I have had three recent questions come up and I'd like to try to answer them in a post so that others who may have similar questions may benefit.
First Question: How did I get my own domain name and change my site address?
There are many places online where you can buy a domain name for as little as $6 per address. Two popular sites are Go Daddy and 1and1. I bought mine at 1and1. If you are using blogger you can purchase your domain name through Google right on your blogspot site. Here's how to do that:
1. Click on Settings on your dashboard.
2. Click on Publishing.
3. It should say, "You're publishing on blogspot." Switch to custom domain. Click custom domain.
4. It then will say, "Buy a Custom domain for your blog". You can then check the availability of the name you want and buy it from Google for $10.
5. If you go through Go daddy or 1and1 you simply click "Switch to advanced settings" after the site you bought the domain through says that your new name is ready.
6. Blogger will walk you through the next steps to get your domain changed over.
**Those you of who graciously have Thrifty Florida Mama listed in your blog roll would you please make sure that my new domain is the one you are linked to. This will help my Google page rankings because when I switched domains I lost all of my rankings. Thanks!"
Second Question/Situation: "I just started a new blog. How do I get more readers?"
Obviously this question is a little more difficult to answer than the first one! Here are some things I've learned:
1. I began with word of mouth to my friends and family. When they liked what they saw they told others about my site.
2. I emailed my friends list on my email and asked them to check out my site.
3. I began reading other blogs with similar topics as mine. I left comments for the blog author and some people who read my comment click over to see my site.
4. I began participating in "blog memes". These memes focus on a singular subject and lots of people then post something on their blog and link back to the meme host. Popular memes include "Frugal Friday", "Menu Plan Monday", and "Kitchen Tip Tuesday". When you include a brief description in your link it gets readers' attention and they click over to your site. Think about entering a blog carnival. Then many, many people will see your site and post. I just submitted my first entry into the carnival of debt reduction. Hopefully, my post will make the cut.
5. Without even asking them to do so, many of my readers have listed my site in the side column of their site under "Favorite Blogs" or "Money Saving Blogs", etc. These do wonder for your numbers! I'm am so thankful for all of you that have deemed my sight "read worthy" and have shared it with others.
6. Link to other people's blogs on your posts. They are more than likely willing to do the same for you when your blog post relates to their site. On days that some popular blogs link to one of my posts, my site stats go way up into the 1000's!
7. Always be thankful of the readers you have and don't concentrate on solely growing your reader base just to say you have X number of readers. You must be yourself and have genuine intentions with your blog. If you aren't your readers will see through to your real intentions.
8. Allow your blog to morph as it grows older. Expand the topics you post about and include personal stories. People want to see blog writers as real people with real problems, solutions, and lives.
9. Write everyday and even more on some days. You don't want your readers to have to guess whether or not you will post.
10. Ask for readers' opinions! In the past week I've learned so much about buying organic food just by asking for your advice. I'm actively searching for good, frugal sources of organics something I never thought I would do just a month ago!
Third Question: Are you making money from blogging or from the Internet?
Let me begin by saying that I did not even know it was possible to make money from blogging when I began this blog. The more I read on other blogs and researched how to add/change things on my blog, the more I became aware that people actually get paid to blog!
1. The easiest way to add a little revenue to your site is to add Google adsense. It is free to sign up. They give you an html code to add to your site. You can add Google ads in up to three spots on each page. I have Google running on the top spot on my site and between the first two posts on the page. You get a small amount of money each time someone clicks on the advertisement from your site. I do mean small; usually between $.01 and $.15 per click. They also pay more as your get more page visits. The first month I ran adsense I made a paltry $3.XX. Each month my revenue has increased and I am happy to report that I will be getting my first check from Google at the end of February. They payout once you hit $100. Some blogs make $100's even $1,000's per month with Google!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Answering Reader's Questions
Monday, February 25, 2008
Giving my kids an allowance is helping us get out of Debt
The age-old question of whether to give kids an allowance or not has been a lingering sore-spot in my life. For years, I tried to give my kids an allowance but I didn't actually have a handle on my own finances. I was not working with an on-paper budget; I was just trying to make sure all the bills were paid and groceries were in the pantry. There just never seemed to be any wiggle room for me to pay out the allowance. I was also dealing with whether or not the allowance should be tied to chores. I have found that there are strong arguments on both sides of that coin. When I promised allowances and then didn't deliver consistently I was not teaching my children a good lesson so we just did away with any talk of allowances.
