Frugal Living: Money Making Ideas for Stay at Home Moms

You Can Make Money Working from Home

Stephen Anderson

Just because you’ve made the decision to stay at home as a full-time mom, does not mean that you can’t earn a little spending money on the side. With today’s proliferation of work at home, freelance and telecommuting job opportunities, stay at home moms have several options. Along with a wide variety of money-making opportunities, the Internet brings more than its fair share of scams and rip-offs. However, if you use a little practical common sense and are not afraid of a little research, no one’s going to take advantage of you.
There is one very basic rule that you should keep in mind at all times. If you remember this, you’ll be immune from most of the scams and questionable offers, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” No one is going to pay you $1,500 a week to stuff envelopes so forget it. You are not going to become rich off of 99.9% of what you read, and the other 0.1% takes money, effort and time. Now that we’ve got some basic ground rules, let’s look at some options.
Surveys There are probably hundreds of sites promoting making good money with paid surveys. The question is, can you really make money with paid online surveys. The answer is yes, you can make money on surveys, and you can get free goods and merchandise. However, I don’t know anyone that makes a living out of surveys (although I am sure someone is). Many survey companies offer entries into prize drawings for merchandise or cash. Some of the offers are pretty appealing. However, like any lottery, there are lots and lots of losers for each winner. If you want to take a shot, who knows, you might get lucky. However, for the most part you will be working for free, hoping to hit a jackpot.
There are reputable companies that do pay cash for surveys. It’s doubtful that you will make a full time wage, however, it’s a nice way to get a little extra spending money. Before you pay money and invest in a list of survey companies, test the water with any number of free survey companies. One tip: Create a separate email account and use it only for survey offers. You may find after applying to a number of companies that you will get a lot of email offers. If you are not careful what company you sign up with, you may find a lot of spamish email and offers that you are not expecting. It’s nice to have an email account that you can dispose of, if necessary, or at least use to separate your personal and professional email.
Mystery Shopping Mystery shopping can be a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed everything from free meals to free days at Disney as a mystery shopper and gotten paid too! There are a number of mystery shopping services that you can apply to and get a constant list of jobs that need to be filled in your area. The only real skill this takes is to be able to follow directions, and to accurately remember or document (on the sly) specific points of interest and then be able to complete an online form. Attention to detail and timely completion of work are skills that will do you well in this fun job. You can take your spouse out to a free lunch or dinner and get paid for your time to complete the paperwork. Once again, you won’t get rich, but it’s a fun way to earn a little money while getting free stuff.
Freelance Work Freelancing is the ideal job for the stay at home mom because it offers flexibility, the ability to work from home (or where ever you choose) and still earn a decent living to help support your family. In addition stay at home mom’s can get additional tax benefits for their families through their freelance employment and so help further reduce the financial strain on their families.
As a stay at home mom, you may have some very marketable skills that companies would like to pay you for on a freelance basis. There are any number of positions for writing, editing, proofreading, web design, graphics art work, research, programming and hundreds of other jobs for which people are willing to contract. You don’t necessarily have to be a Pulitzer Prize winning writer to proofread and correct text, or to retype material from an imaged file into a word processor.
Freelance work is an opportunity for work at home moms to use their time and talents when and where they want: to bid on work that they’d like to do – when it’s convenient for them to work. With a variety of jobs ranging from the data entry to programming, freelance work can consist of either short-term assignments or longer-term engagements. Best of all, you get to pick by bidding on the work you’d like to pursue.
The stay at home mom has so many options available to help add to the family income. If you are not trying to find the EZ path to riches, there are many legitimate, and free, or nearly free, work from home ideas. Here are just a few.
· Be a fundraising agent, helping groups and non-profits with proven fundraising solutions.
· Get a piece of the $2.5 Billion pet market. Start a pet sitting business, a doggy day care or gourmet doggy bakery.
· Make and sell wire jewelry.
· Sell products on eBay or your own website without having to stock inventory!
For more information on the job ideas in this article or for a list of work from ideas from A to Z, visit http://www.FrugalMom.net.

