January Financial Update

Things have gotten a little better over the past few weeks with my online income. Unfortunately I wasn't able to add an extra payment to the credit cards because we had to buy a new vehicle for my husband to get back and forth to work with. Right now we are tightening our budget and saving money for the tags, taxes and title of his truck.

But speaking of credit cards, I did receive an interesting notice in the mail about the one card I've kept open. Apparently they've sold their accounts to another bank which makes me wonder if they went bankrupt due to the economy's stupidity.

Anyway here is my income for the first few weeks of this month.

January 1st - 15th

Payu2blog $17.50
Private Sales $320.00
Payperpost $10.00
Youdata $1.20
Socialspark $28.65
Slicethepie $2.00
Adbrite $0.00
Kontera $0.00

Total: $379.35

Update on Finances

It's been two weeks again. Wow how time flies. Here is the first two weeks for October for my online earnings. Things are getting a little better, but I just wonder how long that will actually last. I did manage to make an extra payment towards an old credit card from my past! It was more than double of the orginal payment which is great! Now the balance of that bill is at $900!

October 1st -14th

Private Sales: $246.00
Payu2blog: $15.00
Payperpost: $ 23.50
Associated Content: $1.68
Slice The Pie: $10.00
Kontera: $0.12
Adbrite: $0.00
Cashcrate: $0.84

This two weeks total is: 297.14. Not too bad. Could use a lot of improvement though.

September Financial Update

Things are getting better since I've been pulling in a little more money. Even with the loss of a certain company's sales, things are going good. I have added a new company this week called Adbrite. I've already made some sales with them which is awesome since I just started with them this month.

Here are totals for my last two weeks' of September:


September 14-30

Payu2blog $25.00
MySurvey $10.00,
Cashcrate $1.00
payperpost $52.00
SocialSpark $21.45,
Private Sales $180.00
Kontera $0.05
AdBrite $1.03

This brings the total for the two weeks to $290.53. Now while that might not be a tremendous amount of money for some people, it's really decent for me and almost as much as I made when I work at microtel here in Independence, Kansas. Plus, if the next two weeks goes really well, it will be a little bit over what I need for bills, which means I can put more towards one of the credit cards that I am aiming to pay off.

There are only two credit cards that I need to pay off and their now both under $900! The card that I used for emergencies only is no longer being used, due to the interest rates being taken out two times a month. Was this a mistake on their part? As it turns out, no. So the card is not worth keeping in my opinion. If we ever decide to get another credit card for emergencies, I'll take closer look at the fine print the next time.

Speaking of credit cards, my husband was offered one at the bank where our mortgage is. He was pre-approved for $1500.00 and the interest rate was 5.9%. That's really low and something sounded a little fishy to me, so at the time I convinced my husband that he should hold off on applying for it.

Plus, I have this fear that if he does get the card, he'll be spending the money on non-emergencies and we'll be right back to where we started. With the economy as it is, we certainly don't need any more financial debt!

BTW, if you haven't already, be sure to check out Work at Home Mom Revolution's post on: Recession-Proof Strategies for Work at Home Moms and Dads. It's scary to think just how bad this economy has gotten and that we're having to do a bail out. And what if that bail out falls through? What then?

Update on my Goals

Its been a busy past few days since the kids start school tomorrow. There is a meet the teachers at school, so we're headed to that today and then after that, there is a back to school event going on at the park.

Before I head out, however. I wanted to share an update on my goals. I had about $40 saved for an extra payment towards the credit cards, but I had to use it for today's school events, bathroom pvc pipes to repair the kids bathroom and pvc thread tape to repair the pipe in our own bathroom. Then my husband needed money for drinks at work. The good news is I still have about $15 left, so it's going directly to the savings account I recently opened.

