New Years Resolutions 2016!

I love lists. I'm a chronic list maker...there I said it, it's my dirty little secret. I guess that's why I love making New years Resolutions. With the New Year, I feel revived...like I can leave last year behind and start with a clean slate. This past year was jam packed full of joys, disappointments, new beginnings, broekn relationships, mending relationships and working really hard on my goals that I set many years ago. Every year I feel like I get closer and closer those goals I set a long time ago. While some have been checked off the list, I still add more and never feel like I will ever be quite where I want to be, I feel like there is always room to learn, grow and improve. What do I feel like I got done this year? I think the last few months were by far the most productive. I feel like I got more comfortable with being divorced, after being in a relationship it has been weird having my own place after an 18 year relationship. I feel like I have made a lot of progress professionally. The first part of the year started off with me working as a sales rep for a technology company. After my youngest son getting really sick, being hospitalized and my other son being diagnosed with Autism, I decided to make some serious changes this summer. I quit my job and started writing, working on side businesses like ebay and etsy more and built some websites, got into youtube, I also got more into social media marketing and have found love in graphic design. I started new business ventures, I started mommiesfrugalfinds.com with very little help which I am proud to say I now love wordpress! I'm feeling more and more like I computer nerd. I'm getting into video editing, which I love! I also wrote several ebooks. I also went back to school to finish my B.A in marketing and finance, a goal that was put on the back burner after personal issues like divorce and moving. Overall, it was a pretty well rounded year. I do feel like I could have worked harder on building and maintaining relationships though. I think my mind has been so consumed with work that I can't think about anything else. Once I have the foundation built then I can take a step back and well, breathe. Right now my main focus is on social media marketing, affilate marketing, and fine tuning everything I have in place. Here are some goals I have for this year. I hope they inspire you in some way if you are also looking for ways to transition into freelancing or starting your own business venture. #1 Continue working on building multiple steams of income as well as building passive income streams #2 Finish degree #3 Maintain blogs and websites and hire one person to help with that #4 Write more ebooks on money saving and work at home opportunities #5 Buy a new car #6 Go on a real vacation (probably to L.A.again) #7 Go to Fincon (may or may not happen) #8 Take on more writing work and blog work #9 Write an ecourse on building multiple streams of income #10 Get better at youtube and video editing as well as social media marketing #11 save more money #12 Become a better writer and blogger and make more connections within the field.

Wal-Mart Jewelry Clearance finds Last minute Christmas Gifts 2015

How to Run Your Avon Business on a Tight Budget

Dec.2015 Rite Aid Clearance Haul get ready for January....lots of beauty...

Getting Started selling on ebay (one stream of income)

Autism and Selective Mutism with Mommies Frugal Finds

How I Honestly MAKE & SAVE Money At HOME: EASILY!!

Copy of Younique 3-D Fiber Optic Mascara Review Mommies Frugal Finds

How To Earn Extra Cash!!!!!

Business advice From model Mogel Tyra Banks

Fiverr Hacks: How to make hundreds of dollars a gig using Fiverr

How I Make $100 From $5 Gigs With Fiverr Arbitrage

How To Actually Make Money On Fiverr

How to Sell More Gigs on Fiverr - How to Make $10,000 Using Fiverr

How to save half on your Thanksgiving dinner!

First of all, thank you for stopping by! I just wanted to give thanks for my readers. So back to the program. If you are on a very tight budget this holidAy season, mAybe you started a business, decided to freelance or are a new stay at home mom, whatever the case may be,you are looking to save some money. You have come to the right place. I want to help you have a great Thanksgiving on the cheap. Keep in mind Thanksgiving is about giving thanks, taking a breather and spending time with our loved ones. Here are some

Mommies Frugal Finds: Mom Entrepreneur Shows how to Start a Stay at Home...

Mommies Frugal Finds: Mom Entrepreneur Shows how to Start a Stay at Home...

Mommies Frugal Finds: Breaking The Silence....Why I left. Throwing it al...

Mommies Frugal Finds: Breaking The Silence....Why I left. Throwing it al...: I'm only writing this because I feel that it could help another person who is in the situation I once was. Sometimes it takes hear...

Mommies Frugal Finds: Breaking The Silence....Why I left. Throwing it al...

Mommies Frugal Finds: Breaking The Silence....Why I left. Throwing it al...: I'm only writing this because I feel that it could help another person who is in the situation I once was. Sometimes it takes hear...

Mommies Frugal Finds: Love your life.....now!

Mommies Frugal Finds: Love your life.....now!: Recently while reading another blog I had somewhat of an awaking...it talked about enjoying the now and not always trying to base your happi...

Mommies Frugal Finds: 12 Tested Starbucks Hacks Teach You How to Order

Mommies Frugal Finds: 12 Tested Starbucks Hacks Teach You How to Order

Mommies Frugal Finds: How to have an amazing Christmas on a budget

Mommies Frugal Finds: How to have an amazing Christmas on a budget: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....everywhere, literally everywhere you go. Is it just me or does it come earlier and ear...

