Speaker Identification
Speaker 1 - Announcer / Prerecorded Promo Voice
The speaker delivers the opening introduction, the repeated mid-show promotional announcements, and the closing station announcement in the third person. The transcript does not provide the announcer's name.
Speaker 2 - Host, Alan J. Cook
The speaker repeatedly identifies himself as Alan J. Cook and speaks in the first person about his junk-removal company, daily work, family, business experiments, and personal experiences.
Speaker 1 - Announcer: Welcome to the Junk Refund Show, hosted by Alan J. Cook, founder of 1-800-JUNK-REFUND. Have you ever paid one of those expensive junk-removal companies to take away some of your belongings, only to say to yourself as the truck drove away, "Some of that stuff wasn't junk"?
Speaker 1 - Announcer: Did they try to sell it for you and give you some money back? No. Well, now there is a company that can do just that. Listen to our weekly Junk Refund Show on BBS Radio TV to learn how one woman spent $375 on junk removal and got $3,200 back.
Speaker 1 - Announcer: 1-800-JUNK-REFUND represents the next generation of junk removal. Learn how not only to save money on junk removal, but also to get some money back. Plus, purchase one of our radio vouchers during the show to save even more on your junk removal. Let's get the junk out of your home and out of your life. Now, here is your host, Alan J. Cook.
Speaker 2 - Host: Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Junk Refund Show. It is my favorite time of the week, Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. I am coming to you live from Canal Road in Washington, D.C., headed toward Maryland.
Speaker 2 - Host: I will tell you more about what brings me this way, but I just finished a job I have been doing for the last two and a half days near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. I have been taking a 16-foot stake-body truck down there. This came from a lead I got through Facebook Marketplace, so let me tell you a little about what we do with that.
Speaker 2 - Host: When times get slow, we go on Facebook Marketplace and look for people who are getting rid of metal items, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and similar things. Sometimes I will go out with a goal of picking up five different items from five different people. That gives me five new clients whom I may be able to serve again later.
Speaker 2 - Host: It also gives me appliances, lawn mowers, or other items I can take to a scrap-metal yard. It is not a major moneymaker by itself, but it helps me meet new clients. I give those scrap-metal clients 20 percent off if they later want us to return and perform a regular junk-removal job.
Speaker 2 - Host: Sometimes people have a large amount of metal for you to haul away. They may also give you car batteries, copper, wire, and other materials that bring more money at a scrap yard. If you pick up a washer, dryer, or refrigerator, you may make about $10 for each appliance at the scrap-metal yard. Once you factor in the gasoline required to drive around, however, you can lose money if you are not careful.
Speaker 2 - Host: In this case, a gentleman from a media company in Washington, D.C., had consolidated the company's offices from three floors to two. The company had office equipment, metal desks, and other items on the floor it needed to vacate, so it placed an advertisement on Facebook Marketplace saying it had nine or ten metal desks to give away.
Speaker 2 - Host: Scrap-metal haulers will often respond and say, "Okay, we will do that." I believe one or two people did, and one person may previously have picked up a desk or two. We went in with a 16-foot truck. I say "we" because we are a company, but I was the one doing the work. When the customer is not paying you for the job, you cannot afford to bring another person and pay him $20 an hour. This portion of the work was free.
Speaker 2 - Host: Over the last three days, however, I expect to receive about $600 for the metal I have hauled away. My friend Nick, who placed the advertisement, has been there helping. We load the material onto a small elevator that lifts it about half a floor to the loading dock. Nick puts the desks on a hand truck and brings them to the truck's lift gate, and I arrange everything inside the truck.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am receiving free labor from Nick, who is a great guy, and he is getting the second floor of the office cleaned out for free. Everybody wins. The remarkable part is that the company received a quote from 1-800-GOT-JUNK ranging from $6,000 to $13,000 to clean out the office space, including removal of the metal.
Speaker 2 - Host: During the last three days, we have removed the equivalent of three 12-foot box-truck loads of metal. The normal retail price would be about $700 per load, or approximately $2,100, and we are doing that portion for free. We have already saved the company about $2,100. We will make roughly $600 from the metal. That will not allow anyone to retire, but it helps keep the business moving.
