Junk Refund Show

Send us Fan MailLessons from the Field, Trust and CommunityIn this episode, Alan J. Cook, founder of 1-800-JUNK REFUND, discusses the expansion of his "next generation" junk removal business, which focuses on returning value to customers. He shares remarkable stories from the field—including a "fake bed" discovery and a high-stakes fall—while reflecting on the importance of trust, community service, and his upcoming 68th birthday promotion.Business Expansion and Strategic LogisticsThe 1-800-JUNK REFUND network has grown to 63 affiliates nationwide, with the most recent addition being "All Out Junk Removal" in West Palm Beach, Florida. Alan highlights a unique operational model that keeps costs low: by utilizing the Frontier "Go Wild Pass" for $30 flights and leveraging Wyndham Diamond status for free hotel stays, the team can handle large-scale cleanouts across the country without charging customers for travel expenses. They typically rent Enterprise trucks locally to execute these jobs efficiently.Field Discoveries and Safety LessonsA recent job for realtor Karen Rawlings revealed the creative lengths of home stagers: a "full-sized bed" was discovered to be nothing more than a dozen Home Depot boxes covered in quilts. While the job was a success, it led to a dangerous incident where Alan fell 4-5 feet off the back of a stake body truck after grabbing a loose gate panel. Despite a scraped elbow and a strained ankle, he used the experience to emphasize the importance of using hydraulic lifts and ensuring equipment is properly secured.The Resale Success: The Persian Rug StoryOne of the show's core philosophies is that "not all junk is junk." Alan recounts selling an 11x14 handwoven Persian rug for an 80-year-old couple moving to San Diego. Originally priced at over 3,200, the rug was sold on Facebook Marketplace for 500 to a buyer named Lane in West Virginia. The transaction was a "triple win": the original owners received a 35% cut ($175), the buyer secured a beautiful birthday gift for his wife, and the item was saved from a landfill.Trust and Community ServiceAlan reflects on the friction of modern transactions, noting a decline in inherent trust during a furniture delivery to a skeptical buyer. He contrasts this with his personal commitment to community service, such as delivering large quantities of food to church members in need. He concludes that focusing on gratitude and helping others is the ultimate way to "get the junk out of your life."This episode serves as a testament to the "Junk Refund" philosophy: business is not just about moving objects, but about managing relationships, maintaining integrity, and finding value where others see waste. Despite physical setbacks and the complexities of the second-hand market, Alan J. Cook remains focused on growth and community impact as he approaches his 68th year.

Send us Fan MailJoin me in this episode as I interview my good friend Mike Parent of Weichert Realtors. Among other things, you’ll learn the following:How Mike turned a 50-year hospitality career into a successful real estate career.How he takes a client’s wish list and then finds the perfect home for them.How he found some coins in a client’s house and converted them into a cash bonus of $16,000 for his client!Why Mike uses 1-800-Junk-Refund to clean out his properties!Three things anyone can do to get their house fixed up and ready to sell!Success stories about clients he’s recently helped, even from across the country!Thank you Mike for being my guest on today’s show! 

Send us Fan MailJoin me this week as I discuss 1) A special birthday (Abe Lincoln’s), 2) A special girl in Brazil (Karina) and 3) A special Beechcraft Queen Air airplane we’re dismantling in Virginia!Other show highlights include taking responsibility for your finances, the incredible ROI on Craigslist ads, and nearing $1,000 cash back in my Upside account!And of course my thanks to Matt Damon for his ongoing support, my apologies to Jimmy Kimmel for not having time to get him on the show, and shoutouts to Wendy’s and Rockville Metals!Enjoy this fun episode! 

Send us Fan MailJoin me in this special episode of the Junk Refund Show as I pay tribute to President Abraham Lincoln on his 217th birthday! I included five things I would do if I was made President of the United States tomorrow: I would apologize to the city of Portland.I would call the mayor of Minneapolis and encourage him not to use the F bomb in his press conferences.I would encourage our citizens to make time for God.I would encourage our citizens to find someone to forgive and then do it!I would encourage people to find someone else you could provide an act of service for.I also publicly honored Donny Osmond for his brilliant use of AI in his show at Harrah’s in Las Vegas. I discuss how a discarded hospital chair became a brilliant four-wheel dolly for us as we cleaned out a condo in Leisure World. And…I take on a Beechcraft Queen Air aircraft as I dismantle it for scrap metal. Enjoy this fun episode as we celebrate President’s Day and Abraham Lincoln’s 217th birthday! 

