SELL ITEMS TO COVER THE COSTS OF NEW PURCHASES

This is a great strategy for saving money. Like most people, you already use this strategy for large ticket items so, why not use this strategy for less expensive items like lamps, furniture, dishes, pans, etc? You may already do this but, what about that old junk lawnmower or, junk pile for that matter?

In fact, it is just not enough to sell an item you are replacing. Instead you should try to sell enough items to fully cover the cost of the new item. For example: If you have a lawnmower that you sell for $25.00 but, your new lawnmower costs $200.00, don’t just cough up the other $175.00 out of savings. Find a like amount of stuff to sell to fully cover the cost of the purchase. Sell that old doll buggy, computer, bicycle or anything else you have that you’re not using. This way you have saved yourself $175.00 by selling things you are just storing and not going to miss.

How to sell this stuff? Well, use rummage sales, yard sales, eBay and other Internet sellers, pawn shops, second hand dealers, advertise, word of mouth, for sale signs, and fix it shops (they always want parts). One note about EBay, you don’t have to have an account with eBay to sell items eBay. There are eBay stores in almost every city who, for part of the sale price, list host your items for you on eBay. When the item sells, the host will send you a check.

Some people keep items they are not using around just in case they should ever need them. This is fine when it comes to tools like hammers, screwdrivers and power tools but, most items should be sold. One reason not to hang on to stuff is that the items deteriorate or get damaged just sitting around. When stuff falls out of the closet or the dog chomps on it a few times or, the item gets weathered or wet, it looses value to a potential buyer. Then, as the items become progressively damaged and deteriorate over the years, they become less and less valuable until they will inevitably be rejected by even Goodwill, (Always think of Goodwill before throwing things out). In retail we used to call this shop worn. Shop worn is when an item sits on a shelf so long that it looks like it had been returned a dozen times when it had never even been used. At which time, a really savvy buyer would come along, recognize value in the item and offer a fraction of the original price for the item. Otherwise, the item will be marked down on clearance at a fraction of the original price or, if it has deteriorated too much, thrown in the dumpster.

So sell, sell, sell, to trade up to better items or different items. Get rid of your unwanted stuff (junk) and think of all that extra space and especially, the extra money.

HOW TO SHOP THE SEASONAL CLEARANCES

It is great to shop the seasonal clearance items. You can get the best deals on many items by shopping for deep discounts on seasonal clearance end caps, tables and even in the main aisles. Seasonal clearances occur at least four times a year and are in every section of the store. Even items that are not really seasonal are sold off at deep discounts to make way for the short season holiday items. One large retailer I worked at sold off much of the regular furniture it carried (beds,desks,chairs etc), when it was time to set up displays of patio furniture. Space in a retail store is not cheap so they will sacrifice carrying a full line in order to make a fast buck.

Seasonal items are often clearanced at 30% off or more. Clothing and live nursery plants are often clearanced at 50% or more off. Don't be afraid to ask for a further discount particularly if the box is a Little shop worn (faded, scratched or,taped). You can also get a better deal if there are limited items left. A manager might just want to get the items out of the way rather than store them until the next season and by then, the items may be damaged by accidents in the backroom or, the item might be discontinued in favor of a newer item or different brand. In any case, don't be afraid to ask for a further discount then what is being advertised on the sign or in the paper. Make sure you ask a manager since most clerks don't have the authority to give discounts. The floor clerk is usually instructed to not give further discounts.

The garden center is a great place to get fall discounts. Most trees and shrubs do well if you plant them in the fall. And, most garden centers shut completely down all winter and have to get rid of all their shrubs,trees and perennials. Always ask for a further discount on seasonally clearanced trees and shrubs. If you are willing wait for the item and take a chance on it being sold, keep checking back with the garden center manager to see what kind of further discount you can get. On the last few days the garden center is open the manager just might ask you to make an offer for any live plants he has left.

The clothing section of the store is usually where seasonal discounts occur first since they must be set up for the next season up to six weeks in advance. Areas like housewares, toys and sporting goods often have a few aisles or least end caps that change over from season to season. Most departments have holiday items that will be discounted before and after the holiday is over.

Groceries change over less than other areas but, items like candy, produce and even deli may have some seasonal discount. Many wines may also be cleareanced to make way for the latest vintage. If you collect local wines than seasonal change over times are heaven sent. You can really build up your wine cellar at up to 50% off of the sticker prices.