Speaker 2 - Host: As I cleaned out each office, I placed a small blue sticky note on the door or wall with an estimate for the remaining nonmetal material that would require regular junk removal. After three days, the metal was out, and I added up those estimates about half an hour ago. There are still approximately eight truckloads of material to haul away.
Speaker 2 - Host: Scrap-metal clients receive 20 percent off the hauling cost. Remember that the competing estimate was between $6,000 and $13,000. At our regular rate, eight truckloads at approximately $700 per load would total $5,600, which is already below that competing range. With the scrap-metal-client discount, I estimated the remaining out-of-pocket cost at about $4,300.
Speaker 2 - Host: I also told them that because we often give an additional discount when a client pays in advance, they could provide a company credit card, save another approximately $300, pay about $4,000, and have us return next week to clean out the rest of the floor. Think about that for a moment. The other estimate ranged from $6,000 to $13,000, averaging close to $10,000. They have already saved more than $2,000 and had a large amount of material cleared from the offices for free. For about $4,000 more, they can have everything else removed.
Speaker 2 - Host: That would give them a completely cleaned floor for an out-of-pocket cost of roughly $4,000, while the free metal removal contributed what I estimate as approximately $2,500 in additional work and value. How smart was Nick to place that advertisement? Very smart. It created a great opportunity for both sides.
Speaker 2 - Host: We are now hoping to receive a call, obtain the company credit card, process the payment, and return with one or two additional workers to clean out the remaining material. There is still some metal, wire, and other recyclable material inside, so we could be paid for the cleanup and then receive additional money when we take those materials to the scrap yard.
Speaker 2 - Host: Sometimes you perform a job without being paid directly, but you gain clients. Sometimes those clients have entire floors of office buildings that must be cleaned out. Yesterday, one load of metal desks weighed about 2,200 pounds. At approximately six cents per pound, that would produce roughly $130, before adding the value of the wire from computers, monitors, and other office equipment.
Speaker 2 - Host: With the wire included, we received about $200 yesterday and approximately $190 the day before. I now have load number three on the truck, and I expect to receive more money for it around 4:00 this afternoon.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am now on the Beltway in Maryland, doing a radio show while driving down the road. That tells you how remarkable life can be and what you can do with a simple iPhone. We are thrilled to be on the BBS Radio network. Producer Don Newsom does a great job, and his brother Doug and his son Tom also do excellent work and fill in when Don is away.
Speaker 2 - Host: They do a wonderful job with the network, and they have told me that more improvements are coming that will make the situation even better. This is a little glimpse into my world, live as it is happening. I am using a handheld phone, and there are obviously better ways to do this, but I am keeping the phone low and unobtrusive. I do not want anyone to pull me over for talking on the phone while I am moving at about 28 miles per hour on the freeway. The traffic is bad; I am not simply driving unusually slowly.
Speaker 2 - Host: Welcome to my world. The scrap-metal and junk-removal business can be a lot of fun. Now I want to talk about artificial intelligence. AI may be the two most popular letters in the alphabet around the world right now.
Speaker 2 - Host: I have not done much with AI, but the smart people at BBS Radio have. In the past, when I and other hosts recorded our programs through their studios, we had to submit a summary explaining what the program was about. They would copy or lightly edit that summary, post it on the website, and then, 24 to 48 hours later, provide the audio upload. We could then copy the material to a podcast feed, share it on Facebook, and use it elsewhere.
Speaker 2 - Host: Over the last several months, BBS Radio has used AI to improve that process. Within about 30 minutes after a show ends, a host can receive not only a summary of what was said, but also graphics, images, and other customized materials connected with the company and the program. That is a fabulous development.
Speaker 2 - Host: I also saw an example involving my friend Donny Osmond, who used AI in his Las Vegas show to recreate himself at age 15 and then create a conversation between his present-day self and his 15-year-old self. He discussed life, business, the show, and his career. Donny is now 68, but the production used his grandson and recreated Donny's face at age 15, placing that younger face onto the performer's body for the filmed sequence.
