You Can Buy That Rental: Tip-of-the-Day #270

I remember someone telling me a few years back that I should explore rental car returns for my next auto purchase. I can't remember why I didn't end up doing it. Sheer laziness, most likely. Then, last night I saw an Enterprise commercial on TV that reminded me about this not-often-thought-about technique to getting into the car you want at a really great price.

So I started diggin around online, and sure enough there's been a bit of research that supports peoples general satisfaction around buying used rental cars. Obviously, like buying any used vehicle, if you find a car you're interested in buying, take it to a mechanic and have it inspected. It may look great, but you'll want to confirm there isn't anything wrong under the hood. Once you get a clean bill of health there, ask the rental car company if you can test drive it for the day (not just 20 mins). It's no skin off their back and it gives you the opportunity to give it a good drive and get a feel for it.

Some bennies of buying a rental car:

1. They are well maintained. While in service they go through regular checkups and service maintenance, and in the case of Enterprise, vehicles move from the rental fleet to the sales lots when they are one- to two-years old and have between 15,000 and 30,000 miles. That's not much time on the road.
2. Cars are inspected by an independent, certified tech before being put up for sale. 
3. The price is right. These rental cars are often priced less than comparable models sold at a dealership or through a private party. That inventory is constantly accumulating and needs to move.
4. You can find luxury cars among their fleet, not just the low-budge, run-of-the-mill rides you and I tend to rent when we go to Vegas for the weekend.

Just a reminder to do a little research when buying your next car because you may end up saving a lot of money and getting a great ride too.

Foster a Furry Friend: Tip-of-the-Day #269

Spoiler alert! This post is about feeling good (petting cats is proven to reduce stress by 56%) and doing good (volunteer work makes a wonderful line item on your resume and great chest-thumping conversation at cocktail parties).

Have you considered fostering a cat? I happen to work as foster coordinator for a local non-profit cat rescue organization in the Bay Area, and I just finished writing a post for them about the great reasons to foster. "Why not share the word here?" I asked myself.

Top reasons why fostering an animal (I'm partial to cats) is a smart idea:

1. It's a nice way to help children learn how to care for and respect a pet
2. It can help one ease back into loving a new pet after losing a beloved one
3. It's a wonderful way to feel out whether long term pet ownership is for you - no strings attached
4. The rescue organization pays for food, litter, toys, medicine, etc. so you're not out a penny!

If you've ever thought about taking in a stray animal, why not do it now while we ease into the holiday season and everyone is merry. Work typically slows (unless you're in sales and then Q4 goals are hellatious) and the soft glow of white lights mixed with the potent smells of cookies and eggnog delight humans and felines alike.

If you happen to live in the Bay Area and you're reading this post, and you like what I'm saying, but more importantly, you like cats, reach out! You can become a foster, or even adopt if you're ready! Or, if you don't want to get involved in that way at all, but you do have a few extra bucks in your pocket - donate! It's tax deductible and again, you look like a totally caring citizen. Points!

Maximize Liner Life: Tip-of-the-Day #268

Eyeliner. Good eyeliner. Is not easy to part with. I've been addicted to Bobbi Brown's long wear cream shadow stick (that I use as a liner) for about a year now. Once it's on, it doesn't budge. It stays put all day. And, it looks fabulous. You can create a smokey eye or keep it more precise by using the edge of the stick instead of the full flat surface.

Anyhoo, I digress because the reason for this post is to tell you how to maximize the life of your liner - be it eye or lip. I should caveat by saying that because I use the retractable liner, I assume everyone does. Who wants to carry a sharpener around or deal with messy shavings?

When I open a fresh new liner there's nothing like the promise of weeks of uninterrupted use. But then, there is that dreaded day, when you reach for your beloved liner and you've run out of runway! No more twisting! It happens to retractable deodorant too, folks. You know that day when it just doesn't roll up anymore. It's terrifying.

