Today, Courtney and I wanted to share the next leg of our adventure:  Thailand.

After being faced with a very tough decision, we’ve finalized the following schedule:

• Courtney will finish out her teaching through Dec. 16th.
• We will be flying from Auckland to Christchurch, NZ on Dec. 17th.
• Dec. 17th -> 30th, we will be touring the South Island of New Zealand as planed.
• On Dec. 31st, we will fly from Christchurch, NZ into Melbourne, Australia.
• On January 7th, after a week in Melbourne, we will fly into Bangkok, Thailand.

What the…  didn’t you guys just get set-up in Auckland?

Yes, we did.  In fact, we worked very hard to get sponsored for employment, secure a work permit, and adapt to downtown living.

And Courtney’s employment has gone very well.  She loves the school she is at and they had opportunities to offer if we wanted to stay for another school year.  Over the course of the last month or so, we’ve had to decide between three options:

1. Stay in New Zealand for another full year.
2. Return home for the holidays and reassess our situation.
3. Continue to travel to a different country.

All options had positive and negatives.  Staying in New Zealand is only possible if Courtney works full-time in order to have the proper visas.  Continuing to travel is only possible with an increased income and in an affordable country.  And returning home carried a risk (even if small) of not leaving again.

In the end, we decided to rule out committing for another year in New Zealand.  While we’ve honestly enjoyed our time here, there aren’t enough unique benefits to overcome the strengths of being closer to our family, friends, and the increased working opportunities that come from being in the U.S.

But returning to the U.S., even if temporary, wasn’t the perfect solution either.  If monetarily possible, we wanted to try to get a more diverse cultural experience on this side of the world before making the long haul back to the other side.

And so, after much research, reflection, and forecasting we decided to dedicate at least two months to exploring Thailand before returning home or committing another year’s time in New Zealand.

Why Thailand?

Well, it fits nicely for several reasons.

First, it’s a more unique culture experience than either Australia or New Zealand.  Neither of us have been to any part of Asia, so we’d like to see a small slice while we are relatively close.  Thailand appears to be a great gateway to the rest of Southeast Asia.  It’s not too risky, but hopefully will stretch our comfort zone a little.

Second, it’s relatively affordable.  If we needed to (which we may), I could increase my freelancing to fully cover our living expenses (especially in the short-term).  It’s much more reasonable for our mobile income to support our travels there than many other more ‘westernized’ options in this region.

Third, I have some contacts/friends in the area.  For example, Cody McKibben of ThrillingHeroics.com calls the region home and has already spent a considerable amount of time advising me on different issues.  I’ve also talked to a handful of other people who live in Thailand or who will be traveling to the region during the same time.  These connections help us a great deal in making our plans.

How long?  Where to after Thailand?

That’s a great question.  We want to leave it as open as possible as we don’t know what to fully expect.

However, our initial guesses put us staying for two months, before heading to the U.S. in early March.  The visa that looks most desirable last 60 days.  In addition, we are considering heading to Austin, TX for the SxSw conference in March.

Either way, it’s unlikely we stay past April as Milligan turns two years old in the middle of the month.  Those of you that travel with kids know that two years old is a big deal.  In general, she will no longer be considered an infant, nor allowed to fly as a ‘lap seat’.  This will cause our cost for international airfare to increase by a significant amount.

While it’s likely we will visit our family in the spring, we aren’t going to book the flight until we see what Thailand is like.  If we did return home, I imagine that remaining mobile will still be big part of our plans.  We’ve brainstormed what traveling around domestically could look like and have also brought up that neither of us have been to Europe.  Things could get interesting next summer. 

Help us with planning!

For now though our focus is on our self-tour of the South Island of New Zealand in December.  We also have a week to plan in Melbourne (will probably Couchsurf), which includes New Year’s Eve!  Lastly, we’ll be brainstorming potential spots to hit while in Thailand.

So long story short, if you have any recommendations for us… let them fly!

If you live in or have recently traveled to Melbourne or Thailand please leave your tips, tricks, and can’t-miss experiences below. If you’ll be in either of those areas yourself, we’d love to meet you!

photo by flydime

Related posts:

1. Travel Hacking for Noobs: How We Save Hundreds on Airfare, Get Free Accommodation, & Make Money while Overseas
2. How To Wait Aggressively
3. Couchsurfing New Zealand: Airport Debacles, Muslim Prayers, & A Triple-Dose Of New Zealand Hospitality

There are times in life when we are confident.   And there are other times when we are absolutely certain.

Certainty can be an incredible powerful tool, especially for initiating change and sparking action.

But certainty can suck, too.

…

(dwoo…  dwoo… dwoooo…)

…

It all started a couple months ago.  Courtney had recently obtained a work permit which extended her eligible visa through December.

Milligan and I, however, needed to apply for an extension to our visitors visas.  This was a fairly straight forward process as we could piggy-back off Courtney’s new permit (meaning it was almost sure to be granted).

So we gather all of our documents and head down to the Immigration office in downtown Auckland.  We arrive only 20 minutes or so before it closed and it was bustling as ever with people.

Flustered, I encircle five chairs to create a make shift playpen for Milligan as I set about filling out the appropriate forms and sorting the documentation.  Courtney tried to fight her way to the front of a line and pick off the occasional staff member as they walk by to verify the form I’m filling out is our best option.

I finish the form just as they are closing and trying to herd people out the doors.  Courtney returns and helps sort the information and gather Milligan.  I check every space, verify the attached documents, and account for everything multiple times.

The application requires our original passports, which makes me nervous, but I know we are certified copies in the worst case scenario.  (Not actually back-up passports, just certified copies of the main pages).

I place the documentation and passports inside the application, walk 20 feet to the bin, and drop it in just as they are collecting and locking the doors.  Whew.

Upon arriving home, I sort the documentation we didn’t end up using back into our normal folder where we store it.  All is well.

…

One month later…  dwoo… dwoo… dwoo…

…

I’m at the counter at the AA (think BMV) waiting to apply to get a New Zealand license.  This process, of course, has it’s own hurdles as my U.S. license recently expired and Courtney left her on our first flight to Australia.  Sigh.

After looking at my certified copies for my passport pages, the attendant regretfully informs me that they will need my original passport.

Baker: “My original passport is currently with Immigration still.  These certified copies are notarized by a local justice of the peace here in Auckland.  They assured me these would work.”

Attendant: “I’m sorry sir, they will reject the application if we don’t include the original passport.  It clearly says here on the application that they require the original.”  (which it did)

Baker: “What about this original birth certificate?”

Attendant: “Were you born in Fiji?  If you were, we can accept a birth certificate…”

Baker: “Do I look like I was born in Fiji?”  (I managed to avoid saying this one aloud).

