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EPISODE 56~ FIND YOURS: Does Your Fraternity Have Unclaimed Money?

Find unclaimed money with The Easy Money Show

I covered unclaimed money for sororities in episode 54, so now giving equal time to the guys. I had to recall the names of some fraternities so I could search for unclaimed money for them to give you some examples. That made me think of my college boyfriend… and THAT made me google him. …And that, in turn, had me off in the weeds checking out all my other old boyfriends. And THAT made me happy I’m married to my husband. All when I should have been prepping for this show.

But, I digress. My college boyfriend was an SAE. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, I think? So I searched for unclaimed money for the SAE house for old times’ sake. First I tried my usual free website starting point, MissingMoney.com, and found 88 listings for Sigma Alpha Epsilon. That’s even more than the Tri-delts had, so I guess frat boys are even less organized than sorority girls and lost track of a bunch of accounts. There were accounts in Tallahassee, Florida. That would be the Florida State, SAE’s, I guess. Ames Iowa, Iowa State. Evanstaon Illinois which has to be Northwestern. That’s where I went to grad school, by the way.

Next I searched California’s own unclaimed money database. Nothing for the Berkeley SAEs that I knew, but more than a thousand bucks for the SAEs in Sherman Oaks, California. I also checked Sigma Alpha Epsilon in Texas, because it seems like a Greek system state, and up popped a different fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma, from the University of Austin. Those brothers must have been really wasted because they are missing a matured certificate of deposit —or CD— now being held by the state that is worth more than $23-thousand dollars!

YEAH, I found this in 5 minutes and this is the kind of money you might find for your fraternity. So check MissingMOney.com and unclaimed.org to see. Just type the full name of the fraternity into the Last name box. And then try different combinations in the first AND last name boxes. Need motivation? Just think of all the beer $23-thousand dollars could buy!

Search for your unclaimed money: missingmoney.com

Find your unclaimed property: www.unclaimed.org

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EPISODE 55~ TOP TIP: You Get What You Pay For!

When I decided to call the podcast Easy Money, I immediately thought of the Billy Joel song by that name. My idea was to have somebody create a song that would remind people of the Billy Joel hit from the 80’s without actually ripping it off. So I went on Fiverr, the freelance marketplace, and paid a Russian guy who was too young to have heard of Billy Joel $5 bucks to create the song. It was sooo bad that I ended up buying some great stock music instead! So today’s top tip is that you get what you pay for!

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EPISODE 55 ~ MAKE MORE: Get Paid to Test the Newest Video Games

Video game testers play the game looking for errors. Whey they find one, they have to reproduce it to show it wasn’t just a one time fluke. Then they fill out a form reporting the bug and submit it.
How much money can you make playing video games? $10 to $100 an hour depending who hires you. There are even full-time quality control pros who make about $55,000 a year —more if they’re experienced. That’s right, if you test lots and lots of video games, people will pay you even bigger money to test more of them!
So… which video game companies hire people to play and test their games? Here’s a list: Nintendo; Rockstar Games creator of Grand Theft Auto; Blizzard, which makes World of Warcraft and others; Big Fish Games, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Epic Games, Gearbox Software and the list goes on.
Some of these companies hire through the big job sites like Indeed, GlassDoor and LinkedIn. Just use the search term “Game Tester Jobs.” Others actually have their own job pages on their websites or hire through employment agencies that have internet listings. I will link you to those from EasyMoneyShow.com/55.

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EPISODE 55 ~ Go On A Cruise Vacation Without Breaking the Bank

Save more money with The Easy Money Show

In an attempt to offset fuel and crew costs, cruise lines invite passengers along on these one-way sailings. Yes, I said one way, which means you will have to somehow get to either the departure point or return point, which will cost you money in airfare or gas.
BUT repositioning cruises can be as deeply discounted as half price, so it may well be worth it. The cruise lines also offer their upgraded options for less than usual. Think food and drink upgrades and gratuities for low or no cost! Sometimes they give away hundreds in credits for while you’re on board. Plus, the trip itself is longer than a typical cruise. Usually a couple of weeks total.
You won’t get to stop in as many ports as you would on a normal cruise, so it’s important that you enjoy the actual sailing itself. People with motion sickness need not apply! Ha!
But if you are ready to say “ahoy, matie” and spend as many as 7 days straight at sea, this could be for you. To find Repositioning cruises, you can either check a site like Crucon Cruise outlet or you can go directly to cruise lines’ own websites and look for these deals by focusing in on April and October sailings.
Bon Voyage!

Find repositioning cruises: www.crucon.com

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EPISODE 55~ FIND YOURS: Does Your Deceased Loved One Have Unclaimed Money?

Find unclaimed money with The Easy Money Show

Remind me how you first heard about Easy Money?
From reading your column in the Washington Post.

And, Knowles, at what point did you take my challenge and do an unclaimed money search for yourself and your family?
When I first heard your podcast, I searched.

I know you found some money for yourself and for your mom. Tell me about your own unclaimed money first. Where was it and what was it from?
I found some for myself in Virginia.

How much was it?
$34.50!

