Uncommon Knowledge
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WEISSPORT, Pa. – A new destination for hand-crafted baskets, pillows, framed artwork, seasonal accents and other home furnishings is set to open this weekend in Carbon County.
Simple Home Pennsylvania, a store offering unique home decor and gifts, including many items made in the United States by artisans and crafters, will hold a grand opening at 11 a.m. March 2 at 500A Bridge St. in Weissport.
The business will operate near The Gorge Eatery in a renovated portion of the Hofford Mill, a late 19th century building that originally operated as a lumber mill.
Simple Home Pennsylvania owner Sarah Kuhn, of Lehighton, labels her new venture a “passion project” and hopes it will help to reinvigorate Weissport’s business scene.
Unlike many of the antique and consignment shops in the area, Simple Home Pennsylvania will carry “more modern and contemporary products,” Kuhn said.
“I’m really excited,” Kuhn said. “There’s not a lot of opportunity for people in Weissport and the surrounding area to shop this kind of way without having to go to Allentown or other places that are a half hour-plus away. The Gorge Eatery has had a lot to do with Weissport’s rebirth, and we’re hoping to help complement that.”
The store will feature a wide array of home decor items, including dried and artificial florals, vases and planters, wreaths and garland, and serving boards and trays.
Customers also will be able to shop throw blankets and pillows; scented items such as soaps, candles and diffusers; and kitchen products such as mugs, cannisters, dish towels, dinner napkins, oven gloves and natural acacia wood cooking utensils.
“We’ll also have some customized items that are local to the area, including pieces featuring Mauch Chunk Lake and Beltzville Lake,” Kuhn said.
With the help of her father, Kuhn renovated the roughly 1,000-square-foot space to include new flooring, counters, wall paint and more.
“My father has flipped a couple of houses in the past, and I’ve helped stage them and given him design ideas on how to remodel them,” Kuhn said. “He’s retired now and spent countless hours helping me remodel the space – making a custom fireplace, adding new flooring, everything.”
Customers also will be able to shop books, including cookbooks and selections in other genres such as how-to, self-help and decorating inspiration, along with “Support Local Farmers” and “Support American Farmers” sweatshirts.
“We’ve gotten a lot of interaction on our Facebook page regarding our support for local farmers and our clothing displaying those messages,” Huhn said. “There’s a lot of excitement for that.”
To celebrate its grand opening, Simple Home Pennsylvania will offer a door prize along with discount coupons (valid on March 2 only).
Going forward, store hours will be 5-8 p.m. Thursdays, 5-9 p.m. Fridays, noon to 9 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.
Customers also can shop online at simplehomepa.com and place orders for pickup or delivery within 10 miles of the store.
For the latest Simple Home Pennsylvania updates, follow the business’ pages on Facebook and Instagram.
Source: wfmz.com
Do you want to make money from your phone? I have been making money from my phone for many years now, and it’s a great way to make extra income or even a full-time income! Your phone can help you make money in many ways too. You can sell things you don’t need or use…
Do you want to make money from your phone?
I have been making money from my phone for many years now, and it’s a great way to make extra income or even a full-time income!
Your phone can help you make money in many ways too. You can sell things you don’t need or use your skills on freelance platforms. Answering surveys, selling photos, or being a virtual friend can also make you money, all from wherever you are comfortable.
Below are the best ways to make money from your phone.
You can earn money with your phone by answering surveys. Companies pay for your opinion, and you can do this whenever you have free time, such as when you’re just sitting on the couch watching TV with your phone in your hand.
Surveys are like a bunch of questions that companies ask to find out what you like or what you think about something. They might ask about the food you eat, the games you play, or even about your shopping habits.
You answer these questions, and in return, they give you money, points, or free gift cards (such as free Amazon gift cards) as a way to thank you for your time.
Some of the paid online survey companies I recommend are:
Here are 11 Paid Online Survey Sites if you want to learn more.
I have done many paid surveys over the years, and I love how I can answer them right from my phone and whenever I want. I can answer them while watching a video, during a lunch break, before or after work, and more.
You can use your phone to take pictures and make money. Selling stock photos is a fun way to make money through passive income without actively working for it.
