Frugal Finance Friday: Five Questions you should ask yourself before making any non-essential purchase!

#1 Is this the lowest possible price?

Have I done my research, checked Ebay, Amazon, Half.com, and price scanners like shop savvy? A lot of times you can price match too. For example, Target will even price match online stores like Toys R Us and my go to price matching , site, go ole’ Amazon. If you are considering making a large purchase, it pays to check online. It only takes a few minutes and it could save you big! Here’s an example, when I worked for a company inside of Target I wanted a Galaxy S6 tablet but it was a little pricey, it was one sale for $199 but I still thought I could get it for less, and I was right! I did a quick search and saw that it was only $149.99 on Amazon. I went up to customer service and asked for a price match adjustment, easy, peasy! I saved $50 by just taking a few minutes to do some research.It seriously pays to do this for purchases like electronics, household items and even toys. Toys are expensive!!! With two boys ages five and 2 I buy a lot of toys. Have you seen the prices these days on some toys? Fifty dollars for a toy that will be played with a few weeks? I think not! Sorry bubs, I love you but that Batman robot is a no! My oldest son wants  Batman Robot toy so bad but I’m only going to get it if I can find it for half off or less.

#2 Can I get this free?

Have I checked Craigslist, asked  friends and family, church, facebook groups, or could I maybe even get it free through couponing? There are so many items you can get free if you just know where to look. Under the FREE section on Craigslist you can find things like, furniture, clothing, toys, wood, gardening supplies, all kinds of stuff. You can look for facebook groups in your area that have free items posted as well. If you learn the secrets of couponing you can get cosmetics, and beauty products and more. Here is a link to my best selling ebook Extreme Couponing 101: What the stores don’t want you to know.

#3 Will this purchase make me money?

If its something like a computer you need for business then the answer is yes! Are you a graphic designer and need Photoshop? Then the answer is yes. Are you a re-seller who found a killer deal on close-out designer shoes or clothing? Then….yes. If you just want the latest and newest handbag or shoes, think twice about making this purchase if you are trying to save money, are on a fiscal fast or are just try to do better budgeting. I’m an avid thrift store shopper and I re-sell on ebay so when I find an item I want, I have to question, why I want the item in the first place. Asking myself these questions kind of keeps me on track and makes me not just start buying stuff I like, I’ve been known to get a little shopping tunnel vision. Is that a real thing? Hmm, Is anyone else with me? You just go into a shopping vortex that kinda sucks you in? Oh wait, I think that’s called the mall. Maybe that’s why I don’t go in there anymore. Anyone? Ok, maybe it’s just me! lol

#4 Is this purchase going to save me money?

Maybe you are going to be using a device like Roku and ditching cable, then this purchase will be saving you money. Here’s a great deal on Roku Roku 3500R Streaming Stick .

http://amzn.to/1mPW8AK

I love the Roku. I bought a nice 46 in t.v that wasn’t a smart t.v so I needed to be able to stream movies and shows because I pay for Hulu and Netflix every month. I’m actually thinking about ditching cable still but I only pay $120 for three services, cable, high speed internet and home phone. There is also a device called the Magic Jack that will eliminate the cost of your monthly phone

 #5 Is the purchase going to last?

Is it something I will be using all the time? If so it needs to be quality and therefore that needs to be factored in as well. Here is an example of this and something I know a lot about.I go through laptops like crazy, they keep getting viruses. Probably mostly my fault because I am so bad about renewing the Anti-virus program once it expires. I have considered purchasing an Apple Mac, rather than buying another cheapie laptop. I know that I will probably have this for a good five years at least so I’m considering buying one used on ebay. They are about $1000 new but if I can find one for $500 or less I think I might get it instead of buying another $300 laptop that I will only get a year of use out of. If you think about it $300 x5 is $1500. And that’s about the average I’m spending on computers. If I buy the Mac it will save me $1000. I found one on ebay for used for $300 so I think this is for sure the route I’m going. Normally electronics are one thing I only buy new but since Mac’s are so reliable and well made I think I’m going to chance it this time.

