Save Money or Make Money (Quickly?)

     There are lots of people looking for ways to make a quick buck (without tossing their integrity out the window) for unexpected expenses, to save for a rainy day, or to pay extra on some overhanging debt. Maybe you just want some easy ways to get some spending money. I've heard lots of different ideas doing my own searches and getting through our days of scraping. I wanted to share my own tips for once! We've done most of these ourselves over the past few years.

The great but not-so-helpful or not-so-quick ideas: 

Start selling on eBay or Half.com

Open your own shop on Etsy

Get into a direct sales business (e.g., Avon)

Find a part-time job

These are all superb ideas. However, most take some beginning capital. All of them take time and patience and some element of risk. It may be only as much as the 0.20c listing fee per item on Etsy or more than $100 to get your initial product and supplies for direct sales. eBay and Half.com may be iffy. You may get less than you'd like for your stuff. Shipping may cost more than you anticipate. It may takes days to actually get your money as well. Once the buyer's payment comes through you may only be payed after the item has shipped. If you don't accept credit or debit payments or use paypal tack on the time it takes for someone to mail a check or money order. Even the transfer times from the buyer to paypal or your bank account can take days. Half.com pays your total sales (less shipping) to you twice a month. How quickly you can be paid for direct sales totally depends on your propensity to get parties and sales. There are additional costs for using paypal, adding additional information to listings, and things like packaging. If you have a month or two and some money to get you off the ground then you're likely to have the opportunity to make a good bit of cash. There are no guarantees though.

As for the part-time job, finding them can be easy if you keep your mind open. Pizza delivery, newspaper routes, fast food, retail jobs, and things like babysitting are almost always available. There's usually some period of time before you can start a new job, plus time for training, and the typical 1-2 week wait for that first paycheck. Start applying but look for other money-making ideas in the mean time.

The relatively quick but sometimes unreliable ideas: 

Hold a garage sale 

Visit the pawn shop

Create listings on Craigslist

These methods for making money can be a lot faster and simpler. Unless your city requires a permit with a fee it won't take much more than your valuable time to spend a weekend selling your extra junk out on your lawn. Pawn shops can be iffy. They are in business to make a profit so DO NOT expect to get anywhere near the true value of whatever you sell. If you have some valuable items that you don't care about this might be a great route. Just know the value. I would never recommend actually pawning because that's just one more thing hanging over your head. Sell it or skip the pawn shop. Craigslist can be risky for more than one reason. Most people have heard the horror stories. However, there's also the chance a buyer skips out on you or tries to get one over on you. If you overprice or underprice your stuff you can lose a sale or lose potential earnings.

Do yourself a favor if you want to host a garage sale and don't calculate your income on an hourly basis.

The fastest but sometimes not-so-very profitable ideas:

Swagbucks (or similar points and rewards sites)

Google Adsense (and other advertising sites)

Dig for change

I'm a big fan of Swagbucks and Adsense. They are brilliant ideas in and of themselves. I use both. Unless you all ready have a very high traffic website or blog ads aren't going to help you much. If you have a popular video on youtube perchance then you can put adds on it and make a teensy bit of money that way but that's unlikely. (Also, people who intentionally TRY to make "viral videos" get a nice cushy spot in the obnoxious category FYI.) Swagbucks is simple and some people enjoy it but it's not very profitable right away. We can get 10-25 dollar giftcards for lots of retailers (including Target, Walmart, and Amazon) by using this site for searching and doing the daily things but it takes a few weeks to a few months to accumulate enough for those. I'm not gonna say not to go for it but don't expect to get very much right away.

Just today I gathered up ALL of the random coins from the car, the junk box in the kitchen, and whatever other random spots in our house. I came up with $20.62. Not bad! We're pretty terrible at using change and we just let it gather. You may only be able to find all of $0.78. Here's a tip though: skip the coin machines and take it directly to your bank. The banks we've done business with have always counted it all up the same way as those machines before depositing it into our account(s) but without the cost per dollar.

The gross, awkward, or inconvenient ideas:

"Donating" Plasma

Participating in medical studies or drug trials

Pooper-scooping

The Unmentionables

From what I hear donating plasma is totally legit if you go through the right sources. The idea is you or donating the plasma while being compensated for your time. Participating in drug or other medical trials obviously carries some risk, if nothing other than the potential side effects that come with the majority of medications. Pooper-scooping speaks for itself. It's gross. Ew. (It's not so bad AFTER you have some green in the palm of your hand, of course.) And then there's the unmentionables . . . all the things the most desperate or least squeamish do for dollars. You know what I'm talking about. Anything having to do with body parts or fluids that IS NOT illegal.

