You do have to be careful not to convey that you'll be so busy working your business, working out, etc. that you can't focus on your job -- which is why I recommended a brief mention. Over the 15 years or so of working with clients, I have found that many consistently differentiate themselves with these tactics. But as I mentioned, not all are attracted -- the idea of course is that the employers who suit you will be attracted to you.
It would depend on what it was. If I think it is something I can immediately recycle or use then I keep it. I try not to keep to much "spare" stuff around our house though. Our house isn't large and keeping stuff on the off chance I might need it doesn't make sense.
If is something that would very likely sell for a good price at a garage sale, then we put it in the garage sale box for the next garage sale that we can be a part of.
If it is something that is in fine shape, or easily laundered, but maybe wouldn't sell for as much, we put in a box or bag to take to Goodwill.
If it is recyclable garbage, it goes into recycling.
If it is unrecyclable, it goes into the trash.
It depends on the item. If I can use it, I keep it. If it's usable only to someone else then I'll put it up for sale on Craigslist or eBay. If it's something that I can repair and the repairs aren't extensive, then I'll repair and either sell it, give it away, or keep it, depending on the value and whether I'll actually use it. If it's beyond repair, then it goes in the trash or recycling bin.
Keeping our trash level low is our first goal (rethink). If something is still usable, I give it to the thrift store, even if I could reuse it, as in making dog toys from old T-shirts. If it's too icky to wear (stained, ripped, etc.), then it gets upcycled, even if that just means turning it into cleaning rags.
However, I won't save something for upcycling unless I have a definite notion of what I can actually make from it. And I try very hard to ensure that everything I make has a purpose beyond being simply decorational.
One tip I really appreciated was knowing that animal shelters are always very grateful for used sheets and blankets for their critters. Dropping off a box of unusable sheets there made the staff so happy!
Just a few months ago, my Amazon.com credit card was cancelled.
I only used it once in the two years I had it, though. I have a credit card I use regularly (and pay off regularly!!) and the only reason I got the Amazon card, was to save $30 on what I was buying at the time.
I have EXCELLENT credit, so I was suprised...but I totally understood, cause I never used it after my $30 less transaction.
I regularly review resumes, interview candidates, and make hiring decisions. While not an expert, I do have over 5 years experience doing this, and have worked with a lot of other vastly more experienced "hiring decision makers" as well.
There very much are people who read resumes, see these extra types of activities and think "This woman will be more focused on training for triathlons than her work." Or "All they'll be doing is getting a paycheck for their next vacation."
Maybe these are or are not valid interpretations, one should just be aware that people out there do have them. And by putting things of this nature on your resume you are taking a risk.
This might be great things to have as a new graduate (though ideally you were volunteering and had on-campus jobs, in addition to at least one summer internship). The more years of experience, the less and less space these things should take up on your resume.
If more traditional resumes haven't been working, then these seem like great ways to put some more flavor and personality into a resume. But if these are the central component of a resume, then that's the best signal that one needs more experience.
If you can't get hired, go volunteer. Organizations are dying for more help these days. These are ways to bolster your resume and gain experience.
If you're a technical person, there are a lot of places who would kill for your skillset. I'd also recommend a pet project to develop some "something" to showcase your skills.
And of course, starting a blog to write about your skills or expertise is always a good path to take.
Honestly, I'll likely toss it out, but that's because most stuff I find like that is either in rather poor condition, or just plain dirty. But I'll usually check on ebay to see if it's worth selling, my breakpoint is usually around $5 bucks or so. For bulkier items I guess I'd craigslist, but I've not accumulated enough furniture to have that issue. If anything I've picked up pieces of furniture that were being curb-sided.
I guess I do just toss any bottles (on the rare occasions we have them) into the recycle bin instead of bringing them in to claim our deposits.
We like to trade items with our friends. It's fun to swap out items that we're not using for something we can and at the same time help out our friends. Everyone wins and things don't get sent to the recycling bin or trash can.
It costs 7 bucks in Canada to send a book by mail. It is way cheaper to throw out your book and then buy a different book at Costco or the used book store. I give away my old books. I guess the people who hang around me get the best deal.
I used to place everything that I had onto freecycle. Gave away some pretty good stuff and it felt good, but then there were a couple of instances where people did some pretty nasty things. And other times when someone acted kinda stalkerish. So now I just drop it all off at Sally Ann.
It is well understood that most people's lifestyle will match their income, i.e. spending goes up with income. However, this is fine as long as you are spending cash and and not making use of consumer credit. The problem is when you spend all you make, you have nothing to save... one of the keys to financial freedom.
Life will always present you with stressful problems and challenges. The trick is not to "wish" you didn't have them but instead learn to deal with them effectively. I totally agree that being debt free does not mean problem/stress-free life. You just have to get better at dealing with issues.
Giving money and your time is really nothing to do with being debt free. It is part of living a balanced, purposeful life.
Again, great points made in this post. Everyone should strive to become debt free and look forward to a whole new set of challenges.
Small items get sent to goodwill if they are still usable, trashed if they are not. Large items can get posted on craigslist. Electronics usually go on craigslist. Phones, ipods, etc we trade in to refurbishment companies. Books, DVDs, and software go to our local library's used bookstore fundraiser.
Items that are obviously trash we just discard or recycle. We recycle a lot now but we would do more if we had collection at our apartment complex. Items we no longer want and are in good shape we will donate to the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or a friend who might need it.
Most things I find are not worth the time or effort to fix up and sell. There are scavengers/recyclers in our neighborhood who will pick up scrap metal, broken electronics, or non-working appliances for free; they can have it. Damaged-beyond-repair clothes become cleaning rags; old towels or bedding go to the dogs (ours or the nearby shelter). Clothes I don't want anymore are exchanged at a clothing swap with friends. Pretty much anything else that's functional that we don't want goes to goodwill, or free on Craigslist if we don't want to schlep it ourselves. Non-functional items get re-used or recycled if at all possible; trash is the last resort.
It would depend on what it is. If it is something that is still useable or just needs a bit fixing up and I simply don't want it anymore, I would just leave it on my lawn with a "free" sign - I've done this with bookcases, lamps, computer monitors, and even encyclopedias. This is if I am too lazy to deal with Craigslist and don't care about getting money back for it and want to get rid of it right away. If I don't care about getting rid of it right away, I will save it up for our quarterly donation to Goodwill or Veterans of America. Craigslist is reserved for things I would like to get money back for, but this takes more time and patience...
If it is something completely broken and not useable (aka trash), I'd just toss it.
We have an extra large size, heavy duty, lawn bag in one of our closets. When someting doesn't fit any longer, or sorting through toys not played with, or things no longer wanted or needed all go in the bag. When it's full we tie it up and bring it out to a desginated area of the garage. When we have accummulated enough stuff we have a thrift sale. What doesn't sell is donated to local charities that can use the items. This has worked well for us. We also invite family, friends & neighbors to join in the thrift sale if they would like to. We make a little extra cash and also make a donation. Just because you can't use it any longer - there is always someoneout there who would love to have that item and if they can get it at a greatly reduced price (we price our items to sell - not to get rich!) all the better! We have given many things to people for free that really needed an item but could not even afford the small amount it may be priced at.
If it has value as a yardsale item, I will save it for a yeardsale - or give it away to a friend who needs it - I have outdoor furniture I supply, hoping it will hang around a while before being STOLEN, so I have to provide more furniture! After any yardsale, the residue gets donated to a thrift shop. I have known people who have found things, cleaned them up & then sold them at yard sales.
Half.com (affiliated with eBay, of course) and isbn.com. I use isbn.com whenever I shop for textbooks. It generates a list of online book sellers and lets you know which one are the cheapest.
Broken - unless it's an easy fix we dismantle it and dispose of it accordingly - recycle, repurpose, last resort trash
Dirty and no longer useful to us - clean up and resell at yard sale, only 1 per year allowed by our HOA, or craigslist.
If unable to sell, or too little stuff to sell we donate to our local CARE store (all profits benefit local rape and abuse center)
As we are downsizing to have only what we use, we have been using all these sources a lot lately. Being on fixed income and retired we have the time to repair and clean. We also repurpose a lot - remaking clothes into something we'll use, using extra hurricane shutters to make raised garden beds, 5 gallon buckets for container gardening, metal framed etagere minus glass shelves into an outdoor screening trellis.
A book I read back in the early 80's, "Reuses" by Carolyn Jabs, made me look at all so called trash items differently. So did my Dad - in the late 50's he took the bedspring from an old crib, painted it black, hung it over an upright piano that divided a room and used it as a trellis for a vining plant. He never told anyone what he did because he didn't want to be embarassed by his thriftyness.
I look at the time it would take to prep and sell on craigslist compared to what I would get for it. If it's in decent shape and moderate value (like the 36 inch TV when we got a flatscreen) I'll craigslist it. Clothing, household stuff, etc. that is still usable goes to good will. I try not to throw things out unless they are no longer useful or easily fixable.
I would say the majority of things end up going to good will. You have to be over around $100 before it's worth the time to list on craigslist. I have a small laptop that needs to be listed right now, but everything else that is in the unclutter pile is going to good will.
You do have to be careful not to convey that you'll be so busy working your business, working out, etc. that you can't focus on your job -- which is why I recommended a brief mention. Over the 15 years or so of working with clients, I have found that many consistently differentiate themselves with these tactics. But as I mentioned, not all are attracted -- the idea of course is that the employers who suit you will be attracted to you.
