Today I was approached about a new writing opportunity. Someone that I know has a new magazine that they are starting locally. They contacted me on Facebook to see if I would be interested in writing for them. This will be an ongoing job that I will do every month and eventually bi-monthly.
I am so excited about this new venture! I could not be more happy that she had the faith in my ability to come to me with this job. Life is good right now. It is a wonderful thing to love what you do!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
More About Coupons
I have received a few questions about using coupons so I thought I would elaborate. I know some people spend hours a week on this and go all out. I still save money, but I don't do that at all. I have a coupon binder that I keep my stuff in and I update it about once a week. It is simply a binder and then the inserts inside it are baseball card protectors so that I have a lot of little pockets. I spent about $10 to make it. Here you can see what it looks like and how it is set up.
I don't spend very much time on my coupons. I follow The Krazy Coupon Lady on facebook. I found out about her on a show she did on TLC called Extreme Couponing. You can read the article about it here. She does a lot of the work for me. She posts about stores in her area and matches up the ads/coupons. I use the ideas that she posts if I have the same store and coupons. She has a book out that I want to buy, but have not yet.
If I go to a store and find out one of my coupons is amazing and they pay me to use it, then I check eBay for more of them. I don't pay a lot, but if it still saves me a ton of money spending $2 might be worth it. You can also use services that clip coupons and sell them, but I have not tried this yet.
I watch a lot of television so I sit and clip coupons while I watch TV. I am usually done for the week in less than an hour long show so it is not that time consuming. You can find the time to do it if it is something important to you.
I don't spend very much time on my coupons. I follow The Krazy Coupon Lady on facebook. I found out about her on a show she did on TLC called Extreme Couponing. You can read the article about it here. She does a lot of the work for me. She posts about stores in her area and matches up the ads/coupons. I use the ideas that she posts if I have the same store and coupons. She has a book out that I want to buy, but have not yet.
If I go to a store and find out one of my coupons is amazing and they pay me to use it, then I check eBay for more of them. I don't pay a lot, but if it still saves me a ton of money spending $2 might be worth it. You can also use services that clip coupons and sell them, but I have not tried this yet.
I watch a lot of television so I sit and clip coupons while I watch TV. I am usually done for the week in less than an hour long show so it is not that time consuming. You can find the time to do it if it is something important to you.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
My Fun with Coupons
Since I work from home, I also try to cook at home as much as possible. I am not great about this, but I am improving. I have started to become an Extreme Coupon person. I don't usually buy a ton of coupons from eBay or clipping sites, but I do get the weekly paper and my mom passes her coupons on to me as well. I wanted to share my coupon experience from today. I went to the local commissary where stuff is cheaper. I try to shop here most of the time, but it is a bit of a drive if I just need a couple of things. Here is what I picked up today. 
I spent $2.00 on the Maalox coupons on eBay. They were for $5 off of a bottle. I got them for $3.99 which means they paid me to buy them. I had coupons for other items I bought as well. Two things on the shopping trip did not have coupons.
I got a grand total of $51.16 worth of groceries for only $6.56! It was $8.56 if you count what I spent on the coupons. Not a bad deal at all! I will be sharing the Maalox with family, but if they are going to pay me to buy something I want as many as I can get for myself. I love saving money!
I spent $2.00 on the Maalox coupons on eBay. They were for $5 off of a bottle. I got them for $3.99 which means they paid me to buy them. I had coupons for other items I bought as well. Two things on the shopping trip did not have coupons.
I got a grand total of $51.16 worth of groceries for only $6.56! It was $8.56 if you count what I spent on the coupons. Not a bad deal at all! I will be sharing the Maalox with family, but if they are going to pay me to buy something I want as many as I can get for myself. I love saving money!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Making Money as a Blogger
Do you realize that you can make money on your blog? Many people blog, but do not realize that it can be profitable as well. I am pretty new to blogging and I am just learning, but I want to share a few ways with you that you can earn money on your own blog.
Ad Placement
You can use a company such as Google Adsense or Chitika and allow them to place ads on your blog. When anyone clicks on these ads, you will make money. This is my main source of income from my blog, so if you ever see an ad that interests you feel free to click. You can choose from other companies as well, but these are the only ones that I use at this time. I love Google besides the fact that it has a $100 minimum payout so it might be Christmas before I see my money.
Affiliates
You can sign up with companies to earn money when someone purchases something from them. The only one I have set up so far is Amazon. If someone purchases a book or anything from their site through your link, you earn a percentage of the money. You can add links to your blog such as this one. This is one of my favorite CD's ever so I just used it as an example.