Here's a quick update of my income lately:

August 6th
Private Sales: $50.00
Google Adsense: $3.98
SocialSparks: $10.91
Kontera Ads: $0.00

August 7th
Google Adsense: $3.03
Kontera Ads: $0.00

August 8th
Associated Content: $4.00
Payperpost: $5.00
Kontera Ads: $0.00
Google Adsense: $0.00

August 9th
Associated Content: $4.00
Kontera Ads: $0.00
Google Adsense: $0.00

August 10th
Payu2blog: $5.00
Payperpost: $5.00
Kontera Ads: $0.00
Google Adsense: $0.00

It's been an impressive week, especially for Google adsense! I hope that it continues to be!

Picking Up the Pieces

It has come to my attention that, PayPerPost is having to pick up the pieces from a company known as 3GB Community who was looking for bloggers through Payperpost. Apparently, the 3GB Community does not have the funds to pay Payperpost and it's bloggers. Since Payperpost has not been able to contact them, they are paying bloggers the money owed from 3GB Community, out of their own pockets.

I would assume that since 3GB Community is not willing to pay their debt, they're not trustworthy as a social network or in any other way.

The Real Rules For Working at Home Part 1

For many at home parents, the idea of making a little money online sounds great. But, for some there's still that question of.... "How do I get started?"

If your goal is to make a little money online, the first thing you want to avoid are work-at-home scams.

The Number One Rule in this is: Any job asking you to send them money in order to make money is a SCAM. Simply put. You can argue all day long that, "Ohh, I can make money and get my money back by joining this program." However, I just don't and won't buy it. Now don't get me wrong, there are people out there who have made money this way, but I am a firm believer that you can make money online without having to spend money. Why? Well, because for most of us who are already on a tight budget, spending (wasting) money is something we simply can't afford.

Now let me add this. If you're spending money on a domain or upkeep for your website(s), or something along that line, that's different. What I am talking about is those work-at-home programs that ask you to send them money in order to get the job and then never pay up.... or ask you to send money and tell you in little tiny print that, "You could make money, but it's not a guarantee."

Number Two: You simply cannot expect to start a blog or a website and make big bucks overnight. It just doesn't happen that way. What you should expect is to make a reasonable amount of money overtime and then work your way up the ladder from there.

Number Three: It takes time and a lot of work to make money. Even an at-home job isn't something as simple as a few clicks and you're rolling in the money. It takes a lot of hard work and patience to make your blog or website a killer success. Even after you begin making money, you can't just expect the blog or website to run by itself. You'll still have to update it in order to keep things fresh if you want to keep earning money.

Number Four: You can't expect to earn a steady amount of money if you just rely on one source. Soo many bloggers like John Chow, can tell you this. It's been known as the phrase: "Don't put all your eggs (ads) into one basket." And of course, it's true. This goes for more than just ads, however. If you write reviews or articles like I do, you can't limit yourself to writing for one source or company such as payperpost. You have to get out there and keep yourself open to other resources as well.


Okay, I think I've said enough for now. If you have something to add to the above, please feel free to comment. I'd love to hear what you have to say.

In the meantime, I'll be sharing how to get started in working at home and obtaining goals for making money, in future posts!

Before You Go Under...

A Tummy Tuck isn't just some everyday routine thing in life. While many of us may already know that, there are some who do not.

When I first wrote an article about liposuction for the company I work for, I thought it would be a very easy, very simple article. It wasn't. Back then I knew very little about liposuction and what was really involved. When I say involved I mean the research in finding a doctor who is qualified for the surgery and knowing what questions to ask before going under the knife.

Talk to friends or family who've had a tummy tuck. Just because a plastic surgeon is listed in the phone book does not mean that he or she is a qualified surgeon.Most of us would not trust our hair with just any hairstylist, so why trust our bodies with just any surgeon?

Do your research. The surgeon you choose should be willing to do a consultation with you beforehand. If not, run the other way.

During the consultation the surgeon should go over the procedure with you and answer any questions or concerns you may have. He or she will also take a look at your age, health and medical history, your tolerance for certain medications you make have to take to decide whether or not you’re a good candidate for this type of procedure. The surgeon should also provide your with a set of instruction on preparing for your surgery.

