I have been trying really hard to have a couple projects going so I can help bring in some income and help with the family finances.
My first project and most successful at the moment is my etsy store, The Purse Place, that I have previously blogged about. I started out first making purses from placemats. I thought they were really cute, but they didn't sell well, so I moved on. I then started making I spy bags. These children's toys have been great sellers. An I spy bag is a toy for children ages 3 and up. My bags are filled with rice (making my bags environmentally friendly compared to their poly pellet counterpart) and then inside are also toys, buttons and other objects you have to find. Attached to the bag in a list of the things you can find in the bag. They are pretty fun, and have been great sellers. My I spy bags are currently being featured on a blog called Take It From Me. Check out my review here. I have also recently started making hair accessories. They are pretty cute if I do say so myself! :) You can also see a sampling of the items I have in my store in the widget on the sidebar of my blog.
My second and on going project has been in the works since 2006. It used to flourish and now it is a bit wilted but still brings in a little bit of money. I have a blog called Random Encounters of We. On this blog I write about anything and everything that matter to me and in addition I used to write interesting sponsored posts that did a pretty good job of providing me with some extra cash. This website came crashing down when I accompanied my husband on a business trip. Since then the only income it generates is from google adsense ads, and only about every 6 months to I get the minimum amount.
Along with Random Encounters of We is a blog that is also generating adsense is Random Games. This site is a free online game blog and is lots of fun. It is more successful that Random Encounters of We. I think this site generates more interesting ads, therefore more people click on them.
I am very interested in starting more projects and expanding current projects. If you have any suggestions please let me know. If you have something proven to work, I'd love to know.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, October 2, 2009
Open for Business
Hey Friends! I have decided to start a new project. The project is an Etsy store in which I will be selling (hopefully) my bags I have been making. I love to work on the bags. Every night after the kids are in bed I head downstairs. I have been having blast. I have a goal to sell a couple bags every month and bring in a little bit of money to help with bills. The name of our store is The Purse Place and can be found at thepurseplace.etsy.com. The key to our success is promotion so that's why I wanted to share with everyone on the blog! The widget in the sidebar will update as we add inventory. Please feel free to tell your friends about it! The bags are really cute, they would make great gifts! Thanks for your support as we step into this new world of entrepreneurship!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Cutting Utility Costs
The best way to start spending less starts in your own home! There are some great ways to start spending less on your electricity, water, gas, phone, Internet and other such bills.
Electric Bill: This one is easy but takes realizing what you are doing. We slashed $30 off our monthly electric bill by simply unplugging things we weren't using at the time, that is $360 a year!! That's huge! We always keep our microwave, toaster, kitchen aid and other such small appliances unplugged in my kitchen. We also unplug our stereo when it isn't in use (and we have found that we rarely use it anyway.) We unplug our televisions when we are done with them. We unplug lamps that we don't need during the day, we never keep our cell phone chargers or other chargers plugged in when we aren't using them. Even if something is plugged in but turned off it is using a little bit of electricity. Use the air dry option on your dishwasher. I am also a big stickler on making sure you turn off the lights and ceiling fans when you leave a room. Also by turning up your air conditioner up a few degrees will help a little, and eventually you will adjust to the new temperature. Everything you turn off or unplug will help you in the end.
Gas Bill: This one is a little trickier. In the winter it is easy to just turn down the heater. Wear pants and long sleeve shirts indoors so your heater doesn't have to be quite as warm. I like things a little cool anyway so this is easy for me. I just bundle up my kids a little bit more and we are all fine. Also, go to your water heater and turn it down a little. You don't need to keep your water as hot as it probably is. Then remember to take warm showers instead of hot. Do your laundry on the cold water setting. If you are concerned about using cold water for laundry there are special detergents for cold water, you can probably even find a coupon to buy them for less.
