by Hope
This week I am enjoying 2 kid free hours a day. And that NEVER happens! While most of that time has been spent working, this morning I had a few down hours. I piddled with watering the plants, cleaning out the dog crates and washing their blankets and then I realized that I could do something right now to work towards my debt re-payment!
So for the next hour, the last I had kid free for the day, I spent listing found items on ebay….I’m going to make a killing…well, at least in light of my debt pay off it will be because every extra dollar gets me that much closer to my goal!
What are things you do in those rare down times to help you financially?
Note: By found item I means things that have been sitting around my house gathering dust that I keep saying I’m going to do something with. Well, today I did it, they are all up for sale…old Nintendo 64 games, older iPod Touch, picture frames.
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
Great job on using that time productively. You could also go over all your bills to make sure you are not being charged for any services you don’t use/need/didn’t authorize, etc. Call your car insurance company to make sure you are getting the best rates possible. Set visual payoff goals for your debt so that you and the kids can see the progress you are making as a team that may encourage them to be more involved in your debt payoff.
It sounds like you are in the Zone! Good for you! Every little bit helps plus you get rid of all that clutter! To keep me motivated in my rare down time, I read DR tips, personal blogs about finance tips and personal blogs on inexpensive beauty tips. I was having trouble with my nails peeling, they were dry, cuticles were dry etc. and cuticle cream pens were $5 or so and only lasted about a week for me.. Instead, I found a tip on soaking your nails in olive oil for 5 minutes. I do it every time after I remove my polish and it works. Plus a bottle of extra virgin olive oil was only $7 and lasts a long time! That’s cheaper than any manicure you can get. Nails look fabulous, no more breaking, etc. I’ve been doing my own nails for a while to save money and it’s pretty easy. Pinterest is also great for beauty tips. Also, I am creating a list of things I’d like for my birthday to help me reduce monthly expenses. For example, I was renting a modem (I know!) and I am asking for a new modem so I can get rid of that expense. I had been meaning to do it for a while now, lol. I also like to look for new recipes to save money. At Christmas time, I got a Cuisinart 1.5 ice cream maker so now I make homemade ice cream from scratch for the summer.
Sounds like you used your time wisely – you got a little down time and you also put some time into making a little extra cash – the best of both worlds!
Have you gotten quotes for auto and home insurance lately? Or as an aspiring homeowner you could make sure your financial papers are in order. That will save a headache for later.
I sort the pantry and kitchen, and then the junk drawers. If I know what stuff we have I don’t have to buy it, and I’m always surprised at what kind of stuff we already have!
Just be careful with eBay- they take a cut from your profit, as does Paypal.
I agree with Emmi, sometimes half my battle of miscellaneous spending is that I’m buying stuff I already have but am not organized enough to be able to find.
As for selling stuff, we have an online ‘sale’ site for our community. It is free to use. I do however find that it can require effort. And at times much more than the $5, $10 or $20 an item might yield. So, I usually have an ongoing box or pile and about once every month or two I will take pictures and post about ten to twelve ads. I will give the items a week to entertain offers and me to make the effort of meeting people and responding to questions. Remove the ads for whatever hasn’t sold and take a break. By having the ongoing box, I’m more apt to put items in that I’m iffy about and let them linger there for a while.