We live in an age where technology is constantly evolving, and newer and more advanced smartphones seem to come out on a weekly basis.
When you bought your iPhone, it was the cream of the crop – the best available on the market. While it still works just fine, you’re in love with the newest iPhone that was just released with that fancy new feature that you just can’t live without. (Sound familiar?)
The only problem? That new smartphone is expensive, and you’re not sure you can justify the expense.
If your old phone is still relatively new and in demand, you may be able to offset the cost of that new device by selling your old one.
There are a lot of places where you can sell your old smartphone for a decent amount of money. Some places you can even sell your broken phone for parts and still make a decent amount! Today I’d thought I’d list a few of the more popular ones.
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SellCell.com: SellCell.com is the US’s largest price comparison site for selling old mobile phones and tablets – they compare all of the key BuyBack companies in the market, saving the user the time of visiting lots of other websites to get the best deal for an old device. They guarantee that the user will always get the maximum cash when selling an old device on SellCell.com and offer users a Best Price Guarantee – if they spot a higher price on another site, they will refund the customer double the difference. They also show each BuyBack company’s user ratings from sites likes ReSeller Ratings, Trustpilot & BBB for peace of mind. As I write this Apple is expected to announce the release of the new iPhone 12 in early October. With the release, many people will be selling their iPhone 11s and Xs in order to fund the purchase of the new model. In fact, 40% of iPhone owners plan to purchase the new model according to one recent survey. The earlier you sell your older iPhone, the better off you’ll be. Once the new phone comes out and more and more people flood the market with old phones, the value of your phone goes down each day, especially after the big announcement. Top cell phone buyer and seller Gazelle has discussed the trend. Trade-ins typically spike around each iPhone cycle as consumers seek to get maximum value for their old phone and take advantage of special offers. This year, consumers can lock in their best price with Gazelle on an iPhone, Galaxy, or any unwanted phone starting 9/5 to 9/22, and will have until 10/22 to mail it in – plenty of time for their new iPhone to arrive. But the earlier you lock in the better, because the value of your phone goes down each day – and especially after Apple’s 9/12 announcement. So to get top dollar on your old phone, sell before the market is flooded after a new phone is released! The last time I sold an old smartphone I had purchased an Android phone and used it for a couple of years. The phone was no longer state of the art but was still usable on a national network. I searched for completed listings on eBay, but the phone was going for next to nothing there because it was so common. I searched phone buying sites. Those sites gave me at most $10-15. In the end, I sold the phone on Amazon.com for about half of what I originally bought it for. The buyer was happy because it was less than what the phone cost new, and I was happy because I got more than I would have through other venues. It took a little while to sell, but in the end, the wait was worth it. One thing you must keep in mind when selling your old smartphone, the amount you receive for your phone will be directly correlated to the demand for that phone on the current market. If it’s a high demand phone like an iPhone from a recent generation, you may do better than you will for an old Android phone from 6 years ago. It’s all about demand, and how much the phone is still desired by buyers on the marketplace. Your best bet is to shop around, figure out what forum will give you the best return for your device, and then go for it. Finding Out What Your Phone Is Worth To get an idea of what your phone is worth I suggest doing the following: Once you find the place that you think will give you the best return for your phone (when taking into consideration the amount of time you have, how much you want to get for your phone, and how much hassle you want to deal with), go for it! Do your research, and you’ll likely come out with a nice chunk of change to help pay for your new phone. Good luck! [embedded content] If you’re selling your phone and looking for a new mobile provider, there are a ton of great low-cost providers out there. Here are some of the best that I’ve found: Source: biblemoneymatters.com
Get Top Dollar By Selling Before An iPhone Launch
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6 Types of Common Craigslist Scams to Watch Out For
It used to be that when you wanted to find an apartment for rent, buy a used car, or pick up used, secondhand items like furniture or a washer and dryer, you looked in the classified section of the newspaper. Nowadays, if you’re looking for any of these things, the best place to look is probably Craigslist, an online classified site categorized by city or region.
However, the technology that has made it easier to find what you need has also made it easier for scammers to take advantage of the unsuspecting. Craigslist is a perfect example of that. On any day of the week, you can find hundreds of local listings that include apartment and home rentals, cars for sale, concert and play tickets, jobs, and every conceivable secondhand item you can think of. But scammers are creative and have put together elaborate ruses to trick even the savviest buyer.
The good news is that you don’t have to avoid Craigslist and all of its wonderful opportunities to avoid being “taken.” You just need to know what to look for. Here’s a rundown of the most common Craigslist scams, the red flags that often accompany them, and advice on how to avoid them.
Home and Apartment Rental Scams
If you don’t plan to use a real estate agent to look for a house or apartment, be on high alert for scammers. Avoid becoming a victim by understanding how they operate and what types of tactics they use. First, we’ll look at the various scams and then we’ll talk about how to avoid them.
1. The Popular Home or Apartment
In this insidious scam, the “landlord” will list a home or apartment at an unbelievably great price. They’ll feature photos of an adorable place with the desired amenities. Of course, they’ll have dozens of people respond to the ad and most will want to snatch it up before it’s gone.
This landlord is all too willing to please everyone too. In fact, the scammer will collect security deposits, first and last month’s rent, and other fees from anyone who’s interested. Then, the scammer will skip town — or maybe maybe never lived in town in the first place. The problem comes when all the renters try to move in and discover the home was never that landlord’s to rent in the first place.
A slight variation of this scam occurs when the crook rents a house or apartment with the intention of re-renting it to multiple people. In 2018, a Kentucky woman was accused of relieving two would-be renters of $800 each after convincing them to put down security deposits on a unit she didn’t own, according to WKYT.
2. The Middleman
Sometimes the story is that the owner of the home or apartment is sick, out of the country, or otherwise unavailable and the property owner’s friend is helping out by renting the place on their behalf. This is called the middleman scam because renters never come into contact with the real owner of the property. If they did, they would quickly realize the property isn’t even for rent.
After a renter pays the deposits and rent, the “friend” disappears and the renter is out the money and still has no place to live. This scam can also be pulled off by people overseas. They do it by finding a photo of a cute house, then listing it for rent. They target people relocating to a new city or town who can’t physically check out the house and won’t know it’s not located in the area claimed.
A variation on this scam occurs when the scammer pretends to be the apartment’s current occupant, rather than a middleman. In an alleged Michigan apartment scam uncovered by a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, the scammer’s cover story involved a sudden job-related move.
3. The Over-Anxious Renter
Rental scams don’t just target renters. They target landlords too.
The most common variation on this scam involves a person who agrees to rent a house or apartment. As the landlord expects, this person sends a check or money order for the deposits, rent, and fees. So far, so good.
Then things go south. After the check is sent, however, they realize they “accidentally” sent too much and tell the landlord it has put them in a financial bind. They ask that the excess be wired back to them right away. What the landlord may not realize, however, is that the check or money order is no good. Whatever money they wire the scammer will be their own money, never to be seen again.
How to Avoid Craigslist Apartment Scams
Now that you understand the basics of how thieves take advantage of tenants and landlords, here’s how you can avoid becoming a victim.
- Confirm Ownership of the Property. Make sure the landlord really owns the property. If it’s an apartment or condo, you can call the related association or property management company and ask whether you’re renting from the legitimate owner. If it’s a home, you’ll have to search the property records in the area that the house or apartment is located. If the names don’t match in either of these circumstances, you’re probably dealing with a scammer.
- Check ID and Background. Get a copy of the landlord’s or tenant’s ID and call the local authorities to make sure it’s legitimate. If you’re a landlord, screen potential tenants by thoroughly checking all personal and employer references, credit reports, and criminal histories through a background check before offering a lease. This can easily be done through a service like RentPrep.
- Do Some Online Sleuthing. Do a quick Google search on the person’s name. If you’re a prospective tenant, look up the address of the property you’re considering renting as well. If the person has scammed anyone else under the same name, you’ll probably find information about it online. Looking up the property could reveal that it has been involved in previous scams, along with other useful information like public safety complaints or code violations.
- Expect a Background Check If You’re a Would-Be Tenant. If the person you’re dealing with doesn’t ask you for an application or doesn’t care to screen tenants with a background check, you may be dealing with a scammer. The illegitimate landlords will seem to make renting and qualifying as easy for you as possible.
- Don’t Allow Would-Be Tenants to Overpay You. If they overpay you, don’t release any funds back to them until their check or money order has cleared your account. Some thieves can produce fake personal checks, certified checks, or money orders so believable that they’ll even fool banks until the check is finally bounced back weeks later. If this happens, you’ll be responsible for any money you’ve used against the funds and, in some instances, you may even be held criminally responsible. They will likely pressure you to wire money beforehand to “pay them back,” but don’t give in unless you’re sure there’s no chance of the original check bouncing.
Car Buying and Selling Scams
It’s possible to save hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars by buying a car in a private party transaction — from an individual rather than from a car dealership or car lot. Many buyers and sellers use Craigslist to facilitate these transactions.
Unfortunately, so do scammers looking to dupe unwitting people on either side of the transaction. Here’s an overview of how these scams occur and tips to avoid falling for them.
1. Fake Funds
Con artists are experts at producing fraudulent checks, money orders, and cashier’s checks. Some car owners have found that out the hard way after they release their car to such a buyer, only for the check to bounce or come back as a fraud. The seller is out a car with no real way to trace the buyer’s identity or location.
2. The Accidental Check
As in the housing-related version of this scam, buyers pay the seller with a cashier’s check or money order that looks real and then suddenly “realize” they paid too much. This usually happens with buyers who claim to be overseas or otherwise unable to meet with the seller in person.
After claiming to realize their mistake, the buyer asks the seller to send a wire transfer for the overage and asks the seller to arrange to have the car picked up by a middleman (pick-up agent). By the time the seller realizes they’re holding a fake check, they’ve lost the money they wired to the buyer as well as their car.