Water Bill: This one is also easy. Using less water is easy if you make a conscious effort to do so. Take a timer into the bathroom with you and set if for 7-10 minutes so you know when to get out of the shower. When you use the toilet you can follow the old adage "If it's yellow let it mellow..." This is a little disgusting. The only time we are letting it mellow is at night when the toilet doesn't get used too much and flushing might wake up a child. When you are doing dishes fill one side of your sink with soapy water so you won't need to leave the water running to wash your dishes. Make sure you get them really clean so when you run your dishwasher you can use the quick wash setting as just a sanitizer for your mostly clean dishes.
Phone Bill: Some people don't know that when they sign up for a landline phone the phone company automatically adds a lot of extra feature onto that phone account. Check your phone bill, all the features you are paying for will be listed on there. Then make a phone call to your phone provider and ask them to cancel all the extras you don't want. We were able to lessen our phone bill by $10 a month by taking off things such as three way calling and other extras we didn't want or use. Chances are you have all the bells and whistles on your cell phone so you don't need it on your home line. By the way, maybe you should cancel some of the extras on your cell phone while you are thinking about it!
Television Bill: Whether you have cable or satellite chances are you can lower your bill if you make a simple phone call. Ask what can be done to get your bill lower. Whether it is cutting out a few channels or cancel a subscription to a movie channel you rarely watch, it is worth the time to make the call and see if anything can be done.
Internet Bill: Just like your phone bill, when you sign up to get the Internet they automatically get you the fastest speed Internet connection available. This is a ridiculous thing to pay for. Make a call and ask if there is a slower speed Internet connection you can switch to. You probably won't be able to tell the difference but your wallet will when you end up saving another $10-15 by switching.
In this economy all you have to do is ask. Ask what they can do to lower your bill. Tell them you are trying to save money and see how they can help you. If it is a service you don't really need (like the newspaper because you can read that online) then threaten to cancel and maybe they will give you a deal you didn't expect! It doesn't hurt to ask, all they can say is no and then you will be paying the same amount you already are.
I know there are many more ideas to slashing your monthly costs. These are all the things we have done at our house, what have you done at yours?
Electric Bill: This one is easy but takes realizing what you are doing. We slashed $30 off our monthly electric bill by simply unplugging things we weren't using at the time, that is $360 a year!! That's huge! We always keep our microwave, toaster, kitchen aid and other such small appliances unplugged in my kitchen. We also unplug our stereo when it isn't in use (and we have found that we rarely use it anyway.) We unplug our televisions when we are done with them. We unplug lamps that we don't need during the day, we never keep our cell phone chargers or other chargers plugged in when we aren't using them. Even if something is plugged in but turned off it is using a little bit of electricity. Use the air dry option on your dishwasher. I am also a big stickler on making sure you turn off the lights and ceiling fans when you leave a room. Also by turning up your air conditioner up a few degrees will help a little, and eventually you will adjust to the new temperature. Everything you turn off or unplug will help you in the end.
Gas Bill: This one is a little trickier. In the winter it is easy to just turn down the heater. Wear pants and long sleeve shirts indoors so your heater doesn't have to be quite as warm. I like things a little cool anyway so this is easy for me. I just bundle up my kids a little bit more and we are all fine. Also, go to your water heater and turn it down a little. You don't need to keep your water as hot as it probably is. Then remember to take warm showers instead of hot. Do your laundry on the cold water setting. If you are concerned about using cold water for laundry there are special detergents for cold water, you can probably even find a coupon to buy them for less.
Water Bill: This one is also easy. Using less water is easy if you make a conscious effort to do so. Take a timer into the bathroom with you and set if for 7-10 minutes so you know when to get out of the shower. When you use the toilet you can follow the old adage "If it's yellow let it mellow..." This is a little disgusting. The only time we are letting it mellow is at night when the toilet doesn't get used too much and flushing might wake up a child. When you are doing dishes fill one side of your sink with soapy water so you won't need to leave the water running to wash your dishes. Make sure you get them really clean so when you run your dishwasher you can use the quick wash setting as just a sanitizer for your mostly clean dishes.
Phone Bill: Some people don't know that when they sign up for a landline phone the phone company automatically adds a lot of extra feature onto that phone account. Check your phone bill, all the features you are paying for will be listed on there. Then make a phone call to your phone provider and ask them to cancel all the extras you don't want. We were able to lessen our phone bill by $10 a month by taking off things such as three way calling and other extras we didn't want or use. Chances are you have all the bells and whistles on your cell phone so you don't need it on your home line. By the way, maybe you should cancel some of the extras on your cell phone while you are thinking about it!
