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Monthly Archives: August 2010

5 Things For The Kids, 5 Things For You


Last week we wrote up a tongue-in-cheek back to school checklist for the almost undergrad. This week we’ve got a little something for a little someone: the elementary school student. Fret not hardworking mom, it’s not all about the kids. For every back to elementary school necessity we list, there will be another item just for you!

5 For Them

1) Notepad and Erasers for $1
2) New Duds


3) Themed Backpacks


4) Slick Shoes

5) Coloring Markers!


5 For You

1) Something That Feels Nice (Like a Vibrating Puff Massager)


2) Your Favorite Television Show on DVD


3) Clean, Clean, Clean Supplies

4) Garage Sale Section of UsedEverywhere.com



5) Gift Certificates to that Thing You Love


Happy Monday!

Hey Ma, I’m Going to College!


There are a few do’s and don’ts that every soon-to-be college student should be aware of. Seeing as a few of us at the UsedEverywhere.com office have gone through the motions ourselves, we figured it might be nice to impart that knowledge on… well, anyone who’s willing to hear it. The following checklist includes everything your average college/university student will need to survive the move to another city and their first year in the dorms:

Coffee/Kraft Dinner Maker

It’s a well known fact among the intellectual community that two of the most essential consumables, coffee and Kraft Dinner, can be made with a single machine. The coffee maker will wake you up in the morning and fill your tummy before bed. Perhaps most importantly, it’ll do those things without breaking those pesky no-flame dormitory regulations.

Big Laminated Calendar

An oversized laminated calendar is an integral part of the college lifestyle. It’s kind of like a day planner for dummies. Your mom won’t be there to hold your hand, so you might as well put your To-Do’s somewhere in plain sight.

Ghetto Blaster

Baroque when you study, Bob Marley when you’re vibin’, and Barry White when the time is right. That is the college way.

Incense/Lavalamp
You’ll finally have the freedom to smell what you want to smell and decorate your room with tacky trimmings. Go nuts (without starting your building on fire).

Febreeze
With every spray you will systematically be hunting down dust and bacteria, encapsulating them in soapy bubbles, and destroying their very essence. Scientifically, this makes no sense, but if the commercials say so then we’re on board.

Earplugs/Headphones
Chances are you’ll be living beside or (god forbid) with, a noisy neighbour. Make sure to have something to stick in your ears at night, or even your calendar won’t be able to save you from tardiness.

Catcher in the Rye

Don’t worry, you don’t need to read it. Just place it inconspicuously on your bookshelf for guests to marvel at. What is college for, if not for pretending you’re smarter than you actually are?

Whiteboard

It’s a cultural staple of dorm life. A tool that you can use to both speak your opinionated mind and receive witty (or attempted witty) messages from your peers. Kind of like a real-world Facebook status update without the corporate advertisements.

Cliché Posters*

*Varies by demographic. Bob Marley, Pulp Fiction, Abbey Road, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Take your pick.

Flip Flops

Admittedly, you might not want to buy a pair of these on your local Used site. But, for a fair dollar you should certainly look into a brand new, fungi-free pair for the shower you may or may not have once a week.

Found: One Spectacular Woman

I came in this morning and started reading tweets, facebook & blog posts, like any other day. But stopped when I saw this simple tweet


So I looked online to see the ad for myself. The title was perfect! It read “Found: One Spectacular Woman“


All the ladies in the office said “Ahhhhhhh!” But the big question we had, like you might have right now, is What did she say?


To @saskboy and his new fiancee,

Congratulations!

How To: Find Your Textbooks Online

The “textbook rush” is a stressful time for college students. They generally have one retailer to choose from, the campus bookstore, which has a limited supply of the books that they need. On top of that, professors often wait for the first day of classes to let everyone know whether or not the “required” readings are, in fact, required to be successful in the course. So your average student is left with a tough decision; do they race to the bookstore to purchase the exorbitantly expensive Biology 101, or do they hold off and risk the bookstore selling out? Neither! They check their local UsedXYZ.com for a slightly used textbook that’s half the price. Here’s where to start:
Step 1) Find out the International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) of the books that you need. Responsible profs will list this in their course syllabus or at your campus bookstore.
Step 2) The ISBN should be a 13 digit number that may or may not be separated with dashes. Go to your local UsedEverywhere.com and type your number with dashes and without dashes, separated by the vertical bar symbol (|) located below the delete button on your keyboard. Your search should look something like this:
978-0-19-542865-0 | 9780195428650
The | symbol means “or,” so your search with include ads that have the ISBN you’re looking for whether the seller included dashes or not.

Step 3) If searching for the ISBN doesn’t yield results, you can always count on keywords. Select two words from the book’s title, type them into the search bar, and separate them with the ambersand symbol (&). For example, if I am looking for “Environmental Change & Challenge, 3rd Edition, by Philip Dearden and Bruce Mitchell,” then I may choose to search for the keywords “environmental” and “dearden.” Your search should look something like this:
environmental & dearden
The & symbol means “and” (clever, I know), so your search will look for ads with both words in their title. This will ensure that your search doesn’t include irrelevant ads and that it doesn’t exclude ads that may have subtle differences in spacing or wording.
While these tips can be particularly helpful when looking for hard-to-find textbooks, they’re also incredibly useful when browser for other items on our site. Try it out and let me know if what works for you in the comments below. Happy textbook hunting!

Rotary Club Golf Tournament Fundraiser

The Rotary Club of South Cowichan (see the nice looking gentlemen below) are asking for your support of several community projects in the Cowichan Valley, and all you have to do is play golf!

