Don't fall for the next credit card in the mail offer

It is bad enough when you have trouble making ends meet each week but throw into it a unexpected bill like the dentist or the car needing work and it will throw you for a loop. Credit cards can become the biggest trap at those times. The credit card companies rely on people that have fair to poor credit to pray upon. It is those people that they charge the highest interest rates and make money on those little annoying fees. I should know - I have been there. I have almost paid off the last credit card from Christmas and I have only $700 to go. I will not fall for the credit card offers that come in the mail anymore.

If you do need to pay off a medical bill that charges a monthly late fee, you might consider a very low and I do mean loooow interest rate credit card. In the long run a low interest rate might save you money on those monthly fees. Take for example a dentist bill that I had. The monthly finance fee was a straight $17 a month until it was paid, regardless of how much was left on the bill. Had I known about the finance fee up front I would have put the entire amount on a credit card. The finance charge would have been around $12 a month and would have gotten lower as the bill was paid.

A website to check out competitive rates on credit cards and avoid bad credit loans is listed below. Remember when looking at credit card offers to avoid those types of credit cards that charge a monthly fee. I had one of those cards last year and I paid close to $120 a year in "membership fees". I was dumb to think that it was a type of credit card that would boost my credit rating - wrong. The credit card companies claim that so they can gouge more money out of you. Don't fall for it. That card was paid off very quickly and the account closed.

What is really causing prices to go sky high?

Is there really a world wide food shortage? Is the world's supply of fuel really running out? Does Global Warming have a factor of any of this?

Lot's of questions - I know, but are there any good answers? I do believe there are. From what I have been able to find out from national news stories that are not based in the USA pertaining to the food shortage is that major middle men in the supply chain are hording the food that can be stored to force the price up. These suppliers are causing an unnatural demand for rice, wheat and other grains. There are food riots in some 3rd world counties not due to the shortage of food but due to the price of it.

Next the fuel question. In the USA only 10% of all oil consumed is imported. It is not imported form where you think it is. About 90% of the imported fuel comes from Canada and the rest from Venezuela and OPEC. The oil companies are using OPEC as an excuse to raise the price of gasoline at the pump. Exxon oil profits are up again this quarter - are you surprised? Oil companies, price gougers at their best.

Global Warming is in fact taking place and it is debatable if the cause of it is fossil fuels or a natural cycle the Earth goes through every 200-900 years. Global Warming will be a factor in causing droughts, floods and other natural occurrences. That could be a good thing if you make your living off of rebuilding. It is a bad thing because natural disasters cause our insurance rates to go up.

Financing your business

Financing a business is very different than getting your home refinanced. Some of the requirements of a business loan are having a business plan, proving the profitability of your business, establishing how long you have been in business and showing the finance company that you have the ability to run a successful business.

While I normally don't suggest starting a business with borrowed money, there are times when the only way to start a business is with a business loan. I strongly recommend you always check your other options before looking into New Business Loans. At the same time don't rule out a business loan as long as you are comfortable enough to pay back the loan in a shorter time than the loan allows for. One final word - don't get in over your head with loans. A well run business should be able to pay a loan back quickly and not have to worry about rising debt.

Retail prices are dropping

Have you noticed that retailers have been dropping their prices? This last weekend I noticed the prices on summer clothing at several major clothing retailers have been cut. Swim wear that was in the $40+ range now has been cut in half or more - and summer type weather has not even begun in most parts of the USA.

Food prices have still been going up, but I have noticed that some people are not buying the junk foods as much. I know our family has cut out most of the snacks and we are just sticking to the necessities.

Idea for an interesting business

Food is always in demand. A business based on food production typically should do well even in today's economy. When I mean food production I don't mean fast food but I do mean farming or ranching. If you are lucky enough to own a few acres of land or even have access to land via a friend, relative or even leasing then you should utilize it to supplement your income or provide food for your own household.

