Writing for a Living

I have been a writer for two decades now. I've had my highs and lows in the industry, as most writers do. By the standards I set for myself so long ago, I have had a successful writing career.  I retired at one point for health reasons. Those reasons still exist - but we purchased property that I want to pay off quickly. Therefore, I came back to my surest way of making money - writing. This is a career you can leave and come back to over and over again.

So many people want to become writers - of those people some will fail simply because they really did not consider what it is like to write for a living. The perks are great! You can choose your own hours, and often you can choose your own topics. The pay is better than most people realize if you go about your career in the right way. As a writer, you can easily satisfy your need for creativity. This is pretty much where the perks end.

The drawbacks are substantial, but not all drawbacks are drawbacks for all people. For example, writing is a very isolated career. Some people may be put off by the amount of time they will be spending alone, while others will thrive in such an environment - luckily, I'm one who thrives. The work is often not steady. You must provide your own benefits, such as health insurance. You will be faced with deadlines on a constant basis. Writers block is a real thing - and it does happen. You will probably work from home, which means you are always at work. Even though you are working, people will believe that you are free because you are home. The list of drawbacks goes on and on.

With all of that said, if I were to live my life again, knowing everything I know now, I would be a writer. Real writers simply love writing - and if given the opportunity, they will choose writing over any other career. If you are writing for a living and it constantly feels more like a job you hate rather than a craft you love, writing is not for you.

Day Trading: On-the-Job Training

You read that right. This week, I set up an account with E*Trade and started playing the stock market. I have only invested $15, and I've only purchased one penny stock, but at least I've made a start - even though I have no idea what I am doing.

You read that right also. I have no experience in the stock market, beyond signing up for a 401k account years ago. Even that really doesn't count, because I always checked the box for my age group, which automatically invested my money into the right fund for my age group.

So, now I am learning about stocks and options and what-not. It really is "on-the-job training" because I didn't take the time to learn about investing before I took the plunge. Is that the right way to do it? Probably not. Am I okay with that? Normally I would not be, but in this instance the money I funded my trading account with was money earned from an article that I wrote and sold last week.

I'll keep learning as I go....

I also have an account at Stash. This is a program that withdraws money from my bank weekly, and that money is invested into different types of EFTs. So far, I've only lost 44 cents, so it isn't all bad. On the bright side, I can always sell out, and should I do that, I will have $100...so far.

Homesteading for Cash

Remember that house and land that we bought and owe $80,000 on? Well, I'm going to help that land help to pay for itself to some degree. I've thought long and hard about the things that I want to do in this regard, and I have a reasonably sound plan. Here's the rundown:

1. Get into Bee Keeping. Yes, you read that right. I want to keep bees. Who knew that they could be so profitable?

2. I grow herbs, and will be selling them at our local farmer's market. You may think everyone does that - but they really don't. Regardless of that fact, I am selling my herbs in the form of miniature gardens: miniature tea garden, miniature kitchen garden, miniature medicinal garden, etc.

3. While it has absolutely nothing to do with the homestead, I sew and quilt, so it makes sense to sell the things that I make at the farmer's market as well.

4. Along with everyone else, I'll be selling jams and jellies. We are not allowed to sell goods that we can other than those two types of things. Without a health certificate, the only prepared foods that we can sell are baked goods. Hey, I didn't make the stupid rules. I know that I have to set my jams and jellies apart from everyone else's, but I'm kicking around ideas for that.

5. Obviously, I will be selling any excess vegetables from our garden, but I'm thinking about planting wheat and lavender next year. Nobody seems to be selling wheat berries or lavender products, so those are two needs that I can fill.

Well, there it is. My Homesteading for Cash plan. We will see how it all goes.

Paid to Lose Weight

As my family and friends know, I am overweight. I have lots of excuses lined up for why I'm overweight, but they really don't matter. I'm overweight, regardless of the reasons why. So, I decided to lose weight, and I was doing some research online, looking for healthy recipes. I ran across a site called HealthyWage.

HealthyWage is a site where you are able to bet on your own weight loss. You indicate how much you are willing to bet per month, how much weight you are betting you will lose, and the time frame in which you will lose that weight. If you succeed, your return is approximately 156%, but it could be more. Naturally, if someone wants to bet against my willpower - especially when it comes to raising the money to pay off my mortgage - than I am certainly game, and I will win. So I put on my FitBit, signed up, and placed my first wager.

Then, when I was looking at additional weight loss stuff, I came across a site called Achievemint. Yes, I know that is spelled wrong, and it bothers me too, but that is the name of the site. I downloaded the app on my iPad, signed up, and synced it will my FitBit. This program rewards me for exercising, logging my weight, drinking water, and reaching my step goals.

I considered joining GymPact, but changed my mind because they have a 1200 calorie minimum per day when you use the FoodPact, which was what I was really interested in - and if I consume 1200 calories a day, you better believe that I will be gaining weight - not losing it.

But, between HealthyWage and Achievemint, I will be earning money by doing two things that I needed to do anyway - lose weight and exercise.

Paid to Click Updates

I've been using a few sites that are often referred to "PTC"or Paid to...click, search, read email, watch, etc. So far, I've made about thirty dollars, and I only do these activities when I am watching television, basically, so I'm not wasting any time. In fact, you might say that I'm making the most of the time that I am wasting.

