for Money

Consumable Business Model

by Alison Moore Smith on May 19, 2012 · 0 comments

Traditionally, businesses concentrating on selling a product or service. The money was made at the point of the initial sale. All the focus was on making the product or service stand out based on quality, convenience, easy of use, cost, or a host of other characteristics. Eventually savvy entrepreneurs learned about the up sell or [...]

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You Get What You Pay For

by Alison Moore Smith on March 31, 2012 · 3 comments

At my second How to Make Money with Your Blog Workshop a few weeks ago, a woman said that she and her three daughters were going to start a blog together, combining their talents to make some extra family money. What a great idea, especially older, more responsible kids who are willing to contribute in [...]

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Raising Someone Else’s Children

by Alison Moore Smith on March 22, 2012 · 7 comments

I’m one of those old fashioned people. I believe in raising your own kids. Now, I don’t care if it’s the mom or the dad — or some kind of mixture of the two. Do what works for your family. But if you can’t admit that having someone else — no matter how qualified — care [...]

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Reselling Structured Settlements

by Alison Moore Smith on March 5, 2012 · 8 comments

In these difficult economic times, people are looking for just about any financial relief they can get. When you look at various options, be sure to research carefully and thoroughly. Read the fine print. Make sure what you are doing is: Legal Ethical Clear The past few years I’ve been hearing and seeing advertisements from [...]

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Abolish the IRS

by Alison Moore Smith on February 13, 2012 · 6 comments

For the past 16 years I’ve been the accountant for our engineering company. That explains why I get crazy angry and show signs of battle fatigue and hair loss once per quarter — on approximately January 31, April 30, July 31, and October 31 of every, single, solitary year. The certified idiots public servants who [...]

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Money Blogs

by Alison Moore Smith on February 10, 2012 · 6 comments

Since 1994, I’ve been making money online. From my first, fledgling website — that comprised a catalog of educational items I offered to homeschoolers and other parent — to my latest venture — a blogging network focusing on making money with blogs — the internet provides a world of monetizing opportunities. The best thing about [...]

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Enclosed Bulletin Boards

by Alison Moore Smith on January 28, 2012 · 1 comment

I have a dream laundry room. It’s so amazing that a number of people (honestly!) snuck downstairs to see it when I held a large group event. Now, it’s true that I talk about my laundry room in one of conference speeches on home organization systems. So it is famous, as far as laundry rooms [...]

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Frugal Dad

by Alison Moore Smith on January 23, 2012 · 5 comments

Some people are just more talented than others. And that goes for bloggers as well. Some of us (ahem) write about things we love and things we hate and things that make our hair stand on end and things we are passionate about. And we use stock photos or marginally identifiable photos we took in [...]

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Commercial Grade at Home

by Alison Moore Smith on January 17, 2012 · 3 comments

For almost a quarter of a century, we have used professional janitorial supplies to clean our home. The cost-per-use is so much better than typical store brands — and they clean remarkably better, as well. Window cleaner you buy from a grocery store, for example, is diluted for use. So you have just paid to [...]

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Love My Timeshare

by Alison Moore Smith on January 11, 2012 · 6 comments

People say you shouldn’t buy timeshares. I’m not so sure. When I was a tween, my parents bought two. One in Snowbird, Utah — a ski resort packing some of the greatest snow on earth — the other smack dab on the beach in San Diego. All these decades later, our family still uses them. [...]

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A Penny Saved is a Step Toward Your Financial Goals

by Alison Moore Smith on January 2, 2012 · 4 comments

Whatever your financial goals are in 2012 — whether it is to become debt-free, create an emergency savings account, or buy a mountain cabin — your grandma’s advice still holds true. A penny saved is a penny earned. Every single time you save money on something you need, it’s as good as earning the same [...]

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Old Navy: This Is NOT a Sweater

by Alison Moore Smith on December 21, 2011 · 17 comments

My dad is 82 years old. And his favorite thing to wear is an old cardigan my mother knitted for him — about two decades ago. The former elbows of the beloved sweater are now holes six inches in diameter. I exaggerate not. I’ve been looking for a few months for a replacement, and they [...]

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Online Coupons for Holiday Savings

by Alison Moore Smith on December 21, 2011 · 3 comments

Never, ever do I make a major purchase — and rarely even one over 30 or 40 dollars — without doing some internet comparison shopping. Using a shopping bot, I can compare prices all over the internet. If you haven’t done this before, you’ll be amazed at how vastly different prices on the exact same [...]

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Christmas on Credit

by Alison Moore Smith on December 15, 2011 · 7 comments

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been spending a lot more the past few weeks than you usually do. More toys, more clothes, more gadgets, more books, more travel, more food and treats — more of just about anything. If you’re anything like most Americans, you’re using a credit card to fund a good chunk [...]

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Protect Your Designed Life

by Alison Moore Smith on December 8, 2011 · 2 comments

This post brought to you by Norton Small Business by Symantec. All opinions are 100% mine. Lifestyle design is all about living the life you want. For many of us, that means creating a muse and owning a business. I started my first business in 1987 and my husband started his first in 1996. Some [...]

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Post Cyber Monday Christmas Deals

by Alison Moore Smith on November 29, 2011 · 8 comments

Black Friday has come and gone. (We slept in, decorated the house, and went to a movie.) Cyber Monday is history. (I spent a couple of hours using some of my very best online deals.) But if you think the bargains are gone, you’re wrong. They’ve just begun! I’ve gathered some of the very best, [...]

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Cheap Eyeglasses

by Alison Moore Smith on November 17, 2011 · 2 comments

I’m all about saving money. In difficult economic times, it’s even more important to squeeze every penny out of your purchases. Sometimes that means selecting lower quality items. Not everything needs to last for centuries or provide professional quality results. If my preschooler wants to learn to paint, I’m not going to buy the same [...]

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Great Cell Phones for Seniors

by Alison Moore Smith on November 2, 2011 · 3 comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TracFone. All opinions are 100% mine. Long before my dad moved in with us last February, my brother, sister, and I began worrying about him. He lived alone and — for entertainment — he drove mile after mile. Every day. In fact, in the [...]

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Penny Stocks

by Alison Moore Smith on October 18, 2011 · 1 comment

Since my internet-bubble day-trading venture of the late 90s, I haven’t spent much time in the stock market. Sure, I have the typical mutual fund retirement accounts. But I’m not a gambler — by nature or value system. Trading without doing serious company research isn’t too far out of the realm of gambling. Of course, [...]

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Brand Your Business

by Alison Moore Smith on October 4, 2011 · 3 comments

Recently I took my son to an orthodontic appointment in a very nice office building. The architecture was beautiful, the landscaping plush, the furnishings stylish. Whether or not any particular business that rented space there was financially sound or reliable, the impression was certainly good. In spite of the impressive surroundings, one of the businesses [...]

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