Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts

Friday, August 26, 2011

Deciding on My Focus Here

It's been hard to decide exactly what I want this site to be about. When I first started it, I wanted to help people avoid some of the financial pitfalls that we've learned about the hard way. I also wanted to help people become more thrifty and save money. It seems though, that there are plenty of sites out there that can tell you about all of the good deals a lot better than I can (mainly because they're a lot more dedicated to the task of looking for all these deals). I have no idea how I could find that kind of time with five kids to raise--at least not if I wanted to have time to enjoy my family!

I've thought long and hard about what I wanted to do here. Do I want to earn money? Sure I do! Who doesn't? Do I want to help others avoid some of the mistakes I've made? You betcha! Do I want to share some helpful tip I've learned to get through hard times? I'd love to!

But I also don't want writing to feel like a chore. It's always been a sort of release for me. It's something I love to do. I think that burying myself in coupon, saving and freebie deals (and other such things) and then focusing my writing on mainly that would suck out any excitement I get when I sit down to blog. Does that sound terrible? I'm sorry if it does, but that's how I feel.

I want to enjoy the time I spend here. I figure that if I'm enjoying writing what I do here, then it's more likely that people will enjoy reading what I've written (at least I hope that's the case). I like talking about my family. I like talking about what we're doing in our lives to survive in this tough economy. But I don't really like talking about each and every coupon, freebie or other such deal. Haha! Go figure!

So I think I'll leave most of the couponing know-how to the professionals like The Thrifty Couple, Freebies4Mom, Freebies2Deals, CouponMom and the many others out there who are so much better at it than I am. Though if I find out about something that's too good to keep to myself, I'll be sure to share it. But that isn't going to be my main focus here. My focus here is about family life, trials, successes and failures. They say to write about what you know best and my family and our lives together are what I know best.



I hope that works for my readers (few they may be right now), because that's what I do best. So there is my new focus! God Bless :)

Monday, November 15, 2010

Get the Best Deal on a Used Vehicle



Some of you may remember me saying that we bought a truck this summer. We ended up paying over 50% off the dealer price for it. Though it came with some issues that cut into our overall savings, we still came out ahead.

A lot of people have asked me how we did this. I decided to write an article about it to share exactly how we did this. If you or someone you know is thinking of buying a car in the near or even distant future, don't do it until you've read this:

Get the Best Deal on a Used Vehicle

I wrote this article on Hubpages so that it's easier for the general public to find and won't be buried by other blog posts. Also, I've decided to take part in the 30 Hubs in 30 days challenge. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Another Avenue for Revenue


After much research today, I've discovered another way to make money writing. If you like to share your experiences and wouldn't mind making money doing it, check out HubPages. You can also make money by referring others. It's a pretty straight forward process to write articles and then link your adsense, amazon or other affiliate programs to your page; therefore generating revenue for your pocket.


Here's the link to my first Hubpage:
How to Modify Your Mortgage

Another great thing about this is that I get the word out on how to be successful in modifying your mortgage. Two birds, one stone (not that I'm into killing birds, now that I think about it. Whoever came up with that saying anyway? Hah!).

Bad Blogger! Bad!

Okay, I know I've been neglectful, but I'm hoping you'll be forgiving and realize that it does take quite a bit of time to raise a family with five children. Gee, who'd have thought it? ;)

On a positive note, I am continuing to learn of more great ways to make money and save money. This is, of course, my mission in life. I'll never tire of that, and so I'll always have fodder, I should think, for writing helpful posts for my readers here. The only hard thing is getting the time to sit down and organize my thoughts and information so that you can get the most out of it. I also have to make sure it's not gibberish and the obvious product of a sleep-deprived brain! Haha!

So on that note, I'm still here, and I'm still willing to help those who can use my experiences to better their own lives.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

A New Look

I decided I was ready for a makeover. Not on me personally, since at 35 weeks pregnant there's not much I can do to beautify myself at the moment. Haha! But I did makeover my website here. I thought I'd go for something lighter and easy on the senses.

You'll have to let me know what you guys think. I probably should've taken the hour it took me to redo things, though, and spent it writing some more helpful tips for you all out there. Forgive me? ;)

Anyway, I think that the new layout should be easier to navigate and you shouldn't have to scroll down quite as far as with the old site. Also, I'm hoping the new color scheme will improve the mood of those who visit. :)

I hope you all are doing well. God Bless!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Venting...

It seems these days are full of ups and downs. There are moments when I look at what I have--namely my husband and children--and my heart just feels full, to the point it's ready to burst with emotion. Then there are the moments when all the bad stuff weighs so heavy on my shoulders that I'm sure I'm going to collapse from it all.

