How-to Article Central

How to Save Money on Groceries

2008-11-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

Next to housing costs, food makes up a very significant portion of most budgets. In this article, I'll show you some ways to save money on your groceries.

1) To reduce the chances of impulse buying, shop with a list.

The first few times you try this, there will likely be things you'll forget. Don't get discouraged by this. Once you do this for awhile, it will keep you on track. Most chain stores have marketing down to a science, so you have to go into the store knowing that's why milk is always in the back, etc.

2) Gradually compare store brand and name brand products.

With some, you won't taste the difference. With others, you can stick with the name brand you like better. My husband and I did about 2-3 products a week until we figured out what we liked. Long-term, this can save you quite a bit of money.

3) Generally buying in bulk is better than buying smaller prepackaged items.

This isn't always the case however. I have a separate article on how to compare similar products by size that I've linked below.

4) I think coupons are great as long as you're not buying something purely because of the coupon.

Many grocery stores double and triple coupons, allowing you to get some products very inexpensively. They're somewhat of a hassle in the beginning, but the store cards also have a way of tracking what you're buying most often. Sometimes at the register, you'll get a coupon you'll actually use. I personally don't go overboard with organization and searching for coupons, but I do think it's worth spending some time.

5) Look for store sales as well. Sometimes you can get "Buy 1, Get 1 Free" deals that work out to a great price.

Many times it also works out well buying hamburgers and steaks the same day you plan to cook them due to the time limit stores have to sell the products.

Additional Tips:

Don't have a lot of time to plan a list? Save a month or two of your grocery receipts. This will cut down a lot of the time it will take to make a list and be fairly accurate.
Factor in your gas and time into shopping around for different items. If saving $2-3 is going to cost you more gas and another 30 minutes of your time, it's not worth it. It is worth trying to find the store in your area that generally has the best deals, but do that by trying a new store each major grocery trip until one stands out.

Related Articles and Resources:

How to Start Networking For Business

2008-10-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard the saying, "It's not what you know but who you know," and wondered how much truth was behind it? My experience is the combination of both that can lead to success for a small business. In this article, I'll share ways that you can get started with business networking and have fun with the process.

1) Be Prepared With Basic Marketing Materials Such as Business Cards.

There are very inexpensive and can allow you to multiply your efforts--you can leave them at certain locations, but definitely have them on-hand.

2) Start With People You Already Know

With close friends and family, most people don't mind if you ask them to keep a few of your business cards with them in case they run into someone who needs your product or service.

With associates, at least let them know what you do and give them one business card--maybe more if they're eager to help you.

3) Join Local and National Groups Related to Your Field and Attend Conferences and Meetings

I like going to conferences. Often you not only meet (usually friendly) competitors you often meet other business owners involved in related areas to your field. For example, as a writer I not only go to writer's conferences but those in broadcasting, public relations, and web-related fields.

4) Take Advantage of Customer Referrals

Give an incentive for your regular customers to send their friends and relatives to you as well--again, that multiplies your effort.

5) Don't Forget to Help Other Business Owners as Well

It can be mutually beneficial for two or more small business to help each other out, even if they're not in related fields. When you help other people, it does come back to you--this is an important business principle for long-term success.

Additional Tip:

The biggest mistake I see people make in business networking is talking to complete strangers with the only intent on getting them to buy their product or service. If you're heart isn't in the right place of filling people's needs, this doesn't work--people pick up on it immediately.

Best wishes to you!

How to Be Happier

2008-09-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how two people can have very similar circumstances, but one is happy and the other is miserable? In this article, I want to share a few ideas and concepts that will help you be happier in everyday life.

1) First of all, you need to understand that true happiness in life comes down to a decision.

Everyone has obstacles that come at them, but it's how you approach those obstacles that's important.

2) This isn't going to happen overnight, but life does tend to get better if you focus on the good in your life.

You can try this for yourself, but especially talking more about positive things in your life often seems to cause a lot of day-to-day problems and worries to work themselves out.

3) Surround yourself with encouraging and supportive people whenever possible.

People who have a good support system through a church or other community group tend to have less stress than people who are trying to navigate life alone.

4) Take the time to help someone less fortunate than you.

This has a two-fold way of making you happier. One is it's helping someone in need, and two it's causing you to be grateful for what you do have in life.

5) Find something in your life where you can learn and grow on a constant basis.

This keeps life exciting and fun. It also keeps you from getting into a rut or feeling like your growth in life has gone stagnant.

More Tips:

Humor is an important aspect to happiness as well. It's important to learn in some situations how to laugh at yourself and enjoy life.
Don't mistake happiness with a destination. People sometimes get trapped into the "I'll be happy if..." cycle, inserting everything at the end of that sentence from a material item to a specific life event. This will cause you a lot of frustration if you don't catch what you're doing.

How to Learn About Money in Your Teens

2008-09-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

Something that really surprised me after 4 years of high school and another 4 years of college is the lack of financial education available to teens and young adults in a classroom setting. In this article, I want to provide you with some ideas and sources that helped me and that I hope will help you as well.

1) First of all, you need to realize that your success with money (or any other form of success for that matter) depends a lot on how you think.

Rich people get rich because of their thought process and can regain their money fairly quickly if for some reason they lost it. Lottery winners who don't know how money works can end up in worse debt a few years later than before they won. Learning what to do with money is important to learn as young as possible.

2) Since in your teens you're a little more limited than a legal adult, a great place to focus first is on educating yourself about money through books and possibly a mentor or mentors, so you'll be ready once you start having more opportunity entering your life.

I've included a link below about life skills books that was originally intended for college students but would be helpful for teens as well. Authors Dave Ramsey, Robert Kiyosaki, and Dan Miller would be three great ones to start out with.

3) Don't think however that just because you're a teenager doesn't mean you can't do some incredible things financially even compared to adults.

I'm also including another link below that will hopefully provide you some inspiration and tips from real-life teen millionaires.

4) Just in general, avoid debt with a vengeance.

Credit is so highly marketed to younger generations that it really hurts people once they get into college and into their 20s. It's a lot easier to start out debt-free than it is to dig yourself out of debt when you get older. The last thing you want is to put yourself in a paycheck-to-paycheck cycle when you don't have to do it.

More Tips:

It's definitely okay in your teens to start thinking of some long-term goals and dreams in life. If you have some focus, you're chances of achieving those goals and dreams become a lot higher.

I've met several millionaires and one billionaire who are doing a lot of good things with their money and are really nice people. They just don't broadcast it because that's not the point of giving. In a few years, I hope to be in a similar position to be able to help other people. It's hard to do that until you get your own life together first.

Don't just assume rich people are evil and took advantage of people to get their wealth. That is one of the worst cultural stereotypes out there, and sometimes it's even taught in the classroom. This holds people back from pursuing dreams that could make them rich in fear that the money itself will either change them or how people view them. You have to learn how to overcome that fear if you want to accomplish something great financially.

Resources:

Life Skills Book Recommendations
Teen Millionaires

How to Handle Criticism

2008-09-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

When it comes to criticism in your life, usually either through a family or job situation, there is more than one way to handle it. In this article, I will discuss some ideas on how to handle criticism in a healthy way.

1) First, before anything else you need to determine the motivation of the person giving you criticism.

This is extremely important because it's the difference between someone trying to correct you because he or she cares about you and someone who just wants to tear you down for some reason. If your emotions are tense, it may be hard to be objective about this at first. Give it some thought however.

2) Realize that no one is perfect and that mistakes happen.

If there's something about the criticism that can help you improve, try to approach it with as positive of an attitude as possible because it may make you better even in a small way. The important thing is not to take it so personally that it discourages you from moving forward.

3) Realize that not everyone is going to share your point-of-view on things.

If you make pleasing everyone your main goal, you're honestly going to have a hard time accomplishing anything significant in life. You can look at any famous or successful person when they were in the process of achieving something, and almost all had their share of critics. Don't expect to be able to handle it overnight, but over time it does get less emotional when it happens to you.

More Tips:

If you're in a leadership position, it's better to build people up and encourage them on a daily basis than constantly criticize. This way when you do have a suggestion, you've built up respect from showcasing what that same person has done right.

A book that really helped me when it came to the relationship between success and encountering critical people is called The Dreamgiver by Bruce Wilkerson. It's a great book if you've never read it.

How to Start a Personal Journal

2008-09-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

People start personal journals for many reasons, and they're very worthwhile in helping you focus your thoughts and goals in life. In this article, I'll share some ideas and tips in starting a personal journal.

1) Select Your Journal and Supplies

I still have spiral-bound notebooks that are over 15-years-old from when I was a kid that are in good condition. They work fine as long as you pick one without perforated pages and use a dark-colored pen as opposed to a pencil or light ink. As my writing has changed however, I've switched over to hardback journals.

2) Got writer's cramp?

If you need some inspiration, try searching "personal journal prompts." You'll find wide variety of resources that are free.

3) If this is your first journal, consider taking a few pages to do some autobiographical information.

Later on you may want to pass on family history to your children and grandchildren or use it to write stories or even books.

4) If you're looking for an on-line option, Writing.com is a good site that has the ability to set items you write to either public or private.

I like their site because you can access it from multiple locations (as long as there's an Internet connection) as opposed to accidentally leaving a journal at home. I basically do a combination of both.

5) What's very important in all of this is establishing a habit of writing as soon as possible.

When you get used to writing on a daily basis, it does become easier. It also helps you in venturing into writing for profit if that's a goal you'd like to have.

More Tips:

When I first started out, I didn't worry as much about spelling and grammar as much as getting my thoughts on paper. If it's personal and only something only you're going to read, you're going to get better at these naturally over time. Just don't let them keep you from enjoying the process.

Have fun with this. I used to think writing was a chore (mainly because of some teachers I had), but fortunately I also had teachers that showed how rewarding writing can be for your life.

How to Make the Most of Time in Your Car

2008-09-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

The average person in America drives anywhere between 10,000 to 25,000 mile a year. That's a lot of time, and in this article I want to give you some ideas on how you can get more out of it.

1) Learn something new.

Almost any topic out there now has audio books, podcasts, or both easily available. You can learn a new language, how to start a business, how to manage your finances, and hundreds of other subjects. It's reasonable to think that after several years of this that you'll learn and grow as a person where you wouldn't have otherwise.

2) Spend some quiet time.

It is amazing how creative your thinking becomes when you just spend one day a week with the radio off. Some of my best ideas for books and articles have happened when I just gave myself some time to think. It'll also help with problem-solving if it's not in a worrying kind of context.

3) Laugh more.

If you have a stressful life, investing in some audio books or mp3s that will make you laugh will lighten your mood and reduce stress. This is also helpful if you have a stressful commute to work and back.

How to Explore Passive Income Ideas

2008-09-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

If you're familiar with the concept of passive income, you know it's the best method of generating a long-term return on your time and effort. A "stream" of passive income can range in scale from a single project or investment to an entire business. In this article, I'll help give you some ideas on where you can start.

1) First of all, a good financial education is the key in all of this.

I spent over a year just reading on this topic before I leaped into action on ideas that I had no idea were going to work or not. If you've been in an employment situation for most of your life, this concept takes awhile to get your mind around. It's not "get-rich-quick" but at the same time it's worth it because you'll get both more time and money if you're successful.

2) Start small and focus on stability.

I've found it's better to start a small project (keeps you from going into debt) and grow it to the point it's stable. This way your time is free to start a second, third, fourth, and so on while the previous projects continue to bring in an income. You do this enough times and your income is "stacked" to the point you can transition into what most people call retirement.

3) As far as what you can specifically do, there are unlimited opportunities out there.

If you're an expert in your field or have a specialized hobby, you can write advice articles and books. On-line businesses are good options as well, again if you start them small and keep them debt-free. Traditional small businesses are more expensive to start, but if you do the research there's still many fields where you can make a good income (the passive element is from repeat customers or eventually hiring employees who handle the work). Through the real estate market goes up and down, I've known people who have done well after putting a lot of research into it. Just in general, brainstorm what you would enjoy doing and make sure you have a plan ahead of time.

4) Don't get discouraged if results seem small or don't seem to be happening very rapidly at first.

I think that's where most people get frustrated and give up too quickly. Passive income is made over time not overnight.

Additional tips:

Great books on this topic include Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki and 48 Days To The Work You Love by Dan Miller.

How to Write and Sell an Ebook

2008-09-03T17:27:00.000-07:00

When I first started writing for profit, the idea of creating ebooks was very appealing to me. I just didn't really know how to do it. In this article, I'll show you one option you can take. It's not the only way to do things, but it's a way I know that's legitimate and helpful.

1) Obviously, you're going to need to have an idea or some existing material in mind to do this project.

For me, I had some short stories on a site called Writing.com. Basically on that site, people could read my work for free. After I had written 14 short stories, I decided I wanted to combine them into a book and if possible, an ebook that could be instantly downloaded.

2) At this point, there are a lot of options out there available to you.

After I did some research, I personally decided to look into a site called Lulu.com. Basically they're publishing on demand, meaning you don't have to put up money to be in their system and sell copies of your books and ebooks. Lulu and sites like it make money when something sells, and the percentage isn't bad considering many of the people who've bought my books I've never personally met (one even lived in Singapore!). My general recommendation however is be very careful when it comes to your money and finding a distribution source. There are scams out there, as well as good opportunities.

3) Lulu and similar sites like it have templates where you can upload a Microsoft Word copy of your work and have it formatted to an Adobe Reader download.

I recommend this because it works with a lot of different electronic readers as well as most computers since the program itself is free.

4) If you do self-publish, keep in mind that your marketing is primarily in your own hands.

This can actually be a good thing if you enjoy it. I personally keep my marketing very simple. I have a blog and just write in a lot of different areas to where there's at least some name recognition and hopefully the realization I put a lot into what I'm doing. You just have to be patient, and good things will happen for you if you're persistent.

More Tips:

Even if you don't consider yourself a writer, there's a high demand for knowledge in a lot of different areas. Give it some thought because you may have something to offer that other people would like to know more about.

Unless it's a copy of an actual print book, I'm learning to keep ebooks shorter due to people read them during shorter time spans.

Don't assume that if you just write the book that people are going to flock to buy it. Writing the book is about 50% of the work and marketing is about the other 50% when it comes to making an income doing this.

How to Clean Out Your Closet

2008-09-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

While it's not the most fun thing to do in the world, cleaning out your closet can help your everyday life a little easier and possibly make you some extra money. In this article, I'll show you some easy steps and tips to make this project get done quickly and more easily.

1) First, I find it's easier to start with clothing first and then sort through other items such as shoes and other miscellaneous items that usually get stuck in closets.

Basically the two boxes or garbage bags are going to serve two purposes: a sell/donate pile and a throw away pile. If you have a big closet or are sorting through more than one, you'll probably need more.

2) A general rule with clothing is if you haven't worn it in a year and it has no sentimental value to you, either sell or donate it.

Having one of those "I didn't wear it this past year but maybe I'll wear it next year" moments? Take a twist tie and wrap it around an area of the clothing where you'll notice it if you do wear it but won't damage the clothing. When this time comes around again, you'll basically be able to face yourself on what you're never going to wear. Just be sure to remember to take the ties off, or you'll get some funny looks from people.

3) Next, you should be able to sort through your other items and accessories in a similar fashion of either selling/donating what you never use and throwing away anything that's too worn.

4) Now I'm not the type of person that's obsessed with organization, but give some thought to how you put everything back into your closet in a practical way.

Do you have trouble finding certain things? Maybe you can find a creative way to solve this or at least make it easier when you get ready in the morning.

5) Based on the weight and brand of the clothing and other items, try eBay first before selling them in a consignment shop or in a yard sale.

I've known people who've made pretty good money this way. Donating is a good option as well, especially if you're not so much wanting extra money as you are wanting extra space.

Best wishes to you!

How to Have More Time to Enjoy Life

2008-09-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

Modern life can be very hard sometimes in that it often feels like to have plenty of money you have no free time and to have free time you end up with less money. There is a way to break out of this cycle however, and I want to share with you some ideas that have helped me.

1) First of all, from a thought-process standpoint you're likely going to have to gradually change some things you've been doing.

Many of us are raised to think that money is our most valuable resource, and there's a tendency to base your career and life off of that concept. That's not to say that money isn't important (people spend 70,000+ hours of their life earning it), but the two are related in that to get your time back you're going to have to learn how to earn and manage money differently.

2) A good place to start in "finding time" is to look at your lifestyle.

I've seen statistics that say the average adult in America watches 30-40 hours of television a week. You could take a portion of that time a develop a side business that could either get you out of debt (so you don't have to work extra to make debt payments) or help you transition into a career that gives you more money and flexibility with your time. If you're already a work-o-holic and don't seem to be making progress financially, you may need to take a look at what you're doing to see if a minor change could increase your overall income.

3) Realize that in the beginning you may have to sacrifice some time to get it back later.

I currently don't have to work a full-time job anymore because I spent 2 years of my life basically working 80-hour weeks, 40 for a company as an employee and 40 for myself. It wasn't easy, but it was worth doing.

4) Find some motivations in your life that will pull you toward finding ways of having more time.

For me, it was wanting to spend more time with my husband, my parents, and my brother. I also wanted to free myself up to do things that would make a difference that I couldn't do before because of not having the time to do it.

More Tips:

No pun intended, but this takes time and is a process. I first started focusing on this idea in my late teens, and I've seen progress in my early 20s. It also requires you to be a little different from most people, but I think the rewards are worth it.

Books that are helpful regarding this topic are Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and 48 Days to The Work You Love by Dan Miller. I've found business books in general are helpful in that they teach you how to build an income that is residual (repeat income for a single effort). It's pretty sad, but most colleges don't teach this even though it's extremely important in life.

Don't live your life in such a way that you'll procrastinate and later regret not making time for what matters in life. If you don't focus on this issue, it will slip by you.

How to Make Money From Writing Online

2008-09-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

If you love to write, you may have thought about it as a way to make money and have fun at the same time. In this article, I will discuss a few ideas you may want to explore that could earn you some extra cash!

1) If you enjoy doing shorter works such as articles, there are now several sites on-line where you can earn money based on how many hits your article receives and the type of topic you write about.

Ehow.com is a great site to start with when it comes to How-to articles, and I've had a wonderful experience with them. Two other sites I know are legitimate are Helium.com and Associated Content. All three pay you through PayPal.

2) If you want to set your own price on an article for other sites to buy (exclusive or non-exclusive rights), Constant Content is a good site to consider.

Just realize you'll have to be patient and will likely need to produce a bulk amount of material to make regular sales.

3) If you've ever wanted to self-publish a book or e-book, the best site I've found for this is Lulu.com.

The great thing about them is they're publishing-on-demand. I've never had to pay anything upfront since I've worked with them, and you only have to make $5 in sales before they send you a royalty, again through PayPal.

4) I'm fairly new in this field, but overall what I've found works is keeping your own rights to your work and giving multiple sites non-exclusive rights to sell or display your work.

This way you can do the work once and try it out on different outlets. It's amazing how on one site an article will make you a small amount of money while on another it will make you a lot! It all depends on the topic of the article.

5) Hubpages is a little more complicated to set-up, but it's worth checking out.

They don't pay you directly but allow you to set up affiliates including Google Adwords (pays you based on hits to the pages), Amazon's affiliate program, and eBay's affiliate program. I really like them so far.

More Tips:

Making a decent income by writing on-line takes time, but it is possible to do. Considering the price of gas and other costs involved with most jobs, this is a very viable work-at-home option if you're willing to be patient and do the work. Just realize it may take you a year or two to get it off the ground.

Check with your tax accountant to find out what you need to keep track of if you want to transition into self-employment (I could tell you, but since I'm not a professional in that area I think it's better to consult them).