No problem, I thought.  I’ll be back.  I’ll just swing by Immigration and see if my paperwork is ready to be picked up.

After a 15 minutes wait, I get to the counter, explain the situation and wait as the officer looks up my information.

Officer: “Your documents are done being processed, but your passports weren’t included in the application.”

Baker: “Yes, they were.  The application specifically required the original passports and I dropped them off myself in that drop box (*points*).”

Officer: “Well, it lists all your other documentation as included, but it’s noted that the passport requirement was waived for this application.  Unfortunately, we processed this application at another branch, so you’ll have to call your specific account rep, Shashi Poo, at this number…”

[I'll spare you from the next 15 minutes of conversation.  It involved me clarifying why they sent this to another branch, clarifying how to pronounce Shashi Poo, and what I could do if it was lost or misplaced.]

Shashi Poo: “No, I’m sorry it was not in your file when it arrived here.  Although, it went through “documentation” in another department first.  I’ll have to double check with them to ensure there wasn’t a mix up there.”

Baker: “Well, I know it was in the application when I dropped it off.  Where it’s at now, I have no idea.  Either way, it was required for this application and we’ve been approved.  So it must have been handled by somebody at some point.”

Disheartened, I returned home and double-checked the documents that I had sorted back into our folder after I came home.  Not there.  Frustrated I jumped online to find the nearest U.S. Embassy and vent on Twitter:

The funniest part of the entire story happens once Courtney arrives home from school.  I inform her of the whole situation, but at some point I say “And when I talked to Shashi Poo” without first qualifying who that was.

Having no knowledge of a Shashi Poo, Courtney hears “And when I talked to Joshy-poo,” which is the goofy nickname we sometimes call one of my best friends back home.

This causes a 5 minute confusion, which leads to a 5 minute fight (you know the type), before we realize the source of the confusion.

The next day, I anxiously await Shashi Poo’s follow up call.  To her credit, she *did* follow up with me, although she bore more bad news:

Shashi Poo: “I attempted to trace it back with no luck.  There’s no sign of the passports, nor were they found or turned in at any stage.”

Instead of taking it out on Shashi, I hung up and hit my normal outlet:

I look up the Embassy.  In Wellington, duh.  Won’t help.  Although a Google search for American Help Auckland reveals a local U.S. Consulate’s office.

I fill Courtney in again, we both vent our frustration and try to figure out whether we can get the new copies issued fast enough to apply for the license in time to rent the car in time for our South Island trip.

Let’s just say I wasn’t in the greatest mindset about this whole process.

Another couple days pass and Courtney and I are gathering the information to go to the Consultate’s office the next day.  We go through the important documents folder and pull out what we need, making sure to recount how we can’t believe the timing of Immigration losing the passports.

Everything sorted, I sit down to check my e-mail as Courtney gets Milligan’s backpack carrier packed up with diapers, the documents, and everything else we need.

Courtney [casual voice]: “Oh, look…  Here they are…  they were in the bottom of this Milligan’s carrier!”

Baker: *blank stare*

… awkward silence …

Baker: “You are joking, right?”

Courtney: *holds up passports* “No… I wonder how they got in there.”

Baker: *blank stare*

Courtney: *starts to laugh uncontrollably*

Baker: *blank stare*

…

(dwoo…  dwoo… dwoooo…)

…

To this day, I still don’t know how that happened.  I literally watched my hand put them into the application, then carry them to the box and drop them in.

I have three theories:

1. When I stood up, they slide out and somehow landed in the open backpack carrier,
2. When I stood up, they fell onto the floor and a little 19-month-old with a fondness of collecting things and putting them into bags played a small role, or
3. Ridiculously stealthy government spies infiltrated our apartment at night to cover up an embarrassing mistake and prevent the inevitable tension on international relationships that would result once I broke the story on Man Vs. Debt.

Regardless of how it happened, it did. Never in my recent memory have I been more shocked.  It’s as if I just saw an amazing slight of hand street magician.  Not one of the corny ones… one of the old guys whose been hustling the streets for 40 years.

I caution to think what I would have bet on those passports having entered that box.  A lot…  a whole lot.

As it turns out, not only was Immigration not to blame, they actually approved the application despite it lacking the required original passports.  Meaning they actually made an exception in an attempt to do a favor.

Ouch.

There are two silver linings to the story.  First, having the passports enabled me to finalize getting the license without any further issues.  Second, though, I never lost my cool.  While one may say I was a bit on the arrogant side at least once or twice, I never raised my voice.

I thanked the people who tried to help, without going berserk.  Although, I will admit that part of this was from being in a foreign country.  Had this happened in the comfort zone of U.S. soil…  I don’t think I would have been that reserved.  Maybe somebody or something in the sky is teaching me a lesson in an controlled experiment.

When’s the last time this happened to you?

We all do this from time to time.  It’s not just a travel story.  It happens in our finances, our relationships, even our health.

We are certain our job is secure…  they would never let us go.  We are certain about giving one investment advisor control of all our assets, based on his track record.  We are certain we don’t spend more when using a credit card or that we aren’t affected by things like advertising and media.

We will never meet that special someone or are certain enough to neglect our health without realizing the consequences.

In the end, though, we pay a price for this confidence. In the cases above, it may be a very tangible price.  In my case, it was just the sour taste of eating my own words.

But even that sour taste, reminded me not to be too confident of anything.  To never be so certain that I can’t fathom a different opinion, perspective, or potential outcome.

It’s dangerous territory to wander in.  I escaped with just a scratch on my ego this time…  next time, I may not be as fortunate.

When was the last time you were ABSOLUTELY certain about something, that ended up proving untrue? What was the end damage?  Share your comments and story below for everyone else!

photo by sudhamshu

Related posts:

1. What Money Can’t Buy: Share Your Priceless Moments
2. How To Wait Aggressively
3. My 1-Hour Blog Talk Radio Session With Ask Mr. Credit Card!

First, I’m excited to show of a new, custom-designed widget for our list of possessions over on the “Our Stuff” page.

Si from Line In Web Design donated his time and expertise for free as a fan of the blog.  He did an awesome job in a very short amount of time (he’s available for design, website, and widget freelancing).  We originally met on Twitter (@LineInWebDesign), but after just a couple e-mail he spit out the following beauty:

Obviously, this is sweet for me because it automatically tallies the possessions.  I can easily check old (strikethrough) or new (with the red graphic) on any item.

Si set it up so I could quickly edit the categories and even specifically designate which categories were counted and which weren’t with a simple checkbox.  The widget can even display just one (or any number) of the categories if I want.  So in the future if I talk about clothing or gadgets for example, I can paste just that category in about 3 seconds.

As you can tell, I’m pretty stoked about this! 

