Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Bridge Between Income And Debts



Looking for leaks in your budget? If you have gone over and over your budget with a fine tooth comb and there is just nothing left to cut, what do you do? The answer to that is to study your income. All money coming into your household. Now, that is where you concentrate. Bring more money in to cover those leaks. Some things are just not possible to cut. When you go into the stores now, you have to pay more for just about everything. I have cut and cut and cut some more. But you get to a point where there is nothing else to cut. Now I am concentrating on trying to make some money in other ways.

I have read more than a few of Donald Trump's books, Rich Dad Poor Day series of books and am now reading Robert Allen's books. So it is not like I do not have the knowledge to do this. I do. I wrote about this in this post called Some Ways To Generate Cash and I am not talking about those get rich schemes either. Here are some quick ideas I have come up with:

1. Bake something you can sell, like cookies, breads, pies, etc. Advertise it or go to some office buildings and see if there is some interest in the offices for their coffee breaks for your baked goods.

2. Do a service for someone, like babysitting, raking leaves, splitting and stacking firewood, feeding pets or livestock, driving someone to appointments or to shop, running errands, care giver, house cleaning, typing, web design, computer set up or repair, internet marketing, internet research, online selling, computer lessons, writing reviews or content, etc. I could think of a lot of these. How about you?

3. Write a eBook on your knowledge of something. We all have knowledge of something! Think! It doesn't have to be too long. Maybe 35+ pages. I did this and am presently updating it making it much larger and eliminating the photos as they take too long for my buyers to upload.

4. If you have a talent, such as a musician, you can write and sell songs, you can put together a music cd and sell it online, you can play at local places, bars, restaurants, clubs, churches, etc.

5. If you have good credit, you can possibly buy multifamily real estate and collect rents to increase your income. Very good way to provide more income!

6. Of course if you already have a job, I am sure you are not looking for another one. But a second job is a way some people go now. Or get a raise or a different job that pays more. Go to school and change fields so you can make more money. Or start your own business. I am sure you can think of some other options there.


I hope this gives you some more options to think about. If you have some problem that needs solving you can leave it in the comments and maybe someone here would have an idea or two for you.


Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Sunday, September 19, 2010

More Than Forty Hours A Week



One of the things you learn when you are running your own home-based business is that you usually work way more than forty hours a week. Working from home, wearing all the hats of your company entail many hours. Yet it is more satisfying because it is your's. Working for someone else is never what we think it will be. I always remember how you just can't wait to get that job! You do everything you can to win it and you talk about it all the time. When you get that job........... what you are going to do with all that money you will be making! Remember that? Two weeks later, when it is time to get up to go to work, it's "I hate this job!" "I'm calling in sick!" And at work what are you doing? Watching the clock all day! I know that program well.



So I spend hours on my computer. What do I do? I am doing lots of writing! Lots of promoting! Lots of marketing! And lots and lots of social networking! Social networking is like going to the golf course for a round of golf with potential business associates. Just do it sitting at your computer. And these days you are networking with people across the country...............and around the world! It is your call who and how you want to find your customers. So keep plugging along and one day you will find it pays off. But if you give up because you are not making money immediately than maybe you shouldn't even be in business. It takes more backbone than that. Too many people give up too quickly nowadays.

If you are are having problems setting goals, what are your problems? Is it something you need help with? Is it the time to spend on it? Or is it family being against you doing it? List your priorities and then study them! Make a list of how you can achieve them. Now do it!









Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Some Ways To Generate Cash





One of the ways you can start generating cash is by selling your own items on one of the well known selling sites. Such as Amazon, eBay, Bonanzle, Etsy and many others. These are ones that I am most familiar with. If you have never sold anything online before, as bad as it's reputation is, I suggest getting your feet wet using eBay. I learned everything I needed to know there, and I sold a lot of stuff. Made very good money on stuff that in a garage sale would have brought in pennies.

Another way is if you have a service you can offer people. This would not be an online business though you could set up a website to get your business out to the public. That is unless it is an online service. Even local people look things up on the internet now. I prefer not to do any kind of business or job that would entail leaving my home, but that is up to you. It would seem that your service could end up being a job. Not a passive type of income for sure.

If you have knowledge of some subjects or skills, you can write about them. Develop a blog like this one, and try to network with other people in your niche. Then when you write an article or preferably, an eBook,  your readers will be interested in it and purchase it. Downloadable products are easy once you have them on your site. Your buyers can purchase them anytime and download them. My eBook, My Homesteading Journey, is one of those type of products. It has been the easiest product I sell. Presently, I am working on updating it.

These are just a few ways you can get started immediately. I will give you other ideas, but don't want to give you too many at first. Think about yourself. Your goals. Your interests. Your immediate needs. And what do you really want to be doing? Now and in the future?








Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Creating Those Goals And Following Them



My husband and I are reading the books by Robert G. Allen, Creating Wealth and Multiple Streams Of Income. I have to say  I have read many books and visited many websites on these same subjects, and no one else even comes close to this author. He explains everything in clear details so you can try to do many of his ideas yourself. So many other financial authors tell you things to do but never give you a clear idea of how to do it, unless you buy their program. Robert Allen does have programs he sells but his books are giving us absolutely clear instructions and I really like that. How can someone who can't afford those programs follow someone's advice if it is hidden in some expensive program? Sometimes it is all you can do to afford the books! And what a disappoint the book is if you buy it hoping the advice is in there but find it is not. That is a rip off in my mind!

Anyway, we are working on implementing the "ten streams of income" into our life. I had written before in a previous post, Welcome To Little Steps, which was my very first post on this blog. I mentioned eight streams of income, but now that I am reading this book my ideas have changed. One of the most important things I have learned from Mr. Allen is that you have to concentrate on one thing as much as possible to get it going, before going on to the next. In my own case, I have an  online retail store which is already producing an income. It needs more work, but it is already working. I also have three eBooks, and my husband's music cd, Classic Fantasy, which are already producing some income, but need more work there too. I am updating one of my eBooks, and  as soon as I am finished with that one will be updating another one.



So those are two streams of income I am working on at the moment. It helps when your spouse is really into doing this also, that way you can work with him or her. We read these books at night together. I read them aloud and since we do not have a television it has become our focus in the evenings. We look forward to it.

If you have ideas of what you want to do the first thing would be to write them down. Make a map of where you want to be in 10 years from now. It does not matter how old or young you are..........you can do this at any age! So re-read some of posts on here where I touch on the subject of goals. Robert Allen agrees that your goals need to be written down and you need to read them daily. So that is a good place to start if you haven't done it already. Good luck and hope you come back and are ready to move on with me!




Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole