Posts tagged Adam Baker
Save Money on Shipping with Free Boxes from USPS
Jul 29th
This article is by staff writer Adam Baker. Baker previous featured an article on his own blog entitled “How I paid off $15,000 in 9 months by selling my Stuff on Ebay“.
There I was, bustling around the kitchen making lunch for my daughter when our late morning routine was interrupted:Boom! Boom! Boom!
Milligan and I glanced toward the front door where the thunderous pounding had originated. “Holy cow!” I thought to myself, “There are only two groups of people who knock like that! This may not be good…”
Luckily, as I slowly opened the door, there was a stocky little lady in her late forties or fifties (with no badge). “Afternoon,” she said. “I’ve some packages for you… several packages for you. I’m gonna need some help carrying these around to the door.”
I started to tell her she must have the wrong house before I caught myself. “Whoa, that was fast”, I thought. Only 48 hours earlier, I’d been sitting in front of my computer cautiously ordering over 300 boxes of various sizes from United States Postal Office.
Free Boxes from USPS
For a while now, I’ve be aware the postal service provides free boxes when you ship through its Priority or Express Mail. Back when Courtney and I were purging all of our possessions in preparation for the year we spent traveling abroad, we had even stopped by our local post office to pick up several dozen of them.
But I recently discovered that the USPS will actually ship the boxes to you…for free! In fact, it’s painfully easy. Currently, there seems to be two different ways to order free boxes:
- The USPS Online Store. If you’re willing to take 30 seconds to register an account on usps.com, you can order directly from the post service. This gives you access to dozens of different box and envelope sizes. The website quotes you 7-10 business days, but my huge order only took 48 hours! Here’s the direct link to access the Priority Mail section of the USPS Online Store.
- USPS-eBay Partner Website. Alternatively, you can order free boxes with only your eBay account (no separate account needed with USPS). These boxes are also only for Priority Mail, but are branded with both the USPS logo and eBay’s logo. Unfortunately, you can only order 6 different sizes with your eBay account, but there is a decent variety offered. For more information, check out the eBay Supplies partnership on USPS.com.
When you order online, you can select between a pack of 10 boxes or a pack of 25 for each different box size. You can also order between 10 and 100 envelopes in a single batch. I personally ordered an assortment of 25-packs from each site and received them all within two business days! Now I’ve just got to get through all these boxes!
The Catch?
While the boxes are really 100% free, you can only use the free Priority Mail boxes for… Priority Mail. USPS is very strict on this rule. You won’t be able to use the boxes to ship Media Mail, First-Class, or Parcel Post. However, if in a fit of frugality you decide to use the boxes to wrap Christmas presents, you should be okay as long as no family members are undercover USPS agents!
Priority Mail is the default shipping method for many people who buy and sell on eBay. Packages normally arrive inside the 2-3 day quoted time frame, and the delivery confirmation and tracking (both free when ordering postage online) are important to a smooth transaction.
Whenever Courtney and I ship packages, whether it be through eBay or for family/friends, we almost always send them Priority Mail. So for us, we’ll eventually weed through our new shipment of free boxes!
Avoid the Post Office Altogether!
If you’re shipping a package via Priority Mail, the ability to order free boxes online means you can avoid the post office altogether! You could order the boxes, pack the item at home, print postage online, and even schedule a pickup for your outgoing shipment. That’s right: USPS will come pick up deliveries that contain at least one package that is Priority or Express Mail.
Note: Express Mail is simply the expedited version of Priority Mail. You pay significantly more, but your shipment is quoted at one business day instead of 2-3 with Priority. Express Mail requires its own special boxes, but they too are free at shop.usps.com.
I have to admit that being at the post office isn’t one of my favorite pastimes. Courtney and I will continue to sell our unneeded stuff on eBay (we also sell stuff for our extended family); the process will just no longer include any trips to the post office. Being able to go through the entire shipping process from our home office is much simpler for us!
Oh — and if you know anyone in the Indianapolis area who could use some free boxes, let me know. I have a couple extra laying around!
J.D.’s note: My family has owned a box factory for 25 years, but I never thought I’d host a box-related article at Get Rich Slowly. It’d be a shame if I didn’t mention that if you need boxes in Portland, Oregon, my cousin and brother can steer you in the right direction.
Photo by Courtney Baker.
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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:
- Cheap Moving Boxes
- How to Use the Amazon Marketplace for Fun and Profit
- What To Do About Stolen Mail?