Speaker 2 - Host: As part of the show, he brings out his 15-year-old self on film and has a conversation with him. I think that is brilliant. It changes the entertainment industry because a production is no longer limited to what can physically happen on the stage in real time. It can incorporate filmed material that realistically recreates something otherwise impossible.
Speaker 2 - Host: Donny cannot stand onstage at age 68 and point to his actual 15-year-old self standing ten feet away. That cannot happen in real life. Through AI and film, however, he can show a recorded conversation between his present-day self and a realistic version of himself at 15. That was one of the first examples that made me recognize what AI can do. Then I saw the creative work my friends at BBS Radio were producing, and that impressed me as well.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am going to take a one-minute break. When I return, I will explain what I am now doing with AI. I am a real novice, but even those of us who are beginners can have a great time with it and use it to make a positive difference.
Speaker 2 - Host: This show is about getting the junk out of your home and your life. In the next part, I will talk about getting some of the junk out of your business and making that business better with AI. I am your host, Alan J. Cook, heading toward a scrap-metal yard in Montgomery County, Maryland. You are listening to the Junk Refund Show on the BBS Radio network.
Speaker 1 - Announcer: Have you ever hired one of those expensive junk-removal companies and then wondered what they did with the items, especially the good items? At 1-800-JUNK-REFUND, we junk the junk, recycle materials such as metal and wire, donate usable items and provide receipts, and offer valuable items for sale. If an item sells, you receive some of the money back.
Speaker 1 - Announcer: Cynthia paid $375 for junk removal and received $3,200 back. Would you like to know how she did it? Tune in to the Junk Refund Show with your host, Alan J. Cook, every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time to get the junk not only out of your home, but also out of your life.
Speaker 2 - Host: Welcome back to the Junk Refund Show. I am now traveling about 54 miles per hour as I enter Montgomery County, Maryland. I will eventually pull over near the scrap-metal yard to finish the show, and then I will unload this 16-foot truck full of metal from the media company in Washington, D.C.
Speaker 2 - Host: We were talking about AI, so here is what I have been doing to market our services. One of the best sources of business for us is a realtor who refers us to a client. We can clean out and declutter the client's home so the property can be placed on the market. Those jobs may bring in $3,000, $4,000, or $5,000.
Speaker 2 - Host: Suppose one job is worth $3,000. To earn that amount from scrap metal at six cents per pound, I would have to haul 50,000 pounds of metal to a scrap yard. Rather than doing that, I would prefer to have a realtor refer me to "Mrs. Jones." I can visit her home, walk through it, and explain that the cleanup may require six truckloads at about $700 per load, which is roughly a $4,000 job. If she pays in advance, she may receive a 10 percent discount and provide a credit card for approximately $3,800. That transaction can happen in half an hour.
Speaker 2 - Host: That is a better opportunity because Mrs. Jones may also have metal, wire, and other materials in the home. We are being paid to remove them, and then we may be paid again when we take them to the scrap yard. Our goal is therefore to obtain more whole-house cleanout jobs through realtors.
Speaker 2 - Host: How can AI help us? Previously, I searched online for real-estate offices near me. The laptop would produce a list, and I would work through about ten offices per day. I created a spreadsheet, prepared postcards describing a special hauling offer, hand-addressed them, added stamps, and took them to the post office. That is how I used to handle the process.
Speaker 2 - Host: Then I spoke with our producer, Don, and one of his associates who does substantial AI work for BBS Radio. I asked, "Can't AI create this spreadsheet faster?" It can. Using Microsoft Copilot, I entered a request a few weeks ago: "Create a spreadsheet of real-estate offices in Rockville, Maryland." In about three minutes, it produced a spreadsheet with approximately 30 offices arranged in columns, including their names, addresses, and other information.
Speaker 2 - Host: I then asked it to do the same for Gaithersburg, Washington, D.C., Vienna, Virginia, and Fairfax, Virginia. Over the course of two evenings after work, I developed a spreadsheet of approximately 800 real-estate offices within 20 miles of me, including office names, addresses, ZIP Codes, phone numbers, and other details.
