Day 9.1: Setting Standards, Setting Limits

Two things that are especially on my mind this morning are the importance of setting standards and the importance of setting limits. Since I started this blog, I personally set a standard for myself that I have practiced every day since then--write three posts per day, share it on the right websites and search engines, look for ways to improve the system. I've said again and again that it's a lot of work. You could easily make a full-time job out of doing exactly what I've been doing, and if that's something you can't afford, then you'd better look out. The Internet is a vast and growing whirlpool. If you have Facebook you know what I'm talking about. It draws you in, and before you know it, hours have passed and you've hardly done a thing that would help. Hence, the importance of setting limits.

Hopefully you already know the grand rule of bidding. When you're bidding on something from Ebay or Amazon, you need to decide beforehand how much you're willing to pay. If you don't, adding just a few more cents and a few more cents becomes all too easy, and before you know it you've paid $65 for something that should have cost $40. Ouch. You need to set limits, and you need to stay with them. It's the only way to get a genuinely good deal on business sites, and it's also a vital tip for any form of freelance work online.

Let's say you decide to start up a blog, like this one. You'll go for one post a day and get all the publicity you physically can without paying. You travel from site to site, search engine to directory, posting links to your blog article everywhere. You investigate all of the different methods of publicity, join more programs than you can keep track of, and sign up for all the newsletters. You do your homework, and you're not going to leave any stone unturned. You've got patience and you've got grit, and you're going for it! While I have to say it's a brilliant start, and I have to applaud you if you can keep up with that for even so much as a week, let's get realistic. Do you have time for that? What about your actual day job/homework, family, social life? What about giving your mind a break from it all and just playing a dumb game or reading a book for a while? You need to take care of yourself. You can't stop living all for the sake of a program.

Fortunately, there are solutions to this, and they're easy. The first is to plan. Decide what path you'll follow, and stick to it. You'll save a lot of time and energy if you don't even bother with alternatives after a certain point. Does it fit in with your goal? Include it. Is it a bit different? Don't even bother. The second is to set limits. How much time are you willing to put into this daily? An hour or two? Before opening or turning on your computer, look at the clock. Pick a time you'll be free, and work diligently until then. When the time's up, exit your programs and go on to enjoy the day.

You can be an Internet entrepreneur without selling your soul to the Internet. Remember--you shouldn't work for it, but rather make ways for it to work for you. That's how it's supposed to be, and that's the best way to succeed.

Please follow me on Twitter for more follow-up tips and updates, and check out my strategy by visiting Free Internet Money today!

Day 2.3: Bargains Online: A Summary

My last two posts today have contained a lot of information, so tonight I figured I'd boil it down. This is going to be a short post, so rest easy, and if you want more detail, please read the last two! Here's a list I've compiled of questions to ask when you're hoping to walk away with a bargain:

1. Is this a site I know and trust?
2. Are the shipping and handling expenses reasonable?
3. Does the fine print say anything about completing offers or getting references?
4. Is the seller promising a "special deal" if you buy right now?
5. Did you learn about this bargain in a trustworthy manner (i.e., not from a popup)?
6. Is this site claiming to have a new and amazing way to make things affordable?
7. Do I have to purchase something else before moving on with this bargain?
8. How are the sellers making their money?
9. Does anything come up if I search for the bargain as a "scam" on Google?
10. Is this deal too good to be true?

Personally, I do all my online shopping at Amazon and Ebay. I can find what I want, compare prices or bid, and I don't feel bad pulling out my credit card. One more note about online shopping, especially if it's at one of the more trustworthy bidding sites like Ebay: don't bid unless you have already decided on a fixed price. Wait until the last moment before bidding so that the price isn't raised early.

There's a lot more to say on this topic, but I'll save that for future posts. Please come back tomorrow, when I'll talk about the possibilities of independent publishing, both on and offline. It's a fascinating, growing field and offers a lot of potential for profit!

Day 2.1: Shopping for Deals Online

Hello, Blog-world, and welcome to day two of my account of saving and making money from home! Yesterday I talked largely about how to make money online, but today I figured I'll focus a bit more on online shopping.

Buying things online is now one of the most popular ways to save money, time and effort. Cyber Monday is almost as big as Black Friday in November, and the Internet is flooded with bargains of all types. The biggest downside is that you can't see things for yourself and try them out, and sometimes it's hard to tell whether you're getting an extremely good deal on a product or just getting a piece of junk, or outright getting scammed out of all your money before laying your hands on your prized purchase. How can you tell which is which?

1. Read the fine print. About a year ago, I decided that I wanted to buy a tablet computer and that I wanted it to cost as little as possible. I scoured the Internet for days hoping to find a miracle bargain or giveaways, because with so many sellers out there, surely there was at least one decent bargain! I was disappointed many times before I found a way to check for suspicious activity early on: reading the fine print. It's easy to ignore so much boring legalize, but if you see anything about completing offers or making other required purchases, chances are it's a scam. Why? Each "offer" costs money, and generally for things you don't even want to begin with. And you have to complete a lot of them, enough to make you sick and tired of looking through them for something that might not ask for your credit card info.
2. Check the URL. Is it a domain name you trust? Sites like Amazon or Ebay are generally safe sites, trustworthy and simple. If the URL is suspicious… well, that's when you read the fine print!
3. Search for scams. Search. On Google. If you think you've found a terrific bargain online but are worried it might be too good to be true, then type it in your search bar and follow it with the word "scam." If you get a lot of results, then you should probably keep looking. It'll save you a lot of grief in the end.
4.  Beware of unusual approaches. 
11. 1. I've come across several sites that offer new approaches to getting what you want without money. Often these approaches include earning points, referring friends, or "penny bidding." In short, I can tell you that each "point" you earn will be only worth a few cents at best. Referring friends is much harder than it sounds (though maybe if you're a good salesman you could give it a try). Penny bidding comes back to haunt you, generally in the form of buying bids (for much more than a penny) or having to pay the full price of the product after you've won to claim it officially.

Basically, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This doesn't mean that there aren't any really great bargains out there; I'm saying only that you're best off sticking with sites you know and trust to deliver you the best. You won't regret it!