Save More, Spend Less

I pocketed another $22 from the sale of a tripod bag. The gentleman, a retired engineer who spent most of his career at a local hospital, then took an early retirement package, traveled about 50 minutes to pick it up.

My bag isn't padded, but even then, the new ones seem to go for about $50.

If he had known how the economy would unfold in the past few years, he said he probably wouldn't have retired early. He says he spends his time doing wildlife photography and recently bought a wood tripod he never uses cus he doesn't want it to get banged around, hence the purchase of my case.

I finished a load of laundry this morning and billed a client for some freelance work. I called 2 survey/focus groups to see if anything's cooking, and the woman at one told me they're expecting some work coming in Tuesday, so I should call back then.

I love to express small bits of income in terms of what it can buy me. So that $22 will cover a month's worth of cable TV.

Yesterday I spent about $40 on a voice recorder. It's not something I would have chosen to spend money on now, but I bought it out of fear and concern that my neighbors' sons will escalate a little situation here. Last summer I complained to the town zoning that they were running a commercial landscaping business from their home. The noise from the trucks, trailers and equipment coming and going, plus repairs at times done 10 pm at night, is not something I want to live next door to.

The zoning enforcement officer kept giving them 30 days to find someplace to store their equipment, but i could see they were just ignoring that request and then I'd have to call zoning and tell them that nothing had changed. Each time zoning would talk to them and they'd say we need a little more time. As far as I could see, they weren't doing anything differently, except they started hiding their equipment in the backyard, becus they didn't yet know it was me who complained and i guess they thought the zoning officer randomly saw the equipment herself during a drive-by.

Now, more recently, they've taken to driving their trailer and mowers up a long driveway that goes to the side of my house and to an interior lot where another family lives, and that family apparently gave them permission to leave their stuff there. Then, in the morning, i see my neighbors driving up to retrieve the trailer and head out for the day. So they're trying to circumvent town zoning laws by hiding their stuff at another nearby house. Amazing.

I guess by now they've figured out it was me who called zoning (i've had noise issues with them before, namely, the same sons pre-driving age driving their ATV and dirt bike around the yard) becus 1 of the 2 sons who has the business has taken to revving/racing his engine as he drives up that driveway, or past my house.

The other morning, one of the sons banged on my door. I didn't answer the door, but i have now purchased a small, hand-held voice recorder I intend to play if he comes to my door again. I'm sure he will be very angry and i want a record of any altercation if things continue to escalate.

The 2 sons are about 19 or 20, and the zoning person told me the one she spoke to slammed the phone down on her. If i hold the recorder in my hand, it looks very much like a cell phone. I am most concerned about vandalism to my house or property, and i have taken to parking my car in the garage now, which i don't usually do unless it snows.

It's a little stressful, and I'm not walking in my neighborhood much, but this neighborhood has never been quiet, due mainly to this one family, and they are, after ones, the ones breaking town laws, not me. So I won't back down and will keep after zoning to enforce the law. This has been going on since July.

Today's lowlights: trip to the landfill, quick errand at town hall, 30-minute walk. Lunch was: grilled cheese sandwich, pumpkin soup, a can of V-8 and fresh pineapple chunks for dessert. Then, watching too many court TV shows.

Highlight: getting a call from a former co-worker who was laid off the same day as me. I'm trying to coordinate a get-together at a centrally-located diner for about 8 of us, all but 1 laid off by the same employer. (The last one is still working there.)

Over the weekend I did design some new business cards for my freelance work. I plan to pick up blank cards at Staples tomorrow and print them out myself.

I have another business name, and cards, which I've used the past 7 or so years for all my freelance work, but the business name speaks to the real estate industry, and i do, on occasion, get work for non-real estate clients.

So I really like my new business name. (Which by the name I am not registering, which some people do so that no one else can use that name in the state, because then the town latches on to you and starts taxing you as a business in town!)

I like the new business name because 1. It's clever and 2. It positions me as specializing in copywriting and marketing work for small businesses, a niche that is generally under-served. That's partly because they can't afford big agency rates, so that does present other challenges; i have to make my rates affordable, but still enough that it's worthwhile for me. With state and federal taxes taking 36% off my gross income, that can be a tricky balancing act.

I have done work for small business clients before who wanted to "consult" with me in person multiple times. My practice now is that I'm only willing to meet once with a new client because all the running to and fro can quickly erode my net profit. I'm a one-man show working out of her home, not a big, fancy agency that can give clients the star treatment. It's sometimes a bit of an educational process during which I have to gently explain to the client how I work, and why.

My goal is to keep my 15 or so "For Sale" items continuously posted on Craig's List, as I believe this is the best time to sell stuff. I've gotten some nibbles on my Made in Russia die-cast toy cars as well as my tripod case and otherwise have sold some camera equipment, a drum and some wireless earphones.