However, I’d love to hear if you guys have any suggestions.  Even though Si asked me for any improvements or suggestions I really couldn’t think of any of the top of my head.  If there is something you think would be cool or would like to see, let me know!

Man Vs. Debt Militia Update!

A couple days ago, I sent out the very first e-mail to the Militia e-mail list.

I ran a contest for two free books (by the way I’ll be drawing on Monday for those who got in) and gave some top secret eBook information.

I’m actively looking for more ways to give away free stuff and keep the most passionate followers in the loop.  If you want to ensure you get the next update/giveaway information, head over and Enlist in the Militia right now.

The week ahead…

I’ve got what I think is a great post lined up tomorrow about being over confident in life and in our finances.  It’s a very recent example of something I screwed up big time, but that I haven’t shared anywhere yet.  (This was very embarrassing).

Later in the week, I have big news.  Really big news for Courtney and me (and Milli).  It’s excited and good.  But it’ll have to wait until Thursday.

Would you like to see a Success Story Friday column become a regular part of the blog?

Quick question for all of you that are big enough fans to read my Sunday updates all the way to the bottom.  I’ve been thinking about featuring success stories from other voices on Fridays for a while now.  These would be guest post or featured interviews on people that have some sort of financial or life design type of success to share.

This would be a great chance to regularly feature some other voices or life stories in the case of an interview.  This would fall on Friday, which would double to give everyone a pick-me-up for the weekend.  I’d probably move my normal Thursday posts to Wednesdays.  So it would be Monday (me), Wednesday (me), Friday (guest or interview), Sunday (personal update).

This wouldn’t only be guest posts from other bloggers.  I would hope it could contain news and interviews with Man Vs. Debt readers (without blogs), as well.

Let me know if you like this idea or prefer my current schedule/set-up!

Xoxoxo,

Baker

Related posts:

1. Personal Update: Stuff, Fat, & Facebook
2. The Man Vs. Debt Militia is now recruiting!
3. Personal Update: Apartments & Transparency

Milligan and her monkey contemplate their favorite travel hacking tips. Photo by Courtney Baker.

Advanced travel hacking is an art form.  I have no doubts about that.

But, contrary to popular belief, getting started is actually quite simple.  So easy even a toddler could do it.  Literally.

But I’ll share a little secret with you…  it’s not as glamorous as most people think.  At least not for us.

We certainly aren’t professional travel hackers.  We aren’t the family you hear in those stories about traveling Southeast Asia for a year on only $127 dollars.  I speak only 1 language (Courtney speaks 2).  And we have nowhere close to 676,583 frequent flier miles like Chris Guillebeau.

We aren’t total noobs, though. We’ve had an in-your-face crash course over the last year and learned a ton.  I’m convinced that 80% of travel hacking is just opening your mind to possibilities you didn’t know existed.  I just made that statistic up on the spot…  but I’m fairly sure other intense travelers will agree.

Anyway, here are some tips and tricks to take you from naysayer to noob in as short of time frame as possible.  Once you graduate to advanced (or if you are already there), I’d appreciate you teaching me everything you know in the comments below! 

How We Find Airfare:  A Video Walkthrough of How to Save $521+

The video below is just over 20 minutes long.  In it I detail the basic process we use when trying to tackle a potential flight from scratch using a theoretical example.  If you’re an airfare noob (someone who only uses the Priceline.com), I really think you’ll find value in it:

[Note:  I'll be replacing this video with a higher quality version soon.]

[If the video doesn't show up in your reader or e-mail, click here to watch now]

Obviously the example in the video speaks for itself.  However, here’s the summary version of our usual process for those of you who can’t watch the full video:

• [0:00] - Video is a step-by-step walkthrough of how I would tackle a theoretical sample flight leaving from Christchurch, NZ to Bangkok, Thailand towards the end of this year.
• [0:20] – Most people start with the larger online aggregator sites.  That’s fine to gain a ‘baseline’ price.
• [0:40] - I recently have found Tripeedo.com which aggregates the aggregation sites!
• [2:30]  - Research several of the sites and establish the baseline for airfare prices.
• [3:30]   - Find the budget airlines that aren’t included in the aggregators, but that fly that route.  I use WhichBudget.com or basic Google searches.
• [5:00] Visit the direct sites of the budget airlines (and major carriers, as well).  Look for specials on the front page that wouldn’t be included in the larger search sites.
• [7:00] – Locate the common ‘hubs’ of the flight path.  The cities that are popular stop-overs for multi-leg flights.
• [8:00] - Research the individual legs of the flight on the budget airline sites.  Look for ways to be flexible with travel dates, as it can save a lot of money.
• [10:00] – Pay attention to different currencies.  Prices are often quoted in the starting point for the leg of the trip (which can mean you need to convert currency).
• [12:00] - Compare the different fares for using different ‘hubs’.  In our case it’s flying through Sydney compared to flying through Melbourne or Hong Kong.
• [14:30] - Convert exchange rates all to one currency to compare apples to apples.  I usually convert to USD to compare easily to aggregator sites.
• [17:00] - After fee prices, our examples ends up being at least $521 dollars cheaper over the lowest price with the aggregator sites!  Around 25% off in less than 20 minutes.
• [19:00] - Last tip, use social networks to find the best local sites for flight deals in each specific country.  GrabASeat.co.nz is a great on for New Zealand. (Certain flights for $1 every day)

Other suggestions I’ve learned when booking airfare:

• Always call the airline direct before purchasing online. In rare cases, they actually have better deals (we have to do this anyway most of the time with an infant).
• The more flexible you are willing to be, the more money you can save. Look at flying on different days of the week.  Or staying an extra day in a connecting ‘hub’ in order to take advantage of  a huge drop in flight prices.
• Search all airports for a city or destination. For us, Chicago, Melbourne, and Brisbane/Gold Coast are all places where we’ve found deals at separate airports in the same area.
• Be willing to take bumps if offered. On our Honeymoon, Courtney and I purposely gave ourselves room to take flight bumps if needed.  On the way home, we took one that resulted in free flights, meal vouchers, free overnight hotel, and a direct flight the next day (when our original flight had another connection left).  It was awesome!

Even under my current system, I know this is just the very tip of the iceberg.  There is much more that Courtney and I could be doing in this area.  For example, we are not taking nearly as big of advantage of frequent flier miles as we could be.  I didn’t realize just how bad we were, until I was blown away by Chris Guillebeau’s new Frequent Flyer Master eBook.  It’s actually embarrassing how much money we’ve left on the table from not doing very simple things.  I’ll provide more info on this at the bottom of the article for those interested.

Couchsurfing, Hostels, & Wwoofing…  Oh My!

Another area where Courtney and I have been able to save a lot of money has been in accommodation.  (Well, at least until we rented the apartment). 

First, we’ve fully shot-gunned the Couchsurfing kool-aid.  When we first arrived, we were very skeptical.  We hadn’t planned on using the service, although we had heard great things.  But after our first experience with it, we were blown away.

For any of you that don’t know, CouchSurfing.com is essentially a social networking site for travelers and people willing to host travelers.  Think of it as a Facebook for backpackers and world travelers.

I wrote an extensive article covering the basics of CouchSurfing over at Get Rich Slowly.  If you want more information check out my thoughts there.  I’ve also written here on our amazing experiences with our hosts in Townsville, AUS and Auckland, NZ.

The value of Couchsurfing extends far, far beyond a free place to sleep.  Our hosts have provided many of our most memorable moments and saved us hundreds of dollars with their recommendations, expertise, and knowledge of the local area.

Here are my top 5 CouchSurfing tips from the Get Rich Slowly post:

1. Spend quality time on filling out your profile honestly!
2. Put up as many pictures as you can!
3. Utilize the filters when searching for hosts!
4. Completely read the profile and references of potential hosts!
5. Reference parts of the host’s profile when requesting to “surf”!

I electorate more specifically on these points in the post, as well.

CouchSurfing is just one of several networks like this.  However, it’s been the only one we’ve actually used.

Willing Work On Organic Farms

Wwoofing for short, is a website/community of people who (in general) provide a room and meals in exchange for work.  In many cases, this work is on some sort of farm, vineyard, orchard or similar set-up.  However, like CouchSurfing, there is plenty of variety if you search around.

Courtney and I paid for a membership to the New Zealand community and even went as far as to contact several of the opportunities that were listed.  This was our back-up plan if obtaining a sponsored visa was going to carry a longer waiting period.

Through wwoofing we would have been able to stretch our money much further.  Most of the arrangements we contacted involved 5-6 hours of work a day for the room and included 3 home cooked meals.  There were places that welcomed families and those that didn’t.

Usually these are longer commitments than say Couchsurfing.  Most last anywhere from a week to several months, which is perfect for extending your trip in places you’d like to explore more!

Tapping into your social network!

This is another technique that we’ve used and that I plan on using more and more going forward.  As social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and others continue to rise, the world is growing smaller and smaller.  These days, a simple tweet or posting an update on Facebook can gain lots of feedback.

For example, if you are reading this… I am in your extended network.  If you wanted to travel to Argentina, Barbados, Japan, India, Ireland or nearly anywhere in the world, I just so happen to know a friendly face who would love to help provide you with information.

Don’t hesitate to use your social networks or to e-mail me to ask for help when planning an extended trip.  Through friends of friends it’s easier than ever to get in touch with locals who know the area like the back of their hand.

They might provide an actual place to stay or may know a suggestion for discounted accommodation.  They might be able to tip you off on budget airlines or country specific airfare sites like grabaseat.co.nz here in New Zealand.

Hostels aren’t just for singles looking to party.

Hostels seem to have bad raps due to movies and popular culture references.  There’s no doubt in my mind that some of them suck.  Most travelers have been into dirty, noisy hostels (and stayed in them) at some point.

But we’ve also been able to find perfectly reasonable hostels that were clean and free of late night noise.  In our experience, hostels overseas have been much like Motels in the States.  Some you wouldn’t step foot in, but many are perfectly fine.

Our custom hostel hunting tips from recent experience:

• Look for hostels that aren’t right downtown or right on the strip. The ones a couple blocks away are often less noisy and have fewer of the ‘party’ crowd.
• Look for smaller, quaint mom-and-pop type hostels. These often have a bit more pride of ownership than some of the massive discount chains.  We’ve had some very positive experiences with smaller local hostels.
• Walk around the entire hostel. Check the bathrooms and the kitchen areas and see how clean they are kept.  You can usually tell a lot more from these areas than the specific room.
• Look for rooms with fans and/or air conditioners (non coin operated).  With a fan or air conditioner on, you can seriously negate any outside noise (plus it’s cooler).
• Don’t be afraid to ask for discounted rates or to offer some sort of cleaning and or work in trade for discounts.  In nearly all of the hostels we’ve stayed a portion of the people in the rooms helped out in some way for a cheaper rate.

Using some of the above tips, we’ve been able to find very reasonable lodging at great rates.  We’ve been 100% comfortable staying in hostels even with a 1-year old and have experienced no problems (other than maybe a harder-than-average bed occasionally). 

House-sitting

We’ve only had limited experience with this, however it is a realistic option, especially if you can tap into your connections.  Our house-sitting experience came about through CouchSurfing.  A couple that had hosted us was leaving overseas for a month themselves.  It was cheaper for us to stay in the home and take care of their cat than it was for them to pay to board her.

This helped us have a rent-free month while we were awaiting Courtney’s work permit.

Income On the Road:  Visas, Job Hunting, & Freelancing

The last major area we’ve been able to find limited success is in creating some sort of income while traveling.  This is essential for travel hacking noobs as it can help fund the journey into ‘elite’ status. 

My biggest advice here is to fully study the visa options upfront.  We’ve gotten into trouble several times in this category, nearly all of which have been my own personal fault.

If you are young and without dependents, many countries offer a working-holiday arrangement.  It’s easy to use Google and find out the specific of your target destinations.  It’s common to be able to use this visa for up to a year and many of the countries require you to work for no longer than 6 months at any single job.

This is great if you have experience waiting tables, bartending, cleaning, or any other commonly needed skill.  Even in this ‘horrible global economy’ there seems to be an overwhelming amount of opportunities in every city we’ve encountered for this type of basic work.

In our case, Milligan disqualifies us from obtaining this sort of easy working option.  Even so, Courtney was able to obtain find a school willing to sponsor her to teach here in New Zealand.  She even qualified for a $2000 NZD relocation grant to help with expenses.

This was a fairly intensive process and we made a lot of mistakes, but have proven it’s very possible.  If you have a marketable degree, you can bump into all sorts of opportunities while traveling.

Freelance This!

Another popular option for travel hackers is to do freelance work.  This can be in a variety of areas, including writing, blogging, graphic design, consulting, and data entry.

Until recently, I wouldn’t have considered this a viable possibility.  But in a short amount of time, I’ve been able to build up the ability to generate $2000-$2500 per month in freelance income if I were to devote myself full-time to freelancing.  That’s not in the cards right now for me, however it’s a great back-up plan for traveling in cheap countries.

But you don’t have to be a formal writer to freelance even in the blogging world.  Prior to march, I hadn’t written anything.  I’d never been exposed to blogging or even consider writing as a hobby or career.  My point is that many of these fields are very easy to get into it.

For starters, you can search some of the most popular job posting sites for online writers:

• Problogger Job Board
• FreelanceSwitch Job Boards
• Elance.com

Of course, writing is just one example.  Many people have some sort of skill they can market online if they are willing to spend the time researching all of the emerging possibilities!

Other Travel Tips We’ve Experience First-Hand

• Stop buying stupid trinkets. Seriously, 99% of souvenirs are an absolute waste.  If you must buy something on your trip, make it functional.  Buying unique clothes, for example, is something that will provide a memory, but also give direct value.  Also, you can consider buying travel gear you are sure to use, such as a handy flashlight, water canteen, a sturdy watch, etc…  Other than those things, just take pictures.  The pictures will end up being your most valuable asset.  So take all the money you say from buying useless crap and get a decent camera!
• Pack as light as possible! Once you’ve packed light, throw out half of what you’ve packed and you should be ready.  Everyone I know that travels points out that they started with too much stuff.  I know we did, even though it seemed like we brought nothing. Light packing can save you direct money on items like baggage fees, but the real value is in the time and stress it saves you.  When in doubt, just buy it when you get there.  Chances are you won’t need it anyway.
• Consider Public Transportation.  You don’t have to rent a car everywhere you go.  For long-term travel sometimes this can be a bigger burden than benefit.  We had a great bus trip (up until the last 15 minutes) from Cairns to Townsville down Australia’s eastern coast.  I’ve had friends report having a blast taking the rail through Europe instead of renting a car or hoping on and off planes.  It’s a great way to travel slowly, save money (most of the time), and see different parts of the country.  Obviously, you have to use common sense and sometimes a car is the best option.  Just make sure you are open to multiple avenues of getting around.

Chris Guillebeau’s Frequent Flyer Master Endorsement

Let me just say this…  I had no idea how deep the rabbit hole really went on this frequent flyer stuff.

For example:

• Chris went to get a free hair-loss consultation because there was a 20,000 bonus miles promotion just for showing up.  (Haha)
• How people order thousands of dollar in coins from the U.S. mint and then turn them into the bank for the miles.
• How to get $40 Hilton Hotel credits and $50 Expedia credits multiple times a month.
• How to get 10k miles just for graduating college (C’mon Courtney!)
• The costs that you do incur even with ‘free’ trips and how to minimize them
• And the best and worst programs for collecting miles.  Chris names names.

But, my personal favorite was the name of the bank that actually has a DEBIT card that earns miles. Woot! Woot!  I’m personally checking into this local bank next week.

As always you get a full e-book, a 20-minute audio, a 4-page Priceline specific guide and month’s worth of continual updates on new changes in 2010 as they emerge.

Most importantly, Chris has gotten pretty bold this time.  He has guaranteed that you will earn at least 25,000 air miles in the first 90 days with the guide, which is enough for one free domestic flight.  If you don’t earn the free flight in the first 3-months, just ask for a refund.  Like I said… a bold offer.

What about you?

At what stage of the travel hacking journey are you?  Are you a bonafide travel ninja or just another noob getting started?

What are your top tips for saving money while on the road?  What about making money?

I’m looking forward on taking your tips and taking my game to the next level!

Related posts:

1. The Real Reason I Travel
2. Why Australia?: Financial Implications Of Our Move Overseas
3. Saving Money While Traveling And Some Mistakes We’ve Made

Today, Ramit Sethi is launching the official I Will Teach You To Be Rich Boot Camp.

In case you don’t already know, Ramit is the blogger behind I Will Teach You To Be Rich website and is more recently a New York Times Best-Selling author.

I respect Ramit for several reasons:

• He’s built a wildly successful blog by posting less frequent, but extremely high impact articles.
• His ability to brand himself, and his bold, but genuine approach (even when we disagree).
• The focus, content, and launch of his now best-selling book.
• His reputation for only doing projects that deliver intense value.
• His negotiation skills.

Some of those items might only be appealing to those of you that are entrepreneurs, that’s fine.  I’m just being honest about what I dig.  But everyone can benefit from high quality, actionable advice, which is what Ramit’s become known for delivering.

That’s why I don’t mind supporting this comprehensive boot camp.  Simply, he’s earned my trust and respect for his focus on exceeding value.  Until he botches that… he’s got it! 

Boot Camp Specifics

The 6-week boot camp has several parts to it:

• First, it’s going to have a private forum and group community.  This is one of the biggest assets I’m looking forward to.  As you know, I’m a huge fan of group accountability and it really is effective at helping me succeed.
• Early in the week, on each topic, they will be giving out text, worksheets, checklists, and even assignments.  Yes, he said there will be homework (checked by staff)! Talk about kicking butt.
• On Tuesdays, Ramit will do a live webcast talking about the specific topic and answering questions from the members of the community.  The video will be available obviously even if you miss the live recording.
• Later in the week, there will be a featured Guests doing a live webcast.  And there are some pretty big names that’ll be coming out to contribute:
  • Pam Slim
  • Charlie Hoehn
  • Andy Jolls
  • Shannon Sofield

To be honest, this is a really cool set-up.  I’m jealous that I can’t host this sort of thing myself, but it’s just not feasible right now.  Ramit’s put the hard work, dedication, and coordination into it, so he gets the glory…  for now at least! 

Schedule of content

Week 1 - Optimizing your credit cards 11/9-11/15
Week 2 - Beat the banks and negotiate bills 11/16 – 11/22
Week 3 – Open 401K and Roth IRA 11/23-11/29
Week 4 – Conscious Spending 11/30 – 12/6
Week 5 – Automation 12/7 – 12/13
Week 6 – Investing – setting up portfolio 12/14 – 12/20

As you can see, Ramit will be covering a lot of content that I don’t touch on.  That’s part of the reason, I like this.  It’s a chance for me to expand my scope and a chance for you to find actionable advice on stuff I just don’t offer.

I’m most excited about:

• Week 2 – I can’t get enough of negotiation content!
• Week 4 – I’m interested to hear more of Ramit’s suggests within Conscious Spending
• Week 6 – You may or may not know that we don’t currently invest.  While I don’t expect that to change, this is certainly the area in which I have the most room to improve (and most knowledge to gain).

And, yes…  I’ll have my earmuffs ready for Week 1…  *rolls eyes* (although I don’t mind hearing other perspectives).

Join me in going through the Boot Camp

I’m going to actively participate in this first boot camp.  Partly because I’m interested in hearing and learning more through Ramit’s approach and partly because I want to see first hand how much value it brings!

I’m going to be setting up a private forum, chat, and/or public wiki for any Man Vs. Debt readers who want to go through the project with me.  Depending on the number of people, we’ll work out something cool to do.  I’m interested in getting your honest feedback as it is happening.

If you want to be in a small group like this, e-mail me at Baker @ ManVsDebt.com and let me know.

