I buy from Amazon and sell on Ebay

    I find myself shopping on Amazon.com for good deals on things like Skechers shoes and birthday presents for others. I just can't beat the free shipping and no tax, plus the prices are cheaper than anywhere else I can find. I usually don't sell on there because I like the option of having it go through auction style listings like on Ebay. I usually sell my items when listed on Ebay at prices I want.

    What do you sell and buy online? Is there other sites that have lots of traffic like this. Let me know.

Save Money On Your Vacation

   My family and I just got back from our Disney World Vacation. We saved a lot of money planning this vacation with some good friends. Instead of staying in a hotel for 7 days and nights, we decided to look at house rentals. We did really well and ended up with a 4 bedroom house. Two of the rooms were master bdrms with king beds and own restrooms. The house had a pool and spa, full kitchen, living room, sitting room, the works. We paid about half the price we would have at a hotel, plus we shared the costs down the middle on everything including our food shopping list at Wal-Mart. We rented a Tahoe through National Car Rental ahead of time and split that costs in half. After arriving they didn't have the Tahoe and gave us a Suburban which is bigger and fit all our lugguge.

   We went to all 4 parks for Disney World but received 5 days. We went to Magic Kingdom twice and didn't have to be in a hurry there. We bought our tickets through a Disney World Authorized ticket agent called DWtickets.com . Because we bought 4 days + 5th day free, our tickets came to about $45 per person instead of $85 for a one day ticket that the park charges.
 
   Airline tickets were an ok deal for pricing, but we really paid for what we got in this boat. United/Continental was a mess. Since they are merging and laying off people, they seem to lack great customer service and we had some problems with both companies.  But enough about them, we still had a great trip and saved a ton of money in other areas with great outcomes!

    One more thing, remember that in Florida, it is hot. Not just hot, but humid, muggy, and almost unbearably hot.  Don't forget to lather on that sunscreen as thick as you can, wear hats, and buy those fans that spray water at Wal-mart before you go into the parks.  Some of the days we did not go into the parks until the afternoon, so we beat the heat for half the day and were able to stay until the parks closed around midnight. If you decide to do that check the times and plan your days so that you can go to the park that closes late.  Have fun!

Virtual Assistants

   Virtual Assistant do all sorts of data entry and customer service jobs usually out of their home. There are some websites out there that are requiring you to pay a fee to get info. on becoming a virtual assistant. You do not need to pay money and it is probably a scam. Some companies may require you to be an independent contractor and get paid by the job and not by the hour.

  Here is some companies that do not require fees. Some do offer certification for a charge, but it is not required to get a job. You can make from $10-$35 per hour depending on the job:

http://www.virtualassistantjobs.com/jobs.html

http://guru.com/

http://www.elance.com/

http://freelancefree.com/

Make money blogging

   So as you are here reading my blog on how to make money, it is only sensible for me to let you know how to make money by blogging, right? First I want to say that I am no expert and I didn't go to college for writing, but I am learning so give me a break if you see some mistakes.  I will give you a few pointers that I have learned since I started with a previous website back in 2006.

   First find a niche. Find a subject that you are good at, interested in, something dear to your heart, or that you are an expert on. Start blogging on that and help others in the process. Please remember people first, the money will follow. If you truly care about helping others, you will be rewarded.

  Their are many ways to make money on your blog, including ads (could be your own or from a source like AdSense.com), donations, or other sites you are referring others to (affiliate). But again the main thing is to help others. If someone comes to your site and gets something valuable out of it, they will continue to come back. They may bookmark your site, subscribe to it, follow it (like you may want to do on this site), save in their favorites, etc.

   So I make money when someone clicks on one of my advertisements from google or affiliate advertisements that I have joined from another company. Most of the job places I refer someone to, I do not make money from. That is part of my blog, but I do put google ads that are related and that's how I get paid.

Godaddy.com or Blogspot.com is a good place to start a blog or even a website.

Free and $1 movies at Redbox

Have you seen those Redbox contraptions outside of the stores yet.
I just tried it out this morning. I reserved the movie with my credit cardat home, went to the redbox in front of store, slid my card through and my 2 movies came out. No line and only $2 . You can also just to up to it and choose what is available at that time.  This is probably why places like BlockBuster are closing there storefronts. But you just can't beat $1 for a movie. Just remember if that is all you want to pay for it than you need to bring it back the next day. They gave me a free movie for creating an account and movie was great! You can also get free movies for referring your friends.

