I guess we'll see.. I wanted to mostly retire and just do grocery shops and well bonused gas shops, but those things seem to not be realistic. The grocery shop MSC changes the rules and makes it more and more difficult each month, and last round they blocked me until almost all of the shops were already taken. So if that "issue" is corrected this coming round, I gained an extra round of rotation on pick up shops. If it isn't, or if I've been blocked from self-assigning the shops again (or permanently), I probably won't take it well, and I may bite my nose off despite my face.

My mobility issues are getting worse, so all but the most basic gas station audits are going to be out of my reach unless I use my walker. And I'll need a different cover for my tablet, I just switched to a notebook style cover (a year or so ago), but I'll need to buy one like the old one that died with the armor and the strap to put around my neck so I can use my hands. I'll probably upgrade the tablet too, because the battery is starting to not last as long as I think it should, and I honestly can't imagine not having a tablet again, even if I have to give up doing gas stations completely.

I've been toying with the idea of joining Planet Fitness again, I could at least do the resistance exercise machines, and the bicycles. treadmills and stair steppers aren't an option anymore, but if I get back to a dedicated Keto lifestyle with the resistance exercise I could possibly get to a weight where they would consider replacing my knees. Then maybe I could walk more?

My MS goal for the year was to focus on hotels. It's going ok. I've done more than normal but not quite the amount I'd like to.
Personally, I'd definitely like to lose some weight and hit the gym.
I also bought a money pit of a bar that I'm trying to offload, but I don't think that's going to happen, so I guess I need to hit the lottery and turn it profitable at some point.

As I mentioned in the other thread, pizza has been my cheat meal for about the past year and a half....it's a delicacy around here, after living so long without any decent pizza in the south.
But I need to cut way back on it....all that white flour you know, not the healthiest.
Thankfully I enjoy vegetables of all kinds and Asian food, so those are my focus.
Financially, so much to do....I need to refine my spending plan, find a lawyer for a will, the list goes on.
MSing - it has become so hit or miss....I really only have good luck with it when I leave my immediate area so that says something lol...but I come here to watch and see if there are any new updates or programs.
The health insurance shops should be coming out soon, they pay well, relatively.
I'm feeling a little stress over the plans I need to make for later this fall....I need to go to Florida and make arrangements to ship my personal belongings north....I pay over $250 for a medium size unit...ugh...but more important even than saving $ is getting access to my things.
Speaking of MSing again....I really have to look into whether there's any kind of side/part time/gig work to be had at the three casinos near my home and two more casinos not too far from here, so that's five casinos. One location is growing like crazy. My prior career involved working with the law and I was in law enforcement, so my credentials are very strong and publicly documented for working around money, security, etc.... I keep talking about it, but it falls low on the priority list.

ServiceAward, I find your reselling business interesting. I sometimes find myself shopping on eBay and can tell from the seller or storefront that they aren't selling from personal use, they must be buying from estate sales? yard sales? liquidations?
just curious, not trying to pry.

@ServiceAward my building is 125 years old. The previous owners were using a residential kitchen that the health department hadn’t seen in 12 years.
I redid plumbing and electric on the first floor. I got a gas line and replaced the boiler. I redid the entire guest facing interior. The roof leaks. I’ve had raccoons in the wall. The basement flooded. My subfloors needed replacing. No one wants to come because I can’t afford to build a commercial kitchen after all the other expenses.
I just want that cursed building out of my hands.

Keto is the way to go. Even without weight loss it helps joint pain immensely, in fact going mostly carnivore is even better.
Sugars/starches are inflammatory.

I am assuming you also know all about lectins and oxalate dense plants to avoid?

My MS goal is just to make 1K per month which is going pretty well so far. I would like to do this by taking on less shops at higher fees. This was actually working for awhile until other shoppers started grabbing things at base. I have noticed that it isn't happening as much lately. Maybe they are on vacation or maybe they learned that the fees go up.

Personally, weight loss is a thing for everyone it seems. I am focusing more on a healthier relationship with food. No more restrictions, no more feeling guilty, no more pressure to lose a certain amount of weight this week. I have gone the route of eating more protein, less calories. It is working but very slow for me due to medical reasons. I have to stay in a low calorie range for me to lose anything so I try to do 2 weeks of low calories and 2 weeks of maintenance so I don't go back to binge eating. It seems to be working better for me. Took me years and years to figure it out. I would like to thank Tik Tok and all of the great creators who taught me that all foods are good, no foods are bad. In moderation of course. If I mess up, I don't worry about it, I just continue. My clothes fit better, I feel better, slow and steady wins the race!

Only one significant goal that requires active participation: diy rehab a knee and avoid surgery. Weight loss is real with no change other than a change in thyroid medication. I still know the names of the two surgeon-approved otc joint products and how to use them. Just need to get them. Won't mention the brand names because this could seem like sales and someone else's doc might recommend something else altogether. Good luck to everyone with the goals!

@service Award, have you looked at or considered a small shed, like the ones folks make tiny homes out of? I've seen repo'd sheds here go for amazingly small prices and/or very low monthly payments, and in a few months you would own it, have no more payments, and still have storage space. Just an idea.

I've only sold a few things on ebay, and every time it's turned into a nightmare, so I decided a long time ago not to play that game. You seem to be making it work, and that makes me happy for you.

@barefoot, I don't use sugar. Haven't since 2009 when I did that 22 days sugar free challenge. Anything that I eat that has any kind of sugar in it really bothers me. I started eating and cooking more asian food, minus the rice, and italian food, minus the pasta. I'm very sensitive to soy, I do my best to avoid it in almost every form, and only use coconut aminos when I cook my own asian food. I also avoid ALL processed sugar substitutes and sugar alcohols. IF I need to sweeten something, which doesn't happen often, I use a small amount of raw honey or 100% maple syrup.