Blogging for Companies
Certain companies will pay you to write a blog for them about their product. I have done a couple of these and you can tell which ones they are because they mention that they are sponsored. Get a Free Belly Bag is the one I did recently. They are easy to do and pay pretty good. I use a company called Social Spark. You can also earn money for referring people to them so if you sign up please use the link since it is my referral. I know there are other companies out there, but I have not tried any yet so if you have experience with them please feel free to share.
Ad Placement
You can use a company such as Google Adsense or Chitika and allow them to place ads on your blog. When anyone clicks on these ads, you will make money. This is my main source of income from my blog, so if you ever see an ad that interests you feel free to click. You can choose from other companies as well, but these are the only ones that I use at this time. I love Google besides the fact that it has a $100 minimum payout so it might be Christmas before I see my money.
Affiliates
You can sign up with companies to earn money when someone purchases something from them. The only one I have set up so far is Amazon. If someone purchases a book or anything from their site through your link, you earn a percentage of the money. You can add links to your blog such as this one. This is one of my favorite CD's ever so I just used it as an example.
Blogging for Companies
Certain companies will pay you to write a blog for them about their product. I have done a couple of these and you can tell which ones they are because they mention that they are sponsored. Get a Free Belly Bag is the one I did recently. They are easy to do and pay pretty good. I use a company called Social Spark. You can also earn money for referring people to them so if you sign up please use the link since it is my referral. I know there are other companies out there, but I have not tried any yet so if you have experience with them please feel free to share.
Monday, February 21, 2011
How Associated Content Works
When you first start writing for Associated Content, it can be a bit overwhelming. You are allowed to pick assignments off the desk or write about anything that you want to and submit it yourself.
If I am writing about coloring pages, parenting, travel, or product reviews just to name a few, I submit them up upfront payment. You will get anywhere from $2 on up to $7 or more. Your upfront payments will increase as your clout increases and your page view average. I have seen mine going up lately.
You can also submit as display only. This is what I do on articles such as television reviews, music reviews, movies, and book reviews. They do not pay upfront on these. If a popular show such as "The Bachelor" is on, I can write a recap of it. I will get over 3,000 views in one day on it. You want this type of article to post right away plus they won't pay upfront on it anyway.
I have received upfront payment on a few articles that are music or movie related. One example is this article about Lady Antebellum. Another article that I received upfront payment on was Top 10 Quotes About Love from the Movies. These are considered evergreen which means people will still look at them months or years from now and not just this week or month.
I get paid to write a few TV articles on AC, but this is because I am part of the program with a beat desk. They contacted me about this on their own. To get these options and also articles targeted to you, the best way is to write about what you love. If they like your writing and have more in this area, they might contact you.
They are also changing their featured contributor program. I do not know much about how the new one will work, but will blog on it when it goes live.
If I am writing about coloring pages, parenting, travel, or product reviews just to name a few, I submit them up upfront payment. You will get anywhere from $2 on up to $7 or more. Your upfront payments will increase as your clout increases and your page view average. I have seen mine going up lately.
You can also submit as display only. This is what I do on articles such as television reviews, music reviews, movies, and book reviews. They do not pay upfront on these. If a popular show such as "The Bachelor" is on, I can write a recap of it. I will get over 3,000 views in one day on it. You want this type of article to post right away plus they won't pay upfront on it anyway.
I have received upfront payment on a few articles that are music or movie related. One example is this article about Lady Antebellum. Another article that I received upfront payment on was Top 10 Quotes About Love from the Movies. These are considered evergreen which means people will still look at them months or years from now and not just this week or month.
I get paid to write a few TV articles on AC, but this is because I am part of the program with a beat desk. They contacted me about this on their own. To get these options and also articles targeted to you, the best way is to write about what you love. If they like your writing and have more in this area, they might contact you.
They are also changing their featured contributor program. I do not know much about how the new one will work, but will blog on it when it goes live.
Get a Free Belly Bag
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CryoCell International. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you are pregnant, you can get a free belly bag. These are really cute. If I was pregnant, I would want one for sure! Plus a mom can never have too many bags. I know I was always using them for something when my kids were little.
If you are interested in this free bag, go to www.Cryo-Cell.net
This is where you will need to sign up for the free bag. www.Cryo-Cell.com
I know that I am always happy to get something for free!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Companies that I Freelance Write for from Home.