Fast forward a few years when I finally bought into the Dave Ramsey plan, began paying off debt, doing an actual budget, and, I thought, doing all the right things financially. But as I looked over my budget and my spending I realized that my kids were rather spoiled with stuff and spoiled into thinking that they could get stuff most any day or time. Rather than deal with them as a parent should when the whining began, I just bought them the candy bar or bouncy ball. They never asked for big stuff unless it was for their birthday but all that little stuff adds up. I just took the money out of the grocery budget. This wasn't good for them or the family. I began talking with other parents about allowances and doing a lot of searching online for help.
I think I may have finally settled the allowance question once and for all in our house. It is working in my favor and actually helping my family get out of debt. Here's what we're doing and some of the things I learned along the way.
First, my husband and I decided not to tie the allowance to chores. That is not to say that they don't have chores. They each have a list of stuff to be done daily and weekly. Doing household work is just what is expected of everyone in our family. When all of the housework is done we are all rewarded with free time to take a walk, ride bikes, play a boardgame, or watch a movie. We also decided this based on the fact that when the kids were offered money for doing a specific chore more times than not they just decided it wasn't worth their time to do the chore. They had no reason to need the money because mom would always buy them what they wanted!
Second, my husband and I discussed what the allowance should be for. First and foremost it is on-going financial lesson for the kids. Neither my husband and I were never given an allowance and never learned to manage money. We see where that got us: deep in debt at an early age. We made a list of all the things we had been paying for: birthday party gifts for their friends, clothes, toys, video games, shoes, outdoor sports equipment, field trips, book orders, Christmas gifts for others, and all sorts of other things that just come up out of the blue. We decided that most of this stuff should be paid for by the children. If they paid for it with their money they would value it more, enjoy it more, and be forced to learn that money is limited. They can't have everything all the time. Each child gets $10 per week, every Friday. They tithe 10% to church but the rest is really up to them. (At this point we are not forcing savings. We are trying to let them discover that they must save a portion of their money each week if they want to buy something more expensive.) This is costing my budget $120 per month which looks like a great deal of money but believe me it is less than I was spending on them before. Remember, they are now paying for everything themselves.
Third, they may choose to earn extra through additional chores. We have list that they choose from each week. So far, they are choosing to earn $1 to $2 more per week.
Fourth, they may have to pay mom and dad. This is the part that takes work for me but it also part of the teaching process. A child may have to pay for the following:
~leaving lights or television on in their room (electricity isn't free)
~having mom do their laundry (coin laundramat style)
~talking back to mom and dad (you can't yell at your boss)
~not eating what mom cooks for supper (they pay $1 to eat something else that we have on hand because they will have to pay to eat out when they are adults)
~having mom clean their room (sometimes it is nice to pay for a good cleaning)
~not knowing where something is that is their responsibility (ballet shoes! backpacks! In the real world replacing items we lost costs money)
As a mom, giving the allowance has taught me some things about my kids too! My oldest is very much like me- a spender. She usually has no money left each week. My son is a thinker. He usually spends most of his money but really thinks about what he wants or needs and prioritizes his money. This weekend he bought a fish for his tank and is saving the rest. My 2nd daughter is a saver. She usually has all of her money left each week. It pains her to spend the cash. Now that I know these characteristics, I can work specifically with each child to teach them more about money.