One of the more unusual types of food production is raising ostriches. The large birds can be raised for meat and there is a rather large market for Ostrich Feathers. Where I live there are a few farms that raise unusual animals such as llamas, elk and bison. I have on occasion seen a small flock of ostriches about 20 miles from me.

If you are interested in animal production please do your research before diving into it. You will need to know of any licensing, permits and zoning even before you start to learn about what animal you might be interested in. Keep in mind also about liability to others if your animals should get out and harm someone or cause a traffic accident.

Federal rebates

What are you doing with your rebate? Our family will be paying a few medical bills and we will make one major purchase - a laptop computer. The Laptop will not be an extravagant purchase but a frugal one at the local Radio Shack where they have a few nice clearance ones priced under $400.00

If I hold off for a few weeks I can watch the price go down even further than it has already. One good thing about the economy slow down is that prices on many items are dropping. Clothing in the major retail stores has already started to see drastic price cuts.

Most people report what they will do with Fed's rebate

The Federal government (USA) seems to think that us consumers will hopefully go on an spending spree. The information seems to be coming in that the money will be used to pay bills instead. Video of the news report is below.

Advertsing on your website or blog

Yes there is extra money to be made from your website or blog by advertising products other then your own. It will add needed revenue to your bottom line if done correctly. For example if you own a jewelry store or make your own custom jewelry then you could advertise jewelry cleaning products on your website or blog - for a fee. By the same token you can also list similar but non-competing products by joining and affiliate advertising network such as shareasale or ClickBank. Affiliate advertising works when someone actually buys a product after they have clicked through from your blog or website.

If you plan on going the direct advertising route by letting companies contact you to advertise on your site just make it clear in the beginning what types of advertising you will and will not allow. I know of a major horse information website that is mostly devoted to the history of the horse. It was started up as a hobby about 6 years ago. The person running the website was also selling tack (saddles and equipment for horses) as a part-time business. Her tack business was of course advertised on the horse website. The horse website soon became very popular and she was soon selling advertising space on the website. Her limit to the advertising was that she would not accept rival tack shops to advertise on the website. She had to tell people when she turned down their advertising that the website was affiliated with a tack store and it would be a conflict of interest to place their ad on the website. Last I heard was that the website and the tack store were making just as much money as each other.

Happy Earth Day - what are your plans?

Earth Day is slowly becoming a joke. Why do I make that statement? Because just visiting our local Walmart it became clear that Earth Day is just becoming another reason to sell items with Earth Day themes on them and nothing else. It is just like Memorial Day where we rarely honor the soldier but have an excuse for a day off and time for a party.

OK. so why am I so bitter about it? As I look around and watch TV and see people complain about how money is tight and things are so expensive now, I also see commercials pushing products we really don't need and when we are done with them the items go into land fill. It costs us precious resources to produce and transport that cheaply made piece of junk that the commercials are pushing us to buy - and quite frankly I am sick of it. My child does not need a cell phone with a camera or an iPod, but she wants one because all her friends have one.

I do not need a new car every 2 or 3 years but the car manufacturers want me to buy one. They push them on TV, they send me fliers in the mail, I get fake keys in the mail to bring into the dealership to see if it fits a car and if it does I get the car for free! When will they learn? I will buy a car when I want or need to and not before.

The true Earth Day will come when we as a country will realize that we must end being a country of consumers and wasters of resources.

Happy Earth Day

Saving money with the companies you already have bills with

How often do you look at those little offers sent in the same envelope with your bills. I am not talking about the free "gifts" that some companies offer with a "just pay a small shipping fee" notation in very tiny words at the bottom, no I am referring to the offers that save you money off your monthly bill or a free service. For example I just found out that XM Satellite Radio has teamed up with Napster and offers free downloads of over 2 million songs. You have to be a subscriber to XM. I would not normally be interested but I have a teenager that will take advantage of the offer. Another bill, our telephone company has an automatic billing and payment option. If you sign up for it and have your bill paid automatically each month out of your bank account then they take $10.00 off each monthly bill. My car insurance company does the same thing except the savings is $200 a year off the insurance rate if you pay by direct debit. Many cable TV and satellite TV companies offer bundles. If you have your phone, TV and Internet service with them and also do the direct debit then you could save some money there. Always check your totals before changing everything. The offer they gave us actually added $10.00 to our bill since they did not offer a better long distance phone rate than I now have.

