SHOULD YOU SELL OBJECTS OF SENTIMENTAL VALUE ON EBAY?

...or anywhere else, for that matter? Well, should you? Is it ever a good idea? I guess if you're considering this question enough to read this article,then it is due to one (or both) of two reasons:

a) You are in some level of debt.
b) You have been advised that the sentiment-laden object is of a much higher market value than you had realised.

Do either of those reasons ever make it a good idea to sell an object of significant sentimental worth? Ask yourself the following questions to find out.

1 IF YOU'RE IN DEBT, HOW MUCH IS IT AND HOW URGENTLY DO YOU NEED TO PAY IT OFF?
For example, are you thinking of selling the locket your auntie gave you on your eighteenth birthday to pay off a couple of hundred quid of credit card debt? If you were at all fond of your auntie, personally, I'd get a bar job on the side for a month or two instead. If you're not going to wind up in debtor's prison for a debt, is it worth losing treasured possessions over? (Okay, no-one winds up in debtor's prison anymore. Even so.)

2 IS THE ITEM REPLACEABLE?
OK, if the whole point of the item is its sentimental associations for you, in a way this is beside the point. On the other hand, should you let it go, it makes a difference if you know you can at least obtain a reasonable facsimile at some point in the future. (Some point when you have more ready cash). However, if it's your famous artist cousin's schoolboy scrawls, you're probably going to be out of luck. Especially if the value of his work rockets in the meantime.

3 WAS IT A GIFT, OR WAS IT A 'GIFT'?
So you're thinking of selling something you received as a present? Ooh, dodgy ground there! Not that it bothers plenty of people, who will dump anything unwanted that came in gift wrapping straight onto Ebay. You might come to the conclusion that it depends just how personal the gift was. A box set of bathroom smellies, for example, aren't going to break anyone's heart if discovered for sale – either the seller's or the giver's. (Although some offence might still be taken.) Selling a first edition of the book you spent three months hinting about before your birthday, might make you less popular.

Technically, once you've been given a present, it's your property to do with as you please. In reality, there are some items that come with conditions, however unspoken and even unconsidered. And some that don't.

4 WILL THERE BE HELL TO PAY?
Some things you just don't sell – no grey area involved. Jewellery from a loved one (unless he's run off with your best friend). Designer boots your best mate gave you for your birthday. If it's going to get you into hot water, and you know it damn well, don't sell it.

5 DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO GAVE YOU IT?
Of course, if it's a retirement gift from the boss who made your life hell for twenty years, don't just put it on Ebay, put advertisement in the local press. Hire a marching band to advertise it, perhaps.

6 WILL YOU REGRET IT?
Don't sell the family silver. Don't sell your grandmother's antique lace baby bootees. Oh, okay. Just as long as you don't regret it. You're not going to regret it, are you? Are you?

7 IS IT WORTH CRAZY MONEY?
Really? Real, actual, pay-for-college or deposit on a house crazy money? Tough call. Maybe you should, maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you'll regret it... or maybe you'll regret not selling it more. But if you do sell, make sure you see the colour of the buyer's money – or investigate an escrow account – before it leaves your hot little hands.

Debating whether to sell a cherished item? It's never easy. I hope my seven points for debate and discussion have helped.


Photo credit Bartosz Szamborski (GNU Free Documentation Licence.)

Why do you need to be rich?

Credit: waterborough. © Wikimedia Commons
I've been thinking about money a lot lately – my book-selling endeavours being part of my strategy for, oh, having the rent paid and something in the fridge other than an elderly jar of whelks and half a withered cucumber. I'm trying to ramp up my moneymaking activities, but really at the moment I'm just focussed on getting the basic outgoings catered for. Wealth beyond the dreams of avarice is, well, a bit beyond my capacities at the moment.

And yet, that doesn't stop me dreaming about it. Does anyone else have this kind of conversation with their other half? The one where you decide what you would spend your millions on in the event of a highly hypothetical lottery win? (My only essential is an indoor swimming pool, other than that I'm easy, beyond the big house, Caribbean holidays and Lamborghini, of course). It's funny how guilty some people will try to make you feel for wanting money. I wanted to say that I had good reason for wanting some (at least more than what I've got), but I hesitate. Because, you know, what's wrong with wanting a nice house or fancy car or whatever just for the hell of it? That funny old Puritan work ethic – it only ever seems to be the poor getting fingers wagged in their faces, being told that 'the love of money is the root of all evil'. (Yeah yeah yeah already, I don't subscribe to your holy fairy story anyway, okay?)

