If you love to read, and can’t pass up a well priced book wherever they are, you will eventually end up with a sizeable collection. Several times I have had to make “the purge” and weed out my collection, usually when I can’t cram anymore books into any of my bookcases. Thus the process begins, and I find once I start I can usually force myself to get rid of a fair amount. There are certain favorites that I will own for life, such as reference books and hardback classics, but most of the rest are subject to the ebb and flow.
I scoured my favorites on my browser to put together this list of places to sell your books online. Some offline ideas include selling to a local book dealer or holding a yard or garage sale. If you just want to donate, your options include thrift stores, your local public library, nursing homes, hospitals or posting on Freecycle. You could also donate to support our troops and ship your books directly to them using Operation Paperback. If you decide to go the selling route, here is my list.
AbeBooks
Amazon
BigWords
BlueRectangle
BookByte
BookEmporium
BookScouter
Cash4Books
Cheapcycle
CKY Books
Craigslist
eBay
Ecampus
Half
Textbooks
Valorebooks
WeBuyYourBooks
Another option is to swap your books for others you want. Sites to do that include BookMooch, BookSwap and SwapTree.
Okay, what are you waiting for? Get rid of those old books and free up some shelf space!
Friday
Tuesday
More Money Saving Ideas
I like to save money almost as much as making it. Free Money Finance put out a listing of 301 Money Saving Posts a while back. Pretty much timeless advice from their archives. Add it to these ideas and there is no reason why you could not begin saving today.
Friday
Finding Seasonal Work
While the economy is sagging and sales of most consumer goods are down retailers all over the country are still looking for part-time seasonal workers for the holidays. A variety of jobs are available right now including working cash registers, stocking and restocking, wrapping and delivering packages and unloading trucks. Hours offered are usually pretty flexible, you have the opportunity to earn several hundred dollars or more, and some stores even offer an employee discount on their merchandise. A search of SnagAJob using my zip code here in Iowa brought up seasonal jobs at companies that included Kohl’s, Michaels, UPS, FedEx, Walmart Toys’R’Us, Express, Sears, JC Penny and Kmart.
My kids are trying to decide what to do for some extra money when they come home from college over Christmas break. Some of their options include returning to previous employers, babysitting and trying a temp service they both worked for last summer. A friend of mine worked as a valet at night during the winter to supplement his day job. Of course, there will be snow to shovel soon enough, too.
Have you worked a seasonal job before? What did you do?
My kids are trying to decide what to do for some extra money when they come home from college over Christmas break. Some of their options include returning to previous employers, babysitting and trying a temp service they both worked for last summer. A friend of mine worked as a valet at night during the winter to supplement his day job. Of course, there will be snow to shovel soon enough, too.
Have you worked a seasonal job before? What did you do?
Thursday
Carnival of Money Hawks #1
The Buck List participated in the Carnival of Money Hawks #1 this week with an article on how I sell on Craigslist. Check out the carnival for a wide variety of posts including Obama’s Agenda, budgeting, investing and getting out of debt among many others. Thanks to Kevin at The Money Hawk for including The Buck List.
Tuesday
Black Friday Shopping
The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday and kicks off the start of the Christmas shopping season. Many stores open early in the morning to offer limited first come deals, and then continue during the day with discounts on many other items. Some stores this year are starting early with their deals, so it pays to start checking for them now. Here are three good sites to find Black Friday deals.
The Black Friday
Black Friday 2008
Black Friday Ads
Do you shop on Black Friday? Have the savings been worth your effort?
The Black Friday
Black Friday 2008
Black Friday Ads
Do you shop on Black Friday? Have the savings been worth your effort?
Friday
Find Your Missing Money
After reading this article about undeliverable rebate/refund checks I figured this would be a good opportunity to add another idea to the Buck List: finding your missing money. According to the IRS they are holding $1.2 billion for 1.3 million people who have not filed a 2004 tax return. That’s just for one year, from the IRS. There is also money from failed credit unions and banks, pension money, unclaimed property and paychecks, utility refunds, mortgage refunds, etc. It all adds up to a bunch of lost cash floating around out there.
I have been pretty careful with my finances over the years and have not left behind or forgotten any money owed to me. But I have to admit I checked each of the sites just to be sure. Careful attention to your money does not always guarantee you can keep track of everything, either. A sudden upheaval, a major lifestyle change, or a simple misplacement of documents could all lead to you missing out on some money owed to you. The following are two sites to try to locate some missing money that could belong to you.
