Could Someone Please Call A Plumber?

Note:  Please forgive me for not including photos in this blog entry.  This was more of a soul searching ramble of words.

I have drafted this blog entry several times.  The past 18 months have been a very confusing time; it's hard to believe that the flu has caused such disruption in so many lives.  

Last year I was doing a great job keeping my collection balanced.  That is, I was doing a great job keeping my collection balanced until Covid19.   I was off to a great start in 2020, between January 1 and June 30, I sold 42 dolls!   

Our state went into "quarantine" in April.  Fortunately, I had completed enough reorganization to continue my sales through June.  Then my Covid19 puppy, Harleigh, came to live with us May 26.  She has become an amazing member of our family, but she needed a lot of attention during the adjustment period of those early months.

In July, our county went back to school; at least the teachers did, and we continued online instruction for the first few weeks.  Students came back the beginning of September.   Teachers had a whole new mess of problems:  students had to be socially distanced, surfaces had to be cleaned every time students changed class, teachers were quarantined after coming in contact with the virus, and everyone had to wear masks.   It was very stressful.  

Covid 19 meant business.  I lost a family member and a couple friends to it.  It's been a very scary time that has affected the entire world.  

For the first time, the post office no longer guaranteed services.  2-Day Priority Mail could take weeks to be delivered!  There were horror stories of buyers charging back to sellers successfully while receiving the doll weeks later, only to keep the merchandise and their money.   I was afraid to try to sell anything!  Instead, I have focused on organizing my collection into Detolf cabinets my husband purchased for me as Valentine's Day presents.  

Although I hadn't planned to do it, I retired on June 1, 2021.   I don't think it's hit me yet.  I have decided to take my collection into control this summer.  I've sold 19 dolls in two weeks!  

What am I doing with the "extra money".   Sadly, being sequestered at home leaves a whole lot of on-line shopping time.  I didn't get a ticket to the Integrity Toys Legendary Convention, so I spent more money that I had saved due to secondary market prices.  I have actually carried a credit card balance from October to now.   That's the first time I've had a credit card balance in years and was contrary to my retirement plans.  I rationalized, "I could catch the flu and die in a few weeks; I should buy what I want and enjoy my time at home."  I doubt if I am alone in this thought process.

So, other than pre-order dolls, I am staying away from secondary market prices on dolls and am going to continue selling and hacking away at my credit card debt.  My goal is to have a 0 balance by July 31.   [EDIT:  I successfully met my goal!  Actually a whole month early!  I sold enough dolls on secondary market to get my credit card balance to "0" by June 30.   I have promised myself to no longer carry a credit card balance.  If the funds aren't available, I don't need it OR I sell enough items to cover the cost.]

Starting soon, I will be posting photos of the changes in my collection.  I hope you enjoy this journey with me.