10001: Winning Ebay Auctions

This is a continuing series, based off of the book 10,0001 Ways to Live Large On a Small Budget. (This is not an affiliate link - I always tell you when I post those -just links to the book. I don't recommend buying it... check it out at your local library and save some money.)

Ebay Sniping

This is a referral link. To go there without me getting credit for it, visit bidnip.com. If they ask for an email address to the person who referred you, please use sadielankford@ymail.com -- I get 5 free snipes for every person who signs up. You can use your affiliate link and do the same.

Love ebay? Hate bidding wars? Me, too!! Sometimes I get into it, and end up spending too much! That's where sniping comes in.

I had never heard of sniping until I read this book. Basically, you can do this manually or you can do it through bidnip.com at less than 50 cents a pop (you only pay if you win). To snipe manually, first of all you DO NOT BID YET!! You scope out the item you want, and wait for the auction to get down to a minute or so left. Keep refreshing the page, to keep track of how many seconds is left on the auction. When it gets down to about 5 seconds (most places suggest 3, but you have to be FAST to wait that long - ebay has to confirm your bid), put in your max bid. Most of the time, the person who was bidding on it didn't expect this - didn't have a very high bid because there was no competition - and won't have time to re-bid.

The above option is great if you have the time, patience and skill for it. For everyone else, there is bidnip.com. You get 5 free credits just for signing up. You don't have to give them any credit card, paypal, or banking information - you just enter your email address and go from there. Like I said, you get 5 free credits just for signing up!!

There is a bar on the left hand side of the page at your sniping page. You just put the auction ID # in, and they will snipe it for you! You put your max bid, and they will watch the auction, wait until there are only 3 seconds left, and place the bid!

Most of the time, you will save 25-30% by using this method to buy on ebay.

Let me know how much you usually save sniping! Or, if you're new to it like I am, how much you saved because of bidnip (or doing it manually)!

ETA: I realize a lot of you already knew about sniping -- I knew about it but didn't know what it was called. And some of you may say, "Why pay someone to do this for me, when I can do it myself"... it's simple really. I don't have the time to be on ebay much. When I'm online, I'm also multitasking and taking care of the kiddos. Also, I work online. If I allow myself to get sucked into ebay, I won't ever get anything done. Plus, I haven't paid for my snipes -- I had free credits to start and have only used those. For example, the last auction I won was for a Cricut Cartridge. I used to bid up to $30 on them because they're $60 in stores. I bid up to $20 on the last one, and I got it for $18.50 plus free shipping. Even if I would've had to pay a quarter to save $12.00, I gladly would have. :)

Ways to Live Large On a Small Budget: Series - Post #1

I just finished the book 10,0001 Ways to Live Large On a Small Budget, by the writers of Wise Bread. I looked for it on Amazon, just to provide a link for everyone. It says there are used copies of this book from $7.49. I, however, recommend just checking it out from your local library. Even though it's a great book, I wouldn't spend the money on it - but I'm a cheapskate when it comes to books. :)

This book includes many hints, tips, tricks, and ideas on saving money and living on a small budget. Overall, I'd give the book 4 out of 5 stars. I love the layout - it's very simple, colorful, and easy to navigate through the different topics.

I am starting a series where I will go over my favorite parts in the book. How to Throw an Inexpensive Kids' Birthday Party is my first topic. Mostly because Grace is turning 5 next Sunday, and I'm pretty darn good at planning inexpensive kids' parties. I do have to admit, though, that this year we are having Gracie's party at The Little Gym. It cost $200, and on top of that I have to buy cake, presents, and make her outfit. BUT, at this time we are super busy and I just didn't want to plan a party. Woah, that makes me sound like a spoiled child lol. Sorry, sometimes I have those days. :)

Some of these ideas are from the book, others are from various internet sites, and the rest are from me.

Having a party at home can be the most frugal option for any party. If you're like me, though, and live in a cracker-jack-box-sized-apartment, that isn't an option - unless your guests are Oompa Loompas. Getting your house in shape for guests is often difficult, especially when the kids are constantly running behind you undoing what you just did.

Other free or inexpensive options include reserving space at a local park (that cost us $20 last year), the clubhouse in your neighborhood, or even at your church/synagogue/place of worship. The book raves about reserving a baseball field at a nearby park only costing them $10 -- this price can vary greatly in your area, so check into it before you set this idea in stone.

A skating party can be inexpensive (we once rented the rink for 2 hours for $50), as can swimming parties (I'm too paranoid for those), or even bowling alley parties (the cost of these varies greatly, but generally speaking it's best to have one during the day on a weekday).

With goodie bags, don't go overboard. You can easily go to the Dollar Tree (union workers here are boycotting, so I haven't been there in a while..*sigh*), Dollar General (they're getting pricey!), or another Dollar Store, to get last minute items for treat bags. However, if you plan it all out ahead of time, you can order from Oriental Trading and fill goodie bags with lots of cool stuff for under $1.

When thinking of what foods to serve, remember that kids probably won't eat much if they're busy having fun. Hot dogs are super cheap - you can do hot dogs chopped up and served on tooth picks (I'm sure there's a fancy name for those), beanie weenies, cheese cubes (that can get expensive but if you buy a block of cheese and cut it up yourself, you'll do fine). Pizzas are only $5 each at Little Ceasar's. We bought 5 of those and had MORE than enough, because the kids were busy playing at the park. Make your own cake, skip the ice cream if you want to. Big bowls of chips also go over well and are fairly inexpensive.

It all boils down to having fun. Your guests will have as much fun as you want them to have. Take the time out to plan the party, and your guests will notice. While the kids probably won't appreciate your attention to detail, their parents surely will. Be flexible, and don't expect everything to be perfect. After all, kids are involved...

Other helpful articles when planning a birthday party:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Future posts will include:

Tips for Cutting Out Cable TV Without Missing Your Favorite Shows
Sneaky Ways to Win Ebay Auctions and Save a Fortune
Ways to Pay Less Money for a College Degree
Ways to Homeschool for Less
Ways to Simplify Your Budget
The FDCPA and Your Rights (credit card collections information)
How to Answer the Most Common Interview Questions (jobs)
How to Become a Mystery Shopper
Cash Saving Resources (such as couponmountain.com)