It seems very strange that giving my kids a portion of money out of my very tight, getting out of debt budget has actually helped us pay off debt. No longer do I spend extra money out of the budget to buy stuff for my kids. If we are at a store and a kid asks for something, I just simply ask if they have their money with them. I don't feel any pressure to buy it anymore. So for our family this has been a win-win situation. It also makes it that much sweeter when I suprise the kids with a trip to get ice cream cones or buy them a new shirt. They actually appreciate it and know that mom is making a sacrifice to give them something that they neither earned or deserved. I gave simply because I love them: the greatest truth and lesson for all the ages.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Buying Local
I must admit that I'm not one who is known for really caring about being "green" or "going organic". Do I think these things are important? Yes, just not for me. That sounds terrible doesn't it! In the past I was actually a card-carrying member of Greenpeace (good old college days) but as I grew up, had kids, and got into debt, my priorities changed or maybe my lack of money changed my priorities? Anyway, with all the talk lately about the beef recall and all the hormones in our food, I'm beginning to think about "going organic" and for me just thinking about it is a big step!
Here are a few ways I am beginning to change my ways:
1. Our community just started a "farmer's market". I ventured there myself last week alone and came home with some great organic oranges, grapefruit, onions, and greens. As I sit here typing this post, my kids are getting themselves ready for their first trip to the market. Today they are having safety booths and events for kids along with the usual booths of food and goods from local sellers. The kids will get to sample lots of different food and they get a free bicycle helmet.
2. I am going in with a family member to buy a side of beef. My aunt has raised the cow but I will go in with her to pay part of the processing and packaging fee.
3. I'm doing research on other places in my community to buy local goods. Unfortunately, I haven't found any sources of local dairy products and the cost of organic milk is cost prohibitive in my budget right now.
So, while I'm not really into the whole "green" thing or the "organic" thing I am definitely going to be making an effort to buy local. This will not have much effect on my monthly budget but hopefully it will have a positive effect on my local economy.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
More Food!
I am in the process of making a spreadsheet with all of this food and will use it to plan my menus for the next month. The kids are very afraid. Very afraid they are going to actually have to eat all of this stuff until it is gone and then we can go shopping again. I'm afraid too! Afraid they are right!
From the condiments/staples/ and baking cabinets:
12 Jars of Peanut Butter
2 Bottles Kraft Barbecue Sauce
2 Bottles A1 Marinade
2 Bottles Canola Oil
2 Jars Mayonnaise
1 bottle soy sauce
10 lbs. all purpose flour
10 lbs. sugar
5 lbs. corn meal
baking powder
baking soda
salt
pepper
confectioner's sugar
chocolate chips
butterscotch chips
food coloring dye
food coloring paste
3 pie crusts
6 cake mixes
1 cookie mix
1 muffin mix
2 cake frostings
1 brownie mix
spices
4 lbs. brown sugar
1 bear of honey
1 jar molasses
Crisco
3 kinds of vinegar
various cookie sprinkles
In the outside freezer:
2 whole turkeys
1 whole chicken
13 packs of ground venison
4 packs ground beef
3 packs whole chicken breasts
5 packs cubed steak
5 bags frozen brocolli (does brocolli have 2 l's or 2 c's or both or neither? I never remember!)
2 bags frozen stir fry veggies
1 bag frozen lima beans
1 bag frozen mixed veggies
4 bags of frozen banana bread
2 bags of frozen pumpkin bread
2 frozen pizzas
2 Sara Lee cheesecakes
In the bottom of refrigerator freezer:
This where I keep stuff for just grabbing and eating or grabbing and fixin' fast.
1 container of already made taco meat which at anytime can be defrosted and used for a quick meal of tacos or chili.
1 container of frozen spaghetti sauce with meat. Again I purposefully make extra and then use it up when I need a quick meal.
3 bags of cooked ground beef crumbles
1 container for leftover bit of veggies for veggie soup
2 bags of pancakes. I make these from scratch and usually make a ton of them once every other month or so. I flash freeze them and then we just pop them into the microwave.