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I take a quick early morning trip to Atlanta to help out a friend and recount a number of jobs we’ve done recently. They include:Removing 6 tons of scrap metal from Herndon, Va.Doing an estimate in Leisure World for a hoarder.Following a pickup truck of sodas driven by a hoarder.Establishing a monthly contract with our first apartment complex in Alexandria, Va. How to fly from Washington DC to Atlanta for only $15!

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I travel to Tampa, Florida to clean out a large warehouse owned by an older gentleman and his wife. They had rented it out to a man from Connecticut who stopped paying his rent about 18 months ago. Now they want to get the leftover items out of there so they can re-rent the building.Learn how to save money on a rental truck at the airport. Learn how we did a landscaping job that was successful! Learn how to be persistent to find what you need. Learn where the best coastal beach in the United States is! And learn how to relax on that beach to help get the Junk out of your life!A great opportunity to help this wonderful older couple!

Send us Fan MailJoin me this week as I broadcast from the lobby of the Hotel Ambassador in Bern, Switzerland! Hear about my trip to France and Switzerland with a new and good friend of mine who had never been to Switzerland!One of the best ways to get some of the junk out of your life is to travel. I was in Bern, Switzerland in 1979. What a joy to return some 46 years later!Shout outs include the Norse Airlines 787 jet, Cane’s restaurant in Times Square, and the Eurailpass! The trains in Europe are fascinating!I left Washington DC Tuesday afternoon at 4 PM, went to Times Square, Paris, Bern and Geneva, Switzerland, then back to Paris and back to Newark New Jersey plus a final Amtrak train back to Washington. I was back in Washington at 12 o’clock on Saturday and was back to work at 2 PM! It’s amazing what you can do with travel in the world today!Enjoy this adventure hopefully as much as I did!

Send us Fan MailEvery once in a while, something great just happens to you. You can’t plan for it; it just drops in your path. That’s what happened to me on August 23, 2025.I passed a young lady walking away from her car which had stopped on the side of the freeway. We did a U-turn, went back and met her, to make sure she was OK. She had a flat tire, so I helped her out and fixed it. That led to two of the funnest weeks of my life!Enjoy this wonderful episode as I share with you some of the joys that have come into my life recently. It’s all the result of a small act of service.One of the best ways to get some of the “junk” out of your life is to focus on someone else. You’ll be blessed if you do!

Send us Fan MailEnjoy this episode, which was recorded as I was driving the truck and my buddy Warren was doing all the work!Learn about Steve’s successful story where we sold his vintage living room set for $700 and he received $250 as a refund!Learn how to put time on your side by saving five dollars a day for your granddaughter! It adds up quick!Learn how to separate different parts of heating and air conditioning units so you get the most amount of money from the local metal scrapyard. It’s worth the effort! My thanks to my buddy Warren, who kept us going while I recorded the show as we did our junk removal thing in Montgomery County, Maryland!

Send us Fan MailJoin me this week as I broadcast from the Costco parking lot across from the I-66 transfer station in Fairfax, Virginia!Learn how to avoid craigslist scams as some people try to do with us in Greensboro North Carolina recently. Here are the things to look for that are clues that you’re working with a scammer:They come after higher-priced items.They tell you they want to purchase your item without looking at it first. They are “traveling” or are “out of the country on business” which is why they can’t come look at your item. They want to pay you with a cashiers check or money order. After you cash it, they will have a moving company come and get the item. They explain they are buying the item for a family member as a gift.If any of these items surface, you are probably being scammed!! BEWARE!!This week, we also talk about items that we’ve recently sold, including 800 Sports Illustrated magazines and four mannequins from a boutique shop! We also briefly discussed cats, the No Kings movement, and how a young lady recently made herself comfortable in a setting that most people would find uncomfortable! She has self-esteem! 

Send us Fan MailOriginally recorded Thursday, May 8, 2025, from Rome, Italy!Join me this week on the Junk Refund show as I recorded it live from the airport in Rome, Italy! Here’s what you can learn from today’s episode:Why you should make your birthday special.How you can fly to Europe and back in 72 hours cheaply.Why the Rome Italy Temple by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is so spectacular.How you can meet your elementary school friend halfway across the world when you haven’t seen him in 60 years!Why being a patron, sometimes get you free room and board!Why traveling on train and bus is so much better and cheaper than Uber!Some of the top things you should see and do in Rome Italy.

