Need Multiple Income Streams

My friends and I have been talking about the importance of having multiple income streams. Especially when you are trying to strike out on your own. The newspapers have been littered lately with stories about people who put all of their eggs in one basket, and when the economy tanked so did their income. Like the man who gave up his regular job and took on one consulting client, and when they let him go, he had no income and could not find another job. Lost his home and saw his possessions on the side of the road. Very sad. And there are many others out there like that.

Right now, I am trying to figure out if I can quit my day job and become a full time solo lawyer. It would be easier to do if I had some extra income, especially online income. If I went out on my own, I would have to pay for my own health insurance, which is always high. Also, I would need to make sure I had some saved income to fall back on.

For some time, I have been trying different ways of online moneymaking. I used to do online surveys, but not so much anymore. I have been pretty successful at mystery shopping and freelance writing, and I could do more of both if I had the time. That would be a good source of extra income. I am going to investigate other ways to make money online as well.

I Got A Speeding Ticket!

I went on vacation recently--drove about 10 hours north to visit my favorite relatives That is a long drive for me, and I tend to have a lead foot, so I bet you can guess what happened. I didn't want to take 10 hours to get there, and I was in a hurry, and I pushed the envelope.
It was the 4th of July weekend, and there were state troopers everywhere. That made me nervous, so I was pushing the envelope, while still keeping an eye on my speedometer. I am not so stupid to speed when Smoky is out there in force. My car insurance rates had just gone down, and I didn't want to do anything to make them go back up.
Well, I was going downhill, around a curve, and trying to pass a van that was keeping pace with me. You know the type? They won't let you pass them. So I might have been going a tad fast. But it couldn't have been for more than a few seconds, and it couldn't have been 20 miles over the speed limit, like the trooper said.

Well, I saw the car pull out of the median with the blue lights flashing. Surely, it couldn't be me, I thought. Well, soon enough I realized it was. I pulled over. I had a moment of panic when I realized I did not have my car insurance card with me. I was driving a rental car, and my card was in my glove box in my car, which was in the shop. I told him the truth about my car insurance card , and luckily he didn't seem to think it was a big deal. I got a ticket, and the fine wasn't too bad. I just hope my rates don't go up, but I am sure they will.

I Need A Smart Phone

I use AT&T for my phone service, and I am due for a new cell phone. I love those moments! My last new phone was wonderful, sleek, and expensive. But then I got it wet, and bam! No good anymore. I didn't have insurance on it, and I couldn't afford to get another new good one, so I got a crap phone from Wal*Mart. It has been terrible, and you can't text on it to save your life.

But I looked at AT&T's website to see the phones available to me with a new contract. There are Blackberry Phones, iphones, and the regular panoply of other good to not-so-good choices. I would really like a smart phone. I could use it to surf the web, and write on my blogs, which would help me a lot. I could actually make money with it. And that would really be a smart phone.

Every Reduced Price, No Matter How Small, Helps The Budget

Ok, here is one for the pocketbooks. It is not a huge big deal, but I am including it on the blog to remind myself and others that every penny counts. Every item bought at a reduction (and only bought because you really need it) is a win for the pocketbook. I was at the grocery store last night and noticed a big buggy full of hair products. After weeding through the ones I don't need, I found two kinds of shampoo that I can use. Both were marked half price. I loaded up. I needed to buy shampoo anyway, and now I have enough for a couple of months.

Debt Is A Huge Burden

I have been in debit, mostly credit card debt, all of my adult life. I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel though--I should be out of debt in a year and a half. I will have my car paid off in a year, and my credit card debt should all be paid off 6 months from then. I can't wait! I will stockpile money after then. I need to bolster my savings for sure, and I also want to buy a house. I could have done so much more if I had not been carrying debt all of these years. There is a lot of Free Financial Help out there for those in debt. I benefitted the most from Dave Ramsey. I don't always agree with what he says, especially about politics, but his message is good. DEBT IS STUPID! And I intend to manage my money so much better in the future. I had drinks with a friend of mine who is now debt free. She got a new job with better pay, and that is the biggest reason she is out of debt. She said to me she thinks she will never be out of debt again, and she just says that it is a mindset. That once you are out of debt, you don't want to be there again. i know that I will feel the same. Once you are out of debt, don't go there again! Make that a mantra!

Looking For Deals On Furniture

I am focused on updating and improving my condo right now, and I am still on a budget, so I need to shop around when buying furniture. Here are the things I need: new Dining Room Furniture , particularly a new dining room table (not sure whether I want a square or Round Dining Table ), and a new desk and dresser for my guest room, and some other miscellaneous things. I might even start looking at some China Cabinets , because I don't have much cupboard space.

My challenges are that I have a small condo, so I have to be creative with my space. Also a small budget, so there again I have to be creative. These two are matched by my small amount of time to go looking for furniture, so I may have to preshop and narrow down my choices online. At any rate, I am very excited and hopeful about finding some good buys and stretching my furniture dollars. I can't afford to buy a house right now, so I want to make my current home as new and exciting and functional as possible.

Money Saving Tip: Don't Pay For Something Twice!

Don't pay for something twice. Especially month after month after month. This should be obvious to anyone on a budget or trying to get out of debt. Well, give me the dunce cap. I just realized I have been paying an internet service twice every month, once through my cable company and once through my phone company. Talk about a dunce! I decided to switch my service from my cable to my phone company to save on my bill. The totals of both bills were too high, and I thought I could save my money by switching from one to another. That was probably true. But in my bizzy bizzy life, I never had time to actually switch it over, and because I was so bizzy bizzy all of the time, I never realized that I never canceled one of them. So for the past 8 months, I have been paying two internet service bills, wasting about $300. Good going!