Speaker 2 - Host: Now I print three sheets per night, with 30 names per sheet, giving me 90 names. At Staples, I purchased a package of about 750 address labels for $17, which is close to the quantity I need. I now have a database of roughly 800 real-estate offices, and I can prepare approximately 90 mailings per day by printing labels, purchasing stamps, and mailing the postcards.
Speaker 2 - Host: Here is the interesting part: numbers do not lie. This is more customized than a general mass mailing because the postcards are directed to specific real-estate offices. If a good mailing produces even a 1 percent response and I send about 100 postcards per day, I only need one response to become a house-cleanout job worth approximately $3,300.
Speaker 2 - Host: Why did I choose $3,300? If you generated about that much business every working day for a year, allowing for days off, you could approach $1 million in annual revenue. A business producing $1 million in revenue might potentially be sold for several million dollars. If you want to become a millionaire, own a business that produces a million dollars in sales and creates meaningful enterprise value. After 20 years of physical work, that possibility sounds exciting to me.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am sending about 100 postcards per day in the hope that one will produce a hauling job. Keep in mind that I am mailing to offices, not individual agents. I estimate that the average office has about 12.5 realtors. If I contact 100 offices, the message may have the potential to reach roughly 1,200 realtors. I only need one of them to provide a house-cleanout referral. Those are favorable odds, and consistent daily effort could build a substantial, well-established business.
Speaker 2 - Host: The same process does not have to be limited to realtors. I can ask AI to create a spreadsheet of every gas station in my area. Gas stations dispose of metal automotive parts, and those parts can be taken to a scrap yard. Restaurants also have large, heavy equipment that may contain copper wire, copper tubing, condensers, and other components that can be worth more than basic scrap-metal value.
Speaker 2 - Host: The light has gone on for me because I now understand how quickly a useful spreadsheet can be created. I designed the postcards myself because I want control over what recipients see. A postcard stamp now costs about 65 cents; I remember when it cost 31 cents. Mailing 100 postcards therefore costs approximately $65 per day.
Speaker 2 - Host: The advantage of a postcard is that it can be passed along or duplicated. I can send one to the office manager of a real-estate office with 100 agents. That manager can photocopy it, photograph it, text it, or email it to the entire office. The message can multiply. The mailing also gives me peace of mind because I know I am doing something every day that may produce a significant return.
Speaker 2 - Host: If the approach works, the business should grow. It is like going to a lake every day and casting a line 100 times. You will probably catch at least one fish. If you cast only five times, you may catch something or you may not. If you move around the lake, fish at different times, use different bait, and put out multiple lines, you increase the likelihood of catching many fish.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am simply trying to stack the odds in my favor so we obtain more house cleanouts. If I can create a mailing list of 1,000 real-estate offices in the Washington, D.C., area, I can probably create comparable lists for Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. The mail can be sent from anywhere in the United States. If the system works in one market, it can be duplicated in other parts of the country.
Speaker 2 - Host: That duplication could create work for potential franchise owners. Instead of pursuing only a $3,000 or $4,000 house-cleanout job, the larger opportunity may be a $100,000 franchise sale. After 20 years of physical work, that may be where I should focus. The physical work still has value because it builds reviews, ratings, name recognition, and operating experience.
Speaker 2 - Host: Thank heavens for AI and its ability to create a spreadsheet containing hundreds of real-estate offices so quickly. Previously, I was working through approximately ten offices at a time. Now I can mail about 100 pieces per day. Next month, I can reprint the same labels, create a different postcard, and conduct another mailing. The effect can grow exponentially.
Speaker 2 - Host: Last night, when I went to our weekly Bible study, I had approximately 100 addressed postcards in my vehicle that only needed stamps. During the office cleanout in Washington, D.C., we found a whole roll of Forever stamps inside one of the metal desks. I used those stamps last night, so I did not have to purchase postage for that batch. The cards were finished, and the postage was free. Do you understand how much fun I am having? I could not be happier with how these pieces are coming together.
