Beat That June Cleaver!

Back From the Holidays and Back into the Money Making Spirit!

2009-12-30T08:55:00.004-06:00

I took a break from all of my online endeavors to enjoy the Holidays with friends and family. Now that I'm back I must admit that I feel refreshed, less overwhelmed and inspired to get back to writing.

I wrote a couple of new eHow articles after being silent on the site for a few days. Surprisingly, even with my complete lack of writing, promoting or socializing on eHow I still managed to produce the same daily rate. Woot!

I'm really starting to get the hang of shetoldme.com for article promotion and am enjoying the effortless earnings from them. I'm really glad I found that site as it is working out very well so far.

As far as peoplestring.com is concerned, as of yet I've only made $7.10. However, that's $7.10 for doing absolutely nothing really, so I can't complain. From what I can tell the quickest way to make money with them is to refer other users. I haven't been actively promoting it anywhere else but here, so I can't complain too much about the modesty of my earnings. ;)

It feels good to be back and refreshed. I was feeling very overwhelmed and burned out. The Christmas break sure did do me some good. And I've really enjoyed having both of my little boys home with me.

I’m really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things! That's my hubby Josh and my boys Ethan and Adrien on Christmas morning in the top picture, BTW. :)

Feeling a bit lost and out of place

2009-12-21T18:37:00.003-06:00

For those of you who know me, either personally or via web communications, you're aware that I've spread myself quite thin all over the internet. I've got my hands in just about every money making opportunity out there and I'm trying to build a crazy business out of writing, drawing, marketing, selling, designing and several other things. Now I suddenly feel overwhelmed and confused.

The problem is, I don't know what my "calling" is. I don't know what I was put on this earth to do. I've got the uncanny ability to learn how to do just about anything rather quickly. I've never found anything that I wanted to do that I couldn't learn how to. With that said, now that I'm dabbling in nearly 20 different areas, how do I know where my talent is and which area I should really be focusing on? Who answers those kinds of questions anyway? Somewhere along the way I missed the line where they were handing out life purposes. And left to my own devices, I get easily distracted and bounce from one idea to the next.

I've always loved hair and makeup, so I decided I wanted to be an Avon lady. Trouble there is that I don't have the time or money that it takes to really grow my Avon business. Not to mention that the real cash comes from leadership and I'm not exactly the best candidate to be organizing and running a team.

I play guitar, sing and write songs. I was the girl who flunked classes and skipped school because you don't need an education to rock! I honestly thought I would grow up to be lead guitarist in some kick ass band. But now I'm a mother who isn't quite as awesome as she was back in the day and there's no one in hell who'd want me in their band. LOL! And even if they did, it won't exactly put food on the table.

I really like to write and got sort of excited over the prospect of being a freelance internet writer. It seemed like a nice idea anyway. But it's been much more difficult that I thought to get readers to my blog. My main income comes from how to articles. But after a while that gets stale. I've been dry recently. It's hard to come up with fresh ideas that conform to a strict how to format.

I design clothes on Zazzle. I REALLY like Zazzle. But it's really hard to get your merchandise noticed among the billions of others. And so far, I don't really think it's something that will ever pay the bills for me. Yes, you can make money with Zazzle, but I've yet to see if you can make any substantial income with it.

I feel empty and unguided. I wish I just knew what I was meant to do. I wish I was one of those people who felt they had a calling in life. The only thing I've ever felt that strongly about was music and God knows how ridiculous that dream is. Why couldn't I have wanted to be something more practical and obtainable? Now I'm a stay at home mom struggling to squeeze every dime out of the computer that I can and ultimately feeling like a failure at the end of the day.

I've met a lot of wonderful people online along the way. And everyone has had such nice things to say to me. I love all of you guys! But I secretly wish I was more like you. For most of you, you are writers or entrepreneurs. You have a dream, goals and are working your butts off to be successful. I'm just a girl wearing too many hats. I'm well aware how ridiculous I look, but I'm too indecisive to choose just one.

Yet Another Money Making Link Sharing Site

2009-12-21T10:29:00.003-06:00

My post yesterday was about shetoldme.com. Today I'm going to talk about another website that does essentially the same thing. The more sites you've got under your belt like this, the more traffic you'll generate and the more cash you'll make. So if you're looking to add another revenue sharing social bookmarking site to your online business, here's one to use!

It's called Xomba. It works just like shetoldme, you post a link and a short summary to your article or website and you get a permanent back link and you make money with Google Adsense when people read your reviews and click ads. It's very simple to set up and is pretty darn good at generating extra traffic.