1 bag of waffles. Same as the pancakes.
1 bag of tater tots
10 bags of Steamfresh veggies
Banana Pudding ice cream (my dh's)
2 packs Italian sausage
2 packs chicken drumettes
1 pack frozen shrimp
various leftover breads which I will make into croutons
1 bag boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 pot roasts (should be moved to outside freezer
In the refrigerator:
Normal frig stuff. Nothing really stockpiled except cheese! I have tons of live active cheese and Breakstone's cottage cheese singles.
Oh, and I have a lot of individual puddings and jello in there too!
Fresh stuff on hand:
valencia oranges
white grapefruit
red and green grapes
lettuce
2 bagged salads
cucumbers
baby carrots
apples
bananas (turning brown)
celery
green onions
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
WHY???? and 10 Tips for Savings in the Bathroom
Do you see this? This is what I see on an almost daily basis in my bathrooms! Am I the only one in this house who can actually change an empty toilet paper roll? Why is it that moms are usually assigned this task no matter who used the last square of paper? Why, oh why?
I know I'm not alone! Are you changing the empty rolls at your house or have you magically trained the other folks to do it? I would love to hear all opinions on this matter!
While we're at it, let's discuss being frugal in the bathroom. Here are a few tips I have learned along the way that apply to kids and families.
Getting Clean:
1. Make sure your hot water heater is set at the lowest tolerable temperature for your house. Ours is set at 120 degrees which is recommended by most pediatricians. At this temperature if your child were to accidentally turn only the hot water on it would take 10 minutes to scald the skin. At just 5 degress higher at 125 degrees it takes only 2 minutes to scald the skin. And sadly at 150 degrees it would only take 2 seconds. It also saves you money on your energy bill. For every 10 degrees that you lower the temperature you save 4% on your water heating bill. And for most houses the hot water heater is the 3rd biggest source of power usage. See this article for more information.
2. Use up every last bit of soap and shampoo. This may seem like common sense but I know people (okay, I was one of those people in college) who just get tired of using the same bottle of shampoo and toss it out just to start a new one. I guess my daughter has inherited this trait because last week when I cleaned the kids bathroom she had 3 different brands of shampoo in there. Thankfully she had not thrown them out so I just put two back in the cabinet and explained that we needed to use up the first one. Once you get down to not much left in the bottom and some water, swish, and use up the last bit. To use up little bits of soap I put them into an old worn out leg from a pantyhose and tie them to our outside spiggots. The kids can then use those to wash up before coming inside. This is also great for camping trips.
3. Use up the toothpaste. Roll the tube up as you squirt and get it all out. Once you are about out cut the top off. There's still more in there! I must admit though that in the past year I haven't cut the tops off my toothpaste. I get all my toothpaste free at CVS! But really I should still try to use it up.
4. Floss. One container of floss usually lasts me until the next Presidential election! Please don't skimp on tooth care. Paying the dentist later is much more expensive than toothpaste and floss now.
5. Toilet Paper Because of CVS I get name brand toilet paper really cheap. Can anyone say Cottonelle? I now have 90 rolls of that stuff. But if you aren't into CVS I would still suggest buying good toilet paper. In the past when I bought the cheap thin stuff people would just use up more of it each time to get the job done. Buy on sale with a coupon and stock up when you get a good deal.
6. Speaking of toilet paper try this trick. When you put the new roll on the holder smush it down. This is hard to explain but I smush the roll so that the tube becomes flater with a crease on each side. When you pull of the toilet paper after it has been smushed it kind of catches and stalls at the crease. This has made my kids use less toilet paper because before it was smushed they would just pull on it and off it flew.