Always check out those little ads, they can save you money in the long run. $10.00 here and $5.00 there will add up each month. I think we save about $150.00 a month by using those little tips.

Extra help with your website

So you have a website up and running. You also have lots of emails asking questions about your products. Emails you can answer but what about people that are visiting your website and want to be able to ask a question on the phone - at midnight? You don't want to turn away a customer, so what do you do? You could always hire a few people just to answer your 800 number (what no 800 number?!) or you could hire a company that offers website support for your company. Yes there is a professional Answering Service that can assist you with manning the phones when customers have questions about products on your website. That same company also offers 800 numbers for you business. You don't have to be a large company to get this type of service anymore.

The same answering service is a great idea for service based companies like landscaping, after hours doctor's offices and pet sitting. Don't tie up you time with answering the phone yourself when you could hire an outside company to do it for you.

One of my experiences

I have tried my hand at several different kinds of businesses throughout the years. My first stab at a small business was selling that SMC merchandise, you know the company, the ads are often on TV with Tom Bosley promoting them. The business was a flop but it gave me the experience of marketing and promotion. At first I was selling the products using their catalogs and mail order. This was before the internet became widely used like it is now so I was forced into buying magazine ads to promote the business. I also rented out a small section of a larger store and they sold my products for me. The store owner wanted to retire and was slowly giving up on the store. The store soon went out of business and thus ended my largest amount of monthly profit. I soon gave up on mail order after that. I did try to sell the products on eBay when eBay was young but I soon found everyone else seemed to have the same products to sell. The lesson I learned from that was to never, but never try to sell what everyone else is selling, you will not get very far do so.

Internet marketing tips

We could all use some marketing tips for our websites and blogs. Many of them can be found right here at this blog. I am not so arrogant to think that I am the sole source for marketing tips but I do find some interesting websites and put their links to them right here on this blog. I have found one such blog that has some interesting affiliate marketing tips. That same blog also has some great ways to market your blog. Keep in mind those same ideas and tips can also be used to promote a website. This is a blog that I visit at least once a week to see if I can pick up some extra tips.

Managing your work force

So you have your business in full swing. You have even managed to hire a few workers. Now what do you do about labor expenses? Have you figured out how much it costs you you have extra workers? Did you figure those extra costs into your product or service? How about payroll, do you have the time to sit down and manage payroll and deductions? Don't worry if you can't answer those questions right away, but they are something to keep in mind as your business grows.

Not hiring people or should I say the fear of hiring people to help you with your business should not be a deterrent to expanding your business. There are websites and software companies that help by offering Online Time and Expense solutions. Don't let fear of not knowing how to handle payroll hold your company back from growing.

Business advice for the woman

Finally some business advice geared for the woman, but is it that good?. Why is it that really good business advice for women business owners is very much lacking. I for once would like to see how to react and handle family situations when your business is based in the home. I know from experience that most men think that if you are home you are not working. By the same token they think they can bother you at any time to do some wifely chore regardless if you are in the middle of a sale or product development.

Please don't ruin your blog

Blogging for money has made some bloggers blind to the fact that they have regular readers which can be easily turned into FORMER readers. If you are going to blog for money then keep your blog posts on 1 or 2 subjects. I was asked a few days ago if I would write a blog post about a perfume blog. I checked out the blog and found only 3 recent posts actually were about perfume. The other 10 blog posts were about the following subjects: computers, cell phones, diapers, winning the lottery and food just to name a few. I would not have minded those subjects if they were on a blog that the person had some personal experience with but they were off the wall how they were written. I then looked to see how old the blog was and how much traffic. The blog was about 6 weeks old had no sense of direction. It is the type of blog that someone wants to make money from but they don't know how to do it.

