I Read. Do you?

Tomorrow (March 2) is Read Across America Day, and I think that is one of the reasons that I have been selling more of my "I Read. Do you?" t-shirts on Cafepress. I had made a few designs about a year ago, and it's kind of fun to still be getting emails telling me I have made a sale. It's not a ton of money, but it is something, and does count towards my goal of $300 in 30 days.

Grocery Savings with Coupons

So, it's been a few months since I posted about my use of coupons at the grocery store. I am a huge fan of coupons! I am a subscriber to the Sunday edition of the LA Times at a discount rate, since Sunday is the day the coupons are included. Each week I save the ads, clip out my coupons, and store them in envelopes based on where I plan to use them and what they are for. I basically shop at two places - Target and Ralphs, but sometimes there is a trip to Vons or Wal-Mart. I think I have a pretty good idea of which place gives me a better deal on certain items - it would be easier if our Target was a SuperTarget and had a full grocery store, but those don't exist in all areas of California, so I have to split my shopping.

Today I went to Ralphs, and if I hadn't been a Rewards member or used coupons, my total would have been $72.59. After my savings, I paid $35.27 - a savings of over 50%! And combined with a few things I have at home, I figure I can last for a week or so with what I bought.

I know some people out there are able to say "I spent $20 a week on food", but I think I've made significant progress over what I used to spend. I used to think that $60-70 a week was good, and that was when I was eating out more and the $60 didn't cover all of my meals. Now I am down to $40 or so and covering just about every meal. It's exciting!

If you want to subscribe to a newspaper, click here. The Sunday editions are usually the best, but other days may include coupons as well.

HubMob

I've mentioned the site HubPages before, and how occasionally there are different contests and incentives going on to help inspire new Hubs. One that I found recently is called HubMobs. Each week they select a new topic and then make a Request where you can answer with your hub or hubs on the topic. One user creates a list of all of the hubs (this week it is St. Patrick's Day HubMob - Better Than Green Beer!) and it goes from there.

My contribution this week is The 2009 St. Patrick's Day Parade in NYC. Check it out!

Let the new year begin!

It's 2009! And it's going to be a great year!

This is the year that I accomplish my goal of $300 in 30 days. This is the year that I finish the year closer to being out of debt than I began it. This is the year that I take charge of my personal finances and apply the lessons I have learned. This is the year!

As I have been thinking about ways to approach the new year, I am somewhat torn between two approaches. This afternoon I have been sorting through all of that stuff that you pile away and plan on sorting through someday, and separated out all of my bank, credit card, and other financial statements. The plan was to organize everything and figure out what exactly happened in 2008 and then come up with a plan of attack for 2009. But as I was in the kitchen preparing my mac & cheese dinner (I've learned to budget, but haven't quite hit the healthy part yet!), it hit me that maybe I should just throw all of it away and start fresh. Start from today. That doesn't mean that I don't have to face my debt and my past mistakes, but I don't need to dwell on them and categorize them to death - just recognize them, establish exactly where I am at today as I start the new year, and move forward.

Squidoo

I have updated a few of my lenses at Squidoo recently:

My Favorite Christmas Movies
The Amazon Kindle e-book Reader
NBA Teams (This is still a work-in-progress!)

Day 26

So... another month has come and gone, and another 30 day challenge has passed me by without much to show for it! I've made a few dollars here and there, but probably nothing more than $10 total in passive income (cafepress, adsense, etc). My best savings has been using coupons for my grocery shopping and being able to eat at home for lunch and dinner.

I guess I can take one more shot at the goal in December to make an extra $300 in 30 days by "passive" techniques, and then be set for an amazing 2009! Of course, the economy isn't helping all that much, when people aren't buying, but that will all change in January, right??

Mr. Rebates

I found a new online shopping site today - Mr. Rebates. It is a site where you can get cash back from a variety of online retailers. They also have links to coupons and other discounts you can use when shopping on the websites. Check it out!

$300 in November - Day 1

It's that time again - time to start a new 30 day challenge! I was looking back over the history of the blog, and realized my first month was January of 2008, so there is still a chance that I can complete the challenge at least once within the first year of the creation of the blog. I have had a few months where I did make some money but didn't post about it, but I don't know that I have ever reached my goal.

Speaking of the goal - to clarify, my goal is to make $300 in 30 days using alternative means of employment to my regular job. This would include using blogs, sites like Squidoo, online surveys, and other means of alternative income. These can be broken down into categories, two of the main being passive and active sources, and I plan to get into more detail each day as I write about what I am doing.

I also plan to do a comprehensive update once a week to see where I am at - figure out what is working and what may have to change to meet my goal. Since there are 30 days in November it works out great, but I think my goal is to be over the finish line by Thanksgiving, since I'm not sure how much time I will have to work on the goal that weekend.