7. Towels. Reuse the same towel. Most adults do this but kids have to be trained. If I keep too many towels in the linen cabinet my kids will use every one of them before half of the week is over. So, they have 3 towels hanging in the bathroom and only 1 extra towel in the cabinet. Once they use those up I don't give them anymore. So, if you threw your towel in the floor and it is still wet it is now your problem. Now this may sound really mean but it's just training them. Using a slightly damp towel won't kill them and it may help them understand conservation and personal responsibility.
8. Cleaning the bathroom. Vinegar and baking soda work wonderfully.
9. Shower vs. Bath. Baths cost more than taking a shower so as soon as my kids were able to bathe themselves I started telling them to take a shower. They thought it was cool to be like mom and dad and it saves water and hot water. But a bath is nice sometimes and the younger ones still like to play in the bathtub so I used a Sharpie marker and actually made a little, tiny mark on the tub showing them where to fill the tub up to. Otherwise, they would let the water run on and on and splash water onto the floor everywhere. That little mark has done wonders!
10. Bath Water. When my kids were smaller they took baths together. Now that they are older they are mostly taking showers. But occasionally they or I still like a nice, hot, relaxing bath. The two little ones just use each other's bath water. One takes and bath and then the other. Caleb has also started using the bath water to water the plants in the house. He said he saw that on some television show on Discover Channel. He has become quite the recycler! And my granny told me that when she was first married after she took a bath she would tote the water to the washing machine to do her next load of laundry! Whoa! That's frugal!
So, next time you are changing the empty toilet paper roll, remember me!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Reasonings behind a Frugal Lifestyle
"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven"- - - New American Standard Bible Ec. 3:1
On my journey this week I have encountered some thought provoking blog entries around the blogosphere and deep conversations with friends and family members regarding finances.
Amy at Frugal Hacks made a pointed blog entry about not getting caught up comparing our frugalness level to that of others. And Kacie of Sense to Save decided she was not going to deprive herself of good food each week just for the sake of saying she did it.
Each person or family is at their own season or station in life; some are just discovering and adopting frugalness as a means to allow one parent to stay home with the children, others are deep in debt and are taking steps to control their own finances and destiny, some are deeply concerned that their family is too focused on consumerism and are using frugal means to teach family values. I'm sure there are many other reasons that families are choosing a frugal lifestyle. I am getting out of debt. That is my main reason for living below my means, doing things that others might snub their noses at, and continually learning new ways to meet my goals.
I hope that my readers enjoy reading about my adventures in being frugal and my sometimes too frequent blown attempts at saving money andare perhaps even learning a trick or two to add to their frugal arsenal.
My family began this frugal lifestyle many years ago after realizing that we were way over our heads in debt, didn't have any financial security in case of an emergency, and we literally thought of credit cards as just another source of money. At that time in 2002/2003, we had over $110,000 in consumer debt. This included a used but financed mobile home, 2 financed cars, Sallie Mae student loans, and about 11 credit cards. Thankfully, I can now say we are nowhere near that close to complete financial ruin now!
We have made many mistakes along the way trying to get out of the mess we created and we continue to have setbacks but I know this is just a season in my life. I am looking forward to the day we are debt free and can live it up a little more. Because of the lessons I've learned though, I don't think I'll ever be "not frugal". Its just part of my nature now. I will always use coupons.
However, I remember when I began my quest to get out of debt and live cheaply. I saw what others were doing and many times I thought I would never be able to do what they were doing. Spending only $50 per week on groceries? Buying all their clothes at yard sales? Reusing aluminum foil and plastic bags? Are you kidding me? But I just took it one step at a time. I learned a few things here and there and now we have paid off 80% of our debt! But it was a journey not an overnight transformation! So, if you've been reading here long or at any of the many other wonderful frugal websites don't think you can't make it. Just try a few things at a time.
So, what am I trying to say as I ramble on and on? Mainly I am trying to say that frugalness for me is a means to an end, not something that I wear as a badge of honor. I am very proud of the lifestyle changes we have made in the past 6 years in order to meet our financial goals but right now we are living like no one else so that one day we can certainly be living like no one else!
