Saving Money | List Producer

Make Cash From Your Clutter

February 18, 2014/0 Comments/in Apps, Home, Increase Productivity, People, Saving Money, Saving Time, Shopping, Technology/by Paula Rizzo

Yard Sale! (Photo credit: moon angel)

I started my spring cleaning a little early this year, not only in the hopes that maybe Mother Nature will get the hint (crossing my fingers and toes that this ridiculous snow in the Northeast ends) but also to make a little extra cash! YES – cash for your clutter, what could be better then that?

PoshMark
Dig out those glamorous heels in the back of your closet that you love but can’t find another occasion to wear and let this app do the rest. You can set up an inventory of clothes, shoes, and jewelry to sell on the app or through their site. All you do is upload the photos, set the price, negotiate with customers, and voila you now have a little extra space in your wardrobe and cash in your hand. They make shipments super easy by sending you the prepaid packaging – all you need to do is add the address (because of this they take 20% of your sale). You can also browse through other “closets” in case you need to fill that heel hole in your heart 😉

ThreadFlip
This is a similar app to PoshMark, except if you don’t want to spend the time selling your items they will do it for you with their “full service” option (their take on your sale is 40% with this option, “list on your own” is 20%) . ThreadFlip will send you a free pre-paid bag, you fill it with the things you want to sell, and ship it back to them. They will then professionally photograph the items, load them to the site, and send them on there way when they are sold! That’s my kind of outsourcing!

Gazelle
I sometimes keep my old cell phones in case the one I have now suddenly breaks — that’s just the preparer in me. Well, this habit has now taken over an entire drawer, so I decided to sell them on Gazelle. You can sell old cell phones, tablets, Apple computers, and other electronics. Just enter the model, and the current condition and the site does the rest! They will send you a pre-paid box to send back your stuff and send you a check once they receive your package.

YardSale

If you have a random collection of things to get rid of I would try out this app. You can sell pretty much anything from a bike, to a camera, or even a car – it really is a virtual yard sale. Just upload the photo of the item your selling to your profile and set the price. The app shows your location so people can search locally (as well as nationally) for items they want! Maybe someone from the next block is looking for that Beatles poster you no longer want.

Etsy
If you are a avid DIYer and have suddenly found yourself cluttered by crafts this may be the site for you! Whether it’s mason jars, photo frames, or hand crafted jewelry, you can sell it to earn cash! Etsy allows you to set up an account and sell your products through the site. You will be a little more craft free, and who knows, you can actually make a brand for yourself!

Now go dig through your closets and earn some cash! Let me know which apps work best for you 🙂 Happy selling!

I’m Hosting a Free Productivity Apps Webinar

February 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Apps, Benefits of List Making, Increase Productivity, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Technology, Tool for Success, Uncategorized, Webinar/by Paula Rizzo

A few weeks ago I hosted a free webinar – “Boost your Productivity in 2014“. I really enjoyed sharing all of my tips with you and one of the most frequently asked question was about which apps I find most useful. So, I am happy to announce that on February 26th at 8pm EST, I will holding my 2nd FREE webinar : Productivity Apps!!

If you follow my blog, then you know I love all kinds of apps and just can’t get enough of them! I am constantly researching and testing out new ones to see which work best for my productive needs. Apps have recently been taking over my “Fab Find” column on Fridays.

When I see people using the “Notes” app on their iPhones to keep their to-do’s or tasks, I literally cringe thinking back to when I used to do the same! There are so many great apps out there that blow “Notes” right out of the water. And don’t fear – they are mostly all free!

5 Ways to be a Better Complainer and Get What You Want

January 21, 2014/2 Comments/in Apps, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success/by Paula Rizzo

United Breaks Guitars (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A few weeks ago, I told you about an app that helps you skip the wait-time when calling customer service. However, just because you get to talk to a person faster doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get what you want. I’ve had amazing customer service, but I’ve also had really horrendous help that leaves me so frustrated. You know what I mean – it can be really hard to keep your cool when the stranger on the other end of the phone is being difficult about their company shipping you the wrong pair of pants.

A few years ago Dave Carroll was flying United Airlines when he noticed that the people loading the plane were throwing his guitar around, resulting in a broken guitar when he landed. He spent months dealing with United’s customer service, only to discover that they weren’t going to do a thing about his smashed guitar. Dave took matters into his own hands, writing the song “United Breaks Guitars” and exposing the airline’s bad behavior in a viral video that resulted in United reaching out to David and offering to replace his unusual guitar. Now, when the rest of us have to get a new guitar, we can’t quite get United Airlines to send one for us. Instead, we can compare a range of small bodied guitars on a site like thesoundjunky until we find the guitar that is right for us.

I know that we don’t all have the luxury (or the musical ability) to handle bad customer service the way Dave did, but here are a few ways anyone can complain smarter and get better customer service: Read more

Join Me Tonight for My Webinar!

January 14, 2014/0 Comments/in Increase Productivity, Learning With a List, List Making, Reduce Stress, Saving Money, Saving Time, Tool for Success, Webinar/by Paula Rizzo

Tonight’s the night! I’ll be hosting my webinar tonight, January 15, 2014 at 8 pm ET

If you want to do more in less time, the solution could be as simple as downloading the best app or making the right list. That’s why I’m here to help!

Join me tonight to learn:

How to prioritize your lists
How to make the best lists for your life needs
Why list making is so beneficial
How to be more efficient day-to-day

Lists are my secret to success – join me to find out how! RSVP here

If you have any issues you’d like me to address, please don’t hesitate to reach out and drop me a line.

When you sign up you will get a reminder email with a link to the webinar. See you there!

“Netflix for Books” Can Save You Money!

January 9, 2014/0 Comments/in Apps, Books, Saving Money, Technology/by Paula Rizzo

It’s been so cold here in New York and I’m looking forward this weekend when I can stay inside and cozy up with a good book to relax! I really love biographies, historical fiction, and any book that’s about to be made into a movie. As a kid – I loved going to the library and would often pick the same books over and over (usually Curious George or Paul’s Christmas Birthday.) But with libraries becoming virtually a thing of the past, reading can actually be a pretty costly hobby (not to mention costly for the environment if you’re still buying hard copies.) And think about all the clutter those beloved books create.

Recently, I discovered Oyster – it’s the app CNN calls “Netflix for Books” because, for a monthly subscription, you can read an unlimited number of titles available in their library. I was completely into the app until I realized that their library had a lot of interesting titles, but very few that were already on my reading list.

But fear not — Oyster isn’t the only app that lets you subscribe and read all you want – BookSwim and BookLending.com offer similar services, but they each have their own pros and cons.