Hi! There are truly lots of genuine online business one can do to make
good money. Lots of people don't believe that one can earn a good living
off the internet programs. One of such sample is nairaland.com paying
Seun like crazy.
I have been online for some time now and have
tried my hands on so many things including forum. I have come to realize
that the two important key to online business success are 1. stay away
from the free stuff and 2. stay focus on one area (niche) at a time
before switching to another program.
One good area i will like
to talk about is selling. I mean selling your own products, whether you
like it or not and whether you believe it or not people are buying
online. And surprisingly those who go for the free stuff pay more. Its
so unfortunate that poverty is more expensive than riches, where you get
to pay more because you lack the money to buy than if you had the money
to buy.
Hei! don't be scared i'm just teasing, no one is poor,
poverty is in the mind and does not exist, all you need is to erase
poverty from your mind by getting it informed OK. Like this one right
now.
But what can you sell? This is the question lots of people
ask and wander about online, I did too. The best product you can sell is
those you either created yourself or have the right to own it 100%. Now
that's when you are on business. The truth is 98% of those online are
searching for solution to one problem or the other while the rest 2% are
chatting. If you therefore can produce the solution of just one area of
problem, then go to bed because you are rich. That's how nice the
internet is. It did it for the billionaire facebook boy, who thought out
solution to social media.
Now you are beginning to get it don't
you. One of the way to internet riches is 'think! think! think! and
keep thinking!' What can you do yourself? I mean what do you know how to
do, and love doing? OK, lets see the simple one, can you think of
putting the idea you have down on papers?
If you can then you
can write out a clear step by step way to do it. Then you have just
solved a problem. No matter how small, old fashion, stale news, back
dated, silly, non relevant in the society any more etc that you think
the idea is, it is still an eye opener to some one some where. Remember
the internet is known as 'world wide web www'. So some one far away does not know what you know, so start writing it down and teach the person.
OK
enough, i've got to go now. I am building a site, that aims at showing
people how to make money online, writing and creating ebooks and
software and how to sell, where to sell them online. I'm just gathering
my content on the site, but its up to do now. Check it out: http://digitalworkprofits.com
Money and wealth is something that anyone can acquire in their lifetime. It only takes the knowledge and understanding of a few simple laws in which it is obtained.
Here, on this page, are those laws. Anyone seeking great wealth
should learn these laws and start applying them in their daily lives.
While these laws are simple to learn, it takes great discipline to
apply them. Many people who have desired wealth have fallen short
because they have failed to follow one or more of these seven laws.
Do not let such a thing happen to you! Start your journey towards wealth by following these powerful laws. For they are short in words, but long on wisdom…
Law #1: The Starting Point Of Riches
The first law is very simple. It may even seem like common sense to
you. However, don’t let it’s simplicity fool you. If you fail to follow
this simple law, then quite frankly, there is no need to read the rest
of this page. You will likely fail on your quest towards riches.
You see, the amount of money that one earns is a poor indicator of
how wealthy they are. Instead, it’s what one does with their money, and
how much they save that really matters. With that being said, here is
the first law of building extraordinary wealth…
For all of the money that you earn, first put aside 10% to pay to yourself.
It’s amazing how we forget to do this as we go about life. We pay
everyone else, the bank, the government, the landlord. We pay all of
these people before we ever pay ourselves. Don’t let
this happen to you anymore. Pay 10% to yourself for yours to keep. Then
do everything you can to live off of the rest and pay those that you
need to.
Just think about how much money you would have right now if you
applied this law for your entire life. I would imagine that you would
have far more wealththan what you
do right now. Don’t let the depress you. Simply let this realization
excite you for how much potential this law will have towards your
future.
Here’s the amazing thing about saving 10% of everything that you
earn. You won’t notice any difference from before as you go about your
day! Your spending will seem to be about the same that it was for.
However, because you paid yourself first, you will have started your
journey towards great fortunes and financial success!
Law #2: Control Your Spending
This is likely the biggest reason why so few people
become wealthy. Many people seem to have this deep desire within them
to keep spending and spending. Usually on things that they could easily
live without.
It doesn’t really matter how much money you make, you will be poor all of your life if you can’t follow this simple law.
Probably the greatest example of this is the well-known boxer Mike
Tyson. During his career, he made hundreds of millions of dollars.
However, he was one of the biggest spenders there was. To give one
example, he spent over $200,000 on cellphones and pagers in a span of
only 3 years. Despite all of his earnings, he became in debt for
millions of dollars. Making him one of the poorest people on the planet.
Many people believe that money would solve all of their problems.
But in reality, it would probably only make their problems worse. When
someone acquires a large sum of money, such as a lottery winner, who
isn’t disciplined with the law of controlled spending, their fortune
quickly disappears.
I suggest to you to learn this discipline now while your fortune may
be low. By learning it now, you will prevent yourself from greater
problems in the future when the fortune of large sums of money start
pouring in.
Law #3: Make Money Earn Money
I hope you become a master of your spending and paying yourself 10%
of all that you earn. Because it’s only then that you should continue
your journey with law #3. Once you are ready, you can then start to
think about what to do with the 10% that you have saved.
What we need to do with this 10% is find some way to make this money
earn more money. Let this money work as if it were a slave out to serve
us. What we need to do is make this slave make more slaves. And then
those slaves make even more slaves. So that we have a large abundance
of slaves working hard to make us more money.
Does this sound impossible? Does it sound too good to be true? I
assure you, it isn’t. In fact, it can be done by anyone, and it can be
done in a variety of ways.
Without having you think too long, there are two ways that I know of that allow your money to make more money…
The first, is starting your own business. You can use your savings
to start a business that you are highly educated in. It’s only then,
that you should start this business. Because if you start this business
before you are educated in the field of business, and if you don’t have
complete confidence in the product being sold, the earnings you have
saved will be gone.
Business is a risk, but it can have huge rewards. You can set up a
system that will pour money into your bank account. You can then use
those earnings to start yet another business. Which will then lead to
even more money in your bank account.
You can start as simple as you like. It’s kind of like the board
game Monopoly if you are familiar with it. You can buy a green house.
Then another. Then another. Then trade all of them in for one red
motel. It really can be that simple. Many of the huge companies that
you see today were not nearly as big when they first started. Dell
computers started in Michael Dell’s dorm room. Since then, it has grown
to be quite bigger than that!
You can start small in your business. And slowly start to grow it as
you gain knowledge and experience. This is how many businesses become
the large companies that they are today.
The second way to have your money earn more money is through
investing. With smart investing, you can build wealth to levels that
you never thought possible.
