- @ScottATaylor Thanks for following me. in reply to ScottATaylor #
- RT @ChristianPF: 5 Tips For Dealing With Your Medical Debt http://su.pr/2cxS1e #
- Dining Out vs Cooking In: http://su.pr/3JsGoG #
- RT: @BudgetsAreSexy: Be Proud of Your Emergency Fund! http://tinyurl.com/yhjo88l ($1,000 is better than $0.00) #
- [Read more…] about Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-12
Selling on Craigslist
The vast majority of personal finance websites(including this one) focus on reducing your bottom line–cutting costs. The other end of the budget is at least as important. Have you tried raising your top line lately? Have you picked up a side hustle, sold an article, put ads on a website, or even sold some of your stuff? After we had our garage sale a few weeks ago, we were left with some furniture that was too nice to donate or discard, so we decided to sell it on Craigslist.
The key to selling your stuff on Craigslist is taking pictures. They don’t have to be good pictures, just something to let your customers know what they are getting. Take pictures, post the measurements and, if it’s electronic, the model number. Beyond that, a simple description will suffice.
Be safe when you are posting the listing. Don’t give your address and don’t post when you will be home. That’s just a job offer for burglars. When you talk to a potential buyer, never tell them there is nobody home. Tell them your roommate is the only one home and he doesn’t want to deal with the sale. Don’t give strangers on the internet an opportunity to rob you.
When you are meeting a buyer, pick a public place away from home, if at all possible. If you are selling furniture, it may not be possible, but it is for smaller items. Meeting in a busy gas station parking lot or even in front of the police department is a good way to stay safe. Secondary crime scenes are nasty things and inviting the wrong stranger in is offering one ready-made.
[ad name=”inlineleft”]Bring a friend. Preferably, an intimidating friend. Crime is less likely to happen if there is more than one person there. Bring a friend to a public place to meet the buyer to maximize your safety.
Don’t get ripped off. Craigslist scams abound. Bad checks, forged checks, and shipping scams are just some of the problems.
Only accept cash. It’s hard to forge a greenback.
One of the most common scams, after a bounced check, is the cashier’s check scam. You’ll get an email saying the item is great and payment is on the way. When the check clears, a relative of the buyer will come to pick up the item. Then, oops, their secretary made the check out for $3000, instead of $300. Would you mind sending the overpayment back by Western Union, minus $100 for your troubles? First sign of trouble: over-complicating a simple transaction. Second sign: not using cash. The cashier’s check will be forged. There is no way to verify funds on a cashier’s check, and the bank will post it as available well before it comes back bad. You will be able to spend the money, only to have the money disappear later. That means you can’t wait to see if the check clears before wiring back the overpayment. There is no way to recover your money.
If you get a response that includes a link, do not click it! Ever. No matter what the link looks like. Ever. No clickyclicky. It may be an innocuous link to your ad, but the link can be masked. Any other link is almost definitely a link to a virus-ridden website. Repeat after me: No clickyclicky.
If you get an email about Craigslist transaction protection or escrow, you are being scammed. Run away.
Craigslist can be great way to turn your junk into cash, but only if you actually get the cash. Keep yourself safe and scam-free.
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-09
- Up at 5 two days in a row. Sleepy. #
- May your…year be filled w/ magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you…kiss someone who thinks you’re wonderful. @neilhimself #
- Woo! First all-cash grocery trip ever. Felt neat. #
- I accidentally took a 3 hour nap yesterday, so I had a hard time sleeping. 5am is difficult. #
- Wee! Got included in the Carnival of Personal Finance, again. http://su.pr/2AKnDB #
- Son’s wrestling season starts in two days. My next 3 months just got hectic. #
- RT @Moneymonk: A real emergency is something that threatens your survival, not just your desire to be comfortable -David Bach # [Read more…] about Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-01-09
Ending A Streak
The first year I decorated our yard for Halloween was 1999. The first year we through a Halloween party was 1998.
Our parties tend to fall on the legendary side. Between setup, cleanup, and out-of-town guests, the party is a 3-4 day affair. People reserve our spare beds a year in advance. The day of the party itself, we’re going from 10AM until 5AM, cooking, drinking, and talking. Over the 10 hours the party is actively going, we have 50-60 guests in and out.