Speaker 2 - Host: Numbers do not lie. If you arrive at the lake before everyone else, put multiple lines in the water, and try different bait, you will catch fish. People may ask how you caught so many. The answer is simple: I stacked the odds in my favor and allowed the numbers to work.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am now within about a mile of the scrap-metal yard, but I still have approximately half an hour left in the program. There is a large office complex nearby that appears to be vacant. As I drive around Montgomery County, I see "For Lease" signs in front of office complexes everywhere. God bless the people who paid to build these properties and borrowed money for them. Then COVID arrived, many people began working from home, and office space became plentiful.
Speaker 2 - Host: There may be many metal and wooden desks sitting inside these vacant buildings. That could create opportunities for our business. I am enjoying the AI project because it is helping me think about growth. Every day, regardless of what else I do, I can send another 90 or 100 postcards to generate new business. I only need one mailing per day to produce a strong job. If three mailings paid off each day, the annual revenue could be several million dollars. If ten paid off, the number could be much higher. I only need one.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am having fun testing this approach. The target list can include storage facilities, gas stations, restaurants, leasing companies, and any business in the Washington, D.C., area with substantial office space or equipment. Those businesses may all be potential clients.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am now pulling into a nearly empty office complex. I can see two "Office Space Available" signs on opposite sides of the road. I am going to stop here because there is plenty of shade and many trees. There are no cars in this parking lot, and the complex across the street also appears vacant.
Speaker 2 - Host: There may be an opportunity here waiting for someone to discover it. The area is secluded and surrounded by trees. It feels like a private oasis. I have parked, and it is beautiful - almost like a campground inside an office complex. I am also close to where I need to go next.
Speaker 2 - Host: The scrap-metal yard closes at 5:00 p.m., and the show ends at 4:00. I should arrive at the yard around 4:05. On the way, I will use my Upside account to purchase gas. My free Upside account currently contains more than $1,100 in accumulated cash back, and the next purchase will add even more.
Speaker 2 - Host: Go to the app store and download an app called Upside. It offers cash back when you buy gasoline, groceries, convenience-store products, or restaurant meals from businesses in its network. On your phone, you can see participating gas stations in your area and how many cents per gallon each one offers in cash back.
Speaker 2 - Host: The money accumulates in your account, and you can have it transferred to your bank account or PayPal, or receive it in gift cards. I currently have approximately $1,110 in the account after using it for about two and a half years. They say that receiving a couple hundred dollars per year is very good. Apparently, I am among the top 1 percent of users nationwide in the amount of cash back I receive.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am going to buy gas in a few minutes anyway, so I might as well receive another 10 or 12 cents per gallon. The money adds up day after day. I am considering using it for a cruise to Bermuda. I could probably afford the trip with the balance now, but I may allow the account to continue growing.
Speaker 2 - Host: When you download the app and make your first gas purchase, there is a promotional code you can use. Golfers may remember it with the phrase, "Don't slice a nine iron or a pitching wedge." The code appears to be DS9PW - D as in David, S, 9, P, W. Using that code may provide an additional discount on the first purchase.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am now settled in my little oasis, where I can do the radio show in peace and quiet. No one is around except eight or nine Canadian geese slowly walking across the road about 200 yards away. The property is a one-level office complex, and there do not appear to be any tenants or vehicles in the parking lot. I do not know what this place used to be, but it is a wonderful place to pull over and finish a radio show.
Speaker 2 - Host: We are going to take another one-minute break from the Junk Refund Show. When I return, I will share more good things happening in the world of junk removal. There is always a great story in this business. You are listening to the Junk Refund Show on the BBS Radio network. I am your host, Alan J. Cook, and I will be back in about a minute.
Speaker 1 - Announcer: Have you ever hired one of those expensive junk-removal companies and then wondered what they did with the items, especially the good items? At 1-800-JUNK-REFUND, we junk the junk, recycle materials such as metal and wire, donate usable items and provide receipts, and offer valuable items for sale. If an item sells, you receive some of the money back.
