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No-Spend Month Series

October No-Spend Month Challenge Day 23: Earn Money With Apps!

theladyprefers2save.COM

Good morning, savvy savers! If you are anything like me, you are always looking for new ways to pad your monthly budget. Whether you need extra cash, are creating a splurge day fund, or are looking to pay for holiday expenses there is money to be made in the area of mobile apps and surveys. So, for day 23 of this month’s #31DayLWSZ October No-Spend Challenge, I wanted to discuss a few ways that I have found to use mobile apps to make extra money. 

So, as we are all aware that with the popularity of mobile payment methods, smartphones can also be useful for earning money. While apps will not make it possible for you to party like a rock star, they can help you pay for your next latte, or even get a free lunch every now and then. For these reasons alone, these apps are worth checking out.

A word of caution, however.  Safety first. Always read the fine print when downloading apps that claim to help you make money. Download apps from the Apple App Store and Google’s Play Store because of Apple and Google’s security measures, but die to the nature of the internet please read, and then re-read the fine print on these apps, as some of these apps will give you money in exchange for information you didn’t know you would be sharing. 

For instance, an app can access your phone’s GPS to find your location, download files without telling you, take pictures and record video and audio, send messages without your permission, or even modify or delete the contents of your phone. Just take the necessary precautions to allow you to securely safe. Okay, PSA over. 

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So here is a list of several legitimate, money-making apps worth checking out that I personally use:

i-Say Mobile (iOS, Android):  i-Say Mobile is an app developed by Ipsos, the survey company that is very popular because they are always seen taking surveys during presidential elections. i-Say invites its members to take surveys, the highest-paying and also rarest of which cost as much as $100. You need to sign up at the i-Say website to become a member.

Swagbucks (iOS, Android): There are nine ways to make money on Swagbucks. You can browse the web, take surveys, shop in the Swagbucks mall, vote on daily polls, play games, watch videos, find swap codes, complete special offers, and bring in your friends to sign up. Swagbucks earnings come in the form of virtual money that can be redeemed as gift cards, coupons, and sweepstakes entries. Sawgbucks is one of my favorite go-to’s!

SlideJoy (Android):  SlideJoy puts product ads on your phone’s lockscreen and pays you a fixed amount every time you unlock your phone, whether you look at the ad or not. Users say they earn $5 to $15 on average with SlideJoy. Before making the switch to Android, this was my app du jour! 

App Trailers (iOS, Android): App junkies,  this apps for you. App Trailer shows its users 30-second video trailers of new apps to download and install. For every app trailer you watch, you earn money. For every app you download and engage with, you earn even more. The more trailers you watch, the more points you earn, which can then be converted into gift cards or redeemed via PayPal weekly.

InboxDollars (iOS, Android): More than $30 million have been paid out to InboxDollars users since the long time it has been around. You get $5 alone just upon signing up. InboxDollars’ main attraction is it pays you money to surf web, play games, and take surveys. Users can cash out by requesting payment via check once they earn $30, which is completely possible in a couple of hours. I’ve earned four checks in two years. While this inst a cash cow, this is a slow-but-steady way to earn a free lunch every other season!

Viggle (iOS, Android):  Viggle syncs in wirelessly  to know what songs you listen to and what TV shows you watch, in exchange of course, for points that can be redeemed as gifts cards, digital downloads, electronic goods, and trips. Tv to earn gift cards to Burger King, Starbucks, and Lowe’s is a win-win for me! 

Mobee (iOS, Android): Interested in mystery shopping? Mobee’s partners with stores to earn points that can be exchanged for cash, gift cards, or even event tickets based on the quality of your evaluations. You can download the app for free to check out what missions are available in your area. Each mission earns you anywhere between 150 points ($1.5) and 3,000 points ($30).

Receipt Hog (iOS, Android): Receipt Hog lets you take pictures of your receipts in exchange for coins. Each 1,000 coins can be redeemed as Amazon gift cards or as cash via PayPal. As you upload more receipts, you unlock more ways to earn money, such as taking surveys.

Perk (iOS, Android): The Perk app offers a variety of ways to make money. For everything you do in one of the Perk services, such as when you search, browse the web, or watch TV, you earn a small number of points. If you buy something off Perk Shopping, you earn a massive amount of points that can be converted into gift cards. Minimum payout for Perk is $5.00, weekly.

