Blogging resources – there are so many available, how do you choose? I usually want to hear from someone who has used the product with success. One resource I have used with great success is 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. The techniques and tasks are simple and easy to follow and I have seem dramatic growth as a result of this workbook.
31 Days to Build a Better Blog is a downloadable workbook giving 31 tasks to be done over a 31 day period. Each day consists of a task (something to do) and teaching ( the hows and whys of the task you are given to do).
Blogging resource – great! But, how do you use this workbook?
- Intense training: Some bloggers set aside a weekend or longer periods of time to perform multiple tasks at a time.
- 1 Task a Day
- 1 Task a week
- Occasional inspiration
I tried to do 1 task per day but often I was not able to accomplish this goal. But, that makes this type of program great – you can work at your own pace.
Who is 31 Days to Build a Better Blog for?
- New Bloggers – those just beginning a blog but are not sure where to go next.
- Seasoned Bloggers – Anyone who wants to grow their blog and take it to the next level.
- Bloggers with Block – Anyone needing some inspiration!
Guarantee? A 30-day money back guarantee is given so if you are not completely satisfied, your money will be refunded. It is a win-win situation!
As a blogging resource it gets better! A Free Bonus Podcast: you will receive a free 1 hour question and answer session in which Darren tackles some of the most frequently asked questions from bloggers desiring to take their blog to the next level. A link to download this is sent shortly after you order the workbook.
Blogging resources are not new to author Darren Rowse, who has been blogging since 2002 on over 30 blogs. He is well known for his Pro-Blogger.net blog where he gives tremendous helps and tips. This website is a great resource!
I highly recommend 31 Days to Build a Better Blog and after all, with the 30-day money back guarantee, what do you have to lose?
Other blogging resources: Free eBook, “Make Money Blogging” .
Bonus swagbucks!
Today is the last chance to sign up for Swagbucks and receive the 60 Bonus Swagbucks!
In honor of their second birthday, I have been thrilled to offer my readers who have not signed up yet for Swagbucks, a special code which will give 60 Bonus Swagbucks! It is case sensitive and good from Thurs. Feb. 25, 2010 at 6 am PST until Thurs. March 4, 2010 at 6 am PST. So hurry, today is the last day!
The code is: DIMES2VINES
If you don’t know yet, Swagbucks is a totally free search engine that awards “bucks” randomly. These bucks can then be redeemed at the Swagstore for great prizes including electronics, gift cards, apparel – the list goes on! My personal favorite is the $5 Amazon Gift Card. I think it gives the most bang for the buck!
The celebration also includes:
- The launching of Swagbucks.com 3.0 with special features and tons of Swagcode giveaways through their blog, twitter, and facebook.
- Earn swagbucks by viewing their special “No Obligation” offers.
- Earn swagbucks by downloading the toolbar and being logged in through the toolbar. Downloading is easy to do and I find that having the toolbar at my fingertips, makes searching with Swagbucks even easier and more convenient.
- Launch of the Swagstore Portal: Previously they had a dozen on-going sweepstakes (called Swagstakes) at any given time. Now with the lauch of 3.0 there willl be dozens of Swagstakes running at all times! Tentative items offered include: $100 Amazon Gift Cards, Sony 25″ TV, Amazon Kindle, Apple iPod Touch, Rachel Ray 10pc Cookware set and much more!
Head on over to Swagbucks and join in the celebration, download the toolbar and start winning!
Swagbucks is celebrating!
In honor of their second birthday, I am thrilled to offer my readers who have not signed up yet for Swagbucks, a special code which will give 60 Bonus Swagbucks! It is case sensitive and good from Thurs. Feb. 25, 2010 at 6 am PST until Thurs. March 4, 2010 at 6 am PST.
The code is: DIMES2VINES
Swagbucks is ready to celebrate and they want you to join in the fun! If you are already signed up, they will be doing a LOT of swagcode giveaways with plenty of opportunities to earn free bucks today, Feb. 25! Also, starting today, any swagbucks in your account will be multiplied by 10 as will the prices of items at the swagstore. This will enable them to offer swagbucks to users in ways never before imagined! If you have 45 swagbucks in your account, you will now have 450! The Amazon Gift Card which was 45SB will now be 450SB. Prices are not being raised just multiplied along with your bucks.