- How to List an eBay Auction for Maximum Profit
- How to Get (Nearly) Free Stuff from eBay
A Simple Question to Jump-Start Your Finances
Jul 21st
This video post by staff writer Adam Baker is the last of a four-part series. Baker previously featured a post on his own blog entitled, Debt Tsunami: The Ultimate Method to Paying Off Debt.
Courtney and I have recently stumbled upon a new hurdle in our personal finance journey: complacency.
You see, we’ve experienced just enough success to make us feel comfortable, but not enough to be even close to accomplishing what we want. We budget fairly well, we live on less than we earn (or right at what we earn), and we’re able to explore passion-based income opportunities. On the flip side, we’re still making far less than we’re worth, we aren’t saving for college or retirement, and we still have a bunch of student loans.
In our current situation, I’m always looking for ways to jolt our perspective and spark a bit more motivation. In the past, we’ve tried brainstorming more exciting ways to frame our goals, or sharing empowering stories we’ve read about from others’ lives. These can work, but they’ve began to lose their effectiveness.
Recently, however, I stumbled across a simple but powerful question that helped us shift our perspective and smash our complacency:
What would you do if, starting tomorrow, your income was immediately cut in half?
To receive benefit from the question, it’s important to leave details on the sideline. It doesn’t matter how or why it happened; instead, focus on what steps you’d take if you had to live on half your income starting tomorrow. Most people would have to make radical changes.
As I talk about in today’s video, you can approach this question on the expenses side or on the income side (earning back that income quickly). Neither side is more valuable than the other, and both are worth exploring further.
Here’s a timeline of this presentation:
- The question [0:28]
- The expenses side: What would you cut first in order to survive? [0:42]
- The income side: How could you double your income next month? [2:10]
In order to derive any benefit, you’ll need to really adopt the mindset implied in the question. Don’t focus on whether it’s possible, but instead on what would realistically be the first expenses to go and the first steps to replacing the income.
Once you’ve made a list for both sides of the question, you’ll want to review it for any areas that seem realistic, even at your current full income. For example, your first steps may include selling an extra car, canceling an expensive cable package, and slashing your grocery budget in half. In this situation, you’ve likely brainstormed areas of your budget where you aren’t spending as optimally as you may like. You may choose to go ahead and try some of those options out, or at least take steps to narrow the gap between your life at 100% income and your life at 50% income levels.
The same process is important when attempting to make the income back as quickly as possible. Realistic options could include enrolling in a course (applying for aid if needed), launching a side business, and/or picking up new clients or leads. Nearly every time I brainstorm options for doubling my business income, I unearth something I hadn’t thought of before. Acting on these new ideas has helped me tremendously in generating new income (even if it doesn’t immediately double it)!
The next time you’re feeling a bit complacent in your finances, try exploring this simple question. What would be the first expenses you’d cut in order to survive on only half your income? What would be the first steps you’d take if you had to earn it back? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results of this experiment!
Planning for Budget Busters: Home Ownership
Jul 15th
This video post is the third of a four-part series from staff writer Adam Baker. Baker previously featured a post on his own blog entitled Cost of Living Abroad: Dozens of Bloggers Share Their Expenses.
Last week, I introduced the concept of a Budget Buster, which is any irregular expense that I fail to plan for. These are’t true emergencies, but rather expenses that pop up to surprise me, even though I should have easily seen them coming.
This week, I’m concentrating on the largest budgeting category for these surprise expenses: home ownership. When looking for housing Budget Busters, those of us making the transition from renting to home ownership need to be especially wary; lack of experience leaves us exposed to a barrage of these expenses in the first few years.
Most of us are familiar with paying a mortgage (including interest), property taxes, and homeowner’s insurance. In fact, many times these are lumped into a single monthly payment by your mortgage or processing company. But in addition to these routine costs comes a host of irregular — but nonetheless inevitable — expenses.
In this video, I concentrate on three main areas where Budget Busters strike hardest: routine maintenance, repairs/improvements, and transactions costs.
Here’s a run-down of the contents:
- Recap of the definition of a Budget Buster [0:12]
- Defining routine maintenance vs. repairs/improvements [1:05]
- Brainstorming examples of routine maintenance [1:45]
- Brainstorming examples of repairs/improvements [2:20]
- Hidden expenses related to buying and selling a home [3:25]
The enormous costs associated with the repairs and improvements — remodeling a kitchen, replacing a furnace, tearing out a tree — are apparent. However, the combined costs of routine maintenance — yardwork, cleaning carpets, painting a room — can add up quickly too.
As we talked about in part one, the key to planning for these Budget Busters is embracing the fact that irregular expenses will almost always be more than we expect. It’s been my experience that just when I think I have it figured out, something new comes along to bust me! I’ve learned the best strategy is to overestimate my costs to ensure a cushion.