Is a Franchise for you?

   Many people out there searching for there own home business will look into franchise opportunities. There are many franchises out there willing to sell one to you if you have what it takes and of course the usual fees that come along with one.

   Before making a decision on a franchise that you like, make sure you do your research and find out what is going to be involved before heading in with both feet, blinded.

• How many hours will you have to put into it?
• How much will you need to put down and how much money will you need in your savings and in loans besides the liquid cash?
• How many employees if any, will you need to hire?
• Is your current lifestyle going to match what it takes to get the job done and will it be worth it?
• How much competition is out there for a business like this?
• Can you really afford this amount and not risk everything you own, like your retirement?
• Do your research on the need for your business and how successful other businesses like this are.

Make sure you know all the facts before you give all your money and time.

Get paid for your Photographs

If you think you are a good or great photographer, why not get paid for your photographs.

Here are some websites I have found for you:

alamy.com/contributor/help/sell-images.asp

submit.shutterstock.com

istockphoto.com

bigstockphoto.com

dreamstime.com

123rf.com

fotolia.com

Flixya.com

canstockphoto.com

Write Online

I used to write for an online website called Associated Content. I would write reviews on different companies or tell stories about my dog or baby. They paid about $7-$10 per post depending on how much content is included. I heard the pay might be more now and I think they also pay for how much traffic your article receives. Here is a list of other sites that also pay you to write for them

AbsoluteWrite.com

Author101.com

Beaguide.About.com

AssociatedContent.com

FreeLanceWritingGigs.com

FundsForWriters.com

MediaBistro.com

PayPerPost.com

ReviewMe.com

WellFedWriter.com

WorldWideFreelance.com

WritersMarket.com

WriterFind.com

Helium.com

Triond.com

Ehow.com

Squidoo.com

Hubpages.com

Cyberedit.com

Editfast.com

Online Surveys

A program I just recently checked out is called Survey Savvy. Now I usually don't trust survey sites, but I decided to join this one.

It does not cost anything to join or promote, and you can help others make money doing online surveys.

A trustful and popular work at home website owner referred me to this site and has made over $600 with a small work effort and for free.

When a person joins through my Survey Savvy link, they can start making money doing surveys. Nice extra money!

And if they refer others like I am doing, their surveys can make you extra money too… up to $3 per survey they finish.

Make extra cash for Christmas or anytime you are looking for that change around the house, do a survey with Survey Savvy instead. You can start doing surveys and referring asap!

Please click on my links above for my referral link, Thanks!

Angel Food Ministries helps with food

If you need help with groceries and food for your family, read on.

Angel Food Ministries may be able to help you. They provide a large box of food for you at very affordable prices. The food is not low quality and you get a lot more for your money. You do not have to qualify to receive the products and looks like you can order more than one box or different items in a second or third box. You can also become a host site and help others in need.

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

You can also try your local food bank or contact your city for more information, there is help out there for those struggling.

Hype in advertising, why?

   Why is there so much hype in advertising. The promises, gimmicks, highlighted words everywhere, large letters, blinking, all capitals, yelling, doing whatever these advertisers/marketers think it will take to sell you on there product or opportunity.   I think most people now days are smarter to fall for all of this hype than in the old days. I belong to a very large moms forum and everyday I still see it. Tons of hype and promises to join their work at home business.

   My thoughts are to offer something extraordinary without all the hype. How about just thinking with your heart and telling it like it is. Don't hide stuff or blow if out of proportion. This goes for major businesses that advertise on Tv and radio as well. I think I am not just speaking for myself, but for a majority of the people.  We are sick of hearing all those ads with promises and straight out lies.  My Tempurpedic mattress is not all that great as they advertise and my Snuggies just really bugs me how they fall off when I am walking around, I would rather have a blanket over my shoulders.  I just don't believe all these As Seen on TV infomercials and products anymore.  

  I Bought the Magic Bullet from Coscto, just to take it back weeks later after it exploded all over my kitchen. Sorry Magic Bullet but I don't need to clean up purple stains from a blueberry smoothy I made all over my kitchen again.  If you promise something on TV, then please make sure it is the truth.  My smoothy did not blend in less than 10 seconds or even 20 seconds. Although the concept of it was great, like all those cups that you can drink out of right after blending, I don't think the Magic Bullet company is going to come clean  my kitchen or send me cleaning products every time the bottom falls out from the pitcher and there's a huge mess that dyes part of my white shoe laces purple and the grout in my tile.

