Back To Work!
Starting A New Online Business Venture
Work In Progress
I’m thankful my Grandma was willing to watch Ellie for a few hours today so I could get a ton of work done that has piled up over the last week. I’ve had 4 desktops that need repair accumulate since last Wednesday, and I got another laptop in this morning. Add that to my online work that is due tomorrow and the fact that my house has been looking like a tornado aftermath, and I knew I needed to send Ellie to a sitter for awhile so I could get caught up.
I’ve been able to get everything done that was backed up, and I got caught up enough to start on the blog maintenance that I normally do on Fridays. I have been earning a little extra money doing monthly maintenance, setup, and troubleshooting for bloggers, and that extra income has helped greatly.
The only thing I haven’t fixed is the laptop I received this morning. It’s my best friend’s laptop, and I work on it an average of once every 2-3 months. That’s because a. she doesn’t follow my advice to run her malware/virus scanners, b. she likes to mess with settings when she doesn’t know what she’s doing, and c. it’s an old pos laptop that is already on the verge of death. Unfortunately I don’t think a repair is worth it this time around. The motherboard is about to crap out, and to replace it just won’t be worth it. She’ll be better off upgrading to a new laptop that won’t have so many issues. Now I just have to figure out how to tell her because I know she’s not going to take the news lightly. I think I’m going to go ahead and backup all her files then I will probably print out a pricelist of compatible motherboards as well as a price list of some of the laptops I recommend. I think she may be surprised to see how cheaply she can get a new laptop, especially if she's willing to take advantage of a clearance laptops special. Knowing her she's probably all for buying a new one on clearance, but I hate breaking the news to her that her old one has finally bit the dust.
I’ve Got To Do Something
As gas prices rise it’s getting harder and harder for us to come up with the cash we need to pay for everything. I admit it’s been a struggle while Hubby has been unemployed for so long, and I’m thankful for his the little bit of unemployment he is receiving. My income combined with his unemployment has been just enough to keep the bills paid, but after sitting down with our budget last night I’m not a bit scared of the future.
With the excess amount we’re having to spend on gas has taken away a huge chunk of the little income we have. Hubby’s unemployment will be running out very soon. We’re lucky he was able to get an extension that has lasted this long. If he isn’t able to find a job (the way things have been going I’m not very hopeful) we’ll be left with the little bit of income I have…and it’s definitely no where near enough to pay the bills. What I make in one month usually covers the car payment, car insurance, and a few household items we need.
Every time I mention the rise in gas prices to someone I’m met with the argument that I should get car that gets better gas mileage. I can’t exactly do that if we can’t afford to buy another car. The other thing I hear is that we should cut down on how much we drive the car. We’ve tried to do that. Hubby is now taking the motorcycle as much as he can when he’s out job searching, but it’s not possible for us to use the bike for everything. Before we had the baby we only drove the car when we had to get groceries or it was raining and/or way too cold with our cold weather gear on. That’s not an option anymore, so now I have to figure out how to keep the bills paid and provide enough extra money to cover the rising cost of gas.
I’m going to start making jewelry again in the hopes that I can sell a few pieces for a bit of extra cash. It’s just so hard to find time to sit down and work on pieces with the little one running around. I’m thinking about hitting up the flea market on Wednesday to see if I can sell a few things we don’t need anymore, too. I’ve been going through my extra craft supplies today pulling out things I can get rid of. The last time I sold at the flea market craft supplies sold well, and why do I really need 4 different sets of scales anyway? I didn't even realize I had 4 sets stuck in my craft cabinet because I mainly use my kitchen scales when I need to weigh something.
I’m also making up some more business cards right now, and I’m going to sprinkle them around town at various places this week. I’m thankful that this small town contains many businesses who will allow you to leave a stack of business cards on their counter, and I’ve gained quite a few computer repair jobs from my business cards. I think it’s time to replenish the town with my cards!
Hopefully I’ll be able to pull in a little extra income off that because we’ve got to do something. Time is running out, and job searching hasn’t gone well for either of us. There just isn’t much out there in our area right now. Heck, even McDonalds is out of the question since it shut down and won’t be open again until the remodel is complete in May!
