A Purse Full of Fun Dollars

Now that I have outfits that I love, courtesy of my Goodwill shopping spree, I could now cruise the mall in confidence. In truth, I was avoiding checking out the Chandler Fashion Center just because I didn't really like what was in my closet.  If I am going shopping, I want to look as if I actually go shopping. (A fresh coat of mascara can only take the outfit so far...)

With rain in the forecast for Wednesday afternoon, we (my parents and I) made plans to explore the mall next to their hotel. Never before have I ever lived in the same town as a mall, so having a shopping mecca like the Chandler Fashion Center just a few exits from my house seems surreal. "You mean Pottery Barn and Nordstrom are just right here???" I still am having trouble wrapping my small-town girl mind around that one.

I wasn't on a mission to drop a bunch of cash at the mall, I just wanted to explore. I wanted to wander through some stores and just get a feel for the place. I did have a small, very short list of some supplemental items that Goodwill just couldn't supply; (cute) hair ties, something for my lips, and a key chain that has a clip (so that I can keep my car keys in the car running while I pop out to get the mail at our complex.) I had an idea for each of these items of where I wanted to shop. After spending several shopping sessions with my sister in Schaumberg at Woodfield Mall, I felt more acquainted with stores I was otherwise unfamiliar with.

I knew I could find cheap lip gloss at Forever 21. I don't go there for clothes (mostly because I don't really like their fashions,) but, as my sister so wisely states, "It's good for the basics." I can buy a handful of plain cami tank tops for a few dollars each. (I think they ring in at $1.90 or some ridiculous price like that.) Or a thin cardigan to keep me warm in all the icy air that is pumped through every edifice in town. I know that I can find inexpensive accessories there also. The hair ties were cute and sophisticated at the same time, so I snagged a card off the shelf with gold and silver pairings for $2.90. I also promised Lily that I would buy her her own lip gloss if she would stay in the stroller while I shopped. She did, and so a pink lip gloss became hers for $1.90. I also took one home for me in the same color.

After indulging Lily in a trip through "the pink store" (a.k.a. Victoria's Secret), we headed upstairs in the glass elevator to level 2. There I found an Icing store. I love this grown-up version of Claire's. I can find earrings, sunglasses, hats, scarves, and, yes, classy-looking key chains relatively inexpensively. I remembered seeing a collection of glittery key chains at the Icing in the Woodfield Mall the last time I shopped with my sister. Thankfully, nationally accessible stores carry the same wares in every store. They did indeed have the key chain I was looking for. After debating between a turquoise fish and an anchor, I chose the anchor. I am very happy with this decision. I no longer loose my dark key set in my purse. The glitter from the anchor alerts me, "here are your keys, dear!" And the key chain came with a clip, so I can easily unhook my P.O. box keys while leaving the air conditioning on in the car.


As I sat in the parent pit, I mean, play place, watching Carrick and Lily frolic with other kids, I snapped this picture. The purse; bought with Fun Dollars. The wallet; purchased with Fun Dollars. Hair ties, lip gloss and key chain, all the products of Fun Dollars at work. I love looking at my purse and seeing it filled with my decisions. Each of these items came from me choosing to part with my Fun Dollars. There are no regrets, no feelings of guilt about spending, just pride in knowing, "These are mine. I chose them, I bought them, I use them." Happy Spending indeed. 




Key chain at Icing- $10
2 Lip glosses and hair ties at Forever 21- $7.00
Wetzel's Pretzel for the kids to split- $3

Balance this pay cycle- $28.00

Happy Spending

Less is More

Of course, after I preach the virtues of restraint, what do I do? I go on a shopping spree (ish). You'd think that with any and every store imaginable in a ten-minute radius that I would be able to find somewhere more interesting to shop than Goodwill. Wasn't there a Goodwill in Sedona? Isn't that where I spent quite a few Fun Dollars in my past life???

