Blogs You May Need to Read in These Hard Times

Making Money Online?

Maybe it is the economy. Maybe it is the fact that I took on too much work. Maybe it was because I had a system that made me money and when I started getting involved in blogging and social media more, I spent less time actually making money. Well, whatever the reason, I am feeling these hard times also. Last year I made $8000 in December from my efforts online. This year, about $2000.

Of course, keeping your head in a hole and not looking for other techniques is not an option either. The internet moves too fast for that. If you don’t change with it, it passes you by. And blogging is also more enjoyable than numbers, stats and data.

I do have the day job, but it only pays the bills that come in the mail. And things there may have to change. It may be time to move on. To a new job where the true value of my work shows in the paycheck. I will never forget the lesson I learned there.

If you get hired as a webmaster and you have no degree, watch who you work for. If one of your co-workers has worked there for 20 years and hasn’t had a raise in the last six, that is a big sign that there is a ceiling and you must move on when you hit it.

Making Money by Saving It

But there are two ways you can have more money: make more or spend less. And there are a lot of blogs out there that teach you how you can spend less:

• Get Rich Slowly
• Tim Ferris's Blog
• My Open Wallet
• Frugal for Life
• Frugal Zeitgeist
• Free Money Finance
• My Money Blog
• No Credit Needed
• Consumerism Commentary
• Blueprint for Financial Prosperity
• The Digerati Life
• Savvy Saver
• Sitting Pretty
• The Dollar Stretcher
• Frugal Village
• Off Grid Living
• Poorer Than You
• Mighty Bargain Hunter
• Money Smart Life
• Stop Buying Crap
• Five Cent Nickel
• Personal Finance Advice

These are blogs that I am going to be reading more often.

The Results Thus Far

Me and my wife have never really had a “latte factor” because for the most part, I only travel to and from work and all of our shopping is done one day out of the week. So our options were lowering our bills and finding better prices on necessities.

• We refinanced the house in the one month window we had between the penalty for refinancing and our interest rate doubling. This dropped our house payment $100 from what it would have been and also our property tax and house insurance through escrow.
• We don't pay full price, unless it is the only way. This laptop I am typing on was a scratch and dent which saved me about $1000. My wife's was too and that saved about $300. We know were the thrift stores are in the better neighborhoods and my pair of Lucky and Guess jeans cost a total of $15. My wife also got a pair of brand new Juicy Couture jeans at the same store for $10.
• We used to have a Friday pizza night where we ordered out. Now we have a Friday pizza night where we make it from scratch together as a family.
• My wife is the biggest money saver. All of the presents we got this year could have easily cost us twice what we paid had we bought at the first place we found things. But she doesn't rest until she is sure she has found the right price.
• I am currently going through all bills to see if there is a way to cut or remove them. I am shopping all of our insurances. Blue Cross and Blue Sheild has slowly increased our rates to the point they are getting damn close to our house payment, not acceptable.

And of course, there is the “making more money” part of the equation. And that is what this blog is about. I am going to focus on what I know works and do more of it.