This does not include money that I have made from doing surveys. At first, I felt that taking half an hour to make a quarter was absolutely not worth my time. I still feel like that. I find that too often, I do not qualify for the surveys...but only after I feel like I've already answered so many questions that the survey should be over.

So, the first change I've made is to stick with two sites: InBox Dollars and Swagbucks.  I seem to be making the most money from those two sites, so I'll continue with them. As time goes on, I will post additional updates about these two sites, but please understand that I didn't stop using the others because they were bad sites. It is just that like everyone else my time is limited, and if I tried to hit all of the PTC sites everyday, I would never get any sleep - or do anything else to earn money. These just happen to be the two sites that I prefer, but you should try several and make your own choice.

Money Quest Update: May 27, 2017

A lot has been going on around here lately. We just remodeled our kitchen, and that took a lot of time. However, I was constantly thinking about my money quest, making lists and jotting down notes, bouncing ideas off my husband, etc. During this time, I have also been submitting articles to Constant Content and Blogmutt, and doing the InboxDollars thing.

I have also been tending to my vegetable garden and my potted herbs, which are both doing very well, Of course I stay busy with my normal daily routine as well (cleaning the house, cooking the food, etc). On top of that, I added a lupus flare to the mix, just to make it all interesting. I hate lupus. Lupus SUCKS.

Speaking of my vegetable garden and potted herbs, these are also a part of my money quest. Later in the season, I will be selling some fresh vegetables, herbal teas, fresh herbs, etc at the local Farmer's Market.

I will also be hitting all of the flea markets and festivals that I can to sell some small crafts that I make - baby quilts, lap quilts, pot holders, cozies, and things of that nature. I love to sew and that will make it a great deal of fun. I may also be purchasing some things, and reselling them at  higher price. I've already found several items that can work well with the crafts I make. For example, with the cozies or mug rugs, I can sell coffee mugs and tea leaves.

I have also enlisted my son to help with the flea markets and such. I've offered him 30% of the profits from each flea market. It may sound like a lot, but he will be doing a lot. I need him to help me set up my booths, tear down my booths, to tend the store when I need a restroom break, help loading and unloading the Mitsubishi, help driving to and from venues, and more. Plus, it helps him out on his own money quest, so it's a win-win thing.

My husband will help as much as he can, but he is also doing his part in the money quest. He has the option of working on Saturdays, which will give him more miles, and more pay. He is a truck driver, but he doesn't go over the road anymore - he's home every day, and works at night. He is also thinking about some wooden items he can make to sell at the flea markets. He loves woodworking and wood burning.

Much to my husbands despair, I have also decided to start keeping bees. Bees are easy to take care of, and they produce several popular products. These include raw honey, bees wax, pollen, propolis, royal jelly, bee venom, and more bees. After I have about five hives established, I'll start selling additional swarms as needed. Bees are very profitable. They will also boost the yield of my garden.

So that is what my week has been like. I'd love to hear what other's have been up to in their quest for money. Leave a comment below!

The Money Quest Begins!

My personal money quest has begun! While my husband and I have a good hand on our finances, as I established in my second book, Simple Steps to Financial Security, we are now buying an $80,000 piece of property which we absolutely love! For this reason, I am on a money quest. It is my goal to completely pay off our home and property in two years or less.

Can I reach that goal? I honestly don't know. What I do know is that I'm certainly going to do all that is in my power to reach that goal.

My husband is already doing his part. His income covers our bills, including out $850 mortgage each month. Now, it is time for me to do my part. I have several irons already in the fire, and several more irons that need to get out of my mind and into that fire as well. We used everything that we had for our down payment, closing costs, insurance, and a few changes that we wanted to make. So, on top of paying extra on the property each month, I also need to rebuild our cash reserves as quickly as possible.

So, how am I going to do all of this in such a short period of time?

For starters, I am doing surveys and what-not while I'm watching television. Unfortunately - or fortunately - I do not watch a television. I have found that I can make at least $30 a month doing this, primarily using InboxDollars. You better believe that is an affiliate link!! Let's all remember that I am on a money quest....therefore, making money is the goal, and I'm going to use every legal avenue open to me in order to achieve my goal.

NOTE: While I will be using affiliate links throughout these posts, I will never promote or link to anything that I do not believe in and have not tried myself. That is an absolute promise!

So, back to what I was saying...I do the inbox dollars stuff while watching television, while standing in my kitchen waiting on pots of water to boil, while I stand outside waiting for my sweet doggy to go potty, etc. Every little penny adds up - faster than you think. Additionally, every little second in your day can add up as well.

I am also writing articles again, at Constant-Content, and I've recently started writing over at Blogmutt as well. I have decided to write another book, but I haven't decided on a topic, or whether to go with a fiction or non-fiction book.

While I know that I can make good money writing, and I will utilize that income source, I would also like to monetize this blog, and make some money from our homestead here. I'm currently doing some research on growing and selling specific crops, like bamboo or lavender. I want to explore that a bit more before I dive in head first. I also want to try my hand at reselling items. For example, purchase a low cost item from craigslist and resell it for a higher price on ebay. Those are just some thoughts kicking around in my head.

I will try my best to update this blog with my progress each week. In the meantime, if you want to donate to my cause, feel free! Simply login to your PayPal account, and send whatever amount you want to send to me (macfarland.shyley AT gmail.com)! I'm not to proud to accept help!