Not all photographers need a fancy camera to start. Your phone can work perfectly and the newest smartphones can take great, high-quality photos. My phone can take great pictures and it wasn’t super expensive – it’s just a normal Android phone.
With stock photography, you can upload pictures you’ve taken with your camera or phone to a platform like Depositphotos. When someone buys one of your photos, you earn a commission.
Websites, companies, and blogs use stock photos for many reasons. Businesses use them to improve their content, websites, or overall appearance when they might not have the time to take all the photos they need.
I personally often use stock photos in my blog posts, and I know many others who do too. The pictures throughout this article (yes, the one that you are reading) are all stock photos.
Stock photography includes pictures of things such as:
Recommended reading: 18 Ways You Can Get Paid To Take Pictures
Making money through your phone is possible with grocery and food delivery apps like Instacart. As an Instacart Shopper, you get paid to shop for groceries and deliver them to people who order online.
Getting groceries delivered is a service that lots of people are using more and more. I’ve used it a few times when I didn’t have time to go shopping or didn’t have a car.
With this job, you have the freedom to make your own schedule, and you can get paid pretty fast – sometimes the same day.
Delivering groceries is a popular side job, and all you need is a valid driver’s license, a car, and your cell phone.
You earn money for each delivery and get to keep all your tips. Platforms like Instacart and Shipt can help you make around $15 to $20 per hour.
Learn more at Instacart Shopper Review: How much do Instacart Shoppers earn?
JustAnswer is a site where you can make money by using your phone to help others. If you have skills or knowledge in a particular area, you can answer questions and earn cash.
JustAnswer states that you can make $2,000 to $7,000 a month as an expert answering questions online on their site.
People ask questions, and the site matches them with an expert who can answer. For example, someone might ask how to change their oil or why their cat is sick. As an expert, you’ll be answering questions and giving personalized help through text chat.
There are experts in fields like mechanics, doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, home experts, appraisers, computer and tech experts, and more.
You can work whenever you want from your computer or cell phone, and you get to choose which questions you want to answer.
To get started, apply online on JustAnswer. They’ll verify your credentials (every expert on this platform is verified by a third party and needs to have licenses, education, or employment in their field of expertise). Once approved, you’ll have a quick meeting with the JustAnswer team to learn how to use the platform.
It takes about one week to become verified, and you can receive payments through direct deposit, PayPal, or Venmo.
Recommended reading: 28 Ways To Get Paid To Text
When you want to make money with your phone, DoorDash is one way you can do that. DoorDash is a gig app where you deliver food to people.
Working with DoorDash means you’re part of the gig economy, delivering restaurant meals to customers. You have the flexibility to pick your hours and decide when and where you want to work.
Depending on your location, you can deliver food with a car or by bike.
The app is your main tool for the job, and it shows you your orders, where to go, and how to get there.
Your earnings depend on each delivery. You can make $2 to $10 or more, plus tips.
Please click here to sign up for DoorDash.
Fiverr is a way to make money from your phone as it’s an online platform where people do all sorts of online work, like writing, designing, or making videos.
Some services you can sell to make money from your phone include:
When someone buys your service from your listing, they pay Fiverr. Fiverr takes 20%, and you receive 80% of the funds after a 14-day pending period.
Another popular platform somewhat similar to Fiverr for freelancers is Upwork.
If you’re looking to make money from your phone, RentAFriend could be an interesting choice. This platform allows you to get paid for being a friend.
As a RentAFriend, you might respond to text messages and have phone conversations with the person. You can be a friend in person, over video chat, or through text messages, depending on your preference.
With RentAFriend, you set your own hours and the price for your time. Earnings can range from $10 to $50 per hour, depending on what you decide.
Here’s how it works:
People join this site to find a friend and someone to talk to, and that’s where you come in.
Papa is a website where you can chat with older adults, help them around their house and with shopping, and more.
You’re simply giving them some extra support with their day-to-day tasks, and you can earn money right from your phone for some of these tasks.
As a Papa Pal, you get to set your own schedule. The amount you can earn per hour varies depending on your location.
If you’re a licensed therapist, you might like making money using your phone with BetterHelp. BetterHelp is an online platform where therapists help people.