I suppose that's what life is about. I just have to take the good with the bad. As do we all.

Yesterday we went to Sears to pick up some parts for our lawnmower, tiller and weed eater. No, they didn't all break at once (knock on wood!), they were just maintenance parts that we'd put off for quite a while and we couldn't wait any longer if we wanted to have them working for us in a few years from now.

While we were there, a gentleman came in to pick up his lawnmower, and for whatever reason, it wasn't there, the work wasn't done on it and he was beyond frustrated. He'd come all the way down there, and waited in a very long line, only to find out he'd done it for nothing.

The clerk who was helping us was called upon several times for this customer, who wanted his mower right then and wanted it fixed (understandable). It wasn't the clerk's fault that it wasn't fixed, he just happened to be the one at the store who knew the most about this customer's situation. Because of this familiarity, he got cornered on his way to the backroom to get our parts. The confrontation escalated and their shouting match could be heard throughout the tiny parts store.

I didn't know who to feel worse for, the clerk or the customer. Both were just trying to get their jobs done. Neither were having things go their way. Both ended up feeling upset by the way things were turning out.

I left feeling down for two reasons: one being because the parts we left with cost twice what we were expecting (of course), and the other because of the heavy atmosphere I'd just left. It was obvious to me that both men had a right to feel upset and yet neither was at fault for their situations. How do you fix something like that? How do you make someone feel better?

I know some of you are wondering why I let someone else's troubles get to me at all. Good point. I wonder that myself. If I figure it out, I'll let you know. Haha.

I suppose this economy has a lot of us on edge. So many people are feeling the pinch and that means there's more of us out there needing to vent before we explode. It's stressful to worry about finances, while at the same time your everyday life continues with family dramas, friend troubles, sick kids and everything else. We're still expected to function during this and get our duties done. It's too bad we can't just push pause on all those other things and just tackle each problem/task individually, right?

My mom has been in the hospital for the last week. She's going through a very difficult time in her life right now. I can't really say, "Sorry, Mom, can't deal with this just now. I've got lots of other stuff stressing me out, so can you put this off for later?" Hah! Yeah, that'd go over well. I'd disown myself!

Life can be hard. You've heard it before, you've experienced it and know it to be true. And yes, we all need to vent so we don't walk around like a shaken soda, waiting to explode on some poor, unsuspecting person who pulls the tab at the wrong time.

Find a way to decompress. I've found that writing helps me. Praying does, too. Find what works for you and go with it. Life's hard, but you can do it;-)

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Lesson Learned

I had planned to write everyday, no matter what. I underestimated the curve balls life can throw, and how that can definitely influence motivation. At least I'm learning to be more flexible, right?

We've been busy figuring out some big projects we've got coming up, besides our garden I mean. Oh, did I mention we had to start over on most of our seedlings? I believe I told you they grew a lot faster than we'd expected. They outgrew their containers and we didn't know what to do with them, as it is still too early to take them outside--we can't do that for another two or so weeks. Then, hubby didn't read the section where it says to get your new plants used to the outdoors gradually. He set them outside for the day, while we were doing yard work. Only the bell peppers survived. Haha!

I can laugh because they were so inexpensive. Now we know we don't need even close to the 7 weeks we planted ahead. A few weeks seems to be sufficient for our growing conditions. So we went and bought new seeds, put them back in our closet under the fluorescent lights, and now that they're all sprouted we'll gradually get them adjusted to the outdoors. Lesson learned!

Speaking of learning from trial and error, we've decided that we're learning a lot from these experiences. We've learned so much from the hard times we're experiencing now--things that we never would have even tried to find out about if life hadn't thrown a few bumps in our path.

Come to think of it, I think that I've learned the best lessons in life during hard times. Go figure. We always dread these difficult times because we're worried we won't get through them, or at least not come out of them intact. I wonder how many of us realize how much we actually gain from so many of those trials. I know they've made me stronger and I'm a better person because of them.

It's not always easy for me to admit that. There have certainly been times when I've been sure that someone "up there" must be out to get me and I've begged for some peace. Yes, even recently I've asked that God not put any more on my plate, as it seems to be overflowing just now. But in the end, I know I'll come out of this stronger. I'll come out of this smarter.

Does that mean I'm winning every battle? No (though I sometimes wish). But I'm not leaving any of these experiences empty handed. If nothing else, I'm learning to be a better gardener, a more creative manager of finances, a competent letter writer, and a pretty good negotiator;-)

I think you'll find that you've gained some knowledge from all of your hard times too. Just be sure that you do learn from them and don't repeat mistakes. Then you can say "Lesson Learned." I heard this simple phrase from a dear friend of mine and, believe it or not, there's some satisfaction in being able to say it at the end of it all.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

iCarly Season 1 Volume 2 DVD Giveaway!