It would depend on what it was. If I think it is something I can immediately recycle or use then I keep it. I try not to keep to much "spare" stuff around our house though. Our house isn't large and keeping stuff on the off chance I might need it doesn't make sense.
Christine
If is something that would very likely sell for a good price at a garage sale, then we put it in the garage sale box for the next garage sale that we can be a part of.
If it is something that is in fine shape, or easily laundered, but maybe wouldn't sell for as much, we put in a box or bag to take to Goodwill.
If it is recyclable garbage, it goes into recycling.
If it is unrecyclable, it goes into the trash.
Another great article on how to make your resume more attractive! http://blog.learnvest.com/workplace/getting_a_job/making-the-most-of-a-t...
Great article! If you need a place to start, read this article on how to declutter your bookshelf! http://blog.learnvest.com/living-frugally/home/been-there-read-that-decl...
It depends on the item. If I can use it, I keep it. If it's usable only to someone else then I'll put it up for sale on Craigslist or eBay. If it's something that I can repair and the repairs aren't extensive, then I'll repair and either sell it, give it away, or keep it, depending on the value and whether I'll actually use it. If it's beyond repair, then it goes in the trash or recycling bin.
Rethink, Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle
Keeping our trash level low is our first goal (rethink). If something is still usable, I give it to the thrift store, even if I could reuse it, as in making dog toys from old T-shirts. If it's too icky to wear (stained, ripped, etc.), then it gets upcycled, even if that just means turning it into cleaning rags.
However, I won't save something for upcycling unless I have a definite notion of what I can actually make from it. And I try very hard to ensure that everything I make has a purpose beyond being simply decorational.
One tip I really appreciated was knowing that animal shelters are always very grateful for used sheets and blankets for their critters. Dropping off a box of unusable sheets there made the staff so happy!
Just a few months ago, my Amazon.com credit card was cancelled.
I only used it once in the two years I had it, though. I have a credit card I use regularly (and pay off regularly!!) and the only reason I got the Amazon card, was to save $30 on what I was buying at the time.
I have EXCELLENT credit, so I was suprised...but I totally understood, cause I never used it after my $30 less transaction.
I regularly review resumes, interview candidates, and make hiring decisions. While not an expert, I do have over 5 years experience doing this, and have worked with a lot of other vastly more experienced "hiring decision makers" as well.
There very much are people who read resumes, see these extra types of activities and think "This woman will be more focused on training for triathlons than her work." Or "All they'll be doing is getting a paycheck for their next vacation."
Maybe these are or are not valid interpretations, one should just be aware that people out there do have them. And by putting things of this nature on your resume you are taking a risk.
This might be great things to have as a new graduate (though ideally you were volunteering and had on-campus jobs, in addition to at least one summer internship). The more years of experience, the less and less space these things should take up on your resume.
If more traditional resumes haven't been working, then these seem like great ways to put some more flavor and personality into a resume. But if these are the central component of a resume, then that's the best signal that one needs more experience.
If you can't get hired, go volunteer. Organizations are dying for more help these days. These are ways to bolster your resume and gain experience.
If you're a technical person, there are a lot of places who would kill for your skillset. I'd also recommend a pet project to develop some "something" to showcase your skills.
And of course, starting a blog to write about your skills or expertise is always a good path to take.
All we do is put it out on the street. Someone always comes and takes it away. We've gotten rid of everything from old toilets to toys this way.
Honestly, I'll likely toss it out, but that's because most stuff I find like that is either in rather poor condition, or just plain dirty. But I'll usually check on ebay to see if it's worth selling, my breakpoint is usually around $5 bucks or so. For bulkier items I guess I'd craigslist, but I've not accumulated enough furniture to have that issue. If anything I've picked up pieces of furniture that were being curb-sided.
I guess I do just toss any bottles (on the rare occasions we have them) into the recycle bin instead of bringing them in to claim our deposits.
We like to trade items with our friends. It's fun to swap out items that we're not using for something we can and at the same time help out our friends. Everyone wins and things don't get sent to the recycling bin or trash can.
It costs 7 bucks in Canada to send a book by mail. It is way cheaper to throw out your book and then buy a different book at Costco or the used book store. I give away my old books. I guess the people who hang around me get the best deal.
I used to place everything that I had onto freecycle. Gave away some pretty good stuff and it felt good, but then there were a couple of instances where people did some pretty nasty things. And other times when someone acted kinda stalkerish. So now I just drop it all off at Sally Ann.
Great post!
It is well understood that most people's lifestyle will match their income, i.e. spending goes up with income. However, this is fine as long as you are spending cash and and not making use of consumer credit. The problem is when you spend all you make, you have nothing to save... one of the keys to financial freedom.