Work @ Home Series (#1) Businesses for under $100

Hey gals, or guys. Lol I will be starting a series on work at home business opportunities that are easy to start and the best part.....cheap! So, if you are a crafty person, or most importantly know how to sew, consider an alterations business. There are so many opportunities for this kind of business because in a way this type of business isn't really around a whole lot anymore. A few decades ago it was common to see this kind of business. You rarely see alterations businesses anymore, except for wedding dresses. We live in a time where if something breaks or doesn't fit or is just plain dated, we just toss it. But if you are on a budget, and many are these days, you may want to either consider finding this type of service or, if you know how to sew, start your own work at home alterations business. The reason why I'm posting this is this,first because it is something that just fell in my lap. Here's how I got into it. So, I make handmade clothing and Accessories, I have for years. I posted an ad on craiglist about this and I got not only repeat business, but more customers and a new friend just from one ad. So, I get an email from a customer who wanted to know if I altered designer jeans. Now I had only altered my own jeans at this point but had a lot of experience sewing and designing clothing, so I said yes. I did two pairs of Miss Me jeans (for those of you who aren't familiar, these are expensive designer jeans). She basically told me she couldn't find anyone that was affordable and the only person she could find was totally booked for weeks. Now, when you are just starting out, you want to be flexible with your prices and turn around time. I even did some trades as we(more on this later). Basically you want your first transaction to be amazing! You want to go above and beyond. You want referral and repeat business. One thing leads to another, one person knows someone else that needs something done and you go from there. To start: Make sure you have the proper equipment. A great working sewing machine, threads, pins, notions. You can buy things as you go though. That's the beauty of this business. Advertising: flyers, business cards. Pass them out to other like minded businesses, clothing stores, consignment stores, dry cleaners, boutiques, vintage clothing stores, etc. Post on craigslist, start a Facebook page, offer a free service or discount or even a grand opening contest. You could do a press release and contact your local newspaper. Post on social media. Have a pintrest account, Twitter, instagram, etc. Costs and pricing: Ask for half down for materials if you don't have all the supplies needed. Don't shortchange yourself. Markup about 40-50 percent and include your cost for labor as well. Examples: cost $10 materials, charge $20 then decide if you want to charge per hour or based on the item. So charge what you see fit for your time. $15-20 an hour in my area is reasonable but I prefer to charge by item. A pair of jeans, taking them in, only takes me like 15-20 mins so I would be really shortchanged if I were to charge per hour. So back to trades: when you have a business keep in mind the power of bartering. In this tough economy a cash trade my not be possible sometimes,so think about what you need and would be buying with the money you earn anyway. For example. I traded for jeans and boots before. Why? Because I needed them and I would have bought them anyway. I ended up with about $150 worth of clothing for one job. I consider that a win-win. Everyone is happy! More home business opportunities to come and be on the lookout for my newest e-book The Hustling Housewife:101 Home business you can start today! Peace out mommies

Getting Started selling on ebay (one stream of income)

Product review: Younique 3-D fiber optic mascara

Make $500 in one day eBay full time income

The Queen of Frugal Shows You How To Save Money

My Kindle Publishing Blueprint $0 to $20,000 in Under a Year

How I Sell on eBay: tricks to sell effectively & make the most money

Thrift Shop Haul Video! Make Money Selling Books On Amazon

Can I be a stay at home mom???

What would it take to be a stay at home mom? How much income would it take? The answer to this question might surprise you. I was a full time mom for three years. I did the calculations and realized in the beginning it would only take $600 a month in extra income for me to be a SAHM. How much does it cost you to work? Yes, as crazy as this statement sounds there is a lot of truth to this. Here's a scenario. Here's an example of a mom with two children. Total take home pay per month $2000 Childcare for two children @ $100 a wk per child. (average in my area) $800 Gas to and from work and to pick up and drop off kids $200 a month Work clothes (let's be realistic on this one) Let's say this woman work at a bank so she needs dress clothing $100 a month Lunches, let's say she brings a lunch twice a week and has lunch out 3 times a week. Let's say $6 a day 3x a week $72 a month Coffee runs. Yes Starbucks adds up quickly. Let's say $5 a day $25 a week (work at home and have free, or almost free coffee) $100 a week. Total Expenses $1,272 Actual take home pay $728 Could you set up a system where you make $728 at home? See how much income you really need? Let's assume that you are a two income family. I am a single parent right now, but this was my life a year ago. I am still determined to make a decent income at home. Here are some of the things I have in play in order to do this. Ebooks ( I have two published right now)see links here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FXNCS7W?*Version*=1&*entries*=0 and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X576F54?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

< I have several blogs including this one and I'm really getting into website design and blog design. Hoping to one day build this into a lucrative side business. I plan on getting into consulting as soon as I am able to get my blogs and ebooks to a level where I can focus more on this. Youtube. I know a lot of bloggers are really into Youtube and make a lot of money from youtube videos. I personally am new to this. But some bloggers I follow are Hip2save, krazycouponlady and candid mommy. Digital downloads. This is something very lucrative that a lot of people are getting into. I have been experimenting with pattern making and PDF files. You can sell these on etsy or crafter as instant downloads! Instant payment through paypal. Writing- Do you have a passion for writing? Why not start a blog? or write for other bloggers. There are so many websites where you can pick up work as a content writer. Sites like Fiverr, Odesk and Elance. I used to work for Ehow and made a pretty good side income until this site was sold to Demand Media and they bought all my articles. Those are some ideas to get the wheels turning. More on this subject later.

