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How to Successfully Buy in eBay Auctions

DDFD — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:15:00 GMT

Self reliant people can sometimes secure the items they need at reasonable prices by buying at auctions. I recently posted on How to Buy at an Auction (10 Tips for Success). In that post, I mentioned that eBay auctions had a few other considerations.

Obviously, use the tips from my earlier post, but when seeking success in eBay auctions, try following these tips as well:

Don't bid on something to monitor it-- Use the watching feature instead.
"Sniping" is okay-- The only bid that matters is the last, highest bid . . . does it matter when you place it?
Bid with odd amounts-- $51.53 instead of $50.00 when the latest high bid is $48.00 (I have won lots simply because of that $0.03).
Always bid in the last 15 seconds of the auction and have a second window open with a slightly higher bid set to bid again at the eight seconds left mark.
Don't be afraid to ask questions and for more pictures-- This is a remote, non-inspection auction.
Try to have other similar lots ready if you lose the first lot (I rarely lost a lot using the above techniques).
Pay quickly and leave good feedback only if you get good service and a good feedback about your half of the transaction.

Good luck!

This post originally appeared on Self-Reliance-Exchange.com, here is the link to the original post: How to Successfully Buy in eBay Auctions.

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Frugal Money Saving Tip of the Day 12/31/09

DDFD — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Each weekday, I am going to post a quick, frugal tip that you can try immediately. Here is today's tip:

Close your garage door in both summer and winter to keep the cool/heat in.

Frugality is developed day by day-- start today!

More to come . . .

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Quote of the Day 12/31/09

DDFD — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:54:00 GMT

Learn something new everyday! Here is today's quote:

That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part . . . Thomas Jefferson

Words to live by . . .

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Thesaurus Thursday: Spurious

DDFD — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:44:00 GMT

I am a self improvement enthusiast. I believe you should always strive to improve body, mind, and spirit. One way to improve your mind and be more successful in life (there by improving the quality of one's life) is to expand your vocabulary. With that in mind,here is today's new word . . .

spurious (adj) fake, not genuine

Synonyms: artificial, bogus, deceptive, false, illegitimate, imitation, make-believe, mock, phony, simulated
Antonyms: authentic, genuine, real

When buying a diamond ring, be sure the stone is not spurious.

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Frugal Money Saving Tip of the Day 12/30/09

DDFD — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 10:35:00 GMT

Each weekday, I am going to post a quick, frugal tip that you can try immediately. Here is today's tip:

Turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Frugality is developed day by day-- start today!

More to come . . .

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The 950th Post: Top 10 Most Popular Posts

DDFD — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 06:33:00 GMT

I am celebrating the site's 950th post. Here are the ten most popular posts, in order of popularity:

As always, more to come . . .

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Words of Wisdom: P.T. Barnum

DDFD — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:54:00 GMT

Phineas Taylor (P.T.) Barnum was an American businessman and showman who founded a circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was outspoken-- here are some of his quotes:

There's a sucker born every minute
Unless a man enters upon the vocation intended for him by nature, and best suited to his peculiar genius, he cannot succeed
Without promotion something terrible happens... Nothing!
Many persons are always kept poor, because they are too visionary. Every project looks to them like certain successes, and therefore they keep changing from one business to another, always in hot water, always 'under the harrow'."
Men who drive sharp bargains with their customers, acting as if they never expected to see them again, will not be mistaken. They will never see them again as customers. People don't like to pay and get kicked also
Every crowd has a silver lining
Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant
which they wish to accomplish, and the thing is easily done
Engage in one kind of business only, and stick to it faithfully until you succeed, or until your experience shows that you should abandon it
If I shoot at the sun I may hit a star
Whatever you do, do it with all your might. Work at it, early and late, in season and out of season, not leaving a stone unturned, and never deferring for a single hour that which can be done just as well now

This post original appeared on Defensive-Entrepreneurship.com, here is the link to the original post: Entrepreneurial Words of Wisdom: P.T. Barnum.