Without the above, you're putting your life at risk. You could get an infection, have an allergic reaction or worse... die.

Surgery is no simple matter, so when considering a Tummy Tuck, consider yourself as a delicate china that can be broken permanently. I would only suggest having a tummy tuck as a last resort. Then when you think you are ready, do your research. Once you've done your research, check out Mya and their article on having a Tummy Tuck done.

Mya is one of the United Kingdom's largest cosmetic surgery companies and their article I think is worth the read.




This is a paid post and is sponsored by Payperpost.

Black Friday Full Speed Ahead

After everything settles down with my dramatic so-called life, I am hoping to be able to participate in Black Friday and get my Christmas shopping started early this year. Thanks to www.black-friday.net, I can check out great discounts on my favorite stores.

Since we're a small town and wal-mart is about the only shopping center that's around here, I am excited to find that www.black-friday.net offers some great wal-mart deals that I could certainly see myself buying for Christmas. My step-daughter is a big fan of Barbie and I found that wal-mart has Barbie Fashion Fever Dolls for only $5. I also found Free Willy on DVD for less than $4. You've Got Mail on DVD is less than $4 as well! How cool is that??

The great thing about www.black-friday.net is they allows you to purchase everything right online without having to get up and head to the store. You can have email alerts sent to you so you'll know when the latest Black Friday ads are available.

Looking for somewhere besides Wal-mart to shop at? www.black-friday.net offers other places as well. I found Target, another one of my favorite stores to shop at. Know someone who's into fishing or hunting? Bass Pro Shops is another listed with the website. They even have AAFES for those who are military related.

No matter what you are looking for, there's sure to be something to peek you're interest and you can do it all without having to beat the crowds! Happy Black Friday Hunting!

www.black-friday.net

Traveling Here and There

I love traveling and finding new places to explore. Like a new restaurant opening up or a new shop to browse in. If it's a place I love, I usually end up telling someone else about it and if it's a place that isn't worth the time or money, I'll let them know that as well. Trusted Places is a lot like that. They can offer reviews of great places to check out like, London restaurants from travelers just like me. Worried whether or not that hotel you've been really wanting to check out...is kid friendly? Check out their hotel section and see for yourself what others are saying about it.

I did notice that a lot of what they have reviews on are based out of London, but don't let that discourage you. Trusted Places is tailored to everywhere else in the world, as well. While there isn't much for reviews as far as everywhere else,the cool thing about their site is, you can post your own review if you know of a great place to go or one that is no-so great.

With given time, I think Trusted Places will be a great site to find just what you're looking for on your next trip. They are definitely worth a look.

This is a paid post and is sponsored by payperpost.

Holiday Flying

With everything beginning to look up here, I may very well consider taking a vacation sooner than I had figured. Dialaflight.com is a UK travel company offering worldwide services to travelers looking for weekend breaks. This is an awesome idea, especially for me right now since my schedule is very hectic and I really can't take time off from work to get away on a vacation.

Dialaflight isn't just about great weekend breaks, however. They also offer hotel accommodations and care hire (very similar to limousine service). So, whether you're looking for short breaks to places like, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Prague, Vienna or Venice... Dialflight can make it happen for you. How cool is that?

Even if you live in the US you can still use Dialflight's services since they offer city breaks as well. Looking for a way to get away over Thanksgiving or Christmas break? Dialflights has some fantastic holiday offers as well. I could see myself on Langkawi Beach for the holidays.

If you're looking for a weekend away from the kids, work, whatever... You'll definitely want to check out Dialaflight.com. Hmm I wonder....

This is a paid post and is sponsored by payerpost.

Cheating Your Way To Losing Weight

I don't know about you, but if I can eat all of the foods I love and still manage my weight, then I'm all for it. Joel Marion's Cheat to Lose Diet intends to allow you to do just that! You can lose weight while eating foods like, french fries, cheesecake and more.

