The ups and downs financially of working at home

Working at home is like any other business. You are going to have days and even months when things go great and you make plenty of money and you are going to have times that you make very little.
It is important to be prepared for either event.
The good months are wonderful but that lean months can be a bear! Be prepared by setting a budget for yourself and sticking to it. When you have a great month put some away so you can get through the bad months. It can be very tempting when you get a good check to assume that you are off and rolling and every month from here on out will be terrific so let's go on a shopping spree!
Keep in mind though that during the next month you might get sick and not be able to work for a week, or you could also find that people just aren't buying as much the next month. There are tons of things that can and do happen.
During the lean months it is also important that you know how to live within a budget and frugally. This does not mean that you have to eat only soup broth and crackers and sit in the dark.
There are lots of ways to live frugally. For myself, I only buy things if they are on sale. I very rarely pay full price for anything. I know that the price of hamburger drops to .99 cents a pound in the evenings at my local grocery store and I go and stock up. I search for the sales all year and post them on the message board at www.katieshugs.com. When a great deal pops up I am ready and I buy birthday and Christmas gifts this way. I cook very frugally. If I make steak one night, I will take the leftovers and make vegetable beef soup the next night. This way I get two meals for the price of one.
If I need to make a big purchase I shop around for the best price. When I find the store with the best price I will also look around for free shipping codes or dollars off coupon codes. These can also be found on the message board.
The key is to take your time with everything. Don't be in such a rush or wait until the last minute so that you have to accept the first price you find on anything.
This might all sound a little strange but believe me, the money you save all adds up and you should view it as income you are earning as well. If you can buy $300 worth of stuff in one month that you needed or will need and you only had to pay $50, well then, that is an extra $250 you kept in your pocket that month and it counts!
Don't forget to get your freebies too. If you can get 1/3 of the stuff you buy for free, then why not? There are tons of freebies to be found that will save you lots of money. Last month I got a shaker that will make a good gift, a complete set of 12 pre-inked holiday stamps, a vapor plug, a bottle of lotion, a bottle of dishwashing liquid, a game for my daughters v-smile, a complete wooden game setup and a zippo lighter! The only thing I paid postage on was the v-smile game!
You can work from home and make money in many different ways. Don't cut yourself short by overspending.

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How long does it take to get paid when you take surveys?

It depends on the company. One company sends you a check the same week you take a survey. Most companies however take 4-6 weeks. Other companies won't send you a check until you request it. It is important to know how each company pays when you sign up. If you don't you will probably forget you have money at a company unless you keep good records. Whenever you qualify for a survey you should write down the company, the amount of the survey and when you took it. This way you can keep track and go back to make sure you got paid. With the companies you have to request money from, I typically try to check my accounts at the beginning of every month and request my checks. This allows me to have a sort of "payday" every month since they all arrive around the same time. With some of the product trials you will generally recieve the product first and be asked to try it for two weeks or a month. At the end of the trial you will recieve a follow up survey that you must fill out as well. After you have filled out that survey then you get to wait for your payment. Again, typically 4-6 weeks. Remember to keep good records and you will not be disappointed!
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Work from home ideas

There are lots of ways you can make money while working from home. You can start a business in direct sales, you can start a website and make money from affiliate advertising. You can come up with a product or idea and start a business the old fashioned way if you want!What you can't do is nothing. So many people believe they are going to make money by just turning on their computer and doing nothing. It is not possible to sign up for some program, pay $19.95 and start raking in $3k a week.There are tons of autosurf programs, programs that let you read email, programs that pay per click etc. If it was really possible to make $3k a week or even $100 a week wouldn't everyone be doing it?Right now there is an autosurf program that is getting lots of attention on scam sites. The people in the program swear by it and the people on the outside insist it is a ponzi. This program lets you invest some money, put up your website and then promises a certain percentage can be made daily. Now here is the kicker.. No one seems to know where the money comes from. The believers insist it is from investments but that the owners can't tell us where it is being invested because everyone would pull their money out and invest directly. Give me a break! I can't believe that others really believe this! The money is coming from the thousands of new people who are signing up daily.Quit looking for these types of programs that let you do nothing. If you have money to invest put it in the stock market or use it to start your legitimate business.Do not fall for the "programs".

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Make money working at home

Here is another way to make money working at home. We have covered a lot in the paid survey area and a little about blogging. Now lets talk about direct sales. Direct sales is running your own business but selling something already established for another company. For instance Avon, Mary Kay and Home Interior would all be direct sales businesses.
Typically you will need to invest a little of your own money. This is different than paying to work for someone which we will get into another day. Most companies offer different packages to get you started. When you invest you will generally get your order forms, catalogues, some products etc.
If you are interested in direct sales the first thing you will want to do is choose an area that interests you. Some people love candles so they sell them, I love scrapbooking so that was my first choice in direct sales. You really can sell anything, there are makeup, scrapbooking, toys, candles, perfumes, home decor, insurance, jerky and virtually anything else you can think of type of companies.
Next do your research. If you are not looking at a well established company you might not feel comfortable and you will probably have to deal with glitches when they happen. Find out what exactly is expected from you. Do they require you spend a certain amount every month? Do they require you recruit a certain amount every month? Personally those are not my favorite types of companies.
I personally feel the money to be made and the success of the company should depend on product sales and not recruitment.
If there is something you don't feel comfortable about, follow your instints and look for another company. There are typically more than one in each catagory!
After you have decided on a company, start talking to family and friends. Let them know what you are doing! Word of mouth is going to be a powerful tool for you.
You will want to book parties and more parties.
Start networking. Find new ways to make your parties excited and get others excited.
You will need to be out there talking. You will be going into peoples home or having them into your own. Imagine yourself giving a speech, being exciting and generating excitement. Can you see yourself doing it and having a great time?
If the answer is yes, then direct sales might just be the thing for you!

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Blogging to make money

Can you make money working at home with a blog? I think you probably can. I imagine it would take time.
First you need to create a blog and then get an adsense account. The good thing with blogger.com is that they are connected with google which makes it simple to get your adsense account.
Adsense is a program that lets google put ads on your blog or website pages. It is a very valuable tool for making money whether you have a website or just a blog.
Everytime you write in your blog and publish it you will have ads show up on your pages. They are always relevant to whatever you are writing about. If you were writing about dog shows you would probably see ads that relate to dogs, dog shows, kennels, etc.
These ads generate money for you. How much money you make will depend on how many people are searching on the information you are providing and how many people are interested in the ads shown. It will also depend on how often you write. If you only write once a month you probably wont make much more than pennies. If you write daily and write more than nonsense you could probably generate some decent pocket money.
If you want to write, first think of something that you are either very experienced in or at least very interested in. You can write about anything you want but if no one else is interested you won't get very far and you will get bored.
Start writing! Write daily. You don't have to write much, 200 words or so is just fine for an entry.
Promote your blog. I use pingalot and feedburner. Make sure to go ping everytime you update your blog. Put your blog in your signature. You can do this on message boards and emails. Tell everyone about it. Word of mouth is great advertising.
Have Fun! If you aren't enjoying your writing you will give up.
Finally, have patience. Things never happen overnight. It all takes time and good faith effort. If you find after a couple of months that you aren't really doing as well as you hoped, just try again. Maybe with a different topic. :)
Connie
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