Television Bill: Whether you have cable or satellite chances are you can lower your bill if you make a simple phone call. Ask what can be done to get your bill lower. Whether it is cutting out a few channels or cancel a subscription to a movie channel you rarely watch, it is worth the time to make the call and see if anything can be done.
Internet Bill: Just like your phone bill, when you sign up to get the Internet they automatically get you the fastest speed Internet connection available. This is a ridiculous thing to pay for. Make a call and ask if there is a slower speed Internet connection you can switch to. You probably won't be able to tell the difference but your wallet will when you end up saving another $10-15 by switching.
In this economy all you have to do is ask. Ask what they can do to lower your bill. Tell them you are trying to save money and see how they can help you. If it is a service you don't really need (like the newspaper because you can read that online) then threaten to cancel and maybe they will give you a deal you didn't expect! It doesn't hurt to ask, all they can say is no and then you will be paying the same amount you already are.
I know there are many more ideas to slashing your monthly costs. These are all the things we have done at our house, what have you done at yours?
Friday, August 21, 2009
Let's Find a Deal!
Whether you are making a major purchase or a not-so-major purchase, shopping around for a deal can be fun! With the internet at your finger tips you can search an unlimited number of stores to make sure you are getting the best deal for whatever it is you are trying to buy.
Last weekend my husband and I were looking into laptops. Now, we are not going to buy a laptop because we are in the middle of a vigorous savings plan to get us home for Christmas, but we wanted to look around. Sometimes we have fun looking at products we do want to buy and finding the best deal that we can, even though we have no intention of purchasing. It was fun to go to a laptop site that sell refurbished laptops at really great prices and then head over to cnet.com and hear the review on that laptop and see all the comparison prices they post. Had we been in the market for a laptop we would have found the one we wanted at a bargain!
As I mentioned earlier, we recently bought a car. I was on the computer for hours each day researching cars. What brand to buy, what car to get, what would be the most reliable and have a good mpg. Not only did I research the exact car I wanted to get but then I needed to find the going rate for that car. I got the price point that most people were selling that car at and searched until I found the car I wanted for a couple thousand less. I had great satisfaction knowing I got the best possible deal on our car.
Also, Christmas is approaching (yes it is still many months away) but I can't get everyone's Christmas presents in a short period of time. I need to spread that money over many months. I was looking into some Wii games. I think it is so fun to search eBay and Amazon for a great deal. On those two websites there is always a great deal to be had! Keep those sites in mind as you begin your holiday shopping and starting early is a great way to get a great price! Getting presents for those you love isn't worth going into debt over, so spread out the shopping with just a little bit at a time so you won't be going into debt over a holiday.
As we take the time to look for deals and shop around, we are really showing our bank account that we care about it. If you don't rush out and buy something then chances are you will be able to find it some where without breaking the bank. By finding a deal and spending less we are able to save more, and that's the goal... SAVE MONEY!
Last weekend my husband and I were looking into laptops. Now, we are not going to buy a laptop because we are in the middle of a vigorous savings plan to get us home for Christmas, but we wanted to look around. Sometimes we have fun looking at products we do want to buy and finding the best deal that we can, even though we have no intention of purchasing. It was fun to go to a laptop site that sell refurbished laptops at really great prices and then head over to cnet.com and hear the review on that laptop and see all the comparison prices they post. Had we been in the market for a laptop we would have found the one we wanted at a bargain!
As I mentioned earlier, we recently bought a car. I was on the computer for hours each day researching cars. What brand to buy, what car to get, what would be the most reliable and have a good mpg. Not only did I research the exact car I wanted to get but then I needed to find the going rate for that car. I got the price point that most people were selling that car at and searched until I found the car I wanted for a couple thousand less. I had great satisfaction knowing I got the best possible deal on our car.
