This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Reader Nanette is the winner of my review copy of Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In. Nanette made it her goal to declutter her home this year. She writes:
This might really help me. I had as a goal for 2010 to clean and declutter my home. It has been a (almost) yearlong project and I will need to continue into 2011. Not what I had envisioned!! I have made some progress but not enough. I seem to try to get everything done on week-ends and still have fun. Doesn’t quite work out that way. I need a fresh idea! (more…)
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Leah Ingram shares tips to turn trash into cash in her 250-page book Toss, Keep, Sell!: The Suddenly Frugal Guide to Cleaning Out the Clutter and Cashing In, which was borne out of her blog, SuddenlyFrugal.com. You may be tempted to hire someone to clean up the mess, but why spend money when you can be making money? Ingram writes:
There’s no reason to pay anywhere from $50 to $100 an hour to hire a professional organizer to go through your closets — you can do that yourself. That’s where this book comes in. It will help frugal folks like you get your home in order and help you find ways to make money from things you no longer need or want.
In her book, Ingram shows you how to (more…)
lism / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
The transition to digital media and cheap sources of music have caused the near extinction of record shops and if you’re out of college you probably have CDs worth a couple of bucks lying around. AbundaTrade.com is a website that lets you trade or sell your CDs, DVDs , books, and video games. You can earn cash, trade in stuff for new electronics like an iPod, or donate your trade-in value to charity. Best of all the site is free to join. (more…)
irina slutsky/Flickr
By Mike Barclay of 10CentsWorth.com.
A few weeks back a friend of mine who works for a local radio station approached me. “Would you be interested in passing out a bunch of flyers for an event we’re doing if I got you some concert tickets?” I instantly said yes, seeing as I’m the world’s biggest concert guru. Now I am the proud owner of free tickets to two shows I’ve been hoping to see.
But were they really free?
Technically the tickets were not free. Did I have to pay money for them? I did not. Was there some type of exchange that was beneficial to both parties? Yes there was. We used a medium that most people today don’t really think about, or even understand they may be doing. It’s called bartering.
Bartering is defined as trading goods or services without the exchange of money, according to Dictionary.com. We should all look into it. How much money would we end up saving if we traded services or items around the house for something we did need?
Here are three great sites I’ve found in my swapping frenzy as of late.
Most people use Craigslist for classifieds, but have you ever clicked on the “barter” section in your cities? Craigslist is great if you want to go super general. And it’s always going to be local. If you’re looking for more specific swapping, check out these next two sites.
SwapTree.com – As I mentioned before, I’m a big music fanatic. So when I found SwapTree, I wet myself. It’s all about media: books, DVD’s, CD’s, etc. You can trade your stuff or browse what other people have and make an offer. Needless to say, I’ve had it up on my computer screen for the past week, constantly looking at what I can find.
Zwaggle.com – Zwaggle is strictly for all things tot-sized. Babies, toddlers, you name it, they’ve got something for it. It’s a perfect site for new couples having their first child and for the couple with kids who’ve outgrown everything and want to get rid of the stash.
So the next time you want a new CD, clothes, books, or need something fixed and can offer something in return, remember you don’t always have to use dollars. Look into trading or swapping and see if you can do it without having to touch your wallet.
