Postcards are definitely not just for vacations anymore. They are an incredibly economical way to promote your business. I don’t know how many times I’ve received a postcard in the mail from a company I do business with and decided to go to their sale, or in the case of my dentist, get my teeth cleaned. If I were going to market a business with postcards, and I may, I would make them very attractive. The best postcards are the ones that you want to hang up on your refrigerator for a while because they are so visually interesting. That is exactly what you want your customers to do. I’d also use one of the postcard mailing services so that I wouldn’t have to do any of the addressing and mailing myself. They’re not expensive, and it would save a lot of time.
I’m considering doing this myself for a small business that I’m trying to get off the ground. The key thing for me is getting a mailing list that is demographically relevant. Since the business is art-related, postcards would be absolutely perfect. I can upload my own artwork and use that as the background for the postcards. Hopefully, someone will be thrilled enough to put it on their refrigerator!

Yesterday, I purchased two more domains for two more money-making web projects I have in mind. I am so lucky that I chose a good webhost from the beginning. For me, it must have been beginner’s luck, because I really didn’t research the different companies. I really did get lucky, because my hosting company lets me have unlimited domains for a really low yearly fee. If I didn’t get the unlimited domains, I would be paying a fortune for webhosting right now. I’m now up to 22 domains. I have my personal blog, a homeschooling blog and a bunch of sites I use to write articles and make money with adsense. When I buy a domain, I buy it based on the number of searches for a particular term. Then I buy the domain using those terms and write articles about them. After that, I optimize them so that search engine visitors will find them. That’s pretty much my secret to making extra money on the Internet–that, and the freelance writing that I do. I forgot to mention that I have a website especially for that as well. That one is my real name as the domain name with a writing resume and a photo. Getting your name as a domain name is important. You don’t want someone else to snatch it up and do something completely different with it. I’m really happy that my webhosting company automatically renews all of my domains for me so that I don’t have to worry about anyone else getting any of them!

If I was going through this process all over again, I’d go to a review site and look at the prices, pros and cons all lined up together. Then it wouldn’t be such a shot in the dark. I am really lucky that things turned out so well, because transferring all those domains would be a chore!

The thing I love about business cards is that basically allow you to create a variety of identities. I’m not talking about the illegal stuff that the CIA might be interested in, but rather, identities that you can use to make money legally. For example, you might be a realtor by day, but a cake decorator in the evenings. And on the weekends, perhaps you tutor students for the SAT. The thing about business cards is that you can create a card for each one of those business identities. You can even use them for calling cards and put your social networking information on them. It doesn’t take much looking to find free business cards. Just make sure you don’t get the kind that have the company’s name on the back, because those aren’t really free, since you’re providing advertising for the print company at the same time you’re trying to promote yourself. Make sure your business cards are 100 percent professional. I love how easy it is to get creative with business cards, as well. There are zillions of designs to choose from, but if you want to put a photo of your OWN cake on the card, no problem! You simply upload it and design the card yourself. This is such a far cry from the days when all you had to choose from were white cards with raised black, red or green lettering. Yea for multiple, creative identities!

It is really difficult to believe that it is 2010 and people near where I live are still using dial-up. I can’t even imagine using dial-up. I’d rather just not have internet at all. Waiting forever for pictures to download would drive me nuts, and not being able to watch streaming video would just be sad. A lot of people around here–meaning outside of the city limits–just don’t bother having internet at all, and I can’t say that I blame them if dial-up is all they have to choose from. The thing is, they DO have other options. They could check out some of the satellite internet service providers, for examples. I’m so addicted to the internet that I’ve checked into satellite before to see if I could get better internet access in my car. These people using dial-up could definitely upgrade their service into something workable!

Satellite internet will definitely be on my list if I ever decide to build that summer home outside of Taos, New Mexico. The land is off-grid, but it DOES have a nice clear view of the blue sky, and plenty of it. All I’ll need is a generator to power things up and I’ll be in business. Yes–I could do my cooking over an open fire and use a composting toilet, but I have to have my high-speed internet. I suppose I’ll never be able to be totally off-grid, but that’s okay.

There have been a lot of weddings lately, and it’s not even spring yet! Although, my brother-in-law will be getting married this spring. That wedding should be pretty big. They have been together since high school, and they are both in their late twenties now. Everyone has been waiting for this wedding for a long time. I know that they are going to be looking for ways to save money since there are sure to be about a million people at the wedding and it would be easy for costs to get way out of hand, fast. One place they could start would be by selecting cheap wedding invitations. Not ones that look cheap, of course, but there are plenty of inexpensive wedding invitations that can be customized and will actually look much better than the ones from the blah printer shop here in town.

I’ve found some that will go with pretty much any theme they decide upon and will be totally affordable. I think the key for this couple is not sending out too many invitations to begin with, because the big cost is going to be when they call the caterer. I can’t even imagine. The same thing goes for the wedding flowers. Those are also going to be difficult to cut costs on. At any rate, it should be a beautiful wedding.