Send us Fan MailOriginally recorded Thursday, May 1, 2025Join me today on the Junk Refund Show as I talk about a number of different issues, including how to make money on a garage sale on steroids!We once sold 320 Life Magazines from the 1930s and 40s for $1500 to a guy in Pennsylvania. Here the complete story on this episode! Half of that money went back to the homeowner who originally told us he didn’t need help on the garage sale!Plus, why you should make your birthday a big deal! I’m going to roam this year, and I can’t wait!

Send us Fan MailRecorded Thursday, April 24, 2025Join me this week on the Junk Refund Show as we talk about a hoarding situation in Reston, Virginia. Check out the photo of the show to make you feel better about your own garage!Sometimes people buy more tools than they need. In this case, it was a contractor from Guatemala, who went overboard, purchasing all kinds of equipment.Learn some tips on how to make money off of jewelry and silverware! A local jeweler could be your best friend!Plus, a special story at the end to celebrate Easter. Thank you Bishop Chase Kimball for sharing this with us in church on Sunday!

Send us Fan MailJoin me for this weeks episode which came out live from Brooklyn New York! I’m here for my second trip to help an Orthodox Jewish family declutter their apartment before moving later this month.The driveways are narrow in Brooklyn. I was lucky to find a parking place! We hauled away a number of vintage clocks which we’re putting up for sale.I was thrilled when the client moved the appointment from Wednesday to Thursday, because my BYU Cougars are playing in the NCAA March Madness regional tournament in Newark, New Jersey Thursday night!The drive to Brooklyn is about four hours from Rockville, Maryland. I took my pick up truck this time, the last time I took a box truck. I also went by myself this time. Last time I had one of our guys with me. I ended up loading the pick up truck with a bunch of boxes of books and a few bookshelves. It fit perfectly! Then I drove over to Newark, bought some pizza, and went to the Prudential Center for March Madness!

Send us Fan MailJoin me for this milestone episode of the Junk Refund Show as we broadcast live from Calgary Canada, our first international show! Special thanks to United Airlines, Air Canada, and Enterprise rental car for making this all possible!I came to Canada for two days to continue my spiritual quest of visiting temples, owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have visited all of them in the United States, so I’m now north of the border, visiting more! Building up your spiritual reserve is one way to get some of the “junk“ out of your life.I also talk about some pointers from recent Junk Removal jobs, including,If you smoke in your home, your furniture and other items are going to be harder to sell and donate.If you have cats or other pets, the same thing may happen as in number one above.If you need to sell your home, letting go of the things you’ve had for so long is a key element in the process.Using our company, you may end up getting some money back as we try to sell some of your good items!There always seems to be a reason to stay home when it’s time to go on an adventure that you had been planning on, like this one. I encourage you to push through the doubts, and go on the adventure!One of my concerns was the time away from work that I would experience. However, I made $1000 while I was gone from the office! Plus I got to have the adventure! That’s better than staying home to work.As I often say on these broadcasts, there’s never been a better time in the history of the world to be alive than right now. This adventure that I went on, is proof of that. Enjoy our first international broadcast!

Send us Fan MailSometimes bad things happen to good people. You might say some real “junk” suddenly shows up in someone’s life and unfortunately they have to deal with it. That is simply a part of life. How people deal with it separates the sheep from the goats. You’re about to meet a family of really good  sheep… 🐑Brooke Freeze was a 29-year-old woman who gave birth to her first child on Valentine’s Day of this year, then died five days later from health complications. Her husband, Matthew Freeze, is the son of my best friend from college, John Freeze. This show is dedicated to Brooke, Matt, and the entire Freeze family. I attended the funeral last Friday. It was held in Provo Utah. I flew out Thursday night from Washington DC and flew back early Saturday morning. Some things in life are really important. Attending this funeral and showing support for my good friends was one of those really important things for me.Faith in God and a strong religious background plus a united and strong family help get people through these kind of tough times. John Freeze and his family are a great example of those kind of qualities.Learn from these good people by listening to this episode, and then practice what they do. It will help get you through some very tough times as well!

Send us Fan MailJoin me today on the Junk Refund Show as I discuss the recent air tragedy at Reagan National Airport in Washington DC. I also discuss how you never use a tragedy like that as a chance to compare your administration with other administrations!Follow me as I go cross country and do a job in San Francisco California helping a lady get ready to move. Learn how you get a heavyset woman back on her feet when you’re talking about lifting around 300 pounds!Then join me as I impromptu decide to pick up some scrap metal left outside of a ladies door and see how it turns into a full truckload right on the spot! We’re big on recycling and we love to do that with scrap metal.And thanks, as always to Frontier Airlines for allowing me to cross the country for only a few bucks each time!