Life will always present you with stressful problems and challenges. The trick is not to "wish" you didn't have them but instead learn to deal with them effectively. I totally agree that being debt free does not mean problem/stress-free life. You just have to get better at dealing with issues.
Giving money and your time is really nothing to do with being debt free. It is part of living a balanced, purposeful life.
Again, great points made in this post. Everyone should strive to become debt free and look forward to a whole new set of challenges.
Chack Pesh.
Publisher, FreedomHabits.com
Small items get sent to goodwill if they are still usable, trashed if they are not. Large items can get posted on craigslist. Electronics usually go on craigslist. Phones, ipods, etc we trade in to refurbishment companies. Books, DVDs, and software go to our local library's used bookstore fundraiser.
Items that are obviously trash we just discard or recycle. We recycle a lot now but we would do more if we had collection at our apartment complex. Items we no longer want and are in good shape we will donate to the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or a friend who might need it.
Most things I find are not worth the time or effort to fix up and sell. There are scavengers/recyclers in our neighborhood who will pick up scrap metal, broken electronics, or non-working appliances for free; they can have it. Damaged-beyond-repair clothes become cleaning rags; old towels or bedding go to the dogs (ours or the nearby shelter). Clothes I don't want anymore are exchanged at a clothing swap with friends. Pretty much anything else that's functional that we don't want goes to goodwill, or free on Craigslist if we don't want to schlep it ourselves. Non-functional items get re-used or recycled if at all possible; trash is the last resort.
It would depend on what it is. If it is something that is still useable or just needs a bit fixing up and I simply don't want it anymore, I would just leave it on my lawn with a "free" sign - I've done this with bookcases, lamps, computer monitors, and even encyclopedias. This is if I am too lazy to deal with Craigslist and don't care about getting money back for it and want to get rid of it right away. If I don't care about getting rid of it right away, I will save it up for our quarterly donation to Goodwill or Veterans of America. Craigslist is reserved for things I would like to get money back for, but this takes more time and patience...
If it is something completely broken and not useable (aka trash), I'd just toss it.
We have an extra large size, heavy duty, lawn bag in one of our closets. When someting doesn't fit any longer, or sorting through toys not played with, or things no longer wanted or needed all go in the bag. When it's full we tie it up and bring it out to a desginated area of the garage. When we have accummulated enough stuff we have a thrift sale. What doesn't sell is donated to local charities that can use the items. This has worked well for us. We also invite family, friends & neighbors to join in the thrift sale if they would like to. We make a little extra cash and also make a donation. Just because you can't use it any longer - there is always someoneout there who would love to have that item and if they can get it at a greatly reduced price (we price our items to sell - not to get rich!) all the better! We have given many things to people for free that really needed an item but could not even afford the small amount it may be priced at.
If it has value as a yardsale item, I will save it for a yeardsale - or give it away to a friend who needs it - I have outdoor furniture I supply, hoping it will hang around a while before being STOLEN, so I have to provide more furniture! After any yardsale, the residue gets donated to a thrift shop. I have known people who have found things, cleaned them up & then sold them at yard sales.
Half.com (affiliated with eBay, of course) and isbn.com. I use isbn.com whenever I shop for textbooks. It generates a list of online book sellers and lets you know which one are the cheapest.
Broken - unless it's an easy fix we dismantle it and dispose of it accordingly - recycle, repurpose, last resort trash
Dirty and no longer useful to us - clean up and resell at yard sale, only 1 per year allowed by our HOA, or craigslist.
If unable to sell, or too little stuff to sell we donate to our local CARE store (all profits benefit local rape and abuse center)
As we are downsizing to have only what we use, we have been using all these sources a lot lately. Being on fixed income and retired we have the time to repair and clean. We also repurpose a lot - remaking clothes into something we'll use, using extra hurricane shutters to make raised garden beds, 5 gallon buckets for container gardening, metal framed etagere minus glass shelves into an outdoor screening trellis.
A book I read back in the early 80's, "Reuses" by Carolyn Jabs, made me look at all so called trash items differently. So did my Dad - in the late 50's he took the bedspring from an old crib, painted it black, hung it over an upright piano that divided a room and used it as a trellis for a vining plant. He never told anyone what he did because he didn't want to be embarassed by his thriftyness.
I look at the time it would take to prep and sell on craigslist compared to what I would get for it. If it's in decent shape and moderate value (like the 36 inch TV when we got a flatscreen) I'll craigslist it. Clothing, household stuff, etc. that is still usable goes to good will. I try not to throw things out unless they are no longer useful or easily fixable.
I would say the majority of things end up going to good will. You have to be over around $100 before it's worth the time to list on craigslist. I have a small laptop that needs to be listed right now, but everything else that is in the unclutter pile is going to good will.
I usually donate to the salvo, unless it is worth some money and sellable, in which case I put it on Craigslist oh yea!