Another fun thing I've found is that when people find out you write for websites, they'll ask you for write content for their business or organizational website. This can get you extra money as well.

How to Prepare for Public Speaking

2008-09-03T16:43:00.000-07:00

I have seen multiple surveys that rank the fear of public speaking higher than the fear of death. I used to be a very shy person and was petrified of speaking in public. As I got older, I had to do it however in college and later my career. In this article, I'll share some things that I've found helpful.

1) First of all, being prepared with your material can help reduce some of the tension.

Give yourself plenty of time to research your topic so you don't feel rushed to do everything at the last minute.

2) The other side of this fear is being in front of people.

This was such a strange thing to me in that the same people I was fine speaking with at my seat suddenly changed when was in front of them! The physical symptoms of this fear--dry mouth, increased heart rate, etc. --unfortunately are hard to immediate stop and have to go extinct over time (with practice). What I found helped at the beginning was what I did before I had to speak. I didn't let worry build. Instead, I would do something fun or relaxing earlier that day such as watch a funny movie. I would still be nervous, but it was easier to control.

3) Add some entertainment value to what you're doing.

In school and often work situations, people are used to dry, boring material. The bored response of your audience will make you nervous, thinking it's you and not the material. A few jokes that relate to the topic don't hurt, and doing this often caused me to get a better grade. I found this out by accident on a project where I had to fill time, but it works! If you're afraid to try humor, an interesting or unique angle on the material will work as well. Just give it some thought.

More Tips:

Sometimes a prop related to your material is helpful to keep in your hands as you make your way away from a podium.

It's a little scary at first, but moving around will help you once you get used to it.

Have some water on hand in case your mouth gets dry trying to talk. Keep it at room temperature, as cold ice water will actually make it harder to talk.

I know it's hard, but don't hide behind your report paper or turn your back to your audience. This makes people think your disinterested.

How to Take Better Notes and Do Well on Tests

2008-09-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

Something I figured out early on in high school and later college is that note-taking plays a major role in how well you do in a class. In this article, I'll show you a few idea that helped me and that will hopefully help you as well.

1) First, it's very important to find out how a teacher or instructor bases his or her tests.

You can find this out from other students or sometimes by asking the teacher yourself. This will save you a lot of time on studying things that won't help your grade. I enjoy learning, but at the same time I remember how time-pressured I was with multiple classes that I learned you have to be practical about these things.

2) When you get home or need to study, change your notes to fit your own personal learning style.

I'm a very visual person, so while I was in school I often drew pictures whenever possible. I could recall images better than just words on a page. You can get really creative with this, using symbols to remind you of certain words and concepts.

3) If you're more of an auditory person, buy a recorder (or an attachment for your IPod) and record the lecture.

I had a friend who did this and listened to the .mp3 files in her car during her commute to and from school. The repetition of it helped her remember the information naturally.

4) If you have a lot of hand-written notes, consider retyping them to reduce the number of pages you have to deal with.

This helped me a lot, and I considered them better than the "cheat sheets" you can buy because they're personalized to the particular class.

More Tips:

In college, a syllabus given at the beginning of the semester may give you clues on where to focus your note-taking: on lectures, the textbook, or a combination of both.

How to Pick a College Major

2008-09-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

When I was in college, part of me wished there was some way to major in "undecided." For many students, it's hard to make a decision in your late teens and early 20s on what direction you want to go in life. In this article, I will hopefully take some of the stress off of this and give you some ideas that will make the decision easier.

1) First, you're going to have to do some searching in yourself on what you really want out of life.

Different careers have different lifestyles, and your major does have some impact on certain jobs you'll be qualified for after graduation. For example, some careers are high income but also require more hours of your time than other careers that may have more flexibility. Giving your career goals some thought will help you finding out what you need from a formal education standpoint.

2) If you're at a point where you don't really know what you want to do (I've been there), focus on a major that will help you across many different career fields.

When you think about skills employers really want and that can also help you in self-employment (people skills, ability to communicate well, leadership ability), there are multiple majors out there that you can gain these skills and will hold your interest. I personally majored in psychology and communications, and the flexibility of both of those majors has helped me a lot. Other majors may have similar benefits.

3) This shouldn't be your main factor, but something important to consider is how long you want to be in college.

There are some majors that are structured to take 5 years now for a traditional 4-year-degree (due to the availability of required classes). If you're on a scholarship or other type of funding for 4 years, you may need to keep this in mind to keep from going into extra debt.

More Tips:

There's nothing wrong with taking an introduction class in a major to see if you'll like it or not. I originally had no intentions of majoring in psychology, but the intro class was so much fun I decided to pursue it.

Get as many of your "core" classes done within your first two years. It buys you more time to make a decision and gives you more flexibility as opposed to jumping into a major starting out and then changing your mind mid-way.

Don't pick a major for the wrong reasons. Whatever you do, don't pick a major that makes you miserable. It establishes a way of thinking where you'll settle for a career that makes you miserable, and that doesn't work long-term. How much money you want to make is important, but believe me in that you can make money doing something you love because you'll put more into it than the average person.

How to Write a Popular How-to Article

2008-08-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

If you're writing how-to articles for income, the popularity of an article can play a major role in the number of hits you receive on-line or the chances of it being accepted for print. While I personally don't make popularity the only reason I write an article, I don't ignore it either. Here are some ideas to consider that I've found helpful.

1) First of all, I think writing how-to articles is very similar to inventing a new product in the aspect of the popular saying, "See a need, fill a need."

Inspiration for how-to articles is unlimited because there are many people out there who want solutions to problems or want to learn something new.

2) Keep your titles simple for articles you want to appeal to a mass number of people, especially if your topic is fairly general.

A long title won't impress people unless it's addressing a specific problem or topic, where you're likely going to have a smaller audience. (This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially if little has been written on the topic). What I've noticed however is when I change a long title to something more simplified, I get better results as far as hits.

3) Do a little "homework" and thinking before you begin writing.

Be observant of the world around you. I pay attention to what people are talking about and what topics are popular in larger works such as recent nonfiction book best-sellers. I read a lot as well, and sometimes an article comes from having a different viewpoint or approach to the same topic or problem. I keep notebooks at home, in my car, and at work so when an idea hits me I won't forget it.

More Tips:

Another great thing about writing how-to articles is that you can learn something new as well. I know since I've first started writing articles that I've learned a lot of new things in the process of researching topic ideas. From an income standpoint, you're getting paid to educate yourself and help other people! That's a very fun combination.

Don't try to write on topics that personally aren't interesting to you. I've tried that before, and the quality of your article suffers no matter how hard you try to force it. With articles, it's not totally "Write what you know" but "Write what you want to know."

How to Start a Web-Based Freelance Writing Business

2008-08-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

Though writing on the web is a fairly new field, it is growing and a great option for writers of all ages and backgrounds. In this article, I want to give you tips and direct you to resources that would get you off to a good start.

1) The first thing to do is to give some thought into what you would like to write about.

This is because some websites may be better suited for you than others. For example, eHow is a fantastic site for writing how-to articles and pays well in my opinion, but their format does not fit creative writing such as short stories or poetry.

In any type of business, it's almost always to your advantage to have a niche or specialty. That doesn't mean that you can't do other things, but it helps from a marketing standpoint. If you write on a particular topic really well, that can be carried across different formats including articles, blogs, and even books.

2) Next, do a search for websites that will pay you for the content you want to produce.

Read the fine-print and terms of working with these websites carefully. I personally work with sites that pay for non-exclusive rights, meaning that the site is paying you to display your work but you still own it.

If you don't know where to begin, I have a short list of general sites I work with at Web Writer Central. This information is free, and given enough time you can figure more out on your own once you understand how these sites generally work.

3) Begin building up an inventory of content.

I began making money with my articles and short stories the first week I found a set of paid writing sites. It took about six months however to generate an income that I consider significant. In less than a year, I'm not too far away from being able to do this full-time without needing a job. It's just like any other business, but in this case your creative work is your product.

4) From a financial standpoint, I find it easier to have one bank account to send your earnings that's separate from your personal account.

Speak with the person who does your taxes, and they can give you more information on what records you need to keep and what is and isn't considered tax deductible with your expenses.

5) Something that I've found very helpful is connecting all of my articles and stories to each other, so if a reader likes one thing I do they will continue to read more.

More Tips:

Though it may seem counter-intuitive for some people, networking with other online writers is helpful. The more you help other people, the more it comes back to you. I learned that from business experience in general.

Another aspect of this business you can grow is writing for company and individual websites. It's just a matter of letting people know what you do.

Don't get discouraged by the pennies you make in the beginning--it does add up!

Resources:

Web Writer Central
Ehow.com
Hubpages.com
Squidoo.com
Writing.com
Constant-Content.com
Gather.com

How to Be More Organized

2008-08-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Something I've realized about everyday life is that the average person is so busy that organization has become a big priority. I used to tell myself I was too busy to really get myself organized, but I've learned that taking the time to do some basic things will help most people have more time long-term.

1) First, I think the most important step in all of this is taking the time to look at your daily routine.

What are your biggest daily hassles? Do you find yourself forgetting where you placed something or remembering appointments at the last minute? I'm not a big fan of organization for organization's sake (alphabetizing my CD collection is not big on my list because my time is limited), but if you give it some thought we all have areas we could focus on that would improve our lives and reduce stress we wouldn't otherwise have.

2) Finances are a big area of life that it's helpful to improve your organization.

You can start this by creating a simple budget. It doesn't have to be complicated but will let you know where you stand on things. Below I'm including a helpful budget template below from Dave Ramsey's website.

Another thing my husband and I did was buy a marker board, where we could list out when everything was due and how much needed to be paid. Put it somewhere you'll see it on a daily basis but not where guests will typically see it. We chose the hallway between our bedroom and our bathroom.

3) A few years ago, I started carrying a small notebook with me.

It was originally to help me keep track of writing ideas before I forgot them, but I found it useful for just remembering things in general. Keep one with you in your car, your home, and at work. For less than $5, you have a great organization tool. I'm a high-tech person in other areas, but storing things in my cell phone honestly didn't work as well for me. A PDA or PDA-like phone probably would work better if you're willing to keep track of it.

4) Periodically it's good to go through your home and get rid of clutter.

This way when you go to find something you need, you have less to deal with. I'm pretty quick with this process and do a little at a time. You just need two trash bags, one for things to give away and one for things to throw away.

More Tips:

If you hate junk mail, consider canceling mailings of pre-approved credit card offers by contacting the three major credit card bureaus. This cut our junk mail significantly after about two weeks.

Realize that this is a process and not something you just have to come up with overnight. I think a major mistake people make is that they treat organization like a fad diet and quit after a few weeks of trying--instead, you need to make minor changes that you can live with and then gradually work your way into being more organized. Over time, you'll notice a major difference if you just work on this a little each day.

Resources:

Dave Ramsey's Free Budget Template

How to Get a Good Night's Sleep (Without Medication)

2008-08-29T20:53:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I used to have a hard time falling asleep a night on a regular basis. If you're having this issue, I want to share some ideas that helped me. Hopefully they will be helpful to you as well.

1) First of all, the most important thing you need to determine is why you're having trouble falling asleep.

Not being able to fall asleep can be caused by physical situations (what you're eating a night, your mattress, etc) or psychological situations (stress and worry over something).

2) If the situation seems to be from a physical cause, you can try several things.

One is to look at what you're eating before you go to bed. Even if you're avoiding caffeine at night, there may be some other food or drink that's affecting you. If you're hungry at night, consider soothing foods or drinks with protein including milk, turkey, or peanut-based products.

3) Check and make sure your mattress, bedsprings, or pillow is not making you uncomfortable and causing you to toss and turn all night.

Rotate your mattress periodically and consider purchasing a new one if needed. It's worth it when you consider how much sleep can impact your life.

4) If you're having trouble sleeping due to overall stress or a particular stressful situation, you're going to have to find ways of either dealing with the tension in a healthy way or resolving the issue.

This is going to vary according to how much of the situation you can control, and it's something that doesn't always happen overnight. Stress is your body's way of telling you something isn't right in your life, which is why trying to mask the symptoms alone with medications won't help long-term.

More Tips:

Exercise helps a lot as well, especially if your daily routine has you in front of a computer all day. Just 15-30 minutes a day helps a lot.

The environment of your bedroom is very important. My husband and I don't keep a TV in our bedroom for this reason. Ideally you want it as dark and quiet as possible. Sometimes relaxation music isn't bad, but anything else will likely just keep you awake.

There are physical sleep disorders that you should consider seeing a doctor about if you've tried everything you can and nothing seems to be working. I just worry about people jumping to medications first to treat symptoms without addressing the core of the problem.

How to Remember People's Names

2008-08-29T20:49:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a situation where you're quickly introduced to someone and then later can't remember their name? What's worse is when the other person remembers yours and later keeps inserting it into the conversation! Most likely what has happened however is the person is using a memory technique to help remember your name. In this article, I'll give you ideas that can help you use memory techniques as well.

1) First of all, you have to learn how to be prepared for situations where you may be introduced to some new people.

I think part of the issue is we're sometimes caught off-guard with introductions when we really shouldn't be. If you're in a new job situation or a party, know ahead of time that you're going to meet some new people. This will cause you to pay attention.

2) Hopefully when you meet the person, his or her name relates somehow to someone you already know.

For example, I've had people say to me that my name was easy to remember because they have a sister, aunt, cousin, etc. with the same time. If you can relate the name to someone already familiar to you, the familiar person will be easier to bring up in your memory.

3) To help the person's name sink in, picture it visually (written out) as well as saying it out loud.

Basically when you meet the person, you can say, "Great meeting you, (name here)." Don't overdo it, but saying people's names a few times that same day in conversation will help you as well.

More Tips:

I know it's a little embarrassing, but when you forget someone's name it's all right to ask the person again within a short time frame. They may be experiencing the same situation and ask your name again!

If you forget a person's name at an initial introduction, you can sometimes pay attention to see if anyone else calls the person by name.

How to Develop Self-Confidence

2008-08-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

A healthy level of self-confidence can play a major role in your success in life. In this article, I will discuss ideas that have personally helped me over time and that I believe can help other people as well.

1) Don't worry about being "perfect."

Perfectionism and excellence are not the same thing. Worrying about embarrassment over any minor mistake can keep you from taking good opportunities that can challenge you and help you grow as a person.

2) Don't fear failures.

In school we're often taught that failure is a horrible thing that should be avoided. In reality, failure is a way to learn. It's often not the most fun way to learn, but if you study successful people you'll find that they fail more than the average person. This is how they find success.

3) Learn how to develop a positive attitude.

Two people can have the same exact skills and abilities, but attitude will set them apart in how far they get in life. This isn't an overnight process but something you have to do over time.

4) Count your blessings.

We've all had times when we're harder on ourselves than we really should be. Sometimes it takes setting down and assessing the good in our lives to appreciate what we really have and what we have to offer.

5) Grow a little each day.

Dramatic changes in life are few and far between, but it is amazing when you look back over the course of a year or two when you're making small daily changes to improve your life. Daily habits and attitudes do matter.

More Tips:

I used to think self-confidence was something you either had or didn't have. Even if you think you can't be confident, you have the potential to change that regardless of your personality type. It just comes down to deciding to work at it.

How to Negotiate With a Car Salesman

2008-08-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

Being good friends with a former general manager of a car dealership, I've learned a lot of both myths and facts about negotiating with car salesmen. These tips have saved my husband and I quite a bit of money over time, and I hope they will help you as well.

1) First, I think it's very important before you set foot in a car lot to do your homework, both on the car you're interested in as well as the dealership itself.

Two good places to start on learning a car's true value are Kelly Blue Book and N.A.D.A. I'm going to provide links to both below. As far as learning the reputation on a dealership, ask as many friends and family members that you can about good and bad experiences they've had.

2) After you have a good idea of what you want, the next step is going to the car dealership itself.

The main thing to keep in mind here is your body language. Trained salespeople can recognize an impulse buyer by their behavior, no matter how much they verbally say, "I'm just looking." You also want to be polite but say very little in the beginning. This tends to throw salespeople off guard a little, making the "talking" types more likely to tell you possible things wrong about the car you wouldn't even think of asking!

3) This doesn't happen as much anymore, but don't fall for the "I need to discuss this with my manager" technique (where the salesperson is really taking a coffee break for 5 minutes).

This is sometimes used when you make an offer, and the salesperson comes back to you and says "Sorry, I tried but that's not good enough." If the salesperson is not the decision maker when it comes to offers, ask to speak directly with the person that has that power.

4) If at all possible, have cash for the vehicle (see some of my other money articles if you're tired of being in debt) so you have a visual of what the salesperson is going to lose if you walk away.

The ability to walk away is your strongest negotiating tactic as a customer. You don't have to be mean, but you should be firm enough that you know the value of your own money and what you want to do with it.

More Tips:

The best time to buy a car is late in the month (dealership trying to make quota) and on a weekday morning (typically slower).

Realize that newer cars generally drop in value at a higher percentage than cars 5 years and older. Don't get yourself in a situation where you're "upside-down" (where what is owed on the vehicle is more than the value of the vehicle itself if you sell it).

Consider this same technique when it comes to furniture, which has a much higher mark-up than cars as a percentage. One of the things that amazed my friend is that people are willing to talk a car salesman down in price but will then pay full retail for their furniture!

Resources:

NADA Website
Kelly Blue Book

How to Prepare a Home First-Aid Kit

2008-08-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

A first-aid kit is one household item you don't want to be lacking when you need it. There are pre-made kits out there that are perfectly fine as far as their contents, but you can save quite a bit of money by creating one yourself.

1) Start with your general equipment and utensils.

These include a bottle of water, bulb syringe, candles, chemical-activated hot and cool packs, CPR face mask, flashlight, latex gloves, matches, scissors with curved tips, small blanket, small towel (serves as buffer to hot and cool packs), soap, thermometer, and tweezers.

2) Next, you'll need to add a variety of bandages.

Things you'll need in this category include adhesive tape, elastic bandages, roll of gauze, sterile cotton balls, sterile gauze pads, and safety pins for wrap bandages.

3) Third, you're going to need medications and lotions.

These including aspirin, ibuprofen, antacids, antihistamine, decongestant, acetaminophen, sugar or glucose solution, calamine lotion, insect repellent, syrup of ipecac, and sunscreen.

4) Fourth, you'll need antiseptics.

Have a bottle of rubbing alcohol (70%), alcohol wipes, hydrogen peroxide, and insect sting swabs.

5) Last but not least, buy a small notebook

This is to serve as a place to store important contact numbers outside of 9-1-1(such as your family doctor and your local poison control center) and medical information such as allergies and a list of medications anyone in the family is taking. While traveling, keep a similar list near your driver's license as well.

More Tips:

Be sure to check your kit periodically for anything that expires. Since we all have busy lives, pick specific times of the year such as daylight savings time or when you change out your smoke detector batteries. If you have an opportunity, taking a first-aid/CPR class can be very helpful knowledge as well.

To save money what my husband and I did for our kits was buy all the needed supplies at once at a wholesale club store, allowing us to create one kit for our house and one for each of our vehicles for slightly more than it costs to buy one pre-made kit retail. By buying in bulk, you can split up a lot of boxed items such as bandages, alcohol wipes, etc.

How to Learn More About Media Careers

2008-08-29T20:20:00.000-07:00

Due to the continued growth of the Internet, careers in areas such as broadcasting, public relations, advertising, and writing for media have also continued to grow. In this article, I will direct you to resources to help you learn more about media careers.

1) In every one of the career articles I'm writing, I'm directing people the Occupational Outlook Handbook website which is operated by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Here you can find specific information on average pay, future growth, and typical working conditions for many careers. I'm including links below related to several media careers.