I use social bookmarking sites as much as possible because the more places your link is spread on the web, the more people will visit it and the more important your link will appear to search engines. So even if you weren't making money with Xomba, it's still very beneficial for online marketing. The ad revenue you make is just an extremely nice bonus! ;)

So visit Xomba and get started creating back links and making cash today!

She Told Me

2009-12-20T20:08:00.003-06:00

Today's online money making topic is shetoldme.com. If you are an online writer, like myself, you'll want to keep reading.

If you use social bookmarking sites such as digg or stumbleupon you're going to love shetoldme.com! It's basically a social bookmarking site where you submit your links as well as a short synopsis about websites and articles that you enjoy so that other people can find those sites and enjoy them too. The difference with shetoldme.com is that you can make a little extra money while you do this.

If you have a Google Adsense ID, you simply enter it in your account info. Then you will make 100% of the ad revenue from your website reviews. How cool is that? It's free to join and I have found it to be VERY helpful for me. Not only do I make a little more ad revenue, I also have had good luck with driving extra traffic to my articles, Zazzle stores and other sites that I run.

If you'd like to get started with shetoldme.com just sign up for a free account, wait for approval and then start bookmarking your favorite online content. It's really that simple!

Clothing Store Number 2 Grand Opening!

2009-12-18T23:44:00.007-06:00

WOOT!

Just opened my second Zazzle store, Hamopotamus Apparel. I'm very amused with this one, as it has been too much fun creating funny and offensive t-shirts. LOL! I've only got shirts as of yet, but I hope to have a much greater product selection by next week. It's taking me a bit longer to do this store than I thought because it's hard to find very high resolution public domain graphics. But it's coming together none the less. Go check it out if you're interested: http://www.zazzle.com/hamopotamus

Feedback is always welcome! :)

PS: If anyone knows where I can get high resolution public domain pics (free) I'd really appreciate the tip. Thanks everyone!

My Tips on Making Money with eHow

2009-12-16T20:10:00.004-06:00

Before I sat down to write this blog, it dawned on me that I had been asked by a friend on eHow to write an article for new writers explaining my ideas and tricks I've discovered thus for. When I started to write this blog I felt a huge wave of déjà vu. So in an attempt to save time I decided to post that information here instead of writing a whole new piece on the same subject. So here's my article on getting started with eHow and all the things you should know to succeed. Enjoy!

How to Get Started Making Money on eHow – Tips for Quick Success

I wasn’t going to write an article on this subject because there seems to be an overflow of these articles here on eHow. But a few people have pointed out to me that some very important information I have given them as beginners isn’t usually written about in these sorts of articles. So here’s my version of the getting started on eHow article. I hope you find these tips useful and I hope you become very successful at making money on eHow.

Take advantage of the social networking aspect of eHow. Make as many friends as you can and be very kind to these friends. Fellow eHow writers are going to be a huge part of your success. Rate, comment and recommend your friends’ articles; most of the time they will return the favor by doing the same for you. The more eHow friends that you have the more exposure you’re going to get and the higher rated your articles will be. Also, do not abuse your eHow friends. Do not send mass spam emails promoting your articles. This behavior really upsets people and a lot of people will delete you from their friends list or even flag you as a spammer. Treat your fellow writers well and they will do the same in return.

Really put some research in your articles. Not all articles are profitable. Don’t be afraid to study some of the more successful eHow writers to see what sort of things they are writing about and how they put their articles together. Not only do you need to find subjects that will generate a lot of traffic, but you’ll also need to find subjects that are more likely to attract readers who click advertisements. For instance, someone looking for a solution to wrinkles is more likely to click an ad than someone trying to find a recipe. Recipe articles can generate lots of traffic, but they don’t usually end up making as much money as self help articles...

Read the full piece at on eHow

If you find it helpful, please pass it along to your friends. :)

My Appologies

2009-12-15T21:53:00.006-06:00

I stated yesterday that I would be posting about making money with eHow today. I didn't get around to it as planned. But rest assured, that post will be written and published tomorrow (for real this time). My ego got deflated today and my pride was hurt. While licking my wounds in the corner, I just couldn't get motivated to write anything at all today.

I decided I wanted to start writing for Demand Studios. See, unlike eHow and other revenue sharing sites, Demand Studios will pay you up front for your articles. To me this seemed like a great way to make some immediate cash without having to wait for my work to "mature" to start earning big. So I got my resume together and submitted a couple of samples of my work from eHow. Then a whopping two hours later I was rejected.