You can work with clients by chatting, phone calls, or video calls. You’ll need good internet and a private place to talk.
As a therapist on BetterHelp, estimated earnings are around $100,000 per year for working 40 hours per week. You can also work part-time at around 5 to 15 hours per week and earn around $8,000 to $27,000 each year.
To join, they require at least 3 years of experience in therapy for adults, couples, or teens.
There are many money making apps where you can get paid to play games on your phone.
Game apps pay real money rewards because they earn money through ads and in-app purchases. To motivate you to keep playing their games, they share a portion of their earnings with you.
Here’s a quick list of the top game apps that pay real cash:
When selecting gaming apps to make money, it’s important to check reviews and understand how you receive your earnings. Be cautious with apps that require payment to play or promise rewards that seem too good to be true. Also, keep track of the time you spend playing games to make sure it is worth it.
Recommended reading: 23 Best Game Apps To Win Real Money
UserTesting is a way you can make money by trying out websites and apps. Companies will pay you for your honest thoughts on how easy they are to use.
To participate in tests, you’ll need a computer or a smartphone, an internet connection, and a microphone. Some tests may also require a webcam.
When you test websites, you look out for things that don’t work well or can be confusing. Your feedback helps companies improve as they want real opinions, not just quick answers.
Here’s how it works:
Payments are usually made through online services like PayPal.
I have personally paid someone to do a UserTesting review on this site, Making Sense of Cents. It’s a great way to see what a stranger thinks of your website and they gave me tons of helpful tips and let me know what changes I should make to make my website better for readers.
If you have stuff you don’t use anymore, selling it online can be a smart way to make some money. Your old phones, clothes, games, and books could be worth something to someone else.
And, you can do all of this right from your cell phone!
Whether you have old things around your home that you want to sell or if you want to start a reselling business, there are many apps that make it easy to sell stuff right from your phone.
Some of the best selling apps are Poshmark for clothing, Worthy for jewelry, Facebook Marketplace for local sales, and Decluttr for electronics.
I have personally sold many items over the years on various sites to make extra income. At one point, I even had a small reselling business. So, I understand firsthand how helpful these sites and apps can be!
You can earn money from your phone by selling your data through apps. These apps pay you for the data you don’t use. You might be concerned about safety, but in most cases, it is safe.
These apps usually operate in the background, helping companies understand how people use the internet. Data apps aren’t full-time jobs and you won’t get rich from them, but they can be easy side gigs.
Honeygain is one app where you can earn cash, and you get paid for data you’re not using. You just install the app, and it runs without you doing anything extra.
You receive payment based on the amount of traffic passing through your connection, with Honeygain paying $1 for every 10 GB of traffic.
If you love sharing photos and videos, Instagram can be a great way for you to make some extra money with your social media accounts.
I have made income from Instagram over the years, and while it’s not my full-time income, it is a fun way to make money from my phone.
This is because you can start an Instagram on whatever niche you want, such as fitness, travel, fashion, family, and more. So, you may be able to have a lot of fun managing and growing your social media account.
Then, you’ll want to make sure you regularly share high-quality content, use relevant tags, post reels, and interact with your audience to steadily increase your follower count.
You can actually make money just by walking! There are apps that track your steps and reward you for staying active. You can download these to your phone, start walking, and watch your steps turn into rewards.
Sweatcoin is one app you might like. If you’re over 13 and have a smartphone, you can join. It changes your walking into points that you can use. You can get stuff like gift cards or even support charities.
Getting paid is easy:
Some apps might hook up to a fitness tracker. This way, if your phone isn’t with you, you won’t miss out on any steps.
Below are answers to common questions about how to make money from your phone.
You can make money on your phone by selling things you no longer need on apps like Decluttr or through your own store on platforms like Shopify. You could also complete online surveys, sign up for market research, or perform tasks on gig economy apps.
One way to make passive income from your phone is to sell stock photography. You could take pictures from your phone, and then sell them over and over again online!
Teenagers can earn money from their phones in their spare time by taking online surveys, performing tasks, selling products online, or using apps that reward users for maintaining good habits, like staying active.
There are many ways to make $100 a day from your phone, such as selling items online and signing up for gig jobs like Instacart.