On Friday, September 24, 2010, they will be hosting the 16th annual South Cowichan Scramble at Cowichan Golf & Country Club. It’s the club’s major fundraiser of the year, attracting over 150 supporters for a day of golf, dinner, and an auction. Here are some examples of what they’ve done with funds raised in the past:

1. Reclaimed Cairn Park in Shawnigan Lake.

2. Assisted with the renovations of the Cenotaph in Cobble Hill town centre.

3. Helped build & fund the Aros Road trail – Hammond Way – in Satellite Park.

4. Built the South Cowichan food bank, and provided them with ongoing annual funding.

5. Constructed the children’s park at Kerry Park and helped to fund the skateboard park.

6. Supported the Hospice Society by paying their mortgage for a year, and providing regular annual donations.

7. Supported the Cowichan Hospital Foundation, CrimeStoppers, Community Kitchens, the Salvation Army Kettle Bell, MS Society and Adopt a Highway.

8. Helped to fund the new sports court at Frances Kelsey school as well as a new fitness trail.

9. Helped to build and fund the South Cowichan Dog Park.

10. Worked on building the Trans Canada Trail from Sooke Lake Road to Kinsol Trestle and built the Magee Creek Bridge on the Trail.

Check out the South Cowichan Scramble brochure or contact Clyde Oglivie, Chair of the Golf Organizing Committee, for more information. There are opportunities to register a foursome and play, sponsor a hole, donate a non-perishable item to their ‘Taste of the Valley’ raffle or participate as a dinner/auction guest.

Best of luck Rotary, and thanks for posing with our UsedCowichan.com bags!

Top Five: Cost Effective College Pranks

There are a couple things that UsedEverywhere.com and college students have in common. We both like to have fun, and we know what it’s like to do it on a budget. While we don’t condone the mischievous antics listed below, we can appreciate the countless laughs between friends that they’ve inspired over the years (and we hope you can too). Whether you’re on your way to university or those days have come and gone, here are our top five back-to-school pranks for students, on the cheap.

5) Packed Full of Packing Peanuts

There aren’t many positive things to say about your average dorm room. It’s small, old, and probably dirty (just sayin’). This bodes well for the prankster with peanuts. Packing peanuts that is. After a quick search of your local UsedEverywhere.com you might just get a truck load for free. Grab a few helping hands, pick an unsuspecting friend, and fill up their room when they’re off to the latrine. Then, watch from around a corner as they open their door. Be aware, though: You’re obligated to stick around for the clean up.

4) Saran Wrapped Toilet (male dorms only)

Speaking of latrines, you may have heard of (but hopefully not experienced) the Saran wrapped toilet seat. When you’re mark is asleep, lift up the toilet seat and tear off a large piece of Saran wrap. Pull it over the toilet bowl, but make sure to leave some slack. It may be easier to spot, but a tight wrapping will result in a nasty clean-up. Sit back and wait for a dramatic reaction.

3) Food Gone Wrong

From apple cores to unfinished Kraft Dinner to whatever else floats your boat. The age-old “leave something nasty in the corner of your friends room” prank lives on. Though, if they’re not hygienic enough to look in their corner they may not be cleaning their room anyway. In which case they’re pranking themselves. Think about that for second.

2) Sugar in the Bed

Simple and cheap. Sprinkle some sugar under the covers of your friend’s bed and they’ll toss and turn until they wash their sheets. Incentive to clean can’t be a bad thing, can it? All experienced pranksters know that timing is everything. In this case, that means the night before your friend’s calculus exam is off limits. Remember, this is ethical mischief we’re talking about.

1) Cold Awakenings

What may be the hardest of this list to pull off may also be the most rewarding. If you have a friend that sleeps deep, then round up a group to carry them, mattress and all, outside. Set up a video recorder or web cam for the best results.

Hope you enjoyed our foray into college shenanigans. Have a great weekend!

Which Canada do you "like"?

Here’s something to consider about Facebook fan pages. According to The Montreal Gazette, Canada has only 334 fans. But in taking a look at Government fan pages for Canada, which one do you follow?

While all of them say they are “government” which one is really the government? There is no ownership info; no info what-so-ever.

I’m curious which Canada facebook fan page you follow, if any? Just leave a comment with the link.

Update: UsedWinnipeg.com Spam Attack

As of approximately 4:00 pm GMT +8 UsedWinnipeg.com was attacked by pornographic spam. The attacker posted several featured ads that were by means family friendly. As a result we have immediately taken down UsedWinnipeg.com until the issue has been resolved.

We will update this blog post as we correct the issue. Thank you for your patience.
Update: 4:38 pm GMT + 8 Approximately 50 listings were flaged and removed. And UsedWinnipage.com has be restored.

The “Family Friendly” Feud

Remember when you went to your last family reunion? Did you have two cousins that seemed to hate each other? Every year they ended up fighting. After the fight broke their parents forced them into separate ends of the house, one in the kitchen, the other the garage. This seems to be the behaviour of Cragslist vs eBay Classifieds (aka Kijiji).

We’d like to remind everyone that while Craigslist attacks eBay in their “family friendly” battle that eBay owns 25% of Craigslist. While the businesses have doubts and animosity towards this investment, it’s like those two cousins fighting on the front lawn.

UsedEverywhere is family friendly. Plus, we’re proudly Canadian.

G’day mate! Usedeverywhere.com goes Downunder!

Check out the latest Usedeverywhere.com installment: Echoadelaide.com.au. It launches today, Friday the 13th in Adelaide, Australia. Why is it called Echoadelaide? The name has a local meaning. Echoadelaide.com.au gets its name from the old-fashioned South Australian term for “bottle.” Glass bottles were called echoes because they used to be washed out and reused in this State. Local beer and soft drink manufactures have been voluntarily reusing/recycling in Adelaide since 1897!

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