Yes, and yes. Which is why I felt comfortable taking my Fun Dollars there yesterday. With mom and dad in town visiting, I was handed a golden opportunity to go shopping. Mom makes a great shopping buddy and dad is a fabulous baby sitter! My mother shops almost exclusively at thrift stores. She marvels at her ability to find just about anything at rock-bottom prices at places like Goodwill. She and I were on the same mission: create a new wardrobe.

Mom packed lightly for this trip, mostly because she had already purged many of her clothes from her closet. She had amassed a collection of things that no longer felt right on her, clothes that felt worn out, out-dated and "not her" anymore. I too purged much of my closet before moving. After holding two garage sales, I was in the "get rid of it" state of mind. Anything and everything that did not make me feel my best when I put it on was taken straight to the donation center.

One of the first things mom asked me after claiming her bags at the airport was, "Do you have any Goodwills near where you live now?" I wanted to laugh...

We have about 7 Goodwills within a 7 mile radius! No joke! Goodwill down here is as ubiquitous as Starbucks! There's one on every corner is seems like! The store I chose for our girl's-day-out-shopping-spree was the newly opened Goodwill at Priest Rd and Elliot. It is the size of a Marshall's store, with the selection of a Marshall's store to boot.

With a bigger population, there is greater diversity of goods. There are not just retired folks donating here (like in Sedona). There are college students from ASU getting rid of things after the semester is over. There are young women who are shopaholics bringing in their designer duds. Suffice it to say, when I went tearing through the aisles, there was not shortage of things for me to try on.

Just one of the six shirts I scored at Goodwill.

I decided to stick with just buying shirts for this outing. I have four pairs of solid-colored linen shorts from Banana Republic and I rotate through them (and two pairs of leggings) for what I wear on the bottom. I had been cycling through the same few shirts just because they were the only things left that I could wear with solid colored shorts.  I thought starting from the base of shorts, it would be easy to find shirts that coordinated with them. After an hour of trying on several dozen tops, I found 6 that really worked for me and my existing wardrobe. I also scored two purses and a sun hat.

When I came home yesterday after my shopping spree, I matched up shorts and tops. My closet looks so happy now with six new outfits! It's a small start, but it will get me through the week looking and feeling my best. Paying $3.99 for an almost new Express shirt feels good. Getting a whole bag full of name-brand tops for $3.99 each feels even better. Paying less and getting more, now that's what I'm talkin' about!





6 shirts, 2 purses and a sun hat at Goodwill- $35.00

bottled water from Circle K- $4.00

Lunch at Jimmy John's- $6.00

Balance this pay cycle- $48.00

Happy Spending!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

We are moved. We are (mostly) unpacked. We have a new couch. Our new bed frame is set for delivery today. Life is good.

I have spent my entire life living in small towns. The largest of them being Cottonwood, AZ. Corey and I spent our first six months in Arizona living in Cottonwood. The approximate population of that particular area, I believe is in the 60,000 range (give or take a few hundred snowbirds.) Sedona, AZ and Macomb, IL were the next biggest cities I have called home, with around 20,000 people each. Now, compare the size of those three towns to where we live now, boasting 6 million people; that's a lot of people.

Lots of people means lots of commerce. The options for places to spend Fun Dollars is limitless. If I saved up all of my Fun Dollars for a month, I could buy a plane ticket to visit my sister. Why not, when the airport is 15 minutes away? Or I could go to IKEA and redo a room of our new home. After all, it's just across town, just down the street. Or we could go out to eat, but the question is where? Do we want Cuban, Caribbean, or Korean for dinner? OR I could just take the kids to a water park, or an amusement park on the weekend, and spend half my Fun Dollars on carnival rides. Really, the only limit to me spending my Fun Dollars is my own budget. Whatever I can dream up to do, we can go do. It's all here.

With the endless list of possible places to park my cash comes a huge responsibility. I cannot just pass off cooking supper each night and instead go out to eat. I cannot just drive to the Chandler Fashion Center and buy a whole new wardrobe for myself. I cannot just take the kids to Castles and Coasters every weekend. There must be some restraint.