The fastest ways to make money with your phone include taking surveys, using cash back shopping apps (because you may shop online a lot already!), playing games that have real rewards, and delivering groceries or meals with gig apps.
There are many ways to make money from your phone for free, such as answering surveys, selling items that you already own (such as old clothing that you no longer wear, CDs, DVDs, or old devices that you don’t use anymore), driving for Uber, delivering groceries with Instacart, and more.
Apps like Instacart, Papa, and Uber are all good ways to make side hustle money with your phone. There are many other ways that I didn’t mention above that are good options, such as Fetch Rewards (scan your receipt from grocery shopping), Acorns (micro-investing app for your spare change), Ibotta (a grocery shopping app), Neighbor (rent out your storage), Lyft (drive others around), TaskRabbit (sell your handyperson services, such as building furniture), OfferUp (selling stuff that you no longer need), and Rakuten (get cash back on your online shopping).
These apps are available on both Google Play stores and the iOS app store.
I hope you enjoyed this article on the many ways to make money from your phone.
As you can see from the above, there are many ways to make extra cash from your phone, from part-time gigs to full-time income. Whether you have an Android or Apple phone, there are many ways on the list above that you may want to try out.
What do you think is the best way to make money with a phone?
Source: makingsenseofcents.com
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We’re in the final hours of Cyber Monday, but you can still deck your halls for the holidays with deals on home decor. Modern wall art or a patterned throw blanket can transform your living room just by adding some texture and color.
You can add wintry flair with a white pampas grass wreath that’s currently 63% off at CB2. Or get creative with your mood lighting and try the hexagonal Nanoleaf shapes: save $50 at Best Buy. For Christmas decorating ideas, we rounded up the best Christmas tree and holiday decor deals. You can also check out the best Cyber Monday furniture deals we’ve found across the internet.
There are still sales on tech, style, kitchen, and more, so we’re keeping our list of the best Cyber Monday deals updated through the end of the sale event.
Up to 50% off sitewide, plus an extra 50% on sale items
Etsy: Save up to 60% decor from small businesses and makers
H&M Home: 30% off everything
Jonathan Adler: Up to 40% off sitewide
Nordstrom: Up to 60% off throws, candles, bedding and more
One Kings Lane: Up to 50% off plus an extra 15% off orders over $700 with 15CYBER
Society6: Up to 70% of posters, minis and framed prints
Target: Up to 40% off various home decor
Urban Outfitters: 40% off sitewide
Wayfair: Up to 60% off seasonal decor
West Elm: Up to 70% off decor and furniture
World Market: Save up to 30% on furniture and decor
Anthropologie Rosalita Switch Plate
Anthropologie has some of the most detailed and lovely little switch plates, like these that add whimsy and cottage core vibes to even the simplest rental space. During Cyber Monday, you can take 30% off whether you need a single toggle switch or an outlet cover.
USTIDE Sunflower Rug Mat
A bold area rug adds color and warms up any room. This polyester microfiber rug comes with a non-slip backing. Get the all-time-low price on yellow, pink, and teal patterns.
The White Company Midnight Large Candle
This three-week candle has scent layers of vetivert, cardamom, and amber. The minimalist design and warming aromas will fit in with any decor. If the regular price seems steep for a candle, the current discount of over half off makes it more reasonable.
Frontgate Luxury Faux Fur Throw
Luscious and realistic-looking, the Frontgate Luxury Faux Fur Throws are a mix of modacrylic and polyester with a velvet polyester back. Varieties include Arctic hare, coyote, chinchilla, timberwolf, and lynx. The 50 by 70-inch blanket is $60 for Cyber Monday.
CB2 36-Inch Faux Ivory Pampas Grass Wreath
This fluffy, white wreath isn’t just for the holidays. The elegant pampas grass lends a winter accent to any room of the house. During Cyber Monday, you can get it for over half off.
Barefoot Dreams CozyChic™ Stripe Throw Blanket
Barefoot Dream’s CozyChic throws are a well-documented celebrity favorite. These soft and timeless blankets cozy up any corner. At over 65% off, this is a savings you’re not going to find anywhere else.