Also, Christmas is approaching (yes it is still many months away) but I can't get everyone's Christmas presents in a short period of time. I need to spread that money over many months. I was looking into some Wii games. I think it is so fun to search eBay and Amazon for a great deal. On those two websites there is always a great deal to be had! Keep those sites in mind as you begin your holiday shopping and starting early is a great way to get a great price! Getting presents for those you love isn't worth going into debt over, so spread out the shopping with just a little bit at a time so you won't be going into debt over a holiday.
As we take the time to look for deals and shop around, we are really showing our bank account that we care about it. If you don't rush out and buy something then chances are you will be able to find it some where without breaking the bank. By finding a deal and spending less we are able to save more, and that's the goal... SAVE MONEY!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Are the "make money online by taking surveys" scams?
I would say most of these paid survey sites are scams. A lot of these sites want you to pay them anywhere from $25 up and they will give you a list of survey websites that pay you for taking surveys. A couple years ago when I was in college I fell for this and I paid $35 to get this magical list filled with money making opportunities. After joining about 100 survey websites , I figured out that I had been scammed out of $35. I emailed the website I had paid and demanded a refund. They did refund my money, while all the while I was still enrolled in these survey sites. I participated in as many surveys I could in hopes of receiving check after check. The checks never came so I slowly opted out of a lot of the sites. 5 years later my survey list is down to 3 that I participate in regularly and I do receive money.
The first website is Lightspeed Consumer Panel . At this site you take surveys for points (on average about 75 pts per survey) when you get a certain number of points you can cash in for gifts, gift cards, electronics, and money via paypal. For example to get $10 on paypal (which you can transfer into your bank account) it costs 1150 points. I usually save up my points until Christmas time and then cash in to help pay for my presents. This year I choose not to cash in but if I would have cashed in last December I would have gotten $40 which is 4600 points. It isn't much and it took me 11 months, but it is money that I haven't had to work very hard for and its better than nothing.
The second website is MySurvey. This website also does points for surveys but the point to money ratio is a lot better. Here 1000 points is equal to $10. This website sends you a check. If I would have cashed in my points I would have gotten $50 for my 5000 points. Here you can also cash in for other things such as gifts, electronics, tools, a grill, you can also donate to a charity with your points, it is great!
The third website doesn't give you points, it only enters you into a raffle and they have like 25 winners a month or so. Oh I should mention the other two sites also do raffles on top of the point system for more chances to win things. The third website is NPD Online Research . I take these surveys because I don't mind doing it. They only take about 5-10 minutes and so it isn't a big deal to me that I'm only getting a "chance" to win. A couple Mays ago I did win $100 which they sent in check form after having been a member and taking surveys for 2+ years, so it balanced out with about as much money as I'm making with the other sites.
None of these sites will get you rich quick, I haven't figured out how to do that yet, but they will get you about an extra $100 a year which is nice for some mad money. Some of you may have more qualifying factors in your life to provide you with more surveys. You fill out a little questionnaire about yourself so they know what surveys apply to you, so everyone's opportunities are different. I don't drink or smoke or have pets or live in a very populated state so there's only so much to ask me, others with those things probably get more surveys than I do. I hope this helps and will provide you with a little extra money. If you have some other good surveys sites I'd love to know about them!!
The first website is Lightspeed Consumer Panel . At this site you take surveys for points (on average about 75 pts per survey) when you get a certain number of points you can cash in for gifts, gift cards, electronics, and money via paypal. For example to get $10 on paypal (which you can transfer into your bank account) it costs 1150 points. I usually save up my points until Christmas time and then cash in to help pay for my presents. This year I choose not to cash in but if I would have cashed in last December I would have gotten $40 which is 4600 points. It isn't much and it took me 11 months, but it is money that I haven't had to work very hard for and its better than nothing.
The second website is MySurvey. This website also does points for surveys but the point to money ratio is a lot better. Here 1000 points is equal to $10. This website sends you a check. If I would have cashed in my points I would have gotten $50 for my 5000 points. Here you can also cash in for other things such as gifts, electronics, tools, a grill, you can also donate to a charity with your points, it is great!