2) Something I really wish I had done when I was in college was gotten an internship with a TV station (I was a broadcasting major).

What isn't always told to students is that practical experience has a high priority, sometimes even over formal education. To be successful, you need a healthy balance of both.

3) Make efforts to find someone in the field you're interested in that can tell you more about their everyday life.

They can give you information on what to expect and help you determine if the career has the lifestyle that you want.

4) Another great resource to explore are conventions and expositions held by media organizations where you can meet experts in the field.

These usually range from free to less than $100 according to the length of the event and if it is sponsored by a corporation. I'm aware of NBS (National Broadcasting Society) and NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) for my field but doing a Google search on National (insert your field here) Society will likely help you find more information. These conferences are fun, and be prepared to carry away bags of free stuff like pens, mouse pads, sticky notes, etc. from vendors. I've even met famous authors in the field and received free autographed books before!

Additional Tip:

I think something important to remember about media careers in general is that they're constantly adapting to new formats. I think the future is heading to where Internet-related careers are going to equal or surpass where most of the jobs are now. Now is a good time to get on the leading-edge of that if you can find the right opportunity.

Resources:

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Advertising, Marketing, and Promotions Information
News and Journalism
Career Search

How to Learn More About Administrative Careers

2008-08-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

One of the problems I remember encountering in high school and college was finding good information about different careers. This article is the second in a series where I've researched basic information about careers, in this case administrative positions. I hope you find the information useful and helpful.

1) First, there is some research on accounting careers that you can do at home or at school. A good place to start is the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

I've included links to areas of the site you may find useful specifically for administrative careers at the end of this article. Feel free to explore the site yourself as well, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Labor. You can find information such as average salaries, educational requirements, typical working conditions, and expected future growth of many careers.

2) If you're still in high school or college, see if you can arrange an internship where you can work with an administrative assistant or manager.

This will help you test drive the career and see if you'd actually like it long-term.

3) If you can't find a long-term opportunity, an alternative is getting permission to spend a day with someone.

While you won't get the same amount of experience out of it, it's better than leaping into the career without knowing what to expect.

More Tips:

Administrative positions vary widely, so if possible while you're planning or attending college you may want to research the different areas that interest you the most. This way you can pursue those options and not spend as much time on aspects you don't enjoy.

Realize that your career is a process and that you don't have to know everything in your late teens and early 20s. Having an idea of what to expect however can help you decide if something interests you or not.

Resources:

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Secretary and Administrative Assistant Information
Occupation Search

How to Learn More About Accounting Careers

2008-08-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school and college, I was interested in many careers but wasn't quite sure where to find good information. In this article, I'll provide you links and ideas on exploring the possibility of a career in the accounting field.

1) First, there is some research on accounting careers that you can do at home or at school.

A good place to start is the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Useful information available includes average salaries, typical working conditions, and career growth projections.
I've included links to the online version of this book you may find useful specifically for accounting at the end of this article. Feel free to explore the entire site yourself as well, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Labor.

2) If you're still in high school or college, see if you can arrange an internship through your school where you can work with an accountant.

This will help you test drive the career and see if you'd actually like it long-term.

3) If this is not possible, at least try to find an accountant (possibly one that is self-employed) who will let you spend a day with them for a shorter experience of what the position is like.

More Tips:

Realize that creating a career for yourself is a process. You don't have to know everything in your late teens and early 20s, but it's better when you're well-informed and know what to expect.

If you're Generation Y or younger, you have to expect the possibility of having multiple careers during your lifetime. This should be something to consider when setting career and education goals.

Resources:

Occupational Outlook Handbook
Accountants and Auditors Information
Occupation Search

How to Protect Your Small Business From Identity Thieves

2008-08-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

Second to individuals, small businesses have the potential to be very vulnerable to identity theft scams. Working in the charge back department of a credit card processing company, I personally seen the impact of this problem for small business owners. In this article, I want to share tips that I hope will help you reduce your risk with this issue:

1) Read all the materials given to you by your credit card processing company.

If you're not given information on how to reduce your risks of being scammed, call them up and ask them if there's anything available that they can provide you. Being proactive may help you get extra materials that may not get sent out in your welcome packet.

2) Check Identification.

Sometimes you can get so excited over a big sale that the idea of offending someone by asking for ID may come to mind. This mistake can cost you a lot of money and could possibly ruin your business financially later on.

3) For on-line purchases, make sure to get verification through an AVS code of Y or a CVV Match of M (both would be better).

If you're not familiar with these methods of verification, call up your credit card processor and ask them for more information. Most business owners may be given this in an initial packet but may not know that these will at least give evidence that the use of a credit card was not fraud. Also if these don't check out, don't force the sale. You'll have a high chance of getting a charge back down the road.

4) When shipping, use the most accurate form of proof of delivery as you can.

Again, this will help you if you receive a charge back for the item not being delivered or the claim that the purchase was made with stolen information.

5) Be skeptical of large purchases coming from overseas countries where you have no established business ties.

Ask your credit card processor for a list of primary countries where these scams are originating from. Basically you'll receive a request for a very large purchase from your company and to send it to an overseas address. The credit card goes through, and you send the merchandise. Problem is the information was stolen. Not only do you get hit with lost merchandise but you'll likely lose the income from the sale.

More Tips:

Make sure your employees are trained to check ID as well and that they don't let it slip. Obviously they're going to know regular customers over time, but I'm thinking more along the lines of busy times of the year such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Obviously it's hard to cover every situation that can happen in one article. My best advice is to work with your credit card processor and do your homework when it comes to this issue.

Another common scam that was used against merchants was the customer calling their "bank" to authorize a purchase after a credit card didn't verify correctly. In reality, they were calling an accomplice. In those situations, ask for the name of the customer's bank, and you personally look up the number in a phone book. Use your phone and not their cell phone.

How to Do Interior Design on a Budget

2008-08-29T19:43:00.001-07:00

While I definitely don't look down on people who hire interior decorators, with your own home you may want to try doing it yourself. Here is what I consider to be a good list of alternative actions a person can take to get a nice look on a budget:

1) Before you start, take the time to gather resources and information for your project.

This can include watching home and garden cable networks (which have shows hosted by professional designers), consulting design magazines for ideas, and seeing what resources you can find on the Internet. I believe just because you're doing something yourself doesn't mean you have to go into a project not knowing what you're doing. If possible, you want to have people somewhat surprised that you did it yourself.

2) Consider the look you're wanting, along with the purpose of the room.

A room can look very nice and still not make guests uncomfortable about moving a throw pillow two inches to left and "ruining" it. I've actually laughed at some covers of interior magazines I've seen after picturing a real family living in such a pristine room. There's organized, and then there's impossibly organized. I think when it comes to this we all have to find a happy medium.

3) Prior to any action, get input from everyone else who uses the room.

For example, a desk may look nicer in a certain part of the room but may be too far away from a power source for your family member to use it for their computer very long. There are little things you may not think about where you need feedback just to be considerate of other people who use the room.

4) As with anything you do yourself, give yourself room to learn and even make mistakes.

I think when it comes to our homes, it's more important that we enjoy living in them than becoming frustrated with trying to create the "perfect" look. It's really comes down to a personal decision on what you want and how much time and energy you're willing to dedicate.

More Tips:

Many home and garden websites not only have general tips put project documents that you can print and download for free!

Consider looking up design principles such as color theory and perspective as well. While they're mainly in the general art field, they are helpful.

With things such as paint and wallpaper, always get samples and check to make sure you like them in different light conditions. Just tape the sample to the wall and check it throughout the day. Otherwise it may cost you extra time and money to change it again.

Resources:

HGTV's Website
HGTV Pro
DIY Network

How to Reduce Stress in Your Life

2008-08-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Stress can be a very odd thing sometimes. When it comes to business or a job, it can sometimes motivate you to do better than if you weren't under pressure. Taken to the extremes however, it can paralyze your decision-making and be very unhealthy over long periods of time. In this article, I will discuss ways to reduce the bad form of stress in your life.

1) Develop a positive attitude about life in general.

This doesn't happen overnight but is something you have to put effort into on a daily basis until it becomes habit. Ways you can do this include reading books, hanging around other people who have good attitudes, and avoiding people and situations that drag your mood down. Doing this won't make you become exempt from having challenging situations coming into your life, but if you gain maturity in this you'll know how to handle things better.

2) Have a place you can go for at least 15 minutes quiet time during your day.

This could be at work or your home, depending on which is less hectic. Sometimes when a lot of things are going on, you just need a place to rest and clear your head for a moment. If you can, it helps to do this more than once, especially on busy days. Though it seems to take away time where you could be doing something, you'll find you're more efficient and organized when you get focused. Some days I just come home from work and take a short 15 minute nap so I can shift from what I was working on earlier in the day to something totally different.

3) Laugh on a daily basis.

There is some truth to the saying, "Laughter is the best medicine." Ever notice when you get done laughing with a group of friends or after a funny movie that you usually feel really good for a long time afterward? Your body physically reacts to laughter, and it's a great way to reduce stress.

4) If you have the money, splurge on a back massage or trip to the spa.

I honestly grew up near the poverty level, so my mom never got the opportunity to do stuff like this. About a year ago however I was invited to go to a spa with a group of friends.

This is not something I can afford to do a whole lot right now, but I was surprised that the cost to go to one with a group (something you may be able to arrange with several friends) wasn't as much as I thought it would be. I don't think I've ever been so relaxed, and it was worth it.

An alternative that's little less draining on the budget is to take a warm bath with relaxing music playing. In either case, be prepared to likely fall asleep.

5) Exercise.

Exercise is really good for getting the tension from stress out of your system. I like to exercises in general, but as far as stress relief it seems to be the most helpful when you're frustrated about something.

6) Work toward doing things that you really like as far as your career.

I think jobs are the top stress producers for a lot of people, especially for people who are in a career for the wrong reasons. I've found over time that if I enjoy what I'm doing, any challenges are worth overcoming. Work doesn't have to be such a terrible thing, but people can let it take over their lives and overpower other parts of their lives.

We've had to be extremely careful about that in our situation, but for the past few years my husband and I have been working on businesses together in addition to our jobs. In that way, it's not been a whole lot different than spending time together in any other activity. We're just making money at the same time, and we have fun.

7) Keep your priorities in check.

I think this idea encompasses all of the previous ones. Life is very rarely free of any stress, so you have to set priorities on what matters to you most. In this way, you can get through a lot of obstacles that would have bothered you a lot more otherwise. I think this cuts down on the stress that a lot of us tend to generate from our own thinking that's not necessarily as bad as it appears to us.

How to Start a Business With No Prior Experience

2008-08-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

Having your own business has a lot of benefits, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming on where to even start. I just want to share with you some things that have worked for my husband and me and hopefully give you enough advice to where you'll know what you need to do next:

1) Know why you want to have a business.

Having a business is very different from being an employee, and you have to have enough drive to get you through when things get tough. Otherwise, it's very easy to give up when results don't initially appear. Everyone's "why" is different, and sometimes it changes as your life situation changes. The point is everyone needs a reason to motivate them.

2) Educate yourself by reading practical business books.

Sometimes when you're new in business it feels awkward just approaching an owner at random and asking, "How did you do it?" Starting out I didn't know that most business owners usually don't mind telling you their story, as long as you're not going to use the information to become a direct competitor.

So in the beginning I did the next best thing, which was browsing business and financial books at retail bookstores and libraries. There are going to be authors that "click" with your goals and personality, but a few of my favorites include Napoleon Hill, Robert Kiyosaki, Dan Miller, Dave Ramsey, and John Maxwell. I also read autobiographies of business owners, which can be useful in learning how they think.

3) Find a good mentor or mentors.

The best way to become successful in business is to get around other successful business owners. You can do this by working for one (preferably a small business where you get time with them) or by joining a local business group.

4) Don't limit yourself to one business or income source, especially with the Internet.

I personally believe there is more business opportunity out there than there ever has been in history. Right now, I'm only 24-years-old and have at least 7 income sources that I personally work on. That's not including my husband's job and projects he works on. When you "diversify your career" as I call it, not only do your finances become more stable but you make more money. It takes time and you have to be patient, but it works.

5) Realize that developing a solid business or set of businesses is a process.

You need to go through a time where you educate yourself before making the leap into business. Every business owner makes mistakes and has failures, but if you do what I suggested in the previous steps it will help your chances.

6) Enjoy the rewards of your work.

A really great moment is after a lot of work, things begin to pay off more than you ever expected. For us, I'm going to be able to stay home when we have kids. We've also been able to give what used to take us 1/3 of the year to just earn at our jobs. Being a business owner is very fun in a lot of ways, and it's wonderful when things get stable.

Life is short and very precious, and I want to encourage you that if you want to do this, start taking steps in the right direction. You don't have to know everything, and you're always going to be learning something new. Taking action now is a whole lot better than having regret 10, 20, or 30 years down the road. I wish you the very best and hope this has been helpful to you!

More Tips:

I personally don't suggest to people that they go into debt to start a business. Not only does it hurt your business financially from the very beginning, but it takes away the opportunity to be creative and figure our a way to full it off. In business, your mind is a whole lot more valuable than initial capital!

Be sure to talk with your tax accountant and make sure you keep good records. Doing this from the very beginning is very helpful, especially if you're coming from a situation where you've always been an employee.

Don't get frustrated from the initial lack of instant results. I've had situations where the financial payoff from effort into my business didn't show up until weeks or months later.

How to Know When to Close a Home-Based Business

2008-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Should I close this business? It's a painful question to ask yourself, whether the business is home-based or traditional. You've worked hard and have done everything you know to keep the business afloat, but all the symptoms still seem to tell you the business is failing. It's hard sometimes with such a strong emotional tie to know whether to keep moving forward or cut your losses.

I want to walk you through some ideas that may help you decide what to do. The final decision is yours, but it always helps to have an objective person look at the situation. I do suggest you do that in addition this article, not with just any objective person but with people who understand business. The following are general areas of business you need to look over on why the business isn't functioning correctly:

1) Find out if the failure a debt issue you can't fix.

The immediate picture that comes to my mind is when people go into too much debt to try to make a business work. Interest payments end up offsetting any profit to the point you never get ahead. Your overall idea may have been sound, but you have to picture debt as dropping water on a fire--eventually the flame is going to go out.

You also never want to get to the point where you're leveraging your home, 401k, or any other assets to make a failing business work. People create businesses to help them financially, not harm them. It's easy to forget that sometimes when you feel in the middle of it all.

2) Determine if you have a cash flow issue.

There are also situations that there just isn't enough of a market for the product or service to be worth your money and effort. Your income simply isn't going to catch up with your expenses no matter how much you put into it--there's this feeling like you're spending $1 to make 99 cents over and over. Unfortunately, a slow leak is still a leak. The only way to turn this around is to fix the expense side of things.

3) Is it a time issue?

If you're in a position where you're having to work a lot of hours just to keep the business afloat and sincerely don't see any hope of changes, you probably need to still shut the business down just for the sake of your health and sanity. That's usually a personal call to make, but just realize that your time may be better spent on another project.

4) Lastly, are you only going on because of emotion?

None of us like to fail, but there are some cases where shutting down may be your best option until you can recover and try again. Something I've never seen factored into business failure statistics the people who keep trying-sometimes it just takes a few failures to learn enough to be successful long-term. Most successful people have failed more than the average person in their field. They learn from the experience and move on to better things.

Additional Tip:

Either way you decide to go, just don't let fear or denial of the situation rule your decision-making. Confront the situation head-on to either change its course or let it go. It's the best thing you can do for yourself and your family.

How to Succeed in Self-Employment

2008-08-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

When people make a transition into self-employment, there's a lot of things they need to consider as a new self-employed professional. Even though you often still have a lot of the same skills as an employee in the same field, you need a different thought process to succeed. Here are some things I think are helpful to someone just starting out:

1) Get Yourself on a Schedule That Works For You:

One of the biggest advantages of self-employment is flexibility. When you're getting paid by the project instead of by the hour, a 9 to 5 and Monday-Friday format may not work for what you do. It may be easier for example to have 4 long days of 12-14 hours, but then you have 3 days off to do what you'd like. You may be more productive at 2 A.M. in the morning than most people are during the day. Factoring in the nature of your business, try to experiment and find what works best for you.

2) Always Be in a State of Learning About Your Field and Business in General:

When you work for yourself, often you don't have anyone directing you toward what you need to learn. You need to be very proactive about this. Subscribe to magazines and buy books related to your field. Go to seminars and workshops. Also, be sure to check with your accountant to find out what can and can't be considered business expenses as far as your taxes.

3) Learn How to Keep Your Finances in Line:

If you start doing this while your business is small, it makes things easier when you do grow. Take some time to learn how to track your finances and budget your business to where you'll grow with stability. Keep good records and have them all in one easy place such as a designated filing cabinet.

4) Become Active in Your Local Community:

When a lot of people talk about networking, they often make it sound like this cold static event where people shake hands and trade business cards. One of my favorite things about being self-employed is genuinely getting to know other people I wouldn't have met sitting in a cubicle all day.

5) Love What You're Doing:

One of the things I see people do a lot with their jobs is they live their life in compartments of job, family, hobbies, friends, church, and so on. It doesn't necessarily feel like the same life all the time as much as it does a series of roles that they're playing. Self-employment at it's best is more of a lifestyle than a career.

More Tips:

Starting out, you're probably going to have to work more hours than the average 40 that many employees work. However, as your business develops and grows, things should gradually get a lot easier to the point you're better off than most employees within a few years. It's a trade-off that just involves a lot of delayed gratification.

From my personal experience, it is better to keep your business debt-free from the beginning and grow slower than it is to leverage yourself into quicker growth that may or may not happen. I run my businesses through a checking account with a debit card and have never had any issues. Your bank statement serves as a back-up to your recorded income and expenses.

How to Create a Resume that Stands Out

2008-08-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

When writing a resume, you need to be careful of with overused words and phrases. Probably the best way approach this issue is to put yourself in the position of a hiring manager or HR employee. Can you imagine trying to search through a stack of resumes containing a bunch of self-motivated team players with great interpersonal skills and the ability to multi-task and to adapt quickly in an ever-changing work environment? Sometimes I wonder if they're laughing over the fact that everyone seems to be using the same resume template! The following are some ideas to consider when creating your resume:

1) Keep Your Focus:

The purpose of a resume is to get an employer's attention enough so you have the opportunity to interview. The resumes that have worked best for me personally have not made me look like the generic perfect employee that everyone thinks employers want. I don't make myself look worse than what I am, but there is at least some humanity in it.

2) Show You Have Qualifying Skills:

With your skills section, treat it as a kind of "just the facts" category. You can put things there like your typing speed, computer programs you're familiar with, and any specific skills needed for the position. It's probably the most impersonal section of your resume, but it makes it easier for the employer to know that you're qualified. Be sure to include the specific skills for the position based on the job listing, and that will allow you to double-check that you meet all the job's requirements.

3) Bringing Life to Your Work History:

When you begin listing your work history however, take a few sentences and describe what experience you got out of the position. Even the worst jobs out there have a lesson in them, and it's a way of showing an overall good attitude if you do it right. Just remember to keep it short, as most resumes should not be more than 2 pages total.

4) Don't Forget a Cover Letter:

Take advantage of doing a short cover letter along with your resume as well. This give you some flexibility in that it lets an employer get to know you better and allows you to provide more details to the short sentences you have in your resume. It also helps you stand out, as a smaller percentage of people even do cover letters now.

More Tips:

Be as specific as you can with details of your duties and the work environment. For example, if I had just put "manager at movie theater," some employers may think that meant I stayed up in a booth all night with a book and had very little human contact. I would want to put that I had a high degree of contact with the public not only in customer service but in advertising and promotions as well. This is especially important in small business positions, where it's not always obvious if you were a Jack(or Jill)-of-All-Trades.

