’re selling entertainment.”
Ken also told me, “Remember, the purpose of money is to be used,” and (on the subject of house-buying and long-term savings) Ken said, “Look at this way, as long as you live, someone will need to feed and shelter Susan. Either that money will be money you earned or money that someone else earned.”
I’m blessed to have a smart brother!
Winter activity rating: B+.
Selling Books Via Amazon FBA
Something else I started doing this winter as a hobby/side hustle, is selling books via Amazon FBA. If you want to know exactly how to do this, I suggest you go to Youtube and search for the many videos that explain this in detail.
Basically, I go to thrift stores and using an app on my phone, I search for books that I can sell on Amazon for a profit (usually non-fiction). I have to scan maybe twenty books or more books before I find something profitable. Then I take the books home, clean them up, list them on Amazon, pack them up, and ship them off to Amazon, and wait… and hope they sell!
I haven’t been doing this very long, and I don’t have a ton to say about it except this:
- No, this is not a get-rich quick scheme. Just getting an Amazon Seller account took me a week.
- Do not try this if you aren’t particularly tech-savvy. Had I tried this four years ago, before I had a job in ecommerce, I would have pulled out my hair in frustration. I think having experience working in a book store helped me too.
- I also don’t recommend this if you have small children.
But if you are bookish and like treasure-hunting and have spare time and a little bit of cash, and don’t mind the smell of thrift stores, you may want to give it a shot! Maybe you and I will suspiciously eye each other as we each scan books in the thrift store. Dibs on the nonfiction section!
Winter activity rating: B+.
Spring is almost here! Have a wonderful week, everyone!
God’s blessings, Susan
I like what you’re doing with selling books. eBay gives you more profit. Beware Amazon’s fees. A $10 book has a cut of 4.96 for them, and I’m not familiar with FBA but believe there’s a monthly storage fee. It’s possible to lose money, so be careful.
Thanks for the tip! I watch the profit/loss thing pretty closely. I like Amazon FBA because I don’t have to do the shipping.
I’ve got to try the homemade bagels! I’ll pass on the book flipping.😉 I would like to try bread recipes with the golden 86 flour . My in -laws highly recommend it .
Golden 86 flour? Interesting, never heard of it!