I'm a big believer in yard sales, however I know too well that they often don't seem worth the trouble and time you put into them.
I saw this ad on craigslist and think it's a great idea — for both sides of the coin. A woman is offering her services as a "yard sale" diva. She can help someone without the patience or time to put together a yard sale.
Are you a yard sale diva? Offer your services through a free craigslist ad in your city!
I have a friend who is getting into selling her products at craft shows. She's done a great job of doing research on which ones to attend and how to sell her products effectively at the show. If you are thinking of doing some shows, here's an article with some tips. I would add to this that there are many smaller craft shows that women are hosting from home. This is a great, low-cost way to get started. If you can't find someone in your area who's already doing it, start your own! Get together your crafty friends, print up fliers advertising the date and location and do some viral marketing online to spread the word (blogs are great for this!)
Quite a few of my friends have their own businesses. One of the most important things when you have your own business is to build your brand effectively. This article talks about cheap ways to do that, including creating an affiliate program, making sure all your graphics match and writing articles (and blogs) related to your craft.
Calculate the worth of your blog with this website. My personal blog, davisbaby.wordpress.com, is worth $2,822.70, and this site, cheapwaysto.com, is worth $6,209.94!
Here's a creative way to use a big tax refund. This was sent in from Jake who works at a financial firm (in the IT department) in Kansas. Tell me what you think!
"My wife and I adopted our daughter from China last year. The U.S. government gives a $10,000 tax CREDIT to off set the costs of adopting. Needless to say we are receiving the largest tax return we've ever had. We're taking this money and purchasing a whole life insurance policy. What!?!! You say? But wait, it gets better."
I mentioned a while back about getting some coupons in the mail after I emailed a company about their product. Here's a blog of a guy who did an experiment: He mail letters to 100 companies about specific products and is blogging about the coupons and free stuff he's getting as a result. Already he's racked up more than $100 worth. Amusing ... this guy has too much time on his hands, but it does make me want to write to companies more often when I have a comment for them.
Jeff and I sold our condo a couple of weeks ago. This being the first time we've ever had this much cash in our hands from the transaction, we made some responsible (and fun) choices of how to manage it.
A portion went to the church, then we paid off my car (a used Honda Accord we got one year ago that will hopefully last us for a long time!), opened individual Roth IRAs, set part of it aside for the downpayment on our home we're closing on this month, set another part out to beef up our savings, set a small amount for home improvements, furniture, etc. and then bought two iPod nanos! (that was the fun part)
It certainly is hard to hold on to cash once you get it. But I feel we made some good choices and look forward to those investments doing well for us down the road. I like having a plan with money!
A quick, fun and easy way to score extra cash is to sell your books on Amazon.com. Click the "sell your stuff" link on the site, enter the ISBN of your book, answer a couple of questions about its condition and set a price. I always price mine just below the lowest listed price, so the listing will go to the top of the list.
Just recently, I listed Freakanomics and Widow of the South after my husband and I purchased and read them ... We got $20 for them and they sold within hours of the posting.
So occasionally I get the urge to contact a company to share my experience with their product or restaurant, etc. A couple of weeks ago I emailed the customer service department at Birds Eye frozen foods to let them know how much I was enjoying a new product of theirs (Italian Herb Harvest Vegetables) and how I often bring it for lunch at work. I also suggested that the packaging needed some more thought, as it's terribly difficult to pull that plastic lid off when the food is like 400 degrees when it comes out of the microwave. Anyway, I received a nice email back and a few days later, a packet of coupons for their products arrived. Coupons for free products and some with nice discounts. It pays to be a nerd!
I emailed Chick-Fil-A a couple of years back and received a coupon for a free sandwich. Why not think of some products you enjoy, email the company and let them know, then check your mailbox for a nice surprise a few days later?!
You can avoid paying the coin-counting charges at Coinstar kiosks now by opting for a gift card instead of cash. When you cash in your coins, you pay 8.9 cents for every dollar counted, but through their new program, you can choose gift cards and e-certificates instead from: Starbucks, Amazon.com, Pier 1 Imports, Hollywood Video, Linens 'n Things or Borders.
How to Skip the Coin Counting Fee at Coinstar Centers:
1. Select Prepaid Card from the main menu.
2. Select the Gift Card or eCertificate you'd like.
3. Select new card or reload.
4. Follow the on screen directions to get a new card from the machine or to reload your existing card.
My husband and I have little change containers on our nightstands. Each day we dump our loose change we gathered during the day (we always pay with bills and never spend the change). The change collects until we have a trip planned. We use the money we saved to board our pet at the kennel. This way we don't feel the extra financial blow. It's a fun way to save.
You can try it by:
1. Use cash instead of your ATM card for every purchase.
2. Use only bills to pay for your purchases and keep your change (avoid vending machines at work!).
3. Designate a convenient location or two to store the change as it piles up.
4. Purpose the money toward a goal (a night on the town, new clothes, traveling, gifts, home improvement) and assign it a timeline (three months, your next trip, friends' birthdays, etc.)
5. Take your change to a coin-counting machine at a local grocery store (We use Coinstar, www.coinstar.com, which charges 8.9 cents per dollar counted unless you opt for a gift card) or roll the coins and take it to the bank if you have the time—we sure don't.
6. Enjoy the fruits of your labor! (We'll always shocked by how much money we've saved.)