Investing and the power of compound interest
are a great example of money earning more money. Any money that you
properly invest in will earn you even more money. Then the money that
you invested, in addition to the money that wasearned, will then start to earn you even more money.
This cycle continues over and over again. It starts out small. Which
is why so many people don’t take advantage of it. But over time, the
earnings begin to increase more and more rapidly. It will truly be a
sight to see when your patience starts to pay off.
Every wise person takes advantage of compound interest and making
their money earn more money. This is the third law of money and wealth.
Do not let it go unnoticed.
Law #4: Protect Your Money From Loss
One thing is for certain, it’s much easier to lose money than it is
to make it. It doesn’t matter how wealthy you are, you can lose it all
in minutes if you really want to. You could just walk on the street and
hand all of your money over to the first person that you see. Gee, how happy would they be?
The problem that gets so many people into trouble is that they wish for money instead of finding realistic ways of acquiring it. You can see this for yourself if you have ever been to Las Vegas. Thousands of people wishing to acquire wealth by wasting money in games where the odds are against them.
With law #4, you must be smarter than that. You must value money and
realize that it is too precious of a commodity to waste. Risk is OK.
However, you should only take risk when the odds are stacked in your
favor. And also when there is a profitable return for your success.
There are other ways in which your fortune can disappear. For those happenings, you should be properly insured.
Buy insurance on anything that you could not afford to repay, should
something happen to it. By doing so, you will be protected from any
unfortunate events that may happen. It doesn’t matter how unlikely the
event, if it would wipe out your fortune if it did happen, get
insurance for it.
I will let you use your own judgment when it comes to other means of
protection. Just make sure that your years of wise uses of money does
not come crashing down because of one small error in not protecting
your fortune.
Law #5: Make A Wise Investment
You should make it a priority in your life to have a home that you have paid for in full. By doing so, you will dramatically reduce your cost of living. You can then use this additional money to find ways to have it earn even more money for you.
It doesn’t have to be a large home. In fact, the smallest and least expensive home that satisfies you is your best choice.
Many people fall for the advice from bankers that you should buy a
larger home because of the tax deductions from your mortgage. The more
money you make, the bigger the home you should buy, as they suggest.
The problem with this is…
You shouldn’t seek advice from someone who is making a profit from
your decision. The reason bankers give you this advice is because that
is how they stay in business. A home is a huge asset. But it is a huge
asset to the banker, not you. Don’t ever do something because of the
tax benefits alone as they suggest. Buy a home? Yes! But don’t be
fooled into thinking that a home is your greatest asset because it is
not.
If you follow the seven laws, you will have assets far greater
than your home. If a large home is what you seek, pay for it only when
the time comes that you are financially free and will continue a
comfortable style of living.
Remember, own your home. However, do not be fooled into thinking
that it’s your greatest asset. There are assets that will be worth far
more to you in your promising future.
Law #6: Plan For The Future
Don’t ignore the fact that the time will come in your life where you
will be unable to work at the rate that you do now. Age will slowly
start to impact you and you will be contemplating the thoughts of
retirement. Also, don’t assume that the government, your company, or
some other source is going to take care of you when you retire…
You must plan in advance and take care of yourself!
This sixth law shouldn’t go unnoticed because if you do, it can lead
to serious regret later. I don’t care what your age is right now,
whether it be six or sixty, start taking immediate action towards
planning your retirement.
Start building a nest egg today that will allow you to live the
lifestyle that you truly desire when you reach the age of retirement.
The greatest advice about retirement planning is this…
The sooner you get started, the better off you are going to be!
Set up a savings program which gives you the security and protection
you need for your later years. We should all be living the good life in
our final days. But it is up to us to make sure that it happens.
Law #7: Increase Your Earning Power
The seventh and final law of money and wealth is probably the most
important. And that is to increase your earning power. To improve your
knowledge and wisdom so that in the event of misfortune, you will be
able to use the skills you have acquired to get back your losses.
If you ask a large group of people what they would rather have,
wisdom or wealth, nearly all of them would probably say wealth.
However, as the saying goes…
“If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. But if you teach him how to fish, he eats for a lifetime.”
Always be a student, even long after your days of schooling are
over. We humans have an incredible capacity for learning. There’s no
limit to what we can learn in a lifetime. If you can spend just a
little bit of time each day learning something new, you will be amazed
by how much you will know in a span of only a few years.
There is one quality that nearly every successful person has. And that is that they are avid readers.
Start today by building your library of great books. Become a person
that craves to learn something new. There are many things that you can
do wrong with money, but lack of wisdom is a far greater mistake.
You can take away all of the money from the greatest minds of our
time and they can immediately start to rebuild their fortune if they so
desire.
This is what you need to be able to do with yourself. Have such an
unlimited quantity of knowledge that it doesn’t matter what happens to
your wealth. You can give it all away if you wanted and be confident in
knowing that you could get it all back. All Wealth Related Articles The 7 Laws Of Money And Wealth Want A Lower Electric Bill? How You Can Become A Millionaire On Minimum Wage 6 Money Lessons You Must Learn From Rich Dad 6 Starting Points Of Many Great Fortunes A Short Business Story That Could Change Your Life A Simple Toe Lesson That Could Save You A Thousand Dollars An Interesting Theory About Money That You Shouldn't Live Without Are You Really Getting A Raise? The Biggest Misunderstanding You Make With Money And Success What Does Wealth Mean To You? Capital Gains Tax 101 How To Pay Zero Taxes
When the affluent are nervous, it's time for middle-class investors to make sure their portfolios are on track.
If the wild market swings of the past week have you feeling anxious
about your portfolio, you’re not alone. Even wealthy investors say a
volatile stock market puts them on edge, perhaps because so much of
their money is bound up in stocks.
A new study finds that almost 40% of
affluent investors don’t trust themselves to manage their own
investments during market downturns—in fact, more than 60% of those
surveyed say they currently work with a financial adviser. (Although the
study targeted people with more than $250,000 in financial assets, the
group surveyed had a median $450,000 parked in the stock market.)
It’s not just wealthy investors who are worried about their finances, of course. Another recent survey
found that 62% of Americans overall reported being kept awake by money
concerns, though the percentage is smaller than in past years. Among
those losing sleep, 40% reported worrying about retirement savings;
among those ages 50-54, fully half said this concern keeps them up at
night.
No question, the markets have been
especially turbulent lately. After a fairly quiet spring, the VIX—a
measure of volatility in the S&P 500—jumped at the end of June, as
the Greek debt crisis and China’s stock market turmoil
made headlines. Plus, a technical glitch shut down the New York Stock
Exchange. (The crisis in Greece appears be on track to a resolution, but
China’s shaky stock market may yet upend global markets.)
