Small coupon tip -

How do you search for coupons? 

 

Although it is great to sign up to some trusty blogs and sites, to snoop of message boards - here is one way that you may not have tried yet.

 

With google search you can search all indexed blogs.  It falls under the "more" box on the top.  Once you put in a simple word like "coupon" while searching under blogs, you can pick the time frame you want to focus on; the last 24 hours, last week, etc.  Very helpful for finding out about the latest and greatest coupons before they go widely public!

 

Happy couponing!

Night owl?

Sometimes it is a struggle to feel like you are getting out in the word - and not spending enormous amounts of money.  Here is an idea for you!  Events like meteor showers can be fun, free events.  I have some great memories staying up late with my mom counting the "shooting stars".  If you have kids, it is a great way to teach them about the way the universe works, maybe learn a few of the major constellations together - or make up your own.  Grab a blanket, maybe a pillow, and enjoy the night's sky.

 

There are many great sources on the internet to track meteor showers, but here is one that  I enjoy: http://www.meteorblog.com/

 

Happy meteor hunting!

Plant, weed, or wildflower?

Is it a plant, weed, or a wildflower?

 

It is interesting how quick we are to come to our conclusions on any given plant to answer this question.  We will rip up "weeds" we find in our yards only to go out and buy plants that are not suited for our given environment. 

 

Know I love flowers, plants, and attempt a food garden nearly every year - but I find myself more and more confused about how to classify what something is.  I'm all for natural, many really interesting plants are native to my area and require very very little or even no care.  These are wonderful because they save me water and time.  I have a relatively large yard, larger than most in my little corner of the world.  I will happily water my garden every day during the peak of summer, but I just can't bring myself to do so for the rest of my yard.

 

I regularly pull or chop down a few "weeds" that are full of thorns - but I also leave the wild blackberries (which are full of thorns) alone because the fruit is amazing.

 

Last fall I took a guided hike through a section of state forest.  They guides were wonderful and knowledgeable about native plants - and I recognized many of them as "weeds" that have long been a part of my lawn.  It is an interesting dichotomy.  Now they are some invasive species of plants that can do harm to our little patch of ecosystem, and ironically many have a native doppelganger that make identification tough for a novice like me. 

 

I love my non-native plants, my wildflowers (whether purchased or transplanted), and I am beginning to rethink, rediscover, and love my "weeds".

DO NOT DO's

Here are some DO NOT DO's, simple guidelines for you to keep in mind while to are trying to make some extra money.

 

Free:

Contrary to what some sites tell you, don't pay to sign up for a survey site, to participate in secret shopping, etc.  There is no reason why you should be paying them money!

 

Personal info:

This one is a bit tricky as there are expectations to this rule, but use your gut, if you don't feel comfortable with something move on or look up the site to see what other people say about it.  Social Security numbers are pretty much only needed if the income/winning exceed a couple hundred dollars - I think it is actually $400, but don't quote of my on that.  Even with my best survey sites I don't make that in a year - so if a survey site is asking for it during sign up something is wrong with that site.  Now if you win something you may have to disclose that info.  I have heard tales of even small wins (think around $50) that required and SS#.  Didn't enter a contest for a soda company and they are asking for your SS? Something is wrong there.  Only getting the notice through email?  Please investigate it further.  It only takes a few minutes to double check something, while once certain info it out there it can do a lifetime of harm.

 

Most surveys will ask the following questions: age, gender, location, and yearly income.  Questions about your household members, type of profession and shopping habits are extremely common.  If you are not okay with sharing this frequently, surveys are not for you.  Some surveys will be of a personal nature, about health issues etc, but just because you qualify for a survey doesn't mean you have to take it.

 

Email:

You will get lots of email.  It is a fact.  Some will be exciting, some will be good news, and some will be junk.  If this bothers you on your primary friends/family/work email then open up a new free email account with a company like Gmail.

 

Junk mail/email:

Take the time to look through your junk mail - physical and online.  I have gotten survey offers, coupons, and other goodies that I had to look at twice before I knew what they were.  Those few extra moments have made and saved me quite a bit of money.

 

I'm sure I will be adding to this list, but these are a good jumping point for you to get on your way to making a some extra cash online.  

Money Web - the types - a caveat

It occurred to me that the last post didn't include on bit of fine print.  I live in a small town, not near a metro area, so making money online generally stays online. Buy here are two types of money makers you should look into if you are in a larger area, or live close to a larger city.