I freely admit to eating more fruit than I should, but it doesn't make my stomach feel bloated, so I probably won't change that significantly. Maybe go with smaller portions of fruit in my whole milk greek yogurt and unsweetened coconut milk smoothies, I also add 100% whey protein powder, L-glucosamine, Collagen Peptides, Spirulina, and psyllium husk powder to them.

I HATE steamed flavorless vegetables, every vegetable I eat is roasted or sautéed, and I eat vegetables of some kind with every meal. And root vegetables, including sweet potatoes are NOT on the menu. Not even turnips, but I do eat a LOT of greens. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, greens from almost everything, except collards, mustard and turnip greens are my favorites. I slice cabbage very very thin and sauté it in butter and garlic for a pasta substitute. I've also started using hearts of palm alternative "pasta" occasionally, but there is a learning curve, and my son's curve is a LOT longer than most.

I make a really good casserole that I call Loaded Cauliflower and Broccoli. It's a lot like mac n cheese, only it tastes good (I've never been a fan of mac n cheese, no matter how it's made). Anything with melted cheese is my friend, burnt melted cheese is even better. I haven't tried making taco shells out of burnt cheese yet, but now that I have the blackstone, I probably will sooner rather than later.

I have an entire recipe book (not published) that is modified meals that work for either paleo, keto, or both. And each recipe has alternative suggestions to help someone modify it for their specific dietary needs. I'm still writing some of the descriptions, and updating my sources, because some of my recipe sources no longer have active websites. And I haven't even looked for a publisher yet..

I should also add that mystery shopping and my son's dumpster diving have caused some lapses in my keto(ish) lifestyle. And I've toyed with the idea of making sourdough for sandwiches. There is a loaf of bread that's tough to find at Kroger, but it's olive oil and rosemary bread made by La Brea bakery. It's dense like real sourdough, and the rosemary makes it taste a little like focaccia bread. I'm guilty of succumbing to that temptation far more than I should..

Like ServiceAward, I'm a reseller too. I've been on eBay since 1999, and was buying and selling there sporadically through the years until I got more serious about it around 2018. I've never had more than 300 items listed at a time. Currently, I've been letting my inventory slowly sell off while I've been working on other things and rearranging my apartment. I'm down to only about 100 items listed. My goal was to spend this month listing as much of my death piles (unlisted inventory) as I can, to be ready for Q4. I need to get moving on that before October is here! I now have a surplus of about 1,000 items to list. My apartment is fairly large but doesn't have much closet space, so it is tricky figuring out how to store my inventory. I have mostly been selling clothes, shoes, accessories, and beauty items, but my big goal is to expand into other niches and sell mostly hard goods.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2024 06:07AM by shopnyc.

@ServiceAward wrote:

ShopNYC, are you the one I was looking into an unlocked phone for? I can't find the thread to know who it was. LOL

Yep, that was moi!

I much appreciate all the comments and suggestions about reselling and of course, healthier eating...
thank you all for sharing....as an eBay buyer, I am also trying to better understand how to bid or negotiate....some people of course, just want to unload quickly, so good deals there....others don't seem mind carrying inventory for awhile...
I buy gently used sunglasses.....because I am particular about brand and style and prefer the higher end for better UV protection...and because I am terrible at losing things like keys, sunglasses, umbrellas, etc it doesn't make sense for me to buy new. I also appreciate being able to buy things that would normally require a professional license...like certain hair styling products.
I am a fan of greens and in particular, escarole greens. My own recipe comes from the Italian side of my family: wilting the greens in crushed garlic and olive oil, sprinkling some prepared bread crumbs over them...light handedly lol makes a nice meal with some fish or chicken, maybe a nice glass of pinot grigio.

shopnyc, have you written here in the forum about...to sound obvious, shopping in NYC? I've always wondered about that...I'd prefer to shop by foot or train if I was in the city....er..bigger city. lol. Today is 9/11, all are in my thoughts today... on 9/11/2001, I was in a meeting at the Pentagon.... a day I will never forget.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/11/2024 12:04PM by BarefootBliss.

@ServiceAward oh, it's been listed. I have no takers. I don't expect to. It should be torn down and rebuilt. I may have to entertain a land lease with a larger company, which I wouldn't be mad at, but would take some research.

@BarefootBliss wrote:

shopnyc, have you written here in the forum about...to sound obvious, shopping in NYC? I've always wondered about that...I'd prefer to shop by foot or train if I was in the city....er..bigger city. lol. Today is 9/11, all are in my thoughts today... on 9/11/2001, I was in a meeting at the Pentagon.... a day I will never forget.

I lived in NYC for over 30 years, and that was where I lived when I joined this forum. I left the city in late 2019 and traveled a bit before I moved to northern New England in 2020. I haven't changed my username here because I can't think of a good one, really. But yes, when I was in NYC, I either walked or took buses and subways to do shops. I lived in a neighborhood where I could do a fair amount of restaurant, retail, and bank shops within walking distance. I also used to do a lot of route shopping at the airports, to which I could take public transportation.

I never owned a car in my life until I left New York. There's a reason why you see shoe repair stores on almost every block - it's a walking town! Being in a place where I need a car to do almost everything has been a huge adjustment!
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Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/12/2024 10:29PM by shopnyc.

I did merchandising for 28 years and mystery shopping for 20 years. Due to serious health issues I had to give up merchandising mostly. I still do small easy jobs like gift cards and audits that don't take very long. I still do ms'ing but only a few times a month when I can make a small route out of it.I sell on Ebay have since 2000, also sell on Mercari, started on it in 2018. I collect SS also, so the work I do supplements it, along with the selling.