I am at a really awkward stage of weight loss right now. I’ve lost enough weight where I’m no longer officially obese (yea!) but I’m still overweight, and I still wear plus size. I’m trying to figure out what to do with my wardrobe as I continue to lose weight, because I am planning to continue this weight loss journey, no matter how long it may take! Catalogues keep coming in the mail, and I’m setting aside the plus size ones that have cute clothes. It just amazes me that there are so many darling outfits that come in larger sizes now. I’m really glad that leggings are making a comeback, because they also can double as workout wear, and that is one item that is really hard to find in a size higher than say, a 12.

So I’ve cleaned out my closet and donated all of the clothes that are too big, which leaves me with about two outfits that work. The question right now is how much money to spend on clothes that I’m hoping won’t fit for more than a few months. Obviously not much, which makes me thankful that some of the plus size clothing is pretty affordable. I’m definitely not buying any of the sale items to save for next winter, because who knows what size I’ll be then? Meanwhile, though, it’s fun shopping, even if it isn’t for a whole lot.

Curb appeal can be everything. My brother and his new wife are looking for a new home. My sister-in-law wanted an adorable house in a horrible neighborhood, which alarmed the whole family. The thing is, the house had the cutest shutters and some great landscaping. We went to a much better neighborhood to look at their second choice. That house look okay, but the exterior shutters were an ugly shade of brown, and they really didn’t quite fit the size of the window. They’ve since decided (thank goodness!) that they are going to make an offer on that house instead of the one in the bad neighborhood. The first thing to be redone is going to be the shutters. My mother, the interior–and apparently exterior–designer, will make sure of it. It would look adorable with a pair of green shutters on the front that actually fit the size of the window. The rest of the house and yard is find, and the neighborhood is well maintained, with low crime.

I know once they start fixing up their house, it will motivate me to start working on mine again. My 1920’s house hasn’t had anything improved on it lately, although I am working on the bedroom closet. The biggest job I have to do is painting the exterior, and putting up my own shutters.

I was so sneaky yesterday. I was writing an article entitled “Great Gifts for Women,” and I worked on it very slowly, leaving it out for for my husband to “accidentally” see. Not all guys are so fortunate, of course. A lot of people are looking for Valentine’s Day ideas for girls and women right about now. If you’re one such person, I can tell you right now that any woman in her right mind loves to get jewelry. Not just any jewelry, though. Keepsake jewelry, like those key necklaces that are popular at Tiffany’s. That is one gift that I, personally, would love.

I think a girl would be even easier to shop for. A pink iPod comes to mind. That one works for women as well, as I received one last Christmas and was thrilled! Girls also love gel markers and blank books. When I taught, I couldn’t believe the number of different colored pens and markers girls could fit in a backpack. Girls love jewelry as well, and unlike with women, you can get away with something a bit more temporary and trendy.

Myself, I’m in a thrifty mode right now, and I’d probably be upset if my husband spent a ton of money on me. I would like a new kitchen knife, though.

A strange thing has happened in our family. I quit my job in order to homeschool our son, basically giving up $2400 a month in take home pay. I don’t at all regret doing it, as we are having a blast and my son is learning more than ever. The strange thing, though, is that since I quit my job, my husband and I have been able to save more money than ever. We totally changed our spending habits and are now have enough savings where we are looking into the best cd rates so that we can get a good return on our money. I think we’ve been able to save so much, in part, because we’re both happier. It’s amazing how much money a family can spend when they are rushing to and fro trying to stay afloat. We ate out much too often, and I know that I covered up my dissatisfaction with the status quo by doing recreational shopping. I’m now riding bikes with my son and going on long walks with the dogs, both of which are completely free. By putting our money into CDs instead of the nail salon’s coffers, we know that we’ll have money for our son’s college or a new business later on down the line. It’s a relief to finally not be living paycheck to paycheck.

Years ago, when I applied at my old company, I didn’t get the job. I almost got it. I got the tour of the facility, met the staff and everything. I was so floored when they told me that they had offered the job to someone else. I was bold enough to ask what the other candidate had that I didn’t. It turned out that they had a master’s degree. I later went on to get my master’s degree, and guess what? I was hired by that same company! I’ve since learned that there are real online degrees that can really benefit people. In fact, my dad works for an online university and tells me that his students are top notch. They are primarily businesspeople who are getting an advanced degree so that they can advance in their careers. Some people think that online degrees are easy to get and that some employers may not respect them, but my family has not found this to be true. My dad’s students go on to advance their careers and make more money than before. Not to mention the new knowledge that they now have under their belts! I know that getting my master’s degree was the best thing I’ve ever done for my career. I’d definitely encourage others to do the same.