If you don’t know yet, Swagbucks is a totally free search engine that awards “bucks” randomly. These bucks can then be redeemed at the Swagstore for great prizes including electronics, gift cards, apparel – the list goes on! My personal favorite is the $5 Amazon Gift Card. I think it gives the most bang for the buck!
The celebration also includes:
- The launching of Swagbucks.com 3.0 with special features and tons of Swagcode giveaways through their blog, twitter, and facebook.
- Earn swagbucks by viewing their special “No Obligation” offers.
- Earn swagbucks by downloading the toolbar and being logged in through the toolbar. Downloading is easy to do and I find that having the toolbar at my fingertips, makes searching with Swagbucks even easier and more convenient.
- Launch of the Swagstore Portal: Previously they had a dozen on-going sweepstakes (called Swagstakes) at any given time. Now with the lauch of 3.0 there willl be dozens of Swagstakes running at all times! Tentative items offered include: $100 Amazon Gift Cards, Sony 25″ TV, Amazon Kindle, Apple iPod Touch, Rachel Ray 10pc Cookware set and much more!
Head on over to Swagbucks and join in the celebration, download the toolbar and start winning!
With savings dwindling and the house in Alabama not selling, we have gotten creative in generating income! My husband has taken a paper route. Yes, he has gone back to his childhood days, except now, on the paper route, he is driving a car instead of a bike. He and our oldest daughter get up before dawn, about 3:30 am, to faithfully deliver the papers to our little town. This has become special father/daughter time for them. On the weekends, the other children alternately go with them in twos to help with the inserts. They started with one paper route to fund her college and added a second and longer route when it became available. This second paper route is stretching our living expense money. Talk about creatively generating income!
This paper route has become part of our frugal living family adventure! The other children love going on the weekends. The only problem so far is car sickness. When rolling a paper to put a rubber band it on it – you must not only look down ,but, keep looking up, or otherwise…
Do you take the paper? If so, do you tip your carrier? We did not receive the paper so I had never thought about this before! It is amazing to see how nice some people are. Everything from money, cards, cookies and a ham have been left in mailboxes as tips! Many people have special requests as to where and how they want their papers delivered. If you are one of these, please understand that every special detour not only costs time but also money in gasoline! Whether you have special requests or not, consider that your carrier is up and out, way before the normal hour to get you your paper, on time, 7 days a week – no exceptions!
My husband, with his chemistry background has turned these routes into a science. He has determined the most efficient route both for time and gasoline. He checks weather to see if bagging is necessary because they too (like rubber bands) cost money which comes out of the profit.
It is easy to take for granted the people behind the scenes. I definitely have thought more about those who provide me everyday services, such as, mailmen, trash collectors, UPS deliverers … you know the ones who serve you. Yes, these people get paid, but often the base pay is not that much. Even so, a tip of any kind will brighten their day and show gratitude.
One way I have stretched our budget is through the use of Swagbucks. What you see pictured below came in the mail and was purchased using Amazon gift cards bought with Swagbucks! I wanted to take this opportunity to encourage you to think about items you already use or items you would like to purchase that you could possibly get for free.
If you are not familiar with Swagbucks read more here. Basically, it is a free search engine (yes, it is really free – no catches!) that awards “bucks” for your normal daily searches. To make searching with Swagbucks even more convenient, simply download the toolbar. Swagbucks are awarded randomly and can then be used for purchases at the Swagstore . The $5 Amazon giftcard for 45SB, in my opinion, gives the most bang for the buck! As a bonus, you will get 3 Bonus Swagbucks just for signing up! What are you waiting for?
If you are a bread maker and use wheat gluten, Amazon has the least expensive price when you set up an automatic delivery order. With this automatic delivery, you are given a 15% discount and free shipping! You also have the flexibiltiy of choosing the scheduled timing intervals and you will receive an email before the scheduled delivery with the option to cancel if necessary. Using my gift cards earned with Swagbucks, I no longer have to pay for it out of pocket!