Thank Goodness I have been tracking my Fun Dollars for a year and a half and have now developed the skill and art of spending discernment. I truly believe that this move was properly timed. Had we moved a year ago, yeah I could have handled it, but I still had much to learn about my spending habits. Even if we had moved six months ago, I think I still would have felt the need to make bigger, more exciting purchases, even if it was just for the sake of writing about it here on the Fun Dollars blog. I would have blown through my money way too quickly if we had moved much earlier than what we did.

The past three weeks since we moved, I have been exploring neighborhoods, discovering parks, and investigating places to shop. Instead of just making a purchase automatically, I have instead held back and shopped around for the best deals (for household purchases, not Fun Dollar purchases. We only just "turned on" the Fun Dollars budget again this week.) Shopping around was a luxury not really afforded before. In Cottonwood, there was Wal-Mart, JC Penny, Home Depot, and several local eateries worth frequenting. In Sedona, there was Beall's Outlet, Goodwill, and a Gap Outlet, with several other local places worth checking out for shopping/eating. If we wanted any more options outside of what I just listed, we had to drive 45 minutes to Flagstaff. That's where Marshall's, Target, Old Navy, the Mall, Kohl's, etc. were all located. Since it took a day's worth of commitment to go shopping at these places, I had to have an actual need to drive that far to justify the cost of travel. I would have to feed myself while I was out all day. I would have to have a list long enough to make the trip worth my while, thereby making spending almost a necessity just to get variety.

Here in Phoenix, the variety is all just minutes away. I can drive down the street to Bed, Bath and Beyond to check the price of sheets for our new bed, then walk next door to compare the prices at Marshall's. If I don't like what I see, it's not a big deal, because I haven't wasted an entire day just driving to these places to check on prices. I can turn right around and drive to Target or Ross today, tomorrow, or the next day because they are only seven minutes away. (Which is exactly what I did yesterday.) I am no longer limited by time and distance. They have become my allies.

Before, when we needed to do more extended shopping outside of the Sedona area, we would have to pack snacks, or plan a cheap meal out (usually at Taco Bell.) Now, we have a home right in the middle of everything. We can go shopping in one area, head home for a snack, then go right back out to another part of town. It's no longer a gamble for the kids getting hungry, or me needing a little pick-me-up. I can accomplish much of what I need to do during the hours that Carrick is at school. I can run some laundry, go out shopping, come back home to do dishes, and still have time to relax while Lily naps before picking up Carrick. I don't have to spend a majority of my day in the car driving to accomplish what I need to get done, thereby maximizing the time I spend with one kiddo at home.

I am really looking forward to the next few months of spending my Fun Dollars. It is going to be a whole new adventure! (By the way, did any of you see the new tagline for Fun Dollars? It's now "Adventures in Spending".) I am super-excited to track and observe my spending habits in this new environment. New challenges, new "wants", new stores and eateries all beckon for me to come and be a part of this spending adventure!

Plate of Orange and Teriyaki Chicken at Panda Express- $7.00

Balance this pay cycle- $93.00

Happy Spending!

Settling In...

We moved...*snap* just like that.

Remember earlier this summer when I posted about our "impromptu" trip to Mexico? Well, it was sort of like that. Corey called me on his way back from Phoenix last Friday and said we should rent a U-Haul and move this weekend. He had just signed the lease on our new place and had keys and a garage door opener.

Really? Now? Are you crazy? We just paid rent for August (in Sedona), and you want to move now?

Well, I guess it's a good thing I had been preparing for this moment all summer long. Packing, decluttering, donating, hosting two garage sales, and more packing...It was the moment of truth. Had my diligence with my summer task of "packing as if we were moving" paid off? Yes, a resounding YES!!!!

We did rent a U-Haul the very next day, around 5pm, actually. Niccole took Carrick to her house for one last sleepover, and another friend of ours came over to help us start loading up the truck. I staged what was ready to load, she and Corey did the loading. We worked until about 9 that night.

The next day, our friend came back over around 9 in the morning with her two children. The kids ran around with Lily for a while, then another friend of ours showed up to help (also with her two children.) Shortly after her arrival, Niccole brought Carrick home, and we added two more 6-year-olds to the mix (and two more adult helping hands, Niccole, and her husband.) Together, with four ladies and two dudes, we all loaded up the truck, packed and cleaned our house.