I know there many of you have owned homes for decades! Which expenses have shocked you most over the years? Which ones should those of us who are new to home ownership watch out for?
Note: We’ve heard you on the video posts. There’s one more scheduled for next week, but after that they’ll only be an occasional thing. Thanks for the feedback!
Attacking One Budget Category at a Time
Jul 1st
This video post is by staff writer Adam Baker. Baker previously featured a post on his own blog entitled, 42 Ways to Radically Simplify your Financial Life.
For many people, the process of personal finance cycles between intense motivation and devastating burnout. A life event, a powerful communicator, or maybe even a simple blog post creates an initial spark. Before we know it, we’re wound up and ready to pounce: We vow to finally get our finances in order.
We slash our restaurant budget to nothing. We research car-pooling options in our area and collect quotes on refinancing our mortgage. We start clipping coupons, cut out our spending vices, and craft fancy budgets with dozens of categories. Unfortunately, few battles in history have ever been won when waged on so many fronts. Our best intentions soon crumble to the inevitable. We become overwhelmed. Burnout creeps in, and few of our positive changes stick.
This was what happened consistently to Courtney and me several years ago. In the following video, I elaborate on the technique we employed to finally break this pattern and create positive change that lasted.
A brief summary of the video:
- The nature of excitement and change [0:35]
- Benefits of starting with a few, broad budgeting categories [1:00]
- Breaking down one broad category per month [2:00]
- Ensuring positive changes stick [2:50]
- Don’t forget to spend one month on increasing income! [3:49]
By budgeting with broad categories and focusing on only one per month, Courtney and I were finally able to maintain our motivation over a longer period of time. Our targeted focus gave us a deeper awareness of problem areas, and enabled us to retain the majority of our new habits.
Have you experienced success with a similar strategy? What other techniques have you used to maintain motivation and avoid burnout?
Three Passive Barriers I Use to Counter Consumerism
Jun 3rd
This video post is by staff writer Adam Baker. Baker previously featured a post on his own blog entitled, Dave Ramsey Vs. Suze Orman.
Passive barriers are those small mental impediments that keep us from making smart choices. Things like over-drafting your bank account because you’re too lazy to stop by the bank to make a deposit, or not going for a run because it’s a pain to get your exercise clothes together. But while passive barriers can prevent us from meeting our financial goals, they can also be used as a force for good.
In the video below, I discuss three passive barriers (some might call these money hacks) that my wife Courtney and I use to help fend off consumerism. In the past, we’ve had these sorts of barriers work against us in our finances. It feels good to turn the tables.
Rather than just have passive barriers that work against us, Courtney and I decided to install some that would work for us! In the video above, I discuss the following concepts that have worked well for us:
- The 30-day list for Wants – [1:20]
- Two items out for every on item in – [2:40]
- Experiences over possessions – [3:55]
The trick for us is to make these consistent. Whenever we face a buying decision, we want it to pass through these barriers. If it makes it through, then great! There’s nothing wrong with purchasing something valuable or that we’ll really enjoy.
Using these barriers helps to ensure that our spending is as intentional as possible. They counteract (and even replace) our old barriers and justifications. Of course, these are just three examples of dozens that could be effective.
I’m sure that many of you use similar methods. What barriers or filters have you experimented with in your life? Let me know in the comments below!
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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:
- Daily Links: Crying Librarians Edition
- The Psychology of Passive Barriers: Why Your Friends Don’t Save Money, Eat Healthier, or Clean Their Garages
- Toward Financial Independence
- The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Debtor
- Investing 101: An Introduction to Index Funds and Passive Investing
How Quickly Wants Can Turn to Needs
May 28th
This article is by staff writer Adam Baker. Baker recently featured a post on his own blog entitled, Are You Eating Yourself Into Debt?
As some of you know, Courtney and I recently spent just under a year traveling abroad with our two-year-old daughter. A couple of months ago, we returned home to Indiana and decided that we’d take a six month break from our mobile lifestyle. Our decision meant we needed to start looking for short-term rentals that would meet our temporary needs.
When we started to browse rental options, we created a list divided into Wants and Needs. Some of the Needs included things like two bedrooms, a safe neighborhood, flexible lease terms, and some sort of yard or grass.
Note: Technically, these aren’t raw Needs. While traveling we spent weeks in a tent, months in a spare bedroom of another family’s house, and dozens of nights in 100-square-foot single rooms. But these few items were basic enough conveniences that we felt comfortable labeling them Needs for our situation.
