If I can fix it up and use it, then I will. If not, depending on the item, I may try to recycle it, or post it to Freecycle or the free section of Craigslist to see if someone else can do something with it. Alternately, I'll leave it out on the sidewalk with a FREE sign (a common thing to do where I live), which is surprisingly effective. I only throw it out if there's no other option.
At our house my husband and I recycle just about everything. Our trash company has a zero sort trash program that makes it very simple. It also saves us a bunch of money on our trash bill since they offer unlimited free recycling. All we have to do is fill one bin with paper (any type of paper) and one bin with plastics, metals, and glass (any and all plastics, metals and glass!). We put it out during our usual pick up and away it goes. Because of all the recycling we do we only signed up for biweekly trash pickups and we have the smallest container available (3 bags every two weeks). When you take everything recyclable out there isn’t much left. We even have a 13 month old baby filling up diapers left and right and we don’t even fill our trash bin. Because of our reduced trash we only pay $22.00 per month for trash service. I would have to say that it’s a pretty good deal all around. We save money and the planet!!
Charge enough that you approach 50% of your credit limit.
Pay off card in full.
Repeat that for a few months and the card company will probably raise your limit on their own. If they don't, give them a call and ask them to, and they almost surely will.
What happens is that their computers will conjecture that you're limiting the amount you charge because your credit limit is so low, so they'll raise it in the hope that you'll charge more.
Great info, great post. Still in the learning phase.
@guest (dollars not debt)--if I have a "real" cookie, I will soon have the sensation of dull rusty blades cutting through my guts. I don't consider that "enjoying life a little more." That's what puts my life into perspective.
I didn't realize saving has declined so sharply in Japan. They used to be a model of saving. I believe at one time, it had an average rate of saving around 15%.
As of now, it looks like they are on a similar course as the U.S. Even though it helps the economy in the short run, a very low savings rate has many long-term negative effects.
Being debt free is just the first tiny step. You need to SAVE a lot and make sure your cash flow continues even if you lose your job or get seriously ill. Don't try shortcuts by putting your money in risky ventures. The law is that the higher the return, the higher the risk you will lose it all. Don't buy the crap about being young and being able to recover if things go bust. A loss is a loss. Only feel safe when you have enough money saved so that the interest will keep you going. Investing in rental property that is in your name also brings in cash flow, assuming you don't buy it with substantial loans.
Make money selling online. Yes, ebay, & craigslist is a great way to sell unwanted items but to really make money it must not be junk in the first place. In my pf blog, I talk about eliminating debt by following the principles of Dave Ramsey & John Cummuta.
While the average credit card balance in America is over $10,000, we just don't get it. I think John Cummuta says it best when he talks about how the creditors, advertisers, & merchants are al spending billions to figure out the best way to separate you from your money. It is up to YOU to say NO.
Enjoy life a little more! Have a real cookie once in a while. My pf blog about living debt free kind of helps my put life into perspective. Dollars not debt.
What a help you are to making living gluten free less of a barrier and more of enjoyable, doable and frugally possible!
I know so many people that struggle with creating gluten free meals and incorporating it with ease and frugality in their lives, can't wait to forward this to them!
It all depends on what you consider "financial freedom." If you consider it to mean that you don't have to worry about paying unsecured debt every month, then yes, you can achieve it. But if "financial freedom" means never having to worry about spending, that's another story altogether. I think that most people strive to pay off their debt. It's staying OUT of debt that can be difficult for many, and what you said is very true.
I happen to be one of those people who can see the potential in almost anything. So, I recycle and repair what I can. I also "collect" items that are headed for the trash from other family members (different households) and friends. I repair and reuse some of those, yard sale the stuff I don't need, and give the remainder to the local Goodwill or homeless shelter.
It might be time consuming and not worth the monetary value in terms of my time, but I feel that reusing and recycling is helping our future generations by conserving the natural resouces of our planet.
I try to find a creative use for the item, or think if anyone I know needs it. If it's really broken I will Freecycle it (with full disclosure) if it seems valuable enough. Clothes, shoes, books get donated to charity periodically.
There's not really even a recycling program where I live--the garbage service only picks up one kind of container. So I don't actually get to recycle the papers, bottles, cans, etc. However, I try to be very careful about the things I throw away. If it's something that I could sell or donate to goodwill, then I will do so. The other thing that I do is "recycle" my books with Paperback Swap. It's fun and easy, and I love knowing that I'm sending off a book that I don't want anymore to someone who does!
You can also use one heaping tablespoon of soy flour and one tablespoon of water as the substitute for an egg in any recipe for baked goods. I use it consistently in breads, cookies, and cakes and everything always turns out beautifully.
But every now and then I find a way to repurpose stuff. Someone in my apartment junked a vacuum cleaner that looked like the only thing wrong with it was a frayed cord. It was frayed near the base of the cleaner, so I just disconnected it, lopped off about a foot and a half of cord to get rid of the frayed part, and reconnected it. Works like a charm. And lately I've been taking old incandescent light bulbs, hollowing them out, and after creating a nice little stand out of wire turning them into reed diffusers and vases.
