Maybe I'll Start Blogging Again - A Boring Update

It has been forever since I've been on this blog.  Mainly it would be due to the fact that we did

close down one of our online music stores.  AK Music Storm went offline last January and I really do not miss it.  It never showed much of a profit and it was much more to manage than selling on Amazon or eBay, which we are still doing.  It was a nice bonus that eBay changed adjusted how they charge their various fee and it is working out nicely to our favor.  Thank you eBay!  Amazon has been showing some success as well but there is so much competition out there that we barely make a dent at times.

Here is a link to our ebay store: Spindrift Gifts.  The Mechanic has been posting quite a few iPods for sale.

iPod

Earlier this year, we did inventory and decided to make some major changes.  We analyzed our sales and decided to narrow down what genres we would offer.  Our favorite and best seller was Classic Rock but we were not making a profit.  Pop, Dance and R&B had good sales but again, no profit.  You had to be willing to sale at the lowest price because the market is saturated.  So, what did we find that sells and makes a profit??  Believe it or not, Opera and New Age.   

Jim Brickman

We sell Enya and Yanni all day long.  George Winston, Tim Janis and David Lanz usually within a week of posting.  It really is beautiful music that we enjoy in our home.  It still takes me back when I walk in the shop and hear the mechanic listening to Lindsay Stirling instead of Boston.

David Lanz

Well, that's the update on our store.  I'm glad to have this post out of the way because believe me, I just read it and it is really, really boring.  

I can't wait to share with you the more interesting changes that we have made, and the real reason that I dusted off this blog site.  

Still lovin' life but not this post.  Stay tuned!

C

5 Year Plan - Frugal Connections

I love everything about Saturdays.  Sleep-ins, extra cups of coffee, hot breakfast, snuggling with Stormy while she watches Strawberry Shortcake are just a few of the things that I love.  Saturdays are also the day that I work with our  on-line stores.  I leave feedback on eBay, post more music, shop for more inventory, and suffer through more SEO learning and marketing.  None of that will be happening today because my internet is acting very badly.  

Internet is a sore subject with me today and I think it is time to research some other options.  Right now we pay around $70/month for a sluggish connection and sporadic service like today.  In  5 years we are hoping to have our living expenses under $500.  It's not hard to see that something needs to change.  

Cell phones we have more of a handle on.  Currently we have 2 phones and pay $200 a year for them.   The phone I use is prepaid from one of our local providers.  I pay $100 each year for my plan.  It gets me 750 minutes and unlimited texting.  I text more than talk so I usually make it last a year.  The teenager has a Trac Phone.  We buy him a $100 card each year that gives him 1000 minutes of talk but charges for texting.  He has to pay for anything over that.  

The mechanic doesn't want a cell phone.  But  he does have a mobile phone.  For a couple of years now we have been using Skype for our long distance.  A great service but the mechanic always hated being tethered to the computer. His solution was to use his iPod Touch.  He downloaded Skype to it and now is free to wander about the property or find a wi-fi hotspot if he's not at home.  

Of course, neither of our phones are smart phones and I'm holding out because I don't want the monthly plan.  We are not lacking though.  We own a Xoom tablet with all the cool apps but more than anything else we have a Kindle.  A pretty old Kindle that I will hold on to for as long as I can.  It's not a tablet or even in color.  The reason I love it so much is because it came with 3G access all included with the purchase price.  It's what we travel with to look up maps, phone numbers, movie times, ferry schedules, etc.  When internet service is down in the house we use the Kindle to keep in touch with the eBay and AK Music Storm  stores.  It's slow and black and white but it gets the job done with no extra charges or minutes used on our cells.

Our connections: Xoom, Kindle, LG phone and iPod

 Here's hoping that I can publish this with the next internet burst.  I'll be calling Tuesday to put in yet another work order.  No doubt they will make me reset my router before they'll come reset the line.  Thanks to the Kindle I'll be in touch but I don't know how I'm going to take care my castle in Castleville.  Hopefully a neighbor will go feed my unicorns before they run away.  This weekend I'll be puddle splashing with Stormy instead.

Lovin' the connected life in Alaska, at least most of the time.

The 5 year Plan - Railroad Car Home

Ever since Stormy was born I have been scheming on how to retire or at the very least work part-time.  This is the first time that I am putting the plan on paper and I'm hoping that by doing so, it will become more tangible.  Let me warn you that I am totally winging this, as I do most of my personal life.  I probably-should-have made an outline first but here goes.

 The first two things we are working on now are beefing up our home business and building a very energy efficient living space.  You will probably think we are nuts as I explain this to you, as most do, but we are totally jazzed about it.  My husband is a borderline hoarder (he prefers the term "collector") and he just happens to own two Alaska Railroad cars.  The plan is to build him a very spacious shop in between the two cars and remodel one of the cars as our new home.

The shop will be large with at least 3 bays and we we will do our best to keep it efficient.  We've gathered most of the materials needed to  build the roof this year and have not spent a dollar yet.  My husband is amazing when it comes to work trade.  Our ridge pole was traded for a brake job and a couple of cameras.  The lumber was traded for an old excavator that had been stuck in the creek for 5 years.  He is now currently negotiating getting some heavy duty tin for the roof from a cannery in Valdez.  We will heat it with a waste oil heater that he has and we are also planning on installing a wind turbine and solar panels to help out in the shop and the attached living quarters.  

The railroad car we remodel for the living quarters is already amazing.  It is already decked out floor to ceiling in beautiful wood.  A little sanding and staining and it is ready.  It is well insulated but we will plumb one wet wall and put in electricity.  It's pretty tight in there so we do plan on popping out a sun room.  Here's a link to some of my ideas.  The ceilings are high so we know that Stormy's room will include a sleeping loft.  To keep it efficient we will primarily heat with wood and use a tempering tank for the hot water.

Right now, we sell most of our music and electronics online.  This new area will allow us to have a storefront for the locals to shop.  Hopefully as people drop off or pick up their car from the shop or wait while it is being repaired they will shop in the store.  

So that's the dream.  It may be nuts but it's totally us.  This is only the broad outline and I will add details later and keep you posted on the progress.  Now here's a few selections from the store.  

The Commitments

 

Ipod Nano

Kodak CD1013

 

The Stay at Home Dad and iPods

This is my post about why I love having a stay-at-home dad why it works so well for us.  I know that many people cannot understand why I, as the mother would choose to go to work.  There is many reasons and here are a few of my favorites.

Having a house-husband is the best.  When something breaks down, he's there to fix it.  Many a morning I've left to go to work with say a dripping faucet and I come home and Voila! it's fixed.  Ditto for the stove and septic system.  It's a bonus that he's a wonderful cook, cleans up after himself and when pesky telephone salesmen call, he actually has some fun with them.

Our baby is daddy's little girl.  They are building such a strong bond and relationship that will carry them through life.  

Financially it make sense.  I have a decent job only 4 miles from our home as an office manager.  Nick, my husband, is self employed and works out of our home.  He mechanics, welds and for the most part runs our store.  He is our in house repair tech, so if you buy one of our iPods, cameras or any gizmo he has probably refurbished it.  Most of our iPods come with new batteries, he likes to run diagnostics on the hard drive to make sure it's up to snuff.  He loves to talk on the phone to our customers about any questions they have and offers a 90 day labor warranty on all our electronics.  It's so nice that he is at home to do all this.  So don't hesitate to buy from us if you are worried about the used condition.  We'll go out of our way to make sure you'll get a good deal.  Shop at our store:  akmusicstorm

40 gb iPod