Dollars in my pocket.. Golden Treasures

The declutter adventure has been a little slow but it took a big leap of motivation last Saturday. In addition to decluttering my junque room I am also cleaning and decorating for Christmas with the assistance of Austin, my two year old executive assistant.

Wow is gold worth some bucks today!

I discovered some old jewelery during my cleaning and since gold is at an all time high decided to take it to the local jewelers Woelks House of Diamonds and see what it was worth. $529!!!! Wow!! That was fun and motivated me just fine. Naturally I took to the road and went shopping on Saturday and Sunday. Two craft shows and about 2o stores later I was in marathon mode for sure. True to my promise I only bought some sand plum jelly and peanut brittle. I'm going to have to hurry if I want any new Christmas stuff. :o)

The jewelry was nothing much a few rings and old pieces that had no sentimental or monetary value to me. You know, the kind you tuck back in the drawer because it's gold and too good to toss or has stones missing etc. Boy!! it's a good time to dig that old jewelry out and sell it.

Check out your sources for selling gold

My jeweler told me to avoid the compelling online sales pitches and take it to someone you know who will pay a fair price. He said one lady sent some in to one of those companies and received about $80 and after looking over the invoice - he said he would have given her over $200 as a fair market price!!!!

eBay is getting some of the fun stuff

Found one piece that is going up on eBay. It's a 14k gold Seiko Noah's Ark watch. Kinda cool, don't you think?
Wonder if there is anymore old gold jewelry lurking in drawers or boxes, or cupboards..or or or.

So my first project in the declutter project was worth $529.... And we are keeping track, so stick around the next week may get interesting.

I am so ready and motivated I'm probably going to be up til the wee hours digging, selling, and making some holiday money for 2009

Joyce's Declutter Discoveries Echos in my mind

Did you ever come up with a "great idea" and think, "wow this is going to be the most interesting and fun thing to do?" (usually about 2 am) You are all excited and immediately start planning the great adventure in sleepless anticipation?

Morning dawns and life routines set in and you think, "um, well maybe in a couple days or next week" when there is more time. After all it is a wonderful idea and certainly worth taking time to "do right" (an echo). Oh boy! then the echos in your mind begin fighting the valiant battle for doing--and not doing. The great adventure melts and thaws during morning chores.

There is beautiful Fall weather to enjoy, Austin (2 year old) grandson to take care of, craft shows and auctions to attend. Clients to assist. I mean a few more days won't matter will it? Mom used to say, "it will still be there when you get back (that's an echo in case you wondered)?"

The echos in our mind are fighting for attention: "Do it now." "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today." "Need to make some money time to get busy." Hah! "Success is born on doing, not thinking about it."

I'm sure you have a few dancing around too that make you feel guilty no matter what you do. Okay I'm grinning now because we know I'm working on this blog and not tending to my great adventure.

Be still echos, go on, get outta here, shoo. I am on my way as the "great idea" is compelling me back up those dark stairs to the clutter cave of great adventure. Well maybe.

Begone noisy echos and let reason prevail..shhhhh, quiet and I'll play a lullaby while we work. What I really need is some motivation, you know, something that drives the engine of energy and accomplishment.


Oh look at the squirrels playing in the oak tree *sigh* do I hear another echo, "tomorrow is supposed to be cold, rainy and windy, good day to stay inside and work--tomorrow." *g*

The time is now, eBay, auction, garage sale

Here we go, the declutter adventure

eBay, Auction, Garage Sale, Donation? Time for those big decisions about what to do with the junque that has accumulated.

This is just the beginning and I hope you come along for the fun---um work! I need all the help I can get! *g*

I'm baring my junque soul to the world so you can see that you are not alone when it comes to clutter, messy rooms/attics/garages, basements.

For this ride we are going to sort, categorize, tag, store, ebay, garage sale, donate, and find a way to bring rooms back to intended purpose, attics cleaned and neat (geez big dreams)


We are going to find out if there really is $3000 in disposable junque for eBay sales and we are gonna do it and blog about it here and on my website.

Heck, you might even help me decide what goes on eBay, garage sale, donate, store, and heaven forbid goes in the trash.

First step the trip up the stairs to the second floor bedrooms, I have to tell you it was spooky. The anticipation of opening that door was just--well actually kinda fun cause I'd forgotten some of the neat stuff there. :o)


Don't you just love adventures?

Here is the way the room once looked after my granddaughter moved out, where did all that stuff come from?

You know I think I'll turn it into my eBay room when I'm done



PS. If there is anything you want to see or suggest, please do it. I think I'm going to reactivate that old computer so I can use it to document my mess.

It's time to declutter

I have to tell you after going to the auction Thursday evening, I've decided it's time to really get busy and declutter my mess. As I walked around the tables and all I could see was my own cupboards, closets and hidden places staring right back at me. Geez, what we keep hidden until it shows up on eBay and at auctions, garage/estate sales.

Not many tables for this downsize auction. Most boxes of "stuff" were bringing under $5 per box or boxes.

This was a Rohleder consignment auction of two households that are downsizing. One couple is downsizing into an RV and traveling through their retirement (Another brave couple, Louise and Gene Sanchez are living the RV life and blogging about it. I hope you are enjoying the Colorado State Fair in your RV). The seller at this country auction are also selling their house and rolling across the USA without a nice big bathtub to come back to. Don't think I'm that brave but I admire the idea.


The pickings at this country auction were slim and illustrates how our interests change through the years and how our age dates us to the olden days. Makes me smile as I poke through those boxes on the tables and think, "I've got some of those old records in the basement." Remember the grease drainer that sat on the stove or better yet remember grease? Well they don't have much value other than memories at country auctions. The boxes of acrylic paints found a new owner the auction for a few dollars.