Of course, making money online doesn't mean I have to be online the entire time. When looking at passive sources of income (Google AdSense, etc) you just have to have the site set up properly, and let time take it's turn. And as you build a sustainable stream of passive income, the long-term benefits are that you should be able to spend time on expanding, rather than maintaining, and further increase your profits.

Let the Challenge begin!

YouTube!

So I was going through a few websites tonight when it hit me that YouTube might be a good source for videos on frugality and saving money! I'm sure as I poke around and click through that I may find other money tips, including saving and even making money in non-pyramid scheme ways. The first video I liked is posted in the previous post.

Saving Big On Food

Is your grocery bill eating you alive? Not once you've seen these tips that may shave your bill by 20 percent or more.

read more | digg story

The Frugalista Files

I found a new blog tonight - The Frugalista Files. The blogger talks about her challenge of living a frugal lifestyle for a month after a few college years of spending big.

From the site:

During the month of February, reporter Natalie P. McNeal does the unthinkable: buys virtually nothing. She knows she needs to rein in her spending. She will go a month without shopping, eating out, manicures, eyebrow waxing and/or hair salon visits. Get a front seat view in her quest to save a buck. Natalie will be cooking regularly, coupon clipping and free-party hopping. And yes, The Frugalista is determined to have a good time – for free.

Her latest post mentions one of the shifts in the current economy - Packaged food sales are up as more people are eating at home.

Have you checked out Scour.com?

Scour.com allows you to search Google/Yahoo/MSN from one place and earn points redeemable for VISA gift cards. Check it out!

read more | digg story

National Aviation Day

So it's kind of random, but I made a t-shirt design for National Aviation Day to upload at Cafepress. It isn't until August 19th, but I figured I'd get it uploaded so people could get their shirts ordered in time! :) To be honest, I'll be lucky if I sell one!

Scour - Get paid to search!

A friend sent me a link to a new search engine platform - Scour! It is a combination of results from Google, MSN, and Yahoo, along with ranking and reviews by users. They just went live this week, so by signing up you can be one of the first to use the new system!

Their mission:

Scour’s purpose is to bridge the gap between searchers and relevant results. Our goal is to provide users with the most relevant results available by providing a platform for searchers to vote on relevancy, share their feedback and connect with one another creating a true social search community, attained through innovative solutions to meet the needs of the Scour community

Fresh & Easy

I have been meaning to write about my trip to the local Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market - it was kind of exciting! I had read about the store last year in The Economist, and have driven by it a few times, but hadn't made a visit until about two weeks ago. I had kind of thought it was going to be more like Whole Foods - convenient, but pricey - and I was surprised that it was actually quite affordable and easy. The one I went to only had self-checkout counters, with someone there to assist as needed.

One of their values is "We think fresh, wholesome food should be accessible and affordable to everyone." From my experience, they seem to live up to that goal!

The task at hand - Day 5

In keeping with my stated goal, I should probably do an update for July, although it is already day 5, and there is not much to report. :)

I did make a few updates at Squidoo, most notably my page on Adam Smith's Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. My income from Squidoo has never really increased, but there are still a few sales here and there, and I don't spend much time on it.

I have been planning to spend more time on HubPages, since the payment is more direct from AdSense, but I haven't had much time.

Other than that, not much to report!

Humor on Frugality

So a new discovery - Punny Money. It's a humorous blog that uses cartoons, pretty pictures, bulleted lists, and too many exclamation points!!

I do have one objection - he doesn't believe in coupons! Of course, I do agree with most of his points - the only way to benefit from coupons is if they are for items you need or use, as opposed to buying something new just because you have a coupon for it.

Off to a great start

Do you ever wish you had been better with money and finances after graduation from high school? Over at Youngdough.com, you can read about "a college kid’s journey to financial freedom", and his plans to take control of his finances early on. He seems to be off to a good start with the dividends, but has some work to do on the blogging! Of course, who am I to talk!

Another blog with a similar theme is Neville's Financial Blog. His stated goal is "Tracking the road to financial success from the age of 22 (now 25)".

July plan

Well, it's been about a month since I was last posting - not the best rate of posting for a blog that is supposed to track my progress over 30 days! It's been an interesting month, and I still haven't made much progress in my online goal, but I did get a promotion at work, and that has helped out quite a bit!

I have realized that part of my problem has been the need to have more focus in my posts, and to plan ahead. I have thought about using two main divisions - making money vs saving money - and then creating subcategories within those main branches.

51 Painless Money Saving Tips

A great list of 51 Money Saving Tips from the blog Dough Roller.

#7 has worked for me in the past (Request a reduction in the interest rate on your credit cards). It's interesting that all it takes is a call and asking the question, but you really can get them to lower the rate by a percentage point or two.

#10 (Get your books from the library) is another one of my favorites. It's also nice because if you aren't enjoying the book, you don't feel obligated to read it - you just take it back and check out another one!