You found more than that for your mother. Where was hers?
The District of Columbia. My Mom died in the District 2 years ago.

Yes, I live in DC and it is famous —or infamous— for it’s bureaucracy. Do you feel like you had to jump through too many hoops?
I guess my question is, do these offices really want to give the money back? They don’t make it very easy!

OK, Knowles. Everybody’s curious. How much was the missing money of your mom’s that you found?
Nearly a thousand dollars!

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EPISODE 54~ Didn’t Get Your Package On Time? Know Your Rights When Shopping Online

The Federal Trade Commission has a rule called the Prompt Delivery Rule. It says that when merchants promise to ship something within a certain time, they must do so. If they cannot, they have to notify the customer of the delay, provide a revised shipment date, and explain your right to cancel and get a full refund. If the merchant did NOT promise a particular delivery date, then they must ship you your purchase within 30 days or notify you of the delay and give you a chance to cancel and get a refund. Knowledge is power, so now you know!

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EPISODE 54 ~ MAKE MORE: Another Man’s Trash is Your Treasure: How to Make Money Dumpster Diving

You could make six figures a year …as a dumpster diver! It sounds crazy —but it’s not— and it’s our featured “make more” segment of this podcast. The secret is choosing the right dumpsters and we’re going to tell you how to do that.
My guest is Matt Malone who stumbled across the buried treasure in dumpsters by accident and now makes big bucks selling his finds. Welcome to Easy Money, Matt.

In “real life” you’re an internet security guru. Explain how that led you to dumpster diving.
An old boss assigned me to dig through a company’s trash to show them how much sensitive information I could gather about their operation. While I was digging up their confidential information, I came across all sorts of nice —sometimes brand new— stuff that had been thrown away.

What kinds of dumpsters do you target primarily?
Mostly retailers’ dumpsters, but also apartment complexes near colleges and dumpsters inside storage facilities.

Describe some of the biggest finds you’ve come across in dumpsters?
Building materials, brand-new stereos, GPS devices, cameras, flatscreen TVs, power tools, HEPA filters, vacuums, power tools, furniture, carpeting, industrial machines, assorted electronics. Some of them need a little work, but many are brand new, in the box.

How do you convert this trash into cash?
I started by holding yard sales, but then realized I needed to go online to sell the big ticket items.

OK, Matt: The question everybody’s been waiting for: how much money do you make per year from dumpster diving?
$100,000 or so.

And you estimate you could make even more if quit your day job and did this full time?
Yes, I once did the math and I could bring in $600,000 year if I did this full time —WITH a month’s vacation every year.

Well, hearing that, some listeners are going to want to try this for themselves. So let’s give them some tips. I’ll state the tip and you explain it, alright? First, talk about the proper gear a dumpster diver needs.
Headlamp, gloves, boots, magnetized flashlight you can attach to the inside of the dumpster.

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EPISODE 54 ~ SAVE MORE: Renter’s Guide to Lowering Your Rent:

Save more money with The Easy Money Show

“Hi, this is Makenna from Phoenix. I’m in college and renting an apartment is my one big expense. Even though I work two jobs, I find the rent painful to pay. I’ve heard you can negotiate for a lower rent, but I have no idea where to start and I feel awkward asking my landlord. Can you give me some advice on this?”

Great question, Makenna! I give a lot of strategies on Easy Money for homeowners to save money and I don’t want to leave out renters, so I’m glad you asked. You’re feeling awkward because you think you’re asking your landlord for a favor, but in a true negotiation, you both give AND get something.
According to Ramit Sethi, author of I Will Teach You To be Rich, the key is to give them something you don’t care about in exchange for something you do. For example, if you plan to stay in the place anyway, offer to sign a longer lease. Or if you don’t use the parking space or storage unit that comes with your rental, offer to give it back so the landlord can sell it to somebody else.
Category 2 for rent reductions is bartering. If you’re handy, offer to make improvements to the property in exchange for a rent reduction. Or, get creative with your bartering: do you walk your dog every day? Offer to walk your landlord’s dog too, for a lower rent. Another trade off: Have you been inconvenienced by loud construction, loud neighbors or some other hassle? Offer your loyalty in exchange for a rent reduction.
It’s also important to be prepared for this negotiation. To find out how loose or tight the rental market is where you live, you can use Zillow’s Local Market Reports. To gather comparables for how much other, similar apartments cost to rent, check out Rentometer.
Finally, it’s time for your approach. Many people find it helpful to practice their pitch in front of friends or at least into a mirror. Also practice your responses to the landlord’s likely responses. And be sure to time the conversation right. If you already live there, approach the landlord about 3 months before your lease is up so they know you have time to look elsewhere. If it’s a new place, the end of the month is best because they’re looking at another month with no income from the place.
You should ask for a deeper discount than you really want or need, in hopes your landlord will meet you in the middle. Name your price —and SHUT UP! That uncomfortable pregnant pause is key in negotiations. The goal is for the landlord to fill the silence with a “yes!” Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Prepare to negotiate and check the rental market where you live:

Local Market Overviews

Know what similar apartments cost:
www.rentometer.com

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