Send us Fan MailJayden Daniels is the starting quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League. Sports commentators are constantly discussing why he is so calm all the time. Jayden says it’s because of God; the commentators tend to dismiss it. This episode of the Junk Refund Show examines this phenomenon and tries to give credit to where it is due—to God.We also discuss my new used SUV and other fun things that we got from our junk removal business.Enjoy this show, recorded live from the KFC parking lot!

Send us Fan MailRachel Arbuckle, of San Diego, California, is a pro at helping people preserve their audio and visual lifetime memories so they can be easily accessed and never lost. Her company, 2000 Paces Photo Organizing, assists clients in gathering those audio tapes, videos, cassette tapes, still photos and the like and puts them digitally into one place that is easily accessible forever. Join me on this week’s show as I talk with Rachel about her services with one of her clients, Cynthia Steele Vance, the classiest lady in Washington DC!As Rachel says,“In 2014, a series of fierce fires roared through San Diego County, the largest of which started on the mountain just behind my home. My instinct was to gather all of our photos, but I panicked when I realized my precious memories were all over our home in boxes, picture frames, and albums. This experience not only solidified my commitment to protect my family’s collection of photos but prompted me to found 2000 Paces Photo Organizing, encouraging you to organize and protect your important memories.”Enjoy this fascinating episode!

Send us Fan MailI met Cynthia Steele Vance about 15 years ago and immediately dubbed her “the classiest lady in Washington.” Now, 15 years later, nothing has changed!She once paid us $375 to haul away some furniture from her very nice home. Included in that haul were.some top-of-the-line stereo speakers. We sold the speakers on eBay for $7000 and a month after doing the job went back to Cynthia’s home and gave her $3200 cash. It’s one of the best junk removal stories in the country! Her amazing bio below tells you more about her incredible life. Enjoy this fun filled discussion with her and you too will quickly realize she IS “…the classiest lady in Washington.” Thank you, Cynthia! Cynthia Steele Vance, an award-winning broadcast journalist, is a familiar face in Washington DC; known for her work as a local news anchor on WTTG’s Fox News, appearances at countless charity events over the years as a Mistress of Ceremonies and serving on a number of boards. Among them, DC Dance theater, Wolf Trap Associates Board, WETA Public Television, Knock Out Abuse and as a Trustee at George Washington University for 12 years. From 2011 to 2013, she served at GWU’s Ambassador to several conferences of the Bilateral Women’s Conference in Bern, Switzerland.Her roots are deep in Virginia where she raised her children and Washington, DC where she attended Mount Vernon Women’s College, now part of George Washington University. She currently lives in Georgetown, where she has embraced city life. She is an avid runner making almost daily runs to the Lincoln Memorial.Cynthia pioneered the use of video to sell luxury real estate in Washington, DC, VA and MD featuring some of the most iconic homes in the region. She helped to launch TTR Sotheby’s Luxury Channel, a web based and mobile program opening the door to some of the region’s most luxurious properties.Cynthia is now focused on selling real estate in the Washington, DC and Virginia. She was part of the team that brokered two the highest grossing sales in Virginia in 2020 and 2023. The first, an estate on Crest Lane, in McLean for $24 million dollars. The second estate formerly owned by Senator Charles and Lynda Robb located on Chain Bridge Road, the Gold Coast of McLean, sold for $23 million.Collaborating with world renowned interior designer, Thomas Pheasant, Cynthia has successfully renovated and designed two of her own homes. Both appearing in Architectural Digest and other national publications. As a client of Sotheby’s, Cynthia is keenly aware of the importance of leveraging the world’s most recognizable luxury brand to sell one’s home.https://www.instagram.com/csvrealestate/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4448872/https://www.facebook.com/cynthiasteelevancettrsir/

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I interview this week my friend, Leslie Sandler of Leslie Sandler jewelry. We often come across jewelry in cleaning out homes and we turn it into cash by delivering it to people like Leslie.Recently, we took a pile of jewelry to a local jewelry store and got $300 for some of the gold items we delivered. They told us the rest was costume jewelry, and they were not interested.We took the rest to Leslie Sandler, and after going through every item we delivered, she gave us an offer of $890! We made three times on the leftovers what a reputable jeweler first offered us for the good stuff. Thank you, Leslie!Listen to this episode to learn what’s hot and what’s not in the jewelry world. Learn how you can take your ancestors jewelry and simplify your life plus get some cash in the meantime! And learn how Lesley deals with customers all over the country and finding them the best value for their jewelry collections.Thank you Lesley for being a guest on this week’s show! 