The third website doesn't give you points, it only enters you into a raffle and they have like 25 winners a month or so. Oh I should mention the other two sites also do raffles on top of the point system for more chances to win things. The third website is NPD Online Research . I take these surveys because I don't mind doing it. They only take about 5-10 minutes and so it isn't a big deal to me that I'm only getting a "chance" to win. A couple Mays ago I did win $100 which they sent in check form after having been a member and taking surveys for 2+ years, so it balanced out with about as much money as I'm making with the other sites.
None of these sites will get you rich quick, I haven't figured out how to do that yet, but they will get you about an extra $100 a year which is nice for some mad money. Some of you may have more qualifying factors in your life to provide you with more surveys. You fill out a little questionnaire about yourself so they know what surveys apply to you, so everyone's opportunities are different. I don't drink or smoke or have pets or live in a very populated state so there's only so much to ask me, others with those things probably get more surveys than I do. I hope this helps and will provide you with a little extra money. If you have some other good surveys sites I'd love to know about them!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Fun with Money
Have you ever paid for something with cash and the change you received had been written or colored on? Well this very thing happened to us a couple weeks ago but instead of coloring it was a stamp. Stamped on our change was "www.wheresgeorge.com" Obviously this site was a money tracker. since I am easily entertain I went right home and created a free account. I got all of the dollar bills that I owned and enter them into the system. I can now track where these bill have been and where they go after I am done with them. I think it is pretty fun! Not too many people know about Where's George so I want to spread the word so more bills can be followed. It's pretty interesting how far money can travel. Try it out and let me know how it goes!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Let's Start $aving!
Saving money is possible for everyone. No matter what your economic situation, you can start saving today! Isn't that great news?! Different people are going to be saving money at different rates because we all have a different financial situations. As I stated earlier we don't make too much money and after we have paid our mortgage, car payment and other bills we aren't left with a huge chunk of change at the end of the month. This, however, does NOT discourage me from my savings plan.
Until recently my savings plan was very simple. I had opened a CD a couple years ago when I found that we had some extra cash. We also had one savings account that we would fund with any extra money we wanted to (ideally we try to pay ourselves 10% of our monthly net income, not always possible but it is a goal). This method worked well for us until a couple years ago when we bought our first home and recently when we bought our first car resulting in our first car payment (we had a car before this but it was given to us, thus no car payment.)
On our way home from vacation a couple weeks ago we decided we needed to revamp our savings plan. Having one account that held all of our savings wasn't working for us anymore. We were talking about future plans. We want to be able to fly home for Christmas, and we want to go on a cruise next year. I would love new kitchen counter tops and what about those pesky bills that come up every six months like car insurance? We decided that one savings account wasn't working for us anymore. Plus that one savings account was supposed to be our emergency fund that we shouldn't really touch anyways.
The plan we came up with was simple: we would start multiple savings accounts with different purposes. As soon as we got out of the car I ran downstairs to the computer and quickly logged into my bank. I set up three more savings accounts. One for vacations, one for those pesky bills and one for home improvement. Now this does seem a little overwhelming. All of the sudden I have four savings accounts that need to be growing! I decided that instead of feeling pressure and overwhelmed I can only do what I can do. This means that I won't be throwing hundreds of dollars into each account every month because we don't have that kind of money. Instead this month I will start by putting $20 in each account and see how that goes. If it goes well and I think I can contribute more and still stay safely afloat every month and avoid debt *side note: your savings program should not at all force you to have to use a credit card to pay for things unless you can immediately pay that credit card off* I will add more next month. If you have the financial resources to throw more money into each account every month than consider yourself blessed and please do it. I realize this will be a slow start for these accounts, but something is better than nothing. Plus I hope for my husband to get yearly raises and such that will eventually increase the amount of money we will be able to throw into these accounts. By starting slowly we won't get overwhelmed and we won't over spend. If there is a month when it is impossible to contribute anything into savings it is ok. We will start over the next month and will contribute what we can. Even if you are only able to start our with a couple dollars at a time do it! Put those couple dollars in an interest bearing savings account and let them work for you. I am sure there are several accounts that when friends refer you to that bank you get money and so do they. That would be a great way to get a couple extra bucks in your account. I know that ING Direct does this. Ask your friends and see if you are able to get any referral bonus as your start your savings plan.
