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!).

e-How Writers change to Demand Studios

I starting writing for e-How last year, and was quite excited about it to begin with. After writing six articles though, and realizing that the only way I would make money off of any of them was if people clicked on the ads displayed on my articles' pages, I quit writing for them. I kept my account open though, and basically forgot about them.

Then, this year, e-How stopped accepting articles through their website and switched everything over to Demand Studios. I received notice that I had been approved to write for them, but the way things worked would be quite different as far as article submission and payment.

For starters, there is now a copy-editor involved. This copy-editor can tell you to rewrite your articles and even outright reject them. That's an intimidating thought, but not a deal-breaker. The fact is, most people could use a copy-editor and I'm no exception. In fact, if I could get one for free right now, I'd have them go over everything I write, so that I don't make myself look like an illiterate idiot with some of the typos I make. Yikes!

But then there's also the way payment works. Apparently it's a flat fee (some say it's only $15 per article). That might not seem too bad for some people at first sight--especially considering I had stopped writing for e-how after only making $12 the first six months on six articles--I must tell you that I now wish I'd written more for e-How before the change-over. Why? Because those articles are still making money and I'm not having to do anything now but watch it happen. Though the amounts are still quite paltry, it's increasing over time and will eventually surpass that $15 flat fee per article. That's what you call passive income.

So, I'm unsure on whether or not I'll follow through with the Demand Studios account. I can't rule it out entirely as a possibility to make money writing. They have a great reputation for paying each friday with a transfer to your paypal account. Dependable income can't be overrated.

I'm sure I don't know all there is to know about this company, so if I discover anything new, I'll let you know.

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.

Savings for New Moms

As new mom of an 8 week old baby, I know how pricey things can be. If you're able to breastfeed, that's the ideal nutrition for your baby and a real saver on your pocket-book, but it's not always possible.

There are savings out there for moms who use formula, so be sure to take advantage of that if you can. A few websites out there where you can sign up for samples of formulas and coupons are:

Strong Moms (Similac)
Enfamil
Gerber Good Start

You can sign up at any one (or even all if you choose) of these websites for free gifts, coupons and samples. So be sure to take advantage!

Another great program out there to help you save on diapers is Amazon Mom. This is a new program that gives you savings of 30% on diapers. You get 3 free months of Amazon Prime Shipping when you sign up, plus earn an extra month free for every $25 you spend in the baby store.



So what are you waiting for? Go start saving! :)

If You're "HAMP-Y" and You Know It, Clap Your Hands!!!

We finally did it! We got our modification. It took nearly a year and a half since we first applied, but it's a done deal. We got the signed papers back from the bank last week and the new statement came in the mail with our lowered payment.

A Bank of America service agent told me that they've also put in the order to fix our credit, so that it will show that we've been current (this should be a big boost to our credit scores, which took a big hit when they wrongly reported us as delinquent during our year-long "trial" period).

It's been a long drawn out process, but I'm so happy that we saw it through to the end. I'm sleeping much better at night now. I know my prayers have been heard and I'm so thankful for how this has turned out.

I'd like to caution any of you out there who are trying to modify your mortgages, to watch out for the scammers out there. I know of people in our neighborhood, as well as family members of friends, who have gone to and paid outside sources to help them save their homes, only to watch their homes go into foreclosure when they've been told by the company they hired that everything was fine. Please make sure you check with the Better Business Bureau before paying ANYONE to help you.

Help is out there. You can do it on your own, as we did; or there are companies that can help you for free. For more information on this process, you can read about our experiences and all we've found out here.

God Bless!

Not a HAMP Success Yet

We finally found out what the hold-up on getting our final modification under HAMP was. It wasn't our so-called negotiator who let us know what was happening. It was a new gentleman from the Bank of America Office of the CEO and President. My case got transferred several times within that office and also several times from negotiator to negotiator within the Home Retention Dept. It's been a mess and has given me more than one nightmare--I kid you not.

Anyway, this guy actually seems to care. He gave me his direct number, returns my calls promptly and calls regularly with updates and whatnot. I haven't experienced this yet in the last year of our ordeal applying for the Making Home Affordable Plan which was set up by President Obama to help responsible homeowners to keep their homes. It's been a long, bumpy road and it's really refreshing to get some help from someone who isn't evading my questions (along with not returning my calls and passing our case on to the next person so they can ignore it too).