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I broadcast today’s Thanksgiving show live from our church Thanksgiving dinner held in Washington DC!Join me as I broadcast today’s Thanksgiving show live from our church Thanksgiving dinner held in Washington DC! Numerous friends of mine came in and told me something they were thankful for. They include…1. My buddy Andre, who rides his bike 45 minutes one way to come to church each week.2. Peter and Toby Christensen, president and matron of the Washington DC Temple, where they oversee the efforts of 1300 volunteers.3.  Eight young full-time missionaries who spent 60 hours a week helping other people find joy.4. Am Anita, from Sierre Leone, who regularly provides food for our church members, and can balance a watermelon on her head while dancing!5. Eric, who as the result of a tire explosion on a commercial airliner near where he was working, lost one arm and both legs and yet still says people should be “thankful for life.”6. And our great producer, Don, who joined us right at the end, and shared some of his Thanksgiving thoughts as well! 7. We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I broadcast this week’s show from Clifton, New Jersey! I’m here to clean out the upstairs portion of a home for a gentleman whose mother has passed away. Highlights of this week’s show include: 1. A shout out to New York City radio station 102.7, PNEW FM, for picking up our show and broadcasting it locally!2. A shout out to Shady Grove Shell in Gaithersburg, Maryland for repairing my pick up truck in time for me to come to New Jersey!3. Shout out to Leslie Sandler jewelry in Gaithersburg, Maryland for paying us $890 the other day for a load of jewelry that other jewelers had passed on!4. Put time on your side when you’re decluttering your home. After all, you didn’t bring all the extra clutter in all at one time.5. “Phrench Toast with the Phantom”, my monthly family event out in Utah, that I recently coordinated. My nephew had the lead in Phantom of the Opera, and I watched him and his brother perform last weekend. Praises to Spanish Fork High School for this fabulous production! Take time to be with family. It’s a wonderful thing! 6. And thank you to Frontier Airlines for flying me round-trip from Washington DC to Salt Lake City, Utah for only $49!

Send us Fan MailJoin your host, Alan Cook, as he broadcasts today’s show from Rockville Maryland. Highlights include:1. How to adapt to the unexpected, such as using an SUV instead of a pickup truck to haul junk!2. A shout out to radio station PNEW, 102.7, in New York City! We are proud to have the Junk Refund Show now carried on your network! 3. Learn how some place-kickers like Will Farren of B.Y.U. can have a smile on their face during pressure packed moments and still come through in the clutch.4. Learn how a serrated knife can act as well as a pair of wire cutters when they need to.5. Understand that one way to get the junk out of your life is to go to an NFL game at night like I did last week!6. Finally, discover how to be one of the 10 happiest people in the world, like I claim to be! “New York, New York!” 🍎

Send us Fan MailJoin me on this week’s show as I discuss the importance of hobbies, our Junk Refund Declutter Calendar, and an upcoming job in North Carolina. We also discussed our new Baltimore Groupon campaign, the presidential election, and the stock market’s reaction to that election!Shout outs also include Wendy’s $1 sodas, Taco Bell’s $7 Luxe box, and the need to reward yourself rather than waiting for others to do it. We are also excited to announce our participation in the Adopt-a-Highway program in Washington DC where about half a million cars a day will be exposed to our business! I also discuss the danger of using the word “might” when you’re working on decluttering your home. Shout out to Touchless car wash and their unlimited monthly car wash program plus some praises to Frontier airlines for allowing me to recently fly around the country for only $90!Enjoy this show broadcast from the freeway in Washington DC!

Send us Fan MailJoin me for this week’s Junk Refund Show as I broadcast live from Conroe, Texas! Highlights include:1. A shout-out to Payless. car rental at Houston Hobby Airport. 2. An explanation of how I started this trip by flying from Baltimore to Chicago ($15), then to Salt Lake City ($25), then to Houston ($25), and finally back to Washington DC ($25). 3. An introduction to Conroe realtor Leslie Castillo. 4. Shout-outs to Texas Port Recycling (scrap metal) and Green For Life (landfill).5. How to load a pickup truck 11 times and empty it 10 times in one day BY YOURSELF!6. Thank you to Wyndham Resorts for four free nights at Days Inn Shenandoah!7. Finally, recognition paid to World Series MVP Freddie Freeman for putting attention on the TEAM’S trophy, instead of his MVP trophy. Well done, Freddie! ⚾️