I've written a bit on this. You can also sell to powells.com. Chegg.com rents books, but will also buy current textbooks--often for as much as you can sell them for. Ditto for bn.com (Barnes and Noble). You need to compare for both buying and selling. There's no one best place to do it. For instance, I had an extra copy of a book that was worth a penny on amazon; since it (a novel) is used in courses, Barnes and Noble gave me $1.80. Easy to pack up a bunch of books and mail. BN, Chegg, and Powells all pay shipping by the way.
If it is something still good, we offer to friends and if they don't want it we either bring it to Habistore (building stuff etc. proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity) or Goodwill(or the like). It it isn't good but is recyclable we always recycle. Sometimes it is just no good and we have to throw away.
Recently we had a vacuum cleaner that didn't work anymore so we couldn't donate but didn't want to throw away. We found a vacuum cleaner store that also did repairs and asked if we could donate it to them? They were happy to take it to repair and sell.
I have both bought and sold textbooks through them, and have been thrilled by the experience every time. I've also bought numerous other types of books from them, but I like to mention textbooks since they're so expensive. I consistently get the best textbook sell-back prices through them, and the textbooks they sell are usually way cheaper than anyone else, or right around the Amazon price. Plus every purchase supports world literacy.
While I would love to sell some of my used but still good items, I tend to either throw away or donate (if it's clothing). I've also used listserv in the area for people freecycling. Parenting listserv is very useful for selling gently used baby items (even shoes) as they are hardily in a terrible condition.
A group leader here on the web calls STUFF --Stuff That Undermines Family Fun. Her name is Flylady and she is all about decluttering. I have been decluttering for a while, and seem to need to do it often, no matter how little I buy. How to get rid of stuff is a problem though.
Since the new lead laws have changed, our local Salvation Army, resale stores, and Goodwill have stopped carrying children's clothing, toys, and supplies altogether. If you were planning to take anything there with a zipper, any kind of decoration, a patch, or pretty much anything except a plain t-shirt, don't. They throw it all away. Find a family that would need things in the sizes that you are giving away. Freecycle or Craigslist would work too.
For myself, I usually save the things I need to give away until I have a few boxes, then donate them to a local resale store. We have some great ones locally, and they appreciate having nice things to sell!
If I can fix it up and use it, then I will. If not, depending on the item, I may try to recycle it, or post it to Freecycle or the free section of Craigslist to see if someone else can do something with it. Alternately, I'll leave it out on the sidewalk with a FREE sign (a common thing to do where I live), which is surprisingly effective. I only throw it out if there's no other option.
Sonja, I'm really enjoying this series and I'm looking forward to more
At our house my husband and I recycle just about everything. Our trash company has a zero sort trash program that makes it very simple. It also saves us a bunch of money on our trash bill since they offer unlimited free recycling. All we have to do is fill one bin with paper (any type of paper) and one bin with plastics, metals, and glass (any and all plastics, metals and glass!). We put it out during our usual pick up and away it goes. Because of all the recycling we do we only signed up for biweekly trash pickups and we have the smallest container available (3 bags every two weeks). When you take everything recyclable out there isn’t much left. We even have a 13 month old baby filling up diapers left and right and we don’t even fill our trash bin. Because of our reduced trash we only pay $22.00 per month for trash service. I would have to say that it’s a pretty good deal all around. We save money and the planet!!
He said "couldn't" not "won't". People who live simply are still capable of wanting more than they can afford but they've figure out how not to.
@Robert:
It's easy to get your credit limit boosted:
Repeat that for a few months and the card company will probably raise your limit on their own. If they don't, give them a call and ask them to, and they almost surely will.
What happens is that their computers will conjecture that you're limiting the amount you charge because your credit limit is so low, so they'll raise it in the hope that you'll charge more.
Great info, great post. Still in the learning phase.
@guest (dollars not debt)--if I have a "real" cookie, I will soon have the sensation of dull rusty blades cutting through my guts. I don't consider that "enjoying life a little more." That's what puts my life into perspective.
Thanks again, Sonja!
I didn't realize saving has declined so sharply in Japan. They used to be a model of saving. I believe at one time, it had an average rate of saving around 15%.
As of now, it looks like they are on a similar course as the U.S. Even though it helps the economy in the short run, a very low savings rate has many long-term negative effects.
Being debt free is just the first tiny step. You need to SAVE a lot and make sure your cash flow continues even if you lose your job or get seriously ill. Don't try shortcuts by putting your money in risky ventures. The law is that the higher the return, the higher the risk you will lose it all. Don't buy the crap about being young and being able to recover if things go bust. A loss is a loss. Only feel safe when you have enough money saved so that the interest will keep you going. Investing in rental property that is in your name also brings in cash flow, assuming you don't buy it with substantial loans.
Wait till you see what Apple has in store for the next generation of iPhones.
Make money selling online. Yes, ebay, & craigslist is a great way to sell unwanted items but to really make money it must not be junk in the first place. In my pf blog, I talk about eliminating debt by following the principles of Dave Ramsey & John Cummuta.