Candace Anderson is a work from home mom who also homeschools her 5 boys while contributing significantly to the family income through multiple works from home channels of income. Mrs. Anderson has several websites including FrugalMom.net, which is dedicated to frugal living tips and resources for the stay at home and work at home mom. For more information on frugal living or legitimate work from home opportunities, visit http://www.FrugalMom.net

Researching An Internet Home Based Business Opportunity

How much time is needed to set up, how much money is needed, how much support is there, and how much time will it take to make a profit with a new internet home based business?

Leonard Bartholomew

If you are a looking for more ways to earn more, consider an internet home based business. When choosing the right internet home based business, it is important to choose the opportunity that matches the skills you have, in a field that you enjoy. Shifting through the different advertisements and flyers, you will find that there are lots of internet home based business opportunities being promoted, and it might be hard finding the right one. There is also the problem of finding a home based business opportunity, which is legitimate. There are a number of people looking to sell you an "opportunity" which is really a scam. Therefore, all these things must be considered when starting to look for the right internet home based business opportunity.
To choose the right internet home based business, start with the field that you already know something about. For example, if you have experience in the healthcare field, look for opportunities to work from home in the healthcare field. This is actually one of the most important factors for any job - finding something you like and putting all your energy into making it work.
After you have determined the area or field you want to look for your new internet home based business in, the next step would be to actually research the different opportunities available to you as a home worker. Home based business opportunities can be found almost everywhere we look. You can search for your new business opportunity in the newspaper, magazine ad, Internet, posters in your neighborhood, or on the Internet. The Internet is one of the best places to look for home based business opportunities, as it is not limited to your local area, but will have information about opportunities occurring worldwide.
When a list of internet home based business opportunities has been compiled in an area or field you feel comfortable in, spending time comparing and contrasting the advantages and disadvantages of each business opportunity. It is important to really consider every aspect of an internet home based business, before taking the plunge into it. Things to compare and contrast about your different internet home based business opportunities would be criteria such as the amount of time needed to set it up, the amount of money involved in running it, the amount of support given from the parent company, and the length of time estimated before you start achieving a profit.
After all the different advantages and disadvantages have been considered in regards to your internet home based business opportunity, it should be more clear to you, which opportunity will cost the least of your time and money, and be right for your to promote. But it should be cautioned to not rush into any opportunity before carefully considering all the disadvantages attached to it. The worse scenario to occur would be for you to decide midway into your internet home based business, that you are ill-suited for it, after investing so many hours into your new business.
In the end, when researching internet home based business opportunities it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to choose the create opportunity for you. A new internet home based business opportunity can be something that comes "prepackaged". In these types of opportunities, you are more likely to have the support of the company's more senior members. However, some people opt to choose a business opportunity that they have heard about from somewhere else and perfected themselves. In this scenario, less or almost no support is available. Regardless, of which of these options you choose, the bottom line is find an internet home based business opportunity you can enjoy!

Leonard Bartholomew, B.S. Computer Science. Find all of the elements of an extraordinarily simple [internet home based business opportunity] (link: http://www.moxie-drive.com) that you can prosper with.

How to Save Money by Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Top 10 Ways a Virtual Assistant (VA) Can Save Your Business Money