Send us Fan MailHoward Hays is a regular guy. But 20 years ago, a celebrity invited him to go to dinner one night. Howard was an introvert and turned him down politely. The celebrity then said, “it’s only for pizza.“ So Howard went along.That dinner changed Howard‘s life. For the next 20 years he has gone around the world attending Dr. Who conventions, particularly, and taking celebrities out to dinner afterwards. He has personally met most of the 15 doctors in the Dr. Who series. He probably knows as much about it as anybody on the planet.Join us on this week’s episode of the Junk Refund Show to learn how to make your senior years an absolute adventure like Howard is doing! What a joy to interview him. Thank you, Howard!

Send us Fan MailWhen is the last time you verbally said to yourself, “I Did It!” Has it been a while? When was the last time you felt that feeling that you overcame something you weren’t sure you could overcome?It’s one of the greatest feelings of accomplishment in the world! Join me in this episode, as I talk about some recent experiences involving jobs in New Jersey, and other places that brought me a lot of joy.“I did it!” is one of the greatest things you can say to yourself, especially repeatedly! Listen to this episode, as we apply that concept to the Junk Removal business and also to getting the junk out of your life…!

Send us Fan MailJoin me in this episode as I interview Miss Utah 2018, Jesse Craig Bailey. I invited her to be on the show because she exemplifies true grit, and comes out on top! Learn how coming in first runner-up can be viewed as a turning point instead of a disappointment. Learn how turning outwards and focusing on helping others actually helps you in your own life.Learn some helpful hints on how to make it through law school!Most importantly, learn how to use true grit in life to become successful and accomplished. Congratulations to Jessie Craig Bailey! Her story isn’t finished by any means! 

Send us Fan MailEnjoy this episode of cleaning out a storage unit in New London, Wisconsin. On that adventure, I learned how to repair scratches on a rental truck, go back and find a couch that fell out of my truck on a busy highway, and stumble upon a six car vintage collection that is for sale! The highlight of the trip was finding a 1950 Packard that is styled for Green Bay Packers fans.This episode could also be titled An Attitude of Gratitude. This is such a great time to live in the history of the world!

Send us Fan MailJoin me in this episode as I help a lady who is retiring and moving to Jerusalem, declutter her home. I admire her faith and determination during a time of heated turmoil in the Middle East. The issues of decluttering a home and moving items overseas are discussed.Also, I came up with an idea to spontaneously give someone my time and send her the money that came into my business during a two hour period one afternoon. It amounted to $1018! Best thing I could’ve done! I highly recommend it to others.

Send us Fan MailOn July 4, 2024, I went down to the national mall in Washington DC and randomly walked up to people and asked them for their thoughts about the Fourth of July. What a great experience!I interviewed people from Fort Wayne Indiana to Peru to Jordan. Enjoy their comments about the Fourth of July and learn what I did in the process: this world is a fascinating place full of people from all over the planet! And God bless America! 🇺🇸👍🙏

Send us Fan MailI’ve known her for over 20 years. I’ve seen dozens of photos of her on Facebook and elsewhere. She’s always smiling!Join me as I interview my friend, Sarah Barton, to find out what makes her so happy! In her own words, here is her story:“Sarah is a happy wife, mom of 3, fitness instructor, camp counselor, first grade teacher, health enthusiast, and lover of life! She is currently writing a book on happiness planning to be released by summer of 2025!”Catch the fever of her happiness by listening to her respond to a series of questions and I promise you’ll feel a natural joy coming out of her soul. Let her guide you in to be happier. It works!Thank you, Sarah, for being a guest on my show! I have officially made you one of the happiest people in the world, right up there with me and Oprah!Congratulations!

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I interview my good friend, Don Newsome, producer, and cofounder of BBS Radio on our one year anniversary special! Listen in as we reminisce over 10 of our favorite episodes from the prior year.My thanks to Don and his brother Doug for doing such a great job in producing our show and letting us use their network to get our message out to 49 different countries!

