Frugal Fridays: Frugal shipping
Welcome to our second Frugal Friday! Last Friday was so much fun - all sorts of great tips and information on saving money was shared and I can hardly wait to read what you all will contribute this week!
My frugal tip for today is on frugal shipping. Since for the last two years or so, we've been mailing out dozens of packages each week worldwide, I've picked up a thing or two on how to inexpensively mail items. Now I know that many of you probably don't mail dozens of packages each week, but we all have to mail things at least every once in a while. Here's what I've learned:
- Always use USPS whenever possible. Unless you have a business and regularly ship items which weigh ten pounds or more, using any other service besides the U.S. Postal Service is not cost-effective.
- Weigh your item before sealing up the package. Use bathroom scales, or better yet, invest in postal scales from eBay (they have many on there for under $20 - you can save that much in just 5-7 packages by having them and it is one of the best investments we've ever made!). Use this calculator to figure out what shipping options you have and make sure the current package you are using is the least expensive.
- If your item weighs over one pound, use flat-rate Priority mailers. Unless you are shipping books or media matter with media mail service or books through bound printed matter mail service, (this calculator can tell you how long it will take to get there through each service) try to always use flat rate mailers. USPS offers large cardboard flat rate envelopes which mail - no matter what the weight - for $4.05. I can fit 2-4 books in these and save a few dollars per package. They also offer two different sizes of flat rate boxes which mail for $8.10 each. I am always amazed how much can be fit into these! Plus, you can get these mailers and boxes for free through USPS.com. In addition, if you mail Priority mail, you can print off shipping labels on your home computer and be eligible for home pick-up! It doesn't get much easier than that! Plus, you can save not only on postage, but also on shipping supplies, time, and gas costs! Flat-rate mailers and boxes can usually be picked up at your local post office, or you can order them completely free here and here. Priority mail has by far been the fastest and most reliable way to mail items for me. Plus, if you print shipping labels online, you can get free delivery confirmation - another plus. For foreign shipments, you can use Global Priority mailers which are usually $9 for most international packages and $7 to Canada.
For those who do mail a lot of packages per week, I highly recommend getting an account through Stamps.com. I can't tell you how much of a life-saver this has been for us! You can sign up for a free 4-week trial here.
This is all really basic and maybe you all already knew this, but I have been amazed at how many people didn't know about much of this and have wasted lots of money needlessly. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
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Frugal Friday Fine-Print - Please read before posting:
If you missed last week's Frugal Friday post, details and more information are here. Since there were a few misunderstandings, I wanted to clarify a few things:
To participate, write up a blog post with a tip for how to be frugal or an idea for saving money or anything that somehow deals with frugality and link to this post in your post. Then, come here and leave the direct link to your "Frugal Friday" post underneath. Please do not link to your blog homepage but link directly to the post you are submitting. Be sure to write a short blurb on what your post is about in parenthesis. Any posts/links which are submitted which do not in some way relate to frugality and link to this post will be deleted. Anyone is welcome to participate. All I ask is that your post and website be family-friendly.
Any questions? Just email me (click on the contact me button on the sidebar)!
Now, on to your great tips! Leave your Frigal Friday link below! If you don't have a blog, feel free to leave a tip in the comments section.
posted by Crystal Paine at 4:24 PM
20 Comments:
Going for a vacation is always a big expenditure. However, with careful planning, your vacation can be fun and enriching without compromising on its quality. If you are on a budget and planning for a vacation, here are some useful tips for you.
I'm interested in reading Renee's tips on frugal furniture, but cant seem to find it when I click on her link?? Where do I need to look once I get there?
Thank you for all this info! I have just started selling some stuff on eBay and I am totally lost when it comes to shipping - mostly because I don't have a scale. :( I have used the flat rate boxes but not the envelopes, so I ordered some just now. Thank you so much! :)
Oops! Mine got on twice somehow. Is there anyway you can remove one?
I was at the post office a few weeks ago and because I am a small home business and the USPS is trying to keep the business of small owners they gave me a free scale. I was told that they hand them out to encourage small bis. owners to use the US postal service. It is not a scale like you would normally think of a scale, but it is made up of 3 flexible stands. They hold packages weighing 1,2 and 3 lbs or you can stack them for a total weight of 6 lbs. For me I don't mail anything heavier than that. So for what it is worth, if you ship light weight items ask your postmaster about it. It's free
Great post everyone.
Lorrie
Great post, Crystal! I occasionally mail things, and had been meaning to ask you for more details. I'm glad you typed it up for all of us to benefit from!! :)
~Tammy
Hope I did that right this time! I was so tired the other time when I tried and didn't even think that it was not friday when I started it! Tired mom, I guess!
My tip was on getting inexpensive and convenient digital prints of photos.
Anonymous, we received a set of those free scales too, and the children *love* them!
My post is on the joy of garage sales! It's a subject that's near and dear to my heart! Enjoy!!
My tip is on multi use for dryer sheets.
Crystal, thank you for posting this. My daughters and I have been selling stuff on ebay and we need all the help we can get. Like Carrie, I have not used the flat rate envelopes. I didn't think you could fit much in them, but certainly most dresses would fit!
I bought a scale, probably spent too much, but it has been invaluable.
No time for a frugal post now, I'm off to MOPS (as a mentor!), but I'll try to come back later.
Thanks for doing this! It's a great idea!
I posted on getting makeup and other beauty products at great prices, as well as store coupons for donations. :)
I find those Priority Mail flat rate envelopes very economical too!
In order to fit in more clothes items into an envelope, I would "vacuum pack" them in Ziploc bags or freezer bags by squeezing as much air out of them as possible (sitting on them with a little space left open usually works! :-)) Then I would seal the freezer bag with tape, stuff it into the envelope, and seal it quickly.
Using this method, I get to fit in a few articles of clothes or even dresses.
I left my tip on Kool-Aid projects. Now I will go visit others and gather some frugally tips for myself!!!
Thanks Crystal!
Oops! I forgot to leave a brief description! Thanks for hosting this, I love the tips I'm getting.
Is it just my browser (I use Firefox) but I can't read the third column of enteries.
Stephanie - try refreshing your browser. I moved the sidebar down so that it should show up. I'm not sure what the problem is this week - I upgraded my Mr. Linky account and am working on getting it fixed. Any help or suggestions? Last week, the columns worked correctly and this week they aren't. My apologies!
Crystal,
This was a big help to me. I don't send out a ton of packages but I've probably been spending more than nececssary on the ones I do send. I didn't realize there even were flat rate boxes!
Thanks for taking the time to share all of this info!
Wow, I'm going to have to check out those free scales from the post office! :)
Great tips everyone! Mine for this week can be read here:
http://delightinginhim.livejournal.com/73864.html
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