100% Money Back Guarantee

Like any product that is confident in it’s value, the boot camp offers a 30-day money back guarantee. Ramit personally assured me that it was no questions asked and no jumping through hoops.  If it doesn’t immediately deliver more value than the price.  Get a refund.  Simple.

Because this is a structured program you can only sign-up through this Friday, Nov. 6th, 2009.

This boot camp is for those:

• Serious about getting into action and going at it 110% (don’t waste time or money if not)
• Excel in a structured environment
• Find benefit in group accountability

If it’s sounds interesting you can join me here.  If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up by e-mail or on Twitter!

Plus, how can you not love all these cool graphics:

Related posts:

1. Need Your Feedback: A Quick Man Vs. Debt Reader Survey
2. Introducing: Radical Financial Transparency
3. Frugality Vs. “Big Wins” – Why You Shouldn’t Care About Either

Since we left for overseas in early June, our budgeting has been on one hell of a roller coaster ride.  For the year and a half leading up to the trip, we were budgeting ninjas!  We had grown comfortable, become great at predicting expenses, and really found our budgeting sweet spot.

Long story short, we had no idea what we were in for!  Traveling like this was a shock to our budgeting system.  We’ve had extreme success in areas like lodging and food, set against the occasional huge spike in categories such as airfare and visas.

These ups and downs prompted us to finally launch the financial transparency project here at the start of October.  It was great timing as we were starting to settle in more than we had in the months prior.

From a psychological standpoint, the project has been a huge success.  Courtney and I have felt much more compelled to justify any impulse purchases.  As we hit our budget limits for the month, it forced us to look twice as hard on whether we could hold off on those categories (although we still exceeded our limits in some cases).

Our October Numbers

New Zealand Income: $2395.19 NZD – [$1720.23 USD]

New Zealand Expenses: $2907.04 NZD – [$2087.84 USD]

U.S. Income: $668.80

U.S. Expenses: $521.04

Places we failed to project properly:

• Didn’t know that one of Courtney’s paychecks would be 60% of normal, due to fact that she hadn’t accrued full holiday pay.  Although, she’ll make this up over December holiday.
• Rent is paid weekly in New Zealand and this was a 5 week month for our rent.  We only projected 4 weeks.
• Utility bonds (deposits) were more than we anticipated.
• We did not plan for expenses accrued when obtaining Driver’s License.
• Our washer was broken upon moving in.  Spent $40 NZD at LaundryMat before it was fixed.
• I bought two extra domain names, causing ‘Business Upkeep’ to exceed projected.  (Although they are good ones for future projects)! 

Here’s how our discretionary spending categories ended:

The above screen shot shows both positives and negatives.

The negative side is we did exceed 3 of the 5 categories we wanted to actively control.  That’s obviously not a good success rate.  However, upon closer noticed we saved more in our ‘blow’ category than we overspent in the others.  As we started to go over, we intentionally spent less out of this category to make up for it.

However, the point of the ‘blow’ category is not to simply make up for our other mistakes.  If that were the case, our whole budget would just be one big Misc account.  We subdivided these categories intentionally, because we wanted to control them.  So we need to buck up, make less excuses, and spend our ‘blow’ category on experiencing New Zealand while we are here (not covering our Subway visits and household purchases).

Changes for November

Most notably we are going to be adding a discretionary budgeting category for our upcoming South Island trip in December.  Since we’ve already started incurring minor expenses, I want to keep a separate tally of these to make sure this event doesn’t get our of hand.  We’re currently budgeting $2500 USD for this, which includes airfare, extending visas, getting driver’s license, renting a camper, any hostels, bungee jumps , food, gas, insurance…  you get the point.

This new budgeting category will remain on the finances page through the end of the trip in late December.

Other big changes include raising the ‘Business Upkeep’ category from $50 to $500! That’s not a typo.  The e-book will be launched in November and there are some expenses leading up to launch (including some minor work on the site).  The point of an increased expense budget is, of course, increased income this month.  I expect this to rise significantly over October.  *crosses fingers*

We also are expecting for Courtney to receive a $2000 NZD relocation grant sometime in November.  This is something she qualifies for as part of accepting the job to teach in New Zealand.  Unless something unforeseen falls through, we plan to allocate this against the cost of the South Island trip. 

How was your October?

How did your budgeting (or lack of budgeting) turn out in October?  How are you adapting or changing your budget for the final two months of the year?

Lastly, feel free to include any tips and/or observations for us.  Budgeting while mobile like this has been a much more difficult undertaking than when we were more stable back in the U.S.  We’d love to hear your suggestions!

Related posts:

1. [Video] What’s The Actual Point Of Budgeting?
2. Introducing: Radical Financial Transparency
3. October Man Vs. Debt Recap

Thanks for a killer October!

As you can see from the screenshot above, earlier this week Man Vs. Debt passed over 250,000 visits since it began in late March.

That’s a quarter of a million visits!  You guys are awesome. 

On Man Vs. Debt

• 1st: Introducing:  Radical Financial Transparency
• 5th: Bend Over…  I’ll Show You Where You Can Stick Your ‘Rewards’.
• 8th: Would You Rather be Fat or In Debt?
• 12th: Is Christianity the Only Path to ‘True’ Financial Peace?
• 15th: Stop Trying to Time the Markets!
• 19th: 92 Quotes About Debt That’ll Make You Laugh, Cry, & Tweet!
• 22nd: I’m a Big, Fat Hypocrite:  Our Updated War On Debt

Guest Post Week

• 26th: Be Your Own Part-Time Boss:  The Pros & Cons
• 27th: Of Money and Marathons
• 28th: How I paid off $15,000 in 9 months by selling my ‘Stuff’ on Ebay
• 29th: The Real Reason I Travel
• 30th: Rocky Balboa’s Guide to Kickin’ Ass

On Get Rich Slowly

• 2nd: Warren Buffett Has No Regrets About The Past Year — Do You?
• 8th: Use a Lease Option to Lock-In Low Home Prices
• 14th: 9 Ways You Can Knock The Socks Off Your Next Landlord
• 21st: Should You Stop Funding Retirement to Focus on Debt?
• 27th: How to Get Your Free Credit Report Online:  A Step-by-Step Guide

On WiseBread

• 13th: Phishing Scams Continue To Plague Social Media Sites

On Zen Family Habits

• 9th: Less Toys, Please

Other Cool Stuff

• 22nd: Featured in Kick-Ass Interview with Danielle LaPorte from White Hot Truth
• 25nd: Featured in Kick-Ass Podcast with Flexo & Tom from Consumerism Commentary

Top 10 Referrers of Traffic (Non-Google)

1. Get Rich Slowly
2. StumbleUpon
3. Twitter.com
4. Zen Habits
5. The Simple Dollar
6. Tipd
7. Frugal Dad
8. Zen Family Habits
9. WiseBread
10. The Art of Non-Conformity

Let’s tear up November!

