Sunday, September 30, 2007
Frugality
| My September posts dealt with my thoughts on ways to generate extra income. I have a full time job as a legal assistant, and I work part-time as an office assistant. Sometimes it just isn't possible to fit another job in - unless you don't need those 4 or 5 hours of sleep you've been getting. Cutting expenses is one way to feel as if your income has increased. My favorite way to cut expenses is to slash the grocery budget. I take it as a personal challenge to try to spend less this week than I did last week. Below is this week's dinner menu, along with the prices for each item - the prices may vary in your area. I do NOT watch my carbs, protein, yada yada, although I am mindful of my fat intake, so you can adjust this according to your diet. And I am NOT a nutritionist, but I do try to incorporate as many food groups as I can into a meal. *Your vote in the poll at the bottom of the page would be appreciated* Sunday: Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, green vegetable (peas or green beans) Spaghetti noodles $.80 Ground turkey $2.00 Bread (loaf $.90, 6 pieces used, cost approx $.18) Peas $.50 can TOTAL $3.48 Monday: Chicken Pot Pie Chicken $1.98 (for 1 pound) Veg-All $1.00 Crust (I make my own, $.20) TOTAL $3.18 Tuesday: Chicken, Mac and Cheese, Green Beans Chicken $1.98 Macaroni shells $.80 Cheese $2.00 Green beans $.50 TOTAL $5.28 Wednesday: Veggie Night Peas $.50 Squash $2.00 ($1/lb) Potatoes $1.25 ($2.50 for 10 lb bag on sale) Corn $1.20 (4 ears of corn) Bread $.18 (6 slices of loaf bread) TOTAL $5.13 Thursday: Tuna and Rice with Peas Tuna $1.00 Rice $1.09 (1/2 box) Peas $.50 TOTAL $2.59 Friday: Pizza Crust (I make my own for about $.20, but you can purchase the bag of crust for $.70) Sauce $.80 Toppings - Cheese $1.50, Pepperoni $3.00 (we LOVE pepperoni so we use about 1/2 = $1.50) TOTAL $4.00 Saturday Tacos Chicken (I don't eat beef) $1.98 Shells $.80 Seasoning $.40 TOTAL $3.18 For some of the items (such as the homemade crust and mac & cheese), I'm assuming that the ingredients are already in the pantry. So the total dinner budget for this week is $26.84 . Lunches are taken care of - leftovers! |
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Extra Income, Part 2
| As a full-time mother, with a full-time job and a part-time job, finding time to pursue another source of income is difficult to say the least. As I mentioned in the post entitled "Generating Extra Income", online surveys can be a way to make some extra cash. I have also signed up with: 1) ZoomPanel (390 points, use points to receive items) 2) American Consumer Panel (I'm still working on this) 3) Mindfield ($3.00) 4) Cash Crate ($0, signed up 9/28, Sign up) 5) Lightspeed Panel (150 points, use points to redeem items) 6) My Points (230 points, used to redeem things like gift cards & other items) 7) Sunshine Rewards (2.13 points, used to redeem gift cards, Sign up) 8) Synovate (1,045 points, 5000 points = $5 cash) 9) Treasure Trooper ($3, Sign Up) 10) Vindale ($2, Sign Up ) 11) Your 2 Cents ($1) *If there is not a link beside any of the above, just email me for a referral. As you can see from the numbers beside the survey name, the amount I have earned to date is not enough to pay the rent. Therefore, a more creative approach is necessary. 1) Yard sales /ebay auctions - these are great, except I have already sold everything I can possibly sell. So, moving along... 2) Coupons - freebies, buy one/get one, etc. I LOVE the site Hot Coupon World. There are postings for coupons, freebies, and more. This probably won't make any money for you, but you could save some on groceries or other purchases. 3) Recycling - OK, so you won't make a gazillion dollars, but you will be helping the environment & you're wallet. Let me give you an example - my daughter, who was about 7 at the time, saved up enough money from recycling aluminum cans (the "donations" came from my job) to buy a used laptop computer. Every little bit helps. 4) Auctions & Yard Sales - How about attending local auctions and patronizing your fellow man's yard sales? I would recommend viewing the photos for upcoming auctions prior to attending. This will allow you to see what some of the items are before you go, and you can check out similar items on ebay or other auction sites to find out if you could make any money from reselling the item. The auctions I've attended, however, sometimes have very competitive people so you should set a limit on the amount that you're willing to pay for an item and not get caught up in the bidding war. 5) Consignment shops - Do you have a lot of clothes, purses, etc. (particularly children's clothing) that you no longer need or want? Try consigning them at a local shop. 6) If you are crafty or can sew (neither of which I'm particularly blessed with), you could try selling some of your items at a local community fair or online. I have seen purses that some of the locals have made that sell for $20-$50 (and the cost to make them was at the most $5). 