My Top 5 Lessons Learned From 2014. Broke, Stressed. Successful Regardless.

To summarize the most important lesson I've learned from 2014 in one word: FOCUS.

Two words: BITCH, FOCUS!

In 2014...

[Photos from Apartment Therapy]

I tried on too many hats at once: indie business marketer/product designer/photographer, wedding photographer's assistant, freelancer writer, online shop curator/owner, reseller, antique mall booth owner, blogger, college student, herbalism student, maker...like a porn-filled 1998 Windows operating system, I crashed.

Lesson 1: You get one life, so do all the things with it... But go slow. Focus!

***

I ended a two-year relationship with a guy I learned was hiding a drug problem. I was used to him, mood swings and all. It was hard to cut his presence from my life.

I ended my five-year relationship with buying vintage merchandise every weekend. I was used to it, even though it overwhelmed me to tears to take in more than I could handle. It was hard to cut its presence from my life.

Lesson 2: Whether it's a project or relationship, don't drag it on, don't wait. Stop. Find new solutions. Return to it refreshed.

***

I had a mental picture for "future boyfriend": older, organized, creative professional. We'd design an office worthy of Apartment Therapy, happily arting the day away on our matching desks.

HAAAAAA HAHAHA. Nope, not my pad. Yet. But working on mine. We'll watch my pad transform for 2015's planned before/after room projects.

Instead I met AJ; three years younger, messy, sporty, man's man, football team captain. I once showed him photos from my favorite figure drawing class. He paused and thoughtfully eyed the tasteful, near-nude subject. His pretty amber eyes were earnest when he said, "Do they show p*ssy?" 

AJ does not know the fundamentals of art and design. He dislikes cats (!), he's never seen an episode of Transformers (!!!). Of course, we fell madly in love. On paper we're a mess but our chemistry is perfect. I wouldn't want him any other way.

Lesson 3: We all have pre-set ideas of what we absolutely WILL and WILL NOT do. Stop. Let go of expectations. Never be unwilling to do something outside of preconceived notions of what's "for you". AJ wanted to fulfill his creative/hippie side and I wanted to become physically active and we're coaching each other. Try something you've always thought you hated- you never know what will happen.

***

I've earned less than I have in years, having spent the year exploring, not earning. Along the way I've gained everything money can't buy: applicable wisdom and knowledge, true love, extreme resourcefulness (stretching my already-formidable cheapskate powers!), long-thought-impossible goals accomplished and/or started on, and much-improved physical fitness.

Lesson 4: The world won't end if you make less money, lose money, or go broke. Do what you love at all costs. Take risks. You'll learn, you'll survive, it will make you stronger.

***

2014 had ample stress. I battled hopeless feelings. Thoughts like: I've tried so many things and have never excelled so I'll never excel at anything, haunted. Yet looking back, I feel accomplished. It's exhilarating to strain yourself to the limits mentally and physically.

Lesson 5: Life's not about some mythical "end goal". Just like in fiction, once you conclude the conflict, story over. I'm not in a rush to get to my inevitable "end." I've finally learned to instead, enjoy the journey in all its imperfections and count my blessings.

***

For years I've been stuck in a routine, something that stuck from my office days. Time tends to fly by unsettlingly when you let yourself do this. Remember when you were a kid and the days stretched forever? It's because you were learning something new daily and novel experiences fire up your brain's neurons and make time seem to last longer rather than fly by. This happened for me, especially during the last six months of 2014. Despite the flops, it's been a good year. I'm nervous about my new direction as I train to become a master herbalist and launch a skin care line. I know it's going to alienate and isolate me from a lot of readers. But I have to do what produces the best, from-the-soul content: follow my heart and produce the best quality work I possibly can.

I'm invigorated and motivated to keep learning, training, refining and growing big time into 2015! And fit in a little thrifting again for upcycled projects when I feel ready again too. The willpower to resist smalls/mugs needs training, she is weak!

What were the biggest lessons you learned in 2015? What were some failures you've learned and grown from? I'm ready for you, 2015!

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Thrift Core in 2014: Survey Time. Come one, Come All. It's a Choose Your Own Adventure.