 

Do you have questions you ask yourself before making a purchase? What do you do to control your spending if you are on a budget? And frankly, who isn’t these days? If you aren’t, you probably should be. Even people with millions tend to over-spend. Look at poor Kanye West these days! Sorry that’s the best example I had at the moment. I’m following the Principles Dave Ramsey teaches about finance, I like to call it, think like your grandma, so that’s what has prompted a lot of my finance driven posts.

Here are some great books of his about finance that are all best sellers.

http://amzn.to/1L0vSPF http://amzn.to/1L0vWPk

All of those money lessons that my mom taught me growing up I thought were crazy, the older I get, the more sense it makes. She lives on a no-credit system. She has great credit, just never uses it, she pays cash for everything, if she needs a couch she buys it used or at a yard sale. She says, if I can’t pay cash I don’t need it. Shifting my mind-set into this mode has helped me considerably. I always have money in my bank account and my bills going out every month are minimal now, believe me, that wasn’t always the case. My total monthly bills are about $1000, that doesn’t include food. I spend around $500 on food right now, but working on a plan to reduce that. I’ve been getting lazy with meal planning and haven’t been couponing as much after I had my second son. I’m going to be putting more effort into this area in the months to come after I get some important projects out of the way. 

More posts like this to come as well as youtube videos. See my new channel Mommies Frugal Finds, and my old channel mommas2monkeys

Don’t start a blog…until you read this!

 

 

 

I started this silly little thing called a blog when my first son was born, as a hobby. My son is now five and I have since decided to take it from “this silly little blog” to ” my silly little business” ok, maybe just business.;)

When I started blogging hardly anyone knew what the heck a blog was, now everyone and their grandma has a blog. So here’s a few lessons I learned along the way.

I think this info would be of use to a blogger just starting out, or someone considering starting one.

#1 It’s not all rainbows and sunshine….it takes so much work and dedication. Full time bloggers work all day, everyday. More than forty hours a week in a lot of cases. When I decided to take this to a full time business in October I also started putting about 50 hours a week into it. The thing is I didn’t even realize it until I added it all up because I love it so much, to me it’s not really work. I personally work til 2am sometimes. I do my best work late at night when my kids are in bed, it works for me, I say whatever times work for you, go for it. If you aren’t a 9-5 kinda person, that’s ok in this business. I work better at night and as a freelance worker that’s ok.

#2 You have to have a good support system and an understanding family. Because it takes so much time you need to manage you time well. Thanks to my supportive finance and super dad Jeff. I couldn’t do it with out his help and support. He takes the kids to the park or to grab a bite on days I have assignment deadlines. You will need childcare sometimes so you can work interrupted (don’t try to be supermom), something I needed to learn a long time ago (after cleaning up a room full of nail polish),as well as posting some pretty crazy posts. You have to be able to focus and working when hearing mom I need ____, is just going to leave you frazzled and of course with a crazy, messed up post. Bloggers who glamorize working at home with kids aren’t being real about it, it’s a challenge and a juggling act everyday, but it can be done.

#3 You can’t do it all yourself, even the most technical writers/bloggers need some help. There is so much work to be done. From designing your blog, to coding to affiliate links and other links like products you sell and social media marketing. You will eventually have to hire help, even if it’s for a small task here and there. Trying to take on the world by yourself is just going to leave you burned out. Believe me I’ve been there.

#4 It takes money, starting out as a money saving lifestyle blogger, I tried to start this business free. You just can’t *period*. Some folks may beg to differ, but as someone who found out the hard way, trust me on this one. If you want to take it from hobby to business you have to invest some money. It really does take money to make money. You can start out free to get the feel for things, but to step it up to business, it’s going to take a little moolah. Of course you can start for less than $100 to start, which is nothing though compared to what some full time bloggers make. Upwards of $10,000 or more a month.

Some things you will need.