Sometimes you can't donate plasma or participate in trials even if you wanted to because of prior health issues or pregnancy. Even so, maybe you're just not ready to get over your fear of needles.

Saving but not really making ideas: 

Grocery Coupons

Shopping cheap, on-sale, and off-brand

Deals Websites (e.g., Living Social)

I love a good deal. Love. Just recently we got a great deal for a froyo shop not far from us. We got huge servings of some tasty frozen yogurt with all our favorite toppings for just $6 (two adults, two kids). I use coupons frequently. However, unless you're a crazy couponer or have space for a mini-mart in your home this will only save you a few good dollars at the store. If you're going to use coupons ONLY use them for what you need to buy anyway and make sure it's actually bringing the price lower than the off-brands. Oreos are not cheese and wine. You're not getting anything more for your pennies. I love oreos but the cheap ones are just as nasty-bad-for-you and tasty delicious as the regular brand. (P.S. Swagbucks HAS printable coupons, once they've been used and run through you'll get bucks for using the coupons in a few weeks!)

     In the end your best bet is to list your junk on ebay in-between job applications; make a stop at the pawn shop or meet with a buyer via craiglist after a morning putting in some job applications; and (if you have one) spend time earning money online via points & rewards sites while they take your plasma. Good luck and don't be stupid! 

3am Schmee Schmay Shmem

It's 3am and I'm up with my not-sleepy 20 month old. It's a magical time.

School is out for summer now so I'll have more time to blog on here! Nothing crazy going on in our neck of the woods. Not anything I'm ready to share here just yet anyway. ;)

I do update the links just above the search bar as regularly as I normally would so don't forget to click around.

I'm looking forward to the decent whether this weekend. Hopefully we can spend most of our time at the pool but we'll see how that goes.

Nighty night!

Road Trips Ain't for Babies: The Basics: Part 2

Now . . . where was I? Here are a bunch of things I've learned over the years. I may come back and add to this list but this is what I have off the top of my head.

1. Preparing Bottles
     This is just a pain in the butt no matter how you do it, honestly. At the very least formula smells bad. Regardless, you gotta do what you gotta do. My oldest was on formula for the most part. after she was a few months old (looong story). The easiest, most expensive option is to buy the equivalent concentrated or premixed liquid formula just for the drive. It doesn't have to be refrigerated until after it is open so you can keep it pretty well (obviously you don't want to leave it sitting in a too hot or too cold car, though). Once it's opened you can stick it in a cooler with plenty of ice and aim for fridge temps. The most important thing is to read the label on the formula and follow those directions. The other option is having multiple bottles pre-filled with water (whatever kind of water floats your boat . . . haha haha). Then buy one of these handy dandy little things. I did this once and it worked pretty well but I was pretty keen on her routine and how much she'd want to eat by then too so it wasn't much trouble. I just cleaned the bottles as soon as we got to where we were going. If you wanted to flip that method around you could put the powder into the bottles and add water. It's really up to you. I kept all this junk in it's own bag.

2. Breastfeeding
     THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR BOTTLE AND BOOB FEEDING: Do NOT pull your child out of the car seat to feed them. EVER. It is NEVER safe if the car is moving. Don't. Just don't. This is one of those things you'll want to be prepared for: stopping. A lot. Pull over in a safe area and give them the bottle. Never put a little convenience over everyone's safety. Now, breastfeeding. You have gobs of options. Pump and prepare bottles before leaving, pump fresh for bottles in the car, or offer the tap.  It's up to you. I haven't found a pump that likes me so I just went with the old fashioned way. My younger bumpkin nursed until 17 months and I think she maybe had a bottle in her mouth twice for that entire time. Use a cover if you want. Don't use a cover if you don't want. It's up to you. Just know, you always have fresh, warm milk ready for baby this way which is very, very nice. I've heard mixed reviews on the "lean over the seat" method. I've read suffocation as a risk for doing this but I don't know. I couldn't possibly do that even if I wanted too.  It would be way to uncomfortable. I'd consult the lovely research tool we call google for that one. (This also applies whether you're using boob or bottle: there's always the chance the little bub could choke but I'm not sure how likely or how true that actually is . . . .). I would be extra cautious, do your research, and as always put safety over convenience.