I'm not sure what holiday I love more, Halloween or New Years. The new year and its clean slate always invigorates me and sets me to action. I'll have more details in a post going up next week, but I'll just say after some soul searching I've realized I spent 2014 juggling way too many projects to limited success. I'm excited to make online retail (making a couple of lines, and of course, a little bit of vintage) and this blog my focus again!

Recently got to spend some precious alone time brainstorming, writing, and loving it. That's always my happy place.

I need your help! I created Thrift Core when I was a web marketer and copywriter and wanted my own voice on the web to experiment with, but the thing I love the most about it is the interaction and the ability to help others. Through it all, I stick to writing about my true loves and passions because this will shine through in the writing and keep you and I both engaged. If the passion isn't there, the blog wouldn't be good. You have to have it. Still, because it's a blog for you I still want your feedback.

Click Here for the Thrift Core Survey

Completing this simple 10-question survey will be a big help for me in the coming year as I spend some time developing next years editorial schedule. Thank you for reading along all of this time. This blog is my favorite project and I'm always excited to take it to the next level.

PS: I have advertising available for 2015 so contact me or check out the advertising page if you're interested.

/Comments Off today but feel free to e-mail me with any questions or concerns. Thanks again, taking the survey would be a huge help! With that, I'm off to finally conquer my house mess for the new year!

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Night of Lights and Antique Christmas Goodness in St. Augustine, Florida

My favorite element of Christmas has always been the visuals, the smells being a close second. Not the food, surprisingly, but the evergreen tree and frankincense smells. The lights, the decorations that were bought down from the attic every year. I would lay under our Christmas tree and watch the dancing lights in perfect contentment. For about a decade now I've made it a point to enjoy Christmas lights on a huge scale and explore St. Augustine's ambitious "Night of Lights" every year.

I feel at home and sickly nostalgic every time I explore St. Augustine's touristy "Old City". It brings me right back to my childhood in Italy, where the mostly Catholic populace makes Christmas extremely festive. I remember narrow cobblestone streets twinkling with lights, smokey with rich frankincense and tables filled with earthy, lit, detailed, hand-crafted nativities called precepio.

Every time I visit St. Augustine I can easily see myself setting up a shop and staying forever, it's so homey and comfortable. Maybe one day! For now, I'm happy exploring more before settling down on one thing.

What's are your Christmas traditions? I want to work hard, save up and take a pilgrimage to snow with AJ. He's never seen it before! By the way, I'll be taking a break from posting (but never working, I'm an addict!) until December 26th, the day after Christmas. I'll have something interactive that I need your help with! Aaah! Hope you'll stop by. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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10 Ways to Sell Household Clutter for Big Time Cash: Go Minimalist, Make Bucks

I'm still in the midst of my crazy minimalism journey. I'm loving the hell out of it, even though things are in that "messier before it gets clean" stage. I'll update with before/after photos next week when the house is photogenic again!  I've gotten rid of 90% of my already-purged wardrobe, all but one of my DVDs (I kept my collector's edition of the 1986 animated "Transformers the Movie" of course), boxes of books...and I'm making money to set aside for my future start-ups along the way!

Ah...photos from clean office past I'll get you back to perfection again, office!

The new year (13 days away- less than two weeks) is the time to purge and I love making money while I'm at it. Here are my 10 favorite ways to purge and make cash while I'm at it.

1) Garage Sale: The classic way to sell your excess items. Read: My Yard Sale Tips

Earn More: Advertise at least a week ahead of time via Craigslist and/or in your local newspapers for extra exposure. You'll earn even more when you

2) Craigslist: Craigslist is free so it's a great site to experiment with. I've heard of people selling off-the-wall things like used toilets on Craigslist, so try anything and everything. You never know what will sell.

Earn More: Excellent for furniture and lots but not individual high-priced items in my experience. Price a little more than you want to earn, Craigslist shoppers love to haggle.

3) eBay: You have to pay per listing on eBay, be selective with listings. Read: Ebay Selling Tips

Earn More: Collectibles, vintage items, raw materials and electronics are a safe bet.

4) Etsy: Etsy is good if you have a large amount of vintage or handmade items to sell. Read: My Etsy Tips

Earn More: You'll do better on Etsy if your items are artfully staged. Etsy gets less traffic than eBay, you'll be more successful if you promote it more within Etsy or via your established social media.