Word of the Day: Parsimonious

DDFD — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:47:00 GMT

I am a self improvement enthusiast. I believe you should always strive to improve body, mind, and spirit. One way to improve your mind and be more successful in life (thereby improving the quality of one's life) is to expand your vocabulary. With that in mind, here is today's new word . . .

parsimonious (adj) sparing in the expenditure of money

Many frugal people can rightly be referred to as parsimonious in their nature.

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Conserve Energy Because it is Good For YOU!

DDFD — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:42:00 GMT

Back in September, I posted over on the Self Reliance Exchange the idea that composting was a worthy cause because it was good for you as opposed to the usual reason that it is good for the planet (Composting-- Being Good for the Environment Has Nothing to Do With it . . . ). Well today, I am proposing that you again act in your own self interest-- by conserving energy.

In my household, we:

Turn off unused lights and appliances
Use compact fluorescent lights (CFLs)
Take short hot water showers
Don't over do hot water washer cycles
Don't over dry clothes in the dryer
Offset heating oil with wood fires
Keep the thermostat in the low 60s, not the 70s
Dress appropriately for the season
Use rechargeable batteries
Avoid fuel waste when using our vehicles

Why do we do these things? To do our part to save the planet? Give me a break-- we do it because it saves us money and helps us to avoid wasting money. Reality check-- it's about self interest! Frugal and self reliant people will save the planet long before politicians and environmentalists. How? The frugal and self reliant will always seek ways to reduce, recycle, and substitute energy to save money. Those actions (in their own self interest) also invoke basic economics.

Basic economics? If enough people conserved energy for self interest, demand would go down. Simple economics says that when demand goes down, price follows-- we all win . . . and the planet gets "saved".

Look for more posts at the Self Reliance Exchange describing ways to conserve energy and more importantly, save you money . . .

This post originally appeared on Self-Reliance-Exchange.com, here is the link to the original post: Conserve Energy Because it is Good For YOU!

Frugal Money Saving Tip of the Day 12/29/09

DDFD — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:09:00 GMT

Each weekday, I am going to post a quick, frugal tip that you can try immediately. Here is today's tip:

Check the air pressure of your tires 1-2 times per month to save gas and drive safe.

Frugality is developed day by day-- start today!

More to come . . .

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Quote of the Day 12/29/09

DDFD — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:02:00 GMT

Learn something new everyday! Here is today's quote:

Drive thy business; let not that drive thee . . . Richard Saunders (a.k.a. Ben Franklin)

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Thesaurus Tuesday: Onerous

DDFD — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:44:00 GMT

onerous (adj) burdensome or oppressive

Synonyms: arduous, cumbersome, demanding, difficult, distressing, exhausting, formidable, grueling, heavy, laborious, rigorous, strenuous, taxing, tiresome, toilsome, troublesome, weighty
Antonyms: common, easy, light, trivial

Many tasks seem onerous at first, but many turn out to be simple and routine.

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Frugal Way to Stay Healthy This Flu Season?

DDFD — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:18:00 GMT

Try good old soap and water . . . Yeah, that's it. Soap and water.

Staying healthy can sometimes be as simple as going back to the basics of personal hygiene. I can't tell you how often I see people fail to wash there hands at moments one would expect . . . like after using the restroom.

Soap and water is inexpensive and is best used as follows:

Wet hands with water
Commence soaping up hands
Scrub and rub hands with soap for 15-30 seconds
Start rinsing the soap off with water
Dry hands and avoid touching common items
Apply moisturizer, if you need to

Simple, I know . . .

Stay healthy!

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Frugal Money Saving Tip of the Day 12/28/09

DDFD — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:10:00 GMT

Each weekday, I am going to post a quick, frugal tip that you can try immediately. Here is today's tip:

Always buy Christmas or other holiday wrap and decorations right after the holiday passes-- it's usually 50% off.

Frugality is developed day by day-- start today!

More to come . . .