Now I'm aware that I'm no Shakespeare Junior or anything, but I thought I was at least decent at producing informative "how to" articles. I was quite hurt by that letter of rejection from Demand Studios. In fact, I was hurt enough to really start questioning if I have any business writing in the first place.

Or perhaps it's just me. I don't always make the best first impression with people. I'm a very animated character with a sarcastic sense of humor and a deep love for all things tacky. Since when does big hair and red lipstick make you look unprofessional?

That's why I have decided that for the sake of my writing career and my reputation in the blog community I would change my display image. The new picture of me is sort of sad and emo looking. I'm wearing black plastic rimmed glasses and the picture has some artistic Photoshop effect going on to make me look creative. Now do I look like the kind of person who sits at the computer for 20 hours a day eating hot pockets and pasting my opinions about World of Warcraft and how I have the best taste in indie music all over the internet as if anyone gives a shit in the first place? LOL...sorry, that was mean.

After I get over being taken down a few pegs by Demand Studios I'll be back tomorrow to give you wonderful folks some more awesome ways to make money online and I'll check my sass at the door. Deal?

Good night folks!

Here's a thought...

2009-12-13T22:08:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone!

Man am I glad this weekend is over! :) As you all know I'm a redhead. Well not too long ago I decided to put a darker red color in my hair. It was getting to be a pain in the butt to maintain every time my roots started to grow out, so I thought I would bleach my hair blonde and try to restore my original lighter red. I ended up with about 3 inches of platinum blonde roots and the rest was bright carrot orange! :( The only thing I could do to counteract that horrible mistake was to go with a cool brown. Cool tones balance out brassy tones and the brown color would be dark enough to color my mistake. So now I'm a brunette. I think I ended up buying like 6 boxes of hair dye trying to correct my giant blunder.

But anyway...that's terribly off topic for the nature of this blog, I just wanted to share. lol. Today's money making tip is called Cloud Crowd. It's on Facebook. I've just started so I don't know how profitable it will be just yet, but like everything else on this blog it is free to start. You join the Cloud Crowd application for Facebook HERE. Then you can select jobs to do that pay anywhere from a few cents to a few bucks. These jobs are usually things like proof reading and reviews. The cool part is that no matter how small your earnings are, they'll still deposit them into your paypal account. You don't have to wait for some high payout figure in order to get the money that is rightfully yours. If you feel like giving it a try, I've researched it and it seems very legit, free and easy. The only thing I'm not sure of just yet is how much money you can really expect to make doing it. I guess time will only tell. I'll be checking in with you all in the next couple of days. My next post will be about getting started with eHow and how to write the kinds of articles that will make you more money. You won't want to miss it! :)

Oh Zazzle...

2009-12-08T23:19:00.006-06:00

I've decided to put more time and effort into my zazzle store. eHow was having technical difficulties and I was afraid to write until things smoothed over. In the mean time, I had extra time and energy to devote to another one of my work at home ventures. I thought about zazzle. My zazzle store was really neglected and I didn't put as much effort into it as I do other things. So over the past couple of days I've designed dozens of new products and am thinking about opening another zazzle store to appeal to a different market. My current store sells promo/advertising products for people who sell Avon, Mary Kay and Pampered Chef. While I certainly feel like that's a nice little niche to base a store off of, I feel it might benefit me to cast a wider net. The plan is to get my current store going full steam and generating decent monthly payouts. At that time I'll open store number two. I'm thinking about making a zazzle store specializing in sarcastic humor, slightly offensive jokes, emo things and other "hot topic" type items. From the research I've done, stores like that rake in the big bucks. Teenagers will pay anything to express themselves on a t-shirt. lol. So stay tuned to find out how my adventures in zazzle sales turn out. I'll also be sharing useful zazzle information and promotion tips as I go along and learn more. Gotta share the knowledge and pass it on. After all that is the promise I made all of you when I started this blog.

If you haven't seen all the new additions to my current zazzle store, please go have a look. I put a lot of work into those little marketing gems. ;) And as always, feedback is welcome.

Make Money to Check Facebook and Surf the Web???

