Recipe of the Week: Shrimp Lo Mein

I got this recipe from my new favorite recipe site called BakeSpace. Hsfargis posted this one. I have made a few changes to it's original recipe to suite my family's taste. So here is my version of it. We are going to have this tonight.

Ingredients
16 oz. of shrimp, deveined and peeled
1 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
16 oz. of spaghetti noodles, already cooked
1 teaspoon of peanut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of dark toasted sesame oil
3 cups of onions vertically sliced thinly
3 cups of broccoli (original recipe called for 5 cups but we don't care for it that much)
8 oz. of sliced fresh mushrooms (You can usually find these decently priced in the meat dept.)
1 tablespoons of minced sliced garlic
3/4 cup of chicken broth
1 tablespoon of minced fresh garlic (peeled)
1/4 teaspoon of salt

First step: Take a Ziploc bag and put the shrimp and the soy sauce in it. Once the bag is sealed work it so that the shrimp can get covered in the soy sauce and then put it in the fridge to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Second step: While you are doing the first step go ahead and have the spaghetti cooking according to package directions. Once done, drain and rinse well. Then toss the spaghetti with the peanut oil. Set this aside till later.

Third step: Get a large nonstick skillet and heat to medium heat with 2 teaspoons of seasame oil. Once hot add the onion and cook for 3 minutes stirring occassionally.

Fourth step: Add your broccoli and mushrooms now and cook for 3 more minutes stirring occassionally.

Fifth step: Add the ginger and garlic and cook for around a minute stirring occasssionally and then remove it from the pan.

Sixth step: Take the shrimp out of the ziploc leaving the reserve marinade in the ziploc.

Seventh step: Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of sesame oil in that same pan. Once heated, add the shrimp and cook for about a minute while stirring frequently.

Eighth step: Add the marinade from the ziplock, chicken broth, and salt to the pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the veggie mixture to the pan and toss well.

The original recipe called for seasame seeds and I omitted it. This is a really great way to have a chinese take out night made right from your own kitchen.

Get-Paid-To Site of the Week: Disco Dollars

I joined Disco Dollars around 2 years ago and wanted to share why I like Disco Dollars with you. First thing to notice about the site is it is easy to navigate. The site is broken down by categories that are listed in the sidebar on the left. The top category listings are for your administrative needs such as your account info, place to click to contact the owner, place to check your inbox, and a link to the Disco Daily, link to the forum. The bottom category listings are the offers broken down in categories for easy viewing.

There are four types of offers available on the site. The first type of offer is the freebie offer, otherwise known as the PTS offer. These are offers that want you to either register, complete a survey, or simply enter your email address. The next type of offer is cash back shopping. To get cash back on Disco Dollars you will need to choose a store, that is listed in offer form, and make a purchase. You will then receive a percentage, that is listed in the offer, back. This percentage is based on your subtotal of the order. The next type of offer is the Paid-To-Click offer. The link for this is located in the main menu. Paid-To-Click pays you to click on banners that will take you to a website to view for a certain time period. Disco Dollars also offers an incentive match for any offers that you find on other get-paid-to site for more incentive. The owner will verify this and if possible she will match it or beat it.

On Disco Dollars you will see little disco balls that are an extra incentive on some offers. After you collect enough, you can go to the Disco Ball Prizes page and cash them in for things like a promo code (loaded with a cash amount to be added to your account), advertising, Redbook magazine subscription, mood ring, a specified amount of cash to be added to your account, and more prizes.

If you don’t mind completing surveys you can complete one of the daily survey’s and earn. If you complete 10 surveys all the way to the end in the month, you will be entered in a drawing for a $10 bonus to be added to the winner’s account. These surveys are located in the main menu section.

You can refer your friends and earn from them completing offers. How this works is when a referral (your friend) completes an offer you will receive an 18% bonus of the offer’s incentive amount. Now if your friend refers someone that completes an offer you will receive 2% bonus of the offer’s incentive amount. An easy way to get referrals is to upgrade your account and get a better chance of having a member that joined without being referred by anyone added to your referrals list. There are 3 levels of upgrades that each offer a better chance of this happening.
Disco Dollars offers cash out to members once they reach a $10 Minimum each month. Once you reach this you can go to the cash out page on the last day of the month and choose from a variety of payout options. You can choose to get it transferred to your PayPal or to receive a check in the mail. You will also notice that there are several gift card options that you can choose, some are virtual gift cards and some are ones that she mails out to you. You will be paid out once monthly and it usually takes about a month to receive your payout.