Speaker 1 - Announcer: Cynthia paid $375 for junk removal and received $3,200 back. Would you like to know how she did it? Tune in to the Junk Refund Show with your host, Alan J. Cook, every Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time to get the junk not only out of your home, but also out of your life.
Speaker 2 - Host: Welcome back to the Junk Refund Show. I am your host, Alan J. Cook, sitting in my little oasis just off Gude Drive in Rockville, Maryland, about a mile from the scrap-metal yard. That is where I am going next with a large 16-foot stake-body truck full of metal and wire that I picked up from an office in downtown Washington, D.C. They will pay me cash when I drop it off, which is always nice.
Speaker 2 - Host: I will take $5 of that cash for one granddaughter and another $5 for my other granddaughter. They are two and one years old and live in Utah. I will place the two five-dollar bills in separate envelopes for them. Every month, I set aside about $150 for each child, and those accounts are now worth thousands of dollars.
Speaker 2 - Host: The advantage is that you put time on your side. I strongly believe in putting time on your side instead of fighting it. Good things can happen. If you set aside $5 every day for a child or grandchild beginning at birth, you will have contributed roughly $35,000 by the time that child turns 18.
Speaker 2 - Host: If the money grows at an average of 8 percent per year during those 18 years, the child could cross the stage at high-school graduation with an account worth approximately $85,000. You contributed about $35,000, and the growth produced approximately another $50,000 without requiring additional labor from you. That is the concept associated with investors such as Warren Buffett: own something that grows without requiring constant management, and the value can compound over time.
Speaker 2 - Host: If the money grew at 12 percent, the account might exceed $100,000. Warren Buffett and his late friend Charlie Munger produced remarkable long-term growth in book value; I recall an average of about 19 percent per year over roughly 50 years. The lesson is to put time on your side, contribute consistently, and allow compounding to work. You may eventually have grandchildren whose college expenses are covered.
Speaker 2 - Host: The money I set aside comes from the scrap-metal yard. I do not take it from the income generated by the regular junk-removal jobs for which clients pay us. Scrap metal is a side activity. I enjoy returning home with a couple hundred dollars in cash, setting aside a small portion for my grandchildren, and building a reserve that may be available if the family needs it.
Speaker 2 - Host: I want to discuss another concept connected with the scrap-metal yard: knowing where you are. Someone once said that you cannot make a meaningful improvement in your life until you first know your current position. Consider a person's weight as an example.
Speaker 2 - Host: About five weeks ago, I attended my 50-year high-school reunion and emceed the Friday-night dinner. It was a wonderful event. When I approached many of my old classmates, I immediately had to look at their name tags because I did not recognize them after 50 years.
Speaker 2 - Host: I saw my ninth-grade friend again after perhaps 45 years. He had gained a substantial amount of weight, but it was wonderful to see him. I did not recognize him at first and had to read his name tag. Then I realized, "Oh my gosh, there is my buddy." It was a joyful reunion.
Speaker 2 - Host: By contrast, people were walking toward me from 10 or 20 feet away and saying, "Hey, Alan," without looking at my name tag. The physical work in this business - lifting, carrying, walking, and hauling - has benefits. It keeps me active, may help keep me in shape, and perhaps keeps me looking somewhat younger.
Speaker 2 - Host: I have had clients who worked with me for months and eventually asked, "Alan, how old are you?" I would tell them to take their best guess and assure them they would not offend me. One woman guessed 53. When I told her I was 68, she gasped and said, "You are not 68." I told her that I was. Experiences like that are a pleasant benefit of staying active.
Speaker 2 - Host: After the reunion, I saw a photograph of myself standing beside my old friend. I looked relatively tall and slender, while he looked shorter and heavier. I came away from that photograph feeling good about myself.
Speaker 2 - Host: Then, a couple of weeks later at church, a young man spoke before moving to Chicago to become a professor of economics at the University of Chicago. He was a sharp, good-looking, married young man, approximately six feet tall and very thin. After he spoke, someone photographed the two of us together. Standing beside him, I looked as though I had gained 20 pounds.