Don't exaggerate on your resume to the point of lying. You may get the job only to lose it when the truth is found out.

How to Create Income Using the Internet

2008-08-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

As someone who makes more than half my income from the Internet, I can tell you that it has a lot of advantages if you're willing to do the work. For most people, it's not something you can just do overnight (it took me 5 years for my Internet income to surpass my job income) but it's not impossible to do either.

1) Getting Started:

If you're brand new to Internet business, I'd recommend starting out in some type of online sales such as Amazon or Ebay just to get your feet wet. You can grow these businesses as big or as little as you want, and they're a great environment to make beginner's mistakes without a lot of risk. Like any business, there's a learning curve to it. Just be patient and learn, and even the average person with no prior business experience can make a nice side income.

2) Try Online Surveys:

These are not bad when you're starting out and want extra money, but the only disadvantage is they do still take up your time. They're very flexible, but to make a decent income you're going to feel like you have another job. I now have this limited to a couple of favorites that pay well and pay quickly. Never pay to enter into these or for a "list" of possible survey companies. That is a scam in the fact you can find the same information on your own.

3) Residual Income Sources:

Ideally, you want Internet income sources that pay residual income. This means you get paid over and over again for a single initial effort. Most jobs don't offer this, and it makes the Internet very appealing.

An example is if you're an expert in a particular field and want to write a short e-book to help people. You only have to write the book once, and if it's popular it can become an income source to you month after month each time it's downloaded. Sites like Lulu.com and others allow you to sell books at no upfront cost to you. They just get a commission every time a book sells.

It just takes some time and experimenting to figure out what will sell. You also have the option of building residual income from freelance writing sites who make money from advertising and share it with their writers. Ehow.com is one of these and is very good.

4) Do More Than Just One Thing:

Overall, to make the most money on the Internet you just need to do more than one thing. Pick some side businesses that you enjoy, and it's really not an extra burden to you. I'm in the middle of repositioning my career to where most of the things I do are online. I like the flexibility and the ability to make more money over time than a traditional job. It does take time and effort, but I think it's worth doing.

More Tips:

Legitimate network marketing companies are also an option if you enjoy working in group environments. Just check them out with the Better Business Bureau and make sure you understand how they work. Again, just expect to put as much time into them as you would a traditional business if you want them to work for you. You can make money over time, but it's not overnight.

How to Get Out of Debt

2008-08-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

When it comes to managing your debt and getting it paid off, there really is no magic quick-fix. Having a system and a plan will help you however, but I don't mean "shuffling" your debt. You can try chasing lower interest rates and moving your balances from card to card, but it doesn't solve the real problem. Here are some starting ideas and resources to help you solve the root of the problem of debt:

1) Realize Debt is a Product, Not a Necessity:

Debt has been so highly marketed to my generation that it is just sad to me. People who don't know any better get themselves so leveraged in debt that almost all of their paychecks are going toward monthly payments. A layoff would wreck their finances within a month.

2) Make a Decision that You Want to Change:

When I first graduated from college, my husband and I felt the financial pressure of a similar situation. We made up our minds that we weren't going to keep living that way. I think making the decision to change is really half the battle. Debt is also something that's difficult to just "try" to fix. If your heart's not in it, no plan will work for you.

3) Cap Your Overspending:

You can attack debt on two fronts. The first is to get yourself to the point where you're living below your means and don't have to keep borrowing. This can require something as small as eating at home more and packing your lunch to selling the car you have because the payments are taking up a lot of your cash. Doing this is really hard in the beginning, but as you get your finances back on track you'll be thankful that you did it.

4) Pay Off Your Existing Debt

Next you need to have a system of paying off your existing debt. My husband and I got Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover, which has a great way of doing this. You can read more details in the book, but the idea of paying off smaller balances first and working your way up (called the "debt snowball") does work. I'm not the spreadsheet type, so the more practical the system the more easy it is to stick with it.

5) Find Ways to Increase Your Income:

A great side-effect of wanting to pay off debt is it made us more determined to find extra ways of making money. Our overall household income has nearly tripled from when we first got married. That is exciting to me because after we're out of debt, that money is going to be available for us to buy a home, fund our retirement, and allow us to do a lot of good things we couldn't have done otherwise.

6) Realize that Getting Out of Debt is a Process and the Advantages of Getting Out of Debt are Worth It:

As I said earlier, mainly what you need is just the desire to get out of debt and the willingness to do what it takes to get you there. For most people it won't happen overnight, but the rewards are worth it. I think it's amazing what a person can do when they have their financial freedom, and I'm personally looking forward to it. I hope you put some thought into it and make that decision for yourself as well.

How to Understand the Breakdown of a FICO or Credit Score

2008-08-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

Knowing what makes up your credit score, also known as a FICO score, can help you determine what situations can cause it to go up and down. Here is what I've found listed as the breakdown of a credit score on www.myfico.com:

A credit score is currently made up of five components:

1) Payment History: 35% (This usually goes back between 7-10 years on your report; score drops if you pay late, quit paying, have a bankruptcy or foreclosure.)

2) Capacity (Amount You Owe): 30%

3) Length of Credit History: 15% (Includes unused accounts.)

4) Types of Credit: 10% (Mortgages, credit cards, student loans, etc.)

5) New Credit: 10% (Inquiries and requests for more credit.)

Ethically, if you have credit you should pay things on time and should automatically have a good score because of this.

If there is inaccurate information on your credit bureau, you do have the ability to call the reporting company and have it fixed within a certain time frame.

Companies that claim they can "fix" your credit for a fee however are scams. Time is really the only other thing that will clean a bad score up if a person makes good with past mistakes.

Another thing to realize is that the FICO should never be used as a pulse for your overall financial health, though it's often portrayed that way.

I've known people who would be to the point of bragging about their "great" credit score, but they're just barely keeping their head above water when it comes to debt in comparison to their income. To have a great credit score for a long period of time, you have to stay in debt. That's just the nature of how it's measured at this point, and income and wealth aren't even factors in it.

Obviously, there's no reason to mess up your score on purpose if you already have debt.

Honor your word and pay your debts. However, don't stay in debt for the sole purpose of having a high score. Remember that debt is a product, and sometimes it's more in the banks' interests than it is yours for you to have a high FICO your whole life. It's something you should at least consider when it comes to your financial decision-making. It's more important to have an overall game plan than to let any single piece of information rule all of your finances.

More Tips:

Sometimes people are surprised to learn that many wealthy people out there have a FICO score of 0, and not just because they were born rich. Some got out of debt (or never got in) and gradually lost their scores over time. They also took the money an average person pays out in interest payments and invested it for their own families. This is short-term sacrifice for long-term gain. It's just debt is so highly marketed that the FICO has taken on almost an emotional attachment to it for some people. This can do more harm than good if taken to extremes.

How to Financially Plan in Your 20s

2008-08-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

Making the right financial decisions in your 20s can long-term give you a great lifestyle for the rest of your life. The following are some tips I've learned through seeking out people who were older and wealthier than me:

1) Find a mentor who is good with money.

You may have someone in your family who always seems to have money under control. This doesn't happen to people by accident. Take the time to listen to what they have to say.

2) Read books that increase your financial knowledge, including those traditionally geared for older age groups.

After awhile, you'll begin to notice trends that keep coming up over and over. You may not want to take the advice of every book at face value, but it gives you a great starting point to thinking for yourself.

3) Learn the concept of delayed gratification.

Short-term sacrifices can become huge long-term gains. Most people in society want things immediately, which is why most people are in debt their whole lives. Rich people often do things that average people find uncomfortable. If you take the time to live below your means and eliminate your debt in your 20s, you can easily be a millionaire by retirement (and retire younger) just by saving what you'd be paying banks in payments. At the very least, learn to stop borrowing money as a solution to your problems. It's not always easy, but it's worthwhile.

4) Find ways to increase your existing income.

Most people are raised to be employees, but it's not your only income option. Investments are good as well, with the realization that they usually only work long-term (5 years+) as opposed to short-term. Never invest in anything you don't understand. If you have no debt, a matching 401K through your job or a Roth-IRA are a good place to start.

5) Part-time businesses are also great to explore in addition to your job and can be transitioned into large income sources.

There are a lot of great businesses out there that take very little money to start-you just have to be willing to do the work and get things to the point your physical presence is not required for the business to work. There are general business books that can show you how to do this.

6) Don't be afraid of making mistakes.

I don't mean go out and do stupid things on purpose. It's just sometimes things happen that you thought would work out right but they don't. Instead of letting it bother and discourage you, learn from it and move forward.

Additional Tip:

If you start several small businesses that bring in repeat income, you can see how those incomes can be "stacked" to create wealth. This is also known as residual or passive income, which can produce you both time and money if you're willing to do a few years of intense initial work. From a personal standpoint, this is what is helping me retire before I'm 30. I can't tell you what's on TV every night, but at this point I really don't care. Getting to do the fun stuff yourself instead of watching other people is great!

How to Start a Business in Your Teens

2008-08-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Starting a business in your teens can be one of the best decisions you can make for your life. The experience you gain will help you financially for the rest of your life, and you will have the opportunity to build wealth at an early age-likely retiring earlier than peers who purely take a job career route. There are a few concepts you need to learn to prepare however, and I want to share them with you.

1) Realize that it's all right to make mistakes, fail, and learn in business.

This may be surprising to some of you, but failure is one of the quickest ways to success--if you learn from it. It's always better to learn from other people's failures first--read business books and talk with any business owner you know who welcomes conversation. They can share with you things they wish they had known earlier.

If you do make a mistake or something doesn't go as planned, it's not fatal. One of the things you have to learn is how to get back up and try something else--the quicker you can do that, the faster you can succeed.

2) Realize that businesses don't have to cost a lot of money to start.

My husband and I own 6 web-based businesses. None of them cost more than $300 to get off the ground. Never go into debt to start a business--if something is going to cost a lot to start, use your creativity to figure out a way to get the money. Debt has a way of dragging you down financially--that includes personal debt such as credit cards as well.

There's also nothing wrong with working a job and starting a business at the same time-that's how most adults start out.

3) Long-term, you goal should be to develop a business that runs as much as possible without your physical presence.

Even adults mess up on this one, basically creating themselves a job instead of a business. With the Internet, you can see how it would be possible to sell something on maybe Amazon or eBay while you're sitting in class. You still had to do the work for the listing, but you're not physically in a store waiting for somebody to buy it. This concept of earning money is called passive income, and you want that as much as possible. This is how people "build" income. They're working on their next project while their earlier projects are earning money for them.

4) Realize that not everyone is going to look at things like you do.

This is mainly something to keep your attitude up. You're likely going to have a least a few friends who think you're crazy "wasting" so much time on a business when you should be a normal teenager and have fun.

To my knowledge, there currently are not any public schools that are teaching kids and teens concepts of entrepreneurship-everyone is taught to go to college (nothing wrong with that) and get a job (which honestly isn't something for everybody). The more you research and learn, it's going to be exciting for you-but not everyone is necessarily going to share in that excitement. Keep a good supportive circle of friends. Also, don't be upset when people tell you how "lucky" you are when you do become successful--sometimes people don't understand the effort behind anything people do in life that's significant.

5) Don't try to rush things and enjoy the process.

Real money is made in business over time, not overnight. When you go into your early 20s and look back, you will definitely see a difference in yourself and your business ability. Don't try to shortcut things when you know the right thing to do.

6) Someday when you're older, you may run across a teenager who is trying to start a business.

Do a little "Pay-It-Forward" and help him or her like I hope this has helped you. Good luck and best wishes to you!

How to Find Nice Gifts for People in Their 20s

2008-08-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Need a gift for someone in their 20s and not sure what to get them? Here is a basic list of what I think are great gift ideas to consider for people my age, which I also hope can fit within most people's budgets:

1) Consider Accessories for Gadgets We Already Own:

Many people in their 20s own either an IPod or similar media player. You can find cases for these (similar to cell phone cases) as well as attachments with different features such as microphones and cameras.

People who have digital cameras (regular and on their cell phones) usually like having extra storage cards, which can be used to transfer files between computers as well. You'll just need to ask what type they have.

2) You Can't Go Wrong With Gift Cards:

These are great, especially if they involve some kind of activity like movies or restaurants. If you know their favorite store, most will have some kind of gift card available.

3) Find Out if They Would Like Tickets to Events:

This is another thing you'd have to ask about if they have a favorite performer who has ticket prices within your budget. That falls into the category of something fun that people may not do for themselves. Just make sure they can make it to the events.

4) We'll Appreciate Anything that Fits Our Hobbies and Interests:

I like it when people are thoughtful and have spent some time finding something that fits me. It doesn't have to be expensive, and the fact you put some time into it shows that you care. Some ideas to think about are what type of music they like, their favorite movies or books, how they spend their free time, etc.

How to Find Ways to Pay for College

2008-08-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

It's difficult when finances interfere with your desire for an education, but you need to plan your decisions well if you want to win. With the costs of a college education rising roughly 7-8% a year (compared to general inflation at around 4%), I can definitely understand why many adults can feel divided on the issue of going back and some recent high school graduates hesitate.

Growing up knowing that my parents could not fully afford to pay for my college education, I had to do a lot of planning to be able to go. After going through the whole process, I hope I can offer advice on things I did right as well as thing I wish I'd known about earlier:

1) Stop by the financial aid office of the college long before you plan to start.

With many forms of financial aid, you need to give yourself plenty of time to apply. If you're not aware of it already, you should definitely fill out a Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) to find out if you qualify for any federal or state grants. You can find more information about this at www.fafsa.ed.gov

2) Apply to any scholarship the college offers that fits you.

It's tedious sometimes, but think of it as getting paid a lot of money to fill out some forms-the more you fill out, the more the odds are in your favor that you'll receive some of them. It is also good at this time to research any off campus scholarships or tuition reimbursements through your job. Be careful when researching scholarships on-line and definitely never pay for a service that claims they can do all the searching for you because you can do the same thing yourself for free.

3) Even if you've never bought anything on-line before, it is worth checking the Internet for your textbooks.

Allow plenty of time for the book to get to you if you use standard shipping(at least 2 weeks if possible) as media mail seems to get slightly slower due to high volume during textbooks seasons. E-mail the merchant ahead of time before you order and request postal insurance to protect your purchase if it's over $20.

4) Consider getting your "core" classes at a smaller community college.

If I had not gotten scholarships to a 4-year university, I would have done this. Most states have standards where larger universities will accept credits from community colleges. Often you can get the same courses for half the price and then move on to your major at a more expensive college. This takes some research, so you may have to make some phone calls and talk to people at both locations to make sure things will work out right without any hassles.

5) Find a job that provides tuition reimbursement.

This can vary by field, but companies such as UPS often offer tuition reimbursement to even part-time employees as part of a benefits package.

6) Borrow only if you need it.

Student loans are very low interest, but they can still impact your cash flow as you pay them off. It's better to try to have some money saved up or work while you're going to school if you can handle it. It's harder at the time, but you'll be in better shape long-term.

7) Consider your purpose for returning to college.

Learning is a very worthwhile thing to do in life, and I'm definitely in favor of people going to college if it helps them achieve their goals and dreams. What you have to be careful of however is spending a lot of money in relation to what you're going to get back in return. For example, I've had friends spend $100,000+ on a education and end up with $20,000/yr jobs in that field. That's obviously a harmful situation financially. There are ways of turning it around, but I think a person should factor that into their decision-making.

More Tips:

Unless you find them helpful, I was able to do without study guides for most subjects. In most cases, the actual textbook will be needed however. Don't risk not getting them and later finding out you need them for assignments.

If you're really on a tight budget, sometimes college and university libraries will keep spare copies of the textbooks that you can't check out but can use inside the building.

How to Show Someone You Love Them

2008-08-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

Before reading Gary Chapman's, "The Five Love Languages," I used to believe there were very limited ways to really communicate that you love someone beyond just telling them. I think it's an important book in that it points out not every way out there of telling someone "I love you" works to the same degree. You have to factor in a person's "love language."

In this article, I'll provide different ways to show someone you love them. You can also visit Gary Chapman's website by clicking here.

1) Compliment them on something that's personally important to them.
This could have something to do with work or a hobby. It helps if you're saying something in public that builds them up. It also feels good to have something nice said behind your back make it's way to you.

2) Take an interest in what they're doing even if it's not something you'd normally do.
You may not be a sports fan or like the same type of movie, but go anyway just to spend time with them.

3) Listen.
Really listen. It's a simple act that's very meaningful to a lot of people.

4) Surprise them with a gift.
Not just on Valentine's Day (hopefully not really a surprise) but on a typical day where it really would be unexpected. Pay attention to what a person finds interesting and base the gift on that.

5) Do something nice for them around the house so they can spend that time doing something they enjoy.
The gift of time is a very good gift, especially for moms who have hectic schedules.

6) Hugs for no particular reason--they're free and never get old.

7) Little notes or messages.
I remember finding an "open me" word document on my laptop one day. Not remembering putting it on there myself, I found it said "I love you!" from my husband in the biggest font Microsoft Word could produce. You can leave Post-It notes on mirrors, dashes of cars, etc.

8) Taking the person to his or her favorite activity or restaurant.
Again, you may or may not personally have the same tastes, but that's what makes it an act of love.

These are mainly just starting points. Ideally, you want to pick out things that will be unexpected to the person as far as timing and still fit their personality.

How to Learn How Money Really Works

2008-08-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Even after 12 years of public school and 4 years of college, I never had a class focused on practical personal finance. I know a lot of other people in their 20s and 30s have had similar situations and have ended up with debt up to their eyeballs, without realizing how harmful it could be to their life until they'd already done it.

So how do you get yourself back on track? I think it comes down to two things, which are being willing to learn new concepts as an adult and being able to apply them. It honestly has taken my husband and I about five years to turn our finances around for the better, and this is basically what we did:

1) Read a Variety of Financial Books:

I mainly mean books in the personal finance and business section of retail bookstores, and not just theory-based textbooks. Different authors have different advice, and most likely after reading several books you'll find a few that "click" with you. Probably the three top authors I really like are Dave Ramsey, Robert Kiyosaki, and Dan Miller. I read other authors as well, and after several years of this my whole concept of money has changed for the better.

Be willing to keep a open mind however. For example, the first time I ready Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad, I honestly thought he was a little nutty. The second time I read it, it made a lot more sense. One of the bad "side-effects" of a college education if you're not careful is an arrogant attitude toward new ideas, and I had to keep myself in check when I first started looking into this topic.

2) Create a Budget and Manage Your Expenses:

The mention of this used to make me cringe because I'm definitely not the spreadsheet type. The thing is however is most people don't know when and where they're losing money without having some way of keeping track of it all. The simpler you can make it, the more likely you'll follow it. If you're married, it also helps you work together and start having common financial goals. It makes your relationship better and reduces a lot of common financial stresses. Taking the time to do this is just smart.

Along the way, you'll naturally find things you can probably change. The good thing is sometimes just being aware of a potential problem will go a long way in helping you solve it.

3) Develop a Plan to Quit Getting Into Debt and Pay Off Existing Debt:

For a long time, I really did think that debt was required to function financially in society. The funny thing is however that the more debt my husband and I have paid off, the more money seems to flow into our lives. This is why it's important to not skip reading advice from other people with experience. It's hard to get out of debt without a system or plan of doing it.

4) Look at Ways to Diversify Your Income:

For Generations X, Y, and younger, we need to factor in the fact that the work world is completely different from what our parents and grandparents experienced. The problem is schools have not really changed to train students what to really expect. We're mostly still taught to pick one career and completely stake our future on it. What often happens with people is they will major in college for one thing and end up doing something totally different. It doesn't make going to college a bad thing, but that situation needs to be factored in upfront.