Related posts:

1. September MvD Recap
2. Budgeting Ups and Downs: October and Beyond
3. April’s Budget Recap, Net Worth Update, & Future Battle Plans

This article is a guest contribution by Paul Norwine. Paul recently threw his lucrative day job to the curb in order to ‘blaze his own path’ online.  He can currently be found blogging (and doing videos) on personal growth over at PaulNorwine.com.

They say that life is just a game. They also say that life is a bitch. I say that life is both.

Maybe I’m being presumptuous but I think it’s safe to say we all have deep-seated dreams and desires. We all have visions of how great our lives could be. Whether we admit it or not, we all have a nagging feeling that we really can create a life even beyond our wildest dreams. But something always seems to hold us back.

We start to convince ourselves that a better future is just a pipe dream. We convince ourselves that we aren’t quite good enough, or we don’t truly deserve what we want. We convince ourselves that we aren’t lucky enough to have the ball bounce our way, or we wait for circumstances to be just right before we make a move.

We get scared. We fear the unknown, we fear change, we fear success, and we fear failure. We begin to fear so much that we become paralyzed and instead begin to settle for a comfortable life of mediocrity. We justify letting the river of life sweep us away without fighting the current by saying, “hey, life’s a bitch and then you die.”

Well, I say **** that.

I’m not going to live my life this way. Life may be a bitch…but it’s also a game and it’s a game that I want to play. I refuse to waste this life sitting on the sidelines. I refuse to float through life because I am too scared to get in the ring.

So cue the music, baby, because I’m coming out swinging like Rocky…

Obviously, the Rocky montage is a little tongue-in-cheek, but there’s a reason Rocky is the people’s champion. The odds were completely stacked against him. It would have been easy for him to give up the first time… the sixth time… and every time in between. But he didn’t give up. He kept fighting and, through it all, became a champion (over and over again).

In all seriousness, I’m convinced that underneath all the bullshit and all the excuses that prevent us from going after what we truly want in life, we each have the heart of a champion. Deep down, we all have a little Rocky Balboa in us.

There’s no denying that we will get knocked down. We will fall flat on our faces from time to time. That’s life. But we always have a choice. We can play the victim and let life keep us down. Or, like Rocky, we can get back up and keep on swinging. It’s as simple as that. Get knocked down seven times, get up eight.

So sack up, get in the ring, and give it hell. After all, life is a game we only get to play once.

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!” -Rocky Balboa

Baker’s Note: I thought this would be a great post to finish off the week.  You all know I love a good motivational post every now and then.  I also love guy-movie pop culture and am a sucker for awesome montages.  So I couldn’t resist.  Thanks go to Paul for giving me a shot of adrenaline to carry me through the weekend!

What motivates you to get back up? What’s the biggest hurdle between you and the life you want?  Debt?  School?  Job?…  [Bonus Question:  What's your favorite movie montage? ]

Related posts:

1. Tyler Durden’s Guide To Personal Finance
2. The Power of Resourcefulness: A Guide to Peeing in the Shower
3. Bend Over… I’ll Show You Where You Can Stick Your ‘Rewards’.

This article is a guest contribution by Casey Armstrong. Casey is a renegade traveler and kick-ass amateur photographer.  He blogs about his travels over at The Journey Is Our Goal.  His recent article on what to bring when traveling overseas is a fantastic read before you start packing!

Why do I travel?  Why do I leave behind everything I am familiar with and embark into the unknown?  Is it the famous sites?  The cool beaches?  The outdoor activities?  The cheap beer?  Yes, yes, yes, and yes!

Honestly, though, those are just the perks of the one real reason why I travel:

The possibility for something to really move me.

…

It was just another day in Huacachina, Perú.  An oasis town that I couldn’t even fathom before my arrival.  I was truly in the middle of sand for miles all around me.

My two day stop had turned into five.  I couldn’t leave.  Wake up in the morning to fellow backpackers laughing and talking.  Some new.  Some the same.  What should I do?  Maybe sand boarding.  Maybe read on the dunes.  Maybe I’ll catch breakfast next door.  Or just relax.  All of the above was usually the end choice.

At night, I would go down the road to the only place that was open with some people from my hostel.  We would talk, play cards, and drink a few beers.  Other nights this led to dancing around a bonfire, but tonight was different.

Tonight, there were two girls quietly sitting at the other end of the room.  They weren’t foreigners, but locals.  One of them was rather attractive and caught my eye.  My Spanish left much to be desired, but I figured what the hell.  I mean, how bad could it really go?

Everything started smooth and they were receptive to my joining them.  But after ten minutes or so my Spanish started to run a little dry.  The room seemed to fill with an awkward silence.  Suddenly, the girls started talking really fast between each other.  I just sat there with my smile as I had no idea what they were saying.  The girl I came to talk with, Cinthya, turned to me with a big grin:

“You know I teach English in my town?”

What?  Really?  Why are we speaking in Spanish? I was happy to get more practice in, but I’m sure it was like talking to a 4-year-old at best.

With this new bit of information, our conversation was able evolve from the “I’m from California,” “this place is pretty,” and “I like sports” gems I was dropping.  All three of us talked and laughed for another couple of hours before her friend had to go home.  Cinthya and I decided to walk outside to enjoy the beauty of Huacachina.

Dunes for miles around us.  We felt so small.  No lights, just the reflection of the sun off the moon guiding us up the hill.  We made it to the peak before we sat down to take everything in.  Deep breath. Disfruta. Enjoy.  The slight breeze felt so nice in the dry air.

We talked more.  We laughed more.  We sat in silence.

I was admiring the endless sandbox we were perched above when I felt her shift her head toward me.  As serious as her tone had been all night, she asked, “you know what I pray for?”

I turned towards her and she looked deeply into my eyes.  “Rain,” she said.  ”Rain?”  That was all I could think to say. “Yes, rain.  We suffer from serious drought, you know?  When it rains, everybody runs into the street.  We dance.  We thank God.  We cry in joy.”

As we were in an oasis it seemed so obvious, but it really moved me.  Nothing materialistic, instead something from Mother Nature.  Something so simple.  Just plain water… the gift of life. Grown women crying in the streets because they are thankful for the water from the heavens.  Children dancing in the puddles.  Life has been made easier.

…

It was at that moment in time I realized what truly mattered:  Family, health, shelter, water, food.  The basics.

Back at home, I didn’t have to think about these basics.  The closest I would come was having to choose what item of food to order off the menu or making sure I remembered to pay my rent on time.