3. The Out-of-Town Seller
This scam is similar to the “accidental check” scheme but without the claims of overpayment. It usually begins with a seller listing a car at an unbelievable price. This person has a sob story to tell interested buyers: Maybe they are going through a costly divorce and need to get rid of the car fast or have been transferred overseas and can’t afford to have the car shipped or registered to the new locale.
Whatever the story, it justifies the low price and the buyer thinks they’re getting a great deal. But because the seller is out of the country, the buyer will have to wire funds to them in order to take possession of the car. You can imagine what happens next: The seller disappears with the money and the car is nowhere to be found.
4. The Safe Deal (Escrow Fraud)
It’s a little scary to send thousands of dollars to someone you don’t know and then trust them to send you the item. Con artists know this as well as anyone. To assuage buyers’ hesitation about wiring money before taking possession of a car, scammers might offer to do a “safe” transaction using an intermediary known as an online escrow service. They tell the buyer to send funds via Western Union to the escrow account where they will be held until the buyer picks up the car.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? The problem comes when a spoof email — one that mimics a legitimate site — is sent to the buyer from the supposedly secure escrow site. The email directs the buyer to a similar-looking fake site that siphons the buyer’s funds into an account that the seller controls. From there, you can guess what happens: The seller disappears with the money and the buyer is left with no money, no car, and wounded pride.
Escrow scams aren’t limited to private automotive transactions, by the way. Fake escrow sites entrap online buyers seeking all sorts of big-ticket items. Proceed with extreme caution whenever a seller suggests conducting the transaction through a particular escrow site or other secure intermediary, especially if they seem fixated on pushing it on you.
How to Avoid Craigslist Automotive Scams
Despite all the dirty deals, it’s still possible to make a good, legitimate car deal on Craigslist. But you have to mind these warning signs and understand how to avoid potential scams before it’s too late.
- The Deal Sounds Too Good to Be True. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The way con artists lure people into their scams is by offering irresistible deals.
- The Buyer or Seller Doesn’t Want to Meet. If you can’t meet face-to-face with the buyer or seller in person because they’re out of the country or are sick, or for any other reason, don’t proceed with the deal. Likewise, use extreme caution as a buyer if the seller demands to use an online escrow service of their own choosing.
- The Transaction Involves Overseas Money Transfers. This is a bright, flashing warning sign that the transaction is fraudulent. Never, ever agree to transfer money overseas using Western Union, MoneyGram, or any other money transfer service as part of a Craigslist transaction supposedly taking place in the United States.
- The Buyer or Seller Communicates Urgency. If your counterparty insists that you complete the transaction immediately because someone else is looking at the car or they have to sell it in a hurry, take a breath and think twice about proceeding. Scammers use a sense of urgency to force buyers to do things they wouldn’t normally do if they had enough time to think it through.
- The Buyer or Seller Doesn’t Have a Contact Number. If the buyer or seller insists on using only the anonymous email address provided by Craigslist and won’t give you a working phone number, assume the worst.
- Never Use the Seller’s Preferred Escrow Site. There are legitimate escrow companies out there that provide great service. If you want to use one, pick it yourself. Never do business with a company you’ve never heard of, no matter how legitimate the site looks. In fact, if the seller suggests one, counter it with a different site you know and trust. If you never hear from the seller again, you’ll know you just avoided a scam.
- Evaluate Escrow Sites Carefully. If you don’t yet have a preferred escrow service, carefully evaluate your options. Do they have contact information other than just email? If so, call and talk to them. Is English their first language? How about the content on the site — is it full of grammatical errors and difficult to understand? When you Google their business and domain name, what do you find? Use the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation‘s guide to escrow fraud for further guidance.
Ultimately, your best bet might be to avoid Craigslist’s automotive section entirely. Other popular car-buying and -selling websites, such as eBay Motors, are less susceptible to fraud.
The Fake Ticket or Event Pass Scam
Craigslist is a great place to look for tickets to sold-out concerts, sporting events, and other exclusive outings for which tickets aren’t available through regular channels.
Unfortunately, many offers of tickets and event passes for sale on Craigslist are fraudulent. Well-funded con artists with access to high-quality printing equipment can easily create tickets or passes that look exactly like the real thing, sometimes down to the hard-to-duplicate watermark or reflective backing.
When genuine, these credentials are worth many hundreds or even thousands of dollars — for example, season tickets and sideline passes for an NFL franchise — and the seller prices them accordingly. But when the buyer tries to use them, they’re told that the tickets aren’t real.
How to Avoid Fake Ticket Scams on Craigslist
If you don’t want to be taken for a ride when purchasing tickets from Craigslist, here’s how to protect yourself.
- Know What You’re Buying. Scammers without the ability to print out an exact replica of the tickets they’re selling will instead print out one-size-fits-all tickets for a variety of events and change the names, dates, times, and fine print accordingly. Because most people don’t know what the tickets should look like, they don’t recognize the subterfuge and plow ahead with the fraudulent transaction. To protect yourself, do two things. First, make sure you know what the ticket is supposed to look like using a Google image search to confirm. Second, study the seating plan of the event venue to confirm that the ticket has the right seat numbers and letters on it.
- Ask for an Original Receipt or Invoice. If the seller can’t offer you proof that they bought the tickets with an invoice or receipt, then they probably never did. Ask for proof of purchase from the seller and tell them you want a copy of it. Next, call the event’s ticket seller and make sure the tickets were paid for. This is especially wise if you are buying a season’s worth of tickets because many times a scammer will show you a receipt that, upon careful examination, will show only a few tickets that have actually been paid for.
- Verify the Seller. When a person buys season tickets, they’ll be assigned an account number that should match their name. If you’re buying season tickets, ask the seller for this information and then call the vendor, which will either be the team or ticket agent. Make sure the person you’re dealing with has an account and that the tickets they are trying to sell you are valid. If the seller balks at this, that means the tickets are likely fake and you should call off the deal.
- Avoid Buying Tickets Through the Mail. Always meet in person to physically exchange tickets or passes and payment. Too much can go wrong when buying through the mail, and the seller is just as likely to abscond with your funds than to even bother sending you fake tickets.
Job Scams
Looking for a job is tough enough, but if you get scammed in your job search, it can be downright disheartening. That’s exactly what happens to some job seekers who answer ads on Craigslist. If you’re looking for a job online, read about what to avoid below.
1. The Nanny Job
Some scammers post jobs for nannies and babysitters, targeting the young and inexperienced. They claim they’re moving to the area and need someone to look after their children. They generally offer a nice salary, but not outrageous enough to ring any alarm bells. Once they “hire” someone, they’ll mail them a check along with instructions about exactly what to do with the money. These instructions might be things like buying groceries for the new house, taking out an amount for their salary, and paying the rent to the new landlord.
And that’s the scam. The check the scammer sends the employee is fake and the “landlord,” if they exist, is a part of the scam. The employee covers the requested expenses from their own account, expecting to rely on the employer’s check to get whole. By the time the check bounces, the “employer” is nowhere to be found, and the unsuspecting employee is out hundreds or thousands of dollars of their own money.
2. The Payments Job
In this underhanded scheme, a dodgy “employer” claims they’re having difficulty receiving payments from their customers because of trouble with their bank or even their country’s financial regulations. They’ll offer to pay a percentage of each sale to someone who will receive payments into their account, take out their cut, and then wire the balance to the employer. Of course, the received payments will bounce and the person will be out any money they wired.
How to Avoid Craigslist Job Scams
The guidelines for avoiding job-related Craigslist scams should be familiar at this point. They include:
- Never Wire Money As Part of a Job Offer. No matter how eager you are to land a paying job, rule out any job listings that include phrases like “wire money” or “cash a check.” These are invariably scams.
- Never Spend Your Own Money for an Employer You Haven’t Met. A legitimate employer should never ask you to use your own funds to cover job-related expenses without providing detailed guidance on how and when you’ll be reimbursed. And an employer should never, ever ask you to use your own bank account to complete business transactions. They should have their own business bank account for that.
- Research Would-Be Employers Online. Thoroughly research your employers using the name they give you and their company. Employers and companies with thin or nonexistent online footprints are just as likely to be fake as real. Pay attention to customer or employee reviews and complaints as well. Even if the company is real, a pattern of Better Business Bureau complaints or legal entanglements shouldn’t inspire confidence.
Fake Craigslist Guarantee
Craigslist is a great site that allows buyers and sellers to come together even if they don’t live in the same city. But many Craigslist users don’t realize that site management doesn’t get involved in users’ transactions or prevent them from occurring except when listings clearly and flagrantly violate U.S. law — for example, by advertising illegal weapons or human organs for sale — or violate Craigslist’s own terms of service.
That leaves an opening for scam artists whose con lies in convincing Craigslist buyers that their transactions are approved and protected or insured by the company. Spoiler alert: They’re not.
Fake Craigslist guarantee scams typically work something like this. After making first contact with the seller, the buyer receives an official-looking email that appears to come from Craigslist. The email assures the buyer that Craigslist has researched the seller and approved the transaction as safe. Craigslist is so confident that the seller is legit that it’s willing to offer a buyer protection service if something does go wrong.
The catch, of course, is that the buyer must pay for this service by wiring money or providing payment card information through a “secure” payment portal. The entire exercise is a setup to take the buyer’s money or steal their credit card. Craigslist does not offer buyer protection, period, so you can safely assume that any offer of such a service is fraudulent. Report the offending listing to Craigslist right away. After all, it certainly qualifies as a violation of Craigslist’s terms of service, if not U.S. law.
Fake Craigslist Site
The simplest Craigslist scam of all is also one of the easiest to avoid. Con artists have created spoof sites that are made to look exactly like Craigslist but are in actuality designed only to take your money. So, be certain you’re on the authentic Craigslist site whenever you make a transaction. The official website address is http://www.craigslist.org/ — any other URL is not the real deal.