By "diversifying your career," I'm borrowing the investing concept of spreading our your investments to decrease your risk. If you literally spread out your career across a job and one or more side careers, you decrease your risk of a corporate layoff or downsizing from ruining your finances. If you're willing to do this, you really do have an advantage over people who stake everything on their jobs.

5) Use All the Previous to Develop a Long-Term Plan:

Your finances are going to change at different stages in your life, so you'll have to adapt your plans to fit your current situation. The overall principles will generally stay the same, but you may have to juggle certain aspects of your finances to make them work as efficiently as possible.

How to Understand Overdraft Protection

2008-08-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

After working in the financial field for several years, I've found there are both a lot of advantages and disadvantage to overdraft protection according to your individual situation and your bank. Overdraft protection is not necessarily a bad thing to have on your checking account, but you should definitely look into the details of how your bank handles it. Long-term, it may cost you more money than it's worth, especially if you manage your finances well.

1) Look at the Pros of Overdraft Protection:

The biggest legitimate situation I've seen where overdraft protection comes in handy is for people who have direct deposit for their paychecks. People do normal things like buy gas and lunch on pay day, thinking they have money in their account when there's been an error in it getting deposited on time. It's not something that happens often, and really a better solution would be to keep enough cash on you for everyday expenses so you don't have to guess if the money is in there or not.

2) Factor in Online Banking:

There's also the issue of online banking that doesn't truly reflect your available balance. This is something I think many banks need to work on within reason because people think they're okay when they're really not. By the time they catch the mistake, they've already been hit with automatic fees. To solve this, try to keep a buffer of money in your account that you don't really intend on ever spending just in case something happens.

3) Find Out How Your Bank Process Debts and Credits:

According to how a bank processes debits nightly, some even put the largest amounts first (to supposedly keep people from bouncing their house or rent payment) but then have several smaller balances that hit soon after (with overdraft fees being attached to each one).

That honestly doesn't sit right with me, even as a person responsible with money. It makes the bank seem more like it's doing it that way to get as many fees as possible, not as a service to the customer (since one bounced check would be easier to clean up than several smaller ones when bank fees are factored in). It's definitely a question you should ask your bank when considering a checking account with them in the first place. Most won't tell you either way unless you ask.

4) Realize Some Banks Will Still Hit You With Fees Even With "Protection":

Based on our particular bank and the fact we have our finances under control, my husband and I did not opt for overdraft protection due to the fact the bank still charged fees even if you had it (they were just less). Unless we planned on going under a lot, it just wasn't worth it. With other banks it may be different. Ours had the option of either pulling from a savings account (which has a maintenance fee of $7 a month just for sitting still under a certain dollar amount) or from a bank credit card (we've stopped going into debt).

5) Last (and Most Important), Consider the True Sources of Your Overdraft Issues:

If you're going under on your checking account a lot, overdraft protection is not really the solution to your problem. You have to get yourself out of the cycle of spending more than you have and hoping things will "float" until money is really there. If you try to play games with this stuff, you're always going to lose.

It does take time and the willingness to sit down and figure things out, but a practical budget will help you more than anything. It's not so much about limiting you than just knowing what you have out so you don't go under. I hope that advice is more helpful to you.

How to Decrease SPAM and Telemarketing Calls

2008-08-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

Whether you're trying to prevent identity theft or are just tired of junk mail and SPAM, there are a few things you can do to reduce the amount of information being sold between companies. Most of these tips I learned from a six month job of tracking down people using computer software, which is called skip-tracing. Before then, I really had no idea how much information was out there for companies to sell and access.

It was both amazing and scary when I had the opportunity to look myself up, and it woke me up on wanting to protect my information as much as humanly possible. Though it's very hard to eliminate the problem completely, these are things I've found helpful:

1) Contact the three major credit bureau reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and asked to be taken off the "Pre-Appoved" offers list.

It takes a few weeks to take effect, but now I barely get junk mail. Sometimes doing this with just one of them will get the other two notified automatically, but check and make sure.

2) Have a separate e-mail account that you use when you're filling out something for companies instead of using your personal e-mail.

You can check it every once in awhile since some retail stores offer specials through e-mails, but it won't be a hassle when it comes to separating these messages from others that are more important.

3) Be careful about using "unsubscribe" links with SPAM.

Sometimes it's just someone mass mailing to see if any valid addresses pop up. Then those get sold.

4) Be careful with what you share and with who.

I cringe when people fill out a form literally just because it's there and they think they might win something. If something sounds too odd or unrealistic, don't put your private information on it. At best, it's just a marketing ploy and at worst it could be used against you financially.

5) If it's a matter of phone calls, ask to be taken off a calling list.

I use a very professional voice and ask for the rep's name, their manager's name, full name of the company, etc. Act like you're writing it down and ask how last names are spelled. Even if you're not on the Do Not Call list, this usually will get them to back off on trying to sell you something.

More Tips:

If all of these steps seem like a bit of a hassle, keep in mind how much time you'll save long-term from having to clear out your e-mail inbox and filter through your mail. It does add up.

Cussing out and hanging up on the person who's calling you is not very effective because they really don't have any power. You don't even have to pay attention to what they're saying, but hang on long enough to get a manager to take you off the call list.

How to Raise Up the Image of Your Small Business

2008-08-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

Creating a positive business image using advertising should be looked at as a long-term project for your business, partially falling into marketing and public relations. While it's not impossible to create a positive image of your business in a single ad, it's better to have people exposed to your business using multiple methods.

Think about companies that you view positively. Most likely you may have seen or heard their commercials, heard other people talk favorably of their service, know that they contribute to the community, and their name just seems to come up a lot.

Ideally, you want your own business to have a similar reputation. It then becomes a matter of breaking those positive impressions into actions you can take. Every business has a different budget and target audience, so you'll obviously need to do some planning in advance before choosing your method. Here are some general ideas to keep in mind however:

1) Repetition Leads to Reputation

Think of how many different ad campaigns Coca-Cola has had during your lifetime. Even though they've used various methods to advertise, there are elements to their ads that have remained the same over time. From a psychology standpoint, people are more likely to trust the business they've heard of the most.

While you may not have the financial means to do the same thing as Coca-Cola does on a national level, many business owners have the means to have a similar approach on a local level. It's good to study strong businesses in your area and figure out techniques they're using. You can then adapt them to your own needs.

2) Show Some Genuine Caring

People have a way of detecting when someone has given money to a charity or non-profit just for the attention because they try to squeeze every bit of publicity out of it as possible. If you take the time however to get involved in community issues that you care about and not make a big deal of it on your own part, people will recognize that as well. This can have more to do with your general integrity as a business owner than an advertising campaign, but it is still important.

3) Put Your Business in a Position Where Word-of-Mouth Works for You

Even if you have practically no advertising budget, providing an excellent level of service can always work in your favor. Your existing customer base has the ability to be your best advertising technique. Find ways you can reward your customers that don't hurt you financially, such as adding value through product combos and service packages.

4) Consider Partnering With Related Small Businesses With Advertising

Just as an example, a house cleaner, interior decorator, and closet organizer installer can all team up on certain forms of advertising, even though their businesses are all independent. If you can find other people with integrity, you have the ability to offer deals to customers that you may not have been able to do on your own. From a customer standpoint, there are some fields where it's easier to favor a network of people as opposed to a single business. I think it's the idea that these other businesses wouldn't want to be associated with you if you didn't do quality work.

More Tips:

I want to encourage you to seek out a lot of other resources before making major decisions. This is not something you should expect to develop overnight, but it can definitely be done on a small business level.

How to Make the Most of College Classes

2008-08-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

After spending a lot of time, effort, and money to get into college, one of the strangest things I've seen people do is treat it like a chore instead of something valuable. The closest thing I can compare it to is buying a high-performance sports car and never leaving your driveway. If you're going to college for the wrong reasons and with the wrong attitude, a degree alone is not going to mean as such as you may think.

Whether you're financially paying for it now or later, you need to be a smart consumer when it comes to your education. If it helps to imagine yourself "paying admission" every time you enter a classroom, then approach it that way (though sometimes I wanted my money back when it came to certain instructors!) For the most part however, thinking of it from that perspective helped me when I was in college. There are also other things you can do which will help you:

1) Take the Time to Be Prepared.

At the beginning of the semester, most instructors will give you an outline called a syllabus. This is so each meeting you'll know where you are and where the class will be heading. Preparing could just mean looking over and reading the chapter before the instructor discusses it. This will make the lecture portion a way of making your learning more solid, as opposed to going in hearing everything for the first time. This will also help you if you have a different learning style (like reading over hearing, etc.)

2) Think and Ask Questions.

Have you ever been in a class where a student is asking questions for the sole purpose of getting attention? Being an active learner is not about showing other people how smart you are-that comes across as fake. If you have a genuine question however, don't be afraid to ask it. Remember, you're paying your instructors to help you learn.

3) Go the Extra Mile, Beyond What the Average Person Does.

I'm not saying to do this with everything because it can get overwhelming. If it's something you're interested in however, go a little deeper into learning more about it than the average person. It's this quality that separates the experts from the people who have a basic knowledge of a subject.

4) Put Quality Into Your Work.

With class projects, you're always going to have people who want to do the minimum to get it done. Breaking out of that attitude will not only make you a better grade in that particular class, but it's a good life lesson to carry outside the classroom. Plus I think a lot of other people have that inner desire to do well. Don't let the fear of standing out stop you from that. There's a saying I've heard a few times that "a rising tide raises all ships." You'll be helping someone else in that classroom along with yourself, whether you realize it or not.

5) Take Notes and Remember to Review Them Later.

What worked best for me from a test-taking standpoint is taking notes in class and then later typing them up. If you combine this with being prepared, you'll be seeing and hearing the same information multiple times. Repetition in different forms leads to real learning, not just memorization and later forgetting.

6) Enjoy the Experience of Learning Something New.

Obviously there's going to be certain classes that have serious material, but in general try to have as much fun as you possibly can. The best classes I remember most are the ones where everyone was able to learn and laugh at the same time.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you. Good luck and best wishes for your future!

More Tips:

While you're in college, take advantage of resources your college or university offers. You're paying for them anyway, but you sometimes have to do some research into what is available to you.

How to Achieve Learning Goals as an Adult

2008-08-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

Learning is a life long process if you want to be successful, and sometimes as an adult it's harder to make learning a priority in your life. It's worth pursuing however. Right now there's still a message in society that your education ends with your final diploma or degree. Several independent studies have shown that somewhere around 20-30% of adults out in the U.S. never read an entire book after they graduate from high school or college.

When you willingly put yourself in a position where you're ignorant of changes going on around you, it impacts you financially and can hurt your overall quality of life. Many people want to do better, but it can sometimes be hard to know where to start. I want to offer a few ideas that helped me through college and later when I became a business owner and writer.

1) To Achieve Any Goal, You Need a Plan.

Don't go blindly into college, a new career, or a new business without having some idea of where you are, where you're going, and how you're going to reach your goal. I think half the battle in learning is knowing what you want. It's through this that you develop a passion about learning certain topics that both interest you and will help you become a better person.

2) Don't Fear Doing Something New.

Though failure is often seen as bad in the academic world, it is a form of learning. You can talk with successful people in any field and a lot of them will tell you they didn't get things perfect the first time. Learning and success are both processes, not destinations. You're never going to reach a point where you feel like you've "arrived." You can however continue to set more challenging goals as you meet your existing ones.

3) Take Some Time to Figure Yourself Out.

I wasted a lot of time in college trying to be just like everyone else around me, and it only made me miserable inside. In my case, I had an entrepreneur mentality and was surrounded by people who wanted jobs. It doesn't make either option bad, but my point is don't let what makes you unique be a curse when it should be a blessing. Don't be afraid to pursue your passion in life even if it makes you stand out from the crowd a little.

4) Find a Learning Pace that Works for You.

In college or just studying things on your own, don't get yourself to the point you're so overwhelmed with information that none of it is sticking. Trying to do too much not only doesn't work, but it will cause you to associate learning with negative stress.

There's nothing wrong with challenging yourself, but keep yourself in check when it comes to that issue. Don't feel like you have to compete against other people younger or older than you to prove yourself as a student. The whole point is to learn, not to compare yourself to others.

5) Make Learning Fun.

Like anything else in life, the more you enjoy learning the better you'll become at it. There are aspects of learning that are skills that you have to develop, but how you do that can be very flexible. There's no point of forcing yourself to do something if you can come up with a way where you can look forward to it.

I hope these tips have been helpful to you! Good luck and best wishes for your future!

More Tips:

Want an alternative to spending a lot of money on college? Consider "real world" educational sources as well such as books written by people in the field you're interested in, getting mentored by someone in that field, and accessing Internet resources.

There is a danger in feeling like you're too busy to learn when you become an adult and get out of formal schooling. The sad thing is a lack of knowledge may be holding you back from an extraordinary life. You're never too "grown up" to learn.

How to Create a Small Business Advertising Campaign

2008-08-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

The great thing about a well-planned advertising campaign for a small business is that the time and effort spent in the planning stage should offset having a limited budget. I've known other business owners who have spent lots of money on ads without planning, and the results aren't pretty. The very fact that you want to have an overall plan is going to give you an advantage. In this article, I want to give you more detailed and practical tips on getting your plan accomplished.

1) First, Realize That Advertising Does Not Have to Be Expensive to Be Effective

I believe the best forms of advertising are the kinds that keep as much money in your business as possible. Jay Levinson's "Guerrilla Marketing" is a great book to start if you're brainstorming ideas on methods you can use. You may end up finding several inexpensive techniques that cost the same financially but reach more people than one expensive technique.

2) Let Word-of-Mouth Advertising Work in Your Favor

An example of this would be giving an existing customer a special deal on your product or service (with the understanding that it's a situation where you're both winning), and tell them you'll offer the same special deal to their friends if they mention your customer referred them. Even if a customer only refers one other person, send them a thank you card or small gift. This will encourage them to send more people over time because they have an incentive to do so.

3) Creating Incentives That Don't Cost You Money Upfront

Another way to generate more sales from your existing customer base is to offer incentives such as $10 off for every $100 spent. If the person was originally going to spend $75, they'll likely go ahead and spend the $100 just to get that incentive. It's still a win-win situation for both parties.

4) Partner With Other Small Businesses and Community Organizations

This can help you by spreading out expenses and can allow you to reach more people as well. For example, you'd be amazed at how inexpensive it is to sponsor a local high school sports team (along with other businesses) compared to other forms of advertising.

Additional Tip:

Take some time to study the advertising techniques of successful small businesses in your local area. After awhile, you may notice some trends that will help you.

How to Work a Job Plus Develop Your Own Business

2008-08-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

Developing your own business while working a job full-time can be challenging, but long-term it can bring you greater income and financial stability. In this article, I want to share general steps you can take to make the process easier. I hope this will help you regardless to whether you plan to do a part-time business long-term on what to develop a business into a new career.

1) The first thing you need to do to make working a job and developing a business work long-term is to put some thought into why you want to do it.

You need goals for your life that will make you stay persistent even when things gets hard. Take some time on this step. If you make the decision to do this purely on impulse, you'll find staying motivated a lot harder.

2) Especially if you're working 40+ hours at your job, start working on the business a few hours a week and work your way up until it begins to feel like the right amount of a challenge for you.

It takes awhile, but eventually you'll be able to balance your time. It also helps with your overall mental and physical energy that you pick a business that you enjoy doing. I've found that most people actually have a better attitude and get more done in both their jobs and businesses if they're having fun during the process.

3) It may take several months to several years, but I've known many people whose part-time businesses eventually equaled or surpassed their job income.

If you're willing to put in the work and be patient, you really can develop your dream career.

More Tips:

Focus on moving forward on a daily basis. This will keep you from procrastinating. Even little steps matter to the big picture years from now.

Internet businesses are a good thing to look into for this situation due to the fact you can be making money online while you're busy making an income from your job as well. They also have lower overhead costs.

Read and study business books on a regular basis--they will give you ideas and keep you motivated.

Don't forget to talk to your accountant--there may be tax advantages you can take advantage of according to your business.

Probably the biggest problems you're going to run into is not getting enough sleep and feeling like you don't have enough time to do everything. Be careful when it comes to your overall health (pushing yourself until you burn out is not going to help you long-term), and realize that this is more of a lifestyle change than a single event you're trying to reach.

Be careful about talking about your business at your job too much. In some situations, employers don't like it and will honestly try to run you off if they believe your focus is divided.

How to Make a Phone Call if You're Nervous

2008-08-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Growing up I was a shy person, and it was a challenge to me when I started needing to make business phone calls for my jobs and later my own business. In this article, I want to share some things that helped me overcome the anxiety of making phone calls.

1) First, try to narrow down why you feel nervous about making phone calls.

Is it that you feel unprepared? Is it a sales situation, and you're wondering how people are going to respond? Knowing the source of the situation will help you develop a plan to overcome it.

2) When you need to prepare, it's best that you either put your main points on a sheet of paper or develop a type of script (in your own words).

This will help you stay on track without sounding like you're a robot. Over time, you'll need this outline less and less and you'll begin to sound very natural. This works best if you're making the same type of phone calls every day.

3) If you're new to sales and hate the idea of people saying "no," realize that in most cases it's a numbers game.

For example, if on average only 1 out of 10 people end up buying a product based on the phone call, you can figure out you need to call about 100 people to get 10 sales. If you think of what you're doing more as a filtering process, it takes a lot of the pressure off because you're still getting ahead no matter what the response. As your confidence goes up, your numbers tend to get better as a percentage.

4) Lastly, realize that practice is the best cure for this situation.

At first you may have to force yourself to make calls, but over time it does get easier. Your skills with develop and help you as well.

More Tips:

If you have a problem of your throat feeling dry while you're trying to talk, keep a glass of room temperature water at your desk. This will help you from a speaking standpoint more than cold water. I learned this from a public speaker.

Smile when you talk. Even though the person on the other end can't see you, this automatically makes you sound more upbeat and happy.

How to Sound Professional Over the Phone

2008-08-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

Throughout my employment and self-employment career, I've noticed many people are never really taught how to sound professional over the phone. This is an important skill and long-term it often can either make or lose you or your company money.

1) First, take some time to prepare what you're going to say if you're initiating the phone call.

This can range from just general points on a post-it note to a full script. This is mainly to keep you on track if you go blank on what you want to say due to either distraction (conversation gets off track) or nervousness.

2) Consider the tone of your voice.

If you sound like you're bored or tired, it's going to show through. On the positive side, your tone can work to your advantage if you sound upbeat or excited. A trick that I've heard many times is to physically smile while you're in the conversation. Even if the person on the other side can't see you, they'll pick up on it in your voice.

3) Try to be as careful as possible with pronouncing words, especially names, addresses, and other unique words that you don't use in daily life.

With phone and street numbers, watch for things that can cause people to make a mistake in writing them down. An example of this is saying "seventeen" for 17 and the person on the other line starts out writing a 7 and then has to mark it out. In that case, you'd want to say "one" and "seven" separately.

4) Don't overdo it.

People have gotten to the point that they tend to ignore the telemarketing style of professional speech. You mainly want to make sure you're communicating clearly, not that you're following a strict robot pattern of conversation. It's definitely all right to still sound like a human being, and that warmth will help you stand out.

More Tips:

If you have to make a lot of phone calls on a daily basis, try to have a friend listen to you. Sometimes we sound different to ourselves than we do to other people, and it helps to have another point-of-view.

Practice will help you in this process more than anything. If you slip up, don't let it bother you to the point you don't want to move forward. Learn from it.