A Few Work-At-Home Mom Forums

One way to find work-at-home jobs is to network with other moms like you. Forums are a great way to get feedback about companies from people who are trying to acheive your same goal. Here are a few that I frequent.

wahm.com

Home with the Kids

Moms 4 Moms

Freelance Mom

Potential Hot Seller on eBay

I found this at Dollar Tree and saw the Banana Boat Summer Colors Instant Bronzer & Sunless Tanning Foam Light/Medium and thought that I would try it out on eBay and to my surprise it sold quickly. I sold these 4 bottles of it for $14, that is a $10 profit from the sale. Check out these completed listings to see more that have sold.

Check your local dollar stores for this item. You will make your money back and a profit too.

Back from the Doctor

Well she is asleep now and I thought that I would drop a post and let you know that I am back and she has strep throat. She has the rash that goes with it and all. I had a feeling that was what we were dealing with. I will be trying to play catch up tonight on my weekly post. So till then.....

Quick Note

My daughter has been sick for the past two days and we are about to head to the doctor so I maybe missing in action for a day or two.

Check out my New Poll

I am wanting feedback from the readers on how you make extra cash for your home. Please submit to the poll in our sidebar. I thought this would be an interesting poll for us to share. I will share the results at the end of the poll.

Do You Search for Recipes on the Internet?

I thought I would share a free social network that I came across on the internet. It is called BakeSpace. If you are a home cook, BakeSpace is a great tool. This site is modeled after the concept that in most homes the kitchen is a place of conversation for most families. So this is their way of bringing that to the internet.

As a BakeSpace member you can post, search and swap recipes in real-time, and their unique recipe swap feature ensures that you'll always know what your friends are cooking. You can also build and customize your own "online kitchen," raid the "virtual pantry" (forums), upload videos, create blogs, get inspired, share your passion and learn from other members by tapping into our first-of-its-kind mentor program.

I know personally that I check out recipes online sometimes if I am looking for something different. I have checked BakeSpace out and find it amazing at how many recipes are on here. I have already started bookmarking some recipes on my account. I like the search function's ability to search by ingredient. Sometimes I want chicken but want it a different way and now I can go to BakeSpace and enter chicken and get some different recipes.

Don't take my word for it check it out today! Click here

It's Giveaway Tuesday

if you know of a giveaway or are hosting a giveaway share it by entering the link below. When entering a link make sure it goes directly to the post for the giveaway or it will be deleted.

Enter the info as follows: Prize/end date/site name

Winner of the Coupon Giveaway is: Ms-Texas

Congrats to Ms-Texas for being our winner of the Coupon Giveaway. Here is a shot of the random.org pick. Thanks to all that entered and keep watching for more giveaways in the future.

My Monday Favorite Articles Roundup

Work From Home: 7 Companies Hiring Now
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2009/03/11/work-from-home-7-companies-hiring-now/

How to make Homemade Body Scrubs
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/frugality/personal-care-kitchen-how-to-make-homemade-body-scrubs-044409

Affiliate Marketing and Blogging
http://www.online4biz.com/?p=272

Writing Articles From Zero to $500 a Day
http://moneydiviner.com/writing-articles-from-zero-to-500-a-day/

Money Saving Tip: Check out Coupon Court Room

I heard about Coupon Court Room from Sisterly Savings, and have to say that it is a definate money saving tool that everyone needs to check out. Coupon Court Room list deals and coupons that they have found on the internet. You can sign up for customized newsletter for your favorite store.

Recipe of the Week: Italian Hoagies

Sorry I am late adding this. Yesterday turned out to be a busy day. This recipe is inspired by my order I picked up from Angelfood Ministries yesterday. I got 1lb. of Italian Sausage in my order so I thought I would cook up a family favorite of mine.

4 Hoagie Buns
4 Italian Sausage Links (your choice of mild, sweet, or hot)
2 Large Green or Red Bell Peppers sliced
1 1/2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups of shitake mushrooms
1 Large onion sliced
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Heat up a skillet over medium heat with vegetable oil. Once hot add the onions and let them start to cook till they are midways to being translucent. Add garlic and allow to cook a few minutes and then add your peppers and mushrooms. Cook this mixture covered till the peppers are tender to the touch (around 20 minutes). Uncover and continue to cook til the liquid evaporates some.