5) Used Book Stores: Powells locations buy used books, call one if they're near you to inquire about it. Barnes and Noble may buy your books, check their website. Look up local book stores that buy. Chamblins Book Mine buys books locally.

Earn More: Most used books stores are looking for quirky books that will sell, kids books, manga books/collectible comic books, and newer books. But try any/all of your books. I often make $25 bucks per batch I bring in.

6) Movie Stop/Movie Stores: I realized I haven't put a single one of my DVDs in the player in over a year, time for them to go!

Earn More: Movie Stop won't pay much per movie but if you have a large batch it can add up.

7) Plato's Closet/Consignment Shops: Consignment Shops like Plato's Closet will buy your clothes and resell them to customers.

Earn More: What they'll buy will depend on the shop, peek inside to see what they have and if it matches the clothes you're trying to get rid of. Again, they don't pay much but a big amount will add up. I recently sold 15 items and made $32, more than I expected and more than I'd have made simply donating the stuff! Take your items to multiple locations if they don't buy and take your items more than once, a different clerk may buy items the previous one did not.

8) Pawn Shop: A classic though fussy way to sell wares. Pawn shops won't offer much but it's a good way to get rid of some items fast for more than you'd have earned if you'd have simply donated it. Most will require photo IDs and for your thumbprint when you fill out the paperwork.

Earn More: This is a good option if you want cash in your hands and don't want to bother with listing, sales, or multiple stops and they take collectibles, electronics, DVDs, bikes, and more. Never clothing that I've seen.

9) Antique Store: Most antique malls don't buy vintage or antique items, but some antique stores will.

Earn More: Call local ones if you have some special true antique or old vintage items (difference here) and ask if you can bring some items in to sell.

10) Antique Mall: If you have a garage full of vintage/antique items (say you inherited some from a diseased relative or you finally bought everything down from the attic) and want to slowly sell it off you may want to invest in an antique mall booth.

Earn More: Start with a small space and experiment, depending on how much stock you have this can add up to a big monthly paycheck. If you want to sell it off fast, try Craigslist to sell it as a lot.

I highly recommend periodic purges. Every box donated or sold is a victory. It feels so good to have less in your life. The stuff I don't sell goes to friends, family, and services for the needy.

For good measure here are some general selling tips if you're a beginner with writing listings online. Good luck, make that money!

Did I leave out other options for selling wares? There are a lot of new services that send you bags/boxes to take your wares but most I've seen don't pay you unless the items you send them sell. Anyone have experience with regular consignment shops to share? I've only been to "Plato's Closet".

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5 Business Motivation Tips: Whether You're Getting Started... or Getting Tired

I'm enjoying a huge surge of motivation and creative inspiration for my business. Sales are up, I'm plotting big moves with the right partners and I'm excited and busy as hell. So busy I barely get to sit, so busy running around I almost fell on my ass then later face hard yesterday, basically catching myself both times at the last second. Too busy to die, don't take me yet netherworld!

Positivity leads to productivity. I had to analyze what's created this turn around on luck, sales and motivation after a bit of a slump and realized the following steps were big helpers. Try them, they work:

1) Dream Big: Maybe you want to save $5,000 ASAP, upgrade your car, or the secure the funds to finally set yourself up in a brick and mortar store. Whatever it is, make one or a few big tangible goals to work toward that are on the realistic side. Then...

2) Envision: Do what it takes to really envision your big goals for the future. Make boards if you must, post pictures, keep the idea on your mind. (More details in my Vision Board post. Also the concept behind The Secret.)

3) "Bigger" Mission: Make your business bigger than money. If you're a parent, you must succeed because you want to give your kids the best life possible. My bigger mission is teach others to live a happy, healthier life outside the status quo.

4) Treat Yourself: Buy supplies that will help you be successful or little treats here and there for yourself. It can be good coffee, an indie bakery cupcake or even setting aside quality time to spend with loved ones. Do it. It's Good for your business, good for the soul. I ignored this, but it's a must.

5) Hire: If sales are crazy and you're going crazy keeping up, it may be time to hire a helper. Your sanity will thank you.

6) Outsource: I can design, draw and sew yet I'm hiring others to help me get some designs off the ground. I'm doing too much as it is and these tasks don't come naturally for me when I'm doing it for myself. Paying others to help me is worth every penny because I'm saving valuable time and really making progress for my goals.