Final Word
Buying and selling on Craigslist can be an awesome experience. For example, you can find deals you couldn’t otherwise locate in your local area. As long as you pay attention to the details of each transaction and stay aware of the signs that alert you to possible scams, you should be fine. If you believe you have come across a scam, mark it as such at the top of the page and email Craigslist at abuse@craigslist.org.
Source: moneycrashers.com
Hereâs How to Buy a Used Phone (That Actually Works)
Looking to update your old cell phone? A phone that is not necessarily new but is new to you could save you a lot of money without costing you quality.
“There’s such an appetite for consumers that don’t need to have the newest but would still like a phone with all the latest and greatest features,” said Chase Freeman, spokesperson for Gazelle, an online company that buys and sells pre-owned consumer electronics.
There are many places to buy a used smartphone and several things you should do before spending your hard-earned money.
Here’s how to buy a used phone.
Why Are There So Many Used Phones Available?
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), there were 225.4 million shipments of used smartphones in 2020, an increase of 9.2% over 2019. The used cell phone industry is growing steadily with a predicted volume of 351.6 million units and a market value of $65 billion by 2024.
Trade-in deals are part of the reason. People looking to get the newest technology are turning in their old phones for deals on new phones. That spells opportunity for the person looking to save some money but still snag a great phone.
“You have consumers that need to have the latest and greatest every single year a manufacturer releases a new phone, so those people are going to always want a new phone,” Freeman said. “Those phones they’ve used for 12 to 18 months … are like new more than half the time. So there is a lot of life left in those devices.”
Once there was a time when the technology changed a bunch between phone versions, but that has slowed down a bit.
Used vs. Refurbished: What’s the Difference?
Two types of non-new phones are out there, used and refurbished. They mean different things.
“Used would mean someone like a consumer used the phone and when they were done with it, they traded it in with no issues in good working order,” Freeman said. “Refurbished would typically mean something has been fixed in the phone. Maybe there was an issue with the hard drive or maybe there was an issue with the battery and something had to be fixed within that phone because it wasn’t working properly.”
With both kinds, you’ll save money.
“I think the word has gotten out that you can go and buy a gently used phone — or newish phone as we like to say — and you can get something that is still modern and up to date and you can save a lot of money,” said Sara Beane, media relations specialist for Swappa, a user-to-user marketplace for gently used technology.
What To Look For When Buying a Used Phone
A used cell phone is only good if it works — and it hasn’t been reported lost or stolen. If it has been reported lost or stolen, built-in technology will keep it from being activated by someone new.
That’s how Swappa came into being.
“Our CEO bought a phone from Craigslist and it seemed like it was fine and then when he got home he couldn’t activate it,” Beane said. Companies like Swappa, Gazelle and others put phones through thorough testing and checks before allowing them to go up on their sites for sale.
Still, there are many shady sellers who traffic in stolen phones. So the first thing to do is find a trusted retailer or website to buy your used phone.
Some of the top sellers for buying a used phone include:
- Cell service providers: Many of the nation’s cell carriers refurbish and resell phones they receive as trade-ins. Some have a program where subscribers automatically get a new phone every few years, meaning they always have used phones in stock.
- Phone manufacturers: Companies like Apple, Samsung and others repair and refurbish phones that are returned to them and then sell them at a reduced price. Often these phones have some kind of warranty.
- Amazon: Several third-party phone resellers operate on Amazon. Some get their phones directly from manufacturers or cell carriers and offer them at a discount.
- Individual sellers: Places like eBay and Facebook Marketplace allow individual sellers to post their phones they want to sell.
- Gazelle: On this site, each device is inspected to make sure it operates and charges properly, and there is a 30-day return window. The company also uses CheckMEND to make sure a device hasn’t been reported lost or stolen.
- Swappa: This site is a user-to-user marketplace where people buy and sell directly to other consumers. The company checks serial numbers to make sure the phone hasn’t been lost or stolen and requires sellers to upload photos of the phone powered on, with a custom listing code for each device.
If you’re looking at other retailers or websites, make sure you read reviews and if everything seems perfect with few details, be wary.
No matter where you choose to buy a used phone, make sure the company accepts payment methods that allow you some recourse if the phone either never arrives or isn’t what you expected.
Paying with cash or directly out of a bank account offers little protection.
Credit cards, payment systems like PayPal, or buying through reputable companies with buyer protection provide the best options to recover your money if something bad happens.
Finding the Perfect Used Phone
“Used” doesn’t necessarily mean old and outdated.
Freeman said many people don’t realize when a new version of a phone comes out, what was the best and latest just a month ago might now be coming in for trades. That’s good news for someone looking for a deal.
He also suggests the following to help you narrow down your search:
- Know what you want: Do you want Android or iOS? Samsung, Apple or something else?
- Features: What are the top things you’re looking for? Is it a good camera? Big screen? Storage? Something else?
- Pick your condition: Do you care if there are a couple of scratches on the phone, or do you want it in pristine condition?
- Carrier: Do you want it to be a phone that was originally from a particular carrier?
“I think it’s also an important question [to ask yourself]: How long do you expect to use it?” Freeman said. “Do I maybe want to spend a little bit more to get some more life out of it? Or do I want to maybe spend a little bit less because I’m not as heavy of a user as other people?”
Other things Freeman and Beane suggest looking for when buying a used phone online:
- Serial number: If the phone has been reported lost or stolen, it won’t work with a new activation. Ask for the phone’s serial number, which is also known as an ESN or IMEI. You can check the device at CheckMEND for a small fee. This service will also confirm the make and model, tell you if the phone has had several owners, was involved in a serious crime, was subjected to an insurance claim and more.
- Details: If a listing has very few details about the phone, it might be too good to be true. Also, check for photos of the actual phone, not stock photos of the product. Note if some of the photos are of the phone during operation and not just when powered off.
- Accessories: Verify whether your phone will come with an original charger or other accessories.
- Questions: Is there a place to ask a seller questions? If it does not say in the description, you might want to ask if the phone has a new battery or has ever been water damaged. Even if a phone works after water damage, the components inside might have a shorter life.
- Compatibility: Make sure the phone you want to buy will be compatible with your service provider. Some phones used in other countries will not work in the United States.
- Support: Check with the phone’s manufacturer to make sure the phone is still supported with security updates. Older phones without the ability to update might be easily accessible to hackers.
Once you have the phone in your hand, check the following:
- Camera: Take a few photos and make sure everything works.
- Speakers: Play a few songs or a video to check the speakers.
- Call quality: Make a call and ask if the person on the other end can hear you clearly.
- Charging: Plug in the charging cable and make sure the phone charges properly and the connections are secure. Make sure there are no bulges near the battery.
When looking online, prices for used phones vary widely. Prices depend on the condition and storage capacity. Freeman said knowing what the phone would cost brand new is a good place to start.
So is understanding there is more to a successful purchase than just price. Make sure you’re comfortable with the seller’s return policy and verification process. “It’s important for sellers to offer all of these security points to ensure you’re getting what you’re paying for and something that will last you more than just a couple months,” Freeman said.
Tiffani Sherman is a Florida-based freelance reporter with more than 25 years of experience writing about finance, health, travel and other topics.
Source: thepennyhoarder.com
Having A Baby Can Be A Good Excuse To Simplify And Declutter
For the past few months we’ve been preparing ourselves for the exciting event of becoming parents for the second time. We’ve been having baby showers, buying all the baby related items we needed and just stocking up.
Through all this we realized that even before we started buying all of this baby stuff that we were starting to run out of room, and we really had a lot of stuff in the house that we no longer needed.
While we certainly aren’t hoarders (1.4 million Americans DO suffer from chronic hoarding & clutter.), and we weren’t trapped and killed by our piles of stuff like this unfortunate fellow, we didn’t want to have our home stuffed to the gills with things we didn’t want or need.
We decided to simplify, and to declutter.
Quick Navigation
10 Reasons To Get Rid Of Your Stuff“.
Our Criteria For Getting Rid Of Stuff
- Are we currently using this item?
- Are we likely to use it in the future?
- Is it sentimental?
- Even if we’re using it, does it take up more space than it is worth?
More often than not we’re not really using the item anymore, and in many cases we’re not even sure why we saved it. Old shoes, old magazines and CDs we hadn’t listened to in years went out the door. Old computer motherboards and computer cables? Gone.
Of course there are the exceptions – things that I will always refuse to get rid of – like my guitars and my old baseball card collection.
How To Get Rid Of Things When You Declutter
There are a lot of ways to get rid of things when you declutter your house. You can sell it, donate it, give it away or junk it.
Sell The Item
When we’re deciding what we’re going to do with an item we go through a mental inventory to decide on if the item is actually worth anything. If it is, we try to sell the item. Our favorite places to sell things are online. They include:
We recently sold a couple of old rugs, and some old electronics we had in storage on Craigslist. In the end we made a couple of hundred dollars on the items. Money for baby stuff!
My wife has found she has a knack for selling things like old baby clothes and accessories on Facebook via mommy pages and garage sale groups for our local area. Usually she’ll list more popular items on there and we can have the items sold within a few days. We sold our son’s old baby clothes that we had been saving for several hundred dollars that way.
We’ve also sold old technology items using electronics buying sites. We recently had an old Samsung Galaxy phone to get rid of. We checked prices at a variety of sites, including the ones listed above, and ended up finding the best price with Decluttr.com. We were able to make some money on a phone we weren’t using, and someone else will get a like new Galaxy phone for a low price.
If selling our stuff online doesn’t work, and if we have enough items, we will sometimes have a garage sale.
The problem with garage sales is that far too often you put in more effort to have the garage sale than you actually make in selling the items. Another alternative is to ask family or friends if they’re having a garage sale anytime soon. If they are, ask them if you can bring your items over to sell. We did this last year and sold several larger ticket items – and had fun hanging out with friends all day!