Field Agent (iOS, Android): Instead of having you browse the Internet or take surveys, Field Agent pays you to do small tasks for its clients. For instance, you can earn $9 taking four different photos of toothbrushes at Wal-Mart or $5.00 checking out the price of certain dolls at Toys “R” Us. Taking into account the time and gas it takes to drive out and accomplish those tasks, you’ll still be able to make up to $20 as a field agent.

TaskRabbit (iOS, Android): Another task app! TaskRabbit pays you more than double the minimum wage to complete simple tasks for people than many other apps, such as putting together IKEA furniture or walking the dogs. However, you’ll have to apply to become a Tasker, within the app community.

Bookscouter (iOS, Android): Calling all bibliophiles! If you have a lot of books gathering dust on your shelves,, or aren’t planning to Kon’Mari them, Bookscouter can help!  This app looks for buyers offering the highest amounts. Simply scan the bar-code of your book and the app will give you a list of buyback companies and their prices. Once you choose your seller, give them your payment details and ship the book to them.

Pact (iOS, Android): Calling all my fellow Weight Loss Wednesday Divas! Want a way to get paid for healthy living? This is the app for you! With Pact, which pays users $5 every week for accomplishing certain tasks, such as eating a certain number of healthy meals or exercising a certain number of hours for the week. Is it effective? Pact says 92 percent of its users are motivated to lose weight, not just because of the $5.00 weekly reward but also because of the $5.00 penalty if they fail to complete their tasks for the week.

So that’s it! There’s my list. Now, many readers may say? What about sites like Crowdtap, Recyclebank,  or Walmart Savings Cather App? Well, Crowdtap has changed self-regulating rewards system to a randomized raffle system, where participation does not guarantee a monthly gift card (so I did not include it on this list, though it’s still a fun way to pass time), Recyclebank has changed its settings making its perfunctory seasonal rewards harder to obtain (this site is still one of my secret tools in for giving high-quality, free magazine subscriptions to friends and family over the holidays), and I group Walmart’s Savings App under my grocery savings tools.

For me, time is money. If I do not have a guaranteed guarantee on my time, its not just worth it for me. Some spend not saving is time not being vested in my husband, family, business, myself, or my faith. That’s just how I roll! 

Yes, I am aware this sounds like a lot, but I can usually accomplish all of these things in 30 minutes daily while relaxing and watching tv. These apps have helped me earn an average of $400.00 annually over the past half decade, and this year my app savings will help fund my debt-free holiday spending goal this upcoming holiday season! 

So, do you all have an other apps you use to earn extra money? I’d love to hear about it!

Here’s to saving!

niki-name-design

October No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 22: Selling on ThredUp

theladyprefers2save.COM

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope you all are well rested, and ready for a new daily challenge! So today I want to focus not on selling things gleaned from your home, but items that can be made from items you have on hand. I am speaking of online consignment selling on ThredUp.com

So, why ThredUp.com?

Thredup is a mom and pop company, a small group of technology lovers, problem solvers, and some busy moms and dads. thredUP is based in downtown San Francisco. They pride themselves on being not just one of the nets largest online consignment carriers, but that they’ve been able to create meaningful jobs in the local economy and help build awareness about sustainable clothing practices and the environment.

A few other reasons to check the site out:

  1. The sites allow you to sell clothing online, consignment-style, to a larger audience of potential buyers.
  2. You are selling clothing to the vendors, and they offer you credit which can be used to either buy new clothes, or to have a Paypal buyout option.
  3. Clothes that are not accepted are donated, on your behalf, to charities in their area. 
  4. You do not have to leave your home to sell items! 

What Can I sell:

  • Clothing
  • Shoes
  • Purses
  • Children’s Clothing
  • Men’s Clothing

thred-up-opening-package

How to Sell:

  1. You should first start by figuring out what you want to sell.
  2. Next inventory what you want to send.
  3. Go to ThredUp.com and LikeTwice.com to request item shipment bags; bags are mailed to you free of charge. 
  4. Once your bags arrive, mail back packages in the pre-sorted bags.
  5. When your bags have arrived, you will receive notice, by way of email, as to what items have been accepted or rejected for sale.
  6. Currently, ThreadUp is offering 100% return rate on all handbags, totes, and luggage! 
  7. Currently sellers on LikeTwice can earn a $10 BONUS FOR YOUR HANDBAGS AND $5 FOR YOUR SHOES THROUGH 6/28! 