Cooking the sausages: you can grill them or put them on a roasting pan and cook in the oven. The main idea is to get them browned on all sides and cooked thoroughly. I personally cook mine on the grill.

This Week's Featured Get-Paid-To Site is: Squishy Cash

Our featured Get-Paid-To Site of the week is Squishy Cash. Squishy Cash is an easy to navigate site. When you first go to the site you will notice a toolbar at the top of the page that has the option to register or log in. Once logged in you will find your way around the site by using the left sidebar where the offers are broken down by category. In the left sidebar you will also notice that there is a Paid-to-Click section.

When you join you will get a $3 Bonus to get you started toward the $20 minimum cash out level. Withdrawals are accepted at the end of every month and payment will be received around the end of the following month. Squishy Cash also offers daily cash out at a transaction fee of 33%. If you opt for the special daily cash out, payment is received before midnight the following night. You have the option for cashing out with PayPal, Amazon Virtual Gift Certificate, or check.
Beside your normal cash earnings on an offer, you may also earn something that is referred to as a “Chip”. After you saved enough “Chips” you can cash them in at the Prize Shop for things like Virtual Gift Certificates, Squishy Promo Goods, account upgrades, an Ipod, Digital Camera, and gaming systems.

Squishy Cash also offers referral bonuses. When you refer someone you will get a bonus that equates to 20% of your 1st level referrals earnings. Now when your 1st level referral gets a referral themselves, you get a bonus that equates to 5% of your 2nd level referrals earnings. Now if your 2nd level referral gets a referral you will get a bonus that equates to 2% of your 3rd level referrals earnings. With this great referral bonus you will definitely want to get some referrals going so that you can make the extra cash. To help promote yourself to get referrals, there are some great banners available for you to use. Another way to get referrals would be to upgrade your Squishy account. Upgrades start at $15. An upgrade is where the owner will give you a referral that comes in without a referrer. There are Six levels of upgrade available that each offer more of a chance to get referrals added to your account.

Don’t forget to check out the forum because she has fun forum games periodically that you can earn by playing.

Click here to check it out.

Selling On Etsy

Etsy is a special place online where people come to find handmade or vintage goods. If you are a crafter, this site is a good resource for an extra income. Becoming a seller at Etsy is a two step process. First you have to register as a buyer and then log in and select to upgrade to a seller. To upgrade to seller status it is free but they do require a debit or credit card to be registered. They use this card once a month to charge your balance for your listing and final sales fees.

The steps to list an item is fairly simple. Just make sure that you have a good picture of your item. I would do a picture of the item in it’s entirety and then zoom in to show the detail for another picture. When you list an item, you are charged 0.20 cents for a 4 month listing. This price includes up to 5 images of the product. When an item sells a 3.5% fee on the final sale price will be charged. After 4 months you will have to renew the listing. When an item is purchased by a customer you can opt to be paid by PayPal. When you are writing the description for the item be very illustrative and you might even want to put in what inspired you to create the piece. The more the buyer feels connected to the seller’s vision the more chance they will purchase the item.

Every seller on Etsy gets a free shop. The shop can be customized and it will list all of the items that you currently have for sale. The items will also be listed in it's individual category that you chose when listing the item. The benefit to having a shop is you can give out a single link to promote all of the items that you have on sale.

Promoting your shop is aided by their resources that include banners and buttons that you can place on your blogs and websites. Etsy also has a widget, the Etsy Mini, that you can add to your blog or website, instead of the banner or button, that will showcase your items that you have in your Etsy shop. Another promotional tool that Etsy participates in is the staff will scour their product database and find items to feature on the front page of Etsy. They usually keep the products rotated several times a day. This is great way to get free publicity for your items.

Another tip is to fully fill out your profile. A limited profile will not impress sellers and you might loose business. Make sure that you list all of your shops policies for returns, damaged goods in shipping, and items that were not received. This will help you keep order to all of your orders and create less chaos. Also, try and list items as frequent as possible so that you can appear at the top of a category that buyers will choose. This will keep your listings from being buried amongst the older items.

Lastly, you can have the most perfect listing and still not receive sales if you don’t promote the item yourself outside of Etsy. You can do this by getting the word out on social networks, blogging about it, and listing your link in a forum.