But on the road, these type of things were part of my daily life.  Where I was going to sleep, what was safe to eat/drink, or even how much I missed my family were regular thoughts.  Life on the road seemed to encourage focusing on the basics…  focusing on what was really important in my life.

That is the real reason I travel.

Thank you, Cinthya.  I hope to be back to dance in the rain.

Baker’s Note: I really loved this story.  Courtney and I have noticed very similar moments throughout our travels.  Somehow, travel like this just seems to encourage you to focus on the essentials.  Like forced simplicity in a way.  It’s been a welcome addition to our lives.  By the way, that picture was taken by Casey of the actual city in the story.  How freakin’ cool.

Why do you travel? Have you noticed a similar connection to the ‘basics’.  Do you feel a sense of liberation?  Excitement?  Or just love growing through new experiences?  Do you travel at all?  Let me know in the comments below!

Related posts:

1. Travel Hacking for Noobs: How We Save Hundreds on Airfare, Get Free Accommodation, & Make Money while Overseas
2. The Real Price of Spending While In Debt: $6.25 Footlongs…
3. Negotiation Tips For Beginners – A Real Life Example Of How I Saved $150 With Just A Few Questions

This article is a guest contribution by Jenny Newcomer. Jenny is a woman who wears many hats!  She runs a business which designs and sells eco-friendly organziational products (how else could someone juggle 3 businesses and 2 kids?).  In addition, she finds time blog over at LobotoME and even get in the occasional tweet!

When I say I sold my stuff, what I really mean is I sold my crap. Crap that I shouldn’t have bought in the first place.

Earlier this year, I knew it was time to get rid of my remaining school loans once and for all.  I’ve added two kids to the mix recently and judging by the estimates in cost of college, I’ll be shelling out $100,000 per kid in 18 years even for state college tuition.

To add insult to injury, I’m not even using either of my two degrees in my daily life right now.  Like I said, it’s time to put these loans behind me!

The problem was how?

Our spending plan was already tight.  I didn’t want to tap into any of our savings.  It certainty wasn’t the type of emergency that dictated tapping the emergency fund.  And the fees made withdrawing from our IRA and expensive option.  On the income side, we already own 3 business and are raising 2 young kids, so getting another “j.o.b.” or starting another side project seemed down right insane.

I had a burning desire to get these loans out of my life, but didn’t now how it was going to happen.

But right after the holidays a bell went off in my head. As I began to look around our house and clean up after the post holiday madness, I realized how much stuff we owned.  Bags, shoes, dvd’s, books, ipods, old laptops, old kayaks, skis that didn’t fit, bikes that we no longer used, the list went on for miles…

This was stuff we didn’t love and certainly didn’t need.  So I started listing about 10 items a week on Ebay (and a few larger items on Craigslist).  Some weeks when I had a few extra hours I’d list more and other weeks I didn’t have time to list anything.

I kept at it, though, and slowly but surely things started to sell.  Every time my Paypal account reached $500 or $1000 I transferred it over to put an additional payment towards my student loan balance.  Little by little the amount owed kept going down. When I got it under $10,000, I was stoked and motivated.  Over the next few months, I saw it decrease to only $5,000, then $1,000, and then before I knew it… $0.

Since I’ve paid off the loan, though, I haven’t stopped!  I’m selling more stuff as we speak to pay for plane tickets to Mexico this winter.

Here come the excuses…

I hear them all the time…

• “I don’t have anything to sell.”
  
• “No one wants my stuff.”
  
• “I don’t have time to learn how to sell stuff online.”

The truth is nearly everyone has stuff they can sell.  It’s much easier than you think and you’d be absolutely shocked at the prices people will pay for your neglected possessions!

Baker’s Note: I will chime in here to second this section.  Courtney and I made a lot of excuses early on and assumed we had nothing of value.  What we thought would only be a couple hundred bucks turned into well over a thousand once we started listing things!  It’s not hard.  Other people will buy your crap. 

Basic tips to get the ball rolling…

1. Take stock of your inventory! Go through your house, basement, and garage and make a list of items you could sell.  Gather smaller items into a pile in part of your house or garage.  Think beyond just clothes – look at tools, small appliances, sporting equipment, books, craft supplies, kids toys, etc.  At the same time you are doing a selling inventory, collect items that don’t have much re-sell value but that you could donate to a local shelter or thrift store.  You can de-clutter, help a good cause, and get a tax write-off for these.  If I think an item will sell for under $20, I usually just donate it to the local women’s shelter.
2. Set-up your Ebay and PayPal accounts. Many of you might already have these.  They are very easy to set-up by visiting Ebay.com and PayPal.com.  You may also want to create a basic Craiglist account for bigger items that may be hard to ship.
3. Take great pictures! The better the picture (and the description for that matter), the better the selling price.  It’s as simple as that.  If you don’t have a digital camera borrow one from a friend.
4. Estimate shipping costs. At this point get an accurate estimate on shipping costs.  You can check shipping prices online at www.usps.com or www.ups.com.  This step is often overlooked, but is important to know so you don’t lose money on shipping the item.
5. Check ‘Completed Listings’. Next check to see what comparable items sell for (you can search for an item and then click on “completed listings” on the left hand side for items that have ended).  This will help you to determine a starting price and/or expected market value for your item.
6. Create your listing! There are many ‘advanced’ techniques, but I like to keep it simple.  I list all of my items on Sunday’s for 7 days (so they end on Sunday and not mid-day on a workday).  I skip the extra ‘upsells’ like bold or premium listing to minimize my cost associated with listing the item.
7. Check your messages at least once a day. Sometimes you’ll get messages from potential buyers.  They might want to clarify something or have a question about shipping and bidding procedures.  More bidders means higher end prices for you.
8. After the sale, ship the items promptly and leave feedback for the buyer. Be sure to help avoid negative feedback (and honor the buyer’s purchase) by shipping the items quickly after the buyer has paid in full.  Normally the quicker you can ship, the more likely they will leave you a raving review!

Here is the most important part of all, though:  Resist the temptation to use the money that you just earned to buy MORE stuff!  Ebay can be a blessing and a curse.  Use it to your advantage!

Baker’s Note: Before we left for the trip, Courtney went insane on Ebay, Craiglist, and at local garage sales.  There are plenty of ‘advanced’ tips for maximizing these sites, but Jenny’s personal experience provides a create basic guide for those looking to get started.  For those wanting to jump in even deeper, check out this recent killer guest post featured by Ramit Sethi.

What are your own tips for selling on sites like Ebay and Craiglist? Have you had success purging your unused clutter like Jenny and me?  Are any excuses keeping you from cashing in?  Help everyone out by sharing your experience below!

Related posts:

1. Tap Your Social Network To Buy/Sell Used
2. We Did It!: Two Full Months To Fund Australia
3. Could You List Every Single Item You Own?