You need to buy a domain…which you can buy really cheap though godaddy

You will need hosting. I have hosting for this blog and my other blog mommiesfrugalfinds.com through godaddy. It’s a work in progress, and will be switching to Bluehost soon, most successful bloggers have Bluehost. I will be eventually transferring all of my blogspot content to wordpress too. If you start on wordpress you should buy a designer template for better SEO, which basically means more visibilty. For this blog godaddy seems to be working out pretty well though, so I may not transfer to bluehost because the price is very reasonable. You can start a blog free through blogger, and you won’t need a domain or a host, this is a great way to get a feel for blogging and you can always step things up down the road by getting a domain and hosting, I do recommend at least buying the domain though because it may be unavailable for purchase when you decide to take it from blog to business, which will change everything. You might not be able to get a (dot) com.

#5 Blogging can be discouraging. It’s hard to put your heart and soul into this business (I’ve been blogging five years), only to read stories like one blogger makes $10,000 a month after only one year of blogging as a single mom making $700 a month. There’s no way, I’m sure someone helped in one way or another. She makes the bulk of her income from this story selling books about her life story and how her husband left her, and she went from homeless to making well over $10,000 a month. Knowing what I know about this business. There has to be so much more to this story. Like maybe her ex was a doctor and she ended up getting alimony or something,  all kidding a side, it just seems pretty unrealistic, but I guess there are exceptions. One can assume or speculate, it just blows my mind when I hear stories like this because of what I’ve put into this business. Or the story about a crock-pot blogger who started a blog and within weeks ended up on the Rachel Ray show, not knowing anything about crockpot cooking she winged it and quickly became an overnight success. In the world of blogging you hear stories like these all the time. It has made me want to quit so many times. Why do I keep going? Because I love blogging and writing and I love helping other moms, if I did it for the money I would have stopped a long time ago and went into investment banking or something. I’m not in it to make money, though it would be nice to make $10,000 a month, I’m not gonna lie. You just have to start with that mindset that it is not going to be a reliable source of income at first. You can however make other streams of income in the process. More posts on this to come.

#6 Make sure your heart is in it.It takes time to make decent money blogging. If you are starting a blog for income alone. Don’t start a blog at all, go into another field.Or keep following this blog for more on ways to generate more income streams and use your blog as a launching pad for other business opportunities.

#7 People are not going to understand this business…I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard “what’s a blog”? Most people have no idea this is a big business, as well as a platform for other endeavors. You might have to just not tell anyone about it and work on it secretly. There is so much negativity surrounding anything where you make an income online or anything unconventional. If you tell anyone what you do you will usually get a confused or glazed over look. Just smile and move on. Don’t let others opinions or misconceptions bring you down. Just keep doing what you love.

#8 The competition is fierce and it’s not pretty. Other bloggers will steal ideas, steal tags or titles and then every blogger in that niche has the same posts. That can be super frustrating. But I just keep going and make sure I follow all competition to ensure I’m posting unique articles and that my posts are totally different and attention grabbing.

#9 In order to draw readers in you have to grab attention… you have to have a great title for posts and a reason to get someone to read it….just keep your integrity. Many bloggers sell their soul for readers. Just be yourself and be real, that will eventually shine through, making your voice unique and authentic. I would rather have my integrity and no readers than a million readers because of a title that was less than honest or using someone else’s idea.

#10 You will face criticism and critique and you have to be ok with this. You develop a tough skin from this business. You have to not care what others think and just be true to yourself.Blogging enables you to speak your mind, just remember to be respectful of others and realize that things can be taken out of context. There will always be someone who doesn’t like what you have to say, not value your opinions or are just simply mean spirited and bored. Even these people are valuable to this business because the truth of the matter is this, if they are reading your content, you are still getting views and that ultimately leads to a higher Alexa ratings, so really even haters are helping. That’s the way I look at it.

#11 Never stop learning and growing everyday. I learn something new everyday. Study, read, explore, learn and ask questions. I read a lot and if there is something I need to learn (like video editing for example), I watch youtube videos or turn to my BFF google. There is always room for growth and improvement. Always strive to make your blog, and your business better.And always stay humble.

#12 Most bloggers don’t make the bulk of there imcome from blogging alone. Revenue is made from multiple sources by selling ad space, affiliate links, affiliate programs,YouTube channels, marketing programs and products like, ebooks, courses, fitness programs, printables, digital downloads, etc. A lot of bloggers also write for other websites, do public speaking do virtual assisting or speaking gigs. Blogging is really launching pad for other opportunities and income streams. I’m going to be doing some more posts about this subject..the truth about blogging in the months to come.