If you are a crafty person try Etsy out and see where it can take you in your journey to making extra income.

A tip of selling on Ebay

Ebay has a really neat area, "Want It Now", where people can list items that they are looking to buy. This is a great way to get a built in buyer for your listing. Once you find an item that is listed, go ahead and post the item to sell and then return to "Want It Now" and list the item number for the listing under the post that the interested buyer posted.

Thought I would share a Pic of two of my adorable cats

These two have such a personality. They get in this flower pot and take naps during the day. They are 10 months old and think that they rule the place. Their mother (Seen Below) shows her big personality everyday (probably where they get it from) who is also beautiful. I just thought that I would share our extended family with you.

Ebay Selling Coach is Celebrating 6 Years as an Ebay Seller with a $50 Walmart Card Giveaway

I have been following Suzanne Wells as an eBay Coach for awhile now and can not rave enough about all of the great tips that she gives to help others sell on eBay. She is celebrating 6 years of being an eBay seller this month with a giveaway on her site eBay Selling Coach. She is going to give 2 lucky readers a $50 Walmart Gift Card. The contest ends March 27, 2009.

Click Here to enter now.

P.S.- She just came out with her new Hot List. So check it out.

Do you have what it takes to Work-At-Home?

Companies are offering positions to employees to telecommute now more than ever. Employees or potential employees see the term “Work-At-Home” and immediately think that it will be so easy and they jump at the chance before weighing out what it truly takes to successfully work-at-home. Consider the following:

1. What skills and past work history do you have? Take time and look at your resume and write a list of skills that you have because of these jobs. Use these skills to find what opportunity will fit best for you.

2. Do you have an area in your home that you can convert to an office? If you are going to work-at-home, a quiet area of the home will serve you better and in some jobs will be required.

3. Do you want to run a business from home or work for a company from home? A few things to consider about a business is that it can take awhile to see profit from, you are the sole driver of the advertising, you are responsible for all tax info and business license, and it can be costly for startup. When you work for an employer at home you are just responsible for your work and having the tools you need to do your job properly.

4. Do you have money to invest in the office equipment or supplies for your work-at-home position? If you decide to work-at-home through an employer you might have to purchase office supplies and equipment that you will need to complete your job. If running a business is what you have decided, you will need to plan for start up cost amd business license.

5. Can you deal with not being in public as much or do you need that interaction? One of the biggest changes in a work-at-home mom or dad life is the decrease in adult interaction. I personally went through that and combated it by setting a time every week where I get with other moms that stay at home and do fun stuff.

The questions that you just read can help you get started in the right direction on your path to work-at-home. Yes, working at home is the best job I have ever had but do realize that it is a job that you are being paid to do.

Wednesday Post

I have had an eventful day and will post Wednesday Post in the next hour. I just wanted to let you know that I didn't forget about it. Til then...

100 Coupon Giveaway

I went grocery shopping last week and saved $85.60 on groceries because of coupons. I got $150 worth of groceries for $64.40. That means that I saved more than 50% on groceries. I think when the cashiers see me coming with my coupon binder they know that I am coming with a ton of coupons they are going to have to scan. Last week my cashier was one of those that hates when a customer has more than 1 coupon. As she was scanning the items I could see her cringe looking at my coupon stack. I asked the cashier if she ever used coupons and she said "Coupons are a waste of every one's time". I then did not say a word and when she scanned the last coupon I said wow I saved over half of my grocery bill, I then said so is coupons still a waste of time, her jaw about dropped to the floor. This was at my local Kroger (my favorite store to use coupons at because of doubling), where most of the cashiers there are friendly when you use coupons, of course you know you get an occasional coupon hater, but when you save a lot of money they are left looking misguided.

So in the spirit of saving money, I am giving 1 lucky reader a chance to get 100 coupons to add to their stash or get started.

How to Enter:

1.Leave a comment telling me what your favorite store to use your coupons is and include an email address where I can notify you of your win at.

Get Extra Entries by doing the following:

2. Grab my Button in the side panel and leave me a link to your site you placed it on and include an email address where I can notify you of your win at.

3. Stumble It and leave me your stumble user name and include an email address where I can notify you of your win at.

4.Blog about it on your blog and leave me a direct link to the post and include an email address where I can notify you of your win at.

5. Twitter about it and leave me a comment with your twitter name and include an email address where I can notify you of your win at.