2009-12-05T11:34:00.004-06:00

You all know how I love work at home opportunities and I am always on the lookout for the next way to earn a buck online. So I came across this site called peoplestring and decided to give it a try. I read about it on one of my friend's blogs. It seemed way too good to be true, but if it doesn't cost me anything to try, I figure why not? If an online opportunity is free I will almost always try it out just to see. So anyway, what's the deal with peoplestring? How it works is that they pay you to check your facebook, email, search google, play games and all of the other crap you do online everyday. If you go through their portal to do your daily online activities, you'll make money. How they do this is because they share with you a percentage of the advertising dollars they make off of you. Most websites keep this money to themselves. Peoplestring hopes that paying people to use them for their social networking and online entertainments needs that they will get more traffic. Makes sense to me. Anyway, I'll update on how much money I've made with peoplestring in a month. I try to give every online opportunity at least one month before I decide if it's worth my time or not. If you'd like to give peoplestring a try and conduct your own earning experiment, simply go to www.peoplestring.com to sign up. Look me up on there and we can be friends. :) Also, check out my latest eHow article on making money online.

Bringing in the Bucks on eHow

2009-12-04T15:30:00.002-06:00

My eHow is doing GREAT! I'm very happy with how it's going. If you're not familiar with eHow, let me break it down for you. With eHow you write how to articles and they pay you based on traffic, ad clicks and things like that. If you like to write this is a good way to make some extra dough. My very first month on eHow I made $24. My second month I brought in $52. My goal for this month is to get to $100. And judging on how well things are growing, I don't see that being a problem. It takes a little while to figure out what articles will make the most money and how to get traffic to your work, but the more you do the better you get. My newer writings are much better than my older work. The more I learn, the better I earn. :) If you'd like to write for eHow go sign up at eHow.com. Be sure to join the writer's compensation program so that you'll get paid. Also, I have an article about getting started on eHow and how to write more profitable articles to make you more money. It's basically an article on all the things I've learned so far. Check it out if you are interested: http://www.ehow.com/how_5666843_started-ehow-tips-quick-success.html

Super Inexpensive Christmas Gifts

2009-12-02T13:28:00.003-06:00

Needing to save some money this Christmas season? Don't sweat it. Christmas shopping on a tight budget doesn't have to be hard. Here's a few super savvy money saving ideas!

Do it yourself: homemade gifts can often times be much cheaper than store bought items. If you have a talent, now's the time to use it. Bake cookies, make jars of hot cocoa or chili mix, knit a blanket or a scarf, take photos and frame them...there is just so much you could do. One year I made hot cocoa mix and put it in these cute little mason jars and wrapped ribbon around the lid. It was very cheap and extremely easy but people just went on and on about what a great gift I had given them. You'd be surprised how impressed people are with homemade presents!

Shop at the dollar store: When we were at our poorest, this was how I did my Christmas shopping. For the women on my list I made little baskets and put about $5 worth of cute little soaps and a loofa in each. For kids I bought dollar store Christmas stockings and filled them with several little toys. And I bought coffee cups filled with chocolates for my coworkers and acquaintances. Everyone was pleased with their little packages and my bank account couldn't have been happier either!

Talk to you AVON lady: I'm not making a sales pitch here, I'm serious. Avon is one of the most affordable ways to do your Christmas shopping. I like to buy a bunch of things on clearance like lip balms, hand creams and nail polish. These sorts of items can go for as little as 40 cents! Then I put together gift bags full of AVON to give as Christmas gifts. It's always a good idea to take advantage of the AVON outlet book as well. I just bought my mother in law a Skin so Soft bath collection that included shower gel, body lotion, hand cream and lip balm for $5. Talk about a steal! If you don't have an AVON lady go to
www.avon.com and put in your zip code to find one. Or you can shop my online store at: http://hkimbrell.avonrepresentative.com

Keeping Up with the Joneses - Pretending Like You're Rich

2009-11-29T19:45:00.002-06:00

When it comes to trying to keep up with the Joneses, I am guilty as charged. I like to have nice things. I can't help it. But I have a secret. I'm not actually filthy rich. *GASP* So how do I convince people that I am? I'll fill you in on how I manage to look like a million bucks on a shoestring budget.

I have a taste for the finer things. I particularly like designer brands. But heaven forbid I pay department store prices for my addictions. I don't have that kid of cash. I shop at closeout stores like TJ Maxx, Ross and Marshall's. My closet is full of labels stamped with names like Liz Claiborne, Elle and Nine West. But I don't pay anymore for these designer duds than you do for Wal-Mart off brand clothing.

Thrift stores are also a great way to fake your way to expensive style. I'm not kidding! Go to your local thrift store and spend a little time digging through the bins and racks. You'd be surprised at the amount of designer shoes, purses and clothes you can find for prices as low as fifty cents!