Summary: Figure out the things you need to be saving for, as well as having an emergency fund. Start those accounts and begin your savings plan. If you have to start small that is fine! Don't get overwhelmed. This is fun, and in the long run will reduce stress as you find you have the money to buy what you want to buy or pay that pesky bill that just came up! Saving money is fun and empowering! *Having money in a savings account is also VITAL. This means that it will be ok for you to sacrifice a couple of the extras you are used to getting every month. Only go out to dinner once a month instead of every week, cancel or put on hold your movie rental subscription, make a grocery list and budget so you don't throw a bunch of extra stuff into your cart at the store. By making little sacrifices it will help your savings accounts grow much more fast and you will feel satisfaction in being able to have some self control to make a better future for yourself and your family.*
Until recently my savings plan was very simple. I had opened a CD a couple years ago when I found that we had some extra cash. We also had one savings account that we would fund with any extra money we wanted to (ideally we try to pay ourselves 10% of our monthly net income, not always possible but it is a goal). This method worked well for us until a couple years ago when we bought our first home and recently when we bought our first car resulting in our first car payment (we had a car before this but it was given to us, thus no car payment.)
On our way home from vacation a couple weeks ago we decided we needed to revamp our savings plan. Having one account that held all of our savings wasn't working for us anymore. We were talking about future plans. We want to be able to fly home for Christmas, and we want to go on a cruise next year. I would love new kitchen counter tops and what about those pesky bills that come up every six months like car insurance? We decided that one savings account wasn't working for us anymore. Plus that one savings account was supposed to be our emergency fund that we shouldn't really touch anyways.
The plan we came up with was simple: we would start multiple savings accounts with different purposes. As soon as we got out of the car I ran downstairs to the computer and quickly logged into my bank. I set up three more savings accounts. One for vacations, one for those pesky bills and one for home improvement. Now this does seem a little overwhelming. All of the sudden I have four savings accounts that need to be growing! I decided that instead of feeling pressure and overwhelmed I can only do what I can do. This means that I won't be throwing hundreds of dollars into each account every month because we don't have that kind of money. Instead this month I will start by putting $20 in each account and see how that goes. If it goes well and I think I can contribute more and still stay safely afloat every month and avoid debt *side note: your savings program should not at all force you to have to use a credit card to pay for things unless you can immediately pay that credit card off* I will add more next month. If you have the financial resources to throw more money into each account every month than consider yourself blessed and please do it. I realize this will be a slow start for these accounts, but something is better than nothing. Plus I hope for my husband to get yearly raises and such that will eventually increase the amount of money we will be able to throw into these accounts. By starting slowly we won't get overwhelmed and we won't over spend. If there is a month when it is impossible to contribute anything into savings it is ok. We will start over the next month and will contribute what we can. Even if you are only able to start our with a couple dollars at a time do it! Put those couple dollars in an interest bearing savings account and let them work for you. I am sure there are several accounts that when friends refer you to that bank you get money and so do they. That would be a great way to get a couple extra bucks in your account. I know that ING Direct does this. Ask your friends and see if you are able to get any referral bonus as your start your savings plan.
Summary: Figure out the things you need to be saving for, as well as having an emergency fund. Start those accounts and begin your savings plan. If you have to start small that is fine! Don't get overwhelmed. This is fun, and in the long run will reduce stress as you find you have the money to buy what you want to buy or pay that pesky bill that just came up! Saving money is fun and empowering! *Having money in a savings account is also VITAL. This means that it will be ok for you to sacrifice a couple of the extras you are used to getting every month. Only go out to dinner once a month instead of every week, cancel or put on hold your movie rental subscription, make a grocery list and budget so you don't throw a bunch of extra stuff into your cart at the store. By making little sacrifices it will help your savings accounts grow much more fast and you will feel satisfaction in being able to have some self control to make a better future for yourself and your family.*
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