3. Make a list, and another, and another
     If I never get anything else done I can at least be sure I have a list to guide me. (vague, bashful laughter) Yeah, I always manage to get a list out. Then another. Maybe even one more for good, thorough, over-zealous measure. Really though, grab a pen and notebook, scribble on an eraser board, or download a simple app like OneNote and get to it. Some people don't mind dropping in to the store mid-trip for forgotten things but personally I dislike doing that so I try to remember everything. Extra tip: KEEP a copy of the list handy for when you go back home so you can avoid forgetting anything and add any new junk you've procured as well.

4. Choosing between night or day
     I've done both. This matters a lot more if you have a really long drive. If you're passing up the 12 hour mark then breaking up the drive with an overnight hotel stay is probably a reasonable idea. Hubby and I tend to choose to drive overnight and recoup some whenever we arrive. Taking turns is key for this. If you're crazy like me and ever end up taking a long drive (with or without) kids be sure you're not falling asleep on the road if you do drive overnight. Stop to sleep if you need too. Don't overestimate the power of caffeine either. The only downsides I really know for sure about driving during the day are a) possible traffic, b) kids awake and acting crazy, and c) a long trip due to more frequent stops. If you leave right before the kids bedtime it gives them a chance to settle into the car and hopefully sleep a nice long time. If things go just so a quick stop for breakfast and a really good movie or a new learning app will hold them off until you can get to where you're going. Some people don't do well in cars though. Some people can't drive for that long. In some cases, you're just going to have to try it out once to see how things go before you really know (so reassuring, yeah?).

5. Get the trash o-u-t
Don't forget to have at least one, but preferably multiple, trash receptacles in the car at all times. We have one of the cheap office mesh bins from Target in our car. I've seen that some people manage to use one of those tupperware cereal storage things for trash too. A regular, bathroom-sized plastic can might be perfect or maybe just a plastic bag rigged up on of the seats. Bring extra disposable shopping bags and an extra trash bag or two for accidents. Get as much of it out of the car as you can at every stop. You might want to add a car wash and vacuum place near your destination to your pre-plan list of things to map!


6. Really big spills
What's the infamous saying? $#!+ happens? Maybe your toddler's cup decided it didn't like being spill proof anymore. Maybe your cold iced mocha feels compelled to drench the floor. Maybe your cooler springs a leak. Use a clean disposable diaper. Turn it inside out and schlop up all the mess with that creepy gel-filled paper material. It will soak up every last molecule of mess. Keeping some generic cloth diapers handy is a good idea too. They seem to have no end and can be used many more times than a baby wipe. I always take a towel for good measure as well.

7. The Worst of It
If nothing else could go wrong on your trip count on a bout of car sickness or perhaps a cold or stomach bug souvenir to keep your life interesting. If you know your child has a tendency to get car sick (like mine) you can probably temper the touchy tummy with plenty of stops, gentle snacks, and some soothing meds (gripe water works well for stomach upset of any sort, almost all stores carry it in the aisle with the other baby and kid meds). However, the souvenir illness should not be underestimated. Having changes of clothes, empty plastic trash bags and/or grocery bags, a few towels (not nice ones, the nice broken in rags), and even a small bottle of all purpose cleaner (make it yourself easy peasy with just some hot water, white vinegar, a little dawn dish soap, and some tea tree oil for good measure) is a good idea. Keeping the typical meds like tylenol, teething tablets, motrin, and/or a gentle cold remedy) in a first aid kit that stays in the car is a nice safety net to keep everyone more comfortable. In the end, if you end up with oodles of snotty noses or projectile vomit on the way home you'll at least be able to keep it together until your trip is over.

Road Trips Ain't for Babies: The Basics - Part 1

We have an almost 3 year old and an 18 month old. It's about time I shared my tips and tricks for long car trips with littles. We've gone on several trips with at least one baby (when our oldest was a newborn) and now with two. We've done it when I was pregnant. We've done it with a dog. These aren't short, light-hearted trips either. They are 10-12 hours long one way (the same exact trip keeps getting longer as we need more stops with the kids as they get older).

First, there are some major points you should think about while you're planning:

The Vehicle
Is your car big enough for all the crap you're going to need? Is it efficient for driving the distance you need to go? Would it be easier, cheaper, or even safer to rent or borrow another car?

We happen to have a nice ugly minivan so this hasn't ever been an issue for us. The one time our space was limited (hubby's gear takes up a whole lot of room) we put a big roof box thing on top*.

