6 things to do in January when you are a bit skint

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When I used to work for H&M I remember the awesome feeling of getting paid twice in December. Except the second load of dosh had to last you right up until the end of January (I swear I can hear the sound of belts tightening at the very memory). So here are 6 things to do when you bank balance is dwindling and you have run out of box sets to watch...

1. Give blood. Rich I went to give blood on New Years Eve. I think it is one of the most selfless acts you can undertake; you give up time, energy and ultimately your blood for someone you don't even know. We always marvel at the cross-section of people in the waiting area - illness and disease don't discriminate and when it comes to blood donation, neither do the people who are willing to give up the red stuff. For me there are 3 upsides to giving blood: free club biscuits, the feeling of doing something 'good' and the chance to sit down the relax with a magazine. When I was there in December I read the new Harpers Bazaar cover to cover whilst supping on a tasty pint of lemon squash.

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Mrs Doubtfire came out in 1993, fellow interneters. Just let that sink in...

2. Clean. There is nothing more I love than a really good "sort out" - cupboards, draws, shelves, and of course, wardrobes. I find it really therapeutic to keep what I want  and donate to charity the items that no longer belong. My friend Joban popped round the other day and was greeted by the sight of me pulling things out of my dining room cupboards and piling them up on the dining room table. Why on earth should I do this you may be wondering? Cleaner, tidier living space, you might find some money, you can donate unwanted items to charity which allows you to polish your halo.

3. Use up your sachets. Before I sit down to devour a magazine I always leaf through and pull out the free sachets of shampoo and conditioner/moisturiser etc, I then stockpile them in a box in the bathroom cupboard where they largely sit untouched until the next time I clear the cupboard out. It's a habit I picked up from my mum and one I have never questioned until this month I ACTUALLY USED A FEW OF THE SACHETS!! Cracking open a sachet of shiseido shampoo I felt the habit breaking AND my hair looked immense for the following 3 days. WIN. Your hair/skin will think it is Christmas.

4. Phone a friend. You know that friend you are always texting? Phone her. When I saw my school friends on Christmas Eve we ended up reciting each others home phone numbers ingrained on our memories; we didn't have a text option when we were teenagers. Phone a friend: you may finally use up some of your free minutes.

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5. Write Thank You cards.  Last year I felt compelled to write to 3 women who had changed my life for the better - one was so moved when she opened her card she phoned me in tears. I love it when people say 'thank you'; for a gift, for some information, for a phone call but a card, however old school, is a thing to hold and cherish. Here are 3 reasons to write a 'thank you' card: you get to crack out the awesome stationary you received at Christmas, it will only cost you the price of a stamp to send, you may even get some fresh air on the way to the post box,

6. Sort out your old photos. This a free trip down memory lane, you get to marvel at how fresh faced and awesome you were when at the time you thought you weren't and - ultimate bonus - you get to rid yourself of any bad memories/people by chucking those photos away! (Unless all your photos are on your laptop/phone in which case you're in for a major scrolling session).


Stay happy

Til next time...x

The Wardrobe Angel

Drug Free eBay Top 10 Tips (read on - it'll all make sense...)

With the sun beginning to finally break through the clouds this month it is the perfect time to clear out your wardrobe and generate some cash from things you don’t wear. Back in 2011 I wrote my first blog post about eBay and I have learnt a lot since then about successful selling, so much so that PayPal put a hold on my account in February: they thought I was a drug dealing money launderer because of all the money going in and out of my account. True Fact! Last year I made nearly £2000 for clients selling their unsuitable clothes.

Here are my updated, drug free eBay Top 10 Tips:

1.      What’s New Pussycat? eBay Pulse used to be a great barometer to check what was and wasn’t selling and sadly, as of September 2012 it no longer exists. In its place there is the most awesome Watch Count (click here for their website). Simply select your country and then search for your key words. They even have an option to see items with zero/fewest bids - great if you need a specific item for minimal cash. I use this function to see why things haven’t sold: it may the description, the starting bid price, a badly pose photo.

2.      Knowledge is power. You wouldn’t go and buy a car without checking out the market and seeing what is on offer elsewhere. Say I am listing a Boden Top size 18, I run a search on the item to see if there are any similar items selling with that description. I check out the listing price, the photos, the description and the delivery time of similar items.

3.      Standing out from the crowd. There are 1000’s of items for sale on eBay: you have to make your listing stand out. List the garment attributes in the title - BNWT (Brand New With Tags), 100% Silk, Cashmere mix, BN (Brand New). I use a mix of capital and lower case letters as well.

4.       Descriptions which actually describe. I did an English degree so I secretly love this part but 1 sentence about your item alongside 1 photo? Would you buy that? If you were on a market stall shouting your wares what would you say? This is your chance to really sell your item: fit, cut, quality, washing instructions. Why are you selling it? When did you wear it? It is races season soon so a dress you wore to Ascot, York or Aintree will sell better with that information included in the description – buyers will know what the end use is.

5.      Givers gain - I always include the measurements of the garment. This also saves you time – the more info you give, the less questions buyers ask.

6.       Phototastic – these babies come before your now wordy and bursting at the seams descriptions. Some buyers, if they really want the item, will buy from the photos alone. Think of your photos as a sequence of events: front, back, sleeve detail, front detail, lining, damage (if any), tags (if still attached), close up of the original price on tag, retailer label showing brand and size. Make sure the photos are turned to right way round before uploading.

7.      Be honest – if you say you’ll deliver in 3 days but you know work is going to be pretty hectic and you’d rather spend your lunch hour on Twitter than queuing at the Post Office then don’t make promises you can’t keep. Bad service = bad feedback which affects your seller ratings.  

8.      Packaged to perfection – Buy your packaging from Wilkinson’s – super cheap and great quality.

9.      It’s all about the timing – As with so many things in life, eBay really is all about the timing. Sunday night between 6.30pm and 9pm is the optimum time to list on eBay: more traffic, more bids, more money. Use the scheduling option on the selling form if you are batch listing. It will cost you £0.06 per item and saves a lot of stress.

10.  Money, money, money – Ah yes, eBay has to pay themselves somehow. They take 15% of your final sale price and PayPal charges a 3.4% transaction fee plus 20p per transaction.

Let me know how you get on! Til next time..x