I started freelance writing in the summer of 2010. When I first started writing, I spent most of my time at textbroker. If you are level 4 here, you can make pretty good money. This site does not have as much work available now as they did when I first started writing. I still write here, but not as much as I did when I first started writing.
They always say to have a lot of eggs in your basket and I have done just that for myself. I was really nervous at first that I would lose eggs or something would fall through on me. Here is a list of all of the places that I write for at least one time a month so that I do not lose my privileges.
- Wordgigs - We have a love/hate relationship depending on what they have available.
- Break Studios - I love them, when I can find good titles. They pay $8 per article.
- Bright Hub - They pay $10 per article plus residuals, but it is not my favorite place to write with all of the rules.
- Factoidz - I really enjoy writing for them. You can read more about it here.
- List my Five - I am really still just playing around with this site. I have only made about $5 on there.
- Seed - This site is through AOL. They don't usually have a lot available, but when they do the pay is amazing. I have been paid $10 for a 50 word article and nope that is not a typo.
My two main eggs are Associated Content/Yahoo and Examiner. I have a love for both of these places. Associated Content pays me upfront for articles plus residuals. They even put them up on Yahoo when the article belongs there. They are always adding new things. I write 14 TV articles a month for here and I could not be happier. I get to use my imagination and write about what I want to write about with this site.
Examiner is where I feel like I am gambling. I never know if the article will do well or not until I put it up, but I have had amazing luck here so far. I will make more on this site alone this month then I used to make with every single place that I write online.
Feel free to ask me anything you want about any of these sites and I will reply or make a future blog post about it.
They always say to have a lot of eggs in your basket and I have done just that for myself. I was really nervous at first that I would lose eggs or something would fall through on me. Here is a list of all of the places that I write for at least one time a month so that I do not lose my privileges.
- Wordgigs - We have a love/hate relationship depending on what they have available.
- Break Studios - I love them, when I can find good titles. They pay $8 per article.
- Bright Hub - They pay $10 per article plus residuals, but it is not my favorite place to write with all of the rules.
- Factoidz - I really enjoy writing for them. You can read more about it here.
- List my Five - I am really still just playing around with this site. I have only made about $5 on there.
- Seed - This site is through AOL. They don't usually have a lot available, but when they do the pay is amazing. I have been paid $10 for a 50 word article and nope that is not a typo.
My two main eggs are Associated Content/Yahoo and Examiner. I have a love for both of these places. Associated Content pays me upfront for articles plus residuals. They even put them up on Yahoo when the article belongs there. They are always adding new things. I write 14 TV articles a month for here and I could not be happier. I get to use my imagination and write about what I want to write about with this site.
Examiner is where I feel like I am gambling. I never know if the article will do well or not until I put it up, but I have had amazing luck here so far. I will make more on this site alone this month then I used to make with every single place that I write online.
Feel free to ask me anything you want about any of these sites and I will reply or make a future blog post about it.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Sharing Figures
I know that many work at home people shy away from sharing figures of what they actually make places. I am NOT one of those people. I feel like when a friend tells me that they made $1,000 with a company that means a lot more to me than simply saying they make a living. The money I need to live on is going to be different than the money someone else needs to live on in their situation.
I think that we should all share with each other how well we do. Toot your own horn! Be proud of yourself for the work that you do and encourage other work at home moms to do the same for themselves. If you have a bad month, do not be ashamed. We are all busy.
I will say that I only made $500 in January. I took over a week off for my cruise and did not work a lot. On that same note, I have already made close to $1,000 for February and the month is not even over yet.
We all have to figure out what sites work best for us and make it work. I used to write a lot for content mills that want boring articles about printers, tape, cars, and other things I just don't care about writing. I am now focusing on residual and upfront with what I love writing about which is travel, parenting, and television. If you don't love what you do, you will have to force yourself to work which is not fun at all.
Please feel free to ask me questions about anything that you ever to know. I will make future blog on the information or answer you on here. I love helping others and love the ones I have found who have helped me!
I think that we should all share with each other how well we do. Toot your own horn! Be proud of yourself for the work that you do and encourage other work at home moms to do the same for themselves. If you have a bad month, do not be ashamed. We are all busy.
I will say that I only made $500 in January. I took over a week off for my cruise and did not work a lot. On that same note, I have already made close to $1,000 for February and the month is not even over yet.
We all have to figure out what sites work best for us and make it work. I used to write a lot for content mills that want boring articles about printers, tape, cars, and other things I just don't care about writing. I am now focusing on residual and upfront with what I love writing about which is travel, parenting, and television. If you don't love what you do, you will have to force yourself to work which is not fun at all.
