I can't afford to collect!
I know, times are tight and you don't have the extra moolah to add that First issue of Sports Illustrated to your collection of First Issue magazines; after all it's on Ebay for $400. (it is actually). Well I'm going to show how with a little bit of work you can find the seed money to start your collection, add to it, and always have some money in reserve!! Magic. No, just a little organization.
Step 1. Organize your crap. Every one of us has stuff lying around that we don't need or want. Put it to good use. Hold a garage sale, put it on Craigslist, take it to an auction or take it to a flea market. Do you really need 780 paperback books? Does that old leather jacket still fit? Why do you have a fish serving platter? You really do have stuff that other people will pay for. I had a bunch of old mismatched silverware and some old hand mixers and rolling pins that I had inherited from somewhere. Following my own advice, instead of sending it to Sally Ann (though they get their fair share of stuff too), I listed it on Ebay. I realized nearly $200 from people trying to finish their silverware set and others collecting antique hand mixers. Yes, people do collect them.
Step 2. Start a separate bank account. Unless you are extremely well disciplined and organized, it's important to keep your "fun" money away from the mortgage money. You won't feel guilty spending your found cash if you're not cutting into the grocery money. PUT ALL YOUR FOUND MONEY IN THE ACCOUNT! Ok, your garage sale money goes in, that's obvious. But the little bits you get, like the Costco refund cheque you weren't expecting, the $20 birthday gift, the $10 lotto win; drop this into the account too, it all adds up quickly.
Step 3. Start a Paypal account and tie it into your new collectors account. It's simple, you can have a Paypal account set up within minutes. The reason for this is twofold. First, it's extremely well accepted anywhere in the world. If you want to pay for something on Ebay or any other auction site Paypal is generally accepted. The transactions are secure and insured. When you go to sell your old leather jacket on Ebay, you allow customers to use any form of payment they like through their Paypal account which increases their likelihood of buying your product. They can use their Mastercard, attached to their Paypal account to buy your jacket. Not likely you have a Mastercard machine sitting in your living room. You can also use Paypal to transfer cash into and out of your account. It's a great way to keep track of your spending. If you want to buy that first issue Sport's Illustrated off of Ebay, they take Paypal.
There you go, go buy something!
I know, times are tight and you don't have the extra moolah to add that First issue of Sports Illustrated to your collection of First Issue magazines; after all it's on Ebay for $400. (it is actually). Well I'm going to show how with a little bit of work you can find the seed money to start your collection, add to it, and always have some money in reserve!! Magic. No, just a little organization.
Step 1. Organize your crap. Every one of us has stuff lying around that we don't need or want. Put it to good use. Hold a garage sale, put it on Craigslist, take it to an auction or take it to a flea market. Do you really need 780 paperback books? Does that old leather jacket still fit? Why do you have a fish serving platter? You really do have stuff that other people will pay for. I had a bunch of old mismatched silverware and some old hand mixers and rolling pins that I had inherited from somewhere. Following my own advice, instead of sending it to Sally Ann (though they get their fair share of stuff too), I listed it on Ebay. I realized nearly $200 from people trying to finish their silverware set and others collecting antique hand mixers. Yes, people do collect them.
Step 2. Start a separate bank account. Unless you are extremely well disciplined and organized, it's important to keep your "fun" money away from the mortgage money. You won't feel guilty spending your found cash if you're not cutting into the grocery money. PUT ALL YOUR FOUND MONEY IN THE ACCOUNT! Ok, your garage sale money goes in, that's obvious. But the little bits you get, like the Costco refund cheque you weren't expecting, the $20 birthday gift, the $10 lotto win; drop this into the account too, it all adds up quickly.
Step 3. Start a Paypal account and tie it into your new collectors account. It's simple, you can have a Paypal account set up within minutes. The reason for this is twofold. First, it's extremely well accepted anywhere in the world. If you want to pay for something on Ebay or any other auction site Paypal is generally accepted. The transactions are secure and insured. When you go to sell your old leather jacket on Ebay, you allow customers to use any form of payment they like through their Paypal account which increases their likelihood of buying your product. They can use their Mastercard, attached to their Paypal account to buy your jacket. Not likely you have a Mastercard machine sitting in your living room. You can also use Paypal to transfer cash into and out of your account. It's a great way to keep track of your spending. If you want to buy that first issue Sport's Illustrated off of Ebay, they take Paypal.
There you go, go buy something!
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