The Surge in Advice
Granted, investment surveys like these
tend to play up market anxieties—and the need for professional
hand-holding. Wells Fargo, the sponsor of this particular survey, made
more than $800 million off its financial advisory business last year.
It’s just one of the proliferating number of financial services firms
offering advice to nervous investors. That list includes not only
brokers (like Wells Fargo) and fee-only advisers, but also the new breed
of low-cost online investment advisory services (often labeled robo-advisers) such as Wealthfront and Betterment.
Established fund groups like Charles Schwab and Vanguard have also
gotten into the act by offering a mix of automated advice and human
guidance for significantly lower fees—or no fees at all, in the case of Schwab Intelligent Portfolios.
Meanwhile, some fee-only advisers have changed their pricing model to
create an offering for younger and less affluent investors, which is
paid through monthly retainer fees rather than charging a percentage of
assets. (Such plans give younger investors access to unbiased advice,
but the resulting price tag winds up being well above the traditional 1%
of assets.) Where to Get Help
Should you opt for one of these advice services? The answer may
depend on how susceptible you are to fear, greed and other
portfolio-undermining emotions. If the answer is “very,” there are
simple ways to get some guidance.
The easiest move is to use a low-cost target-date fund,
which will give you instant diversification, automatic rebalancing, and
an asset mix that grows more conservative as you approach your
retirement date.
You can also consider one of the online offerings. You can start small—Wealthfront, for example, just lowered its minimum investment to $500. Above $10,000, you will pay a fee of roughly 0.25% of invested assets.
But if you think you can go it alone, you can save yourself even that
modest fee. After all, that Wells Fargo data shows that 61% of those
wealthy investors still do trust themselves to stay calm when markets
shake. If you know you’ll be able to keep your head while flying solo,
pick a simple portfolio allocation, fill it with low-cost index funds and rebalance once a year.
When your YouTube videos
begin attracting a large audience, you can turn those clips into an
extra source of revenue by enabling monetization on your account.
Monetization is a simple process that requires you to agree to YouTube's
terms and conditions for advertising. Once you agree to the terms, you
can allow ads to run with your videos, and YouTube will share of portion
of the ad revenue with you.
Step 1Sign in to your YouTube account, and then click your name in the sidebar to open your YouTube profile page.
Step 2Click the "Video
Manager" link, click "Channel Settings" and then click "Monetization" to
open the Monetization page. This page contains information on the types
of videos that are eligible for ads. Generally, you can allow ads only
on videos you create yourself, and you must have written permission to
use any copyrighted material in the video.
Step 3Click the "Enable
My Account" button at the top of the page, and then check the boxes
indicating agreement with YouTube's terms and conditions.
Step 4Click "I Accept"
to enable monetization for your account. YouTube returns to your Uploads
page, which lists your YouTube videos. Even though monetization is
enabled for your account, you won't produce any revenue until you enable
advertisements for individual videos. You also must verify your YouTube
account by phone before you can monetize videos.
Step 5Click "Channel
Settings" in the sidebar and then click "Verify." Enter your phone
number, select either "Voice Call" or "SMS," and then click "Submit."
Google calls or texts you with a six-digit verification code that you
must enter on the next screen. Once you submit the code, your account is
verified and you can monetize your videos.
Step 6Click "Video
Manager" in the sidebar to return to the Uploads page. Check the box
next to one or more of your videos, and then select "Monetize" from the
"Actions" menu at the top of the list.
Step 7Select the types
of ads you want to allow with your videos. YouTube will always display
banner ads above or to the side of your videos, but you can also allow
preview ads to appear before a video, or allow overlay ads to appear as
transparencies in the lower portion of your video.
Step 8Click "Monetize"
once you make your selections. YouTube will preview your ads to make
sure they meet the requirements for monetization, and then approve or
reject them in about 48 hours. In some cases YouTube may ask you for
written documentation that you are the copyright holder of the material
in the video. Your videos will be labeled "Monetized" on your Uploads
page once they are accepted.
Here are three payment proofs from October 2011 showing you some
legitimate websites (all of them are FREE) where you can get paid every
month. None of these are money making ideas that will make you a whole
lot on their own but you can easily reach payment each month with all of
them and combined, make an easy $60 to $100 or even more if you set
aside some time after work every day. Again, all of these are FREE and
you can make this money by only doing the free things on each site like I
do.
1) First up is SquishyCash
that pays you lots of different ways and I choose PayPal. You can make
money with them by completing surveys, offers, shopping through their
sites, and several other ways.You can see my PayPal payment below and
they pay on time at the end of every month as long as you reach the
payout amount of $20:
2) Second up is my PayPal payment from Treasure Trooper.
They also have a payout amount of $20 and once you reach that a check
or online payment (your choice) will automatically be sent out. Do a
little every day and should be easy to get paid by them every month as
well:
3) My third payment comes from a site called SwagBucks
where I earn credits for using their search engine. I then redeem those
credits for $15 iTunes gift cards of which I ordered and received two
of them last month. You can earn credits (SwagBucks) lots of different
ways but I get most of mine by simply using their search engine instead
of going to Google or Yahoo. You can read more about the site and view a
video I made about them here – SwagBucks review.
Fiverr.com is a website that has exploded in popularity over the last
several years. I didn’t think it would make it due to the fact that
people can only make $5 per task (minus fees) but I was definitely
wrong. There is a lot of money making going on at that site and you
might want to check it out to see if you can profit too.
To get an idea of what people are selling on Fiverr
all you need to do is go to the home page and you will see lots of
“gigs” listed. Almost anything you can imagine is listed there and the
cost for everything is $5. These are not products like the things sold
on Ebay but mostly services. People are really creative and you will
find gigs like voice-overs, short custom videos, writing, singing,
testimonials, drawing, photo taking, and almost anything else you can
think of for sale there. How Can You Make Money?
One of the keys to making money on Fiverr is to be able to do
something well that people need/want and, to be able to do it over and
over. In other words, you need to find something that is easily
repeatable. Remember, you will only be paid $5 and you won’t get all of
that because the site has to take their cut. So in reality you have to
assume you will really be making only about $4 per customer.
There are thousands of sellers on Fiverr now and chances are that
whatever you have to offer, at least a dozen people are already doing
it. That is why it helps to be good looking (if you are doing video),
have a beautiful voice (if you are singing), or be able to stand out in
some way from the rest of the gig sellers. This is a marketplace after
all and just as in real life, the people with the good looks, the
talent, and the creativity will end up profiting the most. Getting Noticed On Fiverr
But even if you are good at something and have a great gig to offer,
you need to get noticed first in order for people to find you. And even
if they do find you, they will probably not use you if you don’t have
any reviews. Getting positive reviews
should be your first and only goal at the beginning because this is how
you will slowly get more business.