Ask yourself before the phone call whether it would be to your best advantage to sound professional or more casual. I've found in local business-to-business situations that I've had better success sounding a touch unprofessional. That's going to vary, and definitely check with someone first if you're working for someone else.

How to Quit Worrying About Your College Grades and Still Do Well

2008-08-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

A little anxiety over your grades can be motivating, but too much stress can cause more harm than good. I was the first person in my family to go to college, so this is an issue I pretty much had to figure out on my own until I developed friendships with students older than me. I think that's what makes freshman year the toughest in that you haven't had a lot of time to get to know people yet. I'll try to give you the best general advice I can as far as what helped me and what kept my grades up.

1) Being prepared will lessen the anxiety.

I had to work my way through college, so I had to get creative when it came to studying and preparing for tests. What I ended up doing was reading chapter summaries just before a class, taking notes during lectures, and then later typing those same notes up when I went to study.

Hopefully before the test I had seen and heard the same set of information several times (which leads to actually learning it), and the typed notes serve as my own personal "cram" notes since they were a condensed version of everything needed to know for the tests.

2) Find out how your instructors grade.

Most of the time you'll find this out on your first day, and it helps you come up with a plan on where your focus should be. For example, I've had instructors based 30% of a final grade on a midterm and only 5% on class activities for the whole semester. Obviously it would be in my best interest if my time was limited to spend more time preparing on the mid-term, even in the situation where I may lose a point or two for not being as prepared for a class activity.

In other classes, it may be the reverse and better to focus on class activities to keep your grades stable if they're a big percentage.

3) Realize you don't have to be a "perfect" student to succeed in life.

Successful people fail more than the average person because they know it's a part of learning and a price you have to pay for success. If you let fear and anxiety control your life, you're limiting your own potential for all the wrong reasons.

What makes college very different from high school is that you're paying for it-either currently or later. Even if you earned scholarships, it was still earned. You need to look at college as an educational product-you've paid x amount of dollars for x amount of classes. You want to make the most of it as if you were paying admission as you were entering the classroom door. To get the most out of college, focus more on learning and not so much on grades since genuine learning will naturally raise your grade anyway in most cases.

Additional Tip:

If an instructor is rude to you or has an ego-driven policy to fail a high percentage of students each semester no matter what they do, it's usually all right within a certain time frame to "fire" them and switch classes if that's where the pressure is mainly coming from. You just have to learn how to detect whether an instructor really cares and just wants to give you a challenge or if something else is going on.

How to Begin Managing Money in Your Home-Based Business

2008-08-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Just like for your personal finances, creating good money management habits for your home-based business is vital to your success. Fortunately it also does not have to be extremely complicated either. You're going to learn things on your own along the way specific to your business, but I want to offer the following tips that will get you off to a good start in general:

1) The first thing you need to do is to get a separate checking account to deposit your profits and take out your expenses.

The person doing your taxes will thank you, plus you have an easy way of tracking whether you're making a profit and how much.

2) Start saving and organizing your records.

This is also a great time to talk to your accountant to find out what receipts you need to be saving throughout the year. Keep these all in one place, such as a filing cabinet in your office.

Remember to set aside about 25% of your profits for taxes so you're not caught off guard when that time comes around, especially if you're making a great immediate income. If state sales taxes applies to what you're doing, you'll need to get information on that as well.

3) Find ways to lower and streamline your expenses when possible.

After you've settled into a pattern of business, usually within the first few months, there's also some other basic things you can do to help manage your money better.

The next thing I did personally with my businesses was look at my expenses. Without sacrificing quality, I began searching for ways I could get my shipping supplies in bulk so it was cheaper per item to mail everything. By that time I had the business volume for that to make sense whereas before buying a lot may not have been a great decision.

4) Pay off debt as soon as possible so you can grow stable.

You'll find from my other articles that I'm not a fan for going into debt to start or operate a business. If you absolutely had to borrow to start your business, one of your first goals should be to pay any loans back as soon as possible. Otherwise you're focus is always going to be divided.

People tend to make more desperate decisions in cases where they're trying to make enough money to pay back loans and grow at the same time. If you start debt-free and reinvest your profit back into your business for awhile, you'll be stable and grow faster. You also won't have the risk if the unfortunate occurs and the business fails--it doesn't make the situation any less sad, but it at least won't hurt your family's finances.

5) Develop a plan to budget your business income.

As your business grows, your approach to money management will gradually change. You may be able to create different budgets for marketing and advertising. It may even turn into a situation where you need more help beyond just your own efforts.

More Tips:

Be sure to get outside help when you need it. Take the time to find advisers that you feel comfortable sticking with as your business develops. There are good people out there that can walk you through the process, and it's not something you should be expected to learn overnight.

Don't be afraid to learn new things about finance. As a last parting piece of advice, the best thing you can do as an owner is always be willing to learn something new on a daily basis. This more than anything can lead you to managing both your business and personal finances very well.

How to Develop a Positive Attitude

2008-08-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

"Why are you so darn happy all the time?" a co-worker of mine asked me once about a year ago as she passed my cubicle. The question caught me off-guard, not only because it seemed to come out of nowhere but because of the tone she asked it. It was a mix of curiosity and annoyance. I found it kind of funny because I used to look at positive people the same way. I was a pretty negative person through high school and part of college. Mainly, I used to worry about everything and always think the worse. I finally just got tired of it once I realized how negative I thought on a daily basis. To be honest, changing your mindset takes work and won't happen overnight. I do want to share some ideas that helped me personally:

1) One of the first things you should do is listen to your words.

Part of staying positive is catching yourself when you're being negative. The whole idea of "if you can't say something nice, don't say it at all" comes into play here.

This applies to gossip of course, but sometimes people have a tendency to say the worst-case-scenarios for any situation. For example, if your friend sneezes, don't start talking about the flu going around. Learning when it's all right and not all right to vent how bad your day has been to someone is also a good people skill to develop.

2) Protect your mind.

It's hard to do sometimes, but try to limit your exposure to negative people, TV shows, music, books, and Internet content. Sometime it's easy to think stuff does not impact you, but it can on a subconscious level.

Even if you don't repeat the negative things that you hear, they can impact your overall mood. I still watch TV, but I cut my time from around 20 hours/week (which is close to the national average) to less than 10 hours/week. It did help my mood, and I didn't feel like I had buried my head in the sand in the process.

3) Find ways to bring positive influence into your life.

It's not all about avoiding negative. You have to replace it. You can use the good aspects of those same things I mentioned in #2.

It is amazing how getting around an upbeat group of friends can change your own attitude more than anything. Positive books I think are a close second, since you're reading the words in your own mind in the same way that you think to yourself. Most forms of media have the potential to be either positive or negative.

4) When you can, make the effort to be extra nice or extra patient with someone.

It is not something you have to do all the time, but think of how you react when another person goes above and beyond without you expect.

I think part of the reason people are so negative in general is they're so used to people being rude to them. The only thing we can control about that is our own behavior.

More Tips:

Your greatest changes will come during times when most people would find it acceptable to be negative. Just realize you do have a choice and a positive attitude can get you out of hard situations a lot sooner.

When you slip up, don't let it discourage you. No one is perfect, but at least being aware is half the battle. It's better than being negative all the time and not knowing it. The more effort you put into this, the easier it will get down the road.

Don't confuse being positive with putting on a front. This should mainly be a change from the inside out.

How to Know if You Should Start a Home-Based Business

2008-08-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

Transitioning from a job to a home-based business does not always have to be a sudden event. For me personally, it was more of a process. There are questions you need to ask yourself along the way, but I don't want to give you the impression that you have to know everything about business before you can even start. Most people are never taught how to run a business in high school or college, so there's a lot of learning and experience gained along the way. If you're considering starting your own business, I want to share a few ideas in this article that you need to think about.

1) First, are you willing to learn a new way of thinking?

Sometimes the traits that make you a great employee will frustrate you as a business owner. If you're a hard worker and are used to getting immediate financial feedback for your work, it may be difficult at first to visualize how results work in a business. The time and money you initially invest in a business may not show up in the form of results for months or even years later. You have the potential to make more money over your lifetime however, so for me the trade-off was well worth it.

Things that will help with this issue are reading practical business books and getting around at least a few other people who have owned traditional and home-based businesses. Any advice you can gather ahead of time will help you avoid common mistakes and know what to expect.

2) Second, are you willing to take a personal risk?

You're going to have people tell you you're making a mistake, no matter how great your idea seems to you. My husband and I both worked day jobs as we were getting our businesses off the ground so we wouldn't go into debt to do them. This meant 16-18 hour days sometimes with people making fun of us the entire time. Those same people will tell you how "lucky" you are when your work pays off. Be prepared to put up with that at least to a certain extent.

You're also going to have supportive people in your life as well. Also, not everyone who is negative at first is bad. They just may care about you and not want you to get hurt. It may take some time for all of those relationships to settle out.

3) Third, do you at least have a general plan on how you're going to make the business work?

From a financial standpoint, it's better to start a home-based business part-time and work your way into it as it becomes stable. This can take as little as a few months to sometimes several years, according to the nature of the business.

More Tips:

If you're comfortable with beginning a business, I want to encourage you to do it. I think it's wonderful to have something to call your own that you can develop for you and your family. If you're not quite comfortable yet, keep reading and researching.

Usually it only takes one great idea to get you started. Either way, just don't let fear rule your decision-making. It's better to do something you love and fail your way to success than it is to be silently miserable your whole working life. Whether it's a job or a business, you need to do what matters to you.

I'm all in favor of people following their dreams, but I don't suggest they do it on credit. Your greatest assets with a home-based business are your creativity and your effort. I can tell you from experience that it's possible to create a business with less than $100 start-up capital. My first real business cost me $61 to start: $1 for a box of yard sale books and $60 in shipping supplies and postage. I made a profit of $100 because I seen a good opportunity. I just kept reinvesting my profit over and over again until I had developed a nice used book business with no debt. It was learning how to recognize the right things to buy that developed my business, not start-up money.

How to Overcome Being Shy and Make Friends

2008-08-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Shyness can be very hindering socially when you're unsure what to do about it, but fortunately it is something that can be "unlearned" by a lot of people.

I used to be a very shy person when I was a kid, but over time I learned how to overcome it. In this article, I will share tips and ideas that will help you fight your anxiety and make friends.

1) A big portion of shyness is caused by some form of fear.

If you're afraid of rejection, try to get your mind off of guessing what other people are thinking. A majority of the time, they're thinking about their own daily problems and worries.

Look at how you think. Are you constantly thinking about who you don't want to be friends with for no reason? Neither are other people.

2) Start small.

I remember my junior year I met a guy who had been home schooled his whole life and wanted to finish his last two years in public school. His mom had taught him well when it came to people. On his first day, he took the time to introduce himself to everyone and ask how we were doing. Everyone was his friend by the end of the week.

Sometimes it's really just as simple as saying, "Hi, I'm -. How are you?" As you get more practice at talking with people, conversations will get easier. It's also all right to be a little nervous at first. That will actually diminish in time.

3) Get around people who share your interests.

That always makes things easier. People like talking about things they enjoy. It's nice to find common ground, and you may find yourself talking more than you usually do.

4) Read a few books about people-skills and personality types.

Ever wonder why some people react to things the way they do? Having a general understanding of personality types and people-skills can help you carry a conversation better and longer.

More Tips:

This takes some time to overcome--even months or years--but it is well worth it. I'm personally very happy and like talking to people now, even though I used to be shy. If you keep working at it, there does come a point where it doesn't bother you anymore.

Be careful of your body language--sometimes you may be sending out the message that you want to be left alone without verbally saying it.

How to Combine Bank Accounts After Marriage

2008-08-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

With financial problems being the number one cause of divorce, combining your finances is a very important part of coming together as a married couple. There may be a part of you that fears it, but keeping your finances separate will hurt you long term. I honestly don't think you can look at sharing your finances in purely logical terms-what's in your heart has to be in the equation as well. In this article, I will share tips on how to make the transition easier.

1) Before you get married and physically combine the bank accounts, there are some things you can do while you're engaged.

I definitely suggest pre-marriage counseling and attending some financial classes. These will help determine your attitudes about money and make sure you're in agreement over your goals. Neither of you are going to be perfect or expect the other person to be, but it helps to know your strengths as well as areas you need to work on.

Shortly after getting married, my husband and I attended a day-long auditorium-style class taught by the author and financial counselor Dave Ramsey and later took a 13-week course of similar material. There are similar resources everywhere in the country. It's just a matter of admitting to yourself that you need it, and nearly everyone does since finances are rarely taught in school.

2) When you physically began combining the accounts, it's a good idea around the same time to create a budget as a couple.

This does not have to be anything overly-complicated or limiting. You just need to know on a monthly basis where your money is going.

There's also nothing wrong with having "fun money" for each of you to spend for yourselves, but with a budget you know you're not accidentally spending money for the electric bill, etc.

3) There's also the issue with "your debt" and "your spouse's debt" become "our debt."

You have to work together to clean messes up if you want to be a financially stable couple and later family.

If you take this attitude that your spouse should clean up their own mess without any help, the problem likely won't get solved. It's in working together that you can get a lot more accomplished and hold each other accountable.

More Tips:

All of this is not going to happen overnight, and you're not going to do it perfectly starting out. That's okay though as long as you keep trying. The result after thinking this way for 3 years for us is a stronger marriage and better finances than we had as individuals.

If you really feel strongly about not combining finances, you may need to explore the underlying reasons why. Money itself is likely not the true problem in those situations.

How to Change Careers Smoothly

2008-08-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

I believe that a person should work toward a career that makes them happy, but you need to do it responsibly and never on impulse. There aren't a whole lot of things more miserable than being in a job you dislike and still needing the income, but there are some things you can do to fix the situation. I want to share with you some tips in this article on easing the transition.

1) Analyze why you want to change careers.

For some people, it may be an income situation. Your existing job isn't fitting your financial needs, and you're slipping backwards. For others it's a personality or values issue that's causing a deep inner conflict that grows over time. Then there are situations where the need for change is not pressing, but you just know you can do better in life.

My point is your motivation is going to have a major impact on your approach. You also don't want to move from one mistake right into another one if you have no idea why you want to change.

2) Take a look at your income and expenses.

Sadly, many people in our culture do not have a lot of savings set aside for situations like this, which is something that needs to happen anyway as a buffer if you're laid off from a job you like.

If you have the ability and the time, you need to look at ways of reducing your outgoing expenses on a monthly basis by getting out of debt as much as possible. Sell some stuff you don't use anymore if it will help you create any sort of a financial buffer.

Taking these steps to prepare will help reduce the pressure. The last thing you need is a career distraction and financial distractions at the same time.

3) Consider doing what you want to do part-time and easing into the change.

This has worked great with me personally. It is initially harder because you're coming home after working and then working some more, but a lot of times you're more motivated because you're doing it for yourself and your family.

Many careers can be done on a self-employed basis, especially if you have experience. As you get more and more comfortable, the transition from the old career does not seem to be as hard of a financial struggle.

Keep in mind the time frame may be 6 months or longer, but it's short-term hassle for long-term gain compared to just jumping into something that may or may not immediately take off.

More Tips:

Taking a few hours to really explore how you want to spend your career can greatly help you. It won't be time wasted by any means.

Never ignore the situation because you think you don't have time for change. Statistics say the average person spend 70,000+ hours of their life in some form of a career.

How to Use Color in Decorating

2008-08-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Using color to decorate can sometimes be intimidating, especially when you've never done it before. As someone who grew up in a home with white walls and beige carpet, I used to think adding color to a room meant covering it with artwork. Through school, I had studied art and the psychology of color, but I had never seen color applied well in a home until I met my husband's family. I want to offer you a few tips in this article that I've seen applied by my mother-in-law that I thought were impressive.

1) Decide if you need to change what size the room feels like.

The lightness or darkness of a color can visually affect how big or small the room seems. If you have a large room that you want to seem smaller and more cozy, you'll want to use darker colors. Lighter colors will open up a small room.

2) Think about the emotion you want the room to have. Color does impact people's moods.

A light sunny yellow for instance is a great shade if you don't want to go neutral but don't want too bright either. Psychologically, we associate this color with happiness and warmth (smiley face, sunlight, etc.)

Red can be used as an attention-grabbing color. You can have one focal wall painted red and the others painted a more neutral color. Your eyes will automatically go to the red wall first. It's a great way to showcase artwork and possibly distract from any negative aspects of the other walls. I've also seen were the upper part of a room was painted red, bringing your eyes up as opposed to the darker color on the lower half of the room.

Cool colors such as blue and green are more soothing. They're great options for bathrooms and bedrooms.

3) Don't forget about textures.

One of the best effects I've seen done in multiple houses is clouds on the ceiling. This can be done by sponging both light blue and white into cloud patterns. There are more detailed books with photos that I suggest you research before attempting it, but it looks very nice.

There are also kits that if you want to do a sponged combination of two or three colors. You don't have to have a lot of painting experience and the process is very forgiving if you make a mistake.

More Tips:

Try it out first. When you're thinking of changing a color of a room, get a small sample square. Post it on the wall to check different lighting conditions. You may love the color during the day but find you dislike it when it gets dark. Better to find it out in the early stages than have to live with it or paint it back.

If possible, plan your whole house even if you're not painting it all at the same time. Do a little planning to see if you have a set of colors you'd like to carry through your whole house. It doesn't have to be the exact same in every room, but houses look nicer if they have common colors spread out as opposed to unpredictable colors in each room.

Don't forget about floors, furniture, and accessories. Walls aren't the only place you find color. Similar decisions can be made with your flooring (wood tones, stone or carpet), furniture (the colors of your couch, for instance), and accessories (curtains, rugs, artwork, etc.).

Don't feel like you have to have a house that looks exactly like the home and garden magazines. They are designed to spark ideas for you, but you don't have to use every one of them. You want rooms to fit your personality and daily life. It doesn't have to look like a magazine cover, but it can definitely be what you want for you and your family.

How to Prepare for Investing as a Family

2008-08-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

Along with daily life, sometimes investing for your family's future can feel like a juggling act. It can easily feel like your focus is divided in many directions-covering your family's living expenses, wanting to save for retirement, wanting to save for a house or pay off the one you have, and saving for children to go to college. If you don't have a plan, the whole process can seem overwhelming. There are a lot of things you can do to get organized however, and I want to discuss them in this article.

1) The first step you need to do before investing is to create a budget for your regular expenses.

This does not have to be a complicated or overly strict process, but you at least need to see what is coming in and going out.

You want to make sure everything seems balanced. In this process, you may spot areas where you're overspending and just didn't realize it. This will also show you how much extra money you have to work with on a monthly basis. Do this for awhile until you have a general pattern on your finances.

2) Pay down your debt before you heavily invest.

If you have consumer debt (non-mortgage debt such as credit card and car payments), you need to realize that it can cancel out the good that investing does for your family.

Not only does paying your debt off cause less money to leave your household in interest payments, but you can also use the extra cash flow (that was all going to payments) to fund your investing as well.

3) Protect having to touch your investments by setting up an emergency fund as a financial buffer.

You don't want to put yourself in a situation where you have to draw out of your investments to pay on a debt or even a major unexpected expense. The penalties for doing this are usually high, both from a tax standpoint and how much money from interest you lose in the process.

This is why you should also have an emergency fund that you can easily access. The amount you need is going to vary by family, but at least a couple of months expenses is a good amount. This would cover most job layoffs, medical bills, or vehicle repairs, which are three common financial situations for families. It may take you a year or more to develop this kind of foundation, but long-term it will make investing an easier process.

4) Begin investing, but do some research first.