6.Post a comment on a forum and leave me a link to your post and include an email address where I can notify you of your win at.

NOTE: When leaving your email address please post it as follows (to cut down on spamming) YOUREMAILADDRESS(at)gmail(dot)com

Ends at 11:59pm on 3/23/2009 and the winner will be choosen by random.org. I will notify the winner on 3/24/2009. I will post the winning random pick on 3/24/2009.

It's Giveaway Tuesday

Mr Linky is wanting to know what giveaways you are holding on your site. Our readers would love to know so they can come over and check your site out. Thanks for Participating.

Note: When entering your site please do it in this order Prize/Your Site/Ends When

Monday Articles and Links

How To Start A Virtual Assistant Business
http://www.ehow.com/how_2194523_start-virtual-assistant-business.html

How To Start A Business During The Recession
http://www.ehow.com/how_2259673_start-business-during-recession.html

20 Ways to Make Extra Money and Supplement Your Income
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/437859/20_ways_to_make_extra_money_and_supplement.html?cat=31

How to Earn a Residual Income from the Internet
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/653709/how_to_earn_a_residual_income_from.html?cat=3

It's My Birthday Today!!

Well today has been busy and I thought that I would let you know that I will be back tomorrow blogging.

Recipe of the Week: CopyCat Hamburger Helper

My oven died yesterday so since I have to wait 10 days for new one to arrive at Lowe's I am reduced down to cooking on the stove. I use my oven a lot in my recipes and am dearly missing mine. This recipe is one my daughter loves. I call it a "Hamburger Copycat" because it reminds me of one. This was in a church cookbook awhile back. I hope you will try this and enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 pd. of ground beef
2 cups of elbow macaroni
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of water
8 oz. of velvetta cheese block (cut up into small squares)
1 1/2 cup of frozen veggies
1/4 tsp. of Garlic

Cook your ground beef over medium heat till it is done and drain. Stir occassionally.

Add Cream of Mushroom soup and 2 cups of water till boiling.

Add the macaroni and reduce your heat to Medium-Low and cover. Cook for around 10minutes or till tender.

Add the cut up cheese, frozen veggies, and garlic. Cook till veggies are cooked through and the cheese has melted into the sauce. Stir occassionaly. This will take around 10 minutes.

Get 15% OFF Creative Scentsations Read On To See How

In honor of my Birthday on Sunday I am offering from today til March 17,2009 I am offering a 15% OFF sale at Creative Scentsations as a rep. To get this discount you will have to send me the order by email at marylavent31@gmail.com so that I can place it with the discount included.

Warning: If you place the order directly through my affilliate link you will not get the discount. CLICK BELOW TO CHECK OUT CREATIVE SCENTSATIONS.

www.creativescentsations.net/store/aGo.asp?aff=627

Prize Live: WHy Should I Join?

Why do I like Prize Live? First reason would be the setup of the site is easy to navigate. A lot of Get-Paid-To sites are cluttered and not very well organized. Next, would be that even though it is a point site, your points can be cashed out for a PayPal deposit instantly. The only requirement they have for you to qualify for instant payout is that you post your proof of payment each time you get paid in their forum. The other rewards are not that shabby either, they include an Amazon Certificate, Ipod Shuffle, Gift Card, Check, or your choice of gaming system. There are plenty of offers to choose from to get to your favorite rewards minimum and they tend to approve quickly. Prize Live also offers a downloadable toolbar that offers easy access to your account to find out things like your point balance, newest offers that are added, a random list of offers that you have not completed, quick links to areas on the site, and more. The best part of the toolbar is that you will get a daily bonus for using their toolbar. Now you will notice that when you complete an offer you will also get something called a "Game Credit" (GC), these can be used to enter contest or games that will help you win more points ot cash in. Prize Live also has a great forum that stays active where you can learn tips from others or talk about the weather. The forum is kind of open topic. Sometimes they offer forum contest that you can participate in. When you first log in you will see that they have a jackpot going. You are automatically entered into the jackpot drawing every time you complete an offer. Administration is also on top of things and will answer your questions quickly. They seem to be online frequently to check on their site. As you can see there are many reasons to become a member of Prize Live. To Join or check it out Click Here.

Are Your Pictures Clear on Your Listing?