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Seller Tips:

  • Try to sell items that are current, classic, or sought after in design.
  • Items should be in good, wearable condition.
  • Shoes and leather goods should be clean; please read over ThreadUp’s policy, here!
  • Be realistic in your options. Just because you paid $100.00 for a pair of jeans you will realistically not receive most of your investment back; aim for a quarter of the items worth.
  • Rejected items will not be returned, but donated; only sell items you are ready to part with.
  • Items you wish to have returned, you can opt to pay the $12.99 fee to purchase return assurance, so all returned items arrive back quickly to you. The fee will be taken out of your payout amount.
  • LikeTwice will allow all returned items to ship back to you for $4.95; the fee can be taken out of your sellers account, store credit, or paypal account, too! 
  • Both companies also accept plus sizes, maternity, and men’s clothing as well. 

So, today I challenge you to order a bag from ThredUp.com, and in a weeks time, mail off your consignment goods! 

My Selling Goals Were:

  • I am going to list 10 household items, per bag.
  • I hope to make $100.00 in profit.
  • All items that do not sell will be donated to charity.
  • To request both bags today; I will blog about the rest of the process during my June No-Month Spending Challenge. 

As well today I was also able to accomplish:

  1. As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
  2. Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
  3. I finished a day’s worth of clerking assignments ahead of schedule!
  4. I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
  5. Read my daily devotional.
  6. I waked two miles.

Today I saved:

  • I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95. 
  • I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag. 
  • I cooked three meals from my home pantry, saving $6.81 in the process.
  • My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
  • I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.

Total amount I saved my family: $21.38

Please be sure to check back tomorrow for another way to save for this months No-Spend Challenge! 

Here’s to saving,

mbnlogosm

October No-Spend Challenge Day 7: Week 3 Reflections (How We Saved $738.46 Thus Far This Month)

Hello again, savvy savers! For today’s October No-Spend Daily Challenge, as part of the #31DayLWSZ Challenge, I want to discuss my experience with today’s prompt, reflecting on this past weeks savings victories, challenges, and learning curves. 

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So, thus far this month I was able to save a total of $738.46, and some of the ways I did this were by:

  • Pantry Organization
  • Utilizing On Hand Food Options To Help Make Weekly Menu Ideas Sheets
  • Learning Home to “Dine Out At Home”
  • Working on a personal #Choose30 Challenge to be more positive daily.
  • Rain-Check Shopping for next months needed coupon staples and groceries from this last weekend.
  • I clean off my Counter-tops to use as workstation areas for donating, sorting, and prepping donations.
  • I listed and sold items via eBay, Craiglist, Facebook Local Groups, and Craftsy patterns. 
  • Had an in-home spa day and saved $32.00! 
  • Upcycled several new home projects. 
  • Our family ate from our crock-pot for a week! 

I did have a few set backs this week though. My husband needed to take the entire $80.00 cushion I set aside for this months produce and incidentals budget for an impromptu school robotics club he is the sponsor of, as well as the funds needed for an oil change (for his car that was suppose to have previously been taken care of). Mind you I was a little taken back to find my home stripped of cash, sodas, and my pre-purchased Halloween candy (candy and sodas to help supplement our family and his 14 students going with him on this trip). My saving grace? Three hours after he left for his day-trip, I received not one, but four ETSY shop orders (that I already had the materials on hand for, score!), which not only reimbursed my budget, but paid for the missing household staples, and set my savings goal ahead by $27.00!

So, all’s well that ends well here is the Roberts household. 


PicMonkey Collage

 

As well here are a few ways I have been able to accomplish my no-spend goals this past week: 

  1. I woke up at 6:25 daily, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
  2. Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
  3. I read three review books. 
  4. I finished today’s Day 1-7 No-Spend Challenges!
  5. I enjoyed a free Chik-fil-a- frozen latte!
  6. I cooked from my pantry, eleven times.
  7. I walked for three miles every other day!
  8. I finished all of my daily blog posts on time!
  9. Read my daily devotional.
  10. I cleaned out my coupon cabinet, paper files for my ETSY business, and recycled numerous bins of random scraps of fabric around my craft room, too! 