Never enter into anything you don't understand. Read some books and talk with several people before making final decisions for your investment plan. Also, don't be afraid to adjust your plan as your family grows and changes.

More Tips:

Ideally, you want 10-15% of your family income going toward you and your spouse's retirement, which can be in a combination of 401Ks (matching and non-matching by your employer), Roth IRAs (if you qualify), and traditional IRAs. Take the time to research the investments within them to make sure you're getting the best possible return for the least amount of risk.

College investing such as ESAs (Educational Savings Accounts) and 529 plans can be done as soon as possible, since you want compound interest working your favor while your children are young. You'll need to calculate how much you need, based on college tuition rising roughly 7-8% each year.

Also based on your budget, you can ramp up extra money for your mortgage as you go along. When you pay your house off, roll the money you were paying into your retirement or additional investing.

Don't put this process off. The sooner you can start, the better off your family can be financially long-term.

How to Teach Kids About Investing and Business

2008-08-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

As a parent, you need to start teaching children about money as soon as possible. The biggest reason for this is that a majority of children are not being taught money management skills in school anymore. In this article, I will share activities for various ages that will help children understand some concepts with money in a fun way.

Things You’ll Need:

A child
A small clear container such as a jar.
Real money (change or dollar bills)
Play money and small toys
A calculator

1) With young children, a good first habit to learn about money is delayed gratification.
Take a jar or other large clear container and keep within sight in their room (may have to put it up higher if they're at an age where they like to put things in their mouth).

When they do something good as far as a behavior (pick up toys, sharing, etc.) put some change or dollars (your choice based on your budget) into the container. Once it builds up to a certain point, the money is taken out and the child can spend the money on whatever they choose.

Something that's going to happen after doing this process several times is children figure out that leaving the money in the container longer results in a nicer reward.

2) Another good habit to establish is showing them different ways that money can be made.
Schools usually cover jobs, but very few teach businesses as an option. With elementary school aged children, play money is a fun place to start to learn how businesses work. I had a set when I was younger, and my brother and I used to play "store" and buy each other's toys. At this age you just want to keep it fun and have them recognize the different values (both change and dollars) and that money has value for transactions.

When they reach the point they can understand, you can explain that some business owners buy a lot of things at a cheaper price and make profit by selling it at a higher price.

3) For saving and investing, showing children the example of what a penny doubled over and over again (.02, .04, .08, .16,...) for 30 days is helpful.
You can do this with most calculators. Most people put it in the form of a question of "Which is better, the penny doubled over and over again for 30 days or a million dollars?" This is a great way of easily explaining compound interest on a child's level. You can then explain this is why people invest their money--to get a bigger and bigger return as time passes.

4) Giving is the last habit I want to address.

I think of giving as investing in other people. There is a benefit to it in that you become a better person through the process of giving to others. It also keeps you in balance when it comes to how you handle money.

Give your child a chance to give money at church or your favorite local charity. It's better when it's money they've earned because there's more of an emotional attachment involved.

5) For teens, there is usually a greater opportunity for them to apply the basic principles I've mentioned in the previous steps.

You can help them save for their first car without going into debt (delayed gratification and saving).

If they bring in an income, you can see if they qualify for a Roth IRA. They'll know from learning about compound interest that a few hundred dollars as a teen could mean millions to them by the time they reach retirement.

Lastly, encourage your teen to explore businesses as an option of income. If you're creative, many businesses cost very little money to start, and the learning experience is valuable considering upcoming generations are going to have a lot of career changes during their lifetime compared to previous ones.

More Tips:

I believe every high school student in America needs to read the books Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. I'm not affiliated with either of them, but between the two they provided my husband and I with a solid financial foundation. I wish I had known about them sooner.

Don't let your child get upset if they come up with a business idea that fails. Unlike what's taught in academics, failure in business is a form of education and is definitely part of the process.

Don't let your child believe that debt is the way to success. That's really been pushed on my generation (I'm 24), and I've heard stories that it's getting even harder for current students as far as how much debt is marketed to them. As a parent, you need to be there with an alternative point-of-view.

How to Have a Balanced Life While Working at Home

2008-08-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Many people start a home-based business to spend more time with their families. It's a wonderful goal. The ironic thing is you have to be just as careful (if not more so) to not distance yourself from your "home life" while still being in the same physical space. In this article, I will give you tips on how to make the best of the time you have so that you can win in your business and your home life.

1) Set your priorities and keep to them.

You have to learn how to "make time" for both your business and your home life. I think we have an entire aspect of our culture now just dedicated to distractions, and you have to learn to say "no" sometimes. If you just let daily life carry you along, you'll never have time to do anything. You don't have to strictly live by a watch or calendar (that's likely what you were trying to escape in the first place) but you do have to protect time that matters to you and your future.

It is a decision, and you have to make some choices sometimes that are different from what other people do. I personally eliminated a lot of TV time and don't even regret it now. It's much better to earn the right to be the person having fun that sitting on the couch watching other people on TV have fun.

2) Get out of debt.

Financial stress impacts your family and your business. Even if it takes you a few years, it can give you a great financial foundation for your business and your family.

I'm not affiliated with him, but Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover is the best practical finance book I've ever read, including those expensive college textbooks. Running a debt-free business is also a lot more fun because you don't have to worry about interest payments devouring your profits before you even get off the ground.

3) If they show interest, get your family involved with your business.

My husband and I both work together on one of our businesses, and it doesn't feel like work the way most people think of it. We have a lot of fun and make money at the same time. It really is a good life to enjoy something that makes you an income as well.

When we have children, I'd like to have things that they can do that they can understand on their level. I would've loved to have known as a kid what I know now about business, and if you have kids they will likely benefit from your experience. I can tell you that through all my years of formal schooling I never was taught how to be a business owner. That's sad to me, but the good news is I believe the children of home business owners have an advantage other children do not have. As you're learning, they can learn, too.

4) Lastly, do not think of balancing your business and family life like a set of scales going back and forth.

Life doesn't work well that way. Unlike a lot of job situations, as a business owner you have the opportunity to have both aspects of your life be positive without trading one for the other. You just need to invest yourself in both your family and your business on a daily basis. Take advantage of the freedom a home-business gives you and appreciate the family moments you would've missed if you didn't have it.

More Tips:

Most of your lifestyle adjusting comes in the first few months of being at home. This is the time when you need the most emotional support and encouragement from friends and family as well, even if they're not directly involved in the business.

Realize that when you have a passion for something, you'll find a way to make it work. It just takes time and patience. You may feel out of balance a little while until you get comfortable and your business stabilizes.

How to Recognize a Fake Work-at-Home Job

2008-08-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

The idea of working at home has been growing in appeal along with the growth of the Internet, but you should be careful when it comes to work-at-home job scams. In this article, I will give you some guidelines to help you in your search.

1) Ask yourself if you are you being asked to pay for the opportunity?

There are legitimate business opportunities where you need a small amount of start-up income, but those are not jobs--you should be told from the beginning what the relationship is between you and the company.

If you're being told that it's a job and you're being asked to pay for a "list" of possible employers, it is most likely a scam. The same information you're being given is likely available for free if you take the time to research it.

2) Does the compensation seem appropriate for the job?

If you're being promised thousands of dollars a month to stuff envelopes or read e-mail, there is probably something wrong.

One growing scam involves identity theft-people are told they'll receive large sums of money for receiving packages at their home and sending them to an overseas address. What the people don't realize is that the merchandise was bought online using stolen credit card information and that their address is where it's going to be tracked.

3) Find out if the business registered with the Better Business Bureau or a similar regulatory organization. (Note: Go to their site directly--a logo on the business page alone may not be real)

One day I thought I had found a legitimate opportunity. The pay seemed reasonable and the company seemed like it would be good to work for. Then I looked them up on the Better Business Bureau's website (www.bbb.org) and found they had several lawsuits against them that were enough to make me change my mind.

Every company is going to have its issues, but it's best to check them out on non-partial sites to find out their background has a major problem.

4) Lastly, listen to your intuition.

People sometimes underestimate their ability to spot something fake. If you keep your emotions in balance-not letting yourself get overly excited or too negative-you can likely find some great opportunities if you take the time to research.

More Tips:

Consider how your own skills and abilities can be used to do something on your own as opposed to seeking out a specific employer. There is plenty of opportunity out there if you set your mind to something.

Realize that transitioning to working at home may be a process for you. It's better to exercise patience and do it right than try to get rich quick.

How-to Grow a Home-Baseed Business Smartly

2008-08-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

Growing a home-based business shares many aspects of growing a traditional small business. There are however a few specific details you need to consider in deciding if the timing is right to grow and how to do it. In this article, I will address areas where you can focus your attention and draw out greater profits.

1) Look at your overhead costs.
When you expand, you need to consider if the rate your overhead is going to increase along with your profits. If your overhead is increasing at a higher rate than your profits in an expansion, it may be a bad move.

On the other hand, if you can do something to increase your profits while keeping your overhead nearly the same, you're putting yourself in a more stable position for growth.

There comes a certain point in home-based businesses where you may need to take it out of your home. This is a major decision, and you need to make sure your business can cash flow enough to cover rent and any additional expenses of a storefront and make a significantly greater profit. Never buy a location outright because you often have no idea if it's going to work long-term for your business.

2) Take a look at your time.
In business, the ideal situations are moves you can make where the business is taking up less of your time and still making the same amount of profit.

On-line businesses are a great example of this in that once you develop everything on the front end, they have a 24-hour a day element to them that operates regardless to what you're physically doing.

Sometimes you have more work available than you can handle, and it makes sense to bring on another person. Instead of a traditional employer-employee situation, you may want to consider working out deals where the new person gets a percentage of the profit they bring in instead of an hourly wage. This ensures you're not going to be drained by someone who doesn't work. Check with a local business attorney in your area for more information on how you can set this up. Also, never enter into legal partnership situations--most fail when two or more people have different directions they want a business to go.

3) Decide whether you want to grow in quality or quantity.
Either business model will work, but you need to decide what is the best direction for your product or service.

If you have a service-based business, consider the fact that gained experience has value. At a certain point, you should be able to charge higher rates for a higher quality performance that you provide. This will result in less customers and less hassle but with the same or greater amounts of profit.

In other cases, you may need to do more what you're already doing. Suppose you have a craft business and buy supplies in small quantities in the beginning. As you grow, you should feel more comfortable in buying more supplies in bulk. Your initial costs go down, and you'll make more profit even though you haven't changed the price of your goods.

4) Make sure you can cash flow any major changes to your business.
I've seen too many businesses go under because they become too leveraged with debt. It can be hard enough to run a business that you don't need the added stress of keeping above interest payments.

5) Lastly, consider areas where you can diversify or branch into.
Over time, you probably have learned a little about other businesses related to your own. If it makes sense, it may be a good idea to branch into those areas. Having more than one service can also make your business more stable.

How to Use Ribbon in Decorating a Christmas Tree

2008-08-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Decorating a Christmas tree is a lot of fun and a family tradition for many people. In this article, I want to share a tip that can make rolls of ribbon look very nice on your tree.

Things You’ll Need:

2 or 3 rolls of ribbon that you want to put on your tree. With this project, kinds with wire in them are great. The ribbon can be the same exact type or just match in colors.
Your Christmas tree.

1) First, begin with your first roll of ribbon. Instead of weaving the entire roll through your tree, start cutting two or three 2 foot strips.
Do the same with your other 2 rolls until you have a total of 6 to 9 strips, according to the side of your tree. Do not continue doing this to the entire rolls however, because you'll need to cut larger strips later on.

2) Beginning at the very top of your tree, tuck one end of a ribbon strip into a branch and then the other on a slightly lower branch.
You want the ribbon to be fairly loose and more vertical than horizontal. Twists are okay, but for this effect it's best that most of the ribbon is facing outward.

Do the same with the other strips until you're all the way around the top portion of the tree. The overall effect we're going for is the ribbon will look like it's cascading down the tree like a waterfall, not traveling horizontally through the tree the way Christmas tree lights are done.

3) For your second level, you want to make the ribbon strips a few inches longer than the first levels.
Somewhere between 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 feet is fine. You're also going to use more strips on the next level--closer to 8-12 according to the size of your tree. Do the same exact process. You should begin to notice the effect by now.

4) Last, continue this pattern until you've reached the bottom of the tree.
With each lower level, you'll need to increase the size and number of ribbon strips you're using. This is an excellent way to create a full-looking tree that looks professionally decorated.

More Tips:

A very nice effect is using three different ribbons--2 solid and one sheer/transparent. It's very pretty, especially when the Christmas tree is lit.

While this is possible to do with the tree already decorated, it's a lot easier if you do this after the lights but before ornaments.

How to Have a Debt-Free Wedding

2008-08-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

Money is the number one cause of fights in a marriage and the number one cause of divorce. More and more people are realizing the importance of starting a marriage off on a solid financial foundation. In this article, I will address ways that you can save money and still have a beautiful wedding. You may have to do things a little different than most people, but it can be well worth it.

1) The first thing you need to do is start planning as early as possible.

This will ensure you don't have to make impulse decisions. You need to decide the size of the wedding you want to have and start figuring out basics such as location, number of guests, reception location, etc.

Unless you're totally fixed on a certain location, try checking with several. My husband and I checked with the church we were attending while in college--they let us rent out the church, provided a wedding organizer and sound engineer, and gave us access to their lobby for a reception. Total cost--$150. We couldn't believe it. All you have to do sometimes is just ask.

2) For us, my dress was the most expensive single purchase of the wedding.

I found the perfect one at a bridal shop, and not knowing any better I just thought it would be fine to get my accessories there as well. I knew the dress was pretty expensive, and I was honestly caught up in the moment when they rang everything up.

By the time we got home and looked at the receipt, I realized that over 1/3 of the total price had been for a pair of shoes and a veil (basically consisting of thin mesh with a few sparkles thrown in)! We went back to the store, which said "sorry, no cash refunds--only trade credit." Fortunately we were able to use the money to get an entire dress for one of my bridesmaids. I later ended up getting nearly the same items for about 10% of the bridal shop accessories.

My husband decided to rent his tux, and the company we went through gave us a package deal where he got his free because we had 3 groomsmen and a ring bearer. They were really reasonable on everything.

I liked my dress, but I wouldn't have considered it wrong to rent one either. I was originally going to sell mine afterwards, but the market is saturated with a lot of women trying to do the same thing. I later decided to keep it.

3) Consider ordering some of your things online directly from manufacturers.

I mainly mean your invitations, party favors, cake decorations, cake cutting utensils, glasses, etc. If you save money on these items, it gives you more room to splurge on other areas.

Do some shopping around with your rings, photography, flowers, and catering. Music can be done live or on a CD mix that can be ran through most speaker systems. Talk with friends and family and get recommendations from them. This is why it's so important to give yourself plenty of time.

4) Have fun with the process.

We actually enjoyed being involved more in the process as opposed to having everything done for us. On the day of the wedding, we were the least stressed-out of everyone in the church. We had a beautiful wedding. Everyone thought we'd spent a lot more than what we actually did, and more importantly everyone had fun.

As a general bit of last advice, make it about each other and the event. Keep it simple. The less distractions you have, the better the wedding will go for you.

I wish you the best in your marriage and in life!

More Tips:

Check with your local college's broadcasting or media department. You may be able to get some students to do your wedding as a project to film and edit. Something that would cost you thousands from a production company can be done for a couple of hundred that way. It's a win-win situation for everyone. The same can happen with still photography as well.

Don't let people pressure you into spending more than you've planned. It's the hardest thing to resist in this whole process.

How to Create a Believable Fictional Character

2008-08-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

This article is mainly geared toward fiction writers who already have characters in mind or created. It is a checklist of ideas to keep in mind that will help you create realistic characters or slightly alter existing ones.

1) When you start brainstorming the traits of your character, you want to look more at how those traits impact your character than the really the traits themselves.
Too many times I've seen writers give a detailed list of traits when they begin to describe a character--this can make the character seem flat if you're not careful.

The advice of many writing books of "show, don't tell" is very important in characterization as well as plot. If your character is intelligent, show them doing something intelligent. Don't just have it listed.

2) You need to have some background information on your characters that is specifically for you as the writer--it doesn't have to be thing that the reader even knows about directly.
This can be information about the characters personality, general reactions when they have a certain emotion, etc. You can keep this stored in notebooks or even in a computer database if you're more technically oriented.

If you need help in this area, you can go to the Fictional Character Development Template for free.

3) It's helpful sometimes to mentally put your characters in situations that aren't related to your plot.
Playing with ideas may help you create a more solid character, even when the ideas themselves don't make it into your book or short story.

4) Do your homework.
If your main character is a pilot, you may possibly have readers who are pilots. If little details are off, your drama may suddenly become a comedy to them. You don't have to go overboard, but either do enough research or have a friend who's an authority review it for you.

5) Be observant of people in general.
This is especially helpful in studying mannerisms, such as people running their hands through their hair if they're frustrated or nervous. Sometimes this is also helpful for coming up with conflict ideas as well. Just don't creep people out by following them around with a notebook in public.

More Tips:

Take the time to look through some books on psychology and personality-types. When you study real people, it makes creating fictional people a lot easier.

There are also a lot of free online resources on personality-types as well.

How to Get Writing Ideas

2008-08-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

I believe that writer's block comes from two things: Not being prepared or wanting your writing to be perfect on the first draft. In this article, I will address both of these issues and help you get a better flow of ideas going for you.

1) One of the first things you need to do is get in a habit of carrying a notebook and something to write with wherever you go.
We all have down time--waiting in line at the post office, doctor's office, etc. You can brainstorm during these times and come back to your ideas later when you're home. This has personally allowed me to come up with dozens of short stories I don't think I would've done otherwise.

If you want to do it, keep separate notebooks by your bed and in your car as well. Just remember to write down that great idea you get in your car when you get to a red light--not while the car is moving.

2) Read.
I've also found it helpful to keep some reference books in your home office about the area you like to write about. It's always good to read about a book a month to keep your mind sharp and help you to spark some ideas. This makes some writers uncomfortable--thinking it's going to limit their creativity--but for me it's had the opposite effect.

I sometimes even read a little of people I disagree with (don't buy their books--just read a few pages) and have an idea of how I'd put a topic in my perspective.

3) Don't worry about getting things right on the first draft.
While I was in school, I used to be so worried about getting a paper back with red ink on it. Now I actually like it when I run copy past other people and have them catch my mistakes. It makes your final draft better than if you keep it to yourself.

There are a lot of great web sites for writers that are very nice and helpful when it comes to reviews. I'll link you to a free one, Writing.com, that's one of my favorites. I'm not affiliated with them but have been a member of their site for over a year--we review each other's work for things called gift points, which you can exchange for better memberships and to reward people for reviewing you. What I like is you can store your work online (private or public) in a portfolio and pick back up where you left off on another computer with the Internet. They've been really good to me or I wouldn't suggest them.
Other Resources:

Web Writer Central (Has free information for on-line freelance writers)

More Tips:

Keep yourself in a habit of writing, even if it's not the masterpiece of work you're wanting. It makes things easier when you take on a larger project.

When you fill up a notebook, put it in a filing cabinet. The next time writer's block hits you, you have a whole set of ideas you can start on.

How to Play Yankee Swap (White Elephant Gift Exchange)

2008-08-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

When you host a party, it can sometimes be difficult to entertain large numbers of guests and encourage them to interact. Yankee swaps or white elephant gift exchanges are a great way to bring people together with little or no money involved. In this article, I will explain basic rules of the game and some variations you may like to try.

The rules of a Yankee swap are very simple, but first you need to do a little preparation work:

1) First, you need to let your guests know limitations to the gifts they bring.