7) At Home Office work - I would love to be able to do this, but in my area and skillset it is not a perfect fit. For some, however, this may be the key to your extra income. If you are gifted in billing software (Quickbooks is a good example), small businesses might be among your first clients. This is not a complete list, but for me it was a way to brainstorm - try to come up with ideas that would work for me. I have been pondering what to do for months now, and still have not found a solution. I know that if I continue to pray, and trust God, I will be provided an answer. It may not be the one I want, but it will be His answer. |
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Generating Extra Income
| The goal is to find as many ways as possible to generate extra income. I have my full-time job (40 hours per week) and a part-time job (8-10 hours per week). I signed up for the following survey sites at the end of August and will be posting monthly my balances in each. If you're interested in signing up for these, please read the introductions/faq's first. As of October 1, 2007: 1) Inbox Dollars, $8.09 (See banner at the bottom of the page to sign up) 2) Hit$4Pay, $13.30 (See below to sign up) Still Reading Commercial Emails For Free? Receive Emails On Topics That Interests You And Get Paid For It! Get $10 Just to signup! Sign Up 3) Global Opinion Panels, 545 points (Send me your email address for a referral) 4) GlobalTestMarket, 290 points (Send email address for referral) These are the main ones I participate in regularly, although I don't qualify for some of the surveys. I signed up with several other sites, but am not as familiar with those. **I will be posting other income generating ideas this week. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to email me at krista12345_2000@yahoo.com. |
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
QUESTION OF THE DAY
| What is the greatest sacrifice you have made to stay true to your goal to get out of debt? Please email me at krista12345_2000@yahoo.com with your answers, and I'll post as many as I can. By the way -- my answer would have to be learning to say "NO". No, you can't have that magazine; no, we can't go through the drive-thru of wherever. No is really a hard word to say at times. |
Sunday, September 23, 2007
My Journey to Freedom
| My journey to fiscal responsibility, financial freedom, debt-free living, whatever you would like to call it, started several years ago. At that time, I was in my late 20s, had credit card debt (2 or 3), 2 student loans, a car loan, several store credit cards, and my income was close to nothing (I had just finished my B.S. and had re-entered the job market). Oh yes, and I had a child (expensive little things aren't they). I struggled with making payments, although I was never behind. But still the worry was constant - when would I have enough credit to purchase those new clothes, that new car, etc. Whatever it was, I wanted it and I wanted it yesterday. I have never been a patient person - instant gratification was my motto. Why wait until I had saved enough money to purchase an item when the credit card company was kind enough to mail a piece of plastic to me with which I could buy that thing that I had to have? Let me preface this by stating that my views regarding financial responsibility have changed in that I look at this from a Christian perspective (everything belongs to God and I should be a good steward of what God has given me). I was attending church and saw in the bulletin that a financial class was being given (Crown Financial Ministries, their website if you're interested is www.crown.org). That's where my journey started. Since that time, I have vowed to become debt-free. I am also an avid reader and listener of Dave Ramsey. Speaking with people about their financial situations, listening to Dave or others who are wise regarding these issues, has fueled my passion for digging myself out of my self-made hole -- and if I can help others along the way, I'm passing that knowledge on. So with that introduction, I will be posting my budgets, frugal menus and meal plans, ideas on saving money, freebies, links to sites that I believe are truly helpful, and welcoming any/all of your comments and suggestions on these topics. Krista |