The rich, on the other hand, who's wagging an admonitory finger in their faces? Ooh no, that would be nasty old socialism and the politics of envy... (Surely it seems to be the same people very often, doing a breakneck switchback between these two contradictory attitudes?)

But anyway... got a little off-track there. But I think my main point is that you don't need to apologise for wanting to be rich. I don't, certainly. Yes, if I had more I might do some 'good' things with it – look after elderly relatives, make loans to Kiva.org etc. Those things are a big part of why I'd like a huge wodge of wonga. But they're not all of it. I'd also like to be able to wander into a bookshop and buy so many books I'd need a trolley to get them home. To buy silly clothes because I just fancied them. Nice holidays, pointless gadgets.

I don't think there's anything wrong with a bit of consumerism. Certainly not enough for anyone to enjoy a judgemental rant about it. Do you?

Back On The Job Trail Again

Picture credit: Tom Ventura (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)

A temporary assignment my agency had booked me in for has fallen through. So now I'm hammering away at the 1001 other agencies I'm registered with, visiitng the Job Centre and (gulp) filling in a job application for a clerical position with the local council.

What hell a job application form is. Do they really, truly need to be novella length? (Especially for governmental institutions).

I don't remember them being such weighty tomes in my distant youth (round about the time of the last serious recession and YTS schemes). Back then two double -sided sheets of A4 seemed to do the trick, sometimes less.

But now you have to fill up a few sheets with 'examples'. Examples of how you overcame a problem. How you learned a new skill. How you demonstrated good teamwork. How you facilitated communication. How you led a team of penguins to conquer the Galapagos Islands. (Sorry. Frothing there a bit).

It's like writing your autobiography in bite size pieces, with no promise of publication (or a job) at the end of it.

However, in an environmentally friendly spirit, I am planning to do what I have never done before, and keep a record of all my answers and examples so that I can re-use them in subsequent applications. Not via word-processing the lot I don't think – I'll just scan copies and hope for the best regarding my handwriting.

Of course, once I've done that they'll just make small but crucial alterations in all the questions in the next application form. Doh.

Will keep you updated anyhow, folks! Roll on PAYE employment (in addition to the uncertainties of self-employment). I'm just not currently bringing in enough moolah on a self-employed basis, so back to the joys of PAYE it must be. Roll on the 9-5!

A Third Bunch of Revision Tips

'People, people who need people, are the luckiest people'...* Well, I don't know about lucky. Maybe they're the most realistic. My advice in this third and last in my series of tips on how to lifesmanship your way into a better classification, is more about what I would have done in a perfect world, rather than any actual mistakes I might have made.

Due to poor health I had little interest in being a social animal during a large part of my course. I did make a few friends, but didn't really do any serious networking, build up a wider range of acquaintances nor build up good relationships with lecturers and teaching assistants. This is a bad mistake if you care about your final degree classification!

A wide range of acquaintances makes it easier to form a study group (or maybe more than one). This can be key in kicking your arse and motivating you to go the extra mile and get what
needs to be done, done. You can borrow lecture notes, you get a heads-up for deadlines you may have been oblivious to, you get the advantage of study tricks and tips you might never have thought of yourself. Teamwork is very important and advantageous, not just to the team, but also to the individual team member.

Getting in good with lecturers and teaching assistants also can't hurt. Discussion with them may provide new ways of looking at your subject, excellent revision tips, advice on how to approach a subject/module and feedback that could improve your performance. Plus if your name and face is known, you could be first on the list for assistant-type jobs/studentships. You never know!

The reverse of the coin, of course, is the disadvantages of not having a wide and supportive social network while studying. (I missed a vital deadline in a module once. I'm still thoughtful about a handful of conversations with my reasonably pleasant lab partner, where I must have made it clear that I was oblivious to it rushing headlong towards us. But she never mentioned it. Of course, most modules are graded on a curve...)

Yes, fail to cultivate your social and academic contacts and miss out on all these advantages. Don't do it! Instead, mark down one extra 'module' on your list for the year. Call it 'Making Friends and Influencing People 101'. And study it religiously. It's the most important part of the syllabus.