So, how is that possible? Diet and fitness expert Joel Marion claims to have discovered that eating your favorite foods can speed up metabolism and help you to lose weight. His diet plan is designed to control the hormone leptin, which helps you to lose weight.

Joel's plan allows you to add a cheat day to your diet, letting you stay sane while losing weight. He doesn't just stop there, however. He's also including hundreds of recipes and a personal fitness plan to get your diet into high gear. How cool is that?

If this sounds like something you might very well be interested in, you should definitely drop by Joel Marion's website and discover the, Cheat to Lose Diet.

This is a paid post and is sponsored by payperpost.

Home Improvement Around the World

Lately I've noticed a lot of things around our home that need fixing. We need a new screen door and back door, we need new windows and we definetly need new garage doors. Around here there's not many places that carry a wide variety of home improvement needs. While Anglian's Home improvements of the United Kingdom may not be in my neighborhood, there's certainly no reason you can't check them out if you live near them.

Anglian's Home Improvements carries a wide variety of windows, doors and more. Whatever you're looking for they seem to have. Plus they've been in business for more than 36 years, so they know their stuff!

Check out their unique stock of kitchen sinks if you're interested in remodeling your kitchen or if you're looking for new windows like I am, check out their Double glazing which happens to be one of their best sellers.

Whatever your reason for remodeling, If you're in the United Kingdom area....be sure to drop by Anglian's Home Improvements. You never know what you may find!

This is a paid post and is sponsored by payperpost.

A Career In Real Estate

At one time I was seriously thinking about a career in real estate after a friend of mine suggested it. She sold homes and made a reasonable amount of money doing so. It was a wonderful idea at the time, but I turned it down for a more reasonable offer in another career choice. For a while I wondered how I would have done as a real estate broker, but I know now that a career in real estate was not for me.

Every person varies however, and even though a career in real estate may not be right for me, it certainly doesn't mean you might not enjoy it! if you've thought about going into real estate, Fastclass.com may be able to help you. Fastclass.com is a Real Estate School Directory that provides information for schools on Real Estate, Mortgage, appraisal, and even Home Inspection. The other great thing about Fastclass.com is they provide you with links to online classes. How cool is that?

If a career in real estate sounds right for you, give them a try and let me know how it goes!



This is a paid post and is sponsored by Payperpost.

Walking For Alzheimer's Disease

When I was still working as a CNA in nursing homes, I was around many elderly people who had Alzheimer's Disease. There was one lady in particular who would roam the halls and forget where her room was or forget whether she was wearing a sweater or not, that day. Her name was Helen.

Every time I saw Helen roaming, I would stop to visit with her and then assist her to her room or gently remind her that she didn't bring her sweater today. A few hours later she would be roaming the hallways again and I would repeat my visit with her all over again.

While I enjoyed visiting with Helen, it saddened me that she would forget who I was even though we'd visited with one another a few hours prior. It also saddened me that she would not be able to remember her past and cherish the wonderful memories of her life. She would not know her loved ones or be able to talk about old times with them.

Helen passed away a few months after I left the nursing home, but my sadness still remains. While many people are aware of Alzheimer's Disease, they may not be aware that someone out there is willing to do something about the disease. That someone is the Alzheimer's Association and their Memory Walk Program.

Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk is helping to raise awareness and the funds to help fight Alzheimer's Disease. The funds for this walk will also help for care of loved ones with Alzheimer's as well. Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk is asking volunteers of all ages to become a part of the fight for Alzheimer's Disease by starting or joining a team and walking for a purpose.

Through their website you can find information on how to join or start a team. You can also volunteer in other ways if you're unable to join the walk. If you're not sure whether a team has been started in your area, you can type in your zip code and do a search that is provided on the main page of their website.

If there is not a team in your area, why not start one? While you don't need to be a team captain to walk, becoming a team captain is a great start to help in the fight for a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. It's a great way for your to make sure that friends and family are aware of what is going on.

Consider this in volunteering as a team captain:

If you live in a small town like I do, you can change things for loved ones like, Helen.