On The Job Hunt Train
We’re both doing the job hunt thing again today. I’m hunting online as usual while Hubby is off at a job interview. He normally doesn’t have interviews on Saturday, but this particular guy keeps rescheduling the interview. He runs his construction business on site during the week, and he’s been too busy to do a weekday interview. Considering the construction industry has so few jobs available right now Hubby was more than willing to do a Saturday interview. Heck I’m excited because he finally got another interview.
Like I said the construction industry is still hurting horribly around here, and he’s had a hard enough time searching for jobs much less getting an interview. Whenever I help him go through job listings online we've had a hard time finding anything in the skilled trade sections that aren't engineer jobs. With such a large number of construction works unemployed right now the few construction jobs that pop up are filled really quickly. There have been a few times a job was posted on the job board that morning, and it was already filled by the time we found it and Hubby called about it that afternoon.
Right now we’d both be happy for either of us to find a job that will keep the bills paid. We’re thankful for the small amount of income I do make, and as much as I hate having to spend our tax money to keep us afloat we’re really thankful for that, too. I had hoped to be able to put all of it into Ellie’s college fund, but that’s just not an option this year. She needs power, water, and food, and that comes first!
Making Money With Consignment Sales
We all know it's possible to make some extra cash through yard sales, but have you ever sold anything through a consignment shop or sale? That's exactly what I'll be doing. Each year there are quite a few different consignment sales in our area. A couple of the biggest ones are The Exchange Consignment Sale (coming up Aug 27-29), and the Upstate Kids Consignment Sale Event. This is the first time I'll be participating in either although I've shopped at both in the past. Last year I found a practically brand new diaper bag, and a still brand new never word pair of women's rain boots at The Exchange Consignment Sale.
Why choose consignment sales? I'm choosing consignment sales for three reasons. First of all you've got a larger group of shoppers viewing your items. Sure, you have to give up a percentage of your earnings (you usually keep between 65%-75% of your earnings), but you can find yourself making much more than you would at a yard sale because you have more buyers.
Secondly, it's a time thing for me. I just don't have the time right now to go through all the preparations for a yard sale. Then there's no guarantee that shoppers will actually show. With a consignment sale you can tag and sort your items as you find new things to sell. You don't have to worry about advertising, set up, or any of the other things that are involved in a yard sale. You also don't have to do the selling. You prepare your items, tag them, and drop them off. The consignment sale team and volunteers do all of the setup and selling, and when the sale is done you pick up your items or have them donated to charity for you.
The last reason comes from the experience of other sellers I know who have participated in these consignment sales many times in the past. Let's get back to the making more aspect. As I said you will usually make 65-75% profit on your items, and you can make more for volunteering in various ways. You may think "I would rather get 100% profits doing things myself", but other sellers have told me they can price their consignment sale items at a higher price. Let's face it. Yard sales mean one thing...CHEAP, and everyone knows it. Customers want to haggle until you sell them an item for next to nothing. At the consignment sales you can price your items at a fair price, and you're more likely to get that price. Customers know the items will be discounted, but they won't stand there haggling with you until you're blue in the face.
Another upside to consignment sales is that many of them target a specific group of people looking for specific items. The Upstate Kids Consignment sale is an example of this. The sell is for parents to buy and sell used baby and children's items, and that's it. You know your demographic, so it's easier to sell specific items that people may not be looking for at a yard sale.
Now that I've talked about the selling aspect let me remind you that these sales are also a great place to shop, especially when it comes to the children's sales. I wouldn't even be able to list all the wonderful things I've bought at the children's sales that I would have paid double for in the store. We all know babies especially don't use their stuff very long before outgrowing it or losing interest. Most of the items at these sales are practically brand new, worn only a few times, and packed away because there is no longer a need for them.
The quality of items found at these sales is also much better than what you might find at some yard sales. There are standards that must be met for each item before it can be sold. For example, you won't find baby clothes with stains or junk items. If it's not in a condition you would use then it's not something you can sell. You can check this link for an example of the type and quality of items accepted to the children's sale.
I honestly can't wait to participate in my first consignment sale. I have plenty of items to sell, especially baby items, and I'm looking forward to getting some of them out of my house. Whether you're looking to buy or sell I suggest searching for consignment sales in your area. They are a great place to make money and/or save money while supplying used items to people within your community.