* Streisand, Barbara. 'People'.
Photo credit Sidney Paget: Wikimedia Commons

More Revision Tips. I don't care if you want 'em, I'm keeping 'em coming.

Photo credit: Lin Kristensen (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 licence).

In my first post on this subject – what I should have done in college to get a 2:1, not a 2:2 – I discussed my ill-health during my second year. This led to me using an mp3 player, a little muvo, to record my lecture notes and listen to them. This was the least labour-intensive method of revision open to me and it certainly paid off in results.

In the previous post I mentioned that in my less successful third year I actually failed one low-credit module, and I'll detail the reasons why. Actually, there's only one reason (so it'll be quick) – the module was a really really tough one from another discipline entirely.

Now, was that a smart choice? I would venture, with hindsight, to say, 'Uh, probably not'. What makes it still dumber is that I was doing it as an elective, i.e. I didn't have to do it. I just thought I'd demonstrate how blimmin' smart I was by doing it. (Yes, sadly, I think that's probably a good characterisation of my motivations). I also doubt it helped that the head of the department involved didn't want me doing it – in fact he refused me permission to do it, except I misunderstood him and thought he was forbidding me access to one other specific module we were discussing, rather than any course offered in his department. Fortunately I did at least scrape through on a re-take.

Still worse than that, though, there was another module I could have chosen instead – a module notorious for being an easy ride to a First classification. (In the module, not the whole degree, I hasten to add. But every little helps). Practically everyone in my subject and cohort took it and walked away with a module classification of 2:1 at minimum. I am sure there are these type of modules offered in every university. Don't be too proud to sign up for them if it is crucial to your final classification.

Contrary to popular myth, college is not all about challenging yourself and stretching your intellectual capacities (or not only about these things). It is to a large degree about getting a kick-ass qualification that will serve you well in the real world and get you started on the road you want to travel. (Another myth is that rote learning is something we wave goodbye to once we start college. Try telling that to someone studying organic chemistry! Memorisation skills will stand you in good stead, and so will your mp3 player).

Sadly this wasn't the only mistake in module choice I made. In my non-elective courses, I picked a bruisingly tough chemistry-heavy high-credit module, largely due to logistical factors. It just made everything about my schedule easier if I did it instead of the more congenial, interesting, relaxed alternative. Everything easier, except for the work, of course – and the final result, too. A pass, but sadly a sucky one.

So there's my other tip to you, my fresh-hatched little ducky downy darlings. Module selection is crucial – it's key – if your final degree classification matters to you at all. There's more at stake than whether you get to hang out with Mr or Ms Hotstuff. You could throw away more than you know with a careless choice.

SHOULD YOU LEAVE YOUR JOB DURING A RECESSION?

Photo credit: public domain

If you're reading this article then it's a fair bet that you're considering doing just that. Is it ever a good idea to leave your job during a recession? What factors should you be considering if you hate your job and really want to leave – but you're only too well aware that times are tough and there's not a whole lot out there? There are at least five things you should consider if you're thinking of advising your boss to 'twist on this', and spend every spare minute checking out the 'help wanted' ads. Read them before you do anything drastic!

1 What's your financial position?
Do you have a healthy cushion of savings? Is your house bought and paid for? Do you live with relatives who will be tolerant should your financial position becomes 'interesting'? Are you in any kind of debt at all?

If you don't know – to the penny – what your exact financial status is, you're nowhere near being able to even think logically about whether to leave your job or not. Get it down on paper where you can see it clearly.

2 Have you had any job offers recently?
And by that I mean very recently, i.e. long after the current lurches of our economy began. Any kind of offers at all: headhunting by agencies, casual fishing by local business owners, suggestions by friends or relatives who either own a business or have a lot of 'pull' with the owners.

If you're basing your bid for freedom on those hints and suggestions, personally I would want an offer in writing, on a contract and signed, before writing my resignation letter - certainly in the current climate. Smiles and promises are grand, but they're not going to put food on the table.

3 Are your skills top notch? Are they in demand?
If the market becomes flooded with quality candidates with good skills, then they'd better be. And if they're not, it's probably a good idea to upgrade them. Invest in yourself: if employers are going to take a bet on you, you had better be offering them good odds.

