It’s Time for Fall Maintenance and Cleaning

We’re now firmly into fall here in New England, and it’s time for some annual fall cleaning and maintenance on homes everywhere.

 

Let’s start with the easy stuff first — cleaning! One of the most important cleaning things that you should do in the fall is to take all of your family’s winter comforters to the dry cleaners or dry clean them yourself with a home kit. That way they are fresh and clean when the temperature starts dropping later on in the month.

Another thing that is great to do now is to go through all of the summer clothing in the house and figure out what you would like to with them, either pack them away for next year or donate them to the thrift store. Once you have figured that out, it’s time to bring out the winter clothes! Make sure that you have shopped for laundry detergent and fabric softener on DealDash, because the next step is to wash and dry all of your winter clothing before you put them into your closets and dressers. Even if you washed them directly before you packed them away they are still going to be a little stale and wrinkly, it’s best to give them a good washing.

Tide Pods Ocean Mist Detergent, 72ctDowny Ultra April Fresh Liquid Fabric Softener

Now on to the maintenance. If you’re a homeowner or a tenant that’s in charge of the maintenance on your home then read on, because these are important things that you should do every fall to keep things running smoothly.

  • Clean the gutters. I know, it’s not everyone (or anyone’s!) favorite thing to do, but it’s important that after leaves have fallen, clean out your gutters and downspouts, flush them with water, inspect the joints, and tighten your brackets if they need it. Clogged gutters are one of the major causes of ice dams. If any of your gutters are getting old be sure to replace them before the snow falls.
  • Caulk your windows. This job is a little more fun than the previous one, be sure to caulk around windows and door frames to prevent heat from escaping. Caulk around the outside, and then get a helper to turn on a hairdryer to heat around the edges – if you feel a stream of hot air it means that you should re-caulk that area, you might have missed a spot.
  • Inspect your roof. Make sure the roof is in good shape with no missing or  loose shingles. Ice, rain, snow, and wind combined with rapidly changing temperatures and humidity wreak havoc on roofs.
  • Have your boiler and fireplace inspected. Heating systems in good shape will use fuel more efficiently, last longer, and have fewer problems if properly serviced.

Hopefully we will have a mild winter this year, but even if we don’t, rest assured that you are prepared for the weather ahead. Go rake your lawn, then get yourself a hot cider or tea, and check out the auctions and see what you would really like to bid on and WIN! See you on DealDash everyone! Good luck and happy bidding.

How I Decide What to Bid On

There are so many great items to bid on when you go to DealDash sometimes it’s hard to choose what you really want.

I really think that the most important thing to do before you make any kind of bidding commitment is to do your research! Once you have found something that you would really like to win and you feel like you can commit yourself to going all the way to the BIN price if you have to, then start checking out every auction for the item you want, as well as similar items.

For instance, if you are interested in a certain outdoor grill then make sure that you put every grill that’s even remotely similar with the similar BIN price on your watch list. You can put them on your watch list by clicking the little star in the upper right corner, and DealDash will save the auction for you so you can come back later and check it out. It’s one of my favorite DealDash features.

George Foreman Indoor/Outdoor Electric Barbeque Grill Backyard Grill 17.5-Inch Charcoal GrillChar-Broil Patio Bistro Electric Grill

The reason that you want to put the other similar grills onto your watch list is that some people aren’t too particular about name brand, color, etc. and they are just trying to win a grill, any grill. You will especially find this to be true when people are doing their Christmas shopping and they are bidding on DealDash to pick up gifts for people.

Once you have all of these grills (or whatever item you are interested in of course!) on your watch list you should try to watch each and every grill auction, and take note of what day and time they begin, and what the final auction price is. That way you can get a better idea of when might be your best time to take the plunge and start bidding. Just make sure that you get your first bid in before the auction hits $5 or you will be locked out.

So, DealDashers, that is how I decide what to bid on when I visit DealDash. Sometimes the plan works out beautifully and I won an awesome item, and other times I end up Buying It Now and using my bids a different day. That’s the fun of DealDash, you never know who will win! So go ahead and check out the auctions and see what you would really like to bid on and WIN! See you on DealDash everyone! Good luck and happy bidding.

How I Got My Biggest Win

Neato on DealDash

What’s your biggest win on DealDash? My biggest (and favorite) win is my Neato Robotics XV Signature Robotic Vacuum.

 

There is honestly no big secret of how I got my biggest win on DealDash. It was just a combination of different factors – Having enough bids saved up to go the distance to BIN (Buy It Now) if I needed to, doing research on the item and my competitors, using my BidBuddy, and having a little luck on my side!

I have written many blogs before on some of the best ways to win items on DealDash, and it really usually comes down to those simple factors that I listed above. Broken down, here are my DealDash “Best Practices” suggestions that I used to win my Neato Robotic Vacuum.