My tally of last weeks savings are:

  • I was able to procure 16 new rain-checks savings $54.00 in savings.
  • I completed 2 surveys online via Ipsos-iSay, and earned a $1.00 towards my next Amazon gift code.
  • I eat at home thirteen times, saving our family $77.93. 
  • I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $1.20, the cost of 6 trash bags. 
  • I enjoyed a free Chik-fil-a frozen latte, for free, a savings of $2.99!
  • I received $32.98 worth of product review items, which can be placed in my home gift closet!
  • My family drank water for one, and saved $7.30, the cost of a five 2-liters of soda.
  • We made DIY fireplace starters, savings $12.98 over commercial pricing. 
  • We used earned gift card dollars at Sam’s Club to buy gas, saving us $20.04.
  • We made DIY hand sanitizer bottles, saving our family $7.98.
  • We made DIY wet dog food, saving out family $19.98 over a case of pet food cans. 

So, overall my family saved $238.38

This months savings goal remaining: $62.34 of our $800.00 goal for this month. 

All-in-all, I am pleased with this past weeks progress and will be thinking of new and better ways to save come the next three weeks ahead! Mind you this progress is in part due to my families use of earned and gifted survey cards; I’ve read a lot of people state that they will not be using them on the challenge, but for me and mine, we love them. I legitimize these cards as ALL were earned from taking surveys, using savings apps, or by wining contest, paid affiliate campaigns, and giveaways. Free money is just that, free

I’m excited to note that these funds will be able to be allocated for last-minute holiday gifts, holiday donations, and Angle Tree presents this holiday season. As well, a fourth of the funds from this challenge went towards my yearly savings goal for acquiring a rental property/tax sale in the year and a half to come.  I am proud of myself, and so proud of you all as well.

If you were able to follow along with this past weeks #31DayLWSZ challenge, I’d love to hear about it!

Here’s to Saving,

mbnlogosm

October No-Spend Month Day 20: At-Home Spa Day!

October No-Spend Month Day 20-

Good morning, savvy savers! For Day 20 of the October No-Spend Daily Challenge, I wanted to share with you all some of my favorite At-Home Spa Treatments! With all of the stresses of everyday life, it’s important that we take some time for ourselves and just relax. Not all of us can afford the luxury of a day at the spa or even have the time! Now there are some fantastic skin care products and treatments available including Rodan and Fields, Plexaderm, Clinique, and many others. You can read some Plexaderm reviews to try and find some affordable skincare products that are not only effective but budget-friendly too. In the meantime, here are some great tips on how you can treat yourself at home! Your mind and body will thank you. The key words for today is grace

A few posts to check out are:

Homemade Bronzing Powder, For Only $0.20!

DIY Spa Pedicure, For Under $1.00!

Homemade Bronzing Powder, For Only $0.20!

DIY Garnier Eye Makeup Remover!

Free At-Home Back Pain Treatments!

DIY Garnier Eye Makeup Remover!

Gingerbread Body Scrub!

DIY Organic Spring Blush, Only $0.50!

Homemade Warm Honey Eucalyptus Body Butter!

DIY Self Tanning Lotion

DIY Summer Hair Lightening Mask!

DIY Summer Exfoliating Coffee Scrub!

DIY Tea Tree Oil Conditioner, For $0.20 a Bottle!

DIY Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers!

DIY Summer Chamomile-Mint Astringent

DIY Organic Honey Eucalyptus Body Butter!

DIY Morning Coffee Scrub

I hope this list will be a resource for so many of my readers who need to take a day, a non-adulting day, where you can find solace in pampering yourself, your temple, and your spirit. I hope this will be a blessing to you. 

Have an awesome day,

 niki-name-design

October No-Spend Daily Challenge Day 19: How to Sell on Craftsy

October No-Spend Monthly Challenge Day 19-

Hello again, savvy savers! Happy Monday, ya’ll! As it’s a new day, it’s a new way to sell and save, as part of this months No-Spend Challenge! Today, I’ll be focusing on Craftsy

If you knit, crochet, quilt, cross-stitch, or do any type of sewing, and you are a savvy-saving, crafty kind of person ( you come up with your own designs for the things you make), then you can earn a passive income selling your unique patterns on Craftsy! Of course there are lots of other sites you can use to sell your patterns (Etsy, Ebay, etc.), but the great thing about Craftsy is that it’s free to list and Craftsy lets you keep all the money from each sale — they take no fees out of what you earn.

