Need Your 2 Cents Worth

I would love to get some input and feedback from you on a couple of things I'm trying to decide on.  Please let me know your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.

1)  To have ads or not to have ads?  That is my question.  How do you feel about ads on blogs you visit?  I love the way my blog looks (took me long enough to get it just right) and I don't really want a bunch of ads flashing and ruining the effect.  I also have strong feelings about advertising for things I personally don't agree with (from what I can tell with Google Ads, I can block some types of ads, but I don't think to the extent I want). There might be a way to have only ads I choose (instead of Google Ads), but I don't know how to do that.  Now on the other hand, having ads would help generate a little extra income for me.  Easy extra income is good!  I know it might not be much, but every little bit helps.  So, ads or no ads?  What do you think?

2)  I have to buy a cooler for my refrig.  I have narrowed it down to 2 Coleman Extreme coolers:  Coleman 52 Qt. Extreme cooler and the Coleman 58 Qt. Marine Ultimate Extreme cooler.

Coleman Extreme 52 Qt.

Coleman Marine Ultimate Extreme 58 Qt.

The marine cooler costs twice as much as the other one, but has some upgraded features.  Both have ratings of about 5 days, which I realize is totally dependent on how you use it and many other factors.  I take that rating with a grain of salt - and don't expect miracles, but if I can keep my food cold for 3 - 4 days on average, I'd be a happy camper.  I would love to know if any of you have used either of these coolers and what you thought? Also, I am NOT an experienced cooler user.  Other than maybe using a small one to carry my lunch to work, I really haven't used a big cooler very often (did learn the hard way to put even packaged food in plastic containers before going into the cooler!).  How do I pick a cooler size when  I don't know how much food I'll be keeping in it on a regulars basis?  I don't need room for drinks, just food.   Is there a ratio of ice to food I should maintain?  Guess I could always just camp in really cold places and not worry about a cooler, but then I'd be bothering you about recommendations for heaters.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and input.  

Got those Garage Sale Blues

It's been a little longer than I had hoped to get back to posting here.  I've got several different projects going on and was busy setting up for a garage sale on Saturday.  Speaking of garage sales, I think I'd rather have a root canal.  Going through all your stuff, organizing it, cleaning it, pricing it,  laying it out and making it look nice is challenging enough, but it's the people that drive me crazy.  This year has been the worst for obnoxious people!  Now as I see it, there are basically 3 reasons for someone to have a garage/yard sale.

1) They ENJOY having garage/yard sales.  I suppose there are a scant few out there that fit this one and as they say down south, "Bless their hearts" - (personally I think they need their heads examined) - but to each their own and I commend them for bravely going where most of people won't even go.

2) They just want to be rid of their excess stuff and either don't want to or can't haul it to a donation center [or the Misses plans to get rid of those old golf clubs that haven't been used in 10 yrs. (among other things) and can't alert her husband by asking to borrow the truck].  Those in this group may also be part of a larger neighborhood sale, making it a perfect opportunity to get rid of things without all the hassles of doing a sale solo.

3) They need money!  I fall under this one and #2.  I have to get rid of almost everything I own before I move into my mobile 50 sq. ft. tearbaby and I need to make all the money I can before then.

Now, people who come to garage/yard sales are looking for a deal - I understand that - but I have a real problem when they try to take advantage of you.  C'mon people!  If you don't like the price, then you are free to go to Wally World and pay a whole lot more!  If I wanted to give it away, I have a very long list of people I'd give it to long before I'd give it to these folks!  I'd rather donate it then sell it to some people.

If I may share a personal request - if you are a garage/yard sale shopper, please keep in mind that some of us are struggling and need to make all the money we can however we can.  Taking advantage of the person selling their stuff isn't cool.  If you think it is overpriced and you really want it, make a reasonable offer and see.  If they say no or counter back with something in between, then don't keep badgering them into going lower. Gracefully decline or say "WOW! Thanks, I'll take it!".  Remember, you are still saving money from buying it new, reusing something and potentially keeping it out of the landfill, and are paying it forward by helping someone who might really need it.

Now go Shop Considerately!  (And stay strong - keep walking past that gently used Elvis Soap on a Rope - even if it is only 25 cents)

Welcome to My Teardroppin' Life

After receiving an overwhelming response to a guest posting on the Tiny House Listings blog and the interest people had in what I was about to do with my life, I decided to start documenting My Teardroppin' Life now.  Though I haven't started my life on the road in my teardrop yet (that will be later this fall), I am however, doing a lot in preparation for the adventure and thought others who want to embark along a similar path might find this stage helpful.  So, after a couple of weeks trying to figure out how to create a blog, what I wanted to call it, and how to design it, I am finally getting it together and posted.  This has been my toughest challenge yet!

So, what have I done in preparation for this big change in my life you might ask?  Well, first off I had to grasp the concept that yes, I could live in a 5 x 10 ft. rolling home.  Then I had to figure out what this teeny house would need to look like.  I did entertain the thought of building a teardrop myself, but after about 2 minutes, realized that was insane!  Now, there are MANY designs for teardrops out there on the internet (many of which are free) and many people have built their own from simple to luxurious, so it's certainly not impossible.  The insanity of my idea was in what I wanted vs. my skill level (I can't cut a straight line to save my life!) and time alotted (within this decade).  I am very creative and can come up with unique ideas to solve problems, but executing those solutions is sometimes another story.  So, I went shopping for a teardrop that came as close to what I envisioned as I could find.  I did a lot of research and searching and finally found the teardrop of my dreams!  I truly believe we were meant to find each other.  The timing was perfect and within two months I was off to pick up my tearbaby and bring it home.  I will admit that those two months were bit terrifying - everything happened so fast - but I was sure of my decision that I needed to follow this path I chose for my life, and a teardrop was the way to make it happen.

Since then I have been trying to figure out what I will need (or think I will need), how to organize things in the teardrop and how I will survive financially while on the road - oh yeah, and how I'm going to make all this work with 2 geriatric cats riding shotgun!  So, stay tuned to find out how I plan to achieve My Teardroppin' Life.