Make businesses aware of this disease by asking for donations and having them post flyers in their windows.

Talk to friends and family and have them help in your quest by walking with you or donating to this great cause.

Let the local newspaper and radio station know of your cause and see if they will print an article about the walk or announce it on the air.

Talk to nursing homes and get them involved!

The above are just a few ways you can help as a team captain. In the end it's a positive experience knowing that you are a big part of this cause. For me this is a great cause that I want to be a part of. Won't you join me with the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk in this fight and help loved ones remember?

Become a Team Captain and change a life.

Debt and Credit Cards

If you're trying to get out of debt like I am, many people will tell you to avoid credit cards. For the most part there is some truth to this. When you're trying to get out of debt, credit cards can be a big problem... especially if you love spending money. For some however, credit cards can be a blessing if they are used the right way.

Take Mint Credit Cards for instance. They offer no interest on balance transfers for 13 months. This can be helpful when you have other credit cards with high interest rates. You can transfer high interest cards to Mint Credit Card and pay off those balances in 13 months. After that the interest rate is at 14.9% for most consumers. Still not bad for a credit card rate.

Mint Credit Cards also offers a 24 hour customer service line and you can manage your account with them online. Less hassle! How cool is that!

If you have other high interest rate credit cards, you might want to give them a shot and see if this offer is right for you and apply for a credit card from them.

This is a paid post and is sponsored by payperpost.

Making Reservations

Next month is my son's surgery and my husband and I are planning to reserve a one night hotel stay for then. I've looked into Hotel Reservations website before and I was really excited about what they had to offer. I still am. I can get a room for the two of us at Ecno lodge for $43 per a night. Not bad at all compared to some of the other rates.

 

Looking ahead at next year, I'd planned on a vacation for my husband and I to the Caribbean. If all goes well, I'll be checking back with them for a reasonable package deal. The one thing I did find a little disappointing was that Hotel Reservations do not have cruise ship packages. I am hoping by the time I check back with them for a vacation, they will! Right now however, they do offer, flight + hotel+ car, flight + hotel, hotel + car and flight + car. So, if you’re looking for a simple way to combine your vacation plans into one great deal, they have it!

 

If you’re looking for just a vacation rental, you can do a search for several major cities here in the U.S. If you’re looking to get out of the U.S. instead, they have several international destinations as well. If you’re planning to stay more than one night at a hotel, you should definitely check out their, “Up to $100 Rebate Offer.” The rebate is only good for booked rooms between September 30 and November 30th of this year, however.

 

The great thing about Hotel Reservations is, they do have a 24/hr customer service line. So even if I have to wait to plan the vacation or trip for Oklahoma City when my husband gets home from work, Hotel Reservations is still there to help. So, yeah I will probably go through Hotel Reservations to get a hotel for our trip to Oklahoma City. Saves us the hassle of having to call every hotel in the area to compare prices! Especially when you're on a budget like we are!

 

 

This is a paid post and is sponsored by payperpost.

If You're on a Budget Like Me...

For most of us, a budget is a must, especially if you are trying to climb out of financial debt. When this happens, we're generally faced with sticking to a budget and finding ways to cut costs.

One way to cut costs is with online coupons. Coupons have actually been a lifesaver for me, especially when they come with free stuff. With KeepCash.com, you can find Office Depot Coupons where you can find deals like a Free Boombox with any $75 purchase. How cool is that??

Office Depot can be a great way to save money when you're a freelance writer like I am. The great thing about it is, I can purchase my office supplies with them, without having to drive 30 miles to an office supply store. yep, I live in that small of a town!

If Office Depot isn't really your thing, KeepCash.com has many other coupon deals as well, so you're sure to find a few good deals to suit your own budgeting needs. I did a search for places that carry groceries with KeepCash.com and found that Amazon is listed in their coupon deals. I know for a fact that they just started carrying groceries, so if you're looking for deals on food, KeepCash.com is definitely worth checking out.