I'm co-hosting my first giveaway with my friend, hamsterkitten, from Mom on the Random--visit her site for a full review and details on the prize.

One lucky winner will be chosen using random.org from either site. You can get additional entries by entering on both sites! This giveaway is open to US and Canada residents only and ends April 30. Good luck to everyone!

To enter:

1) Tell me what your favorite Nickelodeon show is from past or present.

2) Digg this, tweet this or post a link on your website. Then comment here to let me know you did.

3) Subscribe. If you've already subscribed, then follow my blog with Blogger or on Facebook. Make sure to let me know here by commenting.

4) Visit Mom on the Random for additional entries!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Back to Writing

I've been thinking a lot about writing lately. I do consider what I do here as writing. After all, it's article writing in a sense. But truly, my first love has always been fiction. I've been blessed with an overactive imagination. My kids have always loved it when I come up with little "what would happen if..." stories for them, but that's not really the area I most excel in--though it is a lot of fun to make up a story that puts the wicked witch of Snow White as the good guy. Haha

I've had a story in my mind for several years now. I've outlined just about the whole thing in notebooks and know what I want to do with it in my mind. I also have a very rough draft of the first 80+ pages. The problem? I'm not such a good mommy when I'm in writing mode. I'm inattentive, impatient and totally absorbed in what I'm doing in front of me (lost in the world of my creation, is a good way to put it).

I thought about, and tried to put the story on hold while raising my munchkins, but it just won't stop running through my head. It's still there, no matter how many articles I write, different subjects I research, or boo-boos I kiss.

So, what to do? I got inspiration from reading an author's (whom I'm a huge fan of) website. She's written several books all while being a mommy to three (one less than me, but who's counting? LOL). She's become hugely successful and it all started with a dream (as coincidentally did my idea). If you haven't guessed who I'm talking about, it's Stephenie Meyer.

I actually haven't visited her site before yesterday, despite discovering and devouring her twilight series last year. When I did visit it yesterday for the first time, I found the story behind her popular series very inspiring.

I went to bed last night thinking about how I too, could try to make a go of my dream. Writing has always been a passion for me, and it's an incredible release. But the fact is, my family will always come first. I don't want to be a half-decent parent. I want to be the best mother. I'd started to assume that meant I couldn't do my book. But I think I was wrong. I think I just need to do what I've been fighting against, and create a workable schedule (I hate schedules--haha). I already know I have my hubby's support, and that helps.

This definitely isn't a get rich quick scheme, though if I'm lucky, and do it right, there is the possibility of making money at it. I think I'm going to go revisit those pages of my dusty novel--perhaps while the kiddies are still abed dreaming. I usually take that time to sleep too, but I know I could get by with a bit less sleep, and feel even more fulfilled than I already do (since I get a lot from being a mom).

If you're a writer looking to improve your writing skills or get your work published, there are some great places to start out there:

Writer's Digest is a great way to get started with access to books, magazines, competitions and more.

Zoetrope is a great place to network with other writers and share work. Though it is not one-sided and you require work on your side. The site is entirely free.

WritersNet also has it's value for the writer, publisher and literary agents out there with its resources and discussion forums. Another free site!

WritersMarket is a great resource if you're wanting to know where to submit your work. You can even try it online risk free for seven days. If you buy the book, I believe they give you a promo code to access their internet resources for less.

You shouldn't have to spend a lot of money, or even any at all to make this happen though. Your local library and the internet are great places to look for information when your wallet is empty. If you do have some money to spend and want to comparison shop to get more for your money. Amazon and Ebay are good places to look.

So that's what's been on my mind today. I'm glad to have shared it with you:) Keep dreaming and make it a reality!






Monday, April 13, 2009

I've Been Tagged with the 8 Tag

Well, I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. I'm still new to this, so when I received the comment saying I'd been 8 tagged....or whatever, I had no idea what Sara was talking about. So, of course, I went to her blog to check it out. Now that I know what it is, and I think it's a good way to network and do link exchanges, I'll do my best to fill it out:

The 8 Tag

8 Things I am Looking Forward to:

1. The day I'll be debt free

2. Camping this summer with family and good friends

3. Setting up the swimming pool for summer.

4. Getting our garden going

5. Going to our next pow-wow with the kids.

6. The day our fruit trees get big enough to produce something!

7. Weather I can wear capris in.

8. Our long mountain drives once the canyon opens up again from the winter snows.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Got up extra early to get the turkey in the oven before church.

