Make Money and Save Money

Well, my last post got me a skeptical comment and I got to thinking as to why. I was not writing a post putting my referal link in just to get some to click it. I just staeted that I made some money doing what I love to do, write.

The comment reads: Hmmm..If this really worked then everybody would already be in on it. Right….?

I answer: Not necessarily, until two months ago I did not know Today.com existed, yet here I am today earning money with two Blogs here. Always be vigilant about your online dealings but don’t let it turn a real opportunity away for fear it is a scam.

There are many ways to research these sites and programs before you go all in, type their name into a search engine with the words “is a scam” behind it. If anyone has been duped by the program you can bet that someone is letting the web know all about it. Their are forums dedicated to seeking and exposing sites and programs that are nothing but a scam. Use your investigative skills to seek out the truth before you join or participate instead of passing on everything, eventually you will pass on the perfect opportunity without ever knowing.

Associated Content is the answer to your questions. I was completely skeptical having been scammed by so many in the past that claimed to offer top dollar for your submited articles. Associated Content actually pays you for your contributions to their online article site, and what is even better is the fact that they pay directly to your PayPal account when you accept their offer. I have been paid multiple times in the week that I have been a content producer here, this is trully making money online.

Will you get rich, probably not but you can earn a decent amount writing about things you enjoy or have knowledge someone else would benefit from. You never know, maybe a publisher will come across your work and want to sign you to a multiple book deal. Online xposure is an excellent way to gain interest in your work why not get paid wile your waiting for that big break?

I know that for me it is the first thing on my mind when I pick-up my paycheck, what do I need to do with this money? How can I put a little extra aside just in case I might need it in the future? I am always weighing what needs to be paid and what can wait for another pay cycle.

Also, do not limit yourself so much that you begin to dread working or paying your bills altogether, if you do not have some spluring now you will end up blowing a whole pay check frivilously later. Buy that magazine you like to flip through during lunch, go ahead and pick up that oh-to-cute shirt you saw in the clearance rack; splurging in small doses will calm those savings woes for awhile.

Never put off the utilities, rent or mortgage because without these you would not be able to have the extras you so badly want. Groceries too should be a necessity and you should always view it as such, ice cream and pop can wait but the dinner items should not.

Whenever you find yourself with a sum of money you were not expecting I suggest paying ahead on your monthly bills. You never know what may happen in the next few months, that little bit of advanced payment may be the difference between paying late or recieving a shut-off.

Myth #1  Driving slower will help you save on gas.

Not true, you use more gas when driving at slower or faster speeds than your vehicle was highway tested for. Instead, coast whenever possible, this means if you are going downhill ease your foot off the gas pedal until you feel it starting to slow down. Otherwise maintain a constant peddle pressure and speed and avoid unnecessary slowing and stopping.

Myth #2 Buying in bulk always saves you money.

Nope wrong again. Buying in bulk is beneficial only when you will use the product before its best if used by/expiration date. Also, if you do not have a means of storing the product once it has been opened the shelf life is drasticly reduced, buy in bulk if you have a large family or will most likely use the product within the recommended usage time once opened.

Myth #3 Turning the light off everytime you are not using it will save you money on your electric bill.

If you are likely to visit the room multiple times and will be turning it off and on repeatedly you will end up using more electricity than if you had just left the light on to begin with. It takes more electricity upon the intial turning on than it does to leaveit running for a full twenty-four hours.

Myth #4 Buying generic over name brand is the only way to go when looking to save money.

This one actually tickles my funny bone, there is a reason it is a name brand and that reason is tried and trusted quality. Now of course you can find a laundry detergent that is cheaper than Tide on the market but if you use it will it clean your clothes with the same effectiveness and guarantee that you get with Tide. I have come across very few, and of those few they were all other name brand products. If your clothes do not come out of the washer as clean and stain free with a generic brand then you are not saving money by purchasing and using it. It will end up costing you more in water/electricity to re-wash them and if the stain is set in you will most likely throw it away.

If you find yourself offered something absolutely for free, take it.  Too many people turn away offers that will cost them nothing to receive because they either let their pride get in the way or feel they do not need what is being offered. If you have ever purchsed that item before it is a deal to get one for free; do not take the free diapers if you or someone you know does not have a baby but do accept the three piece suit that would come in handy while interviewing for employment.

If you are being offered a free item to sign-up or complete an offer seriously weigh all the factors before turning it down. Is the sign-up fee? Is the item worth more than the fee to complete the offer? Do you or someone you know have a use for the item? Answer these questions before you make a final decision.

Here are two examples, one is a great deal and the other is not.

You will receive a laptop for free if you sign-up for a two year subscription to a magazing you purchase on occasion. The total price you need to pay before you get the laptop is $98.

You are being offered a 3 day 2 night stay in a five star hotel in at one of 10 locations. You are responsible for the travel and living costs as well as the taxes upon compltetion. In order to receive this offer you have to purchase one product that is $60 or more.

Which one is a better deal? Well to me the first one is the better deal; you spend $98 to receive a magazine you enjoy reading and a brand new laptop. A laptop alone can cost you upwards of $900 for a decent one. The other example has you paying alot of money out of pocket just to be able to redeem the hotel stay and you are spending $60 just to receive it.  