Donate The Item
If we don’t believe we’ll get enough money for the item to make selling it worth our while, quite often we’ll donate the item to a local charity. We have a goodwill store pretty close to our house, and quite often we end up donating the items there. Remember, you can often get a tax deduction if you donate items!
Some options for donating items:
For some more options on places to donate your things, check out this great post: Where To Donate All Your Unwanted Stuff.
Give The Item Away
If you can’t sell the item, and charities don’t take your item as a donation, you can always give the item away for free. Place a free ad on Craigslist offering the item for free – or leave a post on a site like Freecycle.org. Usually you can find a taker for just about any item you’re getting rid of.
Junk The Item
If no one will take your items, even for free, you can always just dump them. If the items are too big to throw in your own garbage receptacle, you can use one of these options:
- 1800GotJunk.com
- Your local dump
- Some communities have a “large trash item” day once a year where they’ll pick up your larger items.
Get Rid Of Your Excess Items – You’ll Be Glad You Did
When we started getting rid of things from our house, at first it was a bit painful. We were both coming up with excuses about how we would use items in the future, about how certain items meant so much to us, and how we could continue to store items because we wouldn’t want to re-buy them again in the future.
In the end we realized that we were making a lot of rationalizations, and that things we weren’t currently using were probably going to remain unused for the foreseeable future. It just made sense to get rid of all these things that were weighing us down.
After we started getting rid of things it felt really good to be rid of all the excess baggage. It was a like a weight lifted off of our shoulders, and we felt so much more free! We have free space in the house!
So if you’re thinking about getting rid of your things – just do it! It may be hard at first, but it will get easier, and the freedom you’ll feel by having de-clutterfied will be priceless!
Have you recently tried decluttering your house? Was it hard to get rid of things – even the things you weren’t using anymore? Why do you think that “things” are able to get such a hold on our lives?
Source: biblemoneymatters.com
How to Organize a Garage Sale Like a Boss
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more information.
You’ve been feverishly decluttering your house and now the weather is nice enough that you’re thinking about hosting a garage sale before you bring everything to the thrift store.
Before you get your price stickers and signs ready, you should do a little preparing so you can organize a garage sale that will make you as much money as possible.
How to Organize a Garage Sale
There are several steps that go into hosting a successful yard sale.
First, you have to schedule a date for your sale. This may not be a problem right now but usually there’s a lot going on where I live so I wanted to pick a day with as little happening as possible.
It would suck to plan this whole thing to find out it conflicts with a major event. I used the “Events” tab on Facebook, you can input a date and it’ll show you upcoming events.
Disclaimer: If your only available day conflicts with a big event, don’t worry too much. Serious garage sale shoppers stop at nothing to get their fix.
The other important detail is day and time. We decided to hold ours on a Saturday from 8am-5pm. We held our sale in a fenced-in backyard so we could set up the night before and minimize work in the morning.
yard sale
” data-medium-file=”https://i1.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_0067-e1493003467791.jpg?fit=300%2C185&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i1.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_0067-e1493003467791.jpg?fit=600%2C338&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” data-pin-description=”Do you want to get rid of the stuff you have been purging? It is a perfect time to have a safe & profitable yard sale. #yardsaletips #yardsaleideas #makeextramoneyathome #sidehustles #yardsalehacks” data-pin-title=”How to Have a Safe & Profitable Yard Sale This Year” class=”size-full wp-image-928″ src=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss.jpg” alt=”yard sale” width=”370″ height=”228″ srcset=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss.jpg 370w, https://i1.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_0067-e1493003467791.jpg?resize=300%2C185&ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/IMG_0067-e1493003467791.jpg?resize=100%2C62&ssl=1 100w” sizes=”(max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>
I read that serious buyers would show up early and without fail, at 7am they were there. We were mostly set up so we just let them in.
The morning was the busiest. We were steady until 1:00 then really quiet for 45 minutes. We had a late rush at 1:45 then it was steady again for another hour and a half. It started sprinkling at 4 so we packed everything up a little early.
I’m glad we decided to start at 8, I couldn’t imagine people showing up at 5 or 6am. There is not enough coffee in the world for me to be ok with that. If I could do it over I probably would’ve ended at 1. The last rush of people was nice but not worth the sitting around.
How to Advertise Your Garage Sale
The key to a successful sale is good advertising. You can have the best stuff but if no one knows or there’s no incentive to come then you wont sell them. There were three things we did to make sure as many people got to our house as possible.
1. Have Multiple Sellers
We were inspired by another sale that had six or seven different people selling in one place. Having a “multi-family” sale not only means more items but also a larger variety, that gives more people incentive to come, even people who might not be into yard sale-ing.
People with different interests accumulate different stuff and if you don’t jive with one seller’s items you might like what another seller has to offer.
If it is a lot of the same stuff, consider theming your sale to set it apart. JD Roth from Get Rich Slowly looked at what he had most of and listed his sale as a “Geek Garage Sale.” You might think you’ll drive people away by niching down but you actually make your sale more attractive to non garage salers.
Multiple sellers also means more exposure. The more people you have selling, the more people you have sharing the event with their friends.
garage explosion
” data-medium-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/garage-explosion-e1493003705456.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/garage-explosion-e1493003705456.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” data-pin-description=”Do you want to get rid of the stuff you have been purging? It is a perfect time to have a safe & profitable yard sale. #yardsaletips #yardsaleideas #makeextramoneyathome #sidehustles #yardsalehacks” data-pin-title=”How to Have a Safe & Profitable Yard Sale This Year” class=”size-full wp-image-931″ src=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss-1.jpg” alt=”garage explosion” width=”400″ height=”300″ data-recalc-dims=”1″>
2. Coordinate With Another Garage Sale
Sales that happen on the same day aren’t competition, they’re advertising! I discovered this one by accident and it by far brought us the most traffic. A friend at my work had planned a sale for the same day as ours. She was nearby so I suggested we print out fliers for each other’s sales and hand them out to people as they left.
The flier was a simple half-sheet of paper with the sale address, times, and highlights of what we were selling. This is a great option for people who want to host a multi-family sale but don’t have space. And I’m sure if none of your friends want to host you could easily find nearby sales on Craigslist and email the seller to set something up.
3. Post Your Garage Sale Online
Craigslist is where all the serious buyers and sellers go. I posted on Monday and then another with a rephrased title on Thursday. Then I posted in Facebook Marketplace and in relevant local Facebook groups.
I also Googled “garage sale” and posted to every site that popped up on the first page. Most of the garage sale listing sites are in the same family of websites which made filling out the details easy (thanks auto-fill!).
<img data-attachment-id="3908" data-permalink="https://www.modernfrugality.com/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss/how-to-have-a-safe-yard-sale/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/How-to-Have-a-Safe-Yard-Sale.jpg?fit=1000%2C1500&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1000,1500" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta=""aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"" data-image-title="How to Have a Safe Yard Sale" data-image-description="
Do you want to get rid of the stuff you have been purging? It is a perfect time to have a safe & profitable yard sale. #yardsaletips #yardsaleideas #makeextramoneyathome #sidehustles #yardsalehacks
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/How-to-Have-a-Safe-Yard-Sale.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/How-to-Have-a-Safe-Yard-Sale.jpg?fit=400%2C600&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” class=” wp-image-3908 aligncenter” src=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss-3.jpg” alt=”yard sale” width=”330″ height=”496″ data-pin-title=”How to Have a Safe & Profitable Yard Sale This Year” data-pin-description=”Do you want to get rid of the stuff you have been purging? It is a perfect time to have a safe & profitable yard sale. #yardsaletips #yardsaleideas #makeextramoneyathome #sidehustles #yardsalehacks” srcset=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss-8.jpg 200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/How-to-Have-a-Safe-Yard-Sale.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/How-to-Have-a-Safe-Yard-Sale.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/How-to-Have-a-Safe-Yard-Sale.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w” sizes=”(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>
How to Prepare Your Yard Sale
Go through the boxes of stuff you haven’t seen in years before you put them out for sale. My husband was going through one I’d put out and found a copy of my social security card, I had not intended to sell my identity.
And if you can’t put everything out the night before like we did, you should do as much as possible to limit your stress on the morning of and have time for more coffee.
1. Garage Sale Pricing
We used a combination of methods for pricing. For clothes and items we had a lot of I made a sign with individual and bulk prices, I bought price stickers and put them on other items. A lot of stuff we left blank. When people asked how much we either yelled out a price or asked “How much you offering?”
If we’d had a smaller sale I wouldn’t have priced anything. When people name their own price they’re more likely to buy the item. The nice thing about putting prices on some stuff was that I didn’t have to talk as much. Introverts will appreciate pricing items individually.
I found pricing suggestions on Angie’s List and found that people will haggle you down whether the price is fair or not, so best practice is to price high.
beanie babies
” data-medium-file=”https://i1.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/beanie-babies-e1493003601746.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i1.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/beanie-babies-e1493003601746.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” data-pin-description=”Do you want to get rid of the stuff you have been purging? It is a perfect time to have a safe & profitable yard sale. #yardsaletips #yardsaleideas #makeextramoneyathome #sidehustles #yardsalehacks” data-pin-title=”How to Have a Safe & Profitable Yard Sale This Year” class=”size-full wp-image-930″ src=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss-4.jpg” alt=”beanie babies” width=”400″ height=”300″ data-recalc-dims=”1″>
2. Garage Sale Signs
I bought signs to stick in the ground and neon cardstock to post on poles, fences, etc. I thought four signs would be enough but my paranoid husband thought we could put up every sign we had. He was right.
It was the signs on neon poster board that attracted the most attention. People saw the white signs in the ground but they got to us by the bright ones. Our signs just said “Yard Sale” with the address at the bottom and an arrow in the middle pointing the way to treasure land.
If you can, have someone check your signs midway through the sale. One of ours fell and was pointing AWAY from our sale.
What to do The Day of Your Garage Sale
First, give yourself more time to post the signs than you think you’ll need. We had a debate on which illegal places would be least illegal to post our signs. Every city has their rules so check yours to be sure.