Social validation is the key to getting people to pay you for your
gigs. Sellers who have dozens to hundreds of positive reviews will find
it much easier to get even more people to pay for their services. It is
sort of like a snowball that gains momentum as it gets bigger and bigger
rolling down the hill. No one wants to be the first one (guinea pig) to
try a gig so most people stick to the ones that look to be reliable
based on existing feedback.
This can be the most frustrating thing about starting out on Fiverr:
getting your initial sales in order to get good feedback. It can be
really hard to get the first sales and I might suggest that you even go
as far as to have your friends pay for the first 5 or so gigs in order
to get that positive feedback. Remember, you will get about $4 back so
having friends “help you out” at the start will only cost about $1 per
gig if you pay them back. Offer Something That Is Popular Or Needed
Of course in the end, you need to offer a service that people want.
It doesn’t matter how much promotion you do if you are selling something
that no one is interested in. The best way to figure out what you might
want to do is to start researching on Fiverr itself to see what type of
things have lots of buyers. See what is selling and then figure out if
you can offer that same or a similar service to meet the demand.
Again, the way to make more money than just $5 here and there is to
find something that is relatively easy to do, can be done over and over,
and has lots of buyers. It is not easy to find a gig like that but it
shows you how real life and competition works when you are trying to
differentiate yourself from the crowd. Even if you are never able to
make too much, it is one of the real legitimate money making ideas out
there and you will probably have a lot of fun and learn how a real
marketplace works.
Perfect for beginner affiliate marketers who don’t want to buy their own domain and set up website is something called Ukriti.com. It is a website where you can review products and make money by inserting your own affiliate links into your reviews.
Unlike other similar sites, you will get 100% of your profits on
Ukritic because you are using and in control of your own links you get
from affiliate sites like Amazon, Commission Junction, ClickBank, etc.
If you are looking for online money making ideas, this is something you
should explore because you can do it with zero out of pocket costs. Don’t understand what any of this means?
Affiliate marketing is where you write information on a blog or
website and convince the reader to take action. That action can be to
buy a product, sign up for a free trial, take a survey, or do something
else an advertiser would want them to do. In return for getting your
readers to take action, advertisers pay bloggers a small “finders fee”
or a small percentage of the sale price.
The money you will make with Ukritic.com will come directly from the
advertisers you have affiliate agreements with. IT WILL NOT COME FROM
UKRITIC. So….in order to make money you will have to sign up to the
affiliate program(s) of choice such as Amazon. Write Real Reviews!
Everything you write on Ukritic should be a real review of something
you already own, have recently purchased, or something you have used.
You should strive to give details about your experiences that only real
reviewers would know because that is more convincing. Too many marketers
today write fake reviews about products they have never used just to
try to get a commission.
Readers are smart and they are always looking for real product
reviews before they buy. One of the reasons people like Amazon.com so
much is because they are big and thus get lots of reviews of products
that people buy on the site. You know the reviews on Amazon are genuine
as opposed to some other site that doesn’t have many.
That is why you should make every effort to give honest opinions of
the products you review. The more detailed and genuine they are, the
more likely you are to get that click from the reader that will result
in a sale. A Drawback: No Guarantees
Like everything with Internet marketing and affiliate marketing,
there are no guarantees you will make money. In order to be able to make
money online in this fashion you have to be willing to put in time
without knowing whether it will be time well spent.
But for someone who doesn’t have much money to invest, writing
reviews for Ukritic seems like a great way to get started and get some
experience. The things you learn will come for free and you won’t be out
any pocket money. You will become more familiar with how to write in a
fashion that gets people to do what you want them to do which is very
important in the online world.
However, I think you will find that if Ukritic does well in the
search engines and you put up some well written and well thought out
product reviews, the chances are you will make some money.
A lot is a vague and relative word, so if you are just thinking about
becoming a freelance writer, I’m going to get you started. If you are
earning something as a freelance writer, even as little as $60 a post,
I’ll show you how to get it up to more. If you are beyond that in the
“couple of hundred dollars per article” range, I still have something
for you. If you are looking to make a living as just a freelance
writer, you can benefit from the experiences of some real freelancers
who are already really doing it!
1. Believe
It is easy to believe you can’t make any money writing, because with writing, everyone is doing it…blogging, microblogging,
and self-publishing. So the first thing you have to do is BELIEVE that
you can make money writing. The second thing you need to do is BELIEVE
your writing is worth money, a lot of money, because it is uniquely
yours. But you still have to build your career as a paid freelance
writer brick by brick, just like a house.
2. Start Your Website/Blog
There are freelance writers without websites and social media pages,
but more and more DO have their own websites. I build websites for
individuals and they are older professionals who already have been
published in print or on other outlets. They have been told by their
agent or their publishing company that they have to have a website. You need to at least go to WordPress or Tumblr or Blogger and start a free site. Start blogging. Get yourself comfortable online.
3. Start Contributing
I’m sorry, but sometimes you have to start from 0, and that means
self-publishing on your lonesome on your little-known website, and then
from there, find websites that allow you to contribute for little or no
compensation. I’ve found some just from dumb luck, like Engaged Marriage and here on Lifehack, but I also found websites that need freelance writers by following where other writers publish their works.
And if you want to get paid, says Professor Rich Martin of Illinois
University, a professor and freelance writer, you must remember everyone
has opinions and opinions are free, so doing something more akin to
reporting on a subject with market value is the way to go. Before you
pitch a story, you must understand the value of the pitch to the outlet
itself, adds Professor Mike Taylor of Henderson State University. So
find some outlets that pay you to contribute,
but don’t underestimate. You are still applying for a job. Respect
that. You have to be able to point to previously published work, or
what can be called an online clip file or portfolio. The more outlets
that have published you independently (even if they didn’t pay you), the
more help you’ll get to land jobs that will pay.
And you never know where writing will take you!!!
4. Promote Thyself
So you have self-published and blogged, then found a few outlets that
allowed you to contribute, but you still need help getting paid. What
you need to do is demonstrate that the public likes you. By putting
yourself out there on social media and by cultivating a fan base you are
bringing your name market value. So, when people find you, can they
follow you on Twitter? Can they like your page on Facebook? Are you G+ worthy? Can they Linkedin?
Go forth and promote thy self! And ask family and friends to do so,
too! Also, writers scratch other writers’ backs! So follow back,
share, and promote others.
*Caution: Don’t let social media suck you in so much you neglect your real writing!
