by Mike on March 12, 2010
The other day I mentioned I was taking part in the Yakezie Challenge, which started out as a way to improve Alexa ranking and has turned into a real community of personal finance bloggers working together to help each other succeed.
Many thanks to Nicole from Rainy Day Saver for posting a list of bloggers participating in the Yakezie Challenge.
Part of the Yakezie Code is to selflessly promote others. That includes sharing links to their best articles to help them grow. This will be easy for me because I’ve already been posting regular roundups of articles I find useful or interesting.
Of course, I won’t just be linking to articles by fellow Yakezie members…any blog is eligible as long as I feel it could be valuable to my readers.
Here’s a selection of some of the best articles I’ve read lately:
Interviewing for a new job can be a stressful and grueling ordeal. But Financial Samurai has put together a killer list of interviewing tips that will help you get the job!
Craig from Free From Broke asks is it ok to make copies of your children’s DVDs? Please note he doesn’t mean copying as stealing…he means making backup copies of DVDs he already purchased. As a dad myself I understand his point. We already have a few discs that little hands have rendered unwatchable.
All Financial Matters offers a neat list of 30 financial lessons he wants his kids to learn before they grow up and move out.
The Frugalista shared a scary video showing how Classmates.com was selling credit card numbers to third parties. Just watch how they managed to get user’s permission to do it…and keep an eye on your credit card statements!
Mrs Money continues her series of fun money facts of all 50 US states. She’s up to Arizona now. I can’t wait until she gets to New Jersey!
Jim at Bargaineering reminded us of the outstanding American Express purchase protection program. I’ve had Blue for years and honestly I didn’t even realize this policy existed. Thanks for the heads up Jim.
by Mike on March 10, 2010
Ever since I was a kid I have always enjoyed reading. I’ve usually got about 3 or 4 books going at any given time and it drives my wife crazy because I leave my reading material all over the place.
I just can’t help it. I love to learn new things and what better way is there to learn lots of new things than sitting down with a good book?
I also think it’s important to set a good example for my kids. I want to instill in them a love of learning and if they see me reading all sorts of books I hope they’ll follow my lead and pick up a book for themselves instead of just sitting in front of the tv like a vegetable all day.
I buy most of my books from Amaon because their prices are tough to beat, and I also take advantage of our local library. But one of my favorite places to get new books is Paperbackswap.com
Paperbackswap is a book swapping site where you can post your books online and swap with other members. It works like this:
- Go to Paperbackswap.com and sign up for a free account.
- Post all of the books you are willing to trade
- You have to post at least 10 books and then you’ll instantly get 2 book credits so you can request 2 books right away. The books you receive are free and yours to keep.
- When another member requests one of your books you mail it to them (you pay the media mail postage rate). Once they receive the book you get another credit so you can request a new book for yourself.
The thing I love best about PaperbackSwap is that you can find all sorts of books that are out of print and unavailable elsewhere. I’ve gotten over a dozen free books since I joined and I’m looking forward to getting a lot more.
If you sign up through my link below and post 10 books I’ll receive 1 free book credit!
Click here to join PaperbackSwap for free.
Financial Samurai recently launched the Yakezie Challenge…a challenge for bloggers to improve their Alexa ranking while also helping to promote other members of the challenge so they can improve their own ranking.
I can’t believe I missed out on it for this long…but many thank yous to Mrs Accountability and FFB for posting about the challenge because now I’m going to jump in head first!
My goals for this challenge are as follow…
- Achieve an Alexa ranking of under 200,000
- Increase my readership and traffic
- Write some guest posts on other blogs to build my reputation
- And most importantly…network with other bloggers and make some friends.
Now I’ve never really paid much attention to Alexa rankings because I think they are flawed. But I have to admit that they hold a lot of sway in the blogosphere and having a high ranking site can open a lot of doors that would otherwise be slammed in your face.
As I start this challenge on March 8, 2010 my Alexa ranking is 1,615,590 so I have a loooong way to go to reach the top 200,000. But I’ll get there one step at a time.
