I've experienced both the buy and sell side of CL.
I sold my 6 year old Volkswagen Passat to a guy that paid using a cashier's check drawn on an investment account. I was worried about being scammed and so was he. I held on to the plates until the check cleared and we both had a happy ending.
I've bought two times off CL. Recently I purchased two chickens from a guy that lived in the city. Immediately I thought it was a set up because no one, that I've ever heard of, keeps 15 chickens or has a backyard in the city, except for this guy.
There is one problem with reposting, however. If your item is one that is of more than local interest value, reposting causes search engines to not keep up with your ad. For example, if you are trying to sell a unique gasoline station sign, once you've posted it for months, it's pretty obvious that nobody locally is interested. If you leave the ad up for awhile, search engines point people to you ad from all over the world. If you keep reposting it, search engines point to the last indexing and likey visitors see "ad deleted by poster" folowing the link and assume it is sold.
The thing I like about craigslist is that it has been a win-win situation for both the buyer and seller. I bought the perfect coffee table from a nice young couple. We found my son's dream desk from someone who found it to be cluttering up a corner. I get something I need at a price that makes it possible, they are getting some cash from something that is now clutter for them. I always go with someone when making a purchase, but have been fortunate to only have dealt with a lot of pleasant people.
What a sobering study! This is a good reminder that straightforward negotiation strategies are unlikely to be as successful as sophisticated strategies that account for gender bias. I remember research such as this from graduate school but since that was years ago, the optimistic part of me had hoped we had made more progress than this. Thanks for posting this, Andrea.
I got my first CC at 16 my mom put me on as a user for her Limited CC. Taught me how the process worked and got her out of having to come shopping with me every time. I of course had to pay the bill when it came but LOVED being able to buy my own clothes and have that 30 days to earn enough money to pay for them. (Yes I did have an after school and weekend job) I doubt she would have done this with a major CC but a store CC was a great option with a low limit to teach me.
When my daughter got married two years ago, she had her heart set on a $1,500 dress. With a limited wedding budget, she realized that $350 was a more reasonable amount. She was able to find the exact dress on Craigslist! We met the seller at an outlet mall, where a store allowed my daughter to try it on. (I called ahead of time.) The saved money bought flowers, bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses, and rented the tuxes!
I see your point, but I think we all approach laundry differently. For instance, I don't carry my clean clothes back in a laundry basket. Since they're clean and folded, I just tote them in my arms and distribute them to various parts of the house. The hamper and laundry basket are just to hide and transport dirty items.
Good point, Dan. As you imply, though there may be other good reasons to organize a business as other than a sole proprietor, overall audit avoidance isn’t one of them. My point was only that the individual return filer’s odds go up with a Schedule C over, say, a W-2 wage earner’s odds. Alas, some things just can’t be avoided.
Great post. I think these are things we often try to do but go about them haphazardly and piecemeal. It's really helpful to see them lined out in steps. Human nature being what it is, these are also HARD to do without such encouragement. Thanks!
It's not just Celiac's that should be gluten-free. There is a link between gluten and psoriasis, which is the most prevalent auto-immune condition. Often a slight gluten intolerance is present and relates to IBS as well.
And why deny Celiac's a cookbook? Doesn't everyone have a right to eat and enjoy their food? This is a hurtful comment to me - as though my having a gluten intolerance somehow makes me less deserving of options in my meals.
This attitude about gifts is really sad. Gifts should be given in joy and with sincerity, regardless of the occasion. If you do not feel inclined to celebrate someone else's event -- wedding, or any other -- with a gift, then don't. If you are not able or willing to participate in events that cost money, for travel or clothing or whatever -- then don't. But to say that a couples who are entering a second marriage should not celebrate their union with as much feeling as a first wedding is unkind. Let them celebrate their wedding as they choose -- and you can participate, or not, as you choose.
