BookUp: Save money on your college textbook!

Used Text Books

One major hidden expense of going to university or college is paying for textbooks. Most people do not realize that a full course load worth of brand new textbooks from the campus bookstore can easily run over a thousand dollars! ...but at the end, the textbooks just sitting on their shelf collecting dust. For this problem,  BookUp has solution for you.


What is BookUp?
BookUp, is dedicated to help students and book readers to sell their textbooks or books AND also to allow people to purchase used books at lower price.

BookUp in 70 Seconds from Mike Chu on Vimeo.


Why BookUp?

 As a student once, one of the challenge is having too many unwanted textbooks at the end of every semester during our college or university years. Plus the fact that many avid readers have too many books sitting on their shelf collecting dust. We could not bear to witness so many good books being sent to the recycling center or dumpsite. That is how this humble idea came out and started this project to solve the problem. At BookUp value books a lot!

 

Who are in this project?

This project is started by two young people, named Mike Chu and Jacqueline Khoo. Both graduated and worked in their respective career path for some time. It is because of the love of books that both of them decided to quit their job and dedicated months to start this project to help students and book readers. 

How BookUp works?

BookUp allows people to sell their books and buy used books through few simple steps:

To buy books: Once buyer identified the books that they wanted to buy, they just have to complete the payment. Books will then be sent to them. http://bookup.my/showall

To sell books: Sellers will only need to go through this three simple steps  >>  http://bookup.my/sell-books-online

Where they are?

BookUp is currently based in Ipoh, Perak and still in the process of expansion to other states. Starting from January 2014, we will be going around to universities and colleges to engage with students. And for your information, USM will be our first stop.

How to contact them?

If you interested with this project or to engage with them. They can be contacted via email: mybookup@gmail.com  OR Jacqueline : jacq@bookup.my

Are You an Impulse Spender?

everydayminimalist.com

Answer these questions truthfully:

1.)    Does your spouse or partner complain that you spend too much money?

2.)    Are you surprised each month when your credit card bill arrives at how much more you charged than you thought you had?

3.)    Do you have more shoes and clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear?

4.)    Do you own every new gadget before it has time to collect dust on a retailer’s shelf?

5.)    Do you buy things you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them on display in a store?

If you answered “yes” to any two of the above questions, you are an impulse spender and indulge yourself in retail therapy.

This is not a good thing. It will prevent you from saving for the important things like a house, a new car, a vacation or retirement. You must set some financial goals and resist spending money on items that really don’t matter in the long run.

Impulse spending will not only put a strain on your finances but your relationships, as well. To overcome the problem, the first thing to do is learn to separate your needs from your wants.

Advertisers blitz us hawking their products at us 24/7. The trick is to give yourself a cooling-off period before you buy anything that you have not planned for.

When you go shopping, make a list and take only enough cash to pay for what you have planned to buy. Leave your credit cards at home.

If you see something you think you really need, give yourself two weeks to decide if it is really something you need or something you can easily do without. By following this simple solution, you will mend your financial fences and your relationships.

My mum says, 'Go with your first instinct,' but this can lead to impulse buying!            - Linsay Lohan

Why Should You Make a Budget?

Src:http://themoneytrack.com

You say you know where your money goes and you don’t need it all written down to keep up with it? I issue you this challenge. Keep track of every penny you spend for one month and I do mean every penny.

You will be shocked at what the itty-bitty expenses add up to. Take the total you spent on just one unnecessary item for the month, multiply it by 12 for months in a year and multiply the result by 5 to represent 5 years.

That is how much you could have saved AND drawn interest on in just five years. That, my friend, is the very reason all of us need a budget.

If we can get control of the small expenses that really don’t matter to the overall scheme of our lives, we can enjoy financial success.

The little things really do count. Cutting what you spend on lunch from five dollars a day to three dollars a day on every work day in a five day work week saves $10 a week… $40 a month… $480 a year… $2400 in five years….plus interest.

See what I mean… it really IS the little things and you still eat lunch everyday AND that was only one place to save money in your daily living without doing without one thing you really need. There are a lot of places to cut expenses if you look for them.  

Set some specific long term and short term goals. There are no wrong answers here. If it’s important to you, then it’s important period.

If you want to be able to make a down payment on a house, start a college fund for your kids, buy a sports car, take a vacation to Aruba… anything… then that is your goal and your reason to get a handle on your financial situation now.

"You must learn to save first and spend afterwards."                 - John Poole

Source:
http://themoneytrack.com/banking/budgeting/lesson-plan-setting-up-a-personal-budget/

Are You Spend Wisely?

 

Have you ever noticed that the things you buy every week at the grocery and hardware stores go up a few cents between shopping trips? Not by much…just by a little each week but they continue to creep up and up.

All it takes for the price to jump up by a lot is a little hiccup in the world wide market, note the price of gasoline as it relates to world affairs.

There is a way that we can keep these price increases from impacting our personal finances so much and that is by buying in quantity and finding the best possible prices for the things we use and will continue to use everyday… things that will keep just as well on the shelves in our homes as it does on the shelves at the grocery store or hardware store.

For instance, dog food and cat food costs about 10% less when bought by the case than it does when bought at the single can price and if you wait for close out prices you save a lot more than that.

A man who both spends and saves money is the happiest man, because he has both enjoyments. - Samuel Johnson

Set aside some space in your home and make a list of things that you use regularly which will not spoil. Any grain or grain products will need to be stored in airtight containers that rats can’t get into so keep that in mind.

Then set out to find the best prices you can get on quantity purchases of such things as bathroom items and dry and canned food.

You will be surprised at how much you can save by buying a twenty pound bag of rice as opposed to a one pound bag but don’t forget that it must be kept in a rat proof container.

You can buy some clothing items such as men’s socks and underwear because those styles don’t change, avoid buying children’s and women’s clothing, those styles change and sizes change too drastically.

Try to acquire and keep a two year supply of these items and you can save hundreds of dollars.

Please Avoid These Investing Mistakes

1. Not invest at all!!!
Along the way, you may make a few investing mistakes, however there are big mistakes that you absolutely must avoid if you are to be a successful investor. For instance, the biggest investing mistake that you could ever make is to not invest at all, or to put off investing until later. Make your money work for you – even if all you can spare is $20 a week to invest!

2. Investing before you are in the financial position to do so
While not investing at all or putting off investing until later are big mistakes, investing before you are in the financial position to do so is another big mistake. Get your current financial situation in order first, and then start investing. Get your credit cleaned up, pay off high interest loans and credit cards, and put at least three months of living expenses in savings. Once this is done, you are ready to start letting your money work for you.

3. Don’t invest to get rich quick. 
That is the riskiest type of investing that there is, and you will more than likely lose. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it! Instead, invest for the long term, and have the patience to weather the storms and allow your money to grow. Only invest for the short term when you know you will need the money in a short amount of time, and then stick with safe investments, such as certificates of deposit.

4. Don’t put all of your eggs into one basket. 
Scatter it around various types of investments for the best returns. Also, don’t move your money around too much. Let it ride. Pick your investments carefully, invest your money, and allow it to grow – don’t panic if the stock drops a few dollars. If the stock is a stable stock, it will go back up.

5. Thinking investment in collectibles really pay off
A common mistake that a lot of people make is thinking that their investments in collectibles will really pay off. Again, if this were true, everyone would do it. Don’t count on your Coke collection or your book collection to pay for your retirement years! Count on investments made with cold hard cash instead.