Top 10 Ways a Virtual Assistant (VA) Can Save Your Business Money

Tawnya Sutherland

Most small businesses or entrepreneurs do not have a large budget for hiring additional staff when demands warrant it. Often times, a business owner may think it is more cost effective to do the work themselves rather than spending operating capital on part-time staff.
The following list itemizes the cost benefits of contracting a Virtual Assistant and making it an affordable option. Putting a VA on your team is a wise investment that will have long-term effects on your productivity, time management, stress and, ultimately, the bottom line.
1. Because a VA works on an as needed basis, you will be able to save money by not having to hire additional part-time staff. A client only pays for the work performed with no extra expenses such as wage deductions, benefits, office equipment or supplies.
2. A VA brings specialized knowledge of running a business to the table. They can review your existing systems and make recommendations on methods or technologies to streamline your operations.
3. A VA can research suppliers and suggest more cost-effective alternatives, allowing you to be more informed when making purchasing decisions.
4. With a tailored reminder service, a VA can respond to meeting requests as well as keep you informed of upcoming events. You will save time and be more organized as you plan ahead.
5. In order to optimize your marketing plans and budget, a specialized VA can show you where to concentrate your efforts and achieve a better return on investment.
6. A VA can assist you in designing a web design that is user friendly and presents an image that potential customers will enjoy and visit frequently. Through utilizing SEO techniques, a VA will improve your web sites rankings, resulting in increased on-line sales leads.
7. To save you time in dealing with potential customers, a VA can manage and organize inquiries. By pre-filtering and prioritizing inquiries, you will see improved results in responding to and following up on sales leads.
8. To ensure that emails and voicemails are responded to promptly, a VA can pre-screen messages and prioritize in order of importance. That way, you can deal with any urgent matters and keep your customer service reputation in tact.
9. VAs are proficient in English and grammar and will maintain high standards in producing outgoing written material. No need to worry about inferior workmanship and the extra expense of redoing a project.
10. When planning your next business trip, whether for yourself or employees, you can leave it all in the hands of your VA. They will search out best prices for flights, accommodations, and vehicle rentals, complete a conference registration and provide a complete itinerary when everything is confirmed.
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Source: Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA),www.vanetworking.com The ever popular, friendly, informative, educational & resourceful network for successful and aspiring "IN THE KNOW" Virtual Assistants and Achievers globally that everyone online is talking about.

Want My Own Business – Work From Home

Do you just want your own business, or do you want a home based business. Two very different animals!

John Chablo

Many people don’t really like their jobs, and therefore think that if they had their own business, life would be great.
But what you have to stop and consider when you reach this momentous decision is why do I want my own business, and what kind of business do I want.
If you think that by starting your own business, you won’t have anyone telling you what to do, then you will be right. However, if you are not self motivated and don’t have the necessary desire, then you probably won’t get anywhere with your business. It is your business now and if you don’t make it happen, nobody is going to do it for you.
You also need to consider what kind of business you want. Do you want a traditional business, with premises, staff, stock and all the other paraphernalia? If so, you may just be swapping the comfort of a salaried position, for one with even longer hours and no safety. Generally with a start up business, you will be working long hours for very little reward in the early stages, as you try and build your business. If you choose retail for your business, don’t forget that you will have to open probably six or seven days a week, and you or your staff will have to be there all the time you are open. After a while, you may be wishing for your old job back!
There is another option though, which more and more people are turning to – working from home.
This is the generation of the internet, which allows you to reach a worldwide audience from the comfort of your own armchair. The internet is open 24/7, working for you all hours, especially if you choose internet marketing. But choose wisely, as there will be many opportunities presented to you, with the majority being nothing more than a scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it generally is, as I sure that you realise that there is no such thing as a get rich quick scheme, or instant rewards for zero effort.
Search for a genuine long term business system, which is still going to be around in the years to come, and one that will give you everything you need to be successful. Pay particular attention to the training provided, as with all new ventures, you will need guidance in the early stages. If the business provides a mentor to learn from and turn to, so much the better.
In the end though, whatever business you decide upon, make sure that you fully research it, and also that it is something that you will enjoy doing, as it could, hopefully, be with you for the rest of your life!

John Chablo is an internet marketeer and business mentor, and can help you to start, and succeed, with your internet marketing business. If you want to make money online with a home based business, take a free tour at the links below. John Chablohttp://www.great-online-income.comhttp://www.johnchablo.comRemember! Only YOU can change YOUR life! Do it now!