 

Shopping:

Yes, it is possible to earn small amounts of money doing secret shopping.  Don't expect to be paid much, and sometimes you will be paid in in gift cards from that store.  But if you have a little extra time, enjoy window shopping, and are up for being honest about your shopping experience this is something worth looking into.  I personally have only be paid once to do this, through an offer from my bank.  I got $5 per bank visit if I filled out and mailed a form.  It was wonderful because I literally got PAID to go to the bank!

 

 

Focus Groups:

There are focus groups online, but often there are looking for people that can come to a location to give real-time reactions.  If you live in a large city, keep your eyes open.  These can pay well!

 

My next post still will be on a couple basic DO NOT DO's while trying to earn money.  These will be simple guidelines to get you to your highest earning potential!

Money Web - the types

From my point of view there are 5 different basic groups of ways to make a little extra cash online.  There are other ways too, but these are the ones that work best for me.  The ones that I don't cover include freelancing your specialty, auctions to sell your stuff, and I'm sure I'm missing a zillion more.  Hopefully you will find this helpful!

 

Search to win:

Using a specific search engines you can earn points for every search, win points, and win other sweepstakes.

 

Click Emails:

Often called "paid emails" they can be worth up to 5 cents a piece, but usually average 1 cent. Some places will also give you points as well.  Through your email you get what amounts to an ad - you click it to prove that you read it, and you earn a little money.

 

Surveys:

By far the most time consuming and the most rewarding.  Every site has their owe rules, and be okay taking little surveys, profiles surveys, etc for little or nothing to set yourself up within a company.  The most I have ever made for a single survey was $75, but that is rare.  Look for averages in the 1 dollar per survey range.  I also so surveys to earn points towards gift cards and products.  I generally don't do surveys that enter you into a sweepstakes, unless it is a profile survey or something similar that puts me in good standing with the company.

 

Sweepstakes:

Sometimes you will do well, sometimes you won't.  They are a few tips that I will give later, but it comes down to the luck of the draw.  I haven't won anything bigger than $300 gift baskets, but especially when it is something you wanted or might would have bought (for me that is DVD's) it is worth the time to put your name in the hat for a win.

 

Games:

Yes there are sites out there were you earn points towards products, gift cards, etc, all while playing games.  Some of these are better earners than others, but for me the bottom line is I like to play causal online games from time to time; why not working towards something I want at the same time?

 

So those are the basic groups of ways I make a money online.  Not every site will fall neatly into a specific group. My next post will be on a couple basic DO NOT DO's while trying to earn money.

The day music changed my life:

We all have our stories of our triumphs, failures, and the moments in-between.  Mine is no more special than yours; but it answers a question that my friends often ask - even when they are not bold enough to ask me.  "Why does she care so much about that Scott Weiland guy?"

Weiland is the singer/song writer most famously known for Stone Temple Pilots, and alternative rock group that has managed feats of success and creativity that many bands only hope for.  Weiland also was part of Velvet Revolver, a short lived "super group" that also made their way up the charts, on the radio, and into the history books of music.  And he has released two solo albums that defy genres. 

So that is the liner notes on who Scott Weiland is, but why do I feel I owe him a lot?  This guy that I have never met?

We all have those moments of crystal clarity, a giant turning point in our live and the way we view the word.  I owe mine to Weiland and Stone Temple Pilots.

In retrorespect I was a protected middle class kid.  Not in the sense that the world was censored, or by any fault of my parents - it is just the bubble I grew up in.  We had our ups and downs, but the "Jones'" around us seemed perfect, especially to "kid" me that didn't know better.  My dad worked too much, he could mean, he could be cruel, and he could be so absent.  With a turbulent household nearing divorce, money being used as a weapon by my dad, my middle school years weren't as bright and shinny as I was long told they would be.  (I swear this is the short version.)

Music was always around me, in the car, on the radio... But somehow it seemed like noise that belonged and I never stopped to really listen.  That changed while I was on a bus, a school trip halfway around the world.  So much of that trip is blurry, but this one moment is so clear that it is only a testament to how important it is to my life, and my adult worldview.  I had a portable CD player with me, looked through my CDs and decided to play No 4 by STP. I had played it before, but never listened to it.  Out of boredom I pulled out the liner notes and read along.  As I focused on the honest lyrics about losing love, addiction, pain, and longing, it shook me out of my bubble.  Sure I had seen movies about pain, had friends have bad things happen, watched tragedies on the news, but it never busted my bubble like this did.  For the first time I got it - I understood that even at its worst my life was good, that I was lucky. 

Those songs where a channel for me to experience someone else's tribulations - and that experience has made me a better person.

I still follow Weiland, his music, and sometimes the chaos that comes with it.  I experience all music differently because of him, and experience the world differently because of him.