“Making Money” Archive
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We’ve been trying to sell some of our older duplicative furniture on Craigslist after the big furniture tradeoff in December. Annoyed that the furniture was filling his garage, my husband asked me to price our old queen sized bed and nightstand at $50 to make room.
After a week on Craigslist at $50, we were contacted by precisely 1 interested person… who asked us to drop the price to $25 without even seeing the bed.
When my husband found out we had received an offer, he was angry I had turned it down. Confused, I went out to the garage and appraised the bed again. Was it really only worth $25?
Unwilling to admit defeat, I placed the set on Craigslist again with the exact same description and photos but priced it at $130.
2 hours and 11 offers later, a local college student bought the set for $130.
Lesson learned: Equally as important as not pricing yourself over the market is not pricing yourself UNDER the market.
Plus, it felt REALLY good to flash $130 cash to my husband.
My husband, as per usual, was working a side job last night. The homeowner had a huge map across her wall marked with red string indicating the cities she had visited. Clearly she loved to see the world. She and my husband chatted about our plans to visit Italy and he asked for her advice about the Cinque Terre.
He spent the next four hours fixing her washer, her sink, and various other handyman projects she needed help with.
When my husband packed to leave, she shoved $300 in his pocket. He tried to return the money, even running to the truck, but she caught him, slapped the money in his hand and said, ‘Have fun in Italy while you’re young. It’s harder when you’re 65. I would know.’
Sometimes the kindness of others overwhelms me.
My grandparents moved from Arkansas to California to live with my parents a few months ago. Since my parents live in a rural area and I live in the city, mom thought it would be a good idea to have a garage sale of her and my grandmother’s duplicated items at my house.
My mother flew in my sister, the family garage sale expert, from Kansas to help her assemble the wares. Yes, it was a pretty transparent excuse to get my sister to visit, but we didn’t mention it.
I haven’t hosted a garage sale at my home before and wasn’t sure if she would get the traffic she needed.
Judging from the stack of cash she had sitting on the kitchen counter…
My area is very garage sale friendly. Mom earned just over $1,000, my brother made $150, and I made $10.
Clearly, I didn’t keep a good eye on mom’s bookkeeping.
It was a learning experience and if I had anything to sell, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
I’ve had a few readers ask how my husband and I find odd jobs.
I’m fortunate to still be connected to previous employers and do work for them when the owners are unable to complete the projects themselves. When I’m not busy with that (which is almost never. I work A LOT for them), I take writing jobs off Craigslist, work as a car shows greeter, and help as an ‘ambassador’ at large gatherings like ComicCon and sporting events with security companies. You can look for these kinds of jobs on Craigslist (be very, very careful on Craigslist) or by approaching employers who host mobile type events that require large amounts of temporary staff. If you are willing to invest the time, these temporary or part time jobs are very easy to find. I make anywhere from $100 to $150 a day with temporary jobs.
My husband is incredibly handy. When he’s not working his 8 to 5 job or going to school, he helps others with construction and plumbing projects. He does exceptional work and has never had to advertise his services. Word of mouth has been his greatest ally. Make sure to follow the laws of your state. California is very strict – no projects over $500 are permitted for unlicensed contractors.
I also heard about a website called 48days.net. On the left side of the website, there is a Post-It labeled “Take a Look at Dan’s 48 Low Cost Business Ideas”. He lists some great ideas for making extra money.
If you have any other ideas – SHARE! ; )
I was reading an article in last Sunday’s newspaper about new ways to sell things called, ‘Count the ways to sell your stuff’ by Dan Sewell. He suggested two new and different ways to sell household items or clothes: Facebook & Plato’s Closet.
I’ve heard advertisements for the Plato’s Closet chain but hadn’t researched how it worked. I have always donated my used clothing to the local thrift store and hadn’t looked into other possibilities. Plato’s Closet will pay you for your clothing (if it’s 12 – 18 months old and made by one of their acceptable designer brands including Charlotte Russe and Forever 21). My first thought was, ‘12 to 18 months? If it’s that ‘young’ I’m probably still wearing it.’ But hey, we all know that somewhere, hidden from our husbands, is a shirt or two or three in the back of our closet with the tags still on that didn’t look as good at home as it did in the store.