Capri Blue Blue Jean Faceted Jar
This candle combines citrus, white musk, and patchouli for a relaxing fragrance. The faceted lavender glass holder will add a hint of color to white bathrooms. The current 20% off is a deal we see often, but still a good one.
Nanoleaf Shapes (Hexagon)
Featuring a modular design, vibrant colors, and easy smart-home integration, the Nanoleaf Shapes system is fun and functional decor. Best Buy is offering 25% off during Cyber Monday: let this sale (and system) light up your home.
Pottery Barn Curtain Rain String Lights
Available in gold or silver, this curtain rain string light spans 72 inches wide and 72 inches long. Use it to add sparkle indoor or outdoor; just make sure to avoid contact with water. Take 25% off the usual price right now.
The Sill ZZ plant
The ZZ plant (Zamioculcas zamifolia) is one of the toughest indoor houseplants and can survive even the most difficult situations, such as long periods without water. It’s just $51 during The Sill’s Cyber Monday sale event.
Lumens Adesso Lighting Bowery Arc Floor Lamp
If you’re looking to light a small nook or corner in your home the Bowery Arc Floor Lamp provides a warm, focused layer of lighting. The curved design of the lamp, as well as its marble base, adds a simple touch of decor. Save 20% on all colors: brushed steel, antique brass, and black.
Pottery Barn Linden Shelf
This modern, arched shelf has a tray base that can display several bathroom accessories and decorative objects. It can even be a convenient place to hold your phone while you shower. The antique bronze model is 30% off.
Ohad Modular Wood Wall Art
Not your average wall art. This modular piece is both cozy and contemporary, and it’s currently 30% off.
H&M Metal Candelabra
This gold candelabra makes for a gorgeous centerpiece, and it’s 70% off. Top with your favorite taper candles.
Korniful Tabletop Fire Pit
Bring holiday cheer indoors with this tabletop fireplace perfect for roasting chestnuts on an open fire (roasting sticks included). You can buy fuel separately to create a smokeless and odorless flame that adds instant ambiance.
Source: businessinsider.com
A dog owner has come up with an ingenious way to make an essential piece of dog care equipment blend into her home decor, and in half a day.
Anja recognized the necessity for a crate to give Cookie the Australian Labradoodle her own safe space. But the pet owner, who lives in Belgium with her husband and their dog, was dissatisfied with the crate’s appearance in her living room.
“I hated the ‘black cage’ in our living room, but Cookie really needs this as it is her own safe space to rest, ever since she was a puppy. So, my husband came up with the idea to cover it up,” she told Newsweek.
And with a bit of time and some DIY skills, the owners managed to upcycle the imposing item of dog equipment into a stylish piece of furniture.
Dog crates serve multiple purposes, giving dogs a secure environment for rest, training, and transportation. However, they have been subject to controversy, with critics raising concerns about prolonged confinement and potential misuse. Despite that, many dogs, like Cookie, find their crate to be a place of comfort.
Earlier this month a Shih-Poo called Cheddar melted hearts with the way he took himself back to his crate when he was done socializing.
Anja’s project involved using strips of birch plywood, attaching it to the edges of the crate, to give it a chic Scandi-style appearance alongside the couple’s couch.
“We don’t really know [the cost] actually since we used a lot of materials we already had,” Anja said, but she added that the entire transformation only took around 12 hours.
“It really blends in now; it doesn’t bother me anymore. And it’s a fun and not-so-difficult project to do yourself,” Anja said, encouraging others to give the dog crate DIY a try.
The couple aren’t the first owners to do custom DIY for their pet, like the Montana-based dog owner who made a custom tennis-ball catapult for his dog Olive to play fetch with. Some dogs have even been caught on camera helping out their humans with a bit of DIY.
Anja shared the project on her Instagram page @cookie_the_doodle_ where people have been left impressed with the idea.
“Looks so nice!” said one user. “Amazingly beautiful.”
While another viewer wrote: “Ooh it does match better in the interior.”
“Omg how did you do this?” said another. “Our crate is such an eye sore in our living room I would love to do that.”