If you make your own patterns and don’t mind others having them, you’re not out anything other than a little bit of time if you post them on Craftsy since they take no listing fees nor a commission. All the money you earn from sold patterns is yours, and they provide a very nice platform for you to use to get your stuff out there; a great opportunity to statsh a few bucks bask for the upcoming holiday season!

So, what’s Craftsy? 

Craftsy is fast becoming a very popular website for “crafty” types. In addition to offering a pattern marketplace free of charge to Indie designers, they also have virtual crafting classes you can take and some good prices on crafting supplies

Every single pattern you create can be sold over and over when listed on Craftsy. So you can list it once and keep it up for good. And the more patterns you have listed, the greater the chances you’ll sell something occasionally. I love passive income like this because it means you only do the “hard” work (creating the finished product) once. And then the pattern can sell itself over and over.

Also consider:

  • Craftsy is an online crafting community and sales shop.
  • The site features craft supplies, classes, online forums, videos, and affiliate opportunities.
  • One of the best aspect of the site is their classes; some types of classes focus on quilting, sewing, knitting, cake decorating, art, photography, cooking and many more categories.
  • Classes are taught by industry leaders, which allow users to learn at your pace with easy-to-follow HD video lessons you can access on your computer and mobile devices. 
  • Craftsy offers free mini classes, as well as pay-for-lesson classes, too!
  • The best part about Craftsy is their forum which allows crafters from all works of life to be able to sell their patterns online! 

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Why sell on Craftsy? 

  • Craftsy loves Indie designers!
  • You’ll never be charged a fee or take a commission when you list or sell your designs. 

How to sell on Craftsy:

  1. Be prepared. In order to list your pattern, first need to have an idea of what you would like to sell; scrap-booking, knitting, quilting patterns, etc.
  2. You will need a PayPal Account. You will need either a Premier, Student or Business account to sell patterns on Craftsy (these accounts are all free to set up through PayPal); this is required so that you can accept credit card payments from pattern buyers.
  3. Your pattern must be in a .pdf file format. The standard format for patterns on Craftsy is .pdf. So whether yours is a Word doc, a JPG, or another document format, you will need to convert all patterns to PDF before you continue.
  4. For Machine Embroidery patterns, the supported are .pec, .sew, .jef, .hus, .pes, .art, .and vip.
  5. If you have multiple .pdf files, you can add them to a .zip file and upload the zip file.
  6. Photos: Each pattern must have at least one photo, and no more than five, per project.
  7. Listings: You will also need to write a basic description paragraph about your pattern. 
  8. That’s it! You’re now a Craftsy seller! 

Each listing in the Craftsy pattern store has a photo or photos of the finished product, a detailed description of the pattern along with what materials will be needed to get started, and of course the price. You’ll have to go in and add all this information and upload a .pdf of your pattern. Also, if you’re not sure what to charge for your patterns, look around at similar products to get an idea of what others charge for theirs. That should give you a good idea of what patterns for items like yours are selling for.

If you have your pattern on your computer in Word document or as a picture (.jpg), you can convert it to .pdf through an online converter. Here is a free one to get patterns finished lickety split. Then, you just upload your .pdf file to Craftsy along with your photos of the finished product and you’re ready to get your pattern listed and start selling it.

Seller Tips:

  • Be sure to think outside of the box. 
  • If you can do any of the following, you can create a pc file pattern: Quilting, Sewing, Knitting, Cake Decorating, Crochet, Drawing, Photography Collages, Gardening/Planting Beds, Woodworkers, Macrame, Jewelry Making, Scrap-booking, and Embroidery. 
  • Write patterns how you would want to read patterns.
  • You can Google patterns to be an idea of what written formats should look like.
  • You can make anywhere from $3.00-$10.00 per pattern.
  • This is a great way to make passive income at home.
  • Have fun! 

Affiliate sales:

Looking for passive art-based income, without personal sales? Are you a blogger or have a following on social media? You can sign up as an affiliate for Craftsy and earn commissions when people buy products or sign up for crafting classes through your blog. Go here to sign up as a Craftsy affiliate.

So, today I challenge you to create a Craftsy account, and then sell a pattern on Craftsy

Here’s to saving,

niki-name-design

October No-Spend Challenge Day 18: Make Extra Money Using Fiverr!