5. Be Professional
You can be creative and quirky on social media and in your writing,
but you want a completed professional profile on sites like LinkedIn
with growing lists of your previously published works. All professional
and creative writing experience is worth mentioning if it is
complimentary to you career.
6. Learn To Network
Learning to network is actually something that will not only get you
more writing gigs or a permanent salaried position, but it will help
BOOST number four - PROMOTE THYSELF. High school is not too early!
College is not premature! Now is not to become NEVER. Learn how to
make contact and network. It is a NUMBERS GAME. And if you don’t do
it, you are liable to be watching others do it, skillfully, while your
dreams become dusty.
*FYI: Did you know if you are in need of interviews, you can post a
story idea and solicit experts called Help A Reporter Out? That tip
came from just talking to another freelance writer.
7. Be Credible
It isn’t worse than underselling yourself… but overselling yourself
can hurt your credibility. So be enthusiastic and not shy about your
accomplishments, but don’t stretch them.
Also, if someone didn’t say it, don’t print it as if they did.
Making up direct quotes can seem harmless and even justifiable, but
when it becomes a practice, like with the Independent’s star columnist
Johann Hari, you wind up risking getting known as someone who doesn’t
have credibility. Believe me, you’ll have enough doubters and
nay-sayers in your future, but you don’t want to give them the
appearance of being right about you. If they are the only ones crying
foul when your print goes live, then your editors and your public will
have your back. But if you are being less than credible, you’ll get blackballed.
*Tip: If you are interviewing, ask to record and then keep the
recording as backup. Video chats allow you to record and save. A mini
voice recorder is only a few dollars. Most computers have a jack for a
microphone or have an internal microphone. RECORD asking for permission
and getting consent!!!
8. Be The Boss
No one likes to be caught making mistakes by a superior, and that is
why YOU have to be the boss – or as a writer – you have to be your own
worst editor, a fierce editor, if you want to make good money. From
being around professional editors, people publishing their own books,
and having done copy editing on books, articles, and essays, I know
mistakes can go unnoticed all the way up to print. We all go blind to
print. Errors just don’t pop up and wave a red hand! They don’t
correct themselves. I know there are disagreements about what is more
correct, as well as there are stylistic disagreements. And we all go
blind to our writing after reading it a dozen times. But you have to be
your own fierce editor, or it will be the hordes that will notice your slip-ups. And if you are UNLUCKY, your mistakes will erode or corrode your professional career.
*FYI: The internet promises to haunt us forever every time we publish something. It even backs-up our mistakes! Like with the Way Back Machine!
9. Get The Bible
No, I’m not talking about religion, but I might as well be, because
different organizations whether they are online magazines or newspapers
or publishing houses, they have what are called writer guidelines or
just style guides.
The more academic the writing, the more tricky and sticky the
guides can become. On a copy editing assignment, the draft of the book I
was to copy edit came with a book of its own – the publishing house’s
style guidebook. And yes, I did have to refer to it. I even had to use
the copy editing symbols per their instructions on the hard copies. It
was like learning another language, a short and symbolic little
language from tiny little people with pointy heads.
I think that was the year my vision got worse…
10. Take Care Of Your Eyes
Along with taking care of your brain and the body that houses it,
just know, that the more screen time you take on, the more of a strain
your eyes can be under. If you want to be a writer and a writer that
makes money, take care of your eyes. Get the glasses with the better
coatings – glare is bad. Buy UV protection, too. The ability to focus
on near and far objects begins to diminish at age 40, but don’t
accelerate the process. Other things to help alleviate the strain of
screen time are keep your screen within 20 to 28 inches of your eyes,
adjust lighting to reduce glare, and look away from the computer for 20
seconds or longer every 20 minutes. For comfort, keep your eyes
hydrated. For more tips, check out the American Optometric Association or Google “Computer Vision Syndrome.”
11. Become A Follower
I’m not talking in the cultist, drooling-zombie sense, but you need
to find writers you like, love, and admire, then follow them and their
careers. Check out successful writers’ websites. Pick-up their tips.
Mimic some of their tricks. If they have successfully contributed to
X, Y, or Z, then why not you? Follow the breadcrumbs. After
researching the outlets, apply and pitch stories.
12. Be Organized
Start bookmarking and revisiting the articles, writers, and outlets
that you like and love. Find apps and extensions that will help you
keep your stuff however you need. You’ll develop a system that works
for you, and this will make you faster and less frustrated. No two
people have the same system, but if a friend has one you like, try it.
If a knew app comes out that is getting a lot of positive feedback,
check it out. And just because it works for others, don’t think it has
to work for you. The most important thing in being organized is that it
works for you! I liked to fold paper length ways in half to write
notes. I even have a special way of underscoring that is more aesthetic
than anything. But being organized MY WAY has been great for me. It
isn’t a matter of HOW. It is a matter of just DOING.
13. Start Specializing
Sometimes a theme picks you and sometimes you pick a theme, but when
it happens, recognize that you might be able to build a career out of
it. Right now, people who can write about apps seems hot, just like it
seems hot for people to be able to create them. If the technology thing
is your thing, great, go for it! If you are more into all things cats,
then maybe you need to focus on outlets that have a cat fetish, too.
Writes get known for certain topics. I know a writer who makes a
living writing about Southern American authors only. She loved Southern
literature and it just evolved into a career for her. One gal loved
action movies, so she started the blog Action Flick Chick - she blogged her theme into a career. Alex Langley loved all things geek, so he turned them into a writing career and sells books and more!
14. Become The Expert
After you specialize, you need to become THE expert – or as near to
it as possible. This mashes up with CREDIBILITY. If you write a lot
about health and medicine, you don’t need to be a doctor, although that
would be GREAT, but you need to be able to converse comfortably with
doctors about health and medicine, then break it down for the general
public to understand. With a topic or theme like running, maybe you
should train for a marathon to get a real expert understanding of the
topic. You don’t need to have a medal in the sport, but you need to
have a deeper than average understanding about what you are writing
about – then you need to demonstrate your expertise all ways possible.
15. Write WRITE WRITE!!!
It is cliche, but as Billy Crystal said in Throw Momma From From The Train,
“A writer writes – always!” (check out minute marker 2:44) Like with
any skill, it gets honed with use and challenges. I’ve read the prose
and cons of writing everyday. I’ve read opinion blogs that claim
minimum word counts each day are imperative. I can’t vouch for that.
I do know that when the muse is with me, I have got go with it and
write my heart out; because when the muse is gone, and I am staring at
the blank page of death, I’m going to need all the skill I have to
defeat it. Learn what loosens you up, like journaling, or poetry
writing, or even a DEADLINE!