Overall, don't be afraid of shopping for seasonal bargains. Of course, don't be afraid of asking for even greater discounts from the store or department manager. When you buy seasonal clearance items you win but, the merchant also wins. They get the cash back on the item and some space freed up for the latest items for the current season.

SPRING TIME IS THE BEST TIME TO CAN

Here in Northern Michigan we like to go canning in the Spring. Of course this is not the run of the mill canning of fruits, vegetables or meats. Instead, we are going after a much more valued item then can be found almost anywhere. I am of course talking about cans and bottles that have a deposit on them (it is ten cents in Michigan). Spring canning is a tradition in my home state. All you need is a sack and a pair of plastic gloves(these gloves can be reused if washed in sanitized water).

Any grocery store that sell items with a deposit on them is required to take the same exact bottle/can back and give the person bringing said bottles/cans back, ten cents each(this is Michigan law so check the laws in your own state). Of course you can check around to find out which stores take back the most brands so you don't have to travel all over town to take back all the bottles/cans you pick up. I know of one elderly man that waits around in grocery stores and volunteers to take off your hands those bottles/cans that the store you are at will not give you deposit money for because they do not carry the particular brand. This might be a way of easy canning but, it might not be kosher with your grocer. Many grocers will make extra money off cans left behind at bottle machines that are not accepted. Grocers will wait until they have perhaps a few hundred dollars in bottles/cans that their store does not sell and will then take a trip to the competition to make some quick cash.

In the spring, cans and bottles pop up out of the snow banks along roadways, paths, boat landings, parking lots, and parks/recreation areas of all types. It is just like going out and picking up dimes all over the place. Sometimes coins are also lying around in the Spring which you could just consider a bonus. Why be poor when there is so much money laying on the ground.

Canning is not just a Springtime hobby. Many people make a good supplemental income picking up cans year around. I was once told by a serious year around caner that he supplemented his income by $15,000 per year. He and his son went canning every weekend. The money was used for the boys college education.

I know many elderly people who supplement their incomes by canning. Many people don't have the health to work out at a job or run a business when they are elderly. Canning is a job you can do at your own pace and it is not too physically difficult yet, does provide a good deal of overall exercise. An idea, instead of jogging down that trail or path every morning, why not take along a sack and a pair of gloves to pick up cans and bottles. You'll get exercise and make money at the same time.

Personally, every time I go fishing I always search the area around my fishing hole for bottles and cans. Once I found a plastic sack full of bottles and cans lying in the woods near a public boat launch. The sack had been lying there a long time and had been partially covered up with dirt and leaves but, there were enough bottles and cans in the sack to pay for the gas I used on my fishing trip. Since then I make it a goal to find enough cans/bottles to pay for my gas each time I go fishing.

I also enjoy going to all the festival places in Northern Michigan. Of course I don't go to festivals to spend money. I go to festival hot spots after the festival is over so I can make money off the dropped change and those beautiful big dimes called cans.

I hope everyone is as excited about canning as I am. It is great family fun. Make a picnic out of a weekend canning expedition to a park. The trip may pay for itself. Besides, you will get to enjoy the great outdoors with your family and teach good citizenship at the same time. After all, canning is a sport created by our society to help clean up our environment.

TURN GREEN INTO GREEN: MAKE MONEY OFF OF MOTHER NATURE

You can make a lot of money off mother nature each year. It could be by growing a large or small vegetable herb garden to save money or, it could be some other hobby like polishing stones or making jewelry. There are all sorts of ways mother nature can earn you some extra cash without too much investment or sometimes, no investment of money, just your time.

Gardening is a great way to reap the rewards of mother nature. Herb and vegetable gardens can give you fresh produce at a fraction of the price you can find in stores. If you have extra room you could grow some vegetables to sell at the roadside. Pumpkins are a favorite item around Halloween. Flower gardens can also make you money if you have a way of selling fresh flower cuts like daffodils or lilacs. You can also raise flowers you can dry like Baby's Breath. You can use dried flowers to make arrangements to sell or you can sell the dried flowers directly to a floral shop.

If you have access to pine cones or various tree bark or woods, you can sell them to floral shops, use them in arrangements or sell either finished or raw products on eBay. I have an abundance of pine cones on my property and I have sold them on EBay. Just make sure you charge enough for postage and handling. The one price postage boxes the post office has are free and are conveniently sized for most items. This makes it convenient for you the seller and the buyer to understand just how much say, 200 pine cones is going to cost to ship anywhere in the country.