I posted a Facebook Live video on my profile giving a tour of the sale. I called attention to some of the more enticing items and introduced all our sellers.
Here are some essentials that kept our ship sale-ing (lololol):
• Chill music– It’s too early in the morning for all that hip hop, play something inviting that will keep the people browsing and your neighbors from yelling at you.
• Fanny pack– Keep your money close and your fanny pack closer.
• Free section– There are some things that no one will buy at your yard sale, doesn’t mean you can’t put them out, but don’t waste your time pricing them.
With a few hours left in the sale, I started posting big ticket items that didn’t sell to Facebook Marketplace. By doing that I was able to secure a home for almost everything I posted.
I posted midday thinking people would come while we were still selling but nobody could make it until the next day so you could probably wait until your sale is over to post.
Warning: responding to all those Facebook messages was almost more tiring than the actual sale.
What to do After a Yard Sale
Take down the signs so people don’t continue to show up at your house, delete your Craigslist and other ads so people don’t roll by your house trying to get free stuff, and count your money!
We took name brand clothes that didn’t sell to Plato’s Closet and made $15 more. And we continued to post big-ticket items to Facebook Marketplace.
Bring leftovers to a thrift store or call one to see if you can have your stuff picked up. We made around $400 not including the furniture we sold on Marketplace the next day.
For the amount of work we put (and didn’t put) into it, I’m glad we did it. Purging is so cathartic and to get some spending money in exchange is just a bonus.
Tell me: What do you think about garage sales? Do you have any interesting garage sale stories or tips to share?
<img data-attachment-id="4130" data-permalink="https://www.modernfrugality.com/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss/yard-sale-1/" data-orig-file="https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Yard-Sale-1.jpg?fit=1000%2C1500&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1000,1500" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta=""aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"" data-image-title="How to Organize a Yard Sale without the Headache- Even During Coronavirus" data-image-description="
Do you want to sell the stuff you’ve been decluttering while you were at home? Here are some tips to have a safe and succcessful yard sale without a headache!! #yardsale #howtohaveayardsale #moneymakingtips #howtomakemoneyathome #sidehustleideas #howtomakemoremoney
” data-medium-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Yard-Sale-1.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Yard-Sale-1.jpg?fit=400%2C600&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” class=” wp-image-4130″ src=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss-6.jpg” alt width=”587″ height=”882″ data-pin-title=”How to Organize a Yard Sale without the Headache- Even During Coronavirus” data-pin-description=”Do you want to sell the stuff you’ve been decluttering while you were at home? Here are some tips to have a safe and succcessful yard sale without a headache!! #yardsale #howtohaveayardsale #moneymakingtips #howtomakemoneyathome #sidehustleideas #howtomakemoremoney ” srcset=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss-9.jpg 200w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Yard-Sale-1.jpg?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 400w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Yard-Sale-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Yard-Sale-1.jpg?w=1000&ssl=1 1000w” sizes=”(max-width: 587px) 100vw, 587px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>
<img data-attachment-id="976" data-permalink="https://www.modernfrugality.com/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss/run-a-yard-sale/" data-orig-file="https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?fit=400%2C707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="400,707" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta=""aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"" data-image-title="Run a yard sale" data-image-description="
Run a yard sale
” data-medium-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?fit=170%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?fit=339%2C600&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” data-pin-description=”Do you want to get rid of the stuff you have been purging? It is a perfect time to have a safe & profitable yard sale. #yardsaletips #yardsaleideas #makeextramoneyathome #sidehustles #yardsalehacks” data-pin-title=”How to Have a Safe & Profitable Yard Sale This Year” class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-976 jetpack-lazy-image” src=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss.png” alt=”Run a yard sale” width=”400″ height=”707″ data-recalc-dims=”1″ data-lazy-srcset=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss.png 400w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?resize=170%2C300&ssl=1 170w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?resize=339%2C600&ssl=1 339w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?resize=100%2C177&ssl=1 100w” data-lazy-sizes=”(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px” srcset=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7″>
<img data-attachment-id="976" data-permalink="https://www.modernfrugality.com/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss/run-a-yard-sale/" data-orig-file="https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?fit=400%2C707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="400,707" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta=""aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"" data-image-title="Run a yard sale" data-image-description="
Run a yard sale
” data-medium-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?fit=170%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?fit=339%2C600&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” data-pin-description=”Do you want to get rid of the stuff you have been purging? It is a perfect time to have a safe & profitable yard sale. #yardsaletips #yardsaleideas #makeextramoneyathome #sidehustles #yardsalehacks” data-pin-title=”How to Have a Safe & Profitable Yard Sale This Year” class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-976″ src=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss.png” alt=”Run a yard sale” width=”400″ height=”707″ srcset=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/how-to-organize-a-garage-sale-like-a-boss.png 400w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?resize=170%2C300&ssl=1 170w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?resize=339%2C600&ssl=1 339w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Run-a-yard-sale.png?resize=100%2C177&ssl=1 100w” sizes=”(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>
Jen Smith is a personal finance expert, founder of Modern Frugality and co-host of the Frugal Friends Podcast. Her work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Lifehacker, Money Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, Business Insider, and more. She’s passionate about helping people gain control of their spending.
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Source: modernfrugality.com
6 Clever Hacks for Landing Your Dream Apartment
Outsmart the rental-search woes with these techy tips and tricks.
Finding a new apartment is a time-consuming process. It takes an average of 2 ½ months and includes plenty of paperwork, research and calls. In fact, according to a 2016 study, 82 percent of adults say moving is somewhat stressful or very stressful — more stressful than getting a root canal, being trapped in an elevator or doing taxes.
It doesn’t have to be this way, though. Savvy renters are finding inventive ways to automate the most onerous parts of their apartment search — from outsourcing listing research to setting up automatic new-listing notifications.
Here are six easy ways to streamline your next apartment search.
1. Create notifications
Timing is everything — especially when it comes to landing your dream apartment. Zillow’s listing database is updated daily, so save your search, and sign up for real-time notifications or daily emails whenever new listings match your criteria.
In addition to timely Zillow notifications, this IFTTT recipe will text you whenever a new Craigslist post matches your search.
2. Organize your search with Trello
Apartment hunting involves many moving parts, and Trello is an easy-to-use tool that will help streamline your search and track your progress.
You add information to “cards,” which you can move to different columns, share with family or friends, and even automate. Here’s a house-hunting Trello board, and this one helps you organize moving tasks after you sign your lease.
If you’re feeling extra ambitious, this IFTTT recipe automatically adds relevant Craigslist listings to your Trello board.
3. Delegate to a virtual assistant
Every apartment search requires hours of researching, scheduling and calling. But many hands make light work, and Fancy Hands can help you do the heavy lifting. This affordable virtual assistant service works by “request” — essentially, tasks that take up to 20 minutes to complete.
Here are three tasks you can outsource immediately to your new assistant: Find listings that match your criteria, research potential neighborhoods and schedule apartment tours.
Plus, Fancy Hands integrates with Trello, so you can delegate new tasks and share information right from your board.
4. Hire out on-the-ground research
While Fancy Hands has the Googling, typing, calling and emailing handled, don’t underestimate the value of analog research.
If you’ve got your heart set on a particular neighborhood (or a handful of them), it’s worth hitting the pavement to spot the for-rent signs that aren’t online yet. Thanks to TaskRabbit, you can hire someone do this research for you.
5. Draft an email template
Mixmax is a Gmail add-on that allows you to create email templates for communicating with landlords and property managers. It also lets you track who opens your emails and when so you know when to follow up.
And don’t worry — Mixmax will do the follow-up outreach for you too. You can create sequences of emails that trigger follow-up emails after a set number of days.
Bonus: Mixmax integrates with Dropbox, so you can share your application materials right there in the body of your email.
6. Store application materials in Dropbox
In addition to creating your Zillow renter profile, which helps you share your qualifications with potential landlords with just one click, try storing your application materials in Dropbox.
With all your application materials in one place, you can quickly and easily share your qualifications with a Dropbox link. Include copies of credit reports, pay stubs, your driver’s license and at least one reference letter.
Top featured image from Offset.
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Source: zillow.com
How to Remodel a House
I have flipped almost 200 houses in my career, and I will pass that 200 mark later this year. I have also bought close to 30 rental properties that have ranged from 800 to 68,000 square feet. Over the years, I have learned a lot about how to remodel homes. In fact, even as a professional, one of the hardest parts of the business is still remodeling homes even after almost 20 years. I do not do the work myself. I have in the past, but now I hire out everything, and it is tough finding the right people and deciding what the right mix of fixing and not fixing is. In this article, I will try to give you an idea of the best approach to take when remodeling a home and the major mistakes to avoid.
What are the basics of remodeling a house?
When I flip houses, almost every house I buy needs work. Most of the rental properties I buy need work as well. I want a really good deal, and sometimes that takes buying properties that need to be remodeled. What are the basic steps to take when remodeling a home?
Assess what needs to be done
The first step to take when remodeling a home is to figure out what you want to do! This can often be the hardest part. You don’t want to make the home too nice for the neighborhood or you will never get back the money you spend when it comes time to sell the home. You don’t want to do too little or you might leave money on the table. I like to take the route of doing just enough to make the home as nice as other houses that are selling in the neighborhood. Sometimes that means going to look at those houses for sale and deciding what level you want to be at. Doing $20,000 in work may bring $40,000 more in value, but doing $40,000 in work may only bring $50,000 in value.
This step can be tough to figure out because if you live in the home, you also need to balance what you want as far as creature comforts. You may want to go above and beyond what makes sense due to your personal preferences. That is okay as long as you know you may not get that money back. My article on what home remodeling jobs bring the most bang for the buck goes into more detail on this subject.