Much has been posted about monetizing your blog – a lot of good advice given. One resource that I have found particularly helpful is an absolutely free ebook: Make Money Blogging written by Daniel Scocco. It covers the basics of blogging from the importance of content, consistency in posting, blog design, networking to monetizing your blog. Daniel clearly explains the how’s of monetizition. If you already have a blog or are just thinking about starting one, I would highly recommend this great resource. Just go here and sign up for his free newsletter. He will send you a link to download the ebook. I enjoy receiving his emails and find them filled with a wealth of information.
If you have not already signed up for this great, completely free way to earn some extra “bucks”, what are you waiting for? Haven’t heard of Swagbucks? It is a search engine that pays you to search the web as you normally do . As you search, Swagbucks are randomly awarded and can then be redeemed in the Swagstore for electronics, gift cards, DVD’s, sports memorabilia and much more. My favorite item (which I think has the greatest bang for the buck) is the $5 Amazon Gift Card for only 450 SBs.
What is so great about Friday? Fridays are Mega Swagbucks day. Swagbucks are awarded in the denominational values of 10′s, 20′s, 50′s and even 100′s. It is a great day to really rack up some Swagbucks!
I use it as my everyday search engine. It is so easy. I downloaded the toolbar so it is right there waiting to be used. There are several other ways available to earn Swagbucks. First, you will receive 3 bonus “bucks” for signing up! Another is through codes which can be entered on the Swagbucks homepage and you are then awarded a “buck”. There are also several ways to receive codes. Sign up to receive the newsletter and there is normally a code at the bottom of it. Check the homepage for alerts to Swaghunts where clues are given and you hunt for the codes. Often, I will receive an email from the Swag guy (which is shown on my Swagbucks toolbar) which contains a Swag code.
It really is an easy way to earn some great prizes. And, who doesn’t mind doing that!
Credit cards – do you use them? Friends are often surprised to find out that I use credit cards. Not only do I use them, but I make money on them! They are just another tool and the key is being responsible. You have to follow the same basic rules – live within your means and don’t lose sight of your goals. You continue to buy your normal items, except now, use credit cards. Like coupons, credit cards are not intrinsically evil. Rather, they are a hook designed by people to take money from your pocket and put it into theirs (actually, that’s what every “for profit” business does). Perks are offered by certain credit card companies knowing that the majority of people will overspend, carry a monthly balance, and thus accrue high interest charges and service fees (your pocket to their pocket). Some will say that we are taking profit from the stores. Yes, the businesses that accept credit cards have to pay 1.5-3.5% of the sale to the credit company (and card processing company) but it is another hook they are using to ease your money into their pocket. When we had a small retail business, we initially accepted most credit cards to help people buy our products (Polish pottery and other imports from Europe), but it was our choice to accept the credit card usage terms or not. (My husband used to joke with customers telling them that their “Sky Miles” went to his account.
I use credit cards for the majority of my purchases and receive at least 1% cash back. That may not seem like much, but over the year, it adds up! Currently, I am using an American Express card which has no annual fee but for the first year gives me:
- 5% back on gas purchases (up to the first $150 purchased per month)
- 5% back on grocery purchases (up to the first $250 per month)
- 5% back on dining out (up to the first $250 per month)
While we seldom eat out and our groceries don’t cost more than $250/mth, I do try to optimize how we spend our money for gas. Our normal monthly gas purchases do not exceed the $150 maximum on the AMEX. But sometimes, like this past December, we went to work on our house in Alabama and visit family in Georgia, and we did use more gas. For those situations, I have a Discover card as back-up which gives 2% back on gas purchases, up to the first $100 per month! After my first year is up, these AMEX perks will cease and I’ll cancel the card and look for the next best deal available. I have been doing this for years and there has always been another deal – I’ve NEVER paid an annual fee for a credit card. 