Do you have impressive and inspiring DIY projects you’d like to share? We’re looking for the most creative and ingenious ones! Send them in to [email protected] and they could be featured on our site.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Source: newsweek.com
Hey, I’ve just been featured on CNBC and I want to say hello to all of my new readers. You can read the CNBC article here – 34-year-old mom dropped $50,000 to cruise the world with her family: ‘It was some of the best money I ever spent’ If you are a new visitor –…
Hey,
I’ve just been featured on CNBC and I want to say hello to all of my new readers.
You can read the CNBC article here – 34-year-old mom dropped $50,000 to cruise the world with her family: ‘It was some of the best money I ever spent’
If you are a new visitor – welcome to Making Sense of Cents!
I have received many emails about how I was able to afford this trip. I have a free How To Start A Blog course that you can sign up for here. I also talk about this below and how I’ve been able to earn over $5,000,000 blogging over the years.
If you want to read more about my world cruise trip, I recommend reading Around-The-World Cruise With A Kid (25+ Countries In 4 Months!).
Here are some blog posts that you may find helpful and enjoy:
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or send me an email.
Thanks for stopping by.
-Michelle Schroeder-Gardner
—-
In addition to reading the CNBC article linked above, I also want to talk about how I grew a blog that has earned me over $5,000,000. I know I will get a lot of questions, so I figured it’s best to lay it all out right here 🙂
What started as just a hobby turned into one of the most life-changing things I’ve ever done – that’s starting my blog, and learning how to make money with it.
Since learning how to monetize a blog over 10 years ago, I have now earned over $5,000,000 from my site. This is still hard for me to believe, and I’m the one who’s lived it!
In the beginning, all I was doing was tracking my own personal finance progress as I finished school and started paying off my student loans. Blogging was a very new concept to me at the time – I heard about it from a magazine – and people were just learning how to monetize blogs back in 2011.
Most bloggers started back then with display ads and sponsored posts, but the options have only increased.
Because of all of the new ways to make money blogging, like affiliate income and selling your own products, you can make somewhat passive income as a blogger.
Passive income is my favorite way to make money because it makes blogging even more flexible and something I can do as I work from home, travel, and work whenever I want.
Blogging has changed my life for the better, and I’m now earning thousands of dollars a month doing something I love.
Learning how to monetize a blog takes work and time, but it’s 100% possible to do. I started earning money after just six months of blogging, and I didn’t even set out to make money when I created Making Sense of Cents. Just think of the potential if you start out knowing that making money blogging is possible!
Starting my blog is one of the best things I’ve ever done for my work, personal, and financial life. And, I urge anyone who is interested to start a blog and learn how to monetize it.
Many of my readers have heard this story, but I love sharing it because I started out like many of you, except I had no idea that blogs could make money. When I started Making Sense in August of 2011, I simply wanted a way to keep track of my financial progress and meet others who had similar goals.
As I started getting to know other bloggers in the community, a blogger friend of mine connected me with an advertiser who was willing to pay me $100 for an advertisement.
I couldn’t believe someone would pay me $100 to advertise on my site!
While it wasn’t a lot of money, especially considering the amount of time and work I put towards my blog in those 6 months, it was very motivating to see that something I loved doing could actually make money.
After that first $100, I started doing a lot of research on how to monetize a blog, and my blogging income quickly grew from there.
One year after I started my blog, I was earning around $1,000 a month, and I was making around $10,000 monthly two years after I started Making Sense of Cents.
My income only continued to grow, and I am still earning a healthy income from this website today.
If you want to learn how to monetize a blog and you haven’t started your blog, then I recommend starting with my free blogging course How To Start A Blog FREE Course.
Here’s a quick outline of what you will learn in this free course:
This is delivered directly to your email inbox, and you will learn how to grow a blog from scratch.
Sure, you can start on a whim, and that’s kind of what I did, haha.
But, I do think that creating a plan is a good idea if you want to learn how to monetize a blog. This can help you get an organized start, identify your blog’s niche, decide on your blogging goals, find opportunities for blogging income, and more.
It wasn’t until 2015 that I finally created a blogging plan (that’s 4 years after I started!), and my blog income grew significantly after that.
I credit that growth to creating a plan!
Having a plan would have been a huge help in the beginning, and I wish I would have started with one. I probably missed some income opportunities because I had no real plan or direction in the first couple of years.
