Little Steps

Monday, June 6, 2011

My Many Streams Of Income

One of my little steps has been increasing my streams of income. This year I have been working very heavily in that area. What streams of income do you ask? I am so glad you asked! Here is my list:

1. Growing as much of my own food as I can. Means that I don't have to spend that money in the stores. So it is part of my income stream.

2. Generating even more power once we get our wind turbine added to our solar system. Means less gas spent for the generator when we do not have enough sun.

3. Utilizing our power system to provide our cooking fuel so we can do away with the propane stove. Another savings that becomes part of our income stream.

4. Now I am running three website stores as well as two Bonanza booths and trying to increase my sales by using Social Media as well as other means.

5. Writing 4 blogs presently. I have added Google Adsense to them and am adding some affiliate ads also.

6. Working on writing a book from my blog, The Enduring Word. Hopefully, that will help provide to my stream of income.

That is about it for now. What about you? Are you still working on your stream of income? If you'd like to share, please comment. Good luck!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Classic Fantasy On Wordless Wednesday

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Using Social Media To Promote My Sites

Working from home

I have been spending a lot of time on Pinterest. It is another social network of sorts. It is fun! I end up spending too much time there. I came up with a great idea. If you are selling items in a web store or on a site like Bonanza or Etsy, you can create a pin for one of your items. Then it shows up on Pinterest. Once it is there, many people will repin it, like it and go to your site to see it. Maybe even buy it.

Social networking is a hot word these days. It really does work. I think it is equivalent to meeting other business people for drinks after work. Instead we meet online. I use Twitter and Facebook a lot. Lately, I have started using StumbleUpon too. If you go to any of those sites, add me as friend or follow me.....user name is always katlupe.

Since we started our new site, I have been very busy adding new products to it. Having an online business is time consuming, especially in the beginning of getting it off the ground. Business expenses such as domain names, hosting, business documents, etc. It is so worth it once it gets going and starts making a bit of money. I do love having a home based business that is for sure. I really would have no other choice since I doubt anyone hire me due to health issues. So taking it in my own hands.

How about you? Do you use social media to promote your business or blog? Which ones do you use? Why? Which ones do you hate? Why? I am interested in what you think and will share it in future posts.

Have a safe Memorial Day week-end!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Source: Free Clip Art Now

I have been working on building another website. It is called Lupe Shop and I will be selling various other items. Not guitar strings, music CDs or my eBooks. But new items that are needed for home and garden. I have enjoyed working with my husband on this project. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time now. The ultimate store with good quality products. All name brands which is good because they come with warranties.

Still my uncluttering project has been taking a lot of my time also. But.......it is coming along! Making so much progress. I found it hard in the beginning to get rid of things I kept for sentimental reasons. But now, I am just doing it. I have carried around some things from my childhood for way too many years now. Time to rid myself of these items. Besides if I rehome these items now, then they will be in a safer place rather then when nobody wants them. That is when they get taken to the dump.

It is easy to hold onto things, like books, so you can sell them. But they do not sell instantly and you are stuck with them taking up space. You can put them in a garage sale or do what I am, give them to someone who really wants them. I am looking forward to taking the books to this lady's house this week! Ten boxes of good quality books! I can't believe I had that many boxes.

We want to make our house basically, clutter free. I want to use the computer for movies and music. No piles of stuff! What about you? Do you have a way of dealing with all your stuff? How do you manage it? Does it ever get the better of you?

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Organization IS The Key To Your Success!

My Forsythia bush

I have sadly neglected this blog. I didn't mean to. But I have been so busy doing so many other things this year. I tried to sell my books on eBay and did it mostly as an experiment. I lost money. Due to Paypal and eBay fees, shipping costs, printing costs and shipping envelopes. No, it was not worth it or my time. So I am giving my books away instead.

As we all know, the key to success is organization and if you are not organized, you will never be successful. So that is my biggest goal right now. Not only in my business but in our house, and our life too. I have started so many projects and then start another one without finishing the first one. Going to stop that right now! I am going back to all those half finished jobs I was doing and get them all finished and done with for good.

I have been doing very well on my uncluttering project. But still working on it. With the price of gas so high, it is not that easy to fill the truck up with my unwanted stuff and drive to the thrift store. The closest one I cannot go to any longer because it is upstairs and I just cannot make it up any stairs alone any more. So I will get this job done as soon as I can.

That is another area to get organized on is to buy enough supplies to cook from scratch every day. Now I usually cook from scratch anyway, but I am talking about going another step. Making my salad dressing, all my breads, crackers, everything I possibly can. It is not easy, but it is good for you health wise and financially too. A loaf of bread can go from costing three something at the store to costing about thirty-three cents a loaf baked at home. And you know the best part? It is better tasting than the ones we purchase in the stores! Wow! Your house will smell great too!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Switching Phone Service To Save Money

Clip Art Source: Free Clip Art Now

Cutting back on some of my bills means that I am going to be changing over our telephone service to Tracfones only. I already have one that I have been really lax about learning how to use it. So I am concentrating on familiarizing myself with it. My husband is researching which one he wants to buy. He is leaning toward the Tracfone with internet access. As he is into the programming and design of our sites, as well as some others, and feels he needs it for the mobile work he has to do.

For us to have two of these phones is a lot less than what we pay our telephone company monthly. Since we have the satellite for internet there is no sense in keeping the land line any longer. We have been using the email addresses from our dial-up account and paying for that even though we are not using the dial-up. I am kind of excited about this change in our life.

Neither my husband nor I are telephone people. We hardly ever talk to anyone outside of our families. My father is 91 and I call him but not really often. He is usually outside when I call during the day. I find it easier to visit him if he is home. My husband's father is also 91 and he cannot talk on the telephone because he is very hard of hearing. He can hear if you are there in person, but that is with his hearing aid in. So neither one of us spend much time on a telephone anyway.

The big thing was to change our email addresses. I made a list and I know that I am missing some of the places I need to change my address at. If I can get it through the biggies I will be glad. Biggies like Paypal - that was the MOST important one, and it is done already with no problem that I can see! And Amazon is second, along with Google. I figure if I can get them done, the rest will not be so bad. Trouble is........there are soooo many!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Spring Time

This morning at Peaceful Forest Homestead

Since the winter looks like it is really fading away, though slowly, I am glad to see the end. I am so ready to start my spring cleaning and seed starting. Depending on where you live, you probably already are enjoying springtime. Here we still have large piles of snow and cold temperatures.

Choose one chore to work on this week if it is a big one. For me, it going to be organizing my books that I am selling on Bonanza. I had them organized already and then I did a stupid thing. I took a whole box of them and listed them in my Paperbackswap club. What happened to me by doing that was something I never considered before because it never happened before. As I listed them, they got taken immediately by being books that were on someone else's wish list. Before I finished I was supposed to send out over a dozen books. I had to contact them and tell them to cancel about six of them. Usually, I don't think it happens that way.

Springtime brings change through our lives as it is time for new life in the natural world. It is also the time of year when everyone makes plans and gets started on their goals for the year. So get going and start doing!

I am an affiliate marketer, as well, as a blogger. This means that I receive payments or gifts from a company for writing about a product or service on this blog. Or for having a banner or button displayed along the side, such as the Amazon ones for my eBooks. If you go to those links, I receive a commission for anything you buy on Amazon by using my link. I will not endorse anything I do not think is a good product or service. Many of my affilate links are to products I use myself. My readers will always come first.

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