Each person only has to bring one gift and will receive one gift by the end. There can also be limits in the form of a maximum dollar amount or a theme. Most Yankee swaps I've attended were usually $10 and under, but you can fit it to any budget. The main thing is you don't want anyone to overspend and feel bad about it later that they didn't know.

2) As far as choosing themes, they can vary widely. At one of the nicer ones I've attended, everyone brought Christmas ornaments ranging from $7-10.

The cheapest one had a limitation that you couldn't spend any money. One of the gifts was a half-used roll of toilet paper. Guests are generally more creative when you ask them to think of an off-the-wall gift that people may want to "fight" over and give them enough advanced notice to find something. You can also base gifts on your particular organization-a book club exchanging books as an easy example.

Just as a general rule, keep in mind your focus should be on the entertainment value and not the cost of the gift.

3) When you gather everyone together, the easiest thing to do is draw numbers to pick who goes first through last.

You should also establish rules upfront on how many times a gift can be "taken" in a round (basically a new person's turn)-if you don't, there's a tendency for a cycle to occur between 2-3 of the most stubborn people in the room. They might have a lot of fun, but your other guests will consider this game a form of torture after the first 15 minutes.

4) The person who drew the number "1" picks the first gift.

At this point, they can't do anything else. Person 2 has the choice of taking Person 1's gift or selecting an unopened one. If person 1's gift is taken, they get to open another one.

Person 3 can take either of the opened gifts or select a new one. At this point there are enough gifts in play that a person who has their gift taken has the choice between opened and unopened gifts (other than the gift that was taken from them). This is why you may have to establish a limit on how many times a particular gift can be "taken" in one round.

Continue this process until you reach the last person and all the gifts are opened. According to your choice, the 1st person has either the best or worst position in the game. If you want them to have the best, give them the option of either keeping their current gift or trading one last time with all the gifts known. The other option is to have the exchange end with the person with the last number.

How to Play Secret Santa

2008-08-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

When you have a large group of people, the game Secret Santa is a great way to exchange gifts without breaking everyone's budget. In this article, I will explain the basics of playing the game and a few variations of it that you can try.

Things You’ll Need:

At least two pieces of paper and something to write with
A container large enough for people to reach in, such as a jar or hat.
Small prizes for the day of the exchange (optional)

1) The first thing you need to do is determine the number of people involved and write each of their names on a small strip of paper. Put the small strips into the container.

2) After you're done, go around to each person and have them draw out a name--making sure that they do not draw their own or anyone in their immediate family such as a spouse or child.
As you're doing this, record who has each name on the other sheet of paper. Hang on to this sheet. It will be important later.

3) Explain to each of your guests any limitations you have on the gifts--dollar limit, theme, etc.
This will ensure people do not overspend that everyone is getting something nice. Also, request that they only put the name of the recipient on the packages, not who it's from.

4) On the day of the exchange, try to keep the gifts all in one place. Don't let anyone linger to see who has brought each package.
When ready, pass out everyone's gifts and allow them to open them. Go around and let everyone try to guess the identity of their Secret Santa and have small prizes for correct guesses.

Another option is after opening the gifts, let guests go around and talk to people until they figure out their Secret Santa. Both options are fine and are just based on your personal decision.

How to Build a Part-Time Used Book Sales Business Using Amazon.com

2008-08-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

This article is mainly geared toward people who are already familiar with Amazon.com selling as a hobby and would like to transition it into a profitable part-time business. This is more about developing the business system side than Amazon.com itself.

1) One of the first steps you need to take from transitioning selling on Amazon from a hobby to a business is to get yourself organized.

From a financial standpoint, I recommend consulting with your tax accountant to get a full list of records you should keep. You may also need to check into business regulations in your local area.

As far as inventory, I recommend keeping using a spare bedroom or office to keep it all in one place. You want enough room to keep an inventory around 100-300 books at any given time with the way I plan to show you. Keep all your shipping and insurance receipts, as well as any other records, all in one place. To make your accounting easier, open up a separate account to hold all your profits and take out all of your expenses.

2) Gathering good inventory is probably one of the hardest problems people have. I personally suggest checking in your local area at used bookstores and thrift shops.
Used book stores are the best place to find textbooks--just because the local college isn't taking them back doesn't mean someone else in the country needs it. Before you spend a lot of money on something you think is worth getting, simply write down the ISBN and check it at home. You can always come back and you don't lose money if it's not worth it. Also, be sure to look at the sales ranking of the item--if it's way down at the bottom, it still may not be worth paying a lot to get. Overall you want inventory that moves fast so you don't get piled up.

I personally do not bother trying to sell something less than $8 unless the price just falls down below that point. Factor shipping into your asking price, as Amazon's commission tends to take up your shipping credit.

3) Be very professional with your customers.
Mail your books out within the next business day if possible. Thank them for your purchase and let them know you're there for them if they have any questions. It is personal service that will give you great feedback and in turn more customers.

With shipping, I would suggest getting insurance on anything more than $20 (or whatever amount is the minimum you'd hate to lose if it gets lost in the mail). Insurance with the U.S. Post Office is tracked on their internal system and is cheaper than delivery confirmation. Plus you're protected if anything does happen.

More Tips:

If you are a college student, consider checking with your fellow students if they have any textbooks the bookstore didn't take back. Offer to check to see if it's selling online and split the money with them (keep good records on this). Sometimes people will even give them to you for free!

As a general rule, I've found it's better to grow in quality instead of quantity. You use up less of your time and make roughly the same profits.

Link your Amazon store to your blog for free advertising. I've gotten a few customers that way.

Develop a normal routine that fits into your daily life. It makes things easier when you plan everything out as if it were a job.

Even though it's tempting because of higher profits, don't skip on the insurance on higher end items. I don't think scams are common, but the moment you relax on that is usually when the book doesn't arrive.

Don't spend all your income from this business immediately. Keep a small emergency buffer in case something unexpected occurs.

How to Find a Career That Makes You Happy

2008-08-13T19:10:00.001-07:00

Over 70,000 hours of the average person's life is spent working. Does that statistic encourage or depress you? In this article, I will give tips on finding and pursuing a career that does not feel like "work" to you.

1) First, you need to figure out what you really want out of life and the type of work you'd like to do long-term.

Take some time on this. For most people, the time around high school and college goes by so quickly--and with so many snap decisions--that they really have not thought their career goals through.

Just as you wouldn't plan a vacation without knowing where you're going, this needs to be approached with a similar process. You need to do some research and write down your skills, hobbies, personality needs, and your interests. From this, you should begin to see a pattern of ideas. Use these to brainstorm careers that match your traits and that you would enjoy.

2) For most career changes, you don't have to immediately stop what you're already doing.

Just take some of your free time and begin to take steps towards job searching. You may be able to find something part-time that can eventually turn into full-time, but you'll have your current job to still pay living expenses. If what you want to do is going to require you quit your current job, take a few months to prepare financially and do as much as you can to get experience before taking the leap. Even volunteer work can help you get a better feel for certain positions.

Part-time businesses are another option for certain fields. You will likely make more money over time this way, but keep in mind you'll have to be more patient and wait for your income to build up before transitioning to full-time business ownership/self-employment.

3) Try to get around people who are in the field you'd like to explore.

They may be able to give you insight that you wouldn't normally get otherwise, and it will help you know what to expect.

Also, don't let it bother you if your first idea does not work out as expected. Sometimes it take trying different things before you find what's right for you. It's all right to make mistakes, especially when trying to avoid the biggest mistake of staying in a position where you're miserable.

More Tips:

There are several online sites with free personality tests. If you've never taken one, it may help give you a starting point if you're having a hard time figuring out careers that will fit your personality.

Don't let fear or money keep you in a position you hate. Fear can be overcome, and money will come when you do what you love better than the people doing it only for money.

Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you have to like it. You want to keep your skills in mind, but they should not be the only factor you consider.

How to Copy Mini-DVs to DVDs

2008-08-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

In this article, I will explain the most inexpensive and easiest way I know to transfer information stored on Mini DVs to DVDs. To keep this article as on topic as possible, I will have to assume you have some basic knowledge of video editing and DVD computer software (or are willing to take the time to go through your software's manuals.)

Things You Will Need:

Mini DV camera with a firewire (6 pin) or mini-firewire (4 pin)port

Mini DV tapes you want to transfer

A computer with a firewire plug-in slot and a DVD burner

A firewire cable or firewire to mini-firewire cable (based on your camera's port)

Video editing and DVD burner software (I personally use Adobe Premiere and Encore, but will try to explain the process in basic terms).

1) First, you need to get your computer and camera connected using the firewire or firewire to mini-firewire cable.

When you have correctly connected your video camera, the computer will usually make a sound similar to plugging in an external device like a mouse or hard drive. You will also have an indicator pop up in your start bar if you're using Windows.

2) Even if you never intend on editing your footage, video editing software is great for transfer situations like this.

When you first open a video editing program, it will likely ask you if you want to start a new project. Go ahead and do this. At this point, you may need to familiarize yourself with your particular software. What you want to look for are three parts of your project--a timeline, a capture/digitizing window, and a "bin" (used for storing captured videos).

3) The next step is a process either called "capturing" or "digitizing" by most programs.

Find your capturing or digitizing window. You should see something that looks similar to VCR controls--play, pause, stop, record, etc. You may also see "In" and "Out" categories for entering time codes.

If you're wanting to do an entire mini DV tape to DVD, the easiest thing to do would be to rewind your tape to around 5 seconds before the point you want the DVD to start. Press the "Play" button, followed by "Record" immediately after that. The computer should start capturing the video within your 5 second buffer. When you reach your end point, press stop. You should see a movie clip appear in the "bin" section. This contains what was on your tape.

4) You will need to select your movie clip and movie it to a time line window.

If you need to trim either end or even edit what you have, consult your video editing software's manual to do any last minute changes.

5) Once you are finished, you will need to an option in the software that says "Export to DVD." In Adobe Premiere, it's under the "File" menu.

As a general rule, you settings should contain something about "NTSC standard" to play normally on U.S. DVD players. Audio for television is set at 48KHz (broadcast standard) and 44KHz is acceptable for consumer grade products.

6) Test your DVD on a normal DVD player.

If you have any visual or sound issues, you may have selected a wrong setting for the burning process. Every program is a little different, and the guidelines I'm giving are very general. You may have to consult your software manual for more information and troubleshooting.

7) If you would like to create a DVD with a menu, programs such as Encore (or any DVD burning program that takes .avi files) can be used for this.

You can bring up the movie file from where you captured, make any additions, and export it out to DVD similar to the way you did with the video editing software.

More Tips:

Be sure if you're buying new software and equipment for this project that it is compatible with your computer's abilities.

If this is a rare or one-time project, it may be financially better to consult video production companies in your area before spending a lot of money and time to do it on your own. This is something that shouldn't cost a lot to do.

How to Deal With Negative People

2008-08-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Whether it is in the workplace or in our family, having negative people in your life can make you miserable. There are however things you can do to lessen and even combat the effects. In this article, I will share some tips that I've personally found helpful.

1) First, with individual people you should try to find out the source of the negativity.

Is it a particular situation, for instance you're thinking of doing something moderately risky such as staring a business or changing careers, are they reacting less positively than what you expected? In that case, they may just be concerned about you. You may need to reassure them and listen to their concerns. That doesn't mean you have to agree with everything they're saying, but it will usually stop the negative comments or attitude.

Then there's the situation of people who can't seem to be happy no matter what they do or you do. They simply have a negative attitude. You can't change them--only they can do that. The best thing you can do for yourself is avoid them if possible until you're strong enough to handle them. If it's a situation where you can't, keep reading for more ideas.

2) Look at your environment and determine any negative influences around both you and people around you.

The problem is as people, we can sometimes be influenced whether we like it or not. If you have a negative job, often you can't just turn off the effects when you leave the building and go home. There is carry-over.

To the extent you can, limit your negative influences and increase your positive ones. Look at the situation like you would finances--you want to be more in the positive than in the negative if you want to be successful. Positive influences can come in the form of supportive friends and family, positive books, and to a certain extent positive forms of media such as movies, television, CDs, etc.

3) You also need to look at negative influences in media as well--just because the person isn't physically in your house doesn't mean they don't influence you.

If there are shows that you watch that leave you feeling worse after watching them, that is not entertainment. I've even found some commercials to be emotionally draining. You need to regulate what you put into your brain as much as possible because that's going to either enhance or lessen the effect negative people have on you.

4) Realize that become more resistant to negative people is a process.

You have to practice patience and keeping your own attitude up. Sometimes you'll make a mistake, but that's okay as long as you learn from it.

Becoming a positive person in people's lives has it's advantages as well. You'll find that if you are less negative yourself and catch yourself when you're about to be negative, more people tend to gravitate toward you and want to be your friend. It's because there's a deep need for more people like that in our culture.

I hope these tips have been helpful toward you. Good luck and best wishes to you in life!

How to Prepare for an Impending Layoff

2008-08-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Growing up I watched my dad get laid-off several times, and I seen first-hand the emotional and financial stress it can put on a family. This article will help you be better prepared in case a layoff ever occurs where you work. It is my hope you never need it, but you need to know how.

1) First, you need to realize that there's usually two areas a layoff will hit you--your finances and your emotions.

If it has just happened to you, there needs to be a time where you give yourself some time before making major decisions.

2) There are several things you can do to stabilize your finances in case of a layoff. One is to get out of much debt as possible.

How to do that can be a whole other article in itself, but I personally suggest reading books by financial advisor Dave Ramsey. There are other good authors out there as well, but his books are what helped my family.

By reducing or eliminating your debt, you reduce the amount of money in the form of payments that is leaving your household. In an emergency situation, you can survive on a small amount of money longer without any issues.

3) Another related thing you can do is increase your income through a small, part-time business.

Take inventory of your skills and see if there's something you can do on the side for extra income. The Internet has also opened up a lot of opportunity for normal people to work a day job and then run a business from their home in the evenings.

My philosophy is this: In investing, the conventional advice is "never put all your eggs in one basket." Yet many people are betting their financial futures on only one income source. Even good jobs and good companies have problems, and there's no reason not to have back-up income if you have the means to create it.

If possible, you also need to have a small cushion of money to serve as an emergency fund. Ideally this needs to be 3-6 months of your expenses, but realize this takes time to build. Usually you need to get out of debt first to be able to do this.

4) From an emotional standpoint, it often hurts to get laid-off, especially if you were great at your position and liked it.

People develop friendships on the job as well, and you miss people. Realize that this is not necessarily something you'll immediately bounce-back from, but you also don't need to cling to it either. The best thing you can do is make the best of the situation and try to use it as an opportunity to do something new in your life.

If you're a spouse or other family member of someone who has been laid-off, be supportive of them and encourage them. Men especially tend to take their self-worth from their jobs, and every working person needs someone to be there for them as they go through the process of getting something new.

More Tips:

Make sure with children to explain on their level what has happened when if you are laid-off. They need to understand and it doesn't help them if you're stressed but try to pretend nothing is wrong around them. They pick up on that.

You may find that your side-businesses eventually bring in more money than your job--there's nothing wrong with crossing over to being a business owner if you like it better. That's how a lot of business owners start out.

Don't make the mistake in thinking your job is secure. Most companies do care and don't like laying people off, but it can happen anywhere. It can be an unexpected event for the company as well as you.

How to Write Natural Dialogue in Fiction Stories

2008-08-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

In creating novels and short stories, it can sometimes be difficult to create natural and realistic dialogue. In this article, I'll show you ways you can solve this problem.

1) The first step involves taking a look at your characters.

Keep in mind traits such as personality, where they are from, their ages, and their education. Dialogue is a tool that you can use to show these traits to your reader without directly telling them. Taking the time to do this will help you determine not only what a character might say, but how they would say it.

2) Second, mentally picture your characters interacting as if they were on a TV show or a play.

Is there anything about what they're saying to each other that seems odd or out of place? Sometimes a sentence may be correct from a grammar standpoint, but you may have to reword it for dialogue because of how people speak in reality.

3) Third, read the dialogue out loud.

This will help your pacing. If you feel like you're out of breath after a string of dialogue, you may want to shorten your sentences. Likewise, if you feel like the dialogue is too short for the situation, you can smooth it out.

4) Last, do a check of your overall story.

Do you have a lot of "he said" and "she replied" after each sentence? You can eliminate a lot of those after you've established who is talking. This makes the story as a whole flow a lot better.

More Tips

Try paying attention to the conversations of people. You'll begin to pick up on patterns such as rapid subject changes.

Think of ways you can show your character's personality by how much they speak and how much they listen.

On the other extreme, you don't necessarily want your dialogue to completely reflect how people talk--especially filler words such as "um."

Avoid phonetically spelling out accents of characters if at all possible. This can annoy your readers after a certain point. Mention the accent, but make the words themselves easy to read.

Also avoid modern slang if you intend for the story to be longer-lasting.

Get more character development tips at The Fictional Character Development Template.

How to Make Extra Income

2008-08-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

When you train your mind to look for opportunity, it is amazing how much income you can make solving the problems of others. There are a lot of great ways out there to make money, both short-term and long-term. The Internet in general has opened up the ability for an average person to do really well, and fast-paced lifestyles have opened up the opportunity for other people to fill new needs in service-based side businesses.

Here are what I believe to be some of the fastest and easiest ways to make money. Not all of them are glamorous, but they can help you gain extra income for a better life:

1) Sell Online:

Whether it's Ebay, Amazon, or your own site, the ability to have a store that never closes is why this appeals to a lot of people. You can make extra money while you're physically at work or even asleep. They do take work, but they're flexible enough to fit into most people's lifestyles. Just do some research ahead of time so you know you are selling something in demand.

2) Start Your Own Writing Business:

You can do this more than one way, based on your skills and background. There's article writing for sites such as Ehow.com, Helium.com and Associated Content. There's also the option of e-books if you're an expert in almost anything. I personally do both and enjoy it. You can find resources on how to do this for free at Web Writer Central.

3) Clean Houses:

I know people who make great money doing this. Basically you can do this by word-of-mouth and build up as many clients as you can handle. If you're willing to do the work and build a reputation, you'll never have a shortage of customers.

4) Paid Surveys:

I used to do these quite a bit before I transitioned into other things, but they're good for $5-10 a survey. It just takes time finding sites that are legitimate and worth doing. I know Pinecone Research is probably the best one I've ever came across, but I'm sure there are others as well.

5) Mow Lawns:

This is more of a summer side job, but again it's something you can build up into a steady stream of income if you have enough clients. This is assuming you have your own mower or have the ability to use one belonging to the home owners.

6) Have a Yard Sale:

My husband and I did this when we wanted to jump start getting out of debt. It's amazing the stuff we all have and rarely use. Certain things you may want to try looking up on Ebay first, just because it may get you more money. At yard sales, you have to assume that people are there to get a bargain. This is mainly to make a little extra cash and clean at the same time.

7) Babysit:

Most of us have friends with children who would like to have a break every once in awhile. They would most likely rather have someone watch them that they know as opposed to someone they have to screen. Just let people know you're available and charge a reasonable rate.

8) Offer to Teach Something You Know:

I've had some wonderful older people ask me if I would teach them enough about personal computers to get them caught up on how to send e-mail, download photos from a digital camera, etc. If you have any type of skill that's in demand (computers, foreign language, music, etc), you may be able to turn it into extra money.

9) House sit/Pet sit:

Pick up people's mail and take care of their pets while they're traveling. This can be fun and pay well.

10) Build Web Pages for People:

If you have this skill and do it well, it's another field that has a lot of demand. You can do it on your own time and charge a rate based on the complexity of the web page. You can market this to individuals, churches, businesses, schools, and other community organizations.

11) Build a Web Page for Yourself:

Design a site about something you're passionate about and sign up for affiliate programs such as Google Adwords and Amazon.