My mom used to split birch logs and put a candle on the split end along with other decorations. She used to sell quite a few of these at church bizarres. Many people liked these split logs for centerpieces during holidays.

Using items found in nature for wreath making has long been a popular home business. Things like straw, pine bows and grapevines are popular for wreath making. Pine cones and even plain sticks can be made into attractive wreaths for sale.

Stone polishing/carving and jewelry making is a great way to make some extra money. Stones that are found only in the area where you live are great to sell on eBay. You can polish them, carve them into shapes or, just sell them raw in bulk.

Some people pick berries, mushrooms and other wild growing natural foods for their own consumption or to sell to local restaurants. The list of things you can find in the wild to sell is staggering. If you have a large tree on your property you would like to have removed, before paying someone to cut it down see if anyone would pay you for it. Trees like cherry, oak and maple can fetch quite a bit of money if the tree is big and the wood is in good condition. You might sell some slab wood from old trees by the road side to campers.

Overall, if you see something in nature you think might have value, explore the possibilities of making some money or at least saving some money. Every little bit helps if you are trying to save a fortune.

MAKE YOUR OWN FROZEN DINNERS AND SAVE A FORTUNE

Make up your own frozen dinners and save a fortune. The price of prepackaged individual meals has been increasing steadily over the years in response to the ever increasing demand for quick dinners for working, on the go people. However, eating out every meal can be both time consuming and very expensive for the consumer so, finding ways to save money and get quick food is a priority for most people.

One way to getting a nutritious meal of foods that you like is to make up your own frozen dinners and entrées and freeze them for future meals. You can find reusable, microwavable dishes in most discount and dollar stores. You can also reuse microwavable dishes from previous TV or entrée meals that you have bought in the past. If your dishes do not have a top then you should cover them with plastic freezer wrap. Remember that when cooking in a microwave you must always make a hole in the wrap to allow air to escape. Expanding gasses inside any dish will build up and cause an explosion in your microwave and could even damage your machine as well as destroying your meal.
One great advantage with making up your own meals versus purchasing already made-up meals is that you can include in them only the types of foods you like to eat in the proportions you want. If you want to keep calories and/or fats low than making up your own frozen meals can help you maintain your diet. You will need a scale and calorie counting book if you really want to know exactly what you are consuming in terms of calories. A book on nutrition can help you know if you are packaging your desired levels of nutrients in your meals.

I like to use leftovers from large meals to make up TV dinners. Sometimes if you had a big turkey dinner for instance, you might not want to eat turkey and fixings for the next several days. Again, TV dinners help to save all that food, (freezing keeps food from spoiling), without making you sick of eating the same thing night after night.

Once you have started making up your own frozen dinners and entrees you will wonder why you never did it in the past. If you have a busy schedule you might want to designate a day and time to make up TV dinners for the entire week. Sunday night after having a large dinner was always a favorite time for TV dinner making in my house. I do have one warning about dinner making and that is that not all foods cook at the same time at the same temperature. This is true of store purchased dinners as well. However, over time you will get the knack of cooking the dinners. As long as you use only precooked foods in your dinners then, mainly you will be just defrosting and heating the meals.

TIPS ON GETTING ORGANIZED ON THE CHEAP

In a world of personal computers, personal assistants etc. it is a wonder that so many people are so disorganized when it comes to organizing their personal business. The fact that the problem most people have with dealing with their personal business is that they have a total misunderstanding as to how to prioritize. Prioritizing is simply figuring out what tasks (bills, appointments etc.) need to be done first, second, etc. Not prioritizing and therefore, not handling business in an orderly fashion will eventually result in missed appointments, late bills and of course. The missed opportunities and late charges which are generated by not being somewhere or, paying a bill on time.

Electronic gadgets are great organizers and can set off reminders for us to do a number of tasks during a day. However, bill paying and personal appointments might be more easily handled by simply writing down when your bills are due on a wall calendar, desk calendar or, personal calendar. Crossing off the item when it is paid or the appointment is completed will serve as at least a personal record of your accomplishment. For elderly persons who are not at all savvy with the modern organizing machines, find that just a calendar is easy and it does not cost them the money of owning an electronic device or paying for a connection to the internets.