7) Classes: Learning new things keeps your brain neurons firing. You'll be more creative and energetic. Never stop taking classes in your field. Right now I'm having a blast taking classes to become a master herbalist and I'll be teaching raw vegan and organic body care classes soon, too!

8) Research: Read books and web articles related to your field all the time. Like you're doing now!

9) Community: Find your kindred spirits, interact, bounce ideas off each other. We do this here in the comments section on the blog. Comment, reply, ask questions, share your knowledge. We learn and grow this way. Join related forums, join local groups via meet-up. You'll learn a lot and it feels good to teach others.

10) Vent: Failures are inevitable, you're not trying hard enough if you're not screwing up along the way. Don't keep the frustration in. Vent. Write about your issues. Ask for help. Cry if you have to. Write it out in your journal or a word document. This helps you get it out so you can move on.

What helps you stay motivated when it's hard to keep going?  

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Lush Bath Bomb DIY: Make Your Own Organic, Natural Fizzing Bath Balls

Oh Lush, it beguiles with its striking minimalist branding, bright products, and all-natural aspirations. When we didn't have a Lush in Jacksonville, Florida I explored the Orlando, Florida Lush two miles South with wonder, beguiled by the textures and scents, enchanted. Lush's "bath bombs" are a fan favorite. They explode like a science fair volcano in your tub, turning it into a vat of colorful, fragrant, fizzy goodness. What's not to love? Well, their ingredients list. Not even close to 100% natural. When I see "Fragrance" on a label I twitch, this vague title could be a combination of hundreds of carcinogenic chemical compounds.

Not to scare you off, we live in a world full of pollutants, pick your poison. But you can avoid the chemicals and make your own bath bombs. This recipe creates bath bombs that are just as, if not MORE luxurious without the toxins. Here's how:

Supplies: (1) Bath Bomb Mold (2) Citric Acid (3) Light Oil. Grape Seed Oil is hypoallergenic, Jojoba Oil is pricier but never goes rancid. Almond and Avocado are moisturizing. (4) Coconut Oil (5) Essential Oils (6) White Rice Flour or Corn Starch. Corn starch is bad for anyone who has yeast issues so keep that in mind for gift-giving. (7) Baking Soda (8) Optional: Mica Powder or natural color powder  (9) Large Mixing Bowl (10) Two Smaller Bowls (11) Spoon (12) Bowl and/or a safe place for your bombs to dry

Dry Ingredients: 

Sieve the dry ingredients together until you get a nice, smooth blend.

• 1 Cup baking soda  
• 1/2 Cup citric acid 
• 1/3 Cup corn starch
• 1/2 Tsp to 1 Tsp Mica Powder (optional)

Wet Ingredients:

Stir all of the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

• 2 1/2 Tablespoon of the light oil of your choice (sunflower, jojoba, grapeseed, almond)
• 3/4 Tablespoon water
• 1 Teaspoon essential oil of your choice (I tried several, an orange/vanilla/lavender mix is heavenly)
• 2 Tablespoon coconut oil

Step 1) Put your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients, then hand-mix it together. When you squeeze some in your palm it should hold its should stick together like damp sand.

Step 2) Take apart your bath bomb mold, Scoop one half over-full with your mixture. You need to have a tall mound of your mixture on both sides. Push your sides together, holding firmly.

Step 3) Use the back end of a spoon to give the back end of your mold a hard tap, then slowly pull the mold away from your bath bomb one side at a time. Don't twist at all or your risk breaking your bomb

Step 4) Gently place your bomb in a bowl and set aside, let it dry it for one day to be on the safe side before gift-giving, but you can use it the same day if desired. No matter how long you let your bombs dry, handle with care. They're delicate!

You can also skip Steps 2 and 3 and press your bath bombs into silicone molds. Press a large into each mold and let it dry overnight before carefully pressing the bomb out. 

Health Benefits: Citric acid is high in Vitamin C, the main nourishment for collagen production. It keeps your pores clean and supports. Baking soda cleans, conditions, exfoliates and removes excess oil without being too harsh. It restores your skin's PH balance. 