 

Happy blogging! Keep your head up girl!

 

Here’s a link to an ebook that I highly recommend if you want to start a profitable blog. The author is a blogger I’ve been following for years. She started out as an Extreme Couponing and frugal living blogger like I did, she now teaches a very popular blogging academy called. Elite blogging academy. She shows you ways to make money in multiple forms from your blog. This book is also for the most untechnical newbies out there. Very cut and dry, straightforward advice.

 

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Frugal fashion: How to save hundreds per year!

 

 Don’t impulse buy If you see something you love in a store and can’t seem to live without it, but maybe the price tag just doesn’t sit well, do this. Take a pic of the item and brand. When you go home do some comparison shopping. Once you get home you might even forget about it and that will save you a whopping 100% buby not even buying it. Shop online if you would be willing to buy it used to save up to 80% off! I know I would. I like to compare prices. You can even use a price comparison app like shopsavvy to see if the item is cheaper online or you can even check out Amazon or websites like swap.com and threadup.com. So that $100 jacket from Macy’s could be $40 online…that’s a pretty big savings. Bonus: Look for for coupon codes at websites like retailmenot.com for percent off and free shipping codes. Also, re-set your browser to a website like swagbucks to make money back on items you purchase online. You can get free gift cards for Target, Starbucks and more!

Shop with a plan You make a list when you grocery shop. Why not shop with a plan when you shop for clothes? Go through your clothing and inventory what you have and what you need. Piece together outfits in your closet to see what you are lacking and what you have in excess. This will help you see what you really need. Then make a list to keep in your purse and check things off the list as you go.This will save you big and will allow you to buy only what you need.

Shop at consignment stores Consignment stores area a great way to find very gently used items for up to 80% off or more. Most of these stores only take the best items that are in style and in good used condition, clean, free of stains, rips and tears.

Yard Sales Don’t over look yard sales for clothing. You might be looking for something else like a bookshelf or lamp, but think outside of the box and look for clothing. $1 shirts and purses? Yes please! I’ve found all kinds of name brand items for pennies on the dollar. Tips: Shop early, the early bird get’s the worm right? This applies to yard sales too, beat the crowd and get first pick. Map your route to hit the most yard sales without wasting gas driving in circles. Negotiate, why not ask for a discount? Sometimes I will come across a box of boys clothing and instead of rooting through a huge box I might make an offer for the whole box. I might offer $20 or so depending on the brands, etc. I get it home, sort through it, take what my kids will use and sell or donate the rest.Also shop the last day of the sale, usually Sunday. By then people are more willing to negotiate, or want to unload free items just to get rid of the yard sale leftovers.

Learn how to sew. Sewing is not just for grandmas. I love to sew and I can honestly say this skill is invaluable. If you have a zipper that breaks you don’t have to throw out your favorite skirt or if you need to replace a button, no biggie. You can find that great designer piece that no one wants, that was once loved but maybe has a rip in the seam, why not repair and wear? You can also make clothing for your kids, make costumes, sew home decor items like curtains or make pillows. You can even make a business out of it by making custom items or doing alterations.

Ebay Ebay is an often overlooked place to buy clothes these days with so many online options I think a lot of us don’t think to use ebay anymore. I recently bought a pair of American Eagle jeans on here for $4.99. I’ve seen some amazing deals on clothing, if you aren’t squeamish about buying used it’s a great way to get designer clothing for at least 50% off or more.

Ross I love Ross! Ross is my go-to spot for last minute event dresses. I have been able to find super cute name brand dresses for as low as $8.99. I’ve seen tanks and summery tops for as low as $2.99. Be sure to have some time on your hands because you will need to sort though a lot of items to find the goldmine. Be sure to shop early for best selection. When swimsuits first come out now get them! By your summer stuff now for the best selection. When it’s 100 degrees outside you won’t be able to find shorts or swimwear and will probably end up over paying at another store, just to find what you need. Plan ahead!  Always check out the clearance sections of the store too. You can find some amazing deals for very little cash.