Handling paperwork at home is really not much different than at a business. In business you should try to only touch paperwork once. Pick it up and handle it immediately then go on to the next piece of paperwork. It is easy to jump around from one thing to another and never quite finish anything in a timely manner. In business you have the problem of people distracting you with what some call fires (problems that require immediate attention). At home you will have distractions but, they will not normally be as great as if you are running a business. The main thing is that if you have to handle a distraction, once it is finished, you return to what you were doing and complete that task. If you are making out bills, don’t quit until they are all done and ready to go out in the mail.

In summation, you must learn to be disciplined when it comes to being organized. Prioritize paperwork (mail) as it comes in and handle it as soon as possible. You can cheat the technology companies and internet service providers out of lots of money by using a simple paper calendar to organize the payment of your bills and also, in keeping track of appointments. In today’s world late payments and missed appointments will end up costing you fees and fines which you would not incur if you take a few moments to become organized.

THE REFRIGERATOR IS A TREASURE CHEST

Most people have a good deal of their paycheck each week ending up in their refrigerator, freezer or, pantry. Many people already believe that by shopping sales, using coupons, substituting store brands for name brands etc., they are already doing all that they can to save money on their food bill. But, saving money when you purchase your food is one way to save however, you can still save much more by simply managing your food better once you get it into your house. Just think about the price you pay for food items you have to throw out each week. If you could save $10 each week by better managing your food waste, you could save $520.00 per year. That is at least a small fortune in these hard times. Get use to saving on food waste and over a lifetime you will have saved a modest fortune. Therefore, just by better managing what you have, your refrigerator will become a treasure chest.

The first thing you need to do before you even go to the grocery store is to make a list of items you need. This should entail going through your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry and, wherever else you happen to store food. This way you purchase what you need rather than purchasing items which are not needed. Grocery items, even canned goods, are perishable and are generally dated with either “use by” or “sell by” dates. You should arrange like items so that close dated items are in the front and items with older dates (dates further out into the future) are behind those with close dates. A lot of money is wasted because people don’t pay attention to the dates on their groceries until they find that they have an entire gallon of spoiled milk in the refrigerator. Or, maybe their eggs have a funky smell when they go to make up a batch of cookies. Of course anything that I think might be spoiled I toss out to the garbage. Saving money is great but, getting sick is not worth saving fifty cents on some raunchy mayonnaise.

One way to combat having to throw close dated items out is to of course find ways to use the items quickly. Most meat items you can freeze and thus, prolong their usability for months. Most bake goods can also be frozen for future use. If you have a lot of eggs then perhaps you could make up some baked goods to freeze. You could also boil the eggs and pickle them in vinegar. I’ve often used up extra eggs by making up a large number of pancakes and then freezing them for future microwave breakfasts.

Produce items don’t usually have dates but, they usually will not last more than a few days in the refrigerator or on your counter. There are reasons to keep certain items like potatoes and tomatoes on you counter and not the refrigerator where they will keep longer however, I do have an idea or two on how you can keep potatoes in your refrigerator. I keep tomatoes inside my refrigerator. Inside or outside the refrigerator tomatoes keep for such a short time that I really do not notice much change in texture by keeping them refrigerated. It does add a few days of use if they are refrigerated. Potatoes can be kept in your crisper however; they will wither up over time. They wither because they are becoming dehydrated in the cold just like your house gets dry during cold winter months. You can at least partly replace the moisture in your potatoes or most vegetables by soaking them in water. Cutting off the end (butt) of your lettuce, soaking it in water and placing it back in the refrigerator, will crisp it up nicely.

Almost all fruits can be frozen and/or juiced. Even bananas can be frozen for later use in banana bread. You can even freeze them with the skins on. Just make sure your bananas are really ripe before you freeze them if you want really good banana bread.

Leftover meat, pasta, rice, vegetable, bread and, many desert dishes can be divided up into serving sized storage containers and frozen. You can even make up your own TV dinners. I save my old TV dinner and frozen entrée trays and reuse them this way. I just wrap them up in freezer wrap. The advantage of freezing leftover versus just leaving the dishes in the refrigerator is that many times people do not want to eat the same dish two or more days in a row. By the time they are ready or willing to eat the dish again it has spoiled while sitting in the refrigerator.