The last thing I want to say is, enter into any free sweepstakes you come across. Read the rules and enter as many times as you are allowed eventualy you will win and the more times you enter something the better you become at predicting your chances of winning.

The economy is very shaky right now and most everyone is looking for ways to save money and still be able to live the way they are used to. No one wants to give up everything in their lives that provides them comfort and satisfaction. With Halloween just around the corner we all are thinking of these ridiculously expensive manufactured costumes. Each year they seem to become even more expensive and the quality has begun to leave you wanting more.

This year I will make the kids costumes from what ever I already have laying around the house. I have alot of old make-up that I do not wear anymore (or that the littles got ahold of and gouged out big chunks), I still have a few years of old costumes packed up in the attic, and I have alot of clothes packed away from my thinner days (pre-pregnancy clothes are never going to fit again). All it takes is a little imagination and some clever ingeniuity and you can mimic any costume out there on the market.

A way to earn a little extra money from home is participating in paid surveys. Companys are just dying to pay you to help them research their products and services and sometimes they pay pretty decent. By participating in these surveys you are helping the company target their advertisements with the highest beneits tothem.

There are alot of Survey sites out there and they are not all created equall; some are true surveys while many more are offer completion based advertisements. Sure you may be paid a few dollars to complete them but many require you use a credit card to sign-up for free trials in order to earn that payment. Now they usually offer you a higher payment than you will be spending it is still a complete hassle trying to remember to cancel your trial membership before it becomes a recurring monthly payment you are stuck with because you did not cancel in time.

If you are like me you simply do not have the money to spend hence the reason you were trying to earn online to begin with. Just pay attention to all the fine print in everything you participate in, if it will cost you more out of pocket than you will earn it is not a good move. Move on to the next offer and remember the site for future reference when deciding to spend your time on the next survey offer.

Something that I just found that I would like to share with you is an online community that pays you to participate. Mylot has been around for a few years and is just like any other community; you have a personal profile, friends lists, join in discussion threads, ability to upload pictures and more. The difference with Mylot is that you are paid everytime you post or respond to a discussion and load an image into your discussion.

You can also pull an existing Blog into their community once you have had it running for 4 months and get paid for advertising it. I have earned over $2 within this community for the past two weeks of membership participation, and I am only a passive poster/responder. Their is a topic for everyone here and if you can not find something that interests you then start your own.

In order for your posts to qualify earnings it must be posed as a question to encourage other members interest and responses. Be descriptive and provide links to sources if at all possible, the more quality a post the more you will be paid.

First of all if you do not subscribe to your local newspaper you should. At the very least you need to invest in the Sunday paper, the manufacturers coupons you receive in it is well worth the monthly cost. Clip out the coupons of every product you use, if you have purchased that product at any time in the last year chances are you will purchase it again in the future.

Second, go through the sales ads of any store you frequent. Keep in mind the coupons you just clipped, if you find an item on sale that you have a coupon for determine your final cost and decide if it is a good buy.  Generally my rule of thumb is that the products final cost must be half the price that I last paid for it. Keep a list for each store to compare later, you will determine if it is too your best benefit to shop at one location or if you should spend a little extra in gas to shop at more than one. If a store is more than fifteen minutes from my home I must be able to save at least fifteen dollars by shopping there.

A big tip for non-food items, like sanitary and hygene products, do not purchase them from a grocery store. They are usually more expensive than if you were to purchase them at a pharmacy or shopping center like Wal-Mart, Meijer or K-Mart. Unless of course you run into a spectacular sale and happen to have a coupon for that item. I recently went to Walgreens and purchsed over seventy dollars worth of products for under thirty-five dollars, each coupon I had matched a sale promotion product.

There are a few things you need to pay attention to when using or deciding to use coupons. One is the expiration date, will you purchase this product before the coupon expires? The second thing is wether or not you must purchse mulitple products to receive the discount. What I look for when deciding to use these coupons is buy one get one half off or free, you can still use the coupon for the full price product.

Buy one Get one sales are a big money saver, especially if it is for a non perishable product. Any monthly necessity that you purchase can be bought in pairs with these sale and you have a full two months before you need to purchse them again. If it is an incredible sale purchase as much as you can, some stores have limits on how many you can purchase per each transaction.  

One of the first work from home businesses I took on was Tupperware. A friend offered to purchase my starter kit if I signed on below her and I accepted finding myself a Tupperware lady overnight.

The product is amazing in quality and has a trusted name so you would think that selling would be easy right? No it is not, I suppose if I had a coach who kept in contact and offered advice it would have become a success over time. I spent more money on brochures and advertising than I ever made selling the products.

There were weekly meetings that one found themselves listening to new product pitches and success stories  of others in your district. No advice was given as to where to begin building your custmer base or where you should be advertising. I attended these meetings faithfully for months and held Tupperware parties once or twice a week. Problem was no one was buying the product during these parties and I ended up spending more on gas and snacks trying to build my client base.

The last nail in the Tupperware coffin was not receiving an order a customer had payed for. I turned it in to my local representative and after three weeks of not receiving the product was informed that this representative no longer worked with Tupperware. Angry and disenheartened I packed away my remaining product and distributed it that Christmas as gifts.

In hindsight I realize that I may have had a better chance of success if I had found a mentor who was willing to work with me. I was skeptical going into the endeavor and pretty much doomed myself to fail before I ever started.