Craigslist Ever think to shop Craigslist for clothes? Craigslist is a good resource for all things used. I’ve seen bags of clothing sold as a lot of here for as low as $20-$30 or even kids clothing and shoes. It’s a great place to unload your unwanted clothing items too. Just group sizes together to get the most bang for your buck. I don’t know about you but I can’t spend time taking a bunch of individual pics. Sell as a lot! Takes far less time and I would rather get $30-$40 for my effort, than deal with phone calls and emails for $5 items. I don’t have time for that. I just fold the clothing up nicely, take a few pics from different angles and list. No fees and a time saver!

Thrift Stores I love thrift stores! Every time I go I feel like a kid on a treasure hunt. It’s so amazing what you can find, for basically pennies on the dollar. Here’s a tip: Never judge a book by it’s cover There’s a thrift store in my area that I would often drive by but never stopped in because from the looks of the outside, I didn’t think it was my kind of store. It looks old, cluttered and nothing outside looks appealing. Well, one day recently I decided to go in and I was blown away by the things I found! How about nice designer shirts for .50. Some of the shirts were a size up but I’m going to alter those (see where sewing skills come in handy?). I also found a brand new bed set with all the pillows for $30. I was able to negotiate and get it for $20, it’s doesn’t hurt to ask right? All they can say is no! I also found a set of old fashioned malt mugs for .50 each and some Toms glittery shoes for $1. That retail for $40. See my hauls on youtube. I have two channels mommas2monkeys and mommiesfrugalfinds. I do Dollar Tree and thrift hauls as well as money saving and money making tips and more.

Dollar Stores What?! I thought this was about saving on clothing you might be saying to yourself! It is. Here are some clothing items you can find at dollar stores. Socks, Slippers, Flip flops, Plain basic t-shirts (perfect for projects too) Nylons, Tights, Scarves, Bra and panties (some dollar stores like .99 stores) Leggings, gloves, hats, etc. Think outside the box. Stores like the .99 store even have jewelry.

Buy off season Buy when the price is right and the demand is low. I just bought my boys Teva’s for summer for $9.99 and $7.99 on ebay. This retails for around $50. I bought a size up for both. I’m just going to put them away for warmer days ahead. They will get a ton of use out of these this summer I’m sure. These are so versatile. I have one pair I’ve had for about 10 years and they still look new. And another that are more rugged for camping and hiking. If you buy quality items.you can get a lot of use out of your clothing and shoes.

There are so many ways to save on fashion. I recently discovered swap.com as well. I spent $45 and got two pairs of jeans four shirts and a pair of shoes, plus found a free shipping code for new customers. Not a bad deal in my opinion.

I also love to alter clothing, check out my test shops

Earthangelclothing.etsy.com

And

Endlesssummerfashion.etsy.com

For some inspiration. I also have another blog on just unicycle projects

Earthangelclothing.etsy.com

More fashion ideas to come.

I hope this helped give you some ideas of ways you can save hundreds on clothing every year! More articles like this to come as well as thrift, yard sale and ebay haul videos.

New Years Goals 2016

I love lists. I’m a chronic list maker…there I said it, it’s my dirty little secret. I guess that’s why I love making New years Resolutions. With the New Year, I feel revived…like I can leave last year behind and start with a clean slate. This past year was jam packed full of joys, disappointments, new beginnings, broken relationships, mending relationships and working really hard on my goals that I set many years ago. Every year I feel like I get closer and closer those goals I set a long time ago. While some have been checked off the list, I still add more and never feel like I will ever be quite where I want to be, I feel like there is always room to learn, grow and improve. Life is a journey not a destination, right?