Speaker 2 - Host: My first thought was that the camera must have distorted the picture. Then I looked at him in the photograph and realized that he looked exactly as he did in person. A month earlier, I thought I looked excellent in the reunion photo. In the new picture, I looked much heavier. That led to the next part of the story.
Speaker 2 - Host: At the back of the scrap-metal yard, there is a scale approximately four feet square. The workers use it to weigh copper, aluminum, stainless steel, and other higher-value metals that arrive in smaller quantities. I have seen people step onto that scale for years and immediately learn their weight, but I had never stepped onto it myself. I had not weighed myself in years. Because I stay busy and active, I had not worried much about it.
Speaker 2 - Host: After seeing the church photograph, I became curious. I had a range in mind for what I might weigh, and one day at the scrap yard I decided that I needed to know. I stepped onto the scale. The number was about 15 pounds below what I feared it might be and toward the lower end of the range I had imagined. It felt like an early Christmas present.
Speaker 2 - Host: The mystery disappeared. I was now dealing with reality and knew my actual weight. That happened about a week ago. Since then, I have lost six pounds. I stepped onto the scale again yesterday without fear because the unknown had been eliminated. I am now working with real numbers.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am not starving myself or doing anything extreme. I eat many salads during the day. At 7-Eleven, I often buy an acai-blueberry-pomegranate-type Vitaminwater instead of Diet Coke, root beer, or another soft drink. I also drink a great deal of water. Someone discarded a case of bottled water recently, and I kept it in the truck. I take out one bottle at a time, add ice, and have a convenient drink.
Speaker 2 - Host: I have stopped eating burgers regularly. I enjoy going to Wendy's for a Cobb salad and free ice water. I paid about $3 for a 2026 key tag associated with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The tag allows me to receive a free Junior Frosty when I make a purchase, so that becomes my small serving of ice cream for the day.
Speaker 2 - Host: For lunch, I may have a Cobb salad, free ice water, and a chocolate Junior Frosty. That carries me through to dinner. For dinner, I enjoy steamed rice made in a rice cooker with steamed vegetables, such as carrots or potatoes, and I drink water again.
Speaker 2 - Host: For breakfast, I may buy a small container of fresh watermelon at 7-Eleven. Because I belong to the 7Rewards program, I can purchase a large Big Gulp for about 59 cents instead of roughly $1.59. I use it for ice and whatever beverage I plan to drink. That is the basic diet that is working for me.
Speaker 2 - Host: My point is that fear of the unknown is often much larger than the reality. You may have less fear if you simply step onto the scale and learn what you weigh. You cannot improve your situation until you know your starting point. Once you know where you are, the path to where you want to be becomes a matter of planning and numbers.
Speaker 2 - Host: Numbers do not lie. Suppose the scale says you weigh 250 pounds and you want to reach 200 pounds. You can set a goal to lose 50 pounds over the next year. There are 52 weeks in a year, so the goal is approximately one pound per week.
Speaker 2 - Host: Monitor your progress and see whether you can reduce your weight by one pound each week. I have lost six pounds in one week without making a radical change to my diet. I am walking, lifting, staying active, working outdoors in hot weather, and getting exercise through my job. Those activities help me burn energy and lose weight.
Speaker 2 - Host: If you want to move from 250 pounds to 200 pounds and give yourself a year, your immediate goal is simply to lose one pound during the next week. If you do that consistently for approximately 50 weeks, you will be close to 200 pounds a year from now instead of 250. The concept is straightforward: small, consistent progress accumulates over time.
Speaker 2 - Host: I want to end with one of the latest joys in my life. Few things make me happier than completing a job in which someone pays us to remove equipment that we can later use in our own business to make more money. We are paid to acquire the equipment, and then we use it to provide another paid service.
Speaker 2 - Host: Snow blowers are one example. I have two or three nearly new snow blowers, including an electric model and a gas-powered model. I use them for snow-removal jobs during the winter, even though clients originally paid me to take them away. I love that arrangement.
Speaker 2 - Host: The same idea applies to vehicles. I have a 2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer SUV that I was paid to remove from a cleanup job about two years ago. We were cleaning out a rented home because the owner had decided to sell the property. The renter needed to remove all of her belongings, and her son had an SUV behind the house in Virginia that had been sitting there for four years.