Please feel free to ask me questions about anything that you ever to know. I will make future blog on the information or answer you on here. I love helping others and love the ones I have found who have helped me!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Reasons Why I Love Residual Income
As a work at home mom, I am still a stay at home mom as well. This means I am so busy sometimes with activities for my little ones that I don't even sit down at the computer. Today was one of those days.
We went to my daughter's Valentine's Day program and it was amazing. I loved every minute of watching her dance and not really sing. We had a good day, but we were busy.
When I finally got home, I barely had time to write a couple of articles. I look at my earnings and yes I have made money today.
Examiner and Associated Content, plus my blog are my main residual income places. It is great that when I need to take a day off people are still reading my stuff. I can make $20 or more easy on a day that I don't even touch a computer. If you aren't doing residual earnings, figure out a way to put some time into it. We all deserve a day off sometimes and now I can afford to take one.
We went to my daughter's Valentine's Day program and it was amazing. I loved every minute of watching her dance and not really sing. We had a good day, but we were busy.
When I finally got home, I barely had time to write a couple of articles. I look at my earnings and yes I have made money today.
Examiner and Associated Content, plus my blog are my main residual income places. It is great that when I need to take a day off people are still reading my stuff. I can make $20 or more easy on a day that I don't even touch a computer. If you aren't doing residual earnings, figure out a way to put some time into it. We all deserve a day off sometimes and now I can afford to take one.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Boudreaux's Butt Paste for Your Infant
This post brought to you by Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.
I have wasted money several times buying different diaper rash ointments. My poor daughter has one spot that still at the age of 2 comes back and bothers her. Recently I decided to try something different. I had been told by other people that it was great so I bought Boudreaux's Butt Paste.
I honestly could not have been happier with this product. It does go on really thick, but that is a good thing. It covered up the diaper rash completely and I only had to use it a few times before it was gone. This product even comes in different sizes so you can carry one around with you or get a bigger one to keep at home.
It goes on her easily and comes back off easy. I never have problems with it staining her clothes which is always a plus for me. This is the only one that I will buy from now on for my child.
You can check out their website to get a free sample. That will give you a chance to use it once and decide if you like it or not. It will also save you a little bit of money which is always a good thing when you are trying to live with this economy.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Taxes as a Self Employed Freelance Writer
I have spent a lot of time today researching taxes as a freelance writer. I have used a tax professional in the past and watched them claim things I know are not right. I have been through the training at Jackson Hewitt for working for them and see how little they train their "tax professionals." For this reason, I feel a lot better doing them on my own.
I did not claim a lot this year in the way of expenses since I only worked from home the last few months of the year. This year I will be working from home the entire year. My "home office" is just a small desk area so I probably won't be claiming that expense, but now I am trying to figure it all out. I think I might have to buy a book.
I want to make a ton of money, but I also love my tax return at the end of the year :-)
I did not claim a lot this year in the way of expenses since I only worked from home the last few months of the year. This year I will be working from home the entire year. My "home office" is just a small desk area so I probably won't be claiming that expense, but now I am trying to figure it all out. I think I might have to buy a book.
I want to make a ton of money, but I also love my tax return at the end of the year :-)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Using Listia to Sell and Buy
My mother-in-law told me about a site awhile ago called Listia. It is similar to eBay, but you don't spend money except for sometimes for shipping. You can sell items and you get points. Then you can use your points to buy things. You can also earn points for referrals and once in awhile you get random points for other things such as bidding. I love this site! I list things that won't make much money on eBay such as clothes my kids outgrew that are not name brand. I have been able to get some brand new things on this site and slightly used clothes for the kids. I love it! This is just a great way to save some money. Click on this link to sign up today. Check it out!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
More on Examiner and Associated Content
This week has been very beneficial for me on Examiner. Everyone loves to watch Super Bowl commercials. I took that idea and ran with it. I had an over $500 week on there. I am so happy!
I also got a Top 500 Badge for January on Associated Content. This means that I was one of the top 500 writers in views. This is my first time to get a top 500 badge and considering I was gone a week on vacation I am very happy about it! Now if they would just review all my stuff that is waiting in the queue.
We got 15 inches of snow here last night. Today we took the kids sledding, made chili, and made smores over the fireplace. I didn't work a lot, but it was a lot of fun with the kids and my husband. Residual income makes it where I can take a day off like this and not feel guilty. I love it!