One thing that can kill a listing fast is bad pictures of the item. A picture of a listing needs to show the item in detail. What I mean by that is the buyer should be able to look at the picture and see exactly what they are buying without extra distractions or blurriness getting in the way. Think about it, If you are looking at an item that has 2 listings where one listing has a crystal clear picture and the other has a picture that you can't tell what it is, which one are you going to be interested in. I know when I started out selling my camera was not good at all and I never could get a great picture of what I was trying to sell and quickly caught on that if I wanted to get more views I needed to improve my pictures. Now I'm not saying that you need to have a professional picture, I am saying that the picture needs to be in focus, color needs to appear correct in the picture, and well cropped. Here are some examples of a bad picture and a good picture.




Example of a bad picture. It is too blurry and you can't tell what it is.

Example of a good picture. You can see the product that I am selling and see the wording on the bottle. With this listing I would also do a close up shot of the lower part of the bottle where the description is.

Places To Sell Online

Selling online is a great way to make extra money for your family. I thought I would start off the day with listing places that you can sell on. It is important to sell in a site that fits your needs best.

eBay: This is the most popular site to sell on. Traffic to your listings comes easier with eBay and it has an easy insertion form for selling. As a seller you can have individual listings (No subscription needed) or you can have an eBay store (Subscription needed). You can either choose to have buyers bid on your items or "Buy It Now" with a fixed price. For a beginning seller online eBay is in my opinion the best to get started on because it is easy to set up a listing, traffic is greater on eBay than other sites, and they have a great help section that will help a beginner get the most out of their listings.

Amazon: This is another high traffic site that offers a selling feature. I found that if you sell books online, this is the best place to do it. Sellers have found that they can get more for books with the audience that Amazon receives. The only downside is that you have to pay a monthly fee to be a seller with them, so that means that in order for you to make a profit you will have to sell more than the monthly fee every month.

Craigslist: This is a site that is great to sell bulky items that are not easily shipped. You can post an ad for free to attract local intrest. The only downside to this site is that you directly communicate through your own email address and you have to meet face to face to complete the sale. You will definately have to think of your security when completing a sale on Craigslist.

Half.com: This site is ran by eBay. This site is limited to items in the following catagories: Books, Movies, Music, Game Systems, and Video Games. There are no listing fees and listing an item is easy because you enter the UPC or ISBN and all of the info is provided from their database on the item. Traffic is pretty good for this site.

Etsy: This is a place where you can sell your handmade goods. The traffic it gets is from destination buyers that are seeking for handmade goods. The form to list an item is moderately easy. It cost 20cents to list an item and when it sells you will pay a small transaction fee of 3.5%.

Cafe Press: This is a site where you can sell your custom t-shirts, hats, mugs, and more. You can open a basic shop for free and list up to 80 items. This site seems to get a lot of traffic.

These are the sites that I know that are trustworthy to sell on. If you know of anymore please leave a comment and I will check them out.

Some Work-At-Home Ideas

Awhile back Good Morning America started a feature on Work-At-Home Jobs. Tory Johnson, founder and CEO of Women for Hire, is the Workplace Contributor for GMA and has offered some great pieces on the work-at-home life. She talks about different legit jobs that a work-at-home pursuitant could do to earn a living from home. In the feature she talks about Virtual Customer-Service Agents, Driving for Dollars, Transcription jobs, Concierge Services, Being a Culinary Consultant, and more.



Tory list things here that I would have never thought of, like the Driving for Dollars. This is where you can rent out a space on your car for advertisment or you can have your full car wrapped in the advertisment. I have seen cars like this driving around town but never thought of it as a money maker. According to her article you can find these positions by Googling "car wrap advertising". This seems to be a no effort job as long as you drive it around town while doing your errands.



There are sites like ChaCha and Just Answer that allows you to be a guide on subjects that you specialize in to help others. I have heard of these before but did not have any info about them. Apparently ChaCha is a search engine that offers live help from a guide that assist them in their searches. Just Answers is a site where experts answer questions that paying customers have. If you have a specialty or an expert on a subject this looks like it would be a great way to pick up some extra cash.



Are you fluent in a foreign language? If so, you can be a translator. This is a business that you can freelance your services too and set your own client base up with. If you are not wanting to work for yourself you can also become employed with companies that need translators frequently.