I drive a BMW 330i. Oh it's a beauty all right. My favorite part about it is the jealous looks I get when I pull up to PTA meetings and family reunions. ;) How I managed to afford such a luxury is because it isn't new. In fact, it's a few years old and was a corporate fleet vehicle in it's past life. I gave about ten grand for it. That's a lot cheaper than most mom-mobiles you see on the road these days. It doesn't seem to matter that it isn't brand new. That fact doesn't stop people from going on and on about what a sweet ride I have.

I have a thing for status bags. There's nothing like having an "it bag" on my arm. You too can have a designer bag without the celebrity budget. Check out stores like the Coach Outlet. You can also shop online for gently used designer handbags and save a ton! I can promise you that no one will notice that stunning Louis Vuitton you're carrying is not from this season's collection.

For more awesome ways to save money but live luxuriously, check out these articles:

Luxury Bedroom Decor
How to be a Frugal Fashionista

Make Domino's Oven Baked Sandwiches at Home and Save Money!

2009-11-28T19:25:00.003-06:00

Here's a great money saving recipe for Domino's Buffalo Chicken Oven Baked Sub. Save tons of money with this copy recipe that your family is sure to love!

Ingredients:

Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Small Onion
Sub Rolls
Provolone Cheese
Frank’s Redhot Buffalo Sauce
Blue Cheese Dressing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cut your chicken into bite sized pieces. Cut your onion into slivers and then add the onion and chicken to the skillet. You can grill your chicken if you prefer, but it isn’t necessary.

Season the chicken and onions with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sautee them for several minutes until the onions are tender and a light caramel color and the chicken is cooked all the way through. If you’re unsure if your chicken is done remove one of the largest pieces from the pan and cut it in half. If it is white all the way through and there is no pink then you are good to go! Then add ½ bottle of hot wing sauce and stir to coat...

Read the full recipe for free at eHow

How to Make Money Online – All New Work from Home Jobs

2009-11-25T09:59:00.002-06:00

This will now be my fourth installment in my work from home job series. And as always, I promise to inform you of new creative ways to make money online without those scams that seem to be all over the internet these days. So if you’re looking for new ways to make a little extra income from home, read on. This article will show you how to make money online with tried and true legitimate methods.

Take your creativity online. Are you artistic? Have you ever thought about designing products like t-shirts and bumper stickers? Even if you’re not artistic, if you’ve got a great sense of humor you could benefit from this opportunity as well. What I’m talking about here is zazzle.com. Never heard of it? Let me fill you in. Zazzle allows you to set up an online store and design products from clothing to key chains to coffee mugs and more. The best part about it is that it’s free. So make yourself a little internet store right out of your home and start creating and selling merchandise. Check the resources section for the link to get started.

PTC or paid to click companies are pretty good to work with. It’s probably the easiest thing you can do online to make a little bit of pocket change. What you do is you sign up with a PTC company and they pay you to click on advertisements. But keep in mind that PTC jobs will never replace your full time income. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can get rich this way because you can’t. But what you can do is make a realistic 5-15 dollars a month. And to me that’s a pretty sweet deal for only having to click ads. Most of these sites offer free membership, but if you want access to thousands of ads to click, you’ll need to pay for a premium membership. If your goal is just some pocket money then stick with the free account. That’s what I do...

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: http://www.ehow.com/how_5671387_make-new-work-home-jobs.html

Get Free Stuff & Save Your Hard Earned Cash

2009-11-23T15:23:00.004-06:00

One way to cut back on expenses and save money is to start collecting free stuff. You’d be surprised by the kinds of things you can get for free these days. There are companies willing to give you everything from coupons and samples to clothing and toys. So if you would like to start receiving free stuff in the mail, read on.

Stock up on Samples:
Many people don’t really think to apply for free samples because it’s only going to be a one use sort of thing. But they’re not looking at it with frugal eyes. An awesome way to save money is by stock piling freebies at home for the products that you use the most. Go to major shampoo companies and request freebies from every one. Many laundry detergent companies are giving away free samples of their new laundry products too. When you travel, take the shampoo, soaps and lotion with you. They have to throw it away after you check out anyway. Why waste it? I also like to keep perfume samples in a drawer in my vanity. When an important date or event comes up where I’d like to look nice, I pull out one of those samples. That way I get to wear a designer fragrance that I otherwise couldn’t afford to the event.