Speaker 2 - Host: The renter asked whether I could take the SUV. I said yes, provided that she gave me a signed title. Because it had been sitting for four years, it needed a battery, air in the tires, and a tow from Virginia to Montgomery County. Including the work required to get it back, inspect it, and prepare it for use, I spent approximately $1,200.
Speaker 2 - Host: The inspection produced a surprisingly short list. It needed a battery, brake work because the brakes had rusted while it sat unused, an oil change, and windshield wipers. The brake work cost about $800, and I believe the total cost required to get it running was approximately $1,100 to $1,200.
Speaker 2 - Host: I then used the SUV for small hauling jobs. I can fit nearly as much in the back of the SUV as I can in a pickup truck. Over the following year, I believe the vehicle helped me earn $3,000 or $4,000 as a secondary hauling vehicle. It paid for itself, including the repairs and related expenses.
Speaker 2 - Host: Later, the transmission failed. The TrailBlazer has approximately 169,000 miles, and the transmission went out about a year ago. I debated whether to repair it, but I decided to spend about $4,700 at AAMCO for a rebuilt or refurbished transmission.
Speaker 2 - Host: I picked up the vehicle a couple of days ago after the repair. It had remained at the shop for about six months, and the people there did not charge storage fees. I eventually took money from a stock portfolio and paid the bill. Now I can drive the SUV to church, use it for errands, and put it back to work making money.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am delighted to have the vehicle back. I plan to use it to earn back the $4,700 repair cost. It now has a replacement transmission, runs beautifully, has no monthly car payment, and can generate income.
Speaker 2 - Host: Someone also discarded a small cargo carrier that attaches to the vehicle's trailer-hitch receiver. The platform is large enough to carry a grill, lawn mower, snow blower, cabinet, or similar item. On hauling jobs, I can place smaller items inside the SUV and secure a larger item on the rear carrier.
Speaker 2 - Host: I can take those small loads to the local county disposal facility. Because it is a small load in an unmarked, noncommercial vehicle, I can take it to the local county facility and dispose of it without a charge. That makes the TrailBlazer even more useful for certain jobs.
Speaker 2 - Host: It is wonderful to have my 169,000-mile 2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer back after it sat in the AAMCO parking lot for six months or longer, including the period before and during the repair. The people at the shop treated me well, and the vehicle now runs like a charm. I also no longer need to drive a rented 16-foot truck to church every week, as I had been doing for eight or nine months.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am having fun getting my vehicles repaired and returning them to service so they can produce extra income for the business. That is my life in a nutshell. I am headed to the scrap-metal yard to collect more cash, buy gasoline using the Upside app, and continue into the wild blue yonder.
Speaker 2 - Host: Those are my thoughts about what is happening and how to get the junk out of your life. Join us next Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time for more stories from the world of junk removal on what I describe as the world's longest-running junk-removal radio show.
Speaker 2 - Host: I am your host, Alan J. Cook. Thanks again to our producer, Don, and everyone at the BBS Radio network. We will see you next Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. If everything works out, I may be back in my little oasis at Standish Place in Rockville, Maryland, surrounded by trees and shade, with my car as the only vehicle in the parking lot. Have a great life, everybody. I will talk to you soon. See you next week at 3:00 p.m. Eastern on the Junk Refund Show.
Speaker 1 - Announcer: Thank you for listening to the Junk Refund Show, the longest-running junk-removal radio show on the air. Join us next week as we discuss innovative ways to declutter your home, your business, and your life using 20 years of junk-removal experience.
Speaker 1 - Announcer: Find out why we give free ice-cream gift cards to our clients. In upcoming shows, we will explore how to get the junk out of your relationships, your spiritual life, your waistline, and even your travel life. You can also call with questions and situations for which you would like help.
Speaker 1 - Announcer: At 1-800-JUNK-REFUND, we are committed to delivering the next generation of junk removal, because not all junk is junk. See you next week on the Junk Refund Show, every Thursday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, right here on BBS Radio TV.