HERE'S how much MONEY I make on YouTube!

Mommies Frugal Finds Update: My Life, divorce. etc.

Aquafina Flavor Splash Lip Balm Review Frugal Beauty Find AMAZING!

Creating Multiple Steams of Income ( my journey)

After writing Mommies Frugal Finds for so long (a money saving blog). I came to the conclusion that it was important not only to address saving money, but, making money! Sometimes you have to look at your life and decide which of these two needs your main focus should be. Should I focus on saving money? Or do I just need more income? Really the answer probably is both but for me right now my main focus is creating more long term income. Yes, i still bargain shop and use coupons as well as many other money saving techniques (see mommiesfrugalf inds.blogspot.com for more on that). Let's ask you a couple questions that can help you decide what your MAIN focus should be right now. Do you always feel like there is never enough time in the day? you probably already work a lot so saving and budgeting is probably the answer Do you feel as though you are living paycheck to paycheck? this could be either Do you feel like you over spend? the answer is probably a better budgeting plan Do you have more time than money? The answer is probably working more and/ finding more ways to generate income Ok so lets get down to it. If you work a lot of hours and theres no time left in your day. You need ro cut your spending first focus on your excess spending. Does your bank break your spending into catergories to track spending? If not find another banknor use a website like mint.com Track your spending for a solid month then see where you can scale back. Your fixed expenses like your mortgage and car payment (if you have one, i don't, more on that later). There usually are only a few that are set in stone. Then you have some that are a little more flexible, or negotiable, like credit cards, student loans, medical bills, etc. meaning you could pick up the phone and get a lower payment, more time to pay, etc. depending on your negotiating skills. Then there are things like food, clothing, and household items that you can cut back on. Maybe eat out less, meal plan, use coupons, for clothing shop at consignment stores, garage sales and thrift stores. There are so many ways to save. The first step is setting up a realistic budget that will work for your lifestyle. Next, lets talk about making more money. How do I do that you may be asking. Think about what your hobbies are. If you won the lottery tomorrow. How would you spend your days? Would you be traveling? Would you be reading. Writing that best selling novel you've always dreamed of writing? maybe you love being in front of the camera. Could you be the next youtube star? The key is find your passion and turn that into profit. I love to write. So I blog your myself and others. I love to help others and I find joy in writing these posts. I write for Amazon self publishing. I have written for ehow until it was sold to Demand Media. If you write there is a plethora of opportunites to make money at home, and build long term income. I eill do another sepearte post on this and maybe a vlog. I love to sew, so design, sew and sell clothing and accessories on etsy. I am thinking about taking this in a new direction with my own website but I also considered setting up an ebay store. Ebay, this is something that you can do as well to bring in extra monthly income i only make $100-$200 but money is money, it all adds yo. I probably spend about five hours a week on it. If you think about it thats a pretty nice hourly wage. If I deducated more time to it i could really build a decent side income. I have made enough fr ebay for a vacation so it is possible. Babysitting. I personally don't do this but if you are a stay at home mom. It's worth considering. Direct sales. This is something that I'm really looking into Ones I'm considering.... Nerium Avon Scentsy Younique Beach body There is not one way to make extra money. Do your research. It depends on your skills. The time you have. As well as how it will work with your lifestyle. I will be doing more posts on this subject soon.

Intro

Hi, I'm Sandi. I am a mom of two little boys. Ages two and four. I have a son recently diagnosed with autism and a son that recently was hospitalized at the same time. I realized quickly that a conventional job was not going to work and that I have to make a living at home to be there for my boys. Work was a second priority over my family. I knew I could make money at home. I have been making side money for years on and off so I knew not only it was possible, but it was an option for me as well as so many other moms. In this blog I will show you how to make real, legit money at home. I am also working on an ebook that will soon be on sale on Amazon showing you ways you can do this too. So many of us as moms are torn between work and home. Whether we work a 9-5 job or we are stay at home moms, we are all working. Many of us are struggling with juggling it all (though some not brave enough to admit it). How do we raise a family and make money? Something has to give right? To do lists, grocery shopping, doctors appointments, post office, emails, phone calls...there is just never enough time in the day to accomplish everything. How do we find a happy medium? What if working at home was an option? How would it change you families life? Would you be able to help out at your sons school? Go on a field trip? Have lunch with a friend. To me this is "having it all" this to me is "balance". This blog is about my stuggles and my journey into work at home mommy status.