I have to say you really should reconsider the cost saving of Costco on a daily basis rather than basing your thoughts on individual items. The reason Costco is saving you money is because each item is quality tested and scrutanized before the warehouse will even carry it. They are not overstock, they are not expiring, they are brand new. This includes things from electronics to food to clothing. While yes, you can sit around and wait for meat to go on sale, or spend endless hours looking through magazines, finding coupons, cutting them out, and remembering to store them somewhere for grocery day at a chain grocery store. That fact is, the only reason most deli items go on sale at a grocery store is because they are about to expire ("Manager Special"). An everyday low price on meat that still has a great shelf life far outweighs any benefits of maybe getting food poisoning from meat that has been in the meat counter too long.
As far as buying quantity (buying in bulk) is going, that's based on your individual needs. I have to say tho, I am a single young man, and the buying of toilet paper, paper towels, dish washing detergent, clothing detergent, shampoo, soap, all of the non-food kitchen and bathroom items that will never expire before u are done using, practically pays for my membership. And I don't have to make a trip to the store every two weeks because I've run out of something. Those things will last me at least 6 months, and I don't have to worry if they will be on sale the next time I go to the store or will I have to pay more or find a brand I don't like. (As a side note Costco DOES run a coupon program that goes for about three weeks every month, so on top of the already discounted prices you get additional savings. Usually these household kitchen/bathroom needs are included in every pack of coupons.) I don't need an envelope for all my different coupons either just one coupon takes the discount off all items in your cart in the coupon book.
As a young man, the benefits of being able to keep a low, and fairly routine shopping budget has made my life exceptionally easier. I know exactly how much my bill will be everytime I go shopping aside from a few last minute purchases. On top of that I never have to worry about the best deal because I know whatever I get will be a quality product and if by some freak chance my item is 50 cents or a dollar more expensive than a chain stores sale or coupon price, I can know that I've got something that wont make me sick and is completely returnable.
Which brings me to my final and most concrete argument in this Club vs. Chain argument... The Return Policy and Warranty System. I will gladly pay 50 - 100 dollars for the Costco Return Policy and the Extended TWO YEAR Warranty on all the Electronics. I don't know if its pure genius or pure stupidity but EVERYTHING is returnable at Costco, with practically no limit other than a few electronic items. I'll give you an example: Recently I stupidly bought a 400 dollar laptop from Best Buy. It broke after a month. I took it back to Best Buy and they said they would fix it because it was still under the manufacturer warranty but it would take a few days and I (the angry customer) would have to call Toshiba for the system restore discs. Apparently they don't give them to you when you buy the machine anymore. All free of charge of course -- except for the 25 dollars of shipping :( -- and who knows when the actual disc would arrive? I'd have to take the discs to Best Buy and have them installed by their geek squad or it wouldn't be covered under warranty anymore. Long story short, this ended up taking over seven months to get my computer back. And it wasn't even mine... I ended up having to send my computer to Toshiba, they lost it. I could not get a hold of anyone on the phone at the company. Then, when they finally did call me and tell me it was lost, they sent me a new computer, which was in turn stolen from my porch because they didn't require a signature. They had to send me another computer only after I (the REALLY angry customer) went to the police station filed a theft report and faxed it to them.
Now I realize that is not something that happens to everyone BUT had it been Costco and not Best Buy all I would have had to do was take the computer in, return it, and buy a new one. Exactly the same with food, health and beauty products, flooring, tires, pharmacuticals, anything they sell. So If you really believe that you could do better in the long run without a Costco membership I think you should take a second look.
P.S. The last points you made about the fees and the stressfulness of crowded shopping should not even be points. If your fee is not recouped because for some reason you do not shop there enough. The difference is given back to you on your annual 2% back check, that is easily cashable right at the store.
Crowds are everywhere. Any grocery store never has enough lanes open. Never has enough space. A great way to avoid this at Costco is to avoid shopping at the beginning and end of coupon periods, and generally mon-thurs are the slowest, practically dead nights at Costco. Avoid weekends and you can pretty much get in and out of any grocery store in record time.
I've sold stuff on Craigslist -- mostly furniture and things that would be too expensive or impossible to ship if sold on eBay or similar. I've had good and bad experiences. Craigslist seems to have a high percentage of flakes -- people who say they are going to stop by and look at your item, but then they never show up. That's frustrating and annoying.
