The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{around here} Week 40/52: Week of 10.5.15

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:


loving how TJ has all of a sudden attached himself to blankets.  He drags them behind him through the  house, just like Linus!  It’s ridiculously cute.


wishing the cooler fall weather would come back.  It went back to the high 70’s this week and I was so bummed.  I’ll take sweater weather over sweating anytime.


making homemade quicksand.  Most of the kids are a little “anti-mess” and wouldn’t even put their fingers in the concoction.  Sophie, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough!  She played for over an hour.  


finishing up The Winter of our Disconnect (this book rocked my world…a separate blog post to come!) and starting John Paul the Great: Remembering a Spiritual Father.


watching the kids play poker.  Mark taught them last weekend and they are all.about.it.  A peek into the future maybe?


listening to The Hobbit on Audible as the kids colored a page I found online.  It was the quintessential homeschool moment and I ate it right up.


decluttering the playroom and really considering each toy’s worth.  Is it used?  Does it foster creativity?  We worked together and got rid of A LOT.  I’m anxious to keep the momentum going to other rooms in the house.      


thanking the good Lord for a happy baby again.  TJ spent most of last week fussy and clingy and I couldn’t figure out why.  I randomly peeked into his mouth this week and discovered four molars coming in!  Don’t let the Mother of Five Badge fool you – I still have no idea what I’m doing.

{saving our pennies} Five Easy Ways to Make Money While Decluttering

After thinking about contentment for an entire week now, I believe that part of the process is enjoying the things you already have.  Not just accepting that you don’t have the latest cell phone or the kitchen you’ve pinned on Pinterest, but actually really enjoying the items you have acquired.  

 Mark and I have spent the last ten years accumulating things that make up our home.  Like most people, it’s a healthy mix of heirloom quality furniture and cheap-o Ikea, well thought through purchases and quite a few impulse buys too.  In short, we have enough.  Probably too much.

 So now as we enter our second decade of marriage (next month!), I’m looking at our things in a new light: if the items in our home cause me stress or overwhelm, it’s time to let them go.  Since we’re also working on our student loan debt, I’m killing two birds with one stone by selling what we don’t need.  Here are five easy ways I’m making money while decluttering the house:

 Linking up with Jenna today!

 1. Ebay  //  Ebay was my first experience with online selling and my first love.  (I wrote my best tips and tricks for purchasing in this post!)  I use ebay to sell easy to ship items that have a pretty good profit margin: shoes I never wear, homeschool curriculum, etc.  

 2. Kidizen  //  Kidizen is my latest find and I love it.  It’s a phone app that works much like ebay, but only sells kids clothing, shoes, and accessories: perfect one-stop shopping for moms!  I just started selling items in our shop (find me at Big White Farmhouse!) but so far, it’s been an easy experience.      

 3. Facebook Yard Sale Groups  //  One quick search on Facebook and I’m sure you’ll find a yard sale group near you.  I actually find this way the most aggravating (we’ve been dealing with people who don’t show up or neglect to tell you they pass on an item, grr), but this is the way to go when you have big items that are too difficult to ship.  Right now, we’re trying to sell a lawn mower and a headboard.    

 4. Amazon Used Books  //  Selling your old books through Amazon is really easy.  I have sold a lot of our old college textbooks and even books that I’ve read and ended up not enjoying.    

 5. Thredup  //  I can only personally speak to ThredUp from a buyer’s perspective, but I’m seriously considering requesting a bag to sell some of my unneeded clothing!  Seems easy enough: fill the bag, put in your mailbox and you’re done.  

What easy ways do you use to make a little extra money?  Tell me all your secrets!


**a few of the above links are affiliate – thanks for supporting the Big White Farmhouse!**


{saving our pennies} Five Easy Ways to Make Money While Decluttering

After thinking about contentment for an entire week now, I believe that part of the process is enjoying the things you already have.  Not just accepting that you don’t have the latest cell phone or the kitchen you’ve pinned on Pinterest, but actually really enjoying the items you have acquired.  

 Mark and I have spent the last ten years accumulating things that make up our home.  Like most people, it’s a healthy mix of heirloom quality furniture and cheap-o Ikea, well thought through purchases and quite a few impulse buys too.  In short, we have enough.  Probably too much.

 So now as we enter our second decade of marriage (next month!), I’m looking at our things in a new light: if the items in our home cause me stress or overwhelm, it’s time to let them go.  Since we’re also working on our student loan debt, I’m killing two birds with one stone by selling what we don’t need.  Here are five easy ways I’m making money while decluttering the house:

 Linking up with Jenna today!

 1. Ebay  //  Ebay was my first experience with online selling and my first love.  (I wrote my best tips and tricks for purchasing in this post!)  I use ebay to sell easy to ship items that have a pretty good profit margin: shoes I never wear, homeschool curriculum, etc.  

 2. Kidizen  //  Kidizen is my latest find and I love it.  It’s a phone app that works much like ebay, but only sells kids clothing, shoes, and accessories: perfect one-stop shopping for moms!  I just started selling items in our shop (find me at Big White Farmhouse!) but so far, it’s been an easy experience.      

 3. Facebook Yard Sale Groups  //  One quick search on Facebook and I’m sure you’ll find a yard sale group near you.  I actually find this way the most aggravating (we’ve been dealing with people who don’t show up or neglect to tell you they pass on an item, grr), but this is the way to go when you have big items that are too difficult to ship.  Right now, we’re trying to sell a lawn mower and a headboard.    

 4. Amazon Used Books  //  Selling your old books through Amazon is really easy.  I have sold a lot of our old college textbooks and even books that I’ve read and ended up not enjoying.    

 5. Thredup  //  I can only personally speak to ThredUp from a buyer’s perspective, but I’m seriously considering requesting a bag to sell some of my unneeded clothing!  Seems easy enough: fill the bag, put in your mailbox and you’re done.  

What easy ways do you use to make a little extra money?  Tell me all your secrets!


**a few of the above links are affiliate – thanks for supporting the Big White Farmhouse!**


{contentment} Step Two: Save Money

If you were to peek at our budget, I’m sure it’s similar to most one-income families.  We can pay our bills and have plenty of food in the fridge, but there’s not a lot of “extra” cash just floating around.  We still have student loans (uhh, the bane of my existence) and are working hard to be debt-free, Dave Ramsey style.  

At first glance, I don’t feel like money (or the lack thereof) plays a role in my contentment.  I am a chronic underbuyer and I very rarely covet the latest and greatest.  I’ll window shop all day long, but actually pulling out the debit card?  I’ve abandoned many an online cart.  


Looking at the bigger picture though, I can see how our debt is causing a subconscious unhappiness.  An underlying feeling of discontent, a weight that feels heavy and overwhelming.  


So how do I find contentment, right here as we continue to pay our monthly bill to SallieMae?  I don’t think this means that I should necessarily be happy to be in debt, but maybe there’s a balance?  Maybe I can find peace and motivation in the process, hoping for the future but not stressing or constantly thinking about that “one day”.  Debt-free AND feeling more content?  Sounds like a pretty great combination to me.


Just like with Step One, here’s my pep talk to myself for Step Two:


You are not a failure for having debt, but that doesn’t mean you can’t change things for the better.  
Work hard to get rid of the student loans, but don’t let the process consume you.
Determine and take the first steps needed to live below our means.  
Save more than you spend!  We don’t need to keep up with the Joneses.


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