It's taken over six months to get an answer as to why this isn't all finished yet, but he found one for me, because he kept looking and didn't just give up when our negotiator couldn't give him an answer. Apparently, there was a problem with our signatures. They said that it looks like, for whatever reason, my signature, done with the notary that they sent out to our house, looks like it's been X-ed out. They should've received three signed and notarized copies, so you would think at least one of them would be acceptable, but apparently not.

In any case, we have to sign the same documents with another notary (this time we find our own), and then send them back in and get this finished up so they can stop reporting us as delinquent to the credit bureaus and get our new loan set-up and running in the system. As things look now on our account with them, it's a big mess, despite us jumping through every hoop that's been put in front of us and paying every modified payment on time for the full amount (we even pay the higher amount that I was told by one of the many reps I talked to over there, rather than the one on the paperwork, so there could be no excuse to have our modification canceled).

So, with the help of this new agent in the Office of the President, hopefully we can get this done soon and I can rest easy. We'll be praying for that, anyway.

If you, or anyone you know is going through this, don't give up. Keep fighting. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, it's just not so easy to see or get to at times.

Please be careful of the scammers out there who are preying upon people like us. The best place to go--as hard as the process may be--to save your home is to your very own mortgage company. Please don't pay attention to the mailings from outside companies who are claiming they can help you. We made the mistake of falling for a scheme like that once years ago and it didn't end well, though we came out smarter and stronger for it.

If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Keep that in mind. Help is available for free so beware of anyone offering to help you for a price. Also, there is support for you out there and one of the most informative sites I've found is Loan Safe.

Don't lose faith and remember that everything happens for a reason. God is there for us when we need Him, so don't ever hesitate to pray for strength or guidance. Best of luck to you all!

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!

National Doughnut Day

I have a weakness. Okay, well probably more than one, but we don't have to go into that just now. Hah! Anyway, I LOVE doughnuts. I'm not too picky about them either, though I do know the difference between excellent, good, edible and well, you get the point.

Anyway, imagine my delight when I checked my email today and found one from Krispy Kreme in my inbox. Apparently, tomorrow, June 4, is National Doughnut Day. What does this mean for you and me? Well, it means we get a free doughnut. Yay! I'm so there! Of course, this offer is limited to one per customer, but that's six free doughnuts for my family alone!

Here is a link to participating Krispy Kremes. I'm excited to report that there's one close to me! :)

So make sure to get your free doughnut tomorrow! Mmmmmmmm.....

Summer's upon Us

Well, you can definitely tell that summer is coming. I admit, I've been yearning for it. I feel like I'm in school all over again with all the work that's been coming home with the kids. I thought I'd only have to do that once? Hah! But after tomorrow, I get a break. No more researching on the internet to help dust out those cob webs in my brain when the kids come home with something I just can't remember how to do. I'm pleased though, at how much I did retain from my school years. ;)

I suppose we're not getting much of a break just yet. We've been working like crazy it seems. Our garden is in. We're combating the weed issue we had last year (originating from the field behind us) with some plastic mulch. It's very thin plastic sheeting made especially for gardening purposes and it keeps the the weeds at bay. We bought the black kind so that none of those weeds could survive underneath the sheets. We'll have to cover it with grass clippings or some other barrier as the weather gets hotter though, so that we don't scorch the roots of our plants. Wish us luck!

We had our first serious injury of the season last night, or rather my son did, while doing fun summer-day activities. Poor Tyler fell while rollerblading and broke one of his front teeth. He also knocked it loose--go figure. So we paid an emergency visit to the dentist and he's in for some more dental visits in the future. He's a brave kid and did the first visit without being numbed. I'm not looking forward to seeing that bill, though (think after-hour rates). Yikes! :(

We also finally, for the first time this year, turned our central air unit on last night. We've been opening the windows and using the ceiling fans up til now. We decided, when some neighbors were having some guests over, to close the windows so we could get to bed a bit early after our exhausting day. We got a nasty surprise when the the unit ran continuously for an hour and a half and the temperature stayed the same.

After checking the obvious things, like the fuse box and the breaker on the unit outside, we got out our wallets and called to have it serviced. Unfortunately, $90 later, we found out we need an electrician. Things do get better, right? Haha. Sometimes I'm more optimistic about that than others.