My partner used Craigslist for jobhunting when he was laid off last summer, and I was horrified (though not exactly surprised) at how many scam ads there are on there now. Job ads that looked perfectly legit, but then when you send in your resume, they email you back expressing enthusiastic interest in you. And wanting you to click on their link, go to their site, and put in your social and all your personal information so they can "run a pre-employment credit check" on you. Uh-huh. Sure. We'll get right on that.
My wife recently introduced a "zero growth" closet mindset. For every piece of new clothing she buys, an old piece gets donated. Seem to work pretty well.
Pat S.
These are great tips. Tip 1 speaks to me, in particular. It’s true how things are either integrated into your lifestyle or they are rejected. And I find that once I reach a certain threshold of accumulation, more and more things get rejected.
One technique I find myself using quite a lot is to “fast forward” through the life of an item that I’m tempted to buy. I’ll take a look at it from the perspective of caring for the item. I think about having to clean it and maintain it and store it and then I imagine myself eventually trying to sell it at a yard sale or packing it in a box for the thrift store. This sometimes helps me stop wanting to accumulate all kinds of things - sporting goods, clothes, shoes. It kind of takes the joy out of the mall, I guess, but – these days - I’m more likely to spend money on experiences than stuff – and that makes up for it.
You lost me at the hamper/laundry basket. You can't have the same item touch dirty and then clean laundry. Public health code requires commercial laundry facilities to keep the dirty laundry areas completely separate from the clean laundry areas. Common sense dictates you do the same at home.
You might as well not even bother to wash your clothes if you are just going to put the clean clothes in the same dirty, germy container you used to get them to the washing machine.
I've experienced both the buy and sell side of CL.
I sold my 6 year old Volkswagen Passat to a guy that paid using a cashier's check drawn on an investment account. I was worried about being scammed and so was he. I held on to the plates until the check cleared and we both had a happy ending.
I've bought two times off CL. Recently I purchased two chickens from a guy that lived in the city. Immediately I thought it was a set up because no one, that I've ever heard of, keeps 15 chickens or has a backyard in the city, except for this guy.
Worth reading if you're interested in joining the THC:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milesbuzz/1177156-travel-hacking-cartel.html
There is one problem with reposting, however. If your item is one that is of more than local interest value, reposting causes search engines to not keep up with your ad. For example, if you are trying to sell a unique gasoline station sign, once you've posted it for months, it's pretty obvious that nobody locally is interested. If you leave the ad up for awhile, search engines point people to you ad from all over the world. If you keep reposting it, search engines point to the last indexing and likey visitors see "ad deleted by poster" folowing the link and assume it is sold.
Thanks for including my post! Great round up.
The thing I like about craigslist is that it has been a win-win situation for both the buyer and seller. I bought the perfect coffee table from a nice young couple. We found my son's dream desk from someone who found it to be cluttering up a corner. I get something I need at a price that makes it possible, they are getting some cash from something that is now clutter for them. I always go with someone when making a purchase, but have been fortunate to only have dealt with a lot of pleasant people.
Hey Ashley, thanks for mentioning the post about wasting money on gas!
What a sobering study! This is a good reminder that straightforward negotiation strategies are unlikely to be as successful as sophisticated strategies that account for gender bias. I remember research such as this from graduate school but since that was years ago, the optimistic part of me had hoped we had made more progress than this. Thanks for posting this, Andrea.
I got my first CC at 16 my mom put me on as a user for her Limited CC. Taught me how the process worked and got her out of having to come shopping with me every time. I of course had to pay the bill when it came but LOVED being able to buy my own clothes and have that 30 days to earn enough money to pay for them. (Yes I did have an after school and weekend job) I doubt she would have done this with a major CC but a store CC was a great option with a low limit to teach me.
When my daughter got married two years ago, she had her heart set on a $1,500 dress. With a limited wedding budget, she realized that $350 was a more reasonable amount. She was able to find the exact dress on Craigslist! We met the seller at an outlet mall, where a store allowed my daughter to try it on. (I called ahead of time.) The saved money bought flowers, bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses, and rented the tuxes!