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What's in My Moleskine Monday 12/28/09

DDFD — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:51:00 GMT

I always have a pen and paper. Specifically, I carry little Moleskine notebooks to jot ideas, plans, lists, post topics, budgets . . . you name it. I get ideas all the time, but they can be lost if not quickly recorded. Some ideas sit for days, weeks, and months, but I still have them at my fingertips.

Every Monday I will share some of what I have recorded in my Moleskine notebook and how I used it the prior week-- it will provide great insight as to how much of what you read here comes about.

Here is what I gleaned from this week's notes:

Added 20 more ideas to my list of Frugal Money Saving Tips.
Made a list of future Self Reliance Exchange posts that included the fat and happy mentality as well as old fashioned alternative medicine.
Made a few notes on soap recipes to get to for DaddyCooksQuick.com.
Planned and mapped out a few future site ideas.
Made a list of books I want to add reviews on for the various sites.
Thought more about self improvement and listed a few post ideas on learning techniques.

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Quote of the Day 12/28/09

DDFD — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:42:00 GMT

Learn something new everyday! Here is today's quote:

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred . . . Abraham Lincoln

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Book Recommendation: National Audubon Society Field Guide to . . .

DDFD — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:15:00 GMT

We live in an area surrounded by nature preserves and we have become avid bird and wildlife watchers, as well as hikers in the surrounding trails. If you are into bird watching I recommend picking up a copy of the National Audubon Society Field Guide. I own the New England version and it has handwritten dots on creatures we have seen and identified.

What I really like about the guide is that it is relatively pocket sized. It has great color photos on magazine stock paper and great descriptions of the items it lists. It covers:

Geology
Habitat
Weather
Plants and trees
Insects
Fish
Birds
Animals
Parks and preserves

If you get outdoors and like to explore-- it is worth owning a copy. I highly recommend adding it to your library.

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DDFD's This Week Last Year (#19)

DDFD — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:31:00 GMT

Each week, I provide a recap of posts that appeared here one year ago. Here are the posts for this week:

I hope you enjoy the chance to review these posts . . .

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In the Workshop at Defensive-Entrepreneurship.com 12/27/09

DDFD — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:12:00 GMT

Here is this week's review of entrepreneurial posts that appeared over Defensive-Entrepreneurship.com:

More to come . . .

Book Recommendation: The Joy of Cooking

DDFD — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 12:48:00 GMT

Home cooking is frugal and now quite fashionable. The home cook would be well served to add this classic cookbook, The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, to their kitchen library. A good way to describe it as a cook's bible. I use the word "recommendation" because I will not simply review books, but rather I will only recommend them.

The Joy of Cooking originally written by Irma S. Rombauer (and now edited by her family) is a classic and a must have cookbook for the beginner and advanced cook. When you want the basic recipe or need a simple approach or a totally new idea-- this is the one to reach for. It has been around for more than seven decades.

I own this book and my copy is dog earred from years of good use-- I got it from my mother-in-law. While the book was first published in the 1930's, my copy is an updated copy, it is from 1973 (Very up-to-date, I know . . . ). My edition boasts over 4,300 recipes. It is a great reference and I have used quite often for basic ideas on sauces and general approaches to preparing common dishes. Beyond recipes, it also gives ideas on entertaining and table setting.

This book would make a great gift idea for house warmings or engagements. I highly recommend owning this book-- it is money well spent.

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DIVORCEDDADFRUGALDAD.COM

How to Successfully Buy in eBay Auctions

Frugal Money Saving Tip of the Day 12/31/09

Quote of the Day 12/31/09

Thesaurus Thursday: Spurious

Frugal Money Saving Tip of the Day 12/30/09

The 950th Post: Top 10 Most Popular Posts

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Word of the Day: Parsimonious

Conserve Energy Because it is Good For YOU!

Frugal Money Saving Tip of the Day 12/29/09

Quote of the Day 12/29/09

Thesaurus Tuesday: Onerous

Frugal Way to Stay Healthy This Flu Season?

Frugal Money Saving Tip of the Day 12/28/09

What's in My Moleskine Monday 12/28/09

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