Sewell also sites Facebook as a great way to sell things. He referenced a woman who sold nearly all of her possessions in 24 hours. While I think her experience is rare, I think it’s a great idea to use Facebook in combination with other methods like garage sales or swap meets.
My grandparents are moving into my parent’s home next month. My mother was asking me for ways to sell the duplicates from their newly combined households. When I shared this article with her, she volunteered to be the guinea pig to see if these new methods will actually work. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Have you ever used Facebook or Plato’s Closet as a way to sell things? Where have you successfully sold the most items?
A reader asked how my husband and I find odd jobs.
First, and most important, we rarely do work for people we, or someone close to us, doesn’t know. I do not trust Craigslist for anything other than used doggie kennels and throw rugs. My husband mainly does work for friends and family – someone always needs a sink fixed or a toilet repaired. Let people around you know you’re willing to help.
I do accounting work for the company I worked for a few years ago. They are often short staffed and need an extra hand. I let them know I’m always available. It makes it easy when they already have my tax reporting information and I don’t have to keep records.
Second, if we do work for someone we don’t know, we keep it under $100. My husband is sometimes approached by fellow customers in home repair stores. There’s something about him that radiates honesty and good heartedness – maybe it’s because he is. If the job is too large, he refers them to a reputable company. It’s not worth the risk of not getting paid.
Third, be good at what you do, stay on top of trends in your industry, and be honest. My husband is extremely talented and is always reading construction magazines. He is never dishonest and will likely throw in work for free. Ninety percent of his work is from referrals. Happy people will tell their friends about you.
Fourth, pay close attention to the laws about certain types of work. California is stringent on almost everything. Working here without some sort of licensing is illegal for many trades. For example, construction work is limited to $500 (including material) if you do not have a contractor’s license. It’s also important to report all income when tax time rolls around. Nothing is worth the risk or penalties of an IRS audit. Also, if you are on unemployment, money from side work MUST be reported and will likely result in a reduction of benefits.
Fifth, don’t expect to make a ton of money. Usually, we make just enough for groceries or to cover what we’re short on an electric bill. It takes a lot of time and the money is little.
Again, I’m no expert. Before doing any type of side work, check with your local government authority and your tax advisor.
My husband works a lot. He works days and nights and I do what odd jobs I can to help pay our bills more quickly.
We don’t see each other often. Perhaps that’s why our marriage is so great. We don’t have time to fight – heck we’re just so darn excited to see one another we don’t really… um… talk much.
He took a rare three nights off last week and we went running and cycling together every day. We made dinner. We walked the dogs. We watched movies. We remembered what it was like to be married.
I couldn’t help but think about how wonderful it was to have him around – to see him relax, even for just a night or two. He must have been thinking the same thing. He said, ‘I want to work less and live my life more.’ He has decided to work 6 days per week and 2 nights per week – and yes, that’s a cut-back (he was working 6 days and 6 nights).
I can’t agree with him more. As he toils to pay our debt, I can’t help but wonder if our self-inflicted punishment of hard labor is worse than the crime of spending. I wonder if one day, we’ll look back and regret the time we missed when our life was just us. We can cover our bills plus some without the extra work so we’ve decided to slow down.
So… we will pay things off more slowly BUT I have my husband back – and I’ve missed him dearly.
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My Debt
- Original Debt: $97,293.06
- Paid: $1,927.89
- Remaining: $95,365.17
- Emergency Fund: $1100
- Broken Down
- Line of Credit 2: $0.00
- Line of Credit 1: $0.00
- Credit Card 1: $0.00
- Credit Card 2: $245.00
- Credit Card 3: $405.00
- Credit Card 6: $1,785.00
- Credit Card 7: $2,381.17
- Consolidation Loan: $11,000.00
- Credit Card 10: $14,519.00
- Auto Loan 1: $16,093.00
- Credit Card 11: $23,873.00
- Auto Loan 2: $25,064.00
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