Decide how you are going to handle the remodel
Another big decision is how you are going to handle the remodel. Are you going to do the work yourself? Are you going to hire a general contractor to do it all? Are you going to hire subcontractors and are going to manage it all?
In my business, we act as the general contractor and hire out all the subs, or we use employees. It saves us a ton of money to run our business this way. Here is what I mean by each term:
General contractor
A general contractor runs the show and hires everything out. If you want a new house built, the general contractor or GC should be able to get it all scheduled and completed. Many times, the GC will not do any work themselves: they simply manage everything. A good GC can be great, but they are usually expensive as well.
Subcontractor
A sub is someone or a company that specializes in a certain aspect of construction. We hire subs all the time for plumbing, electrical, foundations, HVAC, roofing, landscaping, flooring, painting, and more. Subs are specialists, which means they are often faster and cheaper than general contractors.
Handyman or woman
A handyman or woman is someone who can do a lot of different things but is usually not classified as a GC because they are not licensed or do not have the capability to run a crew. They do all the work themselves to varying degrees of quality. Some can be great, and others can be quit poor! I also find than many handypeople are great at certain things like drywall or painting but are not so great at plumbing or electrical, although they tend to think they can do anything.
We use handymen or women all the time, but we figure out what they are good at and stick to those items. It can be rough trying to use them as a general contractor because they may claim to be able to do everything but not really know what they are doing. It can also take a long time since it is usually a one or two-person show.
Project manager
I run a fairly large operation, and I have a project manager who runs everything for me. She is great at her job and schedules everything, hires subs, decides when work should be done, and basically takes on the job of the GC but for 10 to 20 projects at once. It does not make sense for a homeowner doing a one-time remodel to hire a project manager, but it might make sense for real estate investors who do a lot of deals.
For small jobs that are not complicated, a handyman might do the trick. For larger jobs, you might want to use a GC or try taking on the role of GC yourself and hiring subcontractors. How much you do will often depend on your level of knowledge and time you have to dedicate to the project.
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How to find the right people to help you
Now you have decided what work you want to be done, and you have decided how you want to get the work done. How do you find the people to do the work? This can be tough and can be the number one way people lose money in real estate. We go through a strict recruiting process when looking for people.
- We search for people by browsing Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Angie’s List, Thumbtack, or by referral.
- We email them or call asking a list of questions about how they work, what they charge, and when they have time to start.
- We ask them to send a resume to us and a few references of work they have done recently.
- If they complete these tasks (which many won’t), we schedule a meeting in our office. At the office, we talk about the same things and make sure they have their own tools, truck, and seem like a good fit. We also make sure they are on time and communicate well.
- If they pass that test, we meet them at the job site and have them give us a bid on the work to be done. We make sure the bid comes in, and we compare it to what we think the work should cost. Sometimes we have multiple bids.
- If they get past all of this, we hire them on a small job first. I never hire brand new people to start a $30,000 rehab or more right off the bat. I want to make sure they know what they are doing, show up, and get work done in a timely manner before I make a big commitment.
This is the process we use for a contractor or handyman that will be doing a lot of different work. For a sub who may only be doing a small job, we will skip some of these steps as references and a decent bid will be enough to try them out. I have another article that goes into much more detail on how to find contractors, subs, etc. here.
Why are bids so different?
There will be a huge price range for bids on remodeling jobs. Some contractors prey on homeowners who have no idea what things should cost. We have seen one bid on a foundation for $84,000 and another for $5,000. Both fixed the problem and came with a letter from an engineer. We have seen a bid for a sewer cleanout of $7,700 when another company did the work for $185.
Other contractors will be fair, but they still need to make a living as well. There is a trade-off between how much management and effort the homeowner wants to put in versus how much the project will cost. If you are the project manager and act as the GC, it can save a ton of money, but it takes work.
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How do you choose the right bid?
When you are getting work done for the first time, or even for the second third, fourth, or fifth time, it makes sense to get multiple bids, especially if you are not sure what the project should cost. When you get those bids, how do you know which one is better, and how do you keep getting bids?
First off, I would realize that contractors don’t get paid to come up with bids: they get paid to do work. However, most know that part of the business is coming up with those bids and getting some jobs while losing others. I would go out of my way to reward people who are willing to give you bids in a timely manner. Take them to lunch, get to know them, pick their brains about the bids and why they bid them as they did. If you can’t do that, give them a Home Depot gift card.
We often go with the cheaper bid, but I also have a good idea of what repairs should cost. I know if someone is way overshooting things or even coming in way too low and are sure to increase the bid as time goes on. Whatever bid you go with, start them slow! When I start a new contractor, I do not give them an entire house off the bat, I have them start with the bathroom or a small project to see if they show up, do good work and are honest. If there are problems from the start, I know to move on. This process may cost a little more money because small jobs often come with higher price tags relatively speaking, and it may take more time, but it is worth it. Taking a little more time and being careful will often avoid the massive horror stories of contractors taking half the bid up front of an $80,000 remodel job and leaving town.
How do you pay the contractor?
A lot of contractors want a lot of money up front to pay for materials, to pay their guys, and to know the customer will pay them. I hate paying money up front, but I know it is needed on certain jobs. This is another reason to start with a small job first to see how they do and if they will perform. If you spend half of $4,000 to remodel a bathroom and the contractor bails, that is not as bad as losing $40,000 on half of a major job.
This is also another reason it is nice to break up the work and pay subs yourself. If there is a problem with a sub, they are not derailing the entire project and budget. You can often pay subs little up front or sometimes nothing because they have a smaller job and less risk.
For big jobs, I like to pay 25% up front, 25 percent at the halfway point, and 50% when it is all done. A lot of contractors do not like this, but what other profession gets paid half the money before they work even gets started? I also pay for all of the materials. I know many contractors mark up the materials and use the excuse for big upfront payments that they need to buy materials. If I am paying for them, it takes away that need for so much money up front. I can buy things at Home Depot over the phone and with a Pro Account with text messages, so it is not a big hassle.
Should you do the work yourself?
I fixed up a house on my own in 2006. I learned a ton! I learned never to do it again. I learned that contractors are much better at repairs than I am. I learned how valuable my time was, and I was more productive doing other things. I lost money on that house because it took me so long to flip, the work was not as good as it should have been, and the market was decreasing while I owned it. I also lost money because I was not working as an agent or finding other deals.
For most people, it does not make sense to do the work yourself on a house if you are flipping or buying rentals. It takes time away from your work, your family, and finding more deals. If you are a homeowner and living in the house, it might make sense in some circumstances. When you live in the home as you do the work, it does not take as much time away from your family. You do not have to commute to another property, and it can be a fun thing you do together. Since you are living in the home, it is not costing you money every day the house is not finished like it would on a flip or rental.
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What do you do first?
Another question I get all the time is how do you decide what repairs to do first? If you hire a GC, they will decide that for you, but if you go the handyman, sub route, or do the work yourself, that is up to you. Here is my take on what repairs to tackle first:
Demolition
The first thing is always tearing out what you do not need. This way you can get a good look at the condition of the house and see if any major surprises are lurking in the home. I try not to demo anything that does not need it as the more you tear out, the more money you will spend.
Major systems
Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, foundation, Mold, etc. If there is major work that needs to be done, I have that started first because they may make a mess of the home. You don’t want to install new drywall and paint only to find out the electrician must tear it all out.
Windows and doors
When putting in new windows and doors, it often does some damage to the drywall and sheetrock or trim. This is one of the first things we do.
Drywall/sheetrock/trim
If the home needs patches or is a complete gut, I would do the drywall and sheetrock next since you need that in place before installing new kitchens and baths.
Paint
I prefer to paint early because then you do not have to mask everything you just installed. You may have to come back at the end for touch-ups, but that is usually easier than masking the entire house and then most likely still having to come back later for touch-ups.
Kitchens and baths
I install the kitchens and baths next after the paint is done as we won’t have to mask them off.
Fixtures
We install light fixtures nex,t but it can be done at the end as well. They are not too messy, but we want them installed after the paint is done.
Flooring
We try to do the flooring last because it gets trampled and damaged if a lot of other work is being done after the flooring is installed. Some reasons might be if the floor needs to be installed prior to kitchen cabinets being installed.
Touch-ups
Finally, we blue tape the house for anything that needs to be touched up. The flooring guys usually mark up the trim, and some of the walls might need to be touched up or a few spots may have been missed in the beginning. Make sure you keep the same type of paint for touchups! Use the same sheen and color, and keep an old bucket of paint to mix with the new paint if needed so there is not a glaring difference where the touchups are done.
What if you run into problems?
if you have problems with a contractor or a sub or a handyman, my advice is to cut ties as fast as possible. There is a 98% chance things will not get better, and they most likely will get worse. This is why it is best not to pay too much money upfront or start with small jobs because if there are problems, it is much easier to move on to someone else.
It is also wise to check in on the work often! Do not sit back for a month without seeing the project, asking how it is going, and making sure it is on budget. Be very clear that if there are any change orders that will add to the cost, you must approve them first.
Conclusion
It can be a tiring and frustrating process to remodel a house if you don’t take your time to get the right people to help. It can be a wonderful and fulfilling process with the right people. There are many things that can be done to help the process go smoothly. Do not be afraid to get multiple bids, speak up, or take charge if things are not going as planned!
P.S. My new book was just released! Build a Commercial Real Estate Empire! You can get it on Amazon now! https://amzn.to/2Y2J41c
Source: investfourmore.com
Tips for De-Cluttering Your House and Getting Paid for it
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more information.
When you’re trying not to spend money, there’s no better way to spend your time than making money. And you know what my favorite way to make money is?
De-cluttering.
I couldn’t make a living off of it but it’s a great way to build an emergency fund or earn a little vacation money. The feeling of a good purge is half the reward anyway.
And with the rise of blogs, books, and movies about minimalism, I think you guys agree. Whether you’re venturing into minimalism, doing a No-Spend Challenge or just trying to spend less, getting rid of stuff is a wild way to spend a Friday night and a cathartic activity.
