Tag Archive for recycle for money

Get Cash and Go Green This Halloween!

October 26, 2011 admin Featured, More Ways To Save, Recycling and eWaste

Save Money and Go Green This Halloween
Did you know you could make money this Halloween?  Check out these quick tips and ideas to have a frightfully thrifty and creative Halloween!

To brew up a fantastic Halloween, the recipe is simple:
Costumes – Reuse, re-purposed, or made from reused items
Food – Focus on healthier and organic treats                                                Decorations – Reusable or recyclable
Activities – Games, trick or treating with emphasis on the ‘treats’ & “tricks”

Costumes are where you can get creative!  Use your imagination and make costumes from what you already have, borrow from a friend, or go to a thrift store.  This time of year second hand stores have all their Halloween merchandise displayed and ready to be put to use.  TerraCycle  is sponsoring the Monster Mash Your Trash Costume Contest. Terra Cycle is encouraging us to learn in a hands-on way how every day waste materials can be reused into unique, innovative products.  Enter your upcycled costume by November 4th and you could be one of four contestants to win a gift card for cool TerraCycle upcycled products.

This year think outside the wrapper. Once you decide on your costume it is all about candy, candy, candy and more candy. Halloween is great time to introduce kids (and adults) to healthier and organic treats.  Some of my kid’s favorites are Florida’s Natural organic fruit snacks.  Honestly, they are like candy and it is a treat kids (and adults) will enjoy beyond Halloween.  Many health care providers, especially dentists, participate in the Halloween Candy Buy Back program.  Basically, healthcare providers will pay you cash for you candy or in exchange for your candy they will give you a free gift.  In turn, the candy is donated to charitable organizations such as Operation Gratitude. My dentist pays $1/per pound.  That is easily $5 to $10 for the family, plus the candy is distributed to a good cause.  We all win!

Halloween decorations set the mood for a spooky, fun or festive environment. Like costumes, use your imagination to create an original and sustainable atmosphere.  Reuse your decorations from last year, or re-purpose décor items to make original works of art. Halloween also ushers in the Fall and it is easy to decorate with “edible” decorations. The natural palate of autumn’s rich, warm colors of fruits, leaves and winter squashes make for interesting and fun crafts and décor.

Now it’s time to let the fun begin. Activities and games of trick or treating can be engaging and memorable.  This year, when you get the knock on the door, and hear the words “Trick or Treat!” think about doing a “trick”.  Now is the time to brush up on your magic tricks.  There are several simple and fun card or hat tricks that will give your visitors a unforgettable moment along with their treat.

Share your green and money saving tips to create a memorable 2011 Halloween!

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OK, Money. Where Are You Hiding?

August 12, 2011 Leigh Featured, uSell University

Let me preface this post by saying that organization is not my strong suit. Or rather, clutter is my weakness. I mean, I’m not going to be featured on any cable shows about hoarders any time soon, but I’m not likely to be posting up signs for a yard sale this weekend, either.

So when I came to work for uSell, and I learned you could sell used cell phones and electronics for cash, I was pretty stoked. This, I thought, I can do.

It’s not like it requires lifting particularly heavy objects, parting with precious baby things (hey … I might have another one) or otherwise surgically removing large chunks of my weekend.

All I have to do is find stuff I don’t want, go online (which I do with great regularity … thanks a lot, Facebook), and pack up a box.

I can do this.

Phase 1: Denial

But first, I have to go through my junk drawer. (Should this be plural? Yes. It should.) And I need to look at all those boxes we took out of storage and plonked in the spare room. And go through the cabinets in the office. And … well, you get the picture.

So in between grand plans to put a home gym in the spare room; visions of baking homemade, elaborately decorated cupcakes for my daughter’s school; doing some actual work; and even (gasp!) cleaning the house, I fantasized about getting money for all the used electronics I have … just. sitting. around.

What would I do with all that extra dough? A treadmill for the home gym? A guest spot on Top Chef Just Desserts? A new laptop? A cleaning lady?

You will note that I have not, at this stage, actually gone through and gathered up any of the items that will contribute to the fulfillment of my dream. Because I am … just. sitting. around.

I did, however, mentally catalog all my stuff — and I did go online and price it all out. As of today, my used electronics (whereabouts generally unknown) are valued as follows:

  • PS3 Slim, 160 GB HDD: $76
  • xBox 360 60 GB:$59
  • Canon G3 Camera:$5
  • iPod Touch, 3rd Gen, 32 GB: $76
  • iPad 32GB WiFi + 3G: $255

That’s a total of $471. That’s pretty motivating! I also have some odds and ends that will need to be recycled. I will get right on this!

I just want to check Facebook first.

Tune in next time for the continuing saga and “Phase 2: Anger.”

 

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Everybody Needs Extra Cash™ :: Buffalo Exchange

August 11, 2011 admin Cash Commerce, Featured, Recycling and eWaste

Recycling and cash go together like Bert and Ernie.

Everybody wears clothes, right?  So why not sell your clothes and make some money? That’s recycling!

Buffalo Exchange is a national pioneer in the recycling of fashionable clothes for cash. Buffalo Exchange buys clothes directly from you and offers either trade or cash.  Trade is in the form of a store credit and has a higher value than the cash option.  For instance, four shirts and two pairs of jeans will fetch you a $50 trade for in-store credit or $35 cash.  It’s your choice.  To round out the feel good experience, if you accept a token instead of a bag for purchases, Buffalo Exchange will donate five cents to a charity of your choice. If clothes are not accepted for trade or cash, Buffalo Exchange will donate your clothes for you.

If you don’t have a Buffalo Exchange in your area, there may be a locally owned consignment store offering similar services, so check your local listings.

If you don’t need the cash, or can’t be bothered with the hassle of taking your goods to the store, charitable donation is always a good option for your karma and the charitable organization. Many organizations even come to your house with free pick up.  Donation Town is a search engine with organizations in your area that offer free pick up of clothing and other household item donations, making it easy to find local charitable organizations and to schedule a pick up.

From water bottles to clothing, most products have an end-of-life cycle that extends past a land fill or beyond one owner. The Everybody Needs Extra Cash™ blog series will highlight the many ways to earn money with your goods once you’re done with them.

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