Under Wants we placed criteria like a standalone house, a fenced-in back yard, a one-car garage, and proximity to decent sidewalks or paths. Remember, we weren’t buying a permanent home: We were searching for a quick six-month stop.
As we started to comb through different properties on the market, I said to Courtney, “You know, it would be so nice to have a separate work area where I could go to write. I don’t need it, but it would be nice.”
This wasn’t the first time I’d voiced this desire. Courtney had to put up with my complaining for the last year about not having designated work space. It was primarily an excuse for procrastination or lack of motivation, but there was a part of me that wanted to see what it would be like to have a specific space for my work.
A Want becomes a Need
After mentioning it a couple of more times, we agreed to expand our search to two bedrooms with bonus rooms, offices, or even large closets (yes, I’m serious). In general, a two bedroom home with a bonus room or office will be cheaper rent than a comparable three-bedroom place.
Even with a background in real estate, it can be hard to search for houses with extra rooms. Each owner, agent, or listing may refer to the space in a different way. Often these homes have unique floor plans, and it’s nearly impossible to understand them unless you visit each home individually. Finding matches was difficult.
Out of frustration at the lack of two-bedroom options that also included a bonus room, I allowed myself to do something that changed everything: I expanded our search to three-bedroom rentals. Suddenly, the flood gates were opened.
After a couple of days searching all of the new options, I called my friend/ex-partner in real estate and gave him several listings. I remember saying something like, “I know we could fit into two bedrooms, but we really need three bedrooms these days.”
It had happened. Of the five listings I sent to him to schedule showings, not a single one of them had only two bedrooms. Somehow over the course of just a few weeks, I’d managed to shift our Needs from two bedrooms to three bedrooms. My attitude had changed.
In our market, we could have easily found a two-bedroom rental in the $600/month range. Our current rent (on the three-bedroom rental we selected) is $900/month. For those of you counting, that’s a 50% increase — or around $300/month.
An indulgence
For me, the issue isn’t the extra money per month. It’s a matter of perspective. We aren’t going to be financially ruined by this choice, and we’re paying for other benefits in that increase. But, I want to be sure that I view our rental for what it is: a Want. Heck, we could even label it a luxury for us.
If I continue to view this as a Need, it’s easy to focus on the negatives. For example, the air conditioner takes hours to cool anything, the lighting is terrible in the home, and the garage doesn’t have an automatic opener. If I were to take the situation for granted and focus on the negatives, it would be easy for my standard of living to creep even higher and higher.
In retrospect, if I see this home for what it really is — an indulgence — those little things lose their importance. I appreciate my little workspace so much more. I appreciate the fact the my daughter Milligan can play out back, and that we have space to host guests.
The truth is, for our family of three, anything more than a safe, one-bedroom home with a roof, heat, and simple kitchen is a luxury. It’s a Want, not a Need. By realizing that, we can stop taking things for granted, and start being thankful for what we have.
But shelter is just one area of our budget where this shift in thinking can happen. Luckily, this experience has helped me become more aware in other areas, such as Food, Clothing, and Transportation, where my definition of Need can easily grow beyond what is truly needed.
Indulgences in life are great. I’ve met very few people who want to live at the bare minimum level of their Needs. But taking steps to ensure we recognize our indulgences as indulgences allows us to appreciate how lucky we truly are!
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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:
- Turn Your Loose Change Into Lattes
- Six Steps to Learning Difficult Subjects Quickly
- Follow-Up on Casey Serin, the Man Who Would Be Rich
- Shaking the New Car Itch: A Tale of Priorities
- Reader Story: How I Saved Hundreds of Dollars on Insurance
Getting Paid to Lose Weight with HealthyWage
May 5th
This article is by staff writer Adam Baker. Baker recently posted a transparent personal update entitled “When to Quit Traveling“. Today J.D. is very thankful to have staff writers, because his computers (plural!) are on the fritz, and he has no time to write about money…
I struggle with weight. In fact, it’s a far more difficult issue for me than personal finance. Honestly, I’m not completely sure why, but it’s true.
There are many similarities between paying off debt and creating a healthy lifestyle. For starters:
- Correcting both issues starts with awareness. The key to turning around my financial life was realizing exactly how bad it was. After that, I was able to connect deeply with the burden that my lazy financial habits created in my life. While I understand that I’m unhealthy, I haven’t fully connected with the burden it brings into my life.
- Both issues have simple solutions. Notice I said simple, not easy. Personal finance can really be boiled down to “spend less than you earn“. There are plenty of details, techniques, and strategies, but it all comes back around to that one basic concept. Creating a healthier lifestyle is also simple: Eat fewer unhealthy foods, exercise more. Remembering these simple foundations can help us from distracting ourselves in a search for a mythical secret solution.