So if you want to go further than just “not spending” and make your home and life more minimalist and cozy, here are 7 tips for de-cluttering your house and where to sell your stuff for quick cash.
Also, if you like this topic I cover this and much more in my book The No-Spend Challenge Guide. Check it out to help you save more, spend less, and make the most of your time paying off debt.
1. Mentally Prepare
When purging unused items it’s important to go in knowing what you’re up against. The goal isn’t to go from hoarder to Ikea in one day. Purging is a process. The reason I love de-cluttering while on a No Spend Challenge is that it’s unlikely I’ll replace the stuff I get rid of during that process.
Also, you have to give up the “I paid $$$ for this” mentality. What you paid for it mattered to your budget (or lack of) when you bought it. It’s non-use matters today. If you haven’t used it this year then you can live without it.
2. Physically Prepare
You can start your purge up to a year before you actually get rid of anything. Try this hanger trick, made famous by Oprah. Go into your closet and turn all the hangers the wrong way (whatever that means to you).
Whenever you put a garment back into the closet after wearing it put it in with the hanger facing the right way. At the end of six months or a year whatever hangers are still facing the wrong way can easily be gotten rid of.
3. Keep – Sell/Give – Store
For going through drawers and closets that have become a black hole of clutter, find three boxes and label them: keep, sell/give, and store. There could also be a fourth box for trash but I like to keep it simple and just bring the trash can over.
The “Keep” box is for things you use and still need to easy access to. The Sell/Give box gets an attempt at selling then if that fails goes to charity, and the Store box is for things you need or want but can go into deep storage.
I also like the Store box as a tester for getting rid of more on my next purge. If you’re holding that snow globe from middle school and you’re having a hard time parting with it, you don’t have to make a decision yet. Put it in the Store box and come back to it in a month.
4. Don’t Call It Junk
When we were hosting a garage sale for my mom we had a lot of clothes leftover. I went through and tried to separate out what we could sell to Clothes Mentor which buys and sells gently used clothes for women.
There were these two pairs of corduroy overalls, one with Eeyore on the front, the other with Pooh and Piglet. Assuming that I knew what was in style I put those in the Give box but Travis saw me and was convinced they would sell. I don’t remember everything I said but it was something to the extent of “you’re crazy, these are ugly.” But because I wanted to prove him wrong I let him take them.
We ended up taking the clothes to Plato’s Closet, which sells teen clothing because Clothes Mentor wasn’t buying at the time. I was prepared to make very little because the clothes were definitely for an older crowd. When we picked up our two bins of clothing they’d agreed to buy three items from us. Two of them were the overalls.
That story to say, I don’t call anything junk anymore (well, I’m at least trying now). You’d be shocked at what people will buy online or at gently-used stores. It’s usually the things we think will sell that don’t and the things we think will never sell do the quickest.
5. Free Your Flat Surfaces
I read this online and it’s become my mantra when I only have five minutes to clean. Clearing off countertops, the coffee table, dining table, desk, anything flat can transform your house.
This is especially true in a small house. We didn’t have many flat surfaces in our apartment; it was pretty much just the kitchen table. So it ended up being a catchall for mail, papers, etc. The first thing to get cleared was always that table and it made a huge difference right off the bat.
6. Find Storage
Don’t buy storage. You’re trying not to spend money remember? You don’t even know how much storage you’re going to need until after you finish. Trust me, I too have dreams about the Container Store but use it as a reward instead of a necessity.
Use what you have for free first. Wrap boxes with ribbon or washi tape for custom storage or look for free storage on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. I try to make it my goal to get rid of enough stuff to eliminate the need of containers.
Wait a few months after finishing the de-clutter, if it still bothers you then you can go buy exactly what you need, but chances are you won’t even think about it once it’s done.
7. One Room at a Time
Don’t try to tackle the whole house in one day, not even a month. 2-4 hours is about how much most people can handle. So start small and tackle one room, closet or drawer at a time and just keep going.
I suggest starting with the most used room down to the least. For me that’s the bedroom or kitchen.
Suggestions for quick purges:
- Old Magazines
- Stretched out Hair Ties
- Unused CDs & DVDs
- Unused Makeup & Skincare
- Free T-Shirts
- Unwanted Gifts
- Unused Purses
Now here’s the fun part. Where you can make some money off your efforts. There are a few ways to go at this. You can sell items yourself on eBay, Poshmark, or Amazon. Or you can sell to reselling services like DeCluttr, ThredUp, and Gone.
You’ll get more money doing it yourself but it also takes more time. Either one is a good option because you’re making some dough and you have a clean house! Here are some more ideas on where to sell your stuff and what these services buy:
- DeCluttr- Games, CDs, DVDs, Books, Tech
- Gone- Electronics
- ThredUp- Clothes
- Poshmark- Clothes
- Facebook Marketplace
- Letgo
- OfferUp
- Mercari
- Amazon
If you have a lot of stuff to sell (or you have friends with stuff to sell too) you can go with a good ol’ fashioned garage sale. I highly recommend having a multi-person yard sale. We did one this way and in addition to having more variety, we had a lot of fun together.
So what are your tips for de-cluttering your house? What’s the first drawer, room, or closet you’re going to tackle this weekend?
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How to Declutter Effectively
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How to Declutter Effectively
” data-medium-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/How-to-Declutter-Effectively.png?fit=173%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/How-to-Declutter-Effectively.png?fit=346%2C600&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” data-pin-title=”Tips for De-Cluttering Your House and Getting Paid for it” class=”aligncenter size-large wp-image-1557″ src=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/tips-for-de-cluttering-your-house-and-getting-paid-for-it.png” alt=”Home decluttering ideas to help delcutter and organize and make money from it! Woo!” width=”346″ height=”600″ srcset=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/tips-for-de-cluttering-your-house-and-getting-paid-for-it-1.png 346w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/How-to-Declutter-Effectively.png?resize=173%2C300&ssl=1 173w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/How-to-Declutter-Effectively.png?resize=100%2C173&ssl=1 100w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/How-to-Declutter-Effectively.png?w=750&ssl=1 750w” sizes=”(max-width: 346px) 100vw, 346px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>
How to declutter your home and make tons of money!! #declutteryourhouse #howtodeclutteryourhouse #makemoneysellingyourstuff #sellingyourthings #flippingforprofit #makemoremoney #sidehustles #sidehustleideas #makemoneyfast
” data-medium-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MF-How-to-Declutter-and-Sell-Your-Stuff-To-Payoff-Debt-Faster.jpg?fit=156%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MF-How-to-Declutter-and-Sell-Your-Stuff-To-Payoff-Debt-Faster.jpg?fit=311%2C600&ssl=1″ loading=”lazy” width=”311″ height=”600″ data-pin-title=”Tips to Declutter and Make Fast Cash” data-pin-description=”How to declutter your home and make tons of money!! #declutteryourhouse #howtodeclutteryourhouse #makemoneysellingyourstuff #sellingyourthings #flippingforprofit #makemoremoney #sidehustles #sidehustleideas #makemoneyfast” src=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/tips-for-de-cluttering-your-house-and-getting-paid-for-it.jpg” alt class=”wp-image-4550″ srcset=”http://www.hanovermortgages.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/tips-for-de-cluttering-your-house-and-getting-paid-for-it.jpg 311w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MF-How-to-Declutter-and-Sell-Your-Stuff-To-Payoff-Debt-Faster.jpg?resize=156%2C300&ssl=1 156w, https://i2.wp.com/www.modernfrugality.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/MF-How-to-Declutter-and-Sell-Your-Stuff-To-Payoff-Debt-Faster.jpg?w=700&ssl=1 700w” sizes=”(max-width: 311px) 100vw, 311px” data-recalc-dims=”1″>
Jen Smith is a personal finance expert, founder of Modern Frugality and co-host of the Frugal Friends Podcast. Her work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Lifehacker, Money Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, Business Insider, and more. She’s passionate about helping people gain control of their spending.
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Source: modernfrugality.com
Car Insurance Payment Discounts
- Car Insurance
One of the easiest ways to save money on your car insurance coverage is to pay for your auto insurance premiums upfront. By opting for a lump-sum payment as opposed to staggered, monthly charges, you could shave an average of 5% off your premiums.
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Furthermore, there are several other payment-based auto insurance discounts, all offering additional ways to save.
Payment Discounts
There are three main types of payment discounts offered to policyholders:
- Paperless/E-Billing: By going paperless, you’re choosing to receive all of your bills online. No paperwork will be sent to you, thus reducing damage and waste and allowing the insurance provider to give you a discount of as much as 5%.
- Paid-In-Full/Upfront Payment: Pay for your auto policy at the beginning of the term, clearing it all in one payment. This discount could save you anywhere from 5% to 10% depending on the provider.
- Auto-Pay: Create an automated payment plan to ensure the premiums are paid on time every month. Discounts differ but can generally save you around 3% to 5%.
There is no guarantee that your chosen insurance company will offer these discounts, so make sure you check first. Going paperless is always a good option, as is setting up an Auto-Payment, but clearing your premiums with a lump-sum isn’t advised if you’re not getting a discount in return.
In our research, we found that these discounts were offered across most states by nearly all of the biggest carriers (Allstate/Esurance, GEICO, State Farm, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, Nationwide) but were absent with some of the smaller, more localized companies.
How to Pay Car Insurance Premiums Upfront
If you’re a young driver, new driver, and/or have a bad driving record, you may struggle to pay for your premiums upfront. In those demographics and with that history, you’ll be considered high-risk, which means your insurance rates will be sky-high.
Paying $2,000+ in a single, lump-sum amount is something that most drivers in these demographics simply can’t afford to do. But there are solutions, ways that you can bring the cost of those premiums down and increase your chances of paying them off.
1. Think About the Car You Buy
The car that you buy can have a bigger impact on your insurance rates than the vast majority of car insurance discounts. After all, the car is the thing that’s being insured, the thing that will need to be fixed or replaced.