Tory also touched on the need for tutors. If you have a college degree or an expert in a subject in school you can start advertising locally and get hired per hour to help others in their studies. This could also be a rewarding job knowing that not only you are earning money but you are helping others while doing it.



Did you know there was a such thing as a Virtual Assistant? That's right, you can be a personal assistant online. Virtual Assistants can do bookeeping, travel arrangements, transcription, and any other administrative office need. There are sites online that you can apply to or you can promote your services yourself and be your own boss.



There are so many good work-at-home ideas that can help us work-at-home. Check out Tory's article at Good Morning America for all of her ideas and check her out at Women For Hire.

Giveaway Alert: Riding With No Hands Reviews 7 Gives Away Go Meals Sampler

This is a giveaway that you definately need to check out. Go Picnic offers a variety of ready made boxed meals. Not only are they convienent, but they DO NOT contain MSG, High Fructose corn syrup, or tans fat. Go Picnic has asked Riding With No Hands Reviews to review their products and they are going to giveaway a Go Meals Sampler Pack. So go and enter the giveaway today before the March 17, 2009 to win a Go Meals Sampler.

Click here to enter the giveaway.

Giveaway Tuesday

It is Giveaway Tuesday! Please list any new contest & giveaways that you find on the net. When entering a giveaway to the list please make sure that you give the direct link to the giveaway (all others will be deleted).

Please enter the giveaway like this: Prize-Expires-Site Name

Monday's Favorite Articles and Blog Post

Here are some favorite articles that I would like to share with all of you. It is amazing at all the info that is on the internet. There is no longer a need to go do research on a topic at your local library when you can go to Google and find a wealth of info on anything. Check out these articles and post that I have read recently and thought that you would enjoy reading.


How To Find Legitimate Work At Home Data Entry Jobs

Real Work at Home Opportunities that Pay Hourly

How To Use eBay To It’s Fullest Potential When Selling

Write an eBook that sells

When Stockpiling Doesn’t Make Cents

How To Get Free Samples on the Internet

Saving Time and Money for Work at Home Entrepreneurs

How To Sell Children’s Clothing on eBay Under the New Lead Testing Law

How to Sell Cosmetics on eBay

Also, Check out my articles :

Work At Home Jobs

Where to Save Money Shopping Online

Online Surveys: Ways to Make Extra Cash

Ways to Win & Earn Amazon Gift Certicficates Online

How to Test New Products For Free

How to Get Sales For Your Direct Sales Business

Up & Coming Happenings on Mommys Money Cents

When I started this blog my original thought was I was going to share my tips on how to make extra money and save money. Well after I have been blogging some here I realize that it would be better to set a schedule for my blog. So here is my schedule of events that I have set for myself.

Monday: Will be my day to post my favorite articles or blog post for the week

Tuesday: Post your Giveaway on Mr Linky

Wednesday: I will share any work-at-home tips or sites that have come across

Thursday: Online selling tips

Friday: I will feature a Get-Paid-To Site

Satuday: I will share a favorite recipe of mine

Sunday: I will post any great sales that I have come across off and online

Now I will post more than that everyday, but I wanted to make sure that I am posting an expected post everyday. I hope that this change will keep everyone reading my post daily. If you have any suggestions please post a comment here. I enjoy sharing everything with everyone and I am also on the search for products to review and giveaway to a lucky reader. I am also taking tips that I have read around the blogosphere about promoting my blog and will be doing that and will share those tips as I go along. I also am in search of a 3 column blog template but I am kinda scared to change it in fear of it might mess my blog up. Another thing that I am going to do is get one of those "Grab my Button" things for my blog. Again, if you have comments or suggestions please leave a comment and share it.

Some Tips On Being An Ebay Seller

Ebay is a great resource to bring extra cash into your life. With the economy in the shape it is in, having a side income is becoming more and more important. I personally have dabbled in Ebay and now I have decided to amp up my Ebay efforts. I have learned a few tips in my efforts and thought I would share them with you so that you can use them to better your Ebay efforts.

Tip #1: Have a PayPal account. It is the easiest no hassle way to get paid for all of your items you are selling.

Tip #2: Have a camera that will give you decent pictures that you post in your description of the items. Bad pictures or no pictures will hinder you from getting interested buyers. I just received my new digital camera in the mail the other day and I immediately listed a few items and see that I have been getting some hits on my items. The camera that I had before never could get clear pictures and I know my listings suffered because of it. You don't have to spend a lot of money for a camera, just get one that has a good rating and feedback from customers. I got mine off of a store on Ebay and even got free accessories with it for around $60.