We didn't totally finish all of it, but the help was more appreciated than our friends will ever know. Without them, it would have taken Corey and me so much longer (especially with the kids.) Having all the other kids around was like a party for them. They all played well and kept each other occupied so the adults could forge ahead with the moving-out process.

The group dispersed around 3. We were all exhausted and the kids needed a nap. After an hour of siesta time, Corey and I finished loading up the van. We left Sedona around 6. By 11:30 that night, we were in our new home and the van was empty (thanks to the help of one of Corey's Phoenix friends.)

As I laid there in my bed, tired, run-down, and aching, I couldn't help but smile. This felt like home. The room, the house, the neighborhood, all of it. There was something comforting and familiar about the place we had chose to live in.

So, why so sudden? Why not make trips back and forth and slowly move in all month? Why didn't I tell Corey to stuff it when he said, "Hey! Let's just pack up and move this weekend"?

One word: Family.

I have been living the life of a single mom all summer long. My husband has been in Phoenix living in hotels all summer long. We have not seen each other enough. The kids miss him. He is lonely. We just all needed to be together as a family as quickly as possible. Yeah, I could have drove some loads of stuff down to Phoenix and then packed up a U-Haul with just furniture at the end. But, I gotta say, after one trip back to do some cleaning the day after we moved, it was torture!!! I could have done it just find by myself, but I had both kids with me. The two-hour trip there and back, the mess in the house, no TV or toys to play with while mom takes care of business all make for two very cranky kiddos. (And cranky kiddos tend to make cranky mommies. It's a lose/lose situation.)

Also, because we put in our 30-day notice with our rental company, they want to start showing our property to potential renters. The thought of having to pack, watch two kids and keep the house tidy enough to show gives me hives. The faster we vacate, the better. It's one less stressor in my life during this time of major transition.

So, we are getting our boxes unpacked. The house is slowly becoming a home. The kids have been able to play on the playground just across the driveway as well as dip in the community pool. Corey has been able to enjoy a quick commute to work, then come home to his wife and kids. We are all under one roof now, and that's what really matters.

Welcome Back...

After a two-week visit to see family in Illinois, I had much catching up to do. Not just with the laundry and unpacking, but also playing hostess for garage sale #2 this summer! I had enough "stuff" left over after my first garage sale, that a few friends of mine approached me about doing a joint sale. They also had lots to get rid of, and wanted to put together a multi-family event the weekend after we returned home.

We set up shop the day after we arrived back home, and hosted the yard sale all weekend long. I made over $100 letting people haul away my junk. We packed up two loads of leftovers in the car and hauled it all away to Goodwill when it was all over. Thanks to all efforts involved, my garage is now empty...except for the boxes....

Yes, boxes, as in packing boxes, as in we are moving...

All summer long, my one aim has been to prep our house for the potential of moving. Corey and I have talked about leaving Sedona for almost two years now. We have felt our time here slowly drawing to a close. The only questions were, "Where would we go?" and "What would Corey do for a job to support his family?" Since I don't really have a career I am committed to, and he is the sole bread winner in our house, it really just boils down to Corey and his job. Without a source of income, we have no possibility of leaving. Since I am still pretty committed to raising the kids, the idea of me trying to land a job somewhere that would make enough to take care of the family was laughable. The entire fate of our family rested upon Corey and his job.

Right after school let out for the summer, something shifted at Corey's job, opening up the possibility for us to make our plans to move a reality...

Corey managed operations in Sedona for White Tie Transportation while another fellow managed operations for the parent company, Divine Charter, down in Phoenix. In the late part of May this year, the guy down in Phoenix took another job in California, leaving his position wide open. Corey stepped up and filled in as the "interim" Operations Manager. He has been doing this all summer long. This means that during the week, he has been living in a hotel room provided by the company down in Phoenix. I take the kids down mid-week to spend some time together as a family, and then Corey comes back on the weekends. It's been tough, but somehow, we have managed to enjoy our summer vacation, in spite of being mostly separated as a family.