Our yard is a neighborhood attraction. We’ve been on the news and in the newspaper. By the end of Halloween night, the path through the yard is nearly worn down to bare dirt. The spot the large coffin sits takes 6 weeks to rejuvenate in the spring. I’ve literally scared kids right out of their masks. Little old ladies have jumped out in the air, shrieking, only to ask me to hide again, so they can bring their husbands over to enjoy the startle.
This year, we end the 13-year unbroken streak of fear and debauchery. We’ve been doing this since before any my oldest kid was weaned.
It’s hard to take a break, but…
Dealing with my mother-in-law’s house has been far too much work for us. We spent all summer cleaning out the hoarding mess.
And fixing up the yard.
And replacing the boiler.
And fixing the plumbing.
And updating the electrical system.
And fixing up the basement.
And patching the walls.
And selling the cars.
And sorting through 30 years of every scrap of paper that has ever come through the house.
And dealing with all of the memories, and the pictures, and the past.
It’s been too much, and it’s not done.
Now, it’s the middle of October, and the idea of stealing the extra time to add the extra stress of setting up the yard and throwing a big party makes me want to break down.
Two days to set up the yard, only to have some kid steal my favorite, irreplaceable pieces, then two days to pack it all up.
A day of decorating inside, followed by a party and a hungover day of cleaning it all up.
All of that, while losing time from the side business and pushing through to the end of the property preparation from hell.
I can’t do it, so, as sad as it makes me, we’re taking the year off. No Halloween events at my house this year.
5 Ways to Force Your Spouse to Get Frugal*
Communication is important in a marriage. If you can’t communicate, how are you going to get your way?** I’ve helpfully compiled the best possible ways to get your spouse on board with your budget plans.
- Don’t include her. When I absolutely, positively cannot afford to be working towards a different goal than my wife, I do my best to ignore her. I don’t tell her how much we’ve paid off, how much we have left, or what we can afford to spend on groceries. I think she enjoys not having to worry about the petty details like “Are we overdrawn?” or “Will we be eating Alpo next week?” I’ll do anything to make her life easier.
- Nag. Nothing convinces my wife to do things my way like unending scolding. If I just remind her, day and night, surely she’ll cooperate with my budgeting plans and ideas to save money, right? Every body loves the attention, and, since we got a text messaging plan, I can shoot her a message every five minutes while she’s at the store. In all seriousness, this is actually a problem and a source of friction at my house. Reminding her every time she goes to the store is not an effective strategy.
- Whine. If nagging fails, I always try to take the advice of my toddlers and whine until I get my way. “But Ho-uh-neee-eee! Why’d you buy tha-at?” It’s always been a big hit at my house. My wife appreciates the effort I put into getting the third, screechy syllable into simple words, just to try to convince her to give up or see things my way.
- Obsess. This goes hand-in-hand with both #2 and #3. If I never giver her the chance to forget about our goals, she can never stray from them. A memo in the morning, hourly text reminders, and a daily summary of our account balances and month-to-date budget compliance just keeps us working together. Everything we do can be tied back to our frugal choices and debt repayment, whether it’s a game of Sorry or a trip to a wrestling tournament.
- Yell. If all else fails, just turn up the volume. If there’s a problem, I nag at level 10. Whining loudly enough to wake the neighbors will convince her to comply with my wishes next time. This has the added benefit of allowing my kids to receive the wisdom of my experience, even if they are in the basement playing games with their friends.
*This obviously isn’t a gender-specific article, but, as a man, I write from a man’s perspective and my pronouns match my perspective.
**Sarcasm. Really. Following these rules should result in divorce, NOT happy agreement. If you are operating under this action plans, get therapy.
Update: This post has been included in the Carnival of Personal Finance.
Money Crashers 2010 New Year Giveaway Bash
I sponsored a prize in the Money Crashers 2010 New Year Giveaway Bash. I’m giving away a $50 gift card to Alice.com. Other people, sites, and blogs are giving away a combined $7500+ in cash and prizes. There will be more than 100 winners and there are more than a dozen ways to enter.
Don’t miss out.