- Both issues require more motivation than “it’s good for you”. The vast majority of people who struggle with money realize that consumer debt is bad for them. Most people who carry credit card balances know “they shouldn’t”. But this doesn’t keep them from doing it. I know my diet is poor and I’m not as active as I should be. Just because eating better and exercising is “good for me”, doesn’t mean I’m going to do it. Sadly, most of us need more motivation (and more specific motivation) to overcome either issue.
Even though intellectually I can identify these similarities, I haven’t been able to bridge the strides in my financial life to my health. I need more awareness and a more specific type of motivation. I recently stumbled upon an interesting concept that may help me with the latter.
HealthyWage.com pays you to lose weight!
Early last week, I was approached by a group of personal finance bloggers who were entering a team-based weight loss contest at HealthyWage.com. Unlike many of the free sites and competitions, this one was different. Teams of five had to cough up $100 total ($20 per member) to sign-up. As a result, there are some big prizes, including $10,000 to the winning team!
The winning team is defined as the team of five that has the highest average percentage weight loss. In order to compete, you have to have an official weigh-in at the beginning and end of the competition at an approved gym or doctor’s office.
In addition, there’s weekly accountability, casual weigh-ins, forums, and conference calls with former Biggest Loser participants and health professionals. The current competition starts May 15th and runs for 3 months.
Aside from this team-based competition, anyone can also attempt to achieve a healthy BMI in order to receive $100 from HealthyWage.com’s sponsors. In this case your physician has to actually phone HealthyWage at the beginning and end of your personal challenge.
For those who want to take it even further, you can pay $300 before you start. If you chose to fork over the money up front and are still able to hit your goal, you’ll receive $1000 back. If you fall short, though, you are out the $300!
I can’t believe I hadn’t bumped into this concept before! I find it extremely intriguing. On their website, HealthyWage points out two recent studies that suggest cash incentives can triple the success of a weight loss program:
- The Journal of the American Medical Association
- University of Pennsylvania Center for Health Incentives
For me, there are a couple of incentives beyond just the cash. I’m highly motivated by the accountability in a team-based competition. I won’t want to let my teammates down, especially if at least a couple are motivated themselves. This allows each member to stumble a little, without completely falling off the wagon.
Also, I’m a firm believer in changing your environment when attempting any lifestyle change. The added benefit of conference calls, forums, and the ability to track the progress of other teams lends itself to creating a powerful community interaction. Immersing yourself inside a community like this is a great way to maintain motivation (just like many active members of this community have done).
Potential pitfalls of the model
While I’m already signed up and eagerly awaiting the start of the competition, I do have a few reservations about the pay-for-weight-loss model. While HealthyWage makes an active effort to promote safe weight loss, the “competition” atmosphere may potentially encourage some to go to extremes.
Personally, I’m going to have to be careful about this. I’ll have to work extra hard to prevent burnout and/or risky weight loss results, especially early on. From what I’ve been able to tell, the website and competition provide plenty of resources for help with this.
I also wonder if there will be some amazing results that will turn out to be temporary lifestyle changes. Even if the rate of weight loss is healthy, what will happen to people when the monetary compensation and the competitive atmosphere are gone? I wonder what the success rate will be of those who are able to make lasting, long-term changes.
Even with these two reservations, I’m still excited take part in the competition. I’m going to do my best to play into the strengths, while being aware of the potential pitfalls. For me, if even a small portion of people are positively affected (long-term, positive health changes) then it’s worth it.
I have no affiliation with HealthyWage.com in any way; I’m just a new and eager competition participant. However, I’m interested if any of you have had experience with a similar competition or what your thoughts of the model are!
Who knows? Maybe I’ll be giving an update in three months on how my team (Jesse from Personal Finance Firewall, Brad from Enemy of Debt, and Paul from Fiscal Geek) will be spending our portions of the $10,000 (or more importantly how much better we feel being much more fit)!
J.D.’s note: I, too, have struggled with weight. And, like Adam, it’s actually been tougher for me to tackle than personal finance. I started Get Fit Slowly with my friend Mac, but haven’t written there much in the past year. However, I seem to finally be slowly turning the corner. I’m down 13 pounds this year, thanks to sensible food choices and discovering Crossfit.
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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:
- Commitment Contracts and StickK.com
- The High Cost of Being Fat
- Why Frugality is an Important Part of Personal Finance
- The Sunk-Cost Fallacy Revisted
- Extra Weight, Higher Costs