After successfully performing the duties of Operations Manager all summer long, as well as going above and beyond the job requirements, Corey's boss(es) offered him the position! It came with a raise that was too nice to turn down. This means that the Sheridan family is headed to Phoenix by the end of August. We were given an opportunity to leave Sedona, and have a way to be supported (with Corey's job). It's a nice package deal.

Also, this move means that we do not have to totally leave our friends in Sedona forever. We can still make delightful weekend trips to Red Rock Country. Moving to Phoenix also puts us closer (by two hours) to the airport. This means that all of our family living in Illinois can visit more easily. Living in Sedona means that they have to buy a shuttle trip, or pay extra to fly to Flagstaff (or that one of us has to drive a 4-hour round trip to pick them up from the airport in Phoenix.) Living 25 minutes from both airports means that whomever flies in for a visit doesn't have to shell out extra cash, or spend extra time travelling to Northern Arizona just to see us.

We are also familiar with Phoenix. It sure beats trying to start all over in a new city. We have friends in Phoenix, we know the parks, restaurants, and neighborhoods too. It's a smaller "big step" than moving across the country or to another state, like we had been discussing before this promotion came about.

So what does this mean for Fun Dollars? I have no idea. Corey and I have not had a chance to talk about that part yet. We just got word a week ago that he was actually offered the position. We have spent the last week looking for a place to live and filling out paperwork. Yesterday we received word that our application was accepted and we can proceed with our move south. We have pretty much suspended our Fun Dollars for the month of July. Since we have been travelling and making extra trips to Phoenix, we are just living in "Spend-what-you-need" mode. No budget, just being conscious about what we are spending. So, after we get all settled in our new place, we will put our Fun Dollars system back in place. (I hope we get a raise in our Fun Dollars too. That would be a nice reward for all the single-momming I have done this summer with him gone.) Whatever happens, I'll keep you all informed about our changes as Fun Dollars evolves and adapts to life in the big city.

Until September (yes, I will be moving, and my parents are visiting this month too), Happy Spending!

Stay-at-Home Money Maker

Last year, I wrote an entry titled, "The Gift of Fun Dollars." In that entry I discussed how I hand-rolled $65.00 worth of coins from our Fun Dollars change jar. I took the rolls to the bank for cash and presented the money to Corey. I was so proud to be able to give my husband, who earns 99% of our income, a monetary gift that he did not have to work for. That was over a year ago. This year, I did things a little differently with our change jar.

Just as a reminder, when Corey or I spend our Fun Dollars, we always round up to the next dollar. The change always goes into a change jar. We empty it out periodically and use the cash inside.
We have not emptied the jar since I cashed in the coins last year. We now have an entire year's worth of coins saved up once more. This time around, I did not roll all of them, just $53.00 worth. I took $43.00 to the bank to cash in this past Wednesday. I asked for $1.00 and $5.00 bills. I kept a $10.00 roll of quarters for change. I needed the cash for a yard sale.

I have been sorting and decluttering for a month now, ever since school let out on the 22nd of May. I started organizing in the garage. I moved into the toy room after the garage was entirely sorted, boxed and labeled. I have dug through closets and cabinets, and literally pulled everything out, room by room in our house. My general method of decluttering involved a large Sterilite tub, a trash can and a diaper box (150 count).

As I began in a new area of mess and junk, I would just dump everything out onto the floor. Sitting on the edge of the junk pile on a pillow, I would move through the junk pile, sorting my way through the mound. Items were tossed into one of the three recepticles. Items were either for saving (in the Sterilite), for getting rid of (in the diaper box, which would then go to the garage for cleaning and pricing), or in the trash. Some items I would pile on the floor next to the Sterilite. Those were things that I knew where they should live. These piles consisted of dishes, laundry, shoes, or certain toys.