There you have it...These are the steps for your basic bath bomb. You can make bath bombs that are extra moisturizing varieties, you can mix different colors to make swirls (mix the dry ingredients in different bowls, then combine them), you can add healing herbs and salts or use funky molds the sky's the limit! You can spend an afternoon and knock out a big batch of smaller ones to give as gifts or make enough to keep by your tub. The guys love 'em too! Of course, more recipes to come. 

Making any last-second goodies for friends? I've made solid perfumes, soap, natural make-ups and sugar scrubs and they're already getting rave reviews.

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The Real Puerto Rico: A Walk Through my Grandparent's Eclectic, Gentrifying Barrio

When the weather outside is frightful it's comforting to look back at tropical scenes, sip tea, and conjure exotic thoughts. Let's warm up with photos I took during my only extended walk in my grandparent's neighborhood in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It's gentrified since I saw policia trashing gang member's bicycles when I was seven, but my grandparents were still worried about my safety when I visited six months ago. The general area houses squatting drug dealers and is conductive to crime, but it was so nice to see formerly derelict homes renovated and loved. You can tell the current occupants take pride in their island homes.

Puerto Rican neighborhoods are juxtaposed. Finely maintained homes with harsh barbed wire fences. Nice houses with pretty gardens right beside (often, occupied) ramshackle structures. I think we could all use some color so I'm focusing on the fixed up homes but the shacks were just as fun to photograph. I'll reflect on those in another post.

I never get tired of photographing unique houses around the world. Every time I visit the island paradise that is Puerto Rico it's hard to leave. I start to dream about purchasing one of the ample, well-priced fixer-uppers.

I vividly imagine painting exteriors, cultivating veggie and herb gardens. I begin to think of how I'd advertise photography and videography services in the party culture that has a high demand for it. Maybe sell some soaps and crafts...

 Se Vende. For Sale. A house that set my imagination on fire with possibilities. Porch! Small and low maitenence! Garden! I love spanish-style houses.

Who knows, maybe we'll buy a "vacation duplex" so we can rent one half for profit and vacation in the other half.

For now, it's fun to dream. /comments off

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Scavenger Life Chat: On Earning $13K in a Month and Using eBay to Live the Dream of Self-Employment

Jay and Ryanne of Scavenger Life found me when they googled "Thrifting in Amsterdam" and landed here. I found them when asked to interviewed me for their reselling video series. And the Scavenger Life found us all. It has a way of doing that. I left copywriting/web marketing to resell, Jay and Ryanne left television production. You may have left a day job or you may be planning to. Whatever the case, Jay and Ryanne have the perfect advice for being successful selling on eBay that will inspire no matter what you want to pursue as an alternative to working for The Man. Check it out:

Jay showcasing his mother-in-law's envious reseller basement. Runs in the family. 

1) Hi Scavenger Life Duo! Can you tell us a little about yourselves?

Ryanne and I worked in television. We quit our jobs and formed our own production company. Got tired of the grind of freelance media work, so we started selling on eBay as a side gig. It’s now our main source of income. We’ve become the people we always wanted to be: Scavengers who like making media. Our goal is to become totally debt-free.

Ryanne and Jay

2) When did you start selling on eBay?

It’s the common story: the economy crashed in 2008 and work dried up. We had to do something to make ends meet. Inspiration through desperation. 

Ryanne's mom's amazing eBay set-up! I'd kill for that, it's hard as hell to resell in a 2-bedroom apartment shared with a boyfriend, a best friend, and a kitty.

3) When did it take over and become your full time work?

We never planned for eBay to be our full time living. It took about 18-24 months before we realized that we could make more money and have more fun scavenging than working for other people. It didn’t seem real at first, but it’s just a numbers game. Make more than you spend. 

We started a podcast at Scavenger Life about two years ago to document our selling lifestyle and never imagined it would become so popular. I guess consistently posting every week is a big attractor. We always post our sale profit/costs so new sellers can get a sense of what’s really possible. There’s a lot of hype out there about how much money people make. We like to keep it real by openly discussing the good and the bad. We love the community that has gathered around us. People are smart and help each other. 

Gorgeous DIY renovations made to their eBay funded home in the country. Doing it themselves, using the thrift store to shop for resources and being generally frugal help them live a rich life on less.

4) How long have you collected vintage?