The Directions
Do you know how to get to your destination? If you get lost are you going to be stuck in the boonies or will there be plenty of cityscape blips surrounding the interstate? Do you use a regular map? Google maps or mapquest? I know most people these days have built in navigation systems or own something like a TomTom or a Garmin or just an app on their phone. These are great tools but planning ahead like we did in the olden days can still be a big help. Will you need to stop to eat (maybe!) or pee (depends! . . . no not those kind of depends)? If you've never taken the route you're planning before it's probably a good idea to scope out the things you'll want or need. Several helpful websites can make this pre-planning a lot easier.


The Pre-Planning

Google Maps can show you where pretty much anything is going to be and even let you in on the quality of a place based on reviews. Just put in what you want ( ie"starbucks") and it should let you know where your best bet is for stopping or more importantly where your last chance opportunity for a decent cup of hot coffee on the road is going to be.

Gas Buddy lets you compare prices at local gas stations. To some people this isn't such a big deal on a daily basis maybe they all ready know the cheapest station or happen to be brand loyal. Either way, searching on here can help a lot when you'd like to avoid spending a lot more on gallons of gas. When you're going through different states this is especially helpful.

You Can Breastfeed Here is a brilliant resource for all the nursing mamas out there. Other moms have taken the time to add locations and write reviews of their experiences. There is also a listing for the laws for every state. Mamas should be prepared and comfortable nursing their sweeties wherever they happen to be and pretty much every mom knows they don't always choose the most convenient times for a meal.

Weather is something I forget very easily. If it seems like the weather is decent at home it kind of seems like everywhere else is rainy or sunny too right? Traveling into different climates is a whole other ball game but even if you'll still be in the same general climate the weather can vary a lot. Check the forecast. Even if there isn't any rain or sun on there everyone knows a forecast is just a chart for best guesses so bring the umbrella and sunscreen regardless.

A lot of these things seem obvious or even simple but if you're anything like me something is bound to slip your mind. It doesn't matter if you've done it 20 times. The most important thing to plan on is FORGETTING something or having to FORGO your original plans. PREPARE for the worst but PLAN for the best!

Now. I'm just getting to jot down all the little things I've learned over the years. Maybe one or two of these tips will prove helpful to you.

Snacks - Be generous with snacks so stops for meals aren't a big deal but don't be crazy. A bunch of sugary or salty stuff is going to freak your body out. Especially when it comes to littles, you're begging for a miserable drive if a lot of sweets are in the equation. So, here are a few ideas for easy snacks that keep well in a cooler or a cloth box:

     The Healthier Stuff:

• grapes
• edamame 
• celery
• baby carrots
• grape or cherry tomatoes
• banana or plantain chips
• raisins
• seeds or nuts (out of the shell!)
• granola bars
• whole wheat pretzels (unsalted!)
• cheese (the cubes or the thick slices!)

     The Not as Healthy Stuff:

• dum dums or other little suckers**
• nilla wafers
• goldfish
• cheerios (well, duh)
• gardettos (I don't know why but I love them for road trips)
• taffy or licorice
• your favorite chips

Toys and Entertainment - do not underestimate the attention-grasping powers of painter's tape, tissue paper, or singing really annoying kid's songs. We try to save the big guns (ipad, video games, movies, that type of thing) for when they just REALLLLY get to the point of either making the car itself commit suicide to get out of carrying the insanity around or everyone imploding. Switch things up though. IF they are for even a mild moment being content WITHOUT a toy or noise then LEAVE THEM BE. Because the chances of that happening are slim to none here are some suggestions:

     For the tiny littles (1 and under) your best bet is just getting in the back with them to play peek-a-boo the whole trip. For the very little, TRAVEL WHILE YOU CAN because unless they just hate the car they will sleep the time away and there's not much you'll have to do for them. A lot of people like those little toys for the infant car seats (I used them too!) but you should know that some manufacturer's warranties are VOID whenever you add these trinkets (or the extra cushions and such for that matter). A mirror for them to stare at the sweet, narcissistic little selves is a superb idea. Some of them don't fit well on the headrests of older cars so you may need to rig it up a bit so it doesn't fall.