4 What's the job market like locally?
Nationally, the news is all doom and gloom, the world going to hell in a small wickerware pannier. Locally, there may be variations: you will know better than a national journalist what the position is in your own city. Make sure you're not taking a rosy view, though: get a hold of all the current data you possibly can, and listen out for any rumours.

5 Do you have any other income coming in?
If not, well, cue a sharp intake of breath. You don't have to wait until you've left or lost your job to start thinking about bringing in the spondoolicks. Right now is always a good time. If you put all your assets, skills, possessions and attributes through a thorough audit, you may find a little earner, or indeed several. On-line auction seller, freelance writer, tutor, handyman, gardener... you'll know for yourself what fits. A few streams of income coming in might be what you need to stabilise your financial position. Just the thing if you find yourself out of a job.

There you have it, a few thoughts from Negative Nelly. Worth considering prior to dumping your job, especially when there are storm-clouds on the horizon. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and keep those plans close to your chest...

HOW TO GROW PLANTS ON THE CHEAP

(Picture credit: Bill Tarpenning).

HOW TO GROW PLANTS ON THE CHEAP

Are you wanting to get in on the reported new enthusiasm for growing your own fruit and vegetables? Keen to get out in the garden, the wind in your face, earth beneath your feet and a trowel in your hand?

But also keen to cut gardening-related expenses while doing so? If so, check out some of my tips for growing plants on the cheap, and you'll soon be enjoying your frugal new vegetable garden.

1 Where are you getting your plants and seeds?
All it takes is a pack of tumbling tom seeds here... some tempting gala melon seeds there... ooh, the picture of yellow courgettes on that pack looks delightful too... Well, it's easily done, and a handful of seed packets in your hardware store basket soon adds up, especially the premium price ones.

I'm not saying never indulge yourself with some exciting new seeds for your garden. But look elsewhere as well. Save seeds from the fruit and vegetables you eat. Go to seed-swapping fair for unusual varieties. Turn sprouting greenish potatoes into a new crop from a potato patch, not rubbish in the bin. Beg clippings from friends and family, and scrounge their collected seeds too. If there's a glut in their herb garden, 'help them out' with that!

2 How about your equipment?
Do you regularly pick up twenty or fifty peat pots for potting up seeds? Sure, they're handy (although allegedly not too environmentally friendly). But they're not cheap - not when you're buying that many. How about making some handy bio-degradable newsprint papier mache pots instead? (With flour and water paste rather than wallpaper paste, naturally). Or use up your stash of margarine tubs and food tubs. (We all have one!) You can put them to good use instead of cluttering up your cupboards, plus you get that virtuous feeling that only recycling can give you.

And if you have enough space in your garden, you might consider making your own compost heap. Then you'll really feel virtuous.

3 What can you get free?
Don't dismiss wild plants as a source of food, inside and outside your garden. Dandelions? A terrific source of tea, salad ingredients, vitamin C, and the roots can apparently even be roasted for coffee (although I've never tried this myself). And we all know about nettle soup. Wild garlic is a feast for the eye and for the nose and the palate (if you like garlic, of course).

Be careful of laws and bye-laws regarding uprooting wild plants in common ground. But do bear in mind, a lot of people have wild plants right in their gardens and may be happy for you to take cuttings or seeds or whole plants.

4 What can you get cheaper?
Don't automatically pay full price for brand new equipment or fancy plants... ever. There are just too many sources for both available to you now. If there's something in particular you'd like for your garden, don't forget to check out car boot sales, yard sales, on-line auctions, pound shops, going out of business sales, local markets – you name it. Keep your eyes peeled, you never know when you'll come across exactly the garden implement you need at a car bootie, for a tenth of what you'd have paid new.

5 What if you haven't got a garden?
If you're not fortunate enough to have garden of your own, you've probably already put your name down for an allotment. While you're waiting, don't forget the possibilities of growing plants on windowsills and balconies, and sprouting healthy seeds for salads. But also, check through your mental list of elderly relatives and neighbours who might have a garden they're having trouble keeping up with. Who knows, perhaps they're even paying someone to mow the lawn and keep the weeds down. It's worth suggesting some kind of mutual arrangement instead: you take care of the lawn, weeds, hedge clipping etc., in return for turning an agreed portion of the garden over to raising fruit and vegetables. (Maybe if they have fruit trees they'll offer you a share of the crop, too!)

There you have my top five tips for growing fruit and vegetables on the cheap. Get out there and get growing!