Goals I met since set in August...

I reached my goal of raising my monthly income by at least $500. I did this by getting a second part time job working for Hallmark Cards. I am a supervisor in charge of the Hallmark accounts in about 20 Walmart stores. It is an interesting job...and I get to travel! So...so far....its working out well!

Because I met my goal of raising my monthly income I was able to buy a newer vehicle. I got a 1999 GMC Jimmy...and so far....I'm Loving it! I have to travel for work and this is a big improvement from my old faithful ('92 Galant). My old car served me well but it was time to move on!


I was also able to pay off my CompUSA credit card! woohoo! Because of my monthly increase I was able to pay on my card more than once a month. I focused on this credit card first because its interest rate was high and I was able to transfer my other credit cards to a %0 credit card. Now that I have paid this card off I plan on just putting the money I would have put towards my CompUSA card...towards my current debt! This way...I will not add that money back into my budget and I will pay my credit cards down faster.

click image below for larger view

Myth 1: Cancel your credit cards.

Getting out of debt is all the rage. It's easy to fall into and hard to escape, but many millions of us are working on it. Here is one myth to be aware of in the pursuit of financial freedom.

Myth : Cancel your credit cards. By all means, pay off your credit card balance (or balances). If your credit cards have the sweet lure of the Muses and sing to you from your wallet, remove them. Cut them up, freeze them in baggies of water, or seal them in an envelope and give them to your mother. But please, please don't cancel a credit card that is still carrying a balance. If you do, the credit card company you owe money to will very likely consider you a high-risk account, and promptly raise your interest rate. The way they see it, if you cancel your card, you're on the brink of ruin. If you're in the process of repaying your debt, this is not the impression you want to make, especially if it's untrue. A better bet is to stop using the card, pay your bill on time for at least six months, and contact the customer service department directly. Ask them to reduce your interest rate; creditors can be refreshingly flexible and cooperative when they recognize a reliable customer. If you consistently pay more than the minimum and stop adding to the unpaid balance, you will get it paid off eventually. Then you can cancel the card. Or you can leave it in pieces, on ice in your mother's freezer.

Tips for students!

Now that I am finished with college....I can look back and realize how good I had it! There are tons of ways you can save money while in school! Here are a few:

• Buy used textbooks. You’re just going to sell them back at the end of the term. (Or end up wishing you had done so five years from now.) You don’t need new textbooks.

• Skip spring break. Forget the long road trips. You can have a lot of fun for cheap close to campus. (My college used to organize economical group trips; yours probably does, too.) You might be surprised at how fun it can be to stay on campus, too.

• Live without a car. Cars are expensive: gas, maintenance, insurance, registration, parking. Stick close to campus. Learn to use mass transit. Find a friend who has a car.

• Don’t hang out with big spenders. Some kids have parents with deep pockets. Other kids are well down the road to financial trouble. Hanging out with them can lead you to spend more than you can afford.

• Take advantage of campus activities. There’s always something to do. Attend free movie festivals. Pay a few bucks to see the local symphony every month. Support the sports teams. Attend lecture series. Get the most from your student ID!

I got a lot of free meals by attending events with Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship! Check out their website to find one on your campus!

Print on demand books...

I am a writer. I have several books that I want to write. It is not an easy process and takes patience and persistence but I have finally finished my first poetry book! With a lot of help from my sister ( who is a fab graphic designer and photographer : www.adairphotography.com )...it is finally finished! We have been working on Layers for years. It is a compilation of 3 years of my life. They are listed in the book in chronological order so it reads like a poetic autobiography.
front cover back cover

When looking online there are many options for self-publishing. Many of them call for you to pay upfront. And then to also store many copies of your book at your house...and then to also take orders....AND then ship the book when someone orders it. I wanted a simpler route! A friend of mine shared www.lulu.com with me! So far it has worked wonderfully for me! They are a print on demand publishing site. That means that all I do is upload my work...set the price...design my storefront...and they take care of the rest! When someone visits my store...and places an order...lulu then prints a book and ships it to them! I am notified by email! That way I don't have to waste time and money storing them in my house and shipping them!

I am taking orders and have almost reached my goal of 35! This is a local order so I can buy in bulk and save on shipping! This way I will also be able to hand deliver these and thank people for purchasing a book! When I do deliver the books...I am also going to insert a postcard we made for them to hand out to friends who they think might like the book! It will also be a reminder for them or something they can post on their bulletin board! I am also mailing the card out to friends and family!

So if you have a book you have always wanted to write...LULU is a good way to go! It costs me nothing but time to get the book up on my store...and then when someone buys one...they take the cost of printing the book and the rest of it is profit!

Another online $ maker...