What do I feel like I got done this year? I think the last few months were by far the most productive. I feel like I got more comfortable with being divorced, after being in a relationship it has been weird having my own place after an 18 year relationship. I feel like I have made a lot of progress professionally. The first part of the year started off with me working as a sales rep for a technology company. After my youngest son got really sick, being hospitalized and my other son being diagnosed with Autism, I decided to make some serious changes this summer. I quit my job and started writing, working on side businesses like ebay and etsy more and built some websites, got into youtube, I published four new ebooks, I also got more into social media marketing and have found love in graphic design. I started new business ventures, I started mommiesfrugalfinds.com  (after having blogsot for five years) with very little help which I am proud to say I now love wordpress! I’m feeling more and more like I computer nerd…. or as I like to refer to as ‘techie’. I’m also getting into video editing, which I love! I also went back to school to finish my B.A in marketing and finance, a goal that was put on the back burner after personal issues like divorce and moving and not to mention dealing with some health issues. I might have to have back surgery and I have fibromyalgia. I really at times feel like working a ‘traditional’ job might be outta the question right now. Or maybe forever… well hopefully. I hate working for other people and building other peoples dreams. Sorry if that sounds selfish but one of the main lessons I want to teach my sons is self reliance. In this economy you could be at your job 30 years and not know if it will be there tomorrow. That is just way things are. You can’t count on someone hold all the cards… you can’t put all your eggs in one basket..like my analogies? You get the idea.

Overall, it was a pretty well rounded year. And a productive one, in spite of some set backs, I feel like I finished it off with a bang! I do feel like I could have worked harder on building and maintaining relationships though. I think my mind has been so consumed with work that I can’t think about anything else. Once I have the foundation built then I can take a step back and well, breathe. Right now my main focus is on social media marketing, affilate marketing, and fine tuning everything I have in place. Here are some goals I have for this year. I hope they inspire you in some way if you are also looking for ways to transition into freelancing or starting your own business venture.

#1 Continue working on building multiple steams of income as well as building passive income streams.

Here’s what I’ve been working on…

-Ebay

-Etsy

-Ebooks (KDP Amazon) I have 5 now

-Blogging

-Ghost writing

-Web design and blog design

-Youtube

-Craigslist

-Fiverr

_Upwork

-Odesk

(SO that’s ten platforms for income)

*fun fact: Most millionaires have at least 7 sources of income)

#2 Finish degree

#3 Maintain blogs and websites and hire one person to help with that

#4 Write more ebooks on money saving and work at home opportunities

#5 Buy a new (used) car and pay cash (feb)

#6 Go on a real vacation (probably to L.A.again)

#7 Go to Fincon (may or may not happen)

#8 Take on more writing work and blog work

#9 Write an ecourse on building multiple streams of income as well as passive income (more on this later)

#10 Get better at youtube and video editing as well as social media marketing

#11 Save more money and try to live on only 50%, with my expenses under $1000 a month I think it can be done. I want to save up $12,000 to buy some land.

#12 Become a better writer and blogger and make more connections within the field.

#13 Take on some web design work as time permits

#14 Write at least a few more ebooks

#15 Teach some local classes again. Haven’t done this is a few years. Doing this got me over my public speaking fear and now I actually enjoy it. That means a lot coming from someone who has been dealing with social anxiety for many years.

#16 learn how to balance my time and energy better and stick to a schedule of what I work on when.

#17 Help out in my son’s class more.

What are your 2016 goals? Leave a comment. I would love to see what other mom’s have as goals this year.

Wishing you a productive 2016!

Posted by Sandi Darvell at 8:46 PM No comments:

Hustling Housewife Series: Starting a blog for profit… (simple Steps)!

 

 

Hustling Housewife Series: Starting a blog for profit… (simple Steps)!

#1

How do you start a blog for profit? So you want a home business or side hustle but don’t know where to start? Here’s the first step. Evaluate what you like, as well as what you are good at. You should start by asking yourself the following questions….

What do I enjoy doing?

What would I do free?

What do I do for fun in my spare time?

What jobs have I had that I really enjoyed doing?

When thinking about starting a side business or full time home business you need to think about these things because, if you enjoy your work, it won’t feel like work. I love blogging and writing, to me it’s fun. I find myself daydreaming about my next post or ebook. My passion is helping other moms create businesses plans to be able to find that elusive balance we all long for, right moms? Are you with me?