We're still looking for ways to save money, and have managed to cut some of our expenses by selling two of our vehicles and replacing them with one. It's saving us on our insurance, but I have to admit that while we got a good price on it (make sure to do your homework and check out sites like Edmunds before buying anything), it hasn't been trouble free. We got it several thousands below blue book, but have had to put a lot of that back into it for it to get on the road (think tires, ball joints, muffler...). We knew some of the issues going into it, but did have a few unexpected things come up too. But, that's the gamble when you buy whole sale and as-is. Still, we're within the low-book value of it, so I'm trying not to take it too hard.

If you want to know how we paid less than half the blue book price for our truck, I wrote an article for it on HubPages here.

On the up-side, the baby is doing great and I'm having a pretty good pregnancy this time around. Something I'm VERY thankful for. Over-all, my family is healthy. I have great kids and a good, hardworking, loving husband. So I should count my blessings and brave the bad stuff! :)

I hope all is going well with all of you! Remember, you have to experience the bad stuff to really appreciate the good. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Gephardt Round Two?

I wish I could give you all hope and tell you that our modification ordeal is finally over, but alas, that's not the case. Rather than wait around for absentee negotiators to deign to call me back and let me know why, after nearly five months from the date we signed our permanent modification documents, our credit is being slammed by false reports by BOA, our late fees are adding up and their system still shows our old payment and our account in severe arrears, I decided to email Bill Gephardt from Channel 2 news again. It seemed to help last time and I pray that it will again.

I decided to share my letter here with you all:

Dear Mr. Gephardt,

You may not remember me, but we spoke on the phone several months ago about my mortgage company giving me the run-around on applying for the Making Home Affordable Plan mortgage modification, even though according to the government website, our family was very much qualified to do so.

Anyway, perhaps because of you, they finally let us do it, and we were approved for the trial plan not too long after you and I spoke. I wish I could say that was the end of the story, but it’s not. Far from it.

According to the way Obama’s HAMP (Home Affordable Modification Plan, or Making Home Affordable) works, once you’re approved for the trial plan, you make three trial payments on time, and then are set up (assuming you have met all obligations and criteria) for the permanent modification. We made five trial payments. During this time, even though all our payments were made as agreed and very much on time, Bank of America (our mortgage company) reported us late to the credit bureaus—this is also against HAMP guidelines when you’re making your payments as agreed under this government modification. When I caught this, they fixed it the first time.

Five trial payments and many, many phone calls later, we finally signed our permanent modification documents in the middle of December 2009. We were ecstatic. Finally, we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. No more having to call them to fix our credit reports. No more getting statements from them in the mail saying we were delinquent, even though we were making our modified payments on time, no more dealing with lost paperwork, inaccurate information, or loan negotiators that weren’t very good at returning phone calls or even answering the simplest of questions. No more wondering how much longer we would make these so-called trial payments, or if we were going to have to suddenly leave our home with our children because of some error or decision made by the mortgage company.

Our permanent modification payments started February 1, 2010. We’ve made every one so far as laid out in the documents. We were told that it should all be put in the system in a matter of weeks. When that didn’t happen, we called and were told it would be about 30 days. At the end of that time we were told 60 days. At the end of that time we were told 90 days from the time we signed. You can see where I’m going with this, right? I continued to call and be put off. I demanded as courteously, but firmly, as I could to have some answers. I’m never given the same answers.

On my last call, I was told that while we’ve been improved on Bank of America’s side of things, our investor, Freddie Mac, has yet to approve us. It’s my understanding that they can’t even offer the permanent modification without investor approval to begin with. I’m so tired of this run-around. I want to feel secure in my own home. I want to know that if I plant my garden, I’ll be here to harvest it. I want to know that when I bring my baby home from the hospital, I’ll be coming to this home.

Our credit is being destroyed by this, too. They’ve started reporting us as delinquent to the credit bureaus again. I called them to fix it again. They sent a letter to me saying they would do so, but have not corrected it after more than a month later. According to their website, we’re over $12,000 delinquent, even though we’ve been making payments all this time. I fear that any day we’ll receive a notice of foreclosure and have no place to go because our credit has taken such a hit.

I’m exhausted from all of this. It’s a full time job on top of all my other things to do. Do you think you could help us get to the bottom of this? We would be forever grateful and in your debt if you would. You can read more about our situation on www.thejugglinghomemaker.com. I’ve outlined our ordeal on my blog for others going through the same thing—and believe me, there are many, many others. Also, if you want to know more about the program we’re under, you can go to www.makinghomeaffordable.gov.

I’m happy to help you help us in any way I can. Thank you so much for your time.

Anyway, I hope none of you give up out there. Stay strong and fight back! Best of luck to you!