Well, it’s officially the week between Christmas and New Years – time to start thinking of those New Year Resolutions! Of course, there are the “usual” ones…. lose weight, save money, things like that. Don’t worry, I will cover both of those. Then there are my blog resolutions. What topics should I cover next year?Ebay – I wrote a six part series on how to sell on ebay at the start of 2009. I will be updating some of the tools, fees, etc. I will also be answering new questions – just send me an email or leave a comment and it will be included!
Mystery Shopping – This is one of my favorite ways to earn extra income. You don’t make much, but it does help the “shopper” in you. I have written a few posts on mystery shopping, but nothing “formal”. I plan on doing a series on this as well, including updating the posts I have written – How to Become a Mystery Shopper, Organizational Methods in Mystery Shopping, and What you Need as a Mystery Shopper.
Grocery Savings – Of course!! This can give extra income to anybody who is spending more than they could be on groceries. Our family of three (almost four!) has a budget of $200 a month and most months we are closer to the $150 mark. That includes all of our household supplies, which brings me to the next way to earn extra income while at home…
Drugstore Games – I have a CVS and Walgreens in this area and I post the matchups every week. Playing the “drugstore game” is an easy way to save lots of money. Some people sell the free items they get to make even more money. I like to give a lot of my items to charity. For those of us who cannot give as much cash as we would like, this will become great way to help out in your community. The money you save on your own products will give you extra income for other things you need.
Creative and Crafty Selling – One way to earn money is to sell products that you make. Many of the WAHM’s that I interview do just that! You need to have a skill, but then you can put that skill to work. There are some great and easy ways to start up a business at home and I will help show you how.
Blogging – This is another way that you can earn a little extra income. It can take some time to get it started, but there are some great resources you can use to help!
Home Businesses – These are things like Avon, Mary Kay, Southern Living at Home, Tupperware, Private Parties, Uppercase Living…. There are many of them. I will be going through a few of the main ones (and interviewing sellers when I can find them) to help you find the best business for you.
Online Programs – This one is easy, but the amounts you make can be small. Swagbucks and IRazoo are both programs that pay you to search. Cashcrate pays when you complete surveys and offers. Those are my three favorite. There are lots more though and I look forward to hearing what your experiences are with them.
Is there anything you would like to add? I am thinking about doing one series per month, which ones are the most intriguing to you?
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
You have some great ideas in this post on how to save money. I'm sure you don't know about this one yet but you might be able to add it to your list for 2010. At least check it out and see what you think. I know it could be good for you and your family. It is doing very well for ours! http://www.buy-gascheap.com
Friends 4 Life!
Great ideas! I must say that I don't always look so happy as the lady in the picture when my baby tries to "help" when I'm typing
Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year!
Eddie – the Buy Gas Cheap site is just an ad, can you let me know what it is about? I am very leery of sites that ask for my information before trying to sell me something.
MommyKennedy – Merry Belated Christmas to you too! The new year is just around the corner
My son tries to "help" me all the time. If he ever manages to push "publish" you guys will think I've gone nuts, LOL!
While there are lots of great ways to make money on the web nowadays. I particularly like your idea about blogging.
Most people have a hobby or two that they are passionate about. Starting a blog to discuss your passion is easy to do and can net you lots of income. The main thing to do is to write your blog for the purpose of educating and entertaining rather than for making money. Doing this will bring the money in naturally.
That being said, just wanted to thank you for a terrific blog. I am a follower of yours on Google Friend Connect and have been an RSS subscriber since April, 2008. Your blog is a perfect example of what I spoke about in the above paragraph – write good content and the money wil come naturally. Bravo!!
Thanks Tony
Blogging is a fun one – one of the more time consuming ones, but fun. I started this blog to keep track of my finances and it has slowly grown into what it is today.
Great article. You have an awesome blog. Thanks for all the info.
I love your blog! I am already saving more money through Mr. Rebates and other suggestions. I am personally amazed at your grocery skills. I am, however, a little frustrated that most great grocery deals do not include organic products. I am always on the lookout for cheaper ways to feed my family without buying lots of processed foods or milk and meat with antibiotics/hormones, etc. It is a constant debate — spend less money or eat healthier? I make a lot of compromises. I do shop Costco and local markets, which often have lower prices. I also saw your Amazon suggestion, which surprised me! Any other suggestions?
Another comment — I have tried things like mystery shopper and home businesses, and they weren't for me. I have found great success as a medical and general transcriptionist. I took a two-month course five years ago, and made up the cost of the course in the first two months of working. I highly recommend transcription work if you enjoy staying home and can work early morning, during naps, or after the kids go to bed — or if your kids are at school and you can work then. The pay is pretty good — I make about $20 to $40 an hour on any given project. Just another suggestion for those who want a more traditional career.
I will schedule a post on getting organic products for less. I have written a few guest posts on the topic. The key is to know where to look. There are lots of ways to do it, but sometimes we see so many processed items that it is easy to be blinded to the healthy stuff.
Say there are 1000 coupons available at any one time, only 50-100 are for organic products (5-10%). 50-100 coupons are a lot! But, they are lost in the shuffle.
I used to do a coupon match for Whole Foods and Nature's Pantry, but they weren't super popular so I dropped them. It is do-able though!
I would love a guest post on being a medical transcriptionist if you would like to write one.
I would be glad to write a post on medical transcription! Several of my friends and family went into transcription after observing my success and discussing it with me. They have all been happy with the results. It definitely takes some discernment when making that career move, and "inside" advice can really help with that. I am currently transcribing 36 hours of tapped conversations for a law firm for litigation, and that is absorbing most of my spare time this month! After that, my schedule eases up significantly.
Great! Email me when you are ready – I can't access your blogger profile to email you (it is set to private).
Hi, I am a wahm and I do many things to bring in money
one of which is a blog! I would love to feature you or link one of these articles for my mommy readers. Let me know & keep up the great work! I also love the cheese codes 
I’d love to partner with you Jenna. Just let me know what you would like – I’ll send you an email as well.
Elizabeth:
I am home without income. Would you be willing to share how to get started typing transcripts for lawfirms?
Thanking you in advance,
Barbara
Elizabeth:
Also, any info about the transcription schooling and working as a transcriptionist.
Barbara
I had done some of your suggestions. I find it interesting. I like to surf the net always. Great post!. XD
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