So back to business… How to start a blog from scratch

#1 WordPress or blogspot? You need a platform. If you are a newbie blogger and have no technical or little technical experience I would highly recommend blogspot which is through Google. Blogspot is very easy to set up, if you already have a Google account you just have to go to settings to set up from there. Blogspot walks you through the process. You will be hosted through blogger so there is no fee for hosting…there is also no domain, the downside to this is less visibility, but even so, it is a good choice to get started to get a feel for blogging and see if you like it before stepping up. Or you can jump right in, head first, and go with WordPress, now for me personally, I started with blogspot and I think that is the best way to get a feel for blogging, others might disagree. WordPress is a little more complex but you can customize themes and make your blog look a lot more polished and professional. There are free themes that look pretty nice ( see bottom of this one)and you can even add social media links on some. The coding and monetizing is more complex, I had to have someone help me with mine in the beginning on my other blog mommiesfrugalfinds.com

#2

You will need a niche. I started out with a coupon blog five years mommisfrugalfinds.blogspot.com (still have it as well) ago that has evolved to a money saving and home business blog. It is still weird saying, ‘business’. Sorry about that. It’s weird when you take your blog, from blog to business. About six months ago I was at a crossroads with blogging and I was frustrated, I was actually going to delete my blog that I put so much work into and almost 1000 posts. I thought to myself I’m either all in or all out. If I’m all in I’m going to find out everything I can about blogging, writing, monetizing, social media, marketing, and really business in general. It is going so much better since I made that decision.

Back to your niche. Again, think about what you enjoy. You don’t want to pick a subject that will be boring, for you or your readers. Here are some ideas Kids/family Fashion, Technology, Art, DIY, Home Decor also financail planning blog are HUGE right now!

#3

You will need to come up with an amazing name. You want it to be about the topic you will be blogging about, but not so specific that it constricts your creativity. Think outside the box. What do you look up? What kinds of content? Is there a way of combining all things you love? If so, make the title a general, catchy title, about that theme. Love cooking, decorating and organizing? How about housebeautiful.blogspot.com or momshome.wordpress.com or something you can identify with that is easy to remember. Those might be taken, but those are just some ideas.

#4

Make Youtube your BFF. I seriously don’t know what I would have done without Youtube. Youtube is an invaluable resource for setting up a blog for the first time. If you need help setting up your blog, go here. This is my go to resource for all things techincal. I’ve looked up how to make a facebook badge, how to install plug-ins and more. I would also be happy to answer any questions you have. You can email me Attention Sandi @ 530shasta@gmail.com

#5

Start creating amazing content. Create catchy titles and try to think like the reader and don’t forget to use relevant tags and keywords. Try to keep your content appealing to the eye as well by adding amazing pics and make the pic PIN worthy as well, more on this later.

#6

Consider buying a domain. I use godaddy for domains. You an do this later it doesn’t matter, but if you have an amazing website name that you are worried someone might take, snatch it up now. Sometimes godaddy has domains for .99 be sure to check out websites like retailmenot for coupon codes before checkout to save big. Once you have your domain you can re-route your blog to your new domain. Here’s an example. I just set up a wordpress site a while ago…bringingmomshome.wordpress.com (so this means it was free and hosted through wordpress) now I bought a domain the one I wanted was bringingmomshome.com was sold so I went with bringingmomshome.org so when you now type in bringingmomshome.wordpress.com it automatically is re-routed to the new website. You can check out my theme I’m using there too. This is a free theme and I have all my social media links

#7

Show me the money! Ok, so at this point you are probably thinking so, how do I make money from my blog? This is where it gets a little tricky. Ok, so here’s the thing. I wouldn’t monetize your blog when you first start. The first thing you need to focus on is great content and driving traffic. Without traffic you won’t have visitors clicking on ads or buying products and without great content they won’t even come. You need to be able to reel them in! After you have been posting consistently for a few months at least a few times or more a week then think about putting up ads. If you have google blogspot. It’s relavily easy to set up one affiliate ad network and that is google adsense. Google picks the right ads for you. All you do is go to your google blog settings to set this up. Then look into other affiliate programs that would work for your website. I use Amazon Affiliates, adsense, zulily, ebay, avon (I sell it), etsy (I have a shop), and a few others.

#8

Create other sources of income! Consider your blog a launching pad for other ventures. Most bloggers make most of their money from other resources and products like, books, ebooks, courses, newsletters, emails, products they created or sell and speaking or teaching gigs as well as things like web design and business consulting.