This is a paid post and is sponsored by Payperpost.

A Warning About Google Adsense,Payperpost and Freelance Writing

Today, I made my usual stop at John Chow's website and discovered an interesting, yet scary post about Rich Twin Poor Twin. Rich Twin Poor Twin is a website built by twins who were trying to make their millions using Google Adsene Only. Well, no more! After a pending loss of nearly $200,000 that was due to them from adsene last month, Google decided to ban the twins! Why they banned them was because google claimed they had invalid clicks coming from their ads. It's a story that sucks, but we learn from our mistakes. The worst part about it is, once google bans you, any money due to you will not be sent. So the twins are now out of nearly $200,000.

Never rely on google adsense as your only source of online income. If you do, you're asking for trouble like the twins did. Instead, look at other money making opportunities as well. As John Chow has mentioned in a prior Google Adsense post, putting all of your eggs in one basket is a big mistake! Don't do it!

On the other hand, if you're like me and have yet to receive any money from google adsense, you're probably not too worried, right? Well, you should be. You see, for a while my biggest mistake was relying on Payperpost and my freelancing job as my major source for income. To be exact, I was relying on my freelancing job as a writer, more than anything. Well two things have happened to me lately.

1. Payperpost hasn't qualified me for any opportunity posts lately. This is more than likely because I have a very low Google Rank that I can't seem to lift. Obviously as far as rank goes I am doing something wrong, but not sure what. So until I can raise my google rank, there will be very few payperpost offers I imagine.



2. My job as a freelance writer as I said, has been a major source for my income. While I love my job, lately my boss has had a really bad habit of going back on her word. Her first time was during a period when her payroll department didn't pay me the entire amount of money that was owed to me. The money I had expected was suppose to be used to help make a payment on this house. After letting my boss know about the shortened paycheck, she said it would be on it's way by that Thursday.
   
   Well, I never received it, so of course I emailed her. Her response was, it would be on it's way two weeks later like she had originally noted! So, as upset as I was, I sent her the original email she'd sent me about getting the money due to me by that Thursday (not two weeks later). Even though she did apologize, the damage was done and it was too late, so I ended up waiting the two weeks.

She did however, advance me money from last weeks paycheck, which was nice of her. But a few days ago I sent her a new list of articles and received a response saying that she had given all of the writers a month off. Something I never received notice about. She did however note that I could write 30 articles for her that month. While it shortens my income again, I figured it was at least some money.

So I queried her about the articles I had sent her for approval. Her reply to me was, she was unable to approve the articles until further notice, but I could write the 5 celebrity articles that were included in the list. So we went from 30 articles to 5 in just one day! And if we really want to go into details, I went from 60 to 30 to 5 in a matter of 4 days. And of course this is all during bad timing! Sigh, just my luck!!!

New Curtains for the Home

Since I've already talked about Terry's Fabrics in an earlier post, I thought I would also mention their selection of curtains. And boy do I mean curtains! I can't believe how great of a selection of curtain fabrics they actually have! You'll find everything from Chenile to natural fabrics. They even carry Children's fabrics! How cool is that? If you'd prefer their ready made curtains, they have a nice selection of those as well!

While you're checking out their curtain selection, don't forget to stop by and see what types of curtain tracks they have to go along with your new curtains! I love their stuff!



This is a paid post and is sponsored by PayPerPost.

Some New Bedding

I am always in search of new bedding ideas, especially since we're in a new home.

Terry's Fabrics always has a great selection of bedding and everything else you're looking for. Not sure what you're looking for? Check out Terry's Fabric's embroidered duvet covers. My favorite is their Salon Duvet Cover Blue. I love the look and it comes in black as well! How cool is that? The Salon Duvet Cover is machine washable and it comes with Pillow cases! You can't beat that! If you're in need of some new bedding like I am, be sure to drop by and check out Terry's Fabrics and their great selection of bedding! You just might find what you're looking for!





This is a paid post and is sponsored by PayPerPost.