One of the sayings I’ve come to believe in is “Deadlines make
writers.” So take on assignments even when you feel the muse is
slipping away.
But while you are writing, you might as well be getting paid, so look
into content mills: Text Broker, iWriter, Skyword, Zerys, Constant
Content.
And look into Reddit For Hire.
The more places you can be found on the internet, the larger that
online portfolio becomes, the more credibility you have. So write,
Write, WRITE!
Now, you have started something. You are a contributor. You’ve gotten paid. And you write Write WRITE!
Now it is time to aim higher because you have become a professional, built-up a network, a career, and have credibility.
16. Ask For Testimonials And Endorsements
Just like with “Promoting Thyself” you need to ask people for some
testimonials and endorsements. These you place on your website, but you
also need them on your very professional LinkedIn page.
Be prepared for people to ask you what you want them to say. It is
OK to have something prepared. Some people just need to know what you
want to highlight. Be polite, but persistent. You are probably asking
for the endorsements of people who are successful and therefor busy.
But you need them none-the-less. Don’t bug them everyday. But tapping
colleagues on the shoulder once a week or every two weeks isn’t bad.
You may be better off asking them when you know their workload is
lightest. But get those endorsements in writing IN WRITING!
17. Target Your Pitches
You want to make money? By now you need to have some idea of who to
target so you can write for money. Then you need to decide who has the
money that you want to make. This requires researching the companies or
outlets as well as just going for it on a whim. Trust your instincts.
But you need to be writing and targeting your pitches for profit. Know
the market value of what you are pitching. Know what the outlet values
that you are pitching to. Pitch a lot and often adds Professor Taylor.
Few pitches get accepted, so develop a thick skin.
18. Name Your Price
No, you’re not worth a million dollars yet, but you aren’t chump
change anymore. Ask yourself how much you are worth. You can approach
this from two ways – by thinking of your competency and amount of time
OR what you think they are willing to pay. It is a good idea to
consider that you could get paid more doing short fluff pieces you bang
out in 15 minutes versus the heart and soul research piece you did about
your passion. Sometimes there is payday. Sometimes writing will
b barely worth the effort if it wasn’t for that annoying desire to pen
something.
You will be worth more than you are ever paid.
$250 – $500 per gig shouldn’t be unrealistic for a decent story.
Blog posts seem to be hovering at $60.
19. Build Your Skills
Do you know what SEO is?
Do you know what a hashtag is? or trending refers to? Or are you
#clueless? You can’t be. You shouldn’t be. It’s time to learn. Get
on a browser and start asking questions. Find some books and read.
20. Self Promotion and Marketing
This is beyond “Promote Thyself” and “Ask for Testimonials and
Endorsements.” There is a level of sophistication here that will have
you reworking your website and social media pages. You are a brand.
What is your brand saying? You may have lucked into a sweet spot
because you are a character and can bra-ring it! You were born a social
butterfly. Your momma was Paris Flippin Hilton and your daddy was
JayZ. You get paid to dine at clubs because you are so poppin. You are
current and trendy or deep and soulful. But if you are socially
challenged, this might be the hardest pill to swallow. It isn’t good
enough to be good enough.
You have got to be somebody BEFORE you can be somebody.
And somebodies get paid.
awaiting more
I was absolutely shocked to find out that America doesn’t even crack
the top 20 on the list of most expensive countries to live in. However,
the data pulled from Numbeo by Movehub directly compares the cost of
living in countries around the world to the cost of living in New York
City, and the results show that there are only five countries in the
world which are more expensive to live in than the Big Apple.
5 Most Expensive Countries
Switzerland
Compared to NYC, Switzerland is 26% more expensive to live in
overall. The data shows that restaurants and hotels are not cheap, so if
you’re visiting you might end up breaking the bank. If you live there,
however, you’ll find you get paid more to accommodate for increased
expenses.
Norway
Norway is about 18% more expensive than NYC, again with restaurants
being a pricey form of leisure. Personal goods and services also lean
toward the expensive side, as does the cost of gasoline.
Venezuela
Venezuela is roughly 10% more expensive to live in than New York.
Groceries are a major expense in Venezuela, as they are an incredible
31% more expensive than in NY. If you’ve ever shopped in NY, you’re
probably having heart palpitations right about now.
Iceland
My friend visited Iceland and said it wasn’t that bad; but he lives
in New York City. Iceland is pretty much on par with NYC as far as
expenses go. Of course, he backpacked, slept in hostels, and packed his
own clothing. The price of gas and clothing makes up the most expensive
commodities in Iceland, as do unnecessary additions like cigarettes and
alcohol.
Denmark
Denmark is about as close to NYC as can be in terms of expenses.
Restaurants, clothing, and public transportation are the highest
expenses in Denmark, which sounds remarkably familiar if you’ve ever
been on 5th Avenue in Manhattan.
5 Least Expensive Countries
The least expensive countries all offer extremely cheap dining,
groceries, transportation, and rent. In order from most expensive to
cheapest, they are:
Algeria
Commodities in Algeria cost an average of 66% less than in New York,
which makes me want to take a trip over there and come back with a
lifetime supply of couscous. It also wouldn’t hurt to soak up the
culture, see some ancient ruins, and visit the Tassili n’Ajjer
Tunisia
The same goes for Tunisia. More couscous! Just kidding, there’s much
more to do there, such as visit the Sahara, followed by a Turkish bath
to cleanse afterwards.
Pakistan
The amount of museums and monuments in Pakistan is incredible; it’s
an open world of discovery and beauty. There’s also natural beauty in
the lakes, as well as the K2 summit.
Nepal
It’s incredibly disheartening to know of the devastation that
recently occurred in Nepal in April 2015, so let’s just take this time
to hope for better things to come. You can find beautiful Mount Everest
there, as well as a variety of temples and sacred monuments.
India
It costs about 25% of what it costs in NYC to live in India. Of
course, you can check out the Taj Mahal and the Ganges River, but there
are a ton of beaches and rivers to check out as well.
Most of us have an inner desire to develop wealth, primarily because
it affords us the type of financial security that makes life easier.
There are a number of misconceptions that surround the accumulation of
wealth, including the assertion that people can’t get rich simply
because they earn too little. This is a consequence rather than a cause,
and the fact remains that people struggle to accumulate wealth largely
because they spend too much time and money on things that lack value.
A reckless approach to expenditure or a lack of focus will undermine any attempts to generate income, whereas frugality and hard work will drive success.
In practical terms, those with a desire to build wealth must avoid
prominent sales traps. These schemes are used by companies across
multiple sectors to target those with a propensity to spend impulsively,
although they rarely offer anything of tangible or long-term value.