Search the Web:
Google “free stuff” and see how much comes back. I try to do this on a regular basis, because new offers come out everyday. As long as you don’t have to pay shipping and handling or complete fifty pages of ridiculous surveys to get your item, it’s totally worth it. Many companies offer free promotional t-shirts with their logo. These are great, because who doesn’t want a free shirt?

Don’t Forget About Baby:
Baby freebies are everywhere! So many companies are eager to send you free formula, diapers and wipes. Sign up with every formula company; almost all of them will send sample cans of formula at no cost. Be sure to visit all of the major diaper brands and bath product companies too. They’re great for getting free diapers and very valuable coupons....

Continue Reading the Full Article

Legitimate Ideas for Making Money Online - Yep, they DO exist!

2009-11-19T14:32:00.001-06:00

As promised, here is my latest addition to the making money online series! I hope you find the suggestions helpful and check back often for even more. I can't spoil the suprise and list all my great ideas at one time! ;)

Text Messaging Services: Now this is a cool little way to make money. I did this for several months while I was pregnant with my second child. The only pitfall is that it can be quite time consuming, so I had to give it up after Adrien was born. But if you've got the time, there's money to be made. Here's how it works. You sign up with a company like ChaCha or KGB to be a "guide". Then you need to download their software. What the software does is send customers' text message questions to your computer so that you can answer them. Then you have to take a test to be sure that you're not a moron. lol. After a few days you will get an answer as to whether or not you got the job. Then you're paid for answering questions that people text in with, like "what's the weather in Boston, MA?" You look that info up on weather.com or something and answer them. The money is sort of crappy, BUT if you type really fast and know how to navigate Google like a pro, you'll do great. I made about $900 a month doing this. My experience isn't typical though, I type 100 words per minute, so my earnings are in no way a reflection of what you can or can't make with these companies. It's free to do (as all legitimate at home jobs should be). Go check it out if you're interested: www.kgb.com or www.chacha.com

Online Tutor: If you were pretty good at school, you may can tutor children online and pocket some cash for your efforts. There are virtual tutor sites that pay people to provide online homework help to kids. You have to qualify for this by passing a test. The pay is pretty freakin' good too, so it's worth looking into. Check out: www.tutor.com

Those are the money making suggestions for today. Come back next week for even more cool ideas. In the mean time, check out my article about getting free stuff and saving money: http://www.ehow.com/how_5621195_stuff-save-money.html

Greedy People Piss Me Off

2009-11-18T13:01:00.002-06:00

One of the main reasons I started this blog was actually out of anger. The past few years I've spent trying to find legitimate work from home opportunities, I was appalled by how many awful scams there are out there. But do you know what's worse than the scams? The other work at home moms who say they want to "help" you succeed...if you buy their ebook. Man that gets me hot under the collar! Working from home is very hard and finding a legitimate way to do so is even harder. But when you add to that the fact that it takes a long time to see any real money isn't it greedy to ask someone to pay for your "secrets"? Besides that, most of those so called secrets can be found online for free anyway.

It's a tough economy right now and millions of us are trying so hard just to pay our mortage or put food on the table for our children. How could other mothers who claim they've gone through the same thing try to exploit women under financial strain? It makes me sick.

So with that said, my promise to my readers is to provide all the money making and frugal living advice I can find free of charge. We've got to stick together and help each other out to get through times like these. We can't let a bad economy turn us into voltures who are willing to prey on each other just to get ahead. We're sisters here, let's not forget that.

Tomorrow I will be expanding on my work from home opportnity series. Tomorrow's post will be about a few very creative ways to make a little extra cash that you've probably never even heard of before. And these things won't cost you a dime to start. You're not going to want to miss it!

Hang in there ladies. If we all do our part to share our knowledge and lend a hand to each other, we'll make America a better place. If you have any helpful information about making extra money or saving money then pay it forward. Genorosity breeds love and greed breeds hate.

Speaking of money saving ideas, check out my new article on making your own wrinkle release spray like Downey. This is one trick you'll be thanful to have up your sleeve (no pun intended). http://www.ehow.com/how_5658691_make-own-wrinkle-spray.html

Throw an Inexpensive Birthday Party for Your Kids

2009-11-17T07:51:00.001-06:00

My oldest son, Ethan, just turned six over the weekend. His birthday party was fantastic and everyone had a great time. I was able to throw the entire birthday party (including his present from me and my husband) for $60. Today I thought I would share how I manage to throw great parties for my kids without breaking the bank. This information was taken from my eHow article on budget birthday party planning.