Week after week I spent time with this project, and finally, after a month of attention, I was finally ready to host a yard sale. I started with $53.00. After taking out the starter money, and paying my friend who added some of her stuff to the mix, I was left with $96! I was shooting for $100, so not too bad! I gave Carrick $5.00 for his "help" (keeping Lily entertained during the garage sale hours.) I also gave Lily $1.00 for whatever she did to "help" (mostly she saw Carrick get money, so she needed some too.) I split the rest between Corey and Me. $45 each. Then I handed Corey the wad of starter money that I originally extracted. "Happy Birthday a few days early," I said as I handed him the money.

I took coins that were otherwise useless in such a massive quantity, used them to bankroll a garage sale, and ended up almost tripling my money! Talk about being savvy with Fun Dollars! I now have a little extra to take with me on my trip, Corey has a birthday present, and the kids learned about turning a small bit of money into a little more money.

Castles and Coasters visit- $35.00
Eating out with the kids all week while Corey was in Phoenix- $60.00
Add in cash from Garage Sale- +$45.00
Balance this pay cycle- $50.00

Happy Spending!

****I will be on hiatus in the month of July. We will be visiting family and travelling. See you all in August!!!***

This One's for You, Dad. Happy Father's Day.

Thanks, dad, for believing in me.

In 1992, I had just finished 4th grade, and the world was my oyster. 4th grade was life-changing. I had found a stronger voice in my ten-year-old self.  I emerged from the 4th grade with a very strong "feminist" attitude, and I had a new passion for reading. Earlier that year I inherited a collection of vintage Nancy Drew books from my father.
They were his when he was my age. They came in a box mixed up with mostly Hardy Boys Mysteries, but I didn't keep those. I was only interested in about the strong female character catching bad guys.



I remember sitting in my front yard beneath the honey locust tree that summer, lost in the pages of my new mystery collection. It felt like magic. The world was quiet save for a warm breeze and the occasional cardinal. The garden walls seemed to enclose me. The dappled sunlight from the leaves of the honey locust would bounce across the pages. I blazed through all of my father's books that summer as there were just over a dozen. I had to check out other Nancy Drew books I did not yet own at the library. My need to read about the young, female detective was insatiable. I literally wanted to be her!

My collection of Nancy Drew books more than doubled during our family vacation that year. We drove south to Florida to visit my mother's parents at their retirement community. We also made a stop at Disney World. While we stayed with my grandparents, grandpa saw me reading a Nancy Drew book. So, he dug out my mother's old Nancy Drew collection, which was quite extensive, upwards of 20 books. I barely remember Disneyworld from that family vacation, but I vividly remember receiving these books.

The drive back from Florida to Illinois took the better part of two days to navigate. My dad drove most of the way home listening to the Andrews Sisters or the Beach Boys. My sister and I would amuse ourselves in the way back seat of the station wagon singing and making up dance moves to the songs.  At some point on this ride home, while I was reading one of my new books, dad asked me from the front seat, "You've read so many of those Nancy Drew Books that you must know the characters and plot lines pretty well. Have you ever considered writing your own Nancy Drew Book?" (Keep in mind, this was in the days before the concept of "fan fiction".)

I took his words to heart, and started writing as soon as we were home.

I worked on it the rest of the summer and on into the new school year. My teacher caught wind of what I was doing, and asked me if I wanted to type out a manuscript. She would send me to the computer lab during free times and study halls to work on my story. I think that's where I fell in love with writing. Just me alone at a computer. It took me quite a while to type it all out. (Remember, I was a fifth-grader. I would not take Keyboarding Class for another three years.)

After many months of typing, editing, and assembling the manuscript, I had it laminated and bound. I was going to attend the Illinois Young Authors Workshop at Illinois State University with my creation.

My passion for writing bubbled over all that year in fifth grade. With my father's encouragement and my bounding imagination, I developed myself as a budding author. With my writings, I attended two different young writer's conferences, as well as won the local Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest.

My father's words, taken seed, blossomed.

...and now I write Fun Dollars.



I love you dad. Happy Father's Day. Writing is just one of the many areas in life where I have received your words of love and encouragement. Thank you for being my dad, and for always believing in me.

Beets, red-leaf lettuce and pecans at the farmer's market- $9.00
Balance this pay cycle- $1.00
Happy Spending!