I come from a very creative family. We love to make things....design things....be crafty! So my sister came across the perfect online place for us to sell our creations!

www.Etsy.com/phototherapy

Etsy is an ebay for crafters basically! I can post my photography, my books, my photo editing...for sale and people buy directly from my shop! I have sold a few books, a few photographs, and the photo editing is picking up also. It cost $0.20 to post an item for sale. And a percentage of the price you are charging when the item sells. The item stays listed for about 3 months before it expires. What I like to do is...I post an item for sale...then when the order comes in I use another website to print the image or book that will ship the item directly to my client. That way I don't end up paying shipping twice. This saves me time and money! And that is the goal....after making money of course!

Here are my sold orders so far! :

Your sold items (orders)

Your Orders (5 total) quantity price sold on status reserved for nolagurl - New Orleans Stroll - 8x10 to nolagurl 1 $25.00 $0.00 Dec. 09 2007 • details got payment shipped insert person - Photo Retouching by email to QueenColeenz 1 $12.00 $0.00 Nov. 19 2007 • details got payment shipped Photo Retouching by email to QueenColeenz 1 $8.00 $0.00 Nov. 16 2007 • details got payment shipped My Bug Book to sussiesandsuch 2 $15.00 $0.00 Jul. 10 2007 • details got payment shipped My Bug Book to sussiesandsuch 1 $15.00 $0.00 Jun. 30 2007 • details got payment shipped

And here is my bill....what I have had to pay so far:

Monthly Statements / view full list / view current

Month Opening bal. Fees Payments Closing bal. December 2007 --- $1.08 $2.38 N/A (current month) November 2007 $1.40 $1.30 $1.40 $1.30 due by 12/15/07 October 2007 $2.38 $1.40 $2.38 $1.40 due by 11/15/07 September 2007 $2.38 $0.00 $0.00 $2.38 due by 10/15/07 August 2007 $2.38 $0.00 $0.00 $2.38 due by 09/15/07

I have only paid about $6 or $7 and have made far more than that. So...this far it has been a good investment of my time and money.

Check it out and let me know how it works for you!

Some tips.....mark others as your favorites and they will mark you as theirs....and that gets your shop more visitors! Also....TELL your family and friends!

Add the link to your shop as a signature on the bottom of your emails!

Getting serious about my money.

I should have gotten serious a long time ago. But I just didn't understand that a few years can make a difference...as well as a few trips to the store! When I finally got serious about my money I started to one thing on purpose...I didn't really like it at first...but it has paid off. I started to watch TV shows and listen to radio shows dealing with money issues and the US economy. I thought it would be good to know what is going on in the country and the world...money wise....because it would affect my money some point down the line! I have a high level of respect for Suze Orman! She is one of my favorites to watch on TV! She may not always be nice about it....but she knows her stuff! If you have questions or want to know if you can afford something...she is the lady to ask!

When I got serious about my money I also put into play something very simple and practical that I could do each time I got a paycheck. I had already known that I should save...but how do you know when and how much? I didn't know how to set that limit...sooo...it just never happened. I would put random amounts into my account very randomly...and that is no way to save! I had known about Tithing too. This I did...I am sure I missed a paycheck or two. But I tried my best to do this. I knew that it was a priority of mine. The simple act that I put into practice was this..."Pay God. Pay yourself. Pay everyone else!" So, I started to do just that. Every paycheck...%10 straight to a tithe account...then %10 into a savings account (which I made sure had a good interest rate)...and then I paid my bills. The savings are there for when I need it. I try to leave it alone but in the case of an emergency...I have that money instead of just popping out the credit card and getting into MORE debt! I will talk about credit cards another day!!! ( BEWARE OF PLASTIC!!!)

Try these steps...they have worked for me! I believe that God is faithful! And that when we tithe (which is just giving back what belongs to Him anyways!) He is faithful to make sure our needs are met...and even some of our wants! :D I also believe it is important to take value in ourselves. I think I am important. Therefore, I save for my future. I know another easy easy way to save more...put what I used to pay in credit card payments (once I have paid them off) into my savings account each month. I know that one day more money will be going into the savings...when my CCs are paid off! That will be a glorious day!

I am determined...

The search has started! I am determined to find a way to make a decent amount of money using the internet. The first thing I am trying out is stock photography. I enjoy taking pictures and my sister told me about this. I have an account with www.BigStockPhoto.com

The process is:

1. Take a picture
2. Post it online (give it a title, enter detail, etc.)
3. Wait for approval
4. Wait for it to sell


The good thing about stock photography accounts is that once the picture is on the website...your work is done. The picture could sell in a week or in a year...but you have done all you can. It can continue selling as long as you have an account.

The pay per image isn't gonna blow your mind. But $1.00 and $0.50 can add up over time. Especially on images that you spend time on once and they continue to be bought. Most stock photo website have lists for their photographers letting them know what photos are in high demand. They want to help you sell...because when you make money so do they! Different stock photo websites have different requirements for what photos they accept to be sold on their site. Be sure to read these before wasting your time submitting photos that won't be accepted.

So far I have made $7. One photo has sold at least 3 times. I am hoping to get more photos like that...that just keep being bought!