Neither of us are collectors which is one reason why we are successful. We appreciate vintage items but have no need to keep them. We hate clutter and sell almost everything we find. But we both grew up going to thrift stores to buy our clothes because we’ve always known the value in those places. 

“Vintage” just means good quality and interesting. Most mass-produced items these days lack this quality. Only the high-end brands still produce items with craftsmanship, but the cost is out of reach for most of us. Vintage is affordable. As Baby Boomers start to pass away or downsize their estates, there’s an overabundance of the items out there. The amount of unwanted stuff in this country is staggering. 

Sharing more photos from Ryanne's because...the envy! The ability to stretch out like that! Dayum!

5) Agreed with you there, I hate clutter and try to sell all of my finds. And as a hunter, the amount of unwanted stuff is mind-blogging. Would you credit eBay with helping you transition to more fulfilling self-employment? Were there other helpful factors?

As freelancers, our eBay income gives us the ability to say “no” to any job. We still take on media clients, but we get to pick and choose. Our eBay income also makes us feel secure and calm. I think the calm we bring to our media jobs is one reason why our clients like and recommend us. It’s a positive reinforcing cycle. 

We also chose to move from an urban area (San Francisco) and buy an affordable home + land in a rural area. Because our costs are so low now, anything is possible. We recently bought a rental property using our eBay profits. Rural America is wide open.  We have a mountain and a river in our backyard. The internet keeps us connected to everything.

The gorgeous, rural home the couple purchased and renovated on their own. Living the dream.

6) What would you consider the top resources for eBay sellers?

When we started selling on eBay, we didn’t want to spend any money. All we did was put in the hours to list, be organized, and treat customers the way we wanted to be treated. We still do this now. There are no services to pay for or tools to buy that are shortcuts to success. Anyone who says they can teach you to become rich overnight are just trying to make money off the ignorant rubes. Don’t make it complicated. 

7) You guys are so successful at what you do, any top 5 tips to share at being successful on eBay?

Let’s be clear what success is. We feel successful because we own our time. We aren’t rich by any means, but we wake up naturally without alarm clocks and can comfortably pay our bills. Here’s our Manifesto (read here) detailing in five steps how we created our eBay business. 

Photo 1) I know that stuff-to-be-listed mess well. My hallway looks like that Photo 2) Hundreds of orders packed and ready to go.

8) If you don't mind sharing, what was your most successful month and/or year?

December 2012 was our most successful month. We made $13k. Just one of those months where everything clicked. But again, success is really relative. Some sellers seem to want to build huge empires and keep growing. We make the money we need to live the lives we want. Our eBay business lets us travel overseas every year for a month or two. Rent an apartment and experience another culture slowly. Do it now while we’re still young. This is wealth to us. 

The gorgeous rented apartment the couple shared when they stayed in Amsterdam. 

9) Again, agreed with your philosophy. The draw to reselling is the flexibility to work the hours you want to. You just can't buy that freedom. I won't go back to the 9-5 world even though it represents a high, steady income. 

You guys have bought a house and/or pay all your bills on eBay sales alone? Because that is amazing and so inspiring. I have to let the readers know it's a possible alternative to working for the man.

Yeah, it’s all a numbers game. You start making money on eBay. You become thrifty and keep your costs low. Suddenly you have money. We bought and renovated a foreclosure as you can see in these photos (How We Built Our Dream House Using eBay). Then we bought and renovated a rental property (Are we yuppies?). 

Running an eBay business also means we have a lot of time. And time lets us do all kinds of things. When you work 40+ hours for someone else, there’s no time to do anything outside of work or take advantage of random opportunities. 

10) So inspiring! I'm saving up to buy/renovate foreclosures, too! How about any top articles helpful resources from your website?

If there were just three podcasts we’d want people to listen to, it’d be these:

Our Mom and Pop Store Approach- How We Make a Living on eBay

How We Turned Our eBay Hobby Into a Real Full-Time Business

Ryanne and Jay's eBay Lifestyle

Thank you both for sharing this valuable information! You guys are resourceful, hard-working, and so generous to share so much so candidly on your website. I feel like their tips here and on their website can be applied to any indie business venture. And as we discussed in our first interview, eBay and reselling can be the tool you until you start another career of your choice or simply a way for you to make a living while having a flexible schedule so you can do more living.

Anyone else have questions or tips to share? Let's discuss...

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