So it happened to me on Monday morning. I knew all weekend long that I should get some more liner, but Sephora doesn't carry this one for some (stupid) reason and thus I had to order it online. Monday hit and I. Was. Out. In an act of desperation (and sheer genius), I pulled apart the sleek case that the heart of the liner resides in and there it was! Something that resembles a ballpoint pen mechanism. Lo and behold, there was a good 1/8 inch left of eyeliner just under "see" level! There was probably enough to get me through another week or even two! This picture says it all:

And so, once I tapped that buried treasure I could relax, order myself some more booty on bobbibrowncosmetics.com and wait. My new stick arrived a mere two days later.

This story is to remind you to tap the treasure that always hides inside the case. Even if you need to use a brush to get to it - my lipstick is a good example - you still have merchandise you can use.

Don't get me wrong, if I'm eyeliner-rich and I don't feel like performing surgery on my old friend, I'll skip it. But, if you're in a bind - this'll do ya.

Your Own Interior Designer!: Tip-of-the-Day #267

Whenever I pass a Pottery Barn, I can't help but wander inside the warm, inviting space that reminds one of a Rockefeller Christmas - everything in its place. That perfectly appointed Thanksgiving table and artfully assembled living room could be mine - if I could just have the design sensibility to recreate it for myself. 

And that, is where things go tragically wrong because I can't recreate the look or feel with just a toss of a chevron pillow and an artistically draped throw. And so,  as I slowly backed out of my recent fruitless venture, the greeter (and also fareweller?) asked casually "nothing inspired you today?". I shook my head sadly and said no. But her expression made me wonder if she thought I was dissing on PB which is sooo not my style. So I quickly corrected that statement with "everything in here is inspirational but I can't figure out which pieces will complement my home in an inspirational way." 

She nodded sagely and asked if I'd be interested in learning more about their in-home design services. My face likely registered fear (of huge sums of money quickly exiting my checking account) and hope, so she quickly qualified that by saying "it's free." 

FREE???

"Free?" I asked. "Seriously?" Yes. One of Pottery Barn's in-home design experts will travel to your home, walk through your living space room by room and then help you with anything from paint color ideas, to party planning advice, installing window hardware or a complete room makeover!

I was so excited I told Jennifer that I'd blog about it right away! While I'm not certain I'll be having someone visit my home today, I may very well take PB up on that service in the near future for some better staging. I think I have most of the right stuff - just not in the right places. And, a fresh coat of paint and some accent pieces couldn't hurt.

All my smart women out there: take advantage of this stellar free service. After all, most interior designers charge a fortune for this - and work by the hour. Woot!

Buy/Sell Furniture in a New Way!: Tip-of-the-Day #266

Heard of Move Loot? Neither had I until just a few minutes ago!

Very cool start up in the business of "moving" your furniture FOR YOU. Goodbye Craigslist, hello Move Loot.

Move Loot began as four friends united in the mission to make buying, selling, and moving used furniture an easier and more enjoyable experience. Moving, cohabiting, downsizing or changing one's furniture style shouldn't be a torturous experience. And, Move Loot has done something about it! Working on a consignment basis, Move Loot takes your furniture off of your hands so you can move onto bigger and better things and handles all of the promotion and consequent sale, for you.

Their goal is to give us all peace of mind and cash in pocket while simultaneously diverting landfill waste. Love the green angle.

Online registration is a few simple fields and selling your furniture is as easy as this:

1. Upload and submit pics of your furniture using Move Loot's website
2. Confirm details of your items (price, condition, short descrip) and schedule a pickup. Moot Loot comes to you!
3. Sit back and relax while Move Loot does the rest

You get 50% of the final sale price, and Move Loot does all the heavy lifting. Literally.

Buying is just as easy and I can't wait to explore the marketplace once the site is officially launched October 1.

I'm all for supporting new businesses and this is one great idea. Hope it takes off!