#9

Don’t turn your back on social media! After your blog is all set up, take the time to make your social media accounts that are cohesive with your blog, as in the same name, I’m so guilty of this one, I got lazy with this and paid the price. It confuses visitors if you use a different social media account than your blog. Take the time to set this up and you won’t be disappointed. Also make it a personal experience, people love to read background stories about the blogger, don’t leave this out. Make your about me page engaging and your picture professional. I am loving Pintrest and I have read that it is following closely behind Facebook in popularity. Do not overlook this resource. Learn photo shop or use a photo editing website like picmonkey (which I used for the pic on this post) or Aviary.com. This is what I meant when I said make your photos ‘pin worthy’ you want to be able to make them shareable on Pintrest. Make viewers have no choice but to click on your pin! Don’t forget to share your posts on social media. I share mine on Twitter, facebook (just started), google+, and especially Pintrest if nothing else. I will be signing up for Instagram soon.

#10

Focus on building your email list! You can use a free mail service like Mailchimp that helps you organize emails and bring in subscribers. This is super important and something that I learned the hard way, I learned a ton about blogging through trial and error from five years of blogging. If I only knew then what I know now. Oh well, passing on the info to help other moms, so they won’t make the same mistakes I did.

Hope these tips help get you started, more home business ideas and side hustles to come!

Welcome

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Bringing Moms home. This website was created by one mom on a mission to find that elusive balance we all long for. You know you….it all started with’mommy-guilt’ a burning passion for writing and helping others and the pursuit of ‘real’ happiness. I decided to do something totally crazy and (gasp) work for myself! I remember being at work, daydreaming of all of the things I would love to do but had no time for. I would hear stories of others really living….you know truly living. Doing the things they are passionate about. I would read stories of moms who did the unthinkable…created a successful business at home and thought to myself, why not me? Why not put my business degree to work.I hated dropping my boys off everyday for someone else to raise them….I hated it! I cried inside everyday. It was gutwreching. I was missing everything. Trading time with my kids for a few dollars and for what? To make someone else rich? To build someone else’s  dreams? When my youngest son was hospitalized, my older son was,at the same time diagnosed with Autism, I was in the middle of moving, going through a divorce after a 16 year marriage and I was dealing with my own health crisis..at that point I came pretty close to driving in the nervous breakdown lane and I knew something had to give.

I’ve always had the mind-set of an entreprenur…ok maybe just a tad stuburn and willful. But in business that’s a good thing right? I had been making money online for a really long time so I knew that it was possible. I would just have to step things up and give it everything I had. What the heck was I thinking? Just kidding, no regrets! I have never worked longer or harder in my life, but I have never had so much drive to work because I know everything that I do I’m doing is for my family and I, I’m not building someone else’s dreams.

I’ve been a blogger since my oldest son was born five years ago. I have always loved writing. From the time I was in high school and that passion had never died. I was never a cheerleader or played sports but I was on the yearbook and newspaper staff…yep a nerd pretty much. I’m now 38 and still kind of a nerd…I write ebooks for fun…that’s fun right!? I blog and do youtube videos (mommas2monkeys), equally as fun and I have an etsy shop (earhtangelclothing), I sell on Amazon and ebay and I write for others as well as help with tech-y stuff. That’s a word right? I have found several ways to create income streams as well as passive income (more on this later).

If any of this sounds familiar and you too want to find a better way to balance life, work and parenthood….feel free to follow me on my journey. I will be posting about work at home business opportunites, what I’m up to and home business reviews.

To find out more about me you can go to my others blogs and social media

 

mommiesfrugalfind.blogspot.com

mommiesfrugalfinds.com

bringingmomshome.blogspot.com

Google+ Sandi Darvell

Twitter: 530shasta

Pintrest: Mommies Frugal Finds

or youtube mommas2monkeys

you can also see my ebooks on KDP Amazon

under S.Darvell or Sandi Darvell

 

More to come. I will also be setting up my mail system through mailchimp so be sure to sign up ….I will be giving away free ebooks and beauty products.