The more expensive your car is, the higher the cost of repairs will be, and the more crucial collision and comprehensive coverage will become. The older it is, the less likely it is to have essential safety features and anti-theft devices.
There is no ideal car where insurance is concerned, as each insurer has their own ratings and their own systems. Generally, however, the car should be at least a few years old, with basic safety features (seatbelts, airbags, anti-lock brakes) and anti-theft features (alarms, trackers).
You want something that you can afford now and something that won’t require expensive repairs in the future. The safety rating is also important.
Think about your car as a long-term investment and avoid focusing too much on getting a flashy car fitted with the latest high-tech features and the most extravagant bodywork.
A brand-new car isn’t much different from a car that is just a couple of years old, but because of the increased insurance costs and the rapid depreciation, it could cost you thousands of dollars more over the first couple of years.
2. Improve Your Credit Score
A higher credit score could save you hundreds of dollars on a car insurance quote, and the cheaper the quote is, the easier it is to pay upfront.
The first step to fixing your credit score is to get a free credit report from one (or all, if you can) of the three major credit bureaus.
Check for mistakes, errors, and fraud, and clear them from your account by going through the dispute process.
Next, you should look to improve your credit utilization ratio, which compares credit to debt. Your goal is to increase the former while decreasing the latter. Contact creditors, request larger credit limits, and, in the meantime, try to pay down as much of your debt as you can.
Finally, if your score is really struggling, look into credit builder loans, secured credit cards, and lending circles. You can also add yourself as an authorized user onto the card of a trusted user with a good credit history.
3. Look for Other Car Insurance Discounts
Payment discounts are just one of the ways you can reduce the cost of your insurance premiums. Depending on your state and insurer, you may also be offered the following:
- Good Student Discount: By maintaining a B average, you can get a discount with the majority of providers and in the majority of states. In fact, good grade discounts are encouraged by many state authorities. Other student discounts may also be available, including those aimed at full-time students who live on campus.
- Safe Driver Discount: Most insurers offer discounts for drivers who go several years without making a claim or getting a moving violation. Stay accident-free, claim-free, and ticket-free to secure a safe driving discount.
- Defensive Driving Course Discount: Show your skills on the track, pass the test, and you’ll be rewarded with a discount from most insurers. Completing a defensive driver training course proves that you have what it takes to avoid costly collisions, which means there’s less chance you will be involved in a serious and costly accident.
- Low Mileage Discount: The less time you spend on the road, the lower your car insurance rates will be. Many insurers offer low mileage programs, while others cater entirely for low mileage drivers.
- Multi-Policy Discount: Often referred to as “bundling”, a multi-policy discount encourages you to purchase two or more insurance products from the same provider. Some of the biggest bundling discounts are offered by large insurance carriers like GEICO and reserved for customers who purchase auto insurance and homeowners insurance/renters insurance.
- Multi-Vehicle Discount/Multi-Car Discount: Add two or more vehicles to your auto insurance policy and you could shave a few dollars off the total. Offered by nearly all insurers, this is a great way to save if you have several cars and drivers in your household. Some insurers will even offer this discount if your additional vehicles are RVs, motorcycles, and boats.
- Military Discount: If you are a member of the military, you should be offered a discount on your car insurance. In such cases, however, we recommend getting a quote from USAA, as they will nearly always offer the best rates for military members and their families.
- Customer Loyalty Discounts: Auto insurance companies will often take advantage of complacency, increasing your rates for each year that you renew. But many of them will also offer you discounts if you renew at least a week before your policy expires.
- Other Discounts: You may also be offered smaller discounts for using daytime running lights, agreeing to the installation of an app that tracks driving habits, and being part of certain membership clubs.
4. Sell Unwanted Items
Got any old clothes or electronics going spare? Is your old iPhone or Xbox just gathering dust? It has never been easier to sell unwanted items and to get good money for them.
Sites like eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, Facebook, and an endless succession of garage sale apps will connect you with interested buyers and facilitate a fast, seamless sale.
5. Use Your Savings
It’s always a risk to use your savings or emergency funds to pay for car insurance premiums, but it might be a risk worth taking because, in most cases, it makes perfect financial sense.
Imagine, for instance, that you have $2,000 sitting in a savings account and have been quoted a $2,000 policy with a potential discount of 5% if you pay upfront.
The best savings accounts in the United States pay 2% and the majority pay much less than that. Over the course of a year, that $2,000 will earn you $40 with a 2% APY, a measly sum, to say the least.
On the flip side, if you use that money to clear your premiums, you’ll save yourself $100. Over the year, that’s an extra $60 in your account, and you’ll also have one less bill to worry about every month.
The differences are slight, but every penny helps and if you’re looking for ways to maximize your money, this is a pretty good option.
6. Compare and Contrast
Don’t go with the first insurance company that offers you a good price; don’t base your decision on loyalty, family preferences or your favorite commercial.
Getting auto insurance quotes is as easy as making a call to an insurance agent or trying a few comparison websites. After providing some basic personal information, you’ll get quotes from a number of different car insurance companies and can choose the one best suited to your budget and your needs.
The differences between the most expensive and the cheapest provider could be huge. A policy that costs $1,500 with one carrier could be $3,000 or more with another. By opting for the former, that upfront payment will be much more manageable.
Bottom Line
With so many coverage options and a seemingly endless number of discounts, car insurance can seem incredibly complicated and confusing. But ultimately, it all boils down to one simple principle: The more of a liability you are, the more money you will pay; the more you reduce this risk and increase the insurer’s bottom line, the more you will benefit.
In that sense, car insurance is a lot like life insurance. The underwriters look at the likelihood that they will pay out (which, in this case, means you will die during the term) and use this probability to adjust the benefits and the premiums. If you improve your health, reduce the coverage or increase the premiums, you’ll make life easier for them and will benefit as a result.
With car insurance, most of the discounts are connected to reduced liability and risk, but others, including payment discounts, are there to guarantee the insurer will get paid.
Make life easy for them and, generally, they will reward you.
Source: pocketyourdollars.com
4 Side Hustles You Can Do While Working Full Time
From selling unwanted items online to launching a blog, there are side hustles you can start today.
A side hustle may just sound like extra work. Like coming home from your 9-to-5 job only to work another one (goodbye, free time). But a side hustle that generates income beyond your primary job doesn’t have to be a drain on your energy or time.
It’s easier than ever to find ways to make money on the side of your day job. As the side hustlers below show, it can be as easy as digging out forgotten treasures from the back of your closet.
Whether you’re looking to leverage a side gig to more quickly build wealth, or you’ve set out to increase your emergency fund or save for a specific financial goal, consider these four side hustles you can start today:
1. Sell unwanted items online
If you’re considering ways to make money side hustling, look no further than your own home. Chances are you have items lying around that you don’t actually use—books, toys, kitchen gadgets, exercise equipment, tech accessories, you name it—that sounded like a good idea at one point but are now just collecting dust. Selling unwanted items online is one of the easiest side hustles you can do while working full time.
“You can really sell anything on Craigslist and Kijiji. If it’s still in decent shape, there’s a buyer out there for items you’re no longer using,” says Tom Drake, founder of MapleMoney and no stranger to selling items online in his spare time.
Drake and his wife declutter their home and sell unwanted items online as often as they can. A recent focus was video games: Drake says he sold about $2,000 worth of video games that were sitting in his garage for over a decade. Based on his calculations, he expects to sell about $10,000 worth of unwanted items in 2018.
If you’re thinking about posting items online as a way to make money on the side, Drake says it’s easy to start. Listing items doesn’t take long, though he suggests taking a decent photo and writing a detailed description to make the item easier to find in search results and more likely to sell in a timely fashion.
PriceCharting, which documents prices for every video game ever made, to check value.
Outside of video games, Drake says you can find clothing at thrift stores, then list it for 30 to 50 percent off retail price to make a sale. For collectible items like coins, you can Google the item and add the term “price guide” to the search query. This type of information could come in handy as you build out your pricing structure. Don’t forget to explore e-commerce sites to gauge market rates for items.
3. Start an online store
Briana Ford is a search engine marketing campaign manager for a marketing company based in Dallas. Her way to make money side hustling is through three stores she runs on Shopify, an online e-commerce platform. She generates about $1,000 to $3,000 in total revenue each month.
Her stores Ciao Toots and Karma Outfitters sell phone covers and graphic tees, respectively. Her most popular store, PinLivingColor, sells ’90s memorabilia. She creates the designs through Printful, a printing service through Shopify, and uploads the photos to her store. When someone buys, say, a cell phone case, Printful prints the design on a case and sends it off to the customer. She took a weekend each to start her stores.
“We live in a day and age where you can literally have an idea in the morning and have your business launched in the evening. There is an audience and a customer for almost anything,” she says.
She also helps fellow African Americans start their own stores as a consultant via Startup Noire.
4. Launch a blog
Eric Rosenberg, founder of Personal Profitability, has tried side hustles from web coding to organizing flash mobs. He found a winning side hustle you can do while working full time with his blog.
“Personal Profitability led to freelance opportunities and eventually a full-time job. But it all started with weekends and evenings,” Rosenberg says.
He has tracked his online earnings publicly since 2012, when the blog earned him about $700 a month. In 2017 he had a six-figure business. Most of his income comes from writing services and website support, with some affiliate income, Rosenberg says.
Blogging is one of the side hustles you can start today, and it doesn’t necessarily cost much to get up and running. However, as the online income reports on Rosenberg’s blog show, it does require patience to make it really pay off.
Ways to make money side hustling: The possibilities are endless
These are just a few of the possibilities available to you as you explore ways to make money on the side of your primary career. As you compare the various side hustles you can start today, consider activities, skills or experiences that you’re passionate about. Enjoying and finding value in your side hustle may make the extra income and increased earning potential even more rewarding.
Source: discover.com