Send us Fan MailThe Junk Refund Show with Alan CookJoin me on this week show as I interview pro golfer, former collegiate golf coach, golf instructor, and enthusiastic grandma, Sue Billek Nyhus! Our focus this week is to help people get the junk out of their golf game.Hear about her adventures, playing on the European pro tour, coaching a division one collegiate golf team to the NCAA finals, and get insights onto why Scotty Scheffler is playing such great golf.Thank you Sue! ⛳️

Send us Fan MailGuest, Love Moore, five-year-old owner of Loves Lemonade in Atlanta Georgia.Join me on this episode as I interview five-year-old lemonade stand phenomenon Love Moore out of Atlanta. She is the founder of Loves Lemonade, and I am one of her proud customers!Follow her on Instagram @Loves_lemonadestand. 1. Find out why her parents made her wait until she was five to start her stand when she asked permission to get it started at age 4. 2. Find out why her parents focus her on this business instead of having her spend time on the phone or on a tablet. 3. Find out about the different flavors that she offers and what her favorite flavor is! 4. Most importantly, learn the secret of great customer service by saying “thank you for your support“ as Love does to all of her customers. What a delightful young lady and a wonderful young entrepreneur!

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I broadcast the show live while cleaning out a garage in Washington DC! Join us as we decide what gets junked, what gets donated, what gets recycled, and what gets sold!Understand through this episode, the amazing world we live in that allows you to record a live radio show while you’re on the job loading a truck! Come with us to get inside the world of junk removal  llve from the nations capital!

Send us Fan MailJoin your host, Alan J. Cook, as he broadcasts this episode live from the Chicago Executive Airport in Chicago Illinois. Hear about his adventure walking the perimeter of the airport last night in order to get in his 10,000 steps for the day. Learn how he uses the free app, MyFitnessPal, to keep track of exercise and nutrition. Learn about the 2 1/2 day job he just completed in Chicago for an elderly couple who requested his services again after initially helping them out three weeks ago. 

Send us Fan MailJoin us as we go mobile with this week’s show! We’re cleaning out a home in Northern Virginia and they want us to haul away an SUV too. Yes, we can do that!This job entailed filling up multiple box trucks of stuff, towing an SUV back to Montgomery County, Maryland, and taking on a small army of bumblebees and wasps inside of a small shed. We got out without any stings!Shout out to the Montgomery County transfer station, to Paypal, to Enterprise rental truck, and to life in general!You wouldn’t think you could have so much fun hauling away junk, but I’m here to tell you that it’s a blast! Come along on the adventure!

Send us Fan MailI ❤️ his FB posts. That’s because they’re always packed with so much adventuresome energy! I’m delighted to have my high school buddy Lindsay Parker on my radio show today at 3 PM EST. Join us live on bbsradio.com as Lindsay discusses his adventures of fishing from Alaska to Provo, Utah to Argentina, in search of catching specific fish! Learn also about his new fly fishing club, which he just got started this week!This is one guy who doesn’t seem to have any “junk” in his life because he’s too busy catching fish all over the world! Love it! 

Send us Fan MailJoin my good friend, Robert Parsons, as he discusses his amazing adventures birdwatching around the world. Learn how he has seen 4902 species of birds out of the nearly 11,000 species that are found in the world!Discover how age 50 is the perfect time to set some new goals for your life like he did! Take advantage of the wonderful opportunities this life has to offer like he does.Learn how to get starting as a birdwatcher, including a couple of useful websites for beginners. Catch the excitement of this energetic man, and use it to transform your own life!Thank you to my good buddy Robert Parsons, for taking the time to be my guest on the show. He and his family have loved me and my family for over 30 years! What a fabulous guy!If you live life the way he does, you won’t have time to have any “junk” in your life because you’ll be so busy enjoying this wonderful world and all of its opportunities!

Send us Fan MailJoin your host, Alan Cook, as he discusses his recent adventure, doing a hauling job in Los Angeles, California! Flying across the country for only $50, renting a truck, and cleaning out a two bedroom condo over a two day period.From discovering the La Puenta, immaculate landfill to dropping off numerous items at a Goodwill store only 4/10 of a mile away, this job was sweet from the beginning! And I did it by myself!I then drove two hours south to spend a fascinating weekend with my nephew who drives nuclear powered submarines for the United States Navy. Learn about my tour on board, the USS, Alexandria, a nuclear submarine currently stationed in port in San Diego. We also caught a San Diego Padres baseball game and watched, George Clooney‘s new movie, boys in the boat! I even had time to work in a date with a lady from Oceanside California. On my way back up to Los Angeles to the airport.There’s never been a better time in the history of the world to be alive than right now! The opportunities are simply incredible! Take advantage of those opportunities to get the junk out of your life!