I really think the Yakezie challenge is an fantastic idea. The key is for everyone involved to help each other as much as possible so we can all pull ourselves to the top together.
So you’ll be seeing lots of fellow Yakezie challenge blogs in my link roundups and posts. And if you have your own blog why not step up and join the challenge?
I was playing around with the Google Keyword Tool looking for ideas to write about and I found something pretty funny…there’s a lot of people looking for excuses to get out of work!
Here’s a small sample of the various keywords people use when looking for good excuses to get out of work. The number next to each phrase is the number of searches per month.
| excuses not to work |
5400 |
| get out of work excuses |
4400 |
| excuses for not going to work |
3600 |
| excuses to get out of work |
3600 |
| not going to work excuses |
3600 |
| missing work excuses |
2900 |
| best work excuses |
2400 |
| excuses for missing work |
2400 |
| excuses to miss work |
1900 |
| miss work excuses |
1900 |
| off work excuses |
1900 |
| work excuse letter |
1900 |
| excuse from work |
1600 |
| best excuses for work |
1300 |
| good excuses for work |
1300 |
| good excuses to get out of work |
1300 |
| late work excuses |
1300 |
| work sick excuses |
1300 |
| excuses not to go to work |
1000 |
| good work excuse |
1000 |
| late for work excuses |
1000 |
| best work excuse |
880 |
| best excuses for missing work |
720 |
| excuses that work |
720 |
Now I’m guessing most people are looking for real work excuses so they can stay home and sit on the couch watching The Price is Right or General Hospital…but I’ll assume you want to stay home so you can concentrate on building your blog or doing something else productive with your time. 
Anyway I called my buddy Joe who works as an office manager/HR guy for a small business and asked what were the craziest real work excuses he had ever heard? Here’s a few of his favorites…
“I need off so I can try out for American Idol.”
“I have no heat in my apartment.” (Wouldn’t you WANT to come to work where its warm?)
“I have a lot going on and need to reflect on things and find myself.”
“I hurt my wrist playing Guitar Hero.”
“I’m getting a boob job.”
“Man, I TOLD my wife the chicken looked undercooked!”
“I’m in a 3-day Madden tournament.”
“It looks like it might snow.”
“Dude, its March Madness time!”
“I need a month off while I serve a 30 day sentence.” (This guy actually called from prison!)
I want to hear from you…leave a comment below with the craziest excuse you ever gave your boss so you could skip work…
If you’re looking for a painless way to sneak a few extra servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet then you should pick up some V8 V-Fusion juice. Each 8 ounce glass has 1/2 cup of fruit and 1/2 cup of vegetables. Plus it’s delicious!
My kids love it too which is great because it is 100% juice with no added sugar (I’m trying to break my own soda habit and set a good example so they don’t go for sweetened drinks all the time).
If you want to try it out for yourself you can get a printable coupon for V8 V-Fusion juice at TryV8.com. You do have to provide an email address but the coupon prints automatically so you can use a throwaway email.
The coupon is for $1 off any 6-pack of slim cans or 46 oz bottle.
Click here to download your V8 printable coupon.
Are you looking for a business opportunity that doesn’t require a lot of start up capital but has plenty of room for growth?
Have you considered picking up dog poop?
Don’t laugh…I’m serious! Dog waste removal is a growing market that is still largely untapped. There’s still time for you to get in on the ground floor and build a profitable business for yourself. And all you really need to get started is a shovel and some plastic bags.
According to The Humane Society of the United States, thirty-nine percent of US households own at least one dog. That’s a lot of poop that needs to be cleaned up. Smart people like you can really clean up by picking up after other people’s pets.
Here are some tips to help you get your pooper scooper business started:
1. The first thing you should do is call your town and find out about business licenses and regulations regarding the removal of waste. It’s important to make sure you don’t inadvertently break any laws.
2. Start small. Ideally you want to have a whole bunch of clients all in one neighborhood so you can limit fuel costs and commuting time.
