Category: Shopping

What to Do with Unwanted Items: Sell, Donate, or Trash?

~ SA Otey
scrap metal trash litter scrapyard
It all end up here

Have extra stuff laying around your house? Why don’t you try to make a few bucks online by selling it? How about donating it for a tax write-off? How about neither, just throw it in the garbage. Sometimes that’s the best choice.

Selling

People want stuff for free. You post an item and they offer you half of your asking price. If you provide a free item then they will want you to deliver it. Better yet, they will want you to pay them to take it off your hands. Selling on eBay or Amazon has become a hassle. When you pay all the seller fees, merchant fees, and postage, you are left with about half of what the item is worth.

Donating

This is a better option. Let other people look through your bags of unwanted items and they can throw it away. The tax write-off is barely worth it. For kids’ clothes, give them to friends or family, they will be responsible for throwing them in the trash now.

Trash it

Unless you want Goodwill throwing your stuff away you can save them the trouble. Leave it visible on trash day and people will pick it from the rubbish like mining for treasure.

If you have extra stuff you should probably think about why you are buying so much stuff. Give your items away to someone who needs them.

How to pick a well aged cheese.

~ SA Otey
aged cheese close up dairy product
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Apparently, I’m at the age now where I don’t care how much my bag of cheese costs. My younger self would have made a fuss over this situation and maybe my older self will do the same. But for now, I do not have time to fuss over the bag of cheese cost differential. What am I talking about? Well, let me tell you.

Story Time. I went to purchase a bag of cheese from my Walmart neighborhood market. I saw several selections of the shredded variety that caused me to seek out the best deal. Do I select the bag that has the greatest value? Do I select the most recognized name-brand bag of cheese? At first glance, the brand that has the most commercials per capita on television appeared to have the greatest value. One pound of shredded cheese in a bag for $2.58. That seemed to good to be true. Because it was.

After I scanned the bag of cheese at one of those lonely self-checkouts, I noticed the price was almost double. I had fallen prey to the oldest trick in the shredded cheese bag book. The misplaced item is on the shelf.

At this point, what do I do? Call the cashier and ask for the price it was labeled even though it was probably restocked by another customer after they found it on the bread aisle after someone else gave up their grilled cheese sandwich adventure after they discovered the potato bread was out of stock? No, I didn’t want to do that. Do I cancel my transaction and walk back over to the bagged shredded cheese aisle and find the correct item that I wanted? No, too much time. What do I do? I simply pay for this bag of cheese and enjoy it when I get home.

Like a well-aged cheese, time is valuable and should not be wasted. Enjoy your cheese, whichever you choose.

Save some money and do it yourself, and put it in glass containers

Essential Tips for Safe Crosswalk Usage

~ SA Otey
IMG_0929
Who needs crosswalks?

Look for cars – Don’t assume we see you, if you are coming from a blind spot (say behind a bush or multi-passenger van) then you need to make sure a car is not already in the crosswalk. Don’t sprint out there in front of us.

Use the crosswalk – It’s there for your safety, it’s a clear path for you to make it safely to the other side while I’m trying to finish this blog post on WordPress mobile.

Walk in a straight line –Don’t walk diagonally from the lot to the door, again use the crosswalk it’s a great guideline.

Don’t dilly dally – I have frozen chicken in the trunk and we would prefer it was roasting on the grill and not near my spare tire.

Don’t text – your Facebook update or text message can wait until you are safely on the sidewalk.

Don’t stop – now is not the time to impress your girlfriend by showing that you have the right away and shout and throw your cigarette at my car.

Remember just because the law says you have the right of way doesn’t mean that you can walk like a zombie into oncoming traffic.

ref: https://scdps.sc.gov/pedestriansafety

As a pedestrian, you must:

  • Follow any and all traffic control devices (ex: lights and signals)
  • Follow any and all local regulations.
  • Yield to traffic before crossing when there is not a crosswalk.
  • Follow the directions of any crossing signs or control devices.
  • Stay on the sidewalk if one is present.
    • If no sidewalk is present, you must walk on the shoulder of the roadway.
  • Avoid freeways.
  • Walk as near as possible to the outside edge of the roadway.
    • If you are on a two-way roadway, walk only on the left side of the roadway when neither a sidewalk nor a shoulder are available.
  • Do not stand in the roadway.
  • Yield to emergency vehicles.
  • Stay off the roadway if you are dangerously intoxicated.
  • Stay off of bridges or railways where signals are present to warn off traffic.

The Dangers of Overusing ‘Sir’ and ‘Ma’am’ in Business

~ SA Otey
apple business fruit local

Sir  Is used as a polite or respectful way of addressing a man, especially one in a position of authority

Ma’am Is a term of respectful or polite address used for a woman.