Send us Fan MailJoin me today as I discuss a new book with its author, Keyla Sanders, and her book Mojada. Learn about her fascinating and daring journey to seek freedom in the United States by leaving Honduras at the age of 15 with her 14-year-old sister. Learn how she depended upon God to keep her strong during the journey and how others helped her along the way.

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I discuss a recent trip to Puerto Rico to hike in the rainforest of El Yunque.  Learn how cliff jumping into water pools and sliding down natural rock water slides helps you get the junk out of your life! Listen as Nate and Miguel discuss the history of the El Yunque rainforest and many of the experiences they’ve had doing daily hikes to this spectacular waterfall area. It was a great experience and one that I highly recommend! 

Send us Fan MailMy guest today on the Junk Refund Show is Luis Bayana Torres, manager of Les Schwab Tire Center (South) in Moses Lake, Washington. Luis is on the show because I want to sing the praises of one of his employees, Renae, who gave me some exceptional customer service about a month ago when I was in Moses Lake. Her service was so good, I have created the "Renae Award" to give out to other people around the country who also exhibit exceptional customer service. Each winner will receive a plaque with a photo of Renae working on my car when I was in Moses Lake. The Award winners will also receive $100 in cash. Renae is our first recipient!I also talk about my recent 36-hour adventure to Puerto Rico, where I jumped off waterfalls and attended the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.I finish the show with a salute to Tina, a young lady I came across on one of the dating websites recently. After a six-week effort, I finally connected with her via cell phone and ended up sending her some flowers for Valentine's Day. Her comment, "Thanks for continuing to look for me." is one of the finest statements I've ever received in the 10 years I've been in the online dating world. Her beautiful photos and her classy profile deserved a mention on the Show, especially around Valentine's Day. Thank you, Tina!

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I talk with my friend Mike Seay Jr. of Michael SeayHhomes about how to be successful in real estate in the Washington DC area. Mike has a steadiness and calmness about his demeanor that is fascinating to listen to.His father, Michael Seay, is one of my best friends  and one of the Washington area’s longtime successful realtors, spanning a career of managing successful real estate offices for 45 years. Learn tips on how to get the “junk” out of your real estate portfolio and how to maneuver through the ever-changing world of real estate finance by listening to Mike’s successful approach.My thanks to Mike and his father for this wonderful episode!

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I interview my good friend Melanie Williams of Keller Williams Realty as she talks about the issues facing seniors as they downsize. Choosing the right realtor is a big part of that process!Learn also about our Declutter Calendar 2024 and how it can help you declutter not only your home, but also your life!Shout outs this week went to my three sisters, the Orem Utah Temple, Fox  Rent-A-Car, Arctic Circle, drive-ins, my mom, my hot rental Dodge  Charger, and of course,, Matt Damon.

Send us Fan MailJoin me as I beef up the spiritual side of my life by flying across across the country to attend the Moses Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1. Round-trip airfare from Washington DC to Seattle, $73. 2. Rental car $16. 3. Hotel stay free. 4. A spiritual experience in the heart of the apple growing capital out of the world? Priceless.Shoutouts include Frontier airlines, Fox rental car, and the Wyndham hotel chain. Enjoy this spiritual, travel adventure!

Send us Fan MailJoin me in this episode, as I uncover the fun adventures of traveling. From driving up to Long Island to do a house clean out, to flying across the country round-trip for only $74, to going around the world in 88 days which I did when I was 21, use travel adventures to make life just that – – an adventure!Listen, also, as I tell stories of a grandfather, who drove down from New York City to North Potomac, Maryland, to buy a sailboat from one of our hauling jobs, so he could restore it with his grandson. Enjoy one of the greatest days of my life, horseback riding by myself across the rolling hills of New Zealand. I felt like I owned the world that day! It’s never been easier or more inexpensive to travel the world than it is now. So I suggest people should go do it! And if you do, you will get rid of some of the junk in your life, because you’ll be having such fun adventures!

Send us Fan MailQuestion: if you clean out a storage unit full of lawyers, documents, contained in 500 bankers boxes, and each box weighs 35 pounds, how much total weight do you move in three days if you first load the boxes onto storage unit carts, then unload them, and put them in the back of a pick up truck, then unload them again, and put them into hampers at the shredding company?  A. 26.25 TONSB. 26.25 TONSC. Somewhere between a lot and a whole bunch. D. All of the above. And by the way, what you’re looking for the entire time are three boxes of model trains that the lawyers father handmade in the 1930s. Do you think you could find them? We did! Enjoy this Bostonian adventure!