Thinning Out My Collections
Anywho, how in the world do I figure out how to price items that seem priceless to me? It's not that I want to get rid of this stuff, but it's something I need to do for the sake of my home. I've become a collector of way too many things, and it's time to let them move on to another home where they will be appreciated. Now my problem is figuring out how much something is worth. Of course the first thing I do is search online to see what I can find, but I have a few items that I can't find anywhere online. I've checked out Ebay, other auction listings, message boards, etc, and I still have two main items that I can't find anywhere. Both are in mint condition, so how do I figure out how to price them?
This is why I never get around to listing much on Ebay or anywhere else for that matter. I'm always afraid I'll list it way too high and no one will buy, or I'll list it way too low and get ripped off.
A part of me feels bad that I can build computers all day, work with complicated programs, and teach businesses how to use corporate performance management products and software, but I can't do something as simple as listing my collectibles on Ebay without getting frustrated.
Surveys For Cash Or Rewards
I've signed up for a few other survey companies since then, but none of them interest me really because most of the time the other companies will let me get half way through a 20 minute survey then decide I don't qualify. I've just waisted 10 minutes filling out a survey I won't get credit for.
A few weeks ago I was discussing this with a friend, and she suggested I sign up for Opinion Outpost. She said she thought I'd enjoy filling out those surveys, and I would have a good many come my way. You earn points that can be converted to cash, so I thought what the heck I'll give it a try.
I spent almost an hour filling out the initial surveys about me and my lifestyle. I didn't get rewarded for any of those...I think there were close to 10 of them...because they were there to determine what other surveys I might be eligible for. Well I finally started receiving surveys last week.
So far I've had 6 surveys sent to me, and all but one of them I've been disqualified after the first page. That means I'm being disqualified based on my gender, race, income, education, or similar. So, why did I spend all that time filling out those other surveys about me? If those initial surveys were supposed to determine what I'm eligible for, then I should have been disqualified from these surveys before they were sent to me.
The final survey I received, I spent about 5 minutes filling out questionnaires before the real survey started. Then about another 5 minutes into the survey I was disqualified because I don't own my home. Yet again that's something I had to specify on those initial surveys.
I guess what I'm wanting to know is if anyone participates in online surveys, which companies have you signed up with, and what has been your experience? I'm almost ready to give up all together on survey sites, but if someone can honestly point me in the direction of a good one I'll be willing to sign up. If you can give me reasons why it's a great site I'll even use your affiliate link.
Monetizing Your Blogs
In my opinion sidebar ads are ok, but sometimes the banner ads can become annoying when they contain lots of animation and sparkles. Well executed banner ads can work, but they're not for everyone.
Yes I admit paid blogging is my favorite way to monetize my blogs, but why? I think it's because the ads aren't obtrusive in the way sidebar ads can be. Would you rather see a big flashing banner screaming at you to click it or would you like the ability to scan over a few links words like term life insurance.
See that wasn't so bad now was it?
Do You Use Blogging Ads?
Unfortunately you can only post 3 of their ops per blog per month. Of course you're allowed to have more than 1 blog in the system, and that's where I've got a question. Tonight when I logged into Blogging Ads I noticed one of my blogs that was previously approved was now showing as declined. I had to delete the blog and resubmit it.
Now when I originally joined Blogging Ads it only took a few days to get my blog approved. Previously the site said (and it still mentions this on your approved blogs page) that it should take up to 2 weeks for your blog to be approved. This is what throws me off. When I resubmitted my blog I received a message saying it could take up to 6 weeks for a blog to be approved. Does anyone else think that if it's going to be up to 6 weeks the site should say that everywhere instead of making 2 different statements?
New Job New Camera
I love walking around and snapping photos through the build so hubby can look at his work later. Last week hubby showed some of the photos I've taken to his boss. Most of these I took with my cell phone camera, so I thought they were pretty crappy, but his boss loves them. He wants to start taking photos of different stages of each build so they can show them to potential customers, and he wants ME to take them!
Determining Tax Deductions For Bloggers
With self employment it's always important to itemize. It makes a huge difference for us. Last year we would have payed in over $15,000 in we hadn't itemized, but because we did we only had to pay in a few hundred instead. There's a great post over at ProBlogger today called 46 Tax Deductions That Bloggers Often Overlook. I suggest printing out this list, and keeping it with your tax information to give you an idea of some of the things you can deduct. It's a pretty nice list, but remember there are other things not mentioned on the list such as the home office credit so always talk to your tax preparer to see what else may qualify.