However, whenever I hear this directed towards another human at retail, a restaurant, or another place of business during a customer complaint, it always has the connotation of @$$h0le or B! tch. It’s never used with endearment but rather as a derogatory term. It’s overused with emphasis that you are not getting what you want no matter how reasonable you are being. To be blunt, it’s a power trip for the person using it. It’s like calling your dog a stupid idiot but using a friendly voice, he still wags his tail and licks his chops with excitement.

Don’t be ashamed buying feminine products.

~ SA Otey

rafikiPadsI think all guys are required to buy feminine products for their spouse as a married man’s right of passage. It’s a humbling experience and an awkward one if there is another woman in the aisle, especially if you ask for recommendations. Almost as awkward when you ask a waiter for a sanitary napkin when you really meant a wet nap.

I think the worst pad pickup was when we were out of town traveling back from a 10-hour drive. As much as I enjoy being trapped in a cage with a honey badger after spending time with in-laws, it doesn’t help when I have to make a late-night visit to a strange town to get uterine diapers. For some reason, I went to Wal-Mart that night. As usual, there are about 500 registers at Wal-Mart, but only two are staffed. I noticed a short express line and only two people waiting, but as soon as I entered the cashier turned off her light. When she finished checking out the person in front of me she spat her venomous rejection that she was closing down.  In an act of desperation after seeing thousands of people with buggies filled with dog food and I raised my voice drawing attention to myself and the cashier. “Ma’am I’ve very sorry but my wife is bleeding in our hotel room” I called attention to my only item raising it high for all to see like Rafiki holding up Simba. She lowered her head and apologized, “I completely understand”. I was her last customer for the night.

Best techniques in furniture restoration

~ SA Otey
IMG_0849
Sofa table I made, because my wife found one like it for $300

One person’s trash is another person’s trash to deal with now. Why do you think they sold it for so cheap, or it was left on the curb to rot? My favorite way to restore furniture is to return it back to its original state. That is dust. Throw the old piece of furniture into the garbage where it belongs. Go buy yourself some fresh new quality furniture. Keep those furniture makers employed, or better yet, make your own!

No light on at the checkout line…

~ SA Otey
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.com

When I notice a cashier ringing up customers and see the register number light is off I don’t get in their line. If they have a closed placard on the conveyor belt this is a sure signal that they are closing down. However, there are people who will put their groceries on the belt anyway. Even go as far as to move the placard. The cashier will say they are closing down the line but the people don’t budge. This is the equivalent of going into a steak restaurant and ordering a well-done rib eye five minutes before closing. It’s rude to enter a place of business so late. Also, who cooks their steak well? Savages that’s who.

Essential Tips for Buying and Selling on eBay

~ SA Otey
Click picture to buy this tape gun!

Buying

  • Know the time your item ends and have a prompt payment.
  • Inspect the item and give prompt feedback.
  • Don’t blame the eBayer if the delivery is lost.

Selling

  • Don’t over price your item (aim to get it sold)
  • Offer free shipping, but include the price of shipping in your buy it now.
  • Ship the item within a day.
  • Don’t be so quick to leave feedback, wait until they give you positive feedback.
  • If they are unfair in their feedback, respond reciprocally.

It’s that simple.

Check out my items for sale => https://www.ebay.com/usr/odiwan

Get some bulk mailing supplies

Save some time and print your labels

Smart Car Buying: Why Timing Matters

~ SA Otey

If you have a television and watch commercials for car dealers, they tell you right now is the best time to buy with incredible savings. However, if you wait another month you will get the best savings of the year. Then the next month it will be the absolute best time for rock bottom prices that will never happen again in all of eternity. If you keep waiting for the best sale of the year it will never happen and you will keep driving your beater until it falls apart.

Get yourself a used police car with all the fixtures. This will allow you to drive faster than everyone and keep others going the speed limit. You can also pick up some extra cash by pulling people over and taking bribes.

The best time to buy a car is when you need one. If you are paying a monthly repair cost that equals a car payment and are inconvenienced by the constant time of your vehicle being in the shop or left stranded on the side of the road at 18-wheelers whiz by, then it’s time to start looking. There are plenty of websites that will help you negotiate the best deal possible.

Tip, just get yourself a bottle of this and close your eyes while driving so you feel like you have a new car.

The Truth About Shipping Costs and Free Shipping Myths

~ SA Otey
FedUpLogo

How many people empty their virtual shopping cart once they get to check out and see that shipping is 50% or more of the purchase price? This happens a lot on eBay. Those catcher’s shin guards are a great price at $35 until you see that it’s $50 to ship it.

Don’t fall for the lure of free shipping because it doesn’t exist.  Sellers should just say, “I’ll pay for shipping” because FedUps doesn’t pick up your box and say, “This one’s on us”.  Most of the time shipping is built into the price of the item.  When something costs $1 to make and sells for $50, offering free shipping is pretty easy. When those infomercials double up your offer but just pay “processing”, be prepared for sticker shock. I’ll just stick to my Amazon Prime Free Shipping that I pay for upfront every year.

https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/51556654-fedup-with-politics-in-2024?store_id=339207