Tip #3: Start to look for items that you can sell from inside your own home. If you are like most, you have a storage area full of things that you put away and have forgotten you had and unless they are sentimental, these items can attract buyers on Ebay. These things may have value on Ebay and can help start your selling.


Tip #4: Take advantage of the 10 day free trial at Hammertap. I just recently found this site from reading about it on Ebay Selling Coach. It is a market research tool for sellers on Ebay. What this means is it helps a seller by using their search tools to find specific information about how an item is performing currently on Ebay. What info will you receive when you join? It gives you the average selling price of the item currently, best day to start the auction, best day to end the auction, and links to all of the listings for the item.

Tip #5: Use a site like Auctiva to dress up your listings. It is a free to use site that offers Ebay listing templates to showcase your item that you are selling so that it is appealing to the buyers. It makes each listing look like it's own website. Check out one of my listings to see one of the templates that is available. I also like Auctiva because when you click on active listings under your dashboard it will give you a hit count on your listings so that you know which listings are drawing the most traffic.

Tip #6: Make sure you fill out your "About Me" page. If you don't this may turn buyers away from your items. You don't have to give out personal info just make sure you talk about what to expect from you service wise and product wise. Make sure you make it sound friendly and you can also add your blog or website address. There are some affiliates that you can list on your "About Me" Page such as Big Crumbs, Auction Add Ons, and Seller Sourcebook. These affilliates will be another way to earn.

Tip #7: Check stores like Dollar Tree or Big Lots for items to sell on Ebay. These stores get new stock several times a week. They are stores that have closeouts of merchandise at great prices.
When a popular item closes out it creates a big demand for the product on Ebay. It is important to visit these stores a few times a week to see what new stock they get in that might sell for profit on Ebay. Major name brands are usually the big sellers. I personally have my notepad open on my cell phone and make notes of new stock so that I can check Hammertap to see if it sells or not when I get home. Then if the products are bringing profit from sells then you can go make a purchase and immediately list the item so you can hit the sells of the product while it is hot.

Tip #8: Visit thrift stores and yard sales in your area and see what brand name items you can find. I have heard of sellers getting great deals from their local Goodwill store and making a nice profit from the sell of the item on Ebay. Look for antiques, Remington Blue Hot Rollers, designer clothes, and popular children's books. Nonfiction Authors sell great in lots if you can get a series together.

Tip #9: Make your listing description as thorough as posssible without sounding repetitve. Make sure you tell of any wear or tear of the item. List everything that comes with the item. Make sure that you list your policies for returns, shipping, and payment. That way there is no confusion if problems occur. make sure that everything is clearly stated.

Tip #10: Promote your listings in forums, stumble it, clixsense, or any other advertising method you can think of.

I am in no way an expert on Ebay but wanted to share these tips that I have learned along my way. Ebay can be a good source of extra income if you make an effort to maximize sales. If you have any other tips share them by commenting.

Giveaway Alert: Mom Central is giving away a Year Supply Of Campbell's Soup

Mom Central is giving away a year's supply of Campbell's Chicken and Stars Soup (24 cans) and a Campbell's Thermos. I know all of you mom's and dad's out there would love to get some free soup for your children. All that you have to do is go here and leave a comment.

Now is the time to Join YouData

O.k. I know that I told you about YouData before back when I first joined but I want to share more info. I have been paid two times now by them. Granted it is not making me rich but it is putting money into my PayPal every Friday . As I said before, YouData is a site that advertisers use to pay you to view their sites or ads. These ads are not your typical paid-to-read or paid-to-click ads. First when you join you answer some questions, which is known as a MeFile, so that they can gear the ads to your interest. I have really enjoyed the ads that they have given me.

They now have a referral program that allows you to invite others to join. According to their website you can earn up to $1 for each referral. I know that does not sound a lot but it will add to your personal balance. I can not say enough good things about this site. If you want to join please use this link.

Winners of the 100 Coupon Giveaway are.....

Drum Roll Please...............

Nicole (Posted March 1 @ 7:47am) Post #18 & coriwestphal (Posted March 2 @ 8:46pm) Post #27.

I hope that they will enjoy the coupons. I have emailed the winners, here are the screen shots of the random.org generator.