     For the toddlers (1-3) you just need to get over making good time. Seriously. Right now. Look in a mirror and say "Get over it." In your mind, say "This trip is x+3 hours long" (x being the amount of time it SHOULD take). Now, the cheapest, most random stuff is going to be your best bet. Either a box of tissues or a roll of toilet paper or a pack of wipes. Let them have at that thing, ripping them and flinging them and tearing little pieces. The quiet is worth the slight mess of papers all over. Another good one is painter's tape (the blue, not-so-sticky stuff in the DIY aisle at walmart). Give them a roll or tear a few pieces. They'll experiment until they get mad but it's worth the 5 seconds of quiet concentration. If you want to get a good couple hours of non-screaming, try a NEW movie you just KNOW they'll love. This isn't a time to be an electronic snob. We're talking survival, people. Another favorite of mine is the crayola wonder no-mess markers and coloring pads. They are expensive but lovely. We have iPads with plenty of fun learning games (which I've posted about before if you need ideas!). Those are awesome but we really try to hold those off for the first few hours. My almost three year old will play without end though so that's a really easy solution. When it comes down to it, they SHOULD take a nap. If they get sleepy, try to get in the car and get going and take advantage of nap time. When they wake you're probably going to want to let them out to run or play somewhere (use google to find a park or chickfila or something!). Other ideas: these, this, this,

     For the older but still little kids (3-6) you can probably still use a lot of the toddler tactics but you can also bring books, coloring, or traditional car games like I Spy more into play. I've not BTDT quite yet myself.

     For the oldest kids (7+) . . . I tend to think sit down and shut up sounds like a plan but in my heart I know better. There a million car games and simple toys for this older age group so I have a hard time imagining it being as difficult. But alas, I've yet to BTDT . . . yet.


Car Seats - may this serve as a reminder: TRIPLE check that your seats are installed correctly and that your kiddo hasn't outgrown the seat. Seems logical if you're on the road for a greater amount of time there's a better chance of an accident. Let's all take that precaution. Check the manual, get in touch with a local installation profesional (try the police station or fire station), and double check it again. Safety is #1, right?!

Bathroom Stops - for however many pull ups/diapers/wipes/changes of clothes you think you'll need bring double. Also, bring toilet paper with you. Yeah, I've been stuck in the middle of nowhere at a spider-laden outhouse style toilet with no TP to speak of and there was no way I could hold it any longer . . . look in the camping section for the tiny roll that fits nicely in a purse, diaper bag, or glove box. People may say you're ridiculous ??but when you inevitably have that dire moment you will not care what anyone has to say about your emergency roll. You will be so thankful that you will send ME cookies with a "thanks for saving my life" card. As for stopping at decent places, that's what planning ahead is for but really if you see a place that looks acceptable don't wait for the next one. Pay attention to signs that let you know if the next rest stop isn't for another 30+ miles as well.

Organization - We aren't clean in our car. It's pretty terrible. You should've seen all the junk I found last time I vacuumed it out. If you can, take all the trash and unnecessary junk out of your car and vacuum it. You'll appreciate the clean feeling on a long trip (until it inevitably gets mucked up). Go for some febreeze on the seats or a new air freshener too. To keep things less crazy through the trip try to keep everything in it's own spot. I've found that those cheap fabric storage boxes are awesome for this. We have one for the toys that don't leave the car and we'll use one for any dry snacks we bring. We'll take our cooler for any breakfast, lunch, or cold snack foods and drinks we want***. We have one of those mesh trash bins from the dollar aisle in target as our trash can. We just pop a plastic walmart or target bag in for easy removal of all our nastiness. For extra toys: have a bag or backpack for each kid. Our girls have a land's end bag (gifts from their great grandmama!) and a little backpack each. I let them (for the most part) put some toys they want with them in the backpacks and put extras for accidents (clothes, spare pacifiers, spare sippies or bottles, a diaper, socks, blanket) or some surprises (those crayola wonder books!) in their bags. They are small and don't take up much room. I'd love to invest in one of these but I haven't yet. I think my younger daughter would hate it anyway.


* FYI, the roof box does have potential to screw over your gas mileage.
** Older kiddos only please!
*** DON'T use loose ice or even ice in ziplocs. It'll make a mess or be gross to clean out later. Try getting the gel freezer packs (nice to have if someone gets hurt too). I like the cubes you can get at the dollar store.

To continue reading this series of posts just click HERE

Crafty Lady (say it gangnam style, hehe)

I've been gettin' my arts n crafts on . . .

Birthday Banner

Tutu

I love the color scheme (orange, lime green, and hot pink). Should be a fun birthday party! :) Gotta love all the great stuff that you can always find at hobby lobby too!!!