This is also an issue with short-term investment plans, so you must
tread carefully when faced with the following examples:
1. Marking down a marked up price
When companies or distributors hold sales events, you could be
forgiven for thinking that any subsequent purchases represent far
greater value than usual. It is not unusual for sales teams to inflate
the price of a particular product in the weeks prior to a sale, however,
before reducing this drastically and creating the false impression of value.
Although huge reductions in excess of 50% are extremely enticing to
customers, this means nothing if the original sale price was manipulated
to mislead individuals about a particular product’s value. To avoid
this, you need to take responsibility as a customer, recognize the
dangers and shop around aggressively for the best possible deal. A
specific percentage discount does not translate into pure savings, as it
simply reduces either the manufacturer’s suggested retail price or the
one initially set by the distributor. By comparing prices across the
market, you can delve beyond individual deals and achieve value for your
hard earned money.
2. The lure of exclusivity
Online price comparison technology has proved extremely challenging
to retailers, as it creates an informed and motivated army of customers
who are less susceptible to traditional sales techniques. This is where
the concept of exclusivity comes into play, as this is a ploy used by
stores to justify high price points and deter consumers from shopping
around. By marketing goods as part of an “exclusive line” that is not
available anywhere else, retailers can drive a far harder bargain and
force the hand of impatient customers. This has proven to be a
successful scheme, especially when it is aimed at impulsive spenders who
are in the market for a specific product. Exclusivity deals are usually
restricted to specific regions, meaning that you may be able to find
your chosen product elsewhere. These deals are usually signed for a
fixed period of time, and once this has passed the product will become
available in other stores nationwide. Patience is therefore crucial,
while more flexible customers can also shop around for a similar product
that serves the same purpose.
3. Persistence wins the day
The majority of successful salespeople are aggressive self-starters, meaning that they are generally self-reliant and persistent in the pursuit of their goals.
This leads us to another common sales trap, through which customers are
implored to make a purchase as a way of satisfying a relentless and
driven sales effort. Although this is an obvious trap that relies more
on direct communication and tenacity than psychology, customers can
easily be influenced to buy if they feel pressured by the attentions of a
sales representative. In this instance, the key is to remain grounded
and communicate authoritatively with salespeople. If you have no need or
desire for a specific product or service, remember that this is
unlikely to change throughout the course of any dialogue. By focusing on
this and communicating your stance clearly to a sales team, you can
quickly discourage them from pursuing your custom. Time represents money
to salespeople (especially those who rely on commission), so they are
unlikely to chase leads where the customer shows a clear and unwavering
lack of interest.
4. The art of accessorizing
Have you visited a furniture store recently? If so, you will have
probably noticed perfectly standard centerpiece items, such as beds or
sofas, adorned with a number of high end and visually engaging
accessories. While the store will justify this by claiming that such a
practice helps customers to visualize how their property will look in a
fully decorated and accessorized room, it actually serves to enhance the
appeal of ancillary products that are not included in the sale price of
the core product. Not only does this make the core product itself look
more enticing, but it also drives additional purchases. Awareness is
crucial in this instance, as once you recognize this sales trap you can
refocus on your needs as a consumer. The first step is to make a concise
list of everything that you need prior to hitting the high street,
while also establishing a fixed and viable budget for the trip. In order
to ensure that the core product in question meets your needs, you
should also look to strip it of any accessories or ancillary items
before making a final decision. You could even bring in some of you own
accessories from home, as this will present the product in a more
realistic light.
5. When insurance has no purpose
In addition to corporeal items, there are also a number of lucrative insurance products sold on an annual basis. As the ongoing controversy surrounding PPI claims
proves, however, not all of these products offer value to the buyer or
are sold in an ethical manner. There are two damaging sales traps to be
wary of in this instance, as vendors will either sell erroneous policies
that offer no discernible value or inadequate coverage that fails to
deliver long-term, financial savings. The former policies tend to be
sold aggressively by call center operatives, and they usually look to
capitalize on client ignorance or gaps in knowledge. How do you avoid
the insurance sales trap? The first step is to assume the role of
aggressor when communicating with service providers, especially if you
are in need of a specific product. More specifically, you will need to
set out exactly what you are in the market for, detailing your need,
budget and any additional data that helps to reduce risk. If you are
contacted directly by a firm offering their products, you should also
look to challenge their knowledge and ask them to clearly explain the terms, purpose and salient points of the policy.
6. The quest for high-yield, short-term investments
In the quest to build wealth, you may be tempted by any of a number
of investment opportunities. You will need to be cautious, however, as
the demand for instant, high returns has triggered a rise in the number
of risk-laden schemes and ill-considered investment traps. While some of
these investment opportunities may well have the capacity to trigger
quick returns, they are primarily aimed at inexperienced investors who
fail to understand the relationship between risk, return and long-term
gains. To avoid this, you will need to research your chosen market and
ensure that there is an opportunity to earn reliable, long-term gains
that offer a suitable reward for your investment. The market for
sustainable assets and green investment is particularly strong at
present, for example, especially when you consider that there are now viable technologies that reduce carbon emissions
and consumption in sectors such as fuel, energy, and even data storage.
This trend is likely to continue for the future, making this a far more
suitable investment option than those that revolve around real estate
flipping and pyramid schemes.
These
days it’s become the norm for people to have more than one source of
income. There are so many unique money-making opportunities possible
that people are realizing that they can earn a few extra hundred dollars
a month by thinking outside the box.
Even though the economy seems to be on the mend, many of us are still
living on a tight budget. A potentially lucrative but often overlooked
place to make bank is your most valuable asset, your home. It’s a
goldmine waiting to be excavated and a great place to boost your income.
In the past, this may have meant re-mortgaging to release additional
cash, but we have all the basics to be a bit more imaginative.
Besides having a junk-yard sale where one’s trash is another’s
treasure, there are several unconventional ways to make a few extra
pennies from the comfort of your home.
1. Rent it out
Whether you have a spare room or an entire house to rent out to
travelers, students or even temporary subletters, both options can help
you to hone in on the big bucks. Some find it uncomfortable ‘living’
with a stranger, so the other option is to rent out your whole place.
Think about taking that vacation you have been day-dreaming about at
your office desk, which could possibly be covered by the guests in your
home. Airbnb make
the process stress-free. It’s a great way for you to monetize your
extra space and advertise it all over the world. If you still feel a
little weary and have a fear of not being in control of your precious
home, there are services who offer to take care of managing all the
logistics remotely for you, such as Guesty, who clean and are available 24/7 for your guests’ needs.