Don't stress out over your child's upcoming birthday this year! It doesn't have to break the bank. You can throw a fabulous birthday party for your child inexpensively. Partying on a budget doesn't have to be dull. Keep all of the fun and save your cash too. Follow these tips for cutting the birthday party costs!

For my children's birthday parties, I have always gotten most of the party supplies at my local dollar store. You'll be amazed at the selection of party hats, cups, plates, napkins, balloons, party favors and table cloths that they carry. They are every bit as colorful and festive as those at more costly stores, but for a fraction of the cost.

When deciding on a birthday cake, there are several things to consider. First, if you are a great baker, then obviously you should try to make the cake yourself. It will cost a ton less than buying a cake from the grocery store bakery. Even if you aren't Paula Dean, you can still put together a simple birthday cake for your child. Buy a box of cake mix and a can of frosting. Nearly anyone can make a simple sheet cake. If you do decide to purchase the cake from the store, hold off on the cartoons and elaborate decorations. You can buy a much larger basic birthday cake for less than the cost of character and themed cakes. You can add personalized touches at home such as adding sprinkles, little figurines, or piping on your child's name...

Read the full article at: http://www.ehow.com/how_5573217_throw-birthday-party-inexpensively.html

Getting Creative With What You Know

2009-11-16T15:38:00.000-06:00

I've been away from my internet jobs for the past two days due to a nasty computer virus. I spent the last 48 hours cleaning my PC and restoring it to a functioning state. Don't you just love that? But anyway, doing so reminded me of something I wanted to share with you all.

One of the streams of income I have comes from a home-based computer repair bizz that my hubby and I run. I've always been very good with PCs and Josh (my guy) is a computer tech by trade and works for a government contract company. So naturally, when trying to come up with ways to earn extra income, freelance computer repair came up. It's not a huge business mind you, but I can't tell you how many times we were having a tight week when someone would call and need a $200 service. Talk about a wallet saver!

If you happen to be good at computer repair, you might want to consider repairing PCs as a side job as well. If PCs aren't your thing however, really think about if there is anything you could offer people as a service. Many people don't really think about starting a small business at home because they're afraid of start up costs or it being too complicated and difficult to handle. But starting up a freelance biz in your home is actually very easy and most times free.

Here's what you do. Decide what service it is that you can offer and do some research of local businesses that do the same or similar things. See how much they charge and what all they do. Then build your own business plan around that. Try to be cheaper than the competition if you can, because this will give you an advantage and make people more likely to call you. Then you'll need to get the word out!

Put an ad for your business on Google Local. It's free to do and very easy. Simply go to www.google.com and click on business solutions. Once there, you should see a link for "local businesses". Fill out the information, and next time someone uses Google to find a local business, your name and phone number will show up in the results.

The next idea is to advertise with Craig's List and other free classifieds. Many people browse the classifieds when looking for computer techs, plumbers, babysitters, bakers, housekeepers, gardeners and etc. It would greatly benefit you to advertise here.

For even better traffic, you'll need a website. It's best to buy your own domain name, but if you don't have any funds to spare for start up costs, you can use a free web hosting service such as webs.com. Then add your finished website url to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other top search engines. Also, be sure to include it in your Google Local ad.

Then of course, word of mouth will really help your business take root. Let your friends and family know that you are now offering your services and ask if they know anyone who could use your help. You can also print up fliers and hand them out to neighbors or stick on windshields.

Very small freelance home businesses can be a great way to make a little extra cash and you don't need a degree in business to start one. You simply need a skill. Get creative with what you know and take that knowledge to the bank.

If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to contact me for advice or information. We've got to help each other out during these times. You can email me at: heather_kimbrell@live.com or find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?ref=profile&id=693301998

Here's another one of my work from home articles on eHow. There are several ideas in there that I will cover in greater detail on a later post: http://www.ehow.com/how_5621067_make-money-new-creative-ideas.html

Money Making Details...

2009-11-13T07:42:00.001-06:00

I know that a lot of you may stumble upon my blog because you're searching for ways to work from home. So I've decided that I'm going to start a work from home series on my blog. I'll post details about a certain work from home opportunity as well as my personal experience with it once a week.

Today I'm going to talk about Avon. Avon is freakin' awesome. It cost only $10 to start and how much money you make is limitless. A lot of people may tell you that it's a bad idea and that you'll lose money, but that's only true if you're sitting on your ass wondering why the orders aren't just magically coming to you.