How, you might ask, do I keep it all straight? I made small adhesive labels for each card stating what the card is used for and the maximum amount. Then, in our van (our family car is a 15 passenger van), I have a index card on which we write all our gas purchases and the corresponding credit card. When the limit on the card is reached, we simply switch to using the back-up for the remainder of the month. I am not an organization fanatic – the index card is often dirty, tattered and coffee stained by month’s end – it would never make it two months!
This may seem like too much trouble, but for 2008 I made over $500 on one card! For other large purchases (i.e. the vines for our vineyard), we use a Visa card through LL Bean. The “bean points” accrued have been used on many LL Bean clearance items, from winter milking coats to summer tank tops. (I accidentally tried to use them at LandsEnd but as nice as the operator was, she couldn’t accept them  . That brings many a laugh in our family.)
Again, the key is discipline in your purchasing, complete bill payment at the time it is due (nothing carried over to the next billing cycle!) and then maximize the offered perk. Take the time to investigate what perks are available to meet your family’s needs.
Photo Credit: Bing Images
Mega Swagbucks Friday - It’s here again! If you have not already signed up for this great, completely free way to earn some extra “bucks”, what are you waiting for? Haven’t heard of Swagbucks? It is a search engine that pays you to search the web as you normally do . As you search, Swagbucks are randomly awarded and can then be redeemed in the Swagstore for electronics, gift cards, DVD’s, sports memorabilia and much more. My favorite item (which I think has the greatest bang for the buck) is the $5 Amazon Gift Card for only 45 SBs.
What is so great about Friday? Fridays are Mega Swagbucks day. Swagbucks are awarded in the denominational values of 10′s, 20′s, 50′s and even 100′s. It is a great day to really rack up some Swagbucks!
I use it as my everyday search engine. It is so easy. I downloaded the toolbar so it is right there waiting to be used. There are several other ways available to earn Swagbucks. First, you will receive 30 bonus “bucks” for signing up! Another is through codes which can be entered on the Swagbucks homepage and you are then awarded a “buck”. There are also several ways to receive codes. Sign up to receive the newsletter and there is normally a code at the bottom of it. Check the homepage for alerts to Swaghunts where clues are given and you hunt for the codes. Often, I will receive an email from the Swag guy (which is shown on my Swagbucks toolbar) which contains a Swag code.
It really is an easy way to earn some great prizes. And, who doesn’t mind doing that!
Mr. Rebates, like Ebates, requires you to spend money to make money. It is another cash back for online shopping site and is somewhat smaller than Ebates.
Mr. Rebates is free and easy to do. Just go to Mr. Rebates and you will get a $5 Bonus just for signing up! Then when you are shopping online and are ready to make a purchase, go to Mr. Rebates first, search for the website you want to purchase from. Once you find the website, click through the link and make your purchase. Yes, it takes a bit more time than going directly to the desired website, but it is worth it. There website is very user friendly and easy to navigate.
Mr. Rebates is not a get rich quick scheme. The cash back amount is listed beside each website and is usually around 4%. This may not seem like a large sum, and it isn’t, but it is amazing how fast it adds up. With consistent use, you will reap the benefits of their cash back rebates just for shopping as you normally would. It is definitely worth the extra time. In a few weeks after making your purchase, you will see the cash back percentage deposited into your Mr. Rebates account.
You will receive your rebate by check or it may be deposited to your PayPal account, whichever you prefer, when your balance reaches $10. You decide which manner of payment works best for you in your situation.
Mr. Rebates also has a referral program. You can earn 20% of your referred friend’s cash-back rebates on every purchase they make through Mr. Rebates (at no cost to them).
So, try it and if you like it, share it with others so they too can earn money for shopping online and making their online purchases.
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Grab My Dime! 
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About Me 
God has amazingly blessed me, Dina-Marie, with a wonderful husband and 10 beautiful children. Moving from our "secure" life in Alabama to the "exciting" life of starting a vineyard in west Texas has been challenging to say the least. I have had the opportunity to take a crash course in frugal living and become a real farm girl - complete with milk cow and chickens. I have learned the importance of health from the inside out, "traditional" cooking and cod liver oil!
I hope to encourage you to make the most of where you are and what you have. |