One way to save a little on items you throw out is to buy items you don’t use much of in smaller quantities. For example: if you only use a small amount of mayonnaise from a large jar before you have to throw the jar away, buy a bottle that approximates the size you will be using. Buying things in large quantity can save money only if you are not throwing the extra away. If you can only consume twelve eggs before the expiration date comes up then why would you spend extra money to buy three dozen?

Condiments can be a real source of waste in the refrigerator. Older condiments I like to try to use up as perhaps a glaze on some ribs, a ham or, even a roast. Older bottles of fruit juice can also be used to glaze and flavor meats. In order to get ketchup that is stuck in the bottom out, I will add just a little bit of vinegar to the bottle and then swoosh it around until the ketchup can be poured out. The point is when I see something is getting old but it is not yet spoiled, I will try to use it up as soon as possible. Overall, a few extra minutes each day can make an impact on the money you save. To misquote Ben Franklin: A penny saved is better than a penny earned because on the money you save you do not have to pay taxes.

Every time each person on earth goes to throw something out they should look at the item and ask the following two questions: "Is this item worth anything to myself or others?" and "What can I substitute this item to replace so I will save money?" If you ask these two questions every time you take something to the garbage pail you will, save a lot of money.

Entire books have been written and even careers made (Martha Stewart for example) on finding ways to reuse disposables from the house and garage. But, still many people miss a lot of savings by throwing away items that could be obviously reused.

Certainly, plastic microwave dishes can be reused to heat up items. Some people even make up their own microwave dinners, recover the plastic containers with plastic wrap and refreeze them. These plastic microwave dinner plates can also be used in place of expensive disposable plates at picnics. Plastic dinnerware dishes can be used for storage of things like loose change, buttons, screws or anything else saved in or on top of a desk. One artist I know uses a plastic microwave dish to mix and hold her oil paints whiles she is working. When she is done she puts plastic over the paints to keep them from drying out. Last summer, I made a fairly nice bird bath using a deep dish microwave casserole dish in the center. I used 4x4's from my scrap wood pile to brace the outside rim and put some stones underneath to hold the dish firmly in place. I then placed some flat stones at one end of the dish so that small birds could wade in the little pool. The bird bath cost nothing to build but, the birds and squirrels appreciated the drink.

Those little pie tins from pot pies, can be reused, you guessed it, to make little mini pies. If you've baked some large pies but, have some stuff left over, remember your mini-pie tins.

Plastic bread wrappers can be reused to store food, picking vegetables from the garden or for a lunch sack. Of course no one should ever have to buy wire ties since items like bread wrappers provide ample ties for most households. I often tie the ties together to make a long tie to attache my grapevines to a trellis. Scraps of cloth from old cloths or sheets can be cut into strips to tie up soft vines like tomatoes or to tie between a stake and a young tree that is growing up crooked. Old nylons work particularly well for trees.

Glass and plastic jars along with tin cans can be cleaned out and reused for storage and organizing. Even if you can't think of an immediate use for these items you should still clean them out and set them aside. It won't be too long before you will find you need to store some items or reorganize an area that has small items scattered all over. Remembering those cans and jars at such a time will help get a job done rather than just looking at the mess and wishing you could buy something to clean it up. By keeping things organized with all your extra free containers, you will be able to keep track of the items you have so you will know where they are when you need them so, you won't re-buy items you already have which, is the ultimate waste of money.

Using your plastic and paper sacks to line your indoor garbage cans will keep your cans clean while not having to purchase expensive small plastic garbage bags.

Keep a stack of old boards somewhere (preferably out of the elements) so you don't have to run to the nearest lumberyard to purchase a small board at very high prices when you need one for a project. At worst you might have some wood stakes to tie up you plants.

When possible, whenever you have a tear down project, save any screws, nails, fasteners, knobs or other hardware that are in good condition.

Just remember, the more times you reuse an item the more times you multiply your savings. The first reuse of an item instead of making a purchase, saves you 100% of the needed items purchase price. The second reuse saves up to 200% and so on...Pretty soon you are saving big money with a huge rate of return for just stopping and, thinking about the possible uses of the items you are taking to the trash.

Above are just a fraction of all the ways you can reuse stuff and save a fortune not only in buying items you don't need but, in gas to go to the store to buy that one item you need to complete a project. Hopefully, this article will get your thought juices going as to what you can do with various items you throw out all the time. This will help save you a fortune and, help save the environment for yourself and your kids.