  • Have enough bids to BIN the item if you need to. The BIN price on the Neato Robotic Vacuum is $381. That means that if this happens to be a free auction weekend I could bid approximately 2,381 – 3,175  times, depending on what price I paid for the bids, and still come out even with the BIN price. However, if it’s a half-price auction or a full-priced auction then you need to be careful that you don’t accidentally bid too many times if you are factoring in bid cost + final auction cost. In this particular situation my Neato’s final auction cost was $53.11, so that means that I could bid a maximum of  2,050 – 2,733 times (depending on bid price .12 – .16) and still come out even with the BIN price. Yes, it’s a lot of math, but it’s worth it to do the calculations to make sure that you don’t accidentally overbid and win. Of course, if you “win” and you paid more in bid cost + final auction cost than the BIN price, it’s not really a win, now is it? Be smart, do your math!

 

 

  • The next thing that I always mention when giving tips to people is to make sure that you do your research on the item and your competitors. When you have found something that you would really like to win and you feel like you can commit yourself to going all the way to the BIN price if you have to, then start checking out every auction for the item you want, as well as similar items. Just put them on your watch list by clicking the little star in the upper right corner, and DealDash will save the auction for you so you can come back later and check it out. While you are doing your research on the item, pay attention to who is bidding on the item you want as well as similar items. That way you can get a feel if they are the sort of person that just tosses in 100 bids and walks away, or if they are in it for the long haul.

  • When you have finally decided on the best auction for yourself, checked out the other items and competition, then it’s time for the best tool that DealDash could ever offer – the BidBuddy! When you have decided that it’s time to stop watching and really get into the auction, then do your math that we talked about earlier, put your bids into your BidBuddy, and hope for the best! Remember, if you do your math calculations and you have reached the BIN price and still haven’t won, use the “Buy it Now” option and pay retail price for the item. DealDash will when refund all of the bids you used on that item, and you can try again another day.

  • The last component of how I got my biggest win was just a little bit of luck on my side. I was able to get my Neato by placing about 800 bids, which is around $96 since I typically only buy bids when they are .12. So $96 + $53 = $149 for an item that has a BIN price of $381 is a profit of $232, and I think that’s quite lucky, indeed!

So, my fellow bidders, that is the story of how I got my biggest win on DealDash. Go ahead and check out the auctions and see what you would really like to bid on and WIN! See you on DealDash everyone! Good luck and happy bidding.

Recent Excellent Wins!

On DealDash there are over 1,000 auctions won every single day and some of these wins stand out amongst the crowd.

Here’s a look at 10 great wins during the last 2 weeks, the final sales price, how many bids the winner used, and the average selling price for that particular item.

Samsung 40-Inch LED Smart HDTV

Final Price: $8.77

Bids Placed: 59

Samsung 40-inch Class LED Smart HDTV

KitchenAid Over The Range Microwave

Final Price: $1.69

Bids Placed: 50

KitchenAid 2.0 Cu. Ft. Over-the-Range Microwave

HP ENVY Desktop Computer with 2TB Hard Drive

Final Price: $20.25 during Free Auction Day where DealDash pays final sales price.

Bids Placed: 49

HP ENVY 700 Desktop with 12GB Memory and 2TB Hard Drive

LG 47-Inch LED Smart 3D HDTV

Final Price: $44.99 during Free Auction Day where DealDash pays final sales price.

Bids Placed: 49

LG 47-inch Class LED with 1080p and 240Hz Smart 3D HDTV

Sony VAIO 21.5-Inch Touch-Screen Computer

Final Price: $11.04 during Free Auction Day where DealDash pays final sales price.

Bids Placed: 99

Sony VAIO 21.5-inch Portable Touch-Screen All-In-One Computer

HP Split 2-in-1 Touch-Screen Laptop

Final Price: $2.52

Bids Placed: 36

HP Split 2-in-1 13.3-inch Touch-Screen Laptop with 4GB Memory

Lenovo Yoga Touch-Screen Laptop

Final Price: $15.62 during Free Auction Day where DealDash pays final sales price.

Bids Placed: 65

Lenovo Yoga 2 2-in-1 11.6-inch Touch-Screen Laptop

Yamaha 3D / Smart Home Theater System

Final Price: $7.13 during Free Auction Day where DealDash pays final sales price.

Bids Placed: 68

Yamaha 575W 5.1-Ch. 3D / Smart Home Theater System

Apple iPad mini with Retina display, Wi-Fi and 128GB

Final Price: $13.42 during Free Auction Day where DealDash pays final sales price.

Bids Placed: 187

Apple iPad mini with Retina display with Wi-Fi and 128GB

Lenovo Flex Touch-Screen Laptop

Final Price: $15.14 during Free Auction Day where DealDash pays final sales price.

Bids Placed: 105

Lenovo Flex 15 2-in-1 15.6-inch Touch-Screen Laptop

 

By David O’Weger