I soooooooooooooooo agree with this post!
Hi GUEST,
Try this Web Site it show "How To" for your Curtis DVD1041 ........... I hope it works for you :)
I see your point, but I think we all approach laundry differently. For instance, I don't carry my clean clothes back in a laundry basket. Since they're clean and folded, I just tote them in my arms and distribute them to various parts of the house. The hamper and laundry basket are just to hide and transport dirty items.
I wish the odds of winning the lottery were as good as getting audited! (Of course, that would probably be a red flag, too!)
Thanks for the tips.
Good point, Dan. As you imply, though there may be other good reasons to organize a business as other than a sole proprietor, overall audit avoidance isn’t one of them. My point was only that the individual return filer’s odds go up with a Schedule C over, say, a W-2 wage earner’s odds. Alas, some things just can’t be avoided.
Thanks, Nick! Best of luck!
Great post. I think these are things we often try to do but go about them haphazardly and piecemeal. It's really helpful to see them lined out in steps. Human nature being what it is, these are also HARD to do without such encouragement. Thanks!
It's not just Celiac's that should be gluten-free. There is a link between gluten and psoriasis, which is the most prevalent auto-immune condition. Often a slight gluten intolerance is present and relates to IBS as well.
And why deny Celiac's a cookbook? Doesn't everyone have a right to eat and enjoy their food? This is a hurtful comment to me - as though my having a gluten intolerance somehow makes me less deserving of options in my meals.
i Know many people who would rather just chill and collect
This attitude about gifts is really sad. Gifts should be given in joy and with sincerity, regardless of the occasion. If you do not feel inclined to celebrate someone else's event -- wedding, or any other -- with a gift, then don't. If you are not able or willing to participate in events that cost money, for travel or clothing or whatever -- then don't. But to say that a couples who are entering a second marriage should not celebrate their union with as much feeling as a first wedding is unkind. Let them celebrate their wedding as they choose -- and you can participate, or not, as you choose.
I have to say you really should reconsider the cost saving of Costco on a daily basis rather than basing your thoughts on individual items. The reason Costco is saving you money is because each item is quality tested and scrutanized before the warehouse will even carry it. They are not overstock, they are not expiring, they are brand new. This includes things from electronics to food to clothing. While yes, you can sit around and wait for meat to go on sale, or spend endless hours looking through magazines, finding coupons, cutting them out, and remembering to store them somewhere for grocery day at a chain grocery store. That fact is, the only reason most deli items go on sale at a grocery store is because they are about to expire ("Manager Special"). An everyday low price on meat that still has a great shelf life far outweighs any benefits of maybe getting food poisoning from meat that has been in the meat counter too long.
As far as buying quantity (buying in bulk) is going, that's based on your individual needs. I have to say tho, I am a single young man, and the buying of toilet paper, paper towels, dish washing detergent, clothing detergent, shampoo, soap, all of the non-food kitchen and bathroom items that will never expire before u are done using, practically pays for my membership. And I don't have to make a trip to the store every two weeks because I've run out of something. Those things will last me at least 6 months, and I don't have to worry if they will be on sale the next time I go to the store or will I have to pay more or find a brand I don't like. (As a side note Costco DOES run a coupon program that goes for about three weeks every month, so on top of the already discounted prices you get additional savings. Usually these household kitchen/bathroom needs are included in every pack of coupons.) I don't need an envelope for all my different coupons either just one coupon takes the discount off all items in your cart in the coupon book.
As a young man, the benefits of being able to keep a low, and fairly routine shopping budget has made my life exceptionally easier. I know exactly how much my bill will be everytime I go shopping aside from a few last minute purchases. On top of that I never have to worry about the best deal because I know whatever I get will be a quality product and if by some freak chance my item is 50 cents or a dollar more expensive than a chain stores sale or coupon price, I can know that I've got something that wont make me sick and is completely returnable.