Also, we pay our taxes quarterly. This helps because it's a guesstimated amount of your yearly income divided into 4 payments. It basically makes the hit from tax time not so hard because you're coming up with 4 small payments through the year versus dropping a large sum to the IRS come April. Come tax time, if you've over payed with your quarterly payments you'll get a refund on that cash and anything else you may be owed. I don't know if I would be paying quarterly if we didn't have 2 self employment incomes in our household, but it really does help us a lot.
What do you guys think about quarterly payments? Are there any bloggers out there who are doing this?
Charity
I'm mentioning all this because it's about the time of year when people start shopping for Christmas presents. I would love to see tons of bloggers take a little bit of their Christmas spending money and donate it to charity. Quite a few bloggers do some sort of paid blogging these days, so how hard would it be to donate a couple of those paid posts to the charity of your choice? I think that's what I'm going to do this year. On top of my normal charity donations, I plan to use the money from a few of my paid posts for my charity donations.
For those of you who don't really agree with paid blog posts, would you be more willing to accept them if you knew they were raising money for a good cause?
Ebay Vs. Charity
Blogkits Review
, and although the program is relatively new, I like it. There aren't a whole lot of ops to choose from right now, but that also comes from the fact the program is relatively new. The program is different from the other paid to blog type companies because of the way bloggers earn cash and advertisers pay. I think this setup will be more appealing to advertisers in the long run.With the other companies, you earn a set amount for posts paid anywhere from a few days to 30 days after the post is completed. Blogkits is different in the fact that their posts are pay-per-click type advertising. This means you won't receive a set amount for that post, but unlike the other companies, if you write a good post and promote your product to your readers in a good manor, you can earn even more for each click.
On top of that, Blogkits offers special weekly promotional drawings for some of their campaigns. I recently participated in a campaign they ran for Peapod. As a special promotion, they are giving $100 away for the best post each week, and I was the lucky winner of last week's giveaway. I wrote the post not knowing if I would actually make any money off the pay per click or not, but I took a chance, made some cash from the post itself, and ended up winning $100. I really think it was worth taking that risk!
The other reason why I like Blogkits is because they don't require positive posts. They want HONEST reviews of the products or websites their campaigns are promoting. They apparently realize that honesty can do a lot of good for companies, whether it's positive or negative feedback. Positive feedback is great of course, but negative feedback from everyday consumers gives the advertiser some insight into things they might need to change about their site or product to make it more appealing to the general public.
Head on over to Blogkits, sign up for a free account, and check out the new BlogKits Review
if you're interested in blogging for cash. I'd love to hear what others think about it. Is their anything you see that they can improve upon?
Books For Sale
I'm listing these books I'm getting rid of on Ebay, so if you're a big reader, feel free to check out what I've got. Right now I've listed a set of 7 Colin Dexter books. The books I've listed are all about the character "Inspector Morse", and these novels were turned into a British TV show. If you've seen the show you know these books are great crime/mystery novels, so go ahead and give them a look!
Debt
So, I guess what I really want to know is, how many of you would be interested in a financial/debt blog that gives you tips for avoiding and/or clearing the debt you already have? I know there are many financial type blogs out there already, but with mine I would be giving you information based on what I have learned from my personal experiences. I would love to know what my readers think about this idea.
Agloco Toolbar
News Stories Through Videos
Videos are another thing that draw a good crowd of visitors to a blog. I use videos from time to time in some of my blog posts, and I have personally watched my stats rise for those posts. Combining news stories with videos can be a great attention getter.
Let me introduce you to The News Room, a great site to not only find great news videos to embed in your blog in any category you can imagine, but also a new place to find a revenue stream for your blog! While sharing news releases on your site, you can also make money via advertising through CPM. Most videos pay $1 to $4 for every 1000 clicks. That might seem like a lot, but just check out the number of views on a lot of sites like YouTube and Google Video. You will be shocked at the number of views some videos receive!
On top of earning cash, you can also earn prizes through The News Room including electronics, vacations, and even cars! The videos are all free to use and super easy to embed, so if you're looking for a new way to draw some cash from your blog, or looking for a new way to share news, check out The News Room!