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope this morning finds you well rested, and ready for a new days challenge! As last week was all about selling the goods gleaned from the week before lasts household deep cleaning No-Spend Challenges, I wanted to change gears this morning, and focus on the ways in which we can all make a few dollars, not by selling goods, but by capitalizing on our talents and abilities, using Fiverr.com. As many wives and mothers work from home, or within the home, and having alternative, ethical, encouraging ways to generate extra income is always a welcome resource, especially as the holiday season vast approaches! For this reason, Fiverr.com has become on of my favorite go-to resources for making extra funds in my spare time! 

 

 

Why Fiverr.com?

  • If you don’t know what fiverr is, you can signup on their website to list “gigs,” small, composed videos you create, educating people on some sort of activity, and in exchange you are paid $5.00!
  • Once you sell enough gigs, you become eligible to offer higher priced gigs and can make more money.

How to Start a Fiverr.com Account:

  1. The first step is signing up on their website.
  2. Once you’re logged in, you need create a gig.
  3. Under the new and improved Fiverr (V2), you click the Sales link in the top navigation.
  4. Next click on “My Gigs” from the right hand side of the page.
  5. Now you should see a big green button that says “ADD A NEW GIG”.
  6. Start by creating a gig title.
  7. It’s important to remember that when you’re first getting started on Fiverr, you can only sell 5 dollar gigs. 
  8. Sell something you think is valuable to somebody else but won’t take you forever to complete. 
  9. Fulfilling orders means delivering your gig on time within the time frame you specified. 
  10. In order to complete your gig listing, you need to pick a category and provide a description. 
  11. You will then be able to complete a listing, and that’s it!
  12. You can list up to 10 Gigs at a time.
  13. You’re now a Fiverr! 

Here are also a few Fiverr Tips:

  • You may think 10 orders and excellent ratings is difficult to accomplish, but within a few weeks you will have automated your videos and the process will be much simpler. 
  • Another thing to note is Fiverr will allow you to upload a video into your gig gallery.
  • Fiverr claims that gigs with videos are viewed almost 3X more often than gigs without video. 
  • Once you have uploaded either a picture or video to your gig gallery, you can tag your gig with up to 5 keywords and provide any special instructions to the buyer.
  • After you publish your gig, it may need review before going live on the website.
  • My very first gig was automatically reviewed, but approved within 24 hours.
  • After your gig has been approved and is listed as active in your Fiverr dashboard, you should start promoting it to your friends, family, and anybody else you think might be interested in buying your product or service. For instance, if you’re on Twitter, tweet it. Tons of friends on Facebook? Post it!
  • Fiverr charges a fee. Fiverr takes a 20% cut on every gig.
  • Therefore, your $5 in your pocket payout is now $4, but still a fair payment. 

What would make good Fiverr.com gigs?

  • Are you a homeschooling parent, an educator, or an instructor? Consider showing others learning/teaching techniques or sample lesson plans.
  • Are you an awesome home chef? Post a recipe.
  • Can you juggle? Demonstrate a trick.
  • Are you an awesome storyteller? Record a story.
  • Are you a crafter? Show a demo on a DIY crafting project.
  • Are you a seasoned married couple? Share a video on advice and practice living.
  • Topics are limitless!

So, if you are interested in making money on Fiverr, give it a shot and you may surprise yourself. Do your homework though, and really think about something you can sell that provides value to the world around you. You may only be a few minutes away from being 5 dollars richer! 

So, for today I challenge you to create a Fiverr.com account, create a gig, post a video, and wait for the gigs to come in! 

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a new daily challenge!

 

Here’s to saving,

mbnlogosm

October No-Spend Month Challenge Day 17: How To Make Money Selling Your Stuff On Craigslist

Day 17-

 

Hello again, savvy savers! So, yesterday, as part of the #31DayLWSZ Daily Challenge we focused on Facebook Local Group selling,  so for today we tackle selling on Craigslist!

So, why Craigslist?

  • If you’re looking for an easy and rewarding “in” to buying and selling online, there is no better option than Craigslist.
  • Craigslist takes the old-school idea of selling in the newspaper, and applies this model to a larger scale, community-specific format. 
  • Selling is free to list, sell, or trade.

What’s even better? It’s super simple to sell your unwanted stuff on Craigslist groups. So, today I am challenging you to look for Facebook sale groups in your area to post, sell, and profit from your household items, clothing, sporting goods, and baby items.