Anyone remember the reel to reel tape players that were so popular in the 1950s? Could have had this one with speakers attached for $5

How about this art deco night stand --one of a pair that went for $10

After I got home I thought, I'm going upstairs to check out my clutter rooms and attic. Then I froze, glued to my chair with the anticipation of facing my clutter paralyzing my intentions. And it was Thursday evening with Keeping Up Appearances about to be on the TV, everyone needs a role model.

I looked!!! aagghhh, do I really have to take pictures of this mess!!??? Next post I'm doing it. Okay now maybe I don't feel quite so alone. eBay here I come.

The Declutter Country Auction

This is a different kind of auction. Around here it may be an evening auction or a Sunday afternoon auction. It is marked by what a seller determines they can live without while they clean house or open a closet door full of stuff. Or better yet what they have tucked away in cupboards, drawers and closets that may still be new in box --albeit the box a little yellowed around the edge.

Who needs three sets of flatware, or two of those Frybabies so popular in the 1970s. How about Sampsonite suitcases, you know the prestige ones that are way too heavy for air travel and too bulky for the trunk of the car. Pencils, pens, flashlights, rulers and wrapping paper. It amuses me that some people sell (and others buy) old sets of sheets, old pillows and bathroom towels. Then there is plastic containers, with and without lids, boxes and boxes of them.

For decades we've been accumulating, collecting, and building equity in what we save. Now we look around and think, "I've got to get rid of this stuff." The "stuff" may not work, it might be a piece of broken crystal or a floor lamp that wobbles when touched. Or it may be boxes of patterns and fabric that once had lofty intent.

I have to smile because I'm one of those people looking to declutter 40 years accumulation and once I get started I'm going to let you watch me do it in this blog. Getting started is downright hard and I empathize with people who have gone through the process and are finally getting rid of it through auction, estate/garage sale and eBay.

So this Thursday I'm going to a country declutter auction and we are going to see how well the items sell and what people are willing to pay for all that clutter. Maybe even find out where the items will end up.

So tune back in Friday, August 28, to have a look at what one declutter auction had for sale and what people pay for it.

Keep watching because I'm taking my credibility into my own hands and heading for the attics to let you see what real clutter looks like in the "before" state. oh my...

At the Auction Part 2 Rohleder Auctin Service

The auctioneer is Randy Rohleder (leaning on the chair), he is interesting and fun to watch. He keeps his good nature and humor all through the auction and sometimes imparts some brief but funny comments to keep us interested. His entire family is involved, dad, mom, wife, son and daughter. His grandfather was an auctioneer also.

When Randy had his first auction he called me for consignment and I managed to come up with a load of items.

Today we are walking in the door of the Russell County 4H building on a Thursday evening auction that started at 5:05 PM and looking at what some people buy and what they pay for their purchases

The auction was snappy and interesting. The seller was a woman who was moving into assisted living and selling contents of her house. Sadly we see a lot of these auctions nowdays

Randy called the auction "I have $25 do I hear $30" - his dad trekked up and down in front of the buyers with the old wooden phone which had the insides intact. Note the lack of a dial. In those days people turned the crank and asked the operator for the intended recipient by name or two digit number. The phones were on party lines and each person had unique rings (one short two longs or three shorts, etc) everyone could hear the rings and everyone listened to the lines enjoying the gossip.

This was the earliest form of community interaction via technology. During severe thunderstorms it wasn't unusual for lightening to spurt out the mouthpiece when it struck lines so you kinda made a wide berth around it when lightening was nearby: The phone sold for: $105.00

Two boxes of Photographic Dry Plates were a good find and in another market might have sold for more. They brought $45 for both boxes. Some of you may remember how these were used during the days when studio photography was an art.

Here was an entire box of goodies, ahhh such treasures which pleased many relevant junque collectors. The box contained Mrs. Stewart's Bluing bottle (full) used to whiten clothing (no they did not use it to whiten and tint grey hair *g*). Tetley's Tea tin and I'll bet those tea leaves were well aged. To top it all off were the insulators (obviously copped from some unknowing telephone pole). The entire box: $8-maybe some of these will end up on eBay.

10 years ago these primitive washboards might have brought $75 to $100 at auction but in today's country auction market Randy worked hard to get $13.

Maybe without the party line on the telephone to break up the monotony of lye soap and sore knuckles from scrubbing overalls on the washboard lost it's luster.

The washboards might have lost some of their luster but country auctions still have drawing power, people chat, mill around looking at the potential treasures, get a number and bid, bid, bid. Next we will talk about why people buy what they buy and what they do with it. Thanks and share some of your memories about these primitive items sold at Rohleder Auction in July 2009. Food supplied by Fairport market

Country Auctions what we buy-why we buy

Real Time Country Auctions

Buying for resale, eBay, Antique malls

Tables of treasures

In our part of the world country auctions are community events. People come to bid, buy, chat and eat. Most are held indoors in a rented community building and usually last one day (there are exceptions). People often arrive an hour or so early so they can check out the goods before the auction starts and serious buyers make a list of their intended buys. Buyers who are auction savvy and buy for resale have a $ number in mind for their final bid.

Auctions make me smile, they give me a lift and I love the sense of community and talking with friends I haven't seen for awhile. But here is a big warning!! There are no friends when bidding starts at an auction--you have to be a good shoulder shrugger--when you lose a bid you shrug your shoulders, smile and move on!! Conversations can stop in mid-sentence when a coveted item comes up for bid and resume once it's completed.

Here is the look and feel of a country auction in Kansas. This one occurred a few weeks ago on Saturday and started promptly at 10:05 am-completed about 4 pm

Tables of treasures

Items are sold individual and in boxes or in stacks

Stack of games sold for $1.
Three boxes of glasses and china cups sold for $2



Country Auctions 2 coming soon.