Which brings me to my final and most concrete argument in this Club vs. Chain argument... The Return Policy and Warranty System. I will gladly pay 50 - 100 dollars for the Costco Return Policy and the Extended TWO YEAR Warranty on all the Electronics. I don't know if its pure genius or pure stupidity but EVERYTHING is returnable at Costco, with practically no limit other than a few electronic items. I'll give you an example: Recently I stupidly bought a 400 dollar laptop from Best Buy. It broke after a month. I took it back to Best Buy and they said they would fix it because it was still under the manufacturer warranty but it would take a few days and I (the angry customer) would have to call Toshiba for the system restore discs. Apparently they don't give them to you when you buy the machine anymore. All free of charge of course -- except for the 25 dollars of shipping :( -- and who knows when the actual disc would arrive? I'd have to take the discs to Best Buy and have them installed by their geek squad or it wouldn't be covered under warranty anymore. Long story short, this ended up taking over seven months to get my computer back. And it wasn't even mine... I ended up having to send my computer to Toshiba, they lost it. I could not get a hold of anyone on the phone at the company. Then, when they finally did call me and tell me it was lost, they sent me a new computer, which was in turn stolen from my porch because they didn't require a signature. They had to send me another computer only after I (the REALLY angry customer) went to the police station filed a theft report and faxed it to them.
Now I realize that is not something that happens to everyone BUT had it been Costco and not Best Buy all I would have had to do was take the computer in, return it, and buy a new one. Exactly the same with food, health and beauty products, flooring, tires, pharmacuticals, anything they sell. So If you really believe that you could do better in the long run without a Costco membership I think you should take a second look.
P.S. The last points you made about the fees and the stressfulness of crowded shopping should not even be points. If your fee is not recouped because for some reason you do not shop there enough. The difference is given back to you on your annual 2% back check, that is easily cashable right at the store.
Crowds are everywhere. Any grocery store never has enough lanes open. Never has enough space. A great way to avoid this at Costco is to avoid shopping at the beginning and end of coupon periods, and generally mon-thurs are the slowest, practically dead nights at Costco. Avoid weekends and you can pretty much get in and out of any grocery store in record time.
I've sold stuff on Craigslist -- mostly furniture and things that would be too expensive or impossible to ship if sold on eBay or similar. I've had good and bad experiences. Craigslist seems to have a high percentage of flakes -- people who say they are going to stop by and look at your item, but then they never show up. That's frustrating and annoying.
My partner used Craigslist for jobhunting when he was laid off last summer, and I was horrified (though not exactly surprised) at how many scam ads there are on there now. Job ads that looked perfectly legit, but then when you send in your resume, they email you back expressing enthusiastic interest in you. And wanting you to click on their link, go to their site, and put in your social and all your personal information so they can "run a pre-employment credit check" on you. Uh-huh. Sure. We'll get right on that.
My wife recently introduced a "zero growth" closet mindset. For every piece of new clothing she buys, an old piece gets donated. Seem to work pretty well.
Pat S.
Great point about not stopping when uncomfortable. If you do, you'll never be able to capture the rich rewards that life has to offer.
Pat S.
These are great tips. Tip 1 speaks to me, in particular. It’s true how things are either integrated into your lifestyle or they are rejected. And I find that once I reach a certain threshold of accumulation, more and more things get rejected.
One technique I find myself using quite a lot is to “fast forward” through the life of an item that I’m tempted to buy. I’ll take a look at it from the perspective of caring for the item. I think about having to clean it and maintain it and store it and then I imagine myself eventually trying to sell it at a yard sale or packing it in a box for the thrift store. This sometimes helps me stop wanting to accumulate all kinds of things - sporting goods, clothes, shoes. It kind of takes the joy out of the mall, I guess, but – these days - I’m more likely to spend money on experiences than stuff – and that makes up for it.
You lost me at the hamper/laundry basket. You can't have the same item touch dirty and then clean laundry. Public health code requires commercial laundry facilities to keep the dirty laundry areas completely separate from the clean laundry areas. Common sense dictates you do the same at home.
You might as well not even bother to wash your clothes if you are just going to put the clean clothes in the same dirty, germy container you used to get them to the washing machine.