2. Went to church with my family and taught our primary kids an Easter lesson.

3. Ate the Easter eggs we colored the night before when we got home.

4. Tried to take a nap, but was unsuccessful.

5. Made way too much food and spent time with my family, my sister and her husband.

6. Cleaned up an extra messy kitchen

7. Watched Journey to the Center of the Earth with hubby and kids.

8. Crashed after the movie and had a good night's sleep for once!

8 Things I Wish I Could do:

1. Finish my novel.

2. Get my blog ranked higher and help more people.

3. Help my extended family in their hard times.

4. Write at least one article a day, update my blog daily and still keep the house spotless and the kids happy!

5. Draw, so I could illustrate my own books, or create my own logo--you name it!

6. Take my kids to Disney World.

7. Learn to play an instrument and then teach it to my kids.

8. Learn everything possible and retain it!

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Smallville

2. Ghost Whisperer

3. Medium

4. Heroes

5. Gilmore Girls (until it got canceled--buggars!)

6. Dr. Phil (occasionally)

7. Oprah (once in a while)

8. I'm scrambling here! I don't watch much TV Haha

8 people I tag: (If you don't do these, you don't have to feel pressure!)

1. Carrie @ A Day in the McLife

2. Hamsterkitten @ Mom on the Random

3. Momma Young @ Momma Young's @ Home

4. Jody @ One Mom, Five Kids

5. Syndi @ Daily Mind Wanders

6. Heather @ My Version of Reality

7. Tanja7 @ Tanya's Blog

8. Aimie @ Don't Bug me...I'm Blogging

Thanks for bearing with me! Now it's back to business...

Friday, April 10, 2009

My Very Own Domain

I played around with the idea for the past two months, but wasn't quite convinced that I needed to drop the "blogspot" from my web address. Finally, with some prompting and convincing information from my new friend and website owner: Mom on the Random, I did it!

All the same content is here, and I'll continue to work to make it better. Only the address has changed. I've discovered that I love doing this and plan to do it for a long time to come. So it was definitely worth the paltry $7.69 I paid GoDaddy for one year. It was going to cost $10.19 total, but I used my new Swag Bucks search tool for GoDaddy promo codes and saved over $2 (I also earned some Swag Bucks for doing the search).

It took some time to get the domain working here (I'm not very technically advanced--haha), but I did find some good instructions on this website. I hear it's much faster, though a few dollars more, to buy your domain directly from Blogger--and they'll even set it up for you automatically. I didn't know about this until after the fact, but I figured out how to do it anyway and saved money, so it's all good :)

In other news, I also found a link that tells me supposedly how much my blog is worth. According to this site it's worth $495. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but it was sure cool to see it. Haha! It just takes a moment, if you want to check out your own website on there for fun, too.

I also joined the NetworkedBlogs on Facebook to help promote my site. If you're on Facebook, feel free to follow me there:)

So, all in all, I've had a pretty productive couple of days. Maybe things are looking up? Stay strong and take care of yourselves! Happy Good Friday!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Free Samples and Advertising

So I found out about a really cool program last night. This program is beneficial for both those just looking for ways to save and make money and get stuff for free, and also for you blog/website owners looking to generate more income. I put all the ads down below here so you wouldn't have to search for them.

First, about the free stuff. You just follow the links to the sponsors and they will give you free samples of their products:

EatBetterAmerica
FamilyPlanning
Warm Delights




There were so many offers to choose from, I couldn't possibly list them all here. If you have any in particular deals you are looking for, let me know and I'll be happy to check for you.

Now for the money-making opportunities:

Ipsos



Now you site owners are probably all wondering where I got all these, and there were many to choose from. I got them all from Logical Media. I was approved as an affiliate for them and now have access to more offers for my readers and also more revenue for me! They also pay for referrals, if you sign up with them.

So get busy saving and making money!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

$50 Walmart Giveaway

It seems a fellow blogger is looking to pass some of her good fortune on to someone else. This mommy and her family are being featured in March's Redbook in an article to do with coping in this recession. This is definitely a topic affecting so many of us and should be a good read. She's offering a $50 Walmart giftcard to one lucky subscriber of her blog. She also offers a second entry to those who will link to her site about this offer. I just thought I'd pass this along to all of you! If you're interested, just click on the title of this post and it will take you straight to her site.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Blogging Shmogging

I have to say that I do enjoy writing here. However, there is a not so fun side--and that's working to get my blog on the radar--but it's not too tedious. I've spent a lot of time promoting my blog on Link Referral and I've signed up with Traffic Swarm, Technorati, Easy Hits4U, Traffic Splash, I Love Hits, Dragon Surf, Blog Top List, Blog Catalog, and Ongsono. I've also been promoting myself on eHow when it's relevant, and posting my link in my article resources there when my article has to do with something I've discussed here.