   I had a guy a couple weeks ago tell me all about their water softer system. But mainly he was bad talking the other company I was with. Telling me he heard all about how they are late and unreliable. He also started telling me that even though they were $10 more than the other company each month, they were so worth it. But he talked so much, that I was getting a headache and just wanted to get off the phone.  By the time our converstation was over I couldn't stand him anymore. He talked his way right out of a sale and I am still with my old company.

   For all those in sales, marketing, owners of businesses out there, before you write your next ad, go sit down in a nice quiet room and think about what it is you have to offer. Think about what makes your company so great, why you like it, what are the perks and benefits. From there choose the best sentence or two that describes you and your business. Let yourself show up in the ad and people will feel that. They want to be able to trust the individual and product.  Even better why not advertise what the products did for you. What benefit did you get out of the product. If you tell what kind of benefits a product has you might get someone's attention and they will buy.

  

Pet sit, baby sit, or house care

   You can bring in money by baby sitting or child care.  Become a nanny if you have some experience with taking care of children already. There are always mothers and even fathers for that matter that need help watching their children when they are at work or just need a date out with their significant other.

    Along those line, if children are not something you are interested in at this time but you love animals, why not do pet or house sitting? You can watch pets in your own home or in someone else's home. Sometimes people just want you to stop by and give their pet some attention, give them food and water, and maybe water their house plants and bring in their paper.Some may just want you to watch their home while they are away and make sure it is safe and taken care of.

   I don't know how many times my we have needed to go on a trip and had to find a place for our dog. He can't be by himself overnight or he yelps and cries all night long (he is an indoor dog all the way). So we have paid up to $200 for a four night stay with a loving couple with 2 old dogs of their own. All they have to do is give him some food and maybe some pets on the head. He just lays around and walks around the yard once or twice and he's good. I have left him at a doggie day care before and have paid twice as much. I have not been satisfied with the service the place I left him at provided or the large amount of animals they take in at once. I would much rather pay for someone to give him attention without loads of dogs jumping in his face. It is a great business for the right person.

   If this is something you are interested in doing, try postng an ad on Craigslist or penny saver letting others know of your service. If you are interested in the childcare, you will want to get certified for CPR and other classes for safety and knowledge.

Get paid to drive

You have probably seen those cars driving around with ads on it, or the total car is like a driving commercial. Well I found a site that pays you for just that. www.myfreecar.com

Sell on Ebay

Ebay

I have been selling on ebay for a long time, probably close to 10 years. Ebay is pretty easy once you get the feel for it and know what your doing. First you need to find things you want to sell. If you want to get rid of stuff laying around the house, sell it cheap on ebay (start your listing off at $.99 cents if you know people will want it) and more than likely it will sell. Don't forget to add in shipping costs. If you mark shipping too high, people will know and won't buy from you. Mark what normal shipping would be, you could add a dollar for handling. I bought a scale to weigh my products. Check with post office for shipping rates. Be truthful and describe every detail and don't leave something out on purpose.

If you don't already have one, you will need to set up a paypal account. This is probably the best way to get your money and easiest. Paypal is the only method of payment I will accept. I trust them and when there is a problem, paypal has came through for me. I would not accept checks from people.

Sometimes I have products listed so check HERE to see my ebay page. Be sure to save me as a seller.

eBay For Dummies  How and Where to Locate the Merchandise to Sell on eBay  eBay 101: Selling on eBay For Part-time or Full-time Income, Beginner to PowerSeller in 90 Days

Do happy people make more money?

   Having a good attitude is key to having a happy life. It is not all about having more money to become happier, but I'm sure having enough money to be comfortable can sure help. So should happiness come first? I think happier people are more likely to make more money in life.

    If you need help, there are many inspirational books out there. Watch "The Secret" on DVD or online at Thesecret.tv or read the book. You can watch about 20 minutes of snip clips on you tube. The Secret is a magical, spiritual teaching that if you want something, think positive, imagine what it is you want, and then do something about it.

   If you are somewhat religious or at least have a belief in God, whichever God may be to you, I would recommend before anything else, getting any of Joel Osteen's books. One is called "Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day". It's very inspirational. Joel Osteen will hit all the points on becoming a happier and more successful person.  You can also find Joel Osteen on TV,  as well as on www.joelosteen.com