If you plan on writing about just what you want to write then just do it but don't plan on making any money from it. If you want to make money from a blog and I mean a real income then blog about something you are an expert in or have a passion about. You must have a unique way of presenting your subject or a great writing style. Above all don't ruin your blog by throwing in a blog post that has nothing to do with the rest of your blog.

Do you hate your job?

You are not alone if you hate your job or career choice. Watch the video and learn more

The benefits of having a blog

Blogging is not just a way to log your daily thoughts. A blog can be a very useful tool in your business toolbox. If you have a website the blog can be a very easy way to update your customers with up coming sales, new products or a simple way to communicate with your customers encouraging them to leave comments on your blog. Blogs have come a long way in the last few years. Did you know that search engines index a blog faster than they index website? Some are indexed and found in search engine results as fast as 5 minutes after you post a blog entry on your blog. That simple fact alone makes the blog a great tool for advertising and promoting your business.

Blogs are wonderful since you can also bypass having a regular website and sell items straight from your blog. Blogs are easier to maintain and much easier to promote than a website. You also have the added advantage of interacting with your visitors to build up a following.

In order to promote your blog even more you should add an email newsletter and the option to your blog to let people subscribe to it. One company that offers a free, yes I said free, email newsletter service and a way to maintain your email list is Zookoda. If your blog is getting a nice daily amount of visitors then you should consider adding a newsletter to your blogging toolbox.

The so called housing crisis

Is the housing crisis really a crisis after all? Consider the facts. Only 3% of all home owners are facing foreclosure. That means 97% are doing just fine. People are not selling their homes because they have lost value - no they are still living in them. A house unlike other investments is very different because we all need somewhere to live. It happens to be an added bonus that our homes have also become an investment. Many of the homes that have been foreclosed on were investment properties that were rented out so unfortunately it is the renters that have lost a place to live. The housing crisis hit the investor market hard and I for one am thankful that it did. The price of housing was driven up mainly by investors buying up available homes and forcing real future home owners out of the market. Now that the market has crashed the real future home owners can get back into the market and buy that first home or look for that retirement house.

Looking for money making ideas

Where do people come up with ideas to start a business or develop a product? Sometimes they are right in front of your face. There is a news report that was running on MSN today about a 12 year old girl that was making ans selling hair products online. Apparently the products were made from an old family recipe that was handed down from her grandmother to her mother and she thought of the idea of going public with it. She is currently making $5K a month. Maybe you have something similar in your family, an old cooking recipe, a household cleaning gizmo or something else that you might think is common but in reality is not. Look and ask around you might come up with something.

Sub-contracting out work

If you have a small business you know the value of your time. Feeling overwhelmed with a work load is not the best way to run a business. Yes you want lots of work but work that will make you money. Out sourcing your work load when it comes to paperwork might be a good idea. If your business is in the medical field then outsourcing your billing to a Medical Billing Company is almost a necessity. Medical billing is a science in of itself with terminology that could confuse the average office worker. If you need to outsource any of your work load for any part of your business always but always check the company that you plan on using throughly before you commit to a contract. Check first with the local business licensing of that business, are they licensed to operate in your area? Are there any complaints against them? Sometimes a nationally run business may or may not be allowed to do business in your state due to complaints against the company. Remember to always protect yourself and your business when dealing with outsourcing work.

How are you dealing with the high cost of gasoline?

Have you cut back on your driving? Do you live close enough to work to walk? Not everyone can cut back on their use of transportation but maybe we can save on gasoline. Check out my article about surviving the gasoline crunch while living in a rural area.

Dealing with the high price of gasoline.