I also got a Top 500 Badge for January on Associated Content. This means that I was one of the top 500 writers in views. This is my first time to get a top 500 badge and considering I was gone a week on vacation I am very happy about it! Now if they would just review all my stuff that is waiting in the queue.
We got 15 inches of snow here last night. Today we took the kids sledding, made chili, and made smores over the fireplace. I didn't work a lot, but it was a lot of fun with the kids and my husband. Residual income makes it where I can take a day off like this and not feel guilty. I love it!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Writing for Examiner
I have a new place that I love to write! It is called Examiner. I am the Oklahoma City TV Examiner. It is a lot of fun. They only pay $1 for articles with a local spin, but they also pay for views and it is good! They have a science that they figure it out with but it is better than other places. I wrote an article last night about the Super Bowl and it did great!
The article I wrote was about Christina Aguilera messing up the words to the National Anthem. This article got over 23,000 views just last night. It has already made me over $150!!! I am so happy and I plan to put some more effort into working here.
Please if you decide to apply use my name Mandy Robinson as a referral. They pay $50 per referral if you get hired which is great money! Thanks!
The article I wrote was about Christina Aguilera messing up the words to the National Anthem. This article got over 23,000 views just last night. It has already made me over $150!!! I am so happy and I plan to put some more effort into working here.
Please if you decide to apply use my name Mandy Robinson as a referral. They pay $50 per referral if you get hired which is great money! Thanks!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Starting as a Writer at Home
When I decided to start looking for work at home jobs, I tried everything and it was hard to find a job. Once I discovered the world of writing, I knew this was what I wanted to do for sure. It was hard to break into and decide where to even start with this venture. I found a forum of wonderful women who helped me. I want to share with you two articles I have written to help you start if you are interested in working from home. Check out Working at Home as a Writer Guide to Getting Started and Work at Home as a Writer - 10 Legit Places that Hire Writers at Home. Remember that if something wants you to pay to get started it is probably a scam. You should never have to pay to get a job.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Selling on Ebay
Ebay was the very first work at home thing I found to do. I have been selling on eBay for about 12 years now. It is amazing! I list the kid's clothes that are in great shape, books that I finish, and anything else I can find around the house. It is really fun to watch the price go up and see how much money you can make on it. This is a great way to earn a bit of extra income. Anytime money is short, I think to myself and figure out a few things to sell. My daughter knows if she wants a new video game that I will let her sell one she doesn't play anymore and spend the money for a new one. It works great!
If you have larger things to sell such as a bed, try out craigslist. I sell a few things on here and it is pretty simple. Just make sure you are careful since you will actually be meeting the person you sell the item.
I am trying to get back into listing more things on eBay. I have listed a pair of pajamas, a book, and a coat this week. It is pretty easy to learn. Make sure you add a picture to anything you list. You can check out the way I list things on my page. Check it out!
If you have larger things to sell such as a bed, try out craigslist. I sell a few things on here and it is pretty simple. Just make sure you are careful since you will actually be meeting the person you sell the item.
I am trying to get back into listing more things on eBay. I have listed a pair of pajamas, a book, and a coat this week. It is pretty easy to learn. Make sure you add a picture to anything you list. You can check out the way I list things on my page. Check it out!
Friday, February 4, 2011
I Don't Want to Work Kind of Day
Today is an I don't want to work kind of day for me. I am looking at facebook, reading blogs, and doing a lot of nothing. I feel like I am just sitting here wasting time. I think I might actually get up and read my book instead. The little one is asleep and the older one is at school. I have accomplished nothing today in the way of work. At least I made it to do all of my shopping and returns this morning. Well I am off to learn more about the Playboy mansion in the latest book I am interested in reading.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Searching with Swagbucks
Instead of using google, I use Swagbucks to search the internet. I can always find anything that I am looking for with this site. The only time I go to Google now is for images or if I need a phone number.
The great thing about Swagbucks is that you earn points for your searches. You can also do a few daily things such as a poll for more points. Every 450 points I usually cash out for a $5 Amazon gift card. This was great at Christmas because I had several saved up. They also have a lot of other things you can cash out for and this time I am saving mine to see what else I can get with them.
Try it out today! Please click the banner below to sign up.
The great thing about Swagbucks is that you earn points for your searches. You can also do a few daily things such as a poll for more points. Every 450 points I usually cash out for a $5 Amazon gift card. This was great at Christmas because I had several saved up. They also have a lot of other things you can cash out for and this time I am saving mine to see what else I can get with them.
Try it out today! Please click the banner below to sign up.
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