PicMonkey Collage

Here’s how to sell on Craigslist:

  1. Go to Craigslist.org. 
  2. Choose the state where you live: You can go right to your city by entering yourcityname.craigslist.org. 
  3. Click on the post to classifieds button. It’s on the left side, under the Craigslist logotype. That will bring you to a page that says: ‘”What type of posting is this?”‘ It gives you a list of posting type.
  4. Click the for sale button, will bring you to another category page. It features a list of about 100 categories. You can choose one. Click on the category that is most appropriate for what you’re selling. If you don’t know what category your item belongs in, click on the category general for sale. 
  5. Enter the posting information. This is the title and copy and other information potential buyers will see when they are searching for what you’re selling.
  6. These fields are as follows: 
  • Posting Title: This is what people will see as the heading in their search results.
  • Price: Obviously, how much you’re selling the item for.
  • Specific location: Enter your county, part of town, or other general information. Do not enter your address!
  • Reply to: Put your email address here. You can choose to either display it as is, or to make it anonymous so that your name is not attached to it. This is good to do, especially if you have a unique last name and are selling something valuable. 
  • Posting Description. This where you do your selling. Make it interesting, make it catchy. If you don’t know what or how to write sales copy, take a look at a catalog or newspaper ad you might have, and see how they do it. 
  • Be truthful here. If there are flaws that damage the value of the item, or there’s a piece missing, or that your ex will be knocking on the door of whoever buys it—let them know in advance.
  • Check “okay” for others to contact you…” if it’s fine with you to get unsolicited emails from strangers.
  • Check your form. The fields in green must be filled in.
  • Submit pictures of what you’re selling. 

      7. Check your listing for accuracy. You want to make sure your listing will get the attention it deserves. You’ll also receive an email, which will need to be confirmed, and then the posting will be officially posted to the site. That’s it! You’re just made an ad on Craigslist!

Here are a few selling tips:

  1. You need great photos:  A great photo, will make for an easy sale. A fuzzy photo makes people wonder what you are trying to hide, even if you’re not trying to hide anything! Be sure to take photos from multiple angles. List the best photo possible! 
  2. Write an accurate description and price accordingly; think actuality and not sentimental worth.
  3. Note what area of town you are in. 
  4.  Be ready to respond to inquiries.
  5. Don’t settle on the first offer. If someone is already trying to ask for a lower price, or wants to know a hundred things more about it, I don’t waste time on them unless they are the only inquiry. Although it is considered courteous to offer the item on a first-come, first-served basis, if there are more than a few responses I usually skip over anyone who gives any indication they will be difficult to work with, such as wanting a discount before seeing the item, difficulty in arranging a time to pick up the item, or asking a myriad of questions that are irrelevant for a used item that’s being sold for a fair price.
  6. Specify when the item needs to be sold. The first person who’s able to come get it by tonight gets dibs!” on the ad to prevent something like that from happening again.
  7. Save your “back-up buyers” emails.  Sometimes you will have someone not show up, or cancel, or decide they don’t want it. In that case, you could post it again, or if you’ve saved the emails other people sent, you can just email them all directly and and re-offer it to them; just be polite and do not let them know they were your second choice person! 
  8. Always meet in public. Be sure to pick a place that is convenient for you, that’s in public, during daylight hours, never in a secluded place, and always take someone reliable with you. 
  9. Be courteous. If your item doesn’t sell, re-post it according to the guidelines. If you’ve posted it twice with no response, it probably means no one wants it or you are asking too much. As a buyer, it gets really annoying to see the same exact postings get posted every couple of days with no change–no new pictures, same description, no price adjustments. I have seem people post the same thing every day for a month. Be consciousness of others. 
  10. Once items/listings sell, promptly remove listings. It goes without saying that as a buyer, it’s highly frustrating to respond to listings, only to find out items have already sold. Treat buyers as you would wish others to treat you! 

My Selling Goals:

  • I am going to list 10 household items; bedding sets, lamps, chair, desk, book sets, and small kitchen appliances.
  • I hope to make $100.00 in profit.
  • All items that do not sell will be donated to charity.
  • All items will be listed for one week.

So, that’s it, folks! So everyone, today I also challenge you to create a Craigslist account, and sell your items laying around your house, too! Please be sure to check back this evening for my daily recap!

Here’s to saving,

niki-name-design