3. Promoting your business is absolutely essential if you want to be successful. Most dog owners probably don’t even know that poop-scooping services are available so you’ll have to get the word out. Try making flyers and posting them around your neighborhood. Ask local veterinarians and animal shelters if you can post a flyer in their offices. And once you land a few clients you can start asking for referrals. You might even want to offer a discount to clients who bring you business.
4. Try to map out a schedule and stick to it. Especially if you are starting your business part-time, you’ll need to manage your time efficiently. Set certain days as “pickup” days and leave the rest of the time to administrative duties and promotion to bring in new business.
5. Check out your competitors to see what kind of prices they charge. Prices will vary from one region to the next so you’ll want to be sure your rates are competitive.
6. Provide an excellent service. If you do a crappy job you won’t be invited back. But if you do good work you can build long term relationships with customers and also reap the benefits of referrals.
Running your own pooper scooper business may not be the most glamorous way to make money but it can be very profitable if you’re willing to get your hands dirty (no pun intended).
This post is part of my continuing series on ways to make money. To receive free updates so you don’t miss future posts you can subscribe to my RSS feed.
by Mike on February 28, 2010
I love getting stuff for free, don’t you?
Here’s a link where you can get a coupon for FREE Excedrin product (up to $5.99).
All you have to do is answer one question indicating which pain relievers you’ve used in the past 12 months. Do NOT check off Excedrin though. If you do you’ll only get a $2 coupon. And you want the freebie right?
Don’t check off Excedrin and when you click Submit you’ll go to a page where you can enter your name and address so you can receive your free coupon for Excedrin. It says to allow 3 to 5 days for delivery which is pretty good.
I just filled it out myself so hopefully I’ll have my coupon by the end of the week.
EDIT – I received the coupon and used it at Target last night!
by Mike on February 26, 2010
If you’re like most people you can expect to receive an annual tax return between $2,000 and $3,000. While that’s not exactly a life-changing sum, it is enough to shore up your financial situation a bit if you use it wisely.
Here are 7 smart things you can do with your tax return:
1. Start an emergency fund. Most people don’t have an emergency fund and if you’re one of them you could be in trouble if you suddenly find yourself out of work. Set aside your tax return to start an emergency fund or add to one you already have.
2. Pay down your debt. It may just be a drop in the bucket compared to what you owe, but your tax return can at least put a dent in your credit card debt.
3. Make a principal-only payment on your mortgage. If you can manage to do this annually you’ll pay off your mortgage years early and save thousands of dollars in interest. Just make sure your lender applies the entire amount to principal.
4. Start a college fund for your kids. Face it…college isn’t cheap and it’s getting more and more expensive every year. Take your tax return and open up a 529 plan to help pay those expenses when your little ones are older.
5. Sock it away for retirement. Open up an IRA account for you or your spouse (or both) and deposit your tax return so it can grow until you’re ready to retire.
6. Use it to improve yourself. Take a class and learn something new. It’s important to invest in yourself…improve your skills, make yourself more marketable and increase your earning power.
7. Send it to me as a gift! Just kidding…I’m sure I could put your tax return to good use but you’re better off using it to improve your own financial situation.
by Mike on February 23, 2010
Man, there is a mean virus out there and it’s been whipping through my family for the last week.
My one daughter got it first last Sunday and she’s still not 100% a full 8 days later. Her fever got up to 104.5 and she had pneumonia and has been on antibiotics and nebulizer treatment.
My other daughter has been mostly fine except for a nagging cough though she had a slight fever last night.
The baby has had a horrible cough and he is also on the nebulizer.
I’ve had a fever, cough, congestion, and that “just got hit by a truck” feeling since Thursday. Today’s the first day I’m not glued to the couch and I’m still far from 100 percent. My head feels like it is 10 feet underwater and I barely have any voice at all.
All together I had 3 copays to pay for doctor visits for me and 2 of my kids (so far…we’ll see if my wife and other daughter make it through). Plus there were more copays for the prescriptions as well as a couple of over the counter items. All in all I’m out about $150 because of this lousy virus.
I know it would be a lot worse if it weren’t for insurance, but geez.