I'm going to be real with you here. Avon can be a lot of work. You'll have to distribute brochures, hand out business cards and flyers, go door to door in neighborhoods, and etc. If this isn't your thing, you should probably reconsider starting with Avon. But if you market yourself well and you serve your customers right not only can it be profitable, it can also be a lot of fun.

So let's talk income potential. How much can you make selling Avon? Well that depends on the route you pursue with Avon. I only sell right now. I'm not a leader and I don't have a down-line. My profits are pocket change really. I usually make enough each campaign (every two weeks)to pay for my brochures, supplies, a few small things for myself and $20-50 cash profit. It doesn't sound like much, but the savings I get on Avon products for myself and my family makes selling worth it. And the $20-50 spending money I make is always helpful in a house with a tight budget.

If you really want to make the big bucks with Avon, get into leadership. I personally am not a leader because I don't have the time to devote to organizing and mentoring a team right now. I plan to look into it later as my schedule loosens up a bit. If you go the Leadership route, you can make a killing! My leader is a very nice woman and has been more kind and helpful to me than you can imagine. Because she is so good at what she does, she's got a very large and successful team. To put it bluntly, she ain't hurtin' for money. :P

Your first few campaigns with Avon will be more work than profit. At this point most women give up and say Avon's a scam. Stick it out; it takes time to gain customer loyalty. The better you treat the few customers you have, the more likely it is they'll talk about you with friends and family. Word of mouth is a huge factor in growing your Avon business. You can also purchase promotional items like bumper sticker, t-shirts and buttons to let everyone know that you're an AVON lady. You'd be suprised by how many people will ask you for a book if they see that AVON logo! You can get promo merchandise here: Zazzle.com

If you decide that you would like to try Avon, I say go for it. What do you have to lose? Just keep a level head about you and don't order more sales tools and samples than you can pay for with your earnings. Otherwise, you'll be in the red. You want to keep it green, ladies!

One other thing, even if you decide selling Avon isn't right for you, you should still take the time to browse Avon's website. Since I've been selling Avon and have switched all of my products to Avon, I'm saving a ton. The makeup, skin care, bath and body products, fitness accessories, grooming products, fragrances, hair care, toys, jewelry, handbags and shoes are MUCH cheaper than retail. So check it out if you've got the time. You can visit my store at: http://hkimbrell.avonrepresentative.com

If you're interested in learning some tricks of the trade and getting some useful sales tips, I wrote an article about increasing your Avon customer base. http://www.ehow.com/how_5493640_increase-avon-customer-base-sales.html

The next work from home post I do will be about eHow. I'll include tips on getting good traffic, what topics are most profitable, how to start and more.

There's a First Time for Everything

2009-11-12T15:59:00.000-06:00

So this is my very first post to my new blog. I wasn't really sure if I were ready to get on the bandwagon and dive into the world of blogging, but there's a first time for everything and you can't judge if you don't try.

For starters I suppose I'll tell you a bit about myself and what I plan on writing about in future posts. I'm a happily married woman and mother to two super great little boys, Ethan and Adrien. Ethan is going to be six tomorrow and his little brother Adrien just turned one.

I'm a work at home mother. For those of you who don't know, a work at home mom is a mom who does just as much work as a working mom but gets the same appreciation as a stay at home mom. My oldest son Ethan is special needs, so we made the decision years back to be a one income family so that I could care for him. Of course, being a one income family often results in too many bills and not enough cash. So being the savvy woman that I like to pretend that I am, I took it upon myself to find opportunities to be home with my boys and earn money as well.

Now I'm going to be point blank honest with those of you who are reading this and thinking that you'd like to be a work at home mom too. It's not easy! I'm working harder now than I have ever worked in my life. But if you have a strong will to succeed and an equally strong pot of coffee, it can be done.

So what exactly do I do to earn money at home? Well over the years I've done lots of things. I'll go into further detail about all of the different work at home jobs I have had, but that is for another post. My current projects include selling Avon and writing articles on eHow. I'm relatively new to eHow and as of yet I haven't gotten rich. ;) But when money's tight, making an extra thirty bucks on your first month is something to celebrate!

If you should come back and read again, you can look forward to details on work from home opportunities, frugal living advice, makeup tips and the thoughts of a modern American mother.

If you'd like to read more of my work visit:
http://www.ehow.com/members/hkimbrell.html

Or if you're interested in buying or selling Avon visit my online store at:
http://hkimbrell.avonrepresentative.com