USA.gov – I started this post with a list of links to put on it, but almost all of them are on this site. This is the most comprehensive site that I found.
Unclaimed Assets – This is the only one not included on the site above, and they charge (usually $18) to search for missing money. I included them for the map on their site that links to the individual state agencies.
Good luck!
I have been pretty careful with my finances over the years and have not left behind or forgotten any money owed to me. But I have to admit I checked each of the sites just to be sure. Careful attention to your money does not always guarantee you can keep track of everything, either. A sudden upheaval, a major lifestyle change, or a simple misplacement of documents could all lead to you missing out on some money owed to you. The following are two sites to try to locate some missing money that could belong to you.
USA.gov – I started this post with a list of links to put on it, but almost all of them are on this site. This is the most comprehensive site that I found.
Unclaimed Assets – This is the only one not included on the site above, and they charge (usually $18) to search for missing money. I included them for the map on their site that links to the individual state agencies.
Good luck!
Tuesday
Hold off on Heating
Over at Wise Bread Linsey Knerl has some great ideas about holding off on firing up the furnace. My favorite among her tips is opening up your southern facing windows and allowing the sun to heat things up! Check out her post and take advantage of these good money saving ideas.
Friday
Selling Through A Consignment Shop
Selling clothes at a consignment shop was something I had never considered, until I found myself the owner of a wardrobe I did not buy. I needed to get rid of multiple totes packed full of all kinds of clothes, from child to adult sizes, male and female and including all seasons. Just donating them all to charity would have been preferable, but the need at the time for cash precluded that idea.
After consulting with my wife and looking through the phone book we decided to try a consignment shop that she already frequented. The shop asked for all items to be clean and on hangers and to bring in only 25 pieces once a week. In late winter they begin only accepting spring and summer items, while by late summer they will only accept fall and winter apparel.
My wife took the first batch to the shop to set up the account, and I continued to go through the totes and take 25 items a week as time allowed. The shop decides the asking price and takes 60% if the item is purchased. Once our account reaches a minimum of $25 at the end of the monthly cycle the shop mails us a check. Items that have not been sold or reclaimed by the 60 day termination date become the property of the consignment shop.
Opinion: Consignment selling is another of my recommendations for making some side cash. We have to date consigned 145 items and sold 55 of them for a total of $141.90. Currently 22 of the 145 are still active, or for sale. Looking at those figures it is easy to see how shops make their money. However, they are housing the inventory and displaying it, advertising it, and making the sale. We just take the items in and walk out with an inventory printout.
As for the clothes that are not accepted we donate them to either Salvation Army or Goodwill.
If you have not tried selling on consignment I would encourage you dig into your closets and give it a try.
Have you sold by consignment? Was it worth your time? Share your experiences!
After consulting with my wife and looking through the phone book we decided to try a consignment shop that she already frequented. The shop asked for all items to be clean and on hangers and to bring in only 25 pieces once a week. In late winter they begin only accepting spring and summer items, while by late summer they will only accept fall and winter apparel.
My wife took the first batch to the shop to set up the account, and I continued to go through the totes and take 25 items a week as time allowed. The shop decides the asking price and takes 60% if the item is purchased. Once our account reaches a minimum of $25 at the end of the monthly cycle the shop mails us a check. Items that have not been sold or reclaimed by the 60 day termination date become the property of the consignment shop.
Opinion: Consignment selling is another of my recommendations for making some side cash. We have to date consigned 145 items and sold 55 of them for a total of $141.90. Currently 22 of the 145 are still active, or for sale. Looking at those figures it is easy to see how shops make their money. However, they are housing the inventory and displaying it, advertising it, and making the sale. We just take the items in and walk out with an inventory printout.
As for the clothes that are not accepted we donate them to either Salvation Army or Goodwill.
If you have not tried selling on consignment I would encourage you dig into your closets and give it a try.
Have you sold by consignment? Was it worth your time? Share your experiences!
Tuesday
1,120 Ways to Save Money
Two different sites add up to 1,120 ways to save money!
The first, from Pecuniarities, offers 101 Ways to Save Money in Your Everyday Life.
The second, from My Two Dollars, gives us 1,019 Ways to Save Money.
Take the time to review, and bookmark, these two excellent resources on saving money.
The first, from Pecuniarities, offers 101 Ways to Save Money in Your Everyday Life.
The second, from My Two Dollars, gives us 1,019 Ways to Save Money.
Take the time to review, and bookmark, these two excellent resources on saving money.
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