I found a new site for website/blog owners called The Website Owner Zone, where you can make connections with others and promote your blog. It looks interesting and I'm trying all I can to get the word out there, since I am hoping to eventually make money doing this.

My husband is talking about looking for a second job until his first one's hours pick back up. I really hate this idea, since it would mean we wouldn't see him much. My family is so important to me, they're all I have that really matters. When you grow up the way I did, you never take that for granted. They're what I've always wished for, and I still can't believe how lucky I am to have them.

But anyway, off the mushy stuff. I was just really hoping I could help him, and others too, by starting up my writing again and making a profit off the advertising and affiliate programs. I'm using Google Adsense, AdBrite, and Amazon. I've also applied for the Ebay affiliate program. I hesitated, but figured it couldn't hurt to put a paypal donate button here too. These are all places I found while researching how to get a blog off the ground.

I also found a useful website called Self Promotion. On there, the site owner gives you lots of useful tips, including a way to find out if you're listed yet with the big search engines. I found that I was with most of them, but not with Open Directory, so I submitted my site for approval there, too.

I also learned that I could submit my eHow articles to the search engines and to Pingomatic for driving traffic there, too. So I think I've been accomplishing quite a lot, and I'm happy to share these tips with all of you so that you don't have to do all the digging:)

One downside of all of this work is that I feel like I'm dropping those juggling balls when it comes to the homemaker side of things. I've told my family that I know I'm not quite as available as I was before, but once I've got this up and running, it will be mostly about maintaining. I hope that's right. I'm wondering how long it takes to get it up in the air though.

I'm enjoying writing again though. It's such a great release and even if this doesn't all go the way I'm hoping it will, I won't regret it. Plus, if I help anyone with what I'm doing here, that's payment in itself. If I can make money from home doing what I love that is a bonus!

I did have a company call me, I believe they said they were "Orange Soda." The guy was really nice and offered his company's services to promote my blog, though he said it would be easier to do with a website. When I asked him how much the services would cost though, there was no way I could do that. I'll just have to try this all on my own. So far, everything I've done here hasn't cost me a penny, and I like it that way! Saving money is definitely a plus!

Well, good luck to all you bloggers and siteowners who are working to promote your sites! I hope this has been helpful for you. I'll be looking for more ways to help us out here. Until then.....

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

In the Interest of Making Money

Today I've been mainly focusing my efforts on getting this blog off the ground. Why? Because done right, it can bring in a pretty decent income. The last few days I've been searching what seems like every inch of the internet on how to make a successful blog (meaning one that earns me some much needed cash).

There's no simple answer on what makes a blog successful. You have to talk about something people want to read about. You have to know what you're talking about (or eventually people will find you out and lose interest), and I think you also have to enjoy doing it.

Once you have a topic and the knowledge to get going on it, you have to find where you want your blog. Obviously, I chose Blogger (http://www.blogger.com/) and so far I'm happy with my choice. There are plenty of free sites to publish on, and you get decent tools to build your page with.

Those first steps are certainly the easiest part. After you get going on your page, you can monetize your site with adsense. Google puts in ads that sponsor your site, and that's where you earn revenue. The only thing left is to get people to come. It's not as simple as sending out an email to all your friends and family, telling them to come see your site.

Before you get them to come though, you have to have something to keep them coming. It's a good idea to have your site ready before you open the floodgates to traffic. You have to have a friendly layout, good widgets and enough information to keep them reading. Here are some sites I found to help you on the gadgets needed for blogging http://www.bloggertipsandtricks.com/ and the know-how to make it profitable http://easycashrake.blogspot.com/.

The next step is you have to list with search engines. Some sites will do multiple listings (such as http://www.submitexpress.com/, http://www.selfpromotion.com/ and http://www.addme.com/). I found a lot of useful information about web marketing on http://www.philiphumbert.com/WebMarketing.htm.

Be sure, once your site is ready and listed, that you don't leave it at that. You still need to network. Find forums to discuss your blog. You can connect with other bloggers and get your site known. Here is a site giving you ideas on how to do that: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1388889/how_to_boost_your_blogs_popularity_.html?cat=59

None of this is really difficult to do, but it does take time. I think the hardest part for me was the fact that I do still have to perform my mommy duties while working on this. But once it gets going off the ground, it should be much easier to maintain.

The best part of all of this is that I get to make money doing two things I already love doing: researching and writing.