Save Money - Frugal Living Tips

Become A Part-Time Antique Dealer

2009-02-09T03:52:00.000-08:00

In my last post I mentioned making money by selling unwanted items and using the profit to trade trading in second-hand goods or antiques. The idea is not to input any money if you can possibly avoid it.

Sort whatever you have into two categories. If you have collectables or antiques, these should be kept for auction or private sale. Other items can be sold through a garage sale. Many local papers will let you post a free ad for a cheap item and will reach more people than a garage sale.
Check out the prices of more valuable items before you offer them for sale. Many people sell on ebay, but unless you set a reserved price, if there is no competition for what you are selling, you may be disappointed. A specialist auction may fetch a better price.

Once you have a little capital you can look for bargains that you can sell on. Try to specialize, I collect glass and most of my collection has be bought from experienced antique dealers who did not know the true value of what they were selling. Visit antique sales and markets and learn to haggle. Remember if you buy at auction, the price should be a lot lower than retail.
Buying and selling collectables is fun and there is always the anticipation that you are going to get a real bargain. If you know your stuff you often will!

Extra Money Making Ideas

2009-02-06T01:06:00.000-08:00

These are just a few extra money making ideas.. According to where you live, not all of them may be possible, but I hope it starts you thinking about what you could do in your neighborhood.

1. Become an Avon rep or work for one of the other catalogue companies. Although I don't personally buy makeup this way, I know a lot of people who do. However I buy quite a few household items from brochures. I find them cheaper and often there are things difficult to find in stores.

2. Start selling antiques. When I say antiques I mean anything second hand that you don't want any more. Look around your house and see what you can find. If you make a little money, invest it in a few better items and resell.

3. Do you live in a busy tourist center? I'm lucky, I live in a really historic place. If you have a lot of visitors who stay, rather than come for a day, organise outings to places of interest nearby. Walking tours around the main sites are also popular.

4. Growing herbs. I once lived in a house that opened straight on the street, with no yard only a concrete area behind where I grew herbs. I would take cuttings from my main plants. As soon as they had rooted, I put them on the front window sill for sale. The money was put through in my letter box and nothing was ever stolen. I was surprised how much I made.

5. Hire out fancy dress clothes for children. Children seemed to continually need new fancy dress clothes. They grow so quickly it is so expensive to keep buying new. Either make some outfits, if you have the skill, or buy and hire out to parents.

Scrap Your Credit Card

2009-02-03T10:30:00.001-08:00

One of the best ways to save money is to get rid of your credit card.It is very easy to see something you want and think “I'll put it on the card and pay next month”.
Over the month the figures start adding up and the bill is a shock. When you cannot pay all of it the interest starts accumulating.

Firstly, cut your card in half!
Secondly, you need to work out your disposable income after paying essential monthly bills. Break it down into weekly or even daily amounts. Put this cash in your wallet and no more. If you don't have it on you, you can't spend it!

If you have a balance on your card, try to pay the interest and a little more. Each month the interest will be a little less and you can afford to pay more of the outstanding debt.

There will be times when you need to use a card, perhaps when you are buying online. To overcome this, it may be worthwhile getting a prepaid credit/debit card. These often have a monthly fee so you need to look closely at all the conditions, but a small monthly fee compared to high interest may well save you money. If you would like to know more about the advantages and disadvantages of these cards visit Prepaid Credit Cards. Although written to help prevent teenagers getting into debt, the information applies to all adults.

Beating The Credit Crunch

2009-01-31T11:26:00.000-08:00

Whoever we are, all of us are being hit by the credit crunch. Jobs are being lost and as a result homes are being repossessed. Governments worldwide are desperately trying to kickstart their economies by injecting huge sums of public money, meaning we are facing years of rising taxes and cutbacks in services.
Few are immune from the effects of recession. While the falling interest rates help those struggling to pay a mortgage, if they are lucky enough to be on a variable rate, elderly people, living on the interest of their savings, are seeing their income cut drastically.
This site is intending to offer advice on ways to cut your spending during the recession, whether it is ideas for cooking cheap meals, or ways to cut the cost of utility bills. If you are fortunate enough to have any spare cash, it will look at investments during this difficult period.
The best piece of advice that can be given to anyone facing mounting debts is do not ignore them. Burying your head in the sand , hoping the problem will disappear, will only result in a worsening situation. Seek help immediately, most companies will negotiate because they would rather get back a little from you rather than nothing at all. Seek advice if you need help in talking to companies.