2. See your home in lights
You can have your 15 minutes of fame by opening up your home to film
crews or photographers. Many magazine and television companies are
always looking for new and different places to shoot or film. If your
home is well designed and immaculate, it could be perfect for a
magazine. Family homes are often in high demand by television companies.
Here’s a few tips to get started.
This isn’t a surefire way to earn cash, but many agencies have a free
registration so there’s no harm in applying. The film crew generally
starts early and ends before you’re back from work. If they are a
reputable company they will restore the home to the order it was found,
paying for repairs and all. If you are not too house-proud this could be
a jackpot if your home is picked, but be prepared to have your place
turned upside-down as they may move furniture or paint the walls.
3. Lease out your garage or driveway
If you feel that the other options are home-invasions, there’s
another alternative – how about letting people park in your drive?
There’s plenty of money to be made, especially if you are located near
the airport or a sports stadium. The idea is so simple and there are
many websites that offer the service to business people traveling abroad
who need a place to store their car.
4. Freelance from your sofa
For some, renting out their home can be uncomfortable, the other
option is to ‘sell’ your talents. Instead of spending your free time
browsing Facebook, these hours could be used to make some cash on the
side at the end of the month. If you are talented in writing, computer
skills or even design, you can freelance these skills remotely. Sign up
for a freelancing site, such as elance, where you can offer your services and get paid in return for your work.
Freelancing offers consistent opportunities, no matter what the
general job role. When companies are cash heavy, they have extra work
that requires freelance help or when they’re cash-strapped and they
can’t afford to hire full-timers, so they bring on more affordable
freelance workers.
These options are just a taste of how you can earn money from your
own home. Employment opportunities are becoming rare and it’s good to
know that you have the ability to take things into your own hands.
Do you make money working from home? Share your experiences with us!
Featured photo credit: ApartmentMoney via gratisography.com
Imagine
that you are sitting on the front porch of your house sipping lemonade
with your family on a warm summer’s night. You sit back and reminisce
with them about how you… bought the newest HG TV?
Materialistic
gratification only lasts so long. It is said that our brains adapt to
happiness. With materialistic things buying our happiness, we are
successful for a brief moment. New things will lose their shine and we
will lose our interest.
Instead of spending your money on things
that will eventually be obsolete, try spending it on something that will
make lasting memories. Memories become a part of our lives forever and
help make us who we are. The good experiences will forever stay good in
your mind forever and the bad ones turn into a funny anecdote in the
future.
Below is a list of 5 things you should spend less money on
and 5 things you should spend more money. Use these tips to save money
so that you can spend it on experiences that will enrich the lives of
you and those around you.
5 Things you shouldn’t spend too much money on:
1. Electronics
Electronics
in this day and age are almost a necessity, but that doesn’t mean that
you need to spend money to get the newest thing. The shiny new feeling
of your devices are very short lived and it is almost guaranteed that
there will be a newer and better model of the whatever device you own
within the next year.
2. Home Decor Fads
There will always
be a new popular theme to decorate your home with. You don’t have to
spend hundreds of dollars to get the signature look you see in the
magazine; there are always do it yourself ways to achieve the same look.
You can make it an experience and a time to bond with friends and
family.
3. Cars
Keeping up with the newest car models is
not a smart lifestyle unless you can pay each of them off by the time
the next model comes out. This is a way to get you into a never ending
hole of debt. You will never have the title in your hands if you keep
trading your car (half paid off) for this current year’s model (which
probably cost more).
4. Newest Fashion
You don’t have to
feel guilty about giving into buying new clothes, bags and shoes once in
a while. But when it gets to the point where you are trying to get each
new bag or pair of shoes for about $300 plus dollars, maybe you should
skip out on one of these and save the money for something else. There is
always going to be a new fad and there is no point on spending all your
hard earned money and losing precious closet space on it.
5. Jewelry
Fancy
jewelry is nice to have for formal occasions, at the office and when
dancing on your night out. If you can afford to buy a two thousand
dollar watch, good job. For the rest of us, there is a fine line between
accessorizing and going into debt for shiny things.
5 Things you should spend more money on:
1.Education
There
isn’t another feeling in the world that can compare to the feeling of
starting to understand another language without thinking about it.
Though some language classes are very pricey, they are worth it. Taking
classes on different cultures, religion and different professions will
open your mind to a whole different world.
It does not mean you
need to convert your religion or change your job. It will simply mean
that you have walked into a classroom with an open mind and have added
the things you have been taught to your vault of knowledge. You may
never know when it can come in handy.
2.Traveling
Traveling
can be pricey at times, but it creates memories that last a life time-
even the bad experiences. Typically we all laugh about the bad
experiences later on in life. One trip to Europe can cost someone the
same as good laptop and the long trips can cost less than a car you
don’t really need but want.
Trade all those materialistic things
in for a night under the Northern Lights, a kiss on the Eiffel Tower, or
a long journey backpacking through the Alps.
3.Music
Learning
to play an instrument is a great start to a new tradition in your
family. You can pass this down to your children and make new memories.
That is, of course, after you have told them about the ones you have
when you learned to play.
You can also venture out and spend about
a dollar or two to take a chance on a new genre. Who knows, you could
end up with a couple (or a couple hundred) songs added to your music
library.
4.Books
Book are always going to be something
different with each reader that turns its’ pages. It is a completely
different experience using your imagination to put the author’s words
into images in your head. Books won’t ever require you to turn them on,
charge them or restart them. They are things you can pass down from
generation to generation.
It is a much different experience to sit
somewhere, with a book in hand, with absolutely no distractions. Books
are portals to explore completely different worlds with a turn of a
page.
5.Food
Trying new food goes hand in hand with
traveling the world. Instead of spending a few hundred on a bag, save it
for some great food when out and about. Take some cooking classes on
food from different cultures. In Italy, they offer cooking classes at a
vineyard. You can learn from an Italian chef how to create a great meal.
It is something you can take back home with you and teach friends and
family.
There are several chocolatiers in Belgium that are worth spending the extra dime to appreciate a perfectly crafted truffle.
Remember…put
your money into things that will create memories over the instant
materialistic things. You don’t have to spend all of it on creating
memories but if you do, it won’t be something you regret. Featured photo credit: Packs/ PublicDomainPictures via pixabay.com
Mimi Musser runs Yellow Ribbon Photography, shares her rants and raves on her blog,
is a student, a freelance writer, photographer and serves coffee while
serving her country all because she feels as if she is too young not to.
Fiverr.com is a website that has exploded in popularity over the last
several years. I didn’t think it would make it due to the fact that
people can only make $5 per task (minus fees) but I was definitely
wrong. There is a lot of money making going on at that site and you
might want to check it out to see if you can profit too.