Dollars Not Debt
While the average credit card balance in America is over $10,000, we just don't get it. I think John Cummuta says it best when he talks about how the creditors, advertisers, & merchants are al spending billions to figure out the best way to separate you from your money. It is up to YOU to say NO.
Dollars Not Debt
Enjoy life a little more! Have a real cookie once in a while. My pf blog about living debt free kind of helps my put life into perspective. Dollars not debt.
What a help you are to making living gluten free less of a barrier and more of enjoyable, doable and frugally possible!
I know so many people that struggle with creating gluten free meals and incorporating it with ease and frugality in their lives, can't wait to forward this to them!
Lori
It all depends on what you consider "financial freedom." If you consider it to mean that you don't have to worry about paying unsecured debt every month, then yes, you can achieve it. But if "financial freedom" means never having to worry about spending, that's another story altogether. I think that most people strive to pay off their debt. It's staying OUT of debt that can be difficult for many, and what you said is very true.
I happen to be one of those people who can see the potential in almost anything. So, I recycle and repair what I can. I also "collect" items that are headed for the trash from other family members (different households) and friends. I repair and reuse some of those, yard sale the stuff I don't need, and give the remainder to the local Goodwill or homeless shelter.
It might be time consuming and not worth the monetary value in terms of my time, but I feel that reusing and recycling is helping our future generations by conserving the natural resouces of our planet.
I try to find a creative use for the item, or think if anyone I know needs it. If it's really broken I will Freecycle it (with full disclosure) if it seems valuable enough. Clothes, shoes, books get donated to charity periodically.
There's not really even a recycling program where I live--the garbage service only picks up one kind of container. So I don't actually get to recycle the papers, bottles, cans, etc. However, I try to be very careful about the things I throw away. If it's something that I could sell or donate to goodwill, then I will do so. The other thing that I do is "recycle" my books with Paperback Swap. It's fun and easy, and I love knowing that I'm sending off a book that I don't want anymore to someone who does!
You can also use one heaping tablespoon of soy flour and one tablespoon of water as the substitute for an egg in any recipe for baked goods. I use it consistently in breads, cookies, and cakes and everything always turns out beautifully.
But every now and then I find a way to repurpose stuff. Someone in my apartment junked a vacuum cleaner that looked like the only thing wrong with it was a frayed cord. It was frayed near the base of the cleaner, so I just disconnected it, lopped off about a foot and a half of cord to get rid of the frayed part, and reconnected it. Works like a charm. And lately I've been taking old incandescent light bulbs, hollowing them out, and after creating a nice little stand out of wire turning them into reed diffusers and vases.
BN.com has a minimum of $10.00 for their buyback and Powells has, I beleive, $5.00.
I've written a bit on this. You can also sell to powells.com. Chegg.com rents books, but will also buy current textbooks--often for as much as you can sell them for. Ditto for bn.com (Barnes and Noble). You need to compare for both buying and selling. There's no one best place to do it. For instance, I had an extra copy of a book that was worth a penny on amazon; since it (a novel) is used in courses, Barnes and Noble gave me $1.80. Easy to pack up a bunch of books and mail. BN, Chegg, and Powells all pay shipping by the way.
If it is something still good, we offer to friends and if they don't want it we either bring it to Habistore (building stuff etc. proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity) or Goodwill(or the like). It it isn't good but is recyclable we always recycle. Sometimes it is just no good and we have to throw away.
Recently we had a vacuum cleaner that didn't work anymore so we couldn't donate but didn't want to throw away. We found a vacuum cleaner store that also did repairs and asked if we could donate it to them? They were happy to take it to repair and sell.
I have both bought and sold textbooks through them, and have been thrilled by the experience every time. I've also bought numerous other types of books from them, but I like to mention textbooks since they're so expensive. I consistently get the best textbook sell-back prices through them, and the textbooks they sell are usually way cheaper than anyone else, or right around the Amazon price. Plus every purchase supports world literacy.
While I would love to sell some of my used but still good items, I tend to either throw away or donate (if it's clothing). I've also used listserv in the area for people freecycling. Parenting listserv is very useful for selling gently used baby items (even shoes) as they are hardily in a terrible condition.
A group leader here on the web calls STUFF --Stuff That Undermines Family Fun. Her name is Flylady and she is all about decluttering. I have been decluttering for a while, and seem to need to do it often, no matter how little I buy. How to get rid of stuff is a problem though.
Since the new lead laws have changed, our local Salvation Army, resale stores, and Goodwill have stopped carrying children's clothing, toys, and supplies altogether. If you were planning to take anything there with a zipper, any kind of decoration, a patch, or pretty much anything except a plain t-shirt, don't. They throw it all away. Find a family that would need things in the sizes that you are giving away. Freecycle or Craigslist would work too.
For myself, I usually save the things I need to give away until I have a few boxes, then donate them to a local resale store. We have some great ones locally, and they appreciate having nice things to sell!