TaskRabbit.com: Tip-of-the-Day #241

HIRE YOURSELF OUT OR HIRE SOMEONE ELSE - BUT GET THE JOB DONE!

I recently discovered TaskRabbit.com (I know, I'm waaay late on this one), an online and mobile marketplace that allows folks to live a smarter and more fulfilling life by relying on their neighbors.

My mom of all people told me about it. She said her friends use it all the time to hire last minute help for events, but the service fulfills just about any need out there.

I checked it out because my boyfriend had nearly 1,000 receipts from 2011 that he needed taped to individual pieces of paper and scanned for electronic safekeeping. He offered to pay my sister but she was not inclined (I don't blame her). I posted the task on TaskRabbit and after very little negotiation, found someone who lives just two blocks from me to do it for $50.

The best part: TaskRabbit is very careful about who they "hire" to be Rabbits. They conduct a background check and a video interview. I know this, because after my great experience I decided to throw my hat in the ring to become a Rabbit! You can list the skills that you have (mine fell into the marketing, branding, strategy quadrant) and when jobs are posted you are selected based on your self selected skillset.

This is a terrific way to find "neighbors" to help you get your job done quickly and cost effectively and an equally great way to make some extra cash by marketing some of your savvier skills to the general public.

Let me know how it works out for you! 

Daily Deal Know-How: Tip-of-the-Day #240

DON'T THROW AWAY UNUSED DAILY DEAL PURCHASES THAT "EXPIRED"!

If you're like me, you LOVE to take advantage of daily deals. Only prob is remembering to use them. For a while, I let all sorts of deals I'd purchased just go to waste or get lost in my massive inbox. Then, I started putting the confirmation emails right into a folder marked "Daily Deals I Must Use". That helped. Only hitch: I was still forgetting to use some of them before they "expired."

Here's the thing folks, those deals, by law, CAN'T expire. Yes, the "offer" can expire, meaning if you paid $30 for $60 worth of tanning sessions, you won't still have access to the $60 after the expiration, but you'll ALWAYS have access to the value that you paid out of your pocket.

I use the example above because I bought some "organic tanning sessions" last summer (God knows what I was thinking) and just rediscovered them in my "must use" folder. They had expired in January. I made the appt with the salon anyway, knowing I could use the value I paid for the deal. I got an email from the salon telling me my coupon had expired. I had to write them back and remind them of the law!

In Summary: Don't think you have to toss out your daily deal just because it's expired. You can still use the value of what you paid for it. Keep saving is my strategy!

Leap Year Deals: Tip-of-the-Month #239

LEAP YEAR IS AS GOOD A REASON AS ANY TO SHOP FOR DEALS.

The elevator in the office building that I work at, features one of those small screens that scrolls breaking news, interesting movie facts, weather updates, etc. At lunch, I was quickly absorbing some Red Carpet gossip when the next screen flashed a super sale on Alaska Cruises - but only if you buy on February 29th, given it's leap year.  It got me to thinking that more retailers might be using this special day (that only pops up every four years), to create more business.

I did a simple search online and found that in fact, everyone from furniture dealers to mattress retailers to cruise lines are delivering deep discounts, but ONLY on 2/29/12.

I suppose if you've been waiting for the perfect time to book that vacation or upgrade your bedroom set, now is the time! Er, Wednesday is.

Google: Leap Year Deals

Good luck!

House Buying Negotiation Tool: Tip-of-the-Day #238



GET WHAT YOU WANT WITH A LITTLE LEVERAGE.

My boyfriend and I recently found a house in Marin County that we like well enough to bid on. We've been casually looking for years but something would always break the deal (price, location, foundation, etc.). So now we've found an interesting property in Sausalito - a place we both grew up - and it has terrific views, parking, lots of natural light and the price is right(ish). That said, it needs some serious work (nothing's been done to the property in 28 years).

The price has already dropped once because of the fixes the property requires, but now we're going in with an even lower number. Hard to know if the seller will accept the offer or not, but in speaking with my boyfriend's mother (a smart woman) she advised us to find something else about the property to use as leverage to keep the price down. In this case, there is an enormous Blue Gum Eucalyptus that is leaning heavily toward the home and, if left unattended, will eventually come down on the roof!

Our leverage is asking the current owner to remove the tree before we seal the deal. The current owner likely does not want to remove the tree and would rather give us the lower asking price instead. If however, he calls our bluff and does remove the tree, it's a win for us regardless because removal of a tree of this size can cost $10K or more!

If you don't have a tree to use as leverage, you can use something of equal significance: removal of an old (unwanted) hot tub, or a new roof, or, new siding. Choose something that is necessary to the integrity of the property and you may just find yourself with the wished for item or a lower price on the property.

It's said to be a buyer's market at the moment - but that really depends on where you live, what the inventory is like and how many foreclosed homes are in your area. Do your research and make it work *for* you!