Since creating a blogging plan, I became more focused on goals and motivated toward improving and building Making Sense of Cents.
Here are some questions that you may want to ask yourself when creating a plan for your blog:
Thinking about, researching, and answering these questions will help guide you on your journey and help you decide what to do next.
Your blog’s content is extremely important. This will be what attracts your readers, has them coming back for more, earns you blogging income, and more.
Now, you don’t need to be an expert or need a degree to start talking about a subject, but you do need to be knowledgeable or interested in what you are talking about. And, always be truthful! This will show in your writing and actually help your readers.
To write high-quality content on your blog, here are some tips:
If you want to learn how to monetize a blog, then networking can be extremely helpful.
Networking can mean:
Some bloggers don’t do any of these things and purely see other bloggers as competition. I don’t believe this is the correct way to approach blogging because you will hold yourself back immensely!
Networking is important because it can help you enjoy blogging (friends are nice to have, right?!), teach you new ideas (such as how to make money blogging or how to grow a blog), make valuable connections, and more.
Keep in mind that networking is even how I earned my very first $100 blogging. My blogging friend connected me with an advertiser, which helped changed my blogging journey.
I have learned a lot about blogging from the blogging community, and the people I’ve connected with have been a tremendous support as I’ve grown my blog.
Starting a blog is relatively easy. But, growing and learning how to monetize a blog takes a lot of work.
You’ll have to:
Even when I was just a new blogger and had no plans of making money blogging, I was still spending well over 10 hours a week on Making Sense of Cents.
When I was working my full-time day job and earning an income from my blog, I was working around 40-50 hours a week on my blog on top of my day job!
Now that I blog full-time, my hours vary. Some months I hardly work, and there are other months that I may work 100 hours a week.
It’s not easy, and there’s always something that needs to be done.
But, I absolutely love blogging, which makes the hard work a little less tough.
There are many different ways you can monetize your blog, including:
You could choose to monetize your blog using all of these methods, or even just one. It’s just a personal decision.
For me, I like to be diversified and monetize in many ways, so I do them all.
Below, I am going to dive a little deeper into each way to make money blogging.
Affiliate marketing can be a great way to make money blogging because if there is a product or company that you enjoy, all you have to do is review the product and share a unique affiliate link where your readers can sign up or make a purchase.
In fact, this is my favorite way to monetize a blog. I enjoy it because it can be quite passive – I can create just one blog post and potentially earn an income from it years later. This is because even though a blog post may be older, I am still constantly driving traffic to it and readers are still purchasing through my affiliate links.
Affiliate marketing is a blog monetization method where you share a link to a product or company with your readers in an attempt to make an income from followers purchasing the product through your link.
Here are some quick tips so that you can make affiliate income on your blog:
You can learn more about affiliate marketing strategies in my course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.
Advertising on a blog is one of the first ways that bloggers learn how to monetize a blog. In fact, it’s exactly how I started!
This form of blogging income is when you directly partner with a company and advertise for them on your website or social media accounts.
You may be writing a review for them, a tutorial, talking about their product or company, taking pictures, and so on.
If you want to learn how to increase your advertising-income, I recommend taking my Making Sense of Sponsored Posts course.
Display advertising is one of the easiest ways to make money blogging, but it most likely won’t earn you the most, especially in the beginning.
I’m sure you’ve seen display ads before. They may be on the sidebar, at the top of a post, within a blog post, and so on.
The ads are automatically added when you join an advertising network, and you do not need to manually add these ads to your blog.
Your display advertising income increases or decreases almost entirely based on your page views, and once you place the advertisement, there’s no direct work to be done.
If you want to learn how to monetize a blog through display advertising, then some popular networks include Adsense, MediaVine, and AdThrive.
Personally, I use AdThrive for my display advertising network. I don’t have many display advertisements on my blog, but it is easy income.
Another popular way to monetize a blog is to create a sell your own products.
This could be an online product, something that you ship, and so on, such as:
And the list goes on and on. I have seen bloggers be very successful in selling all kinds of things on their blogs.
What’s great about selling your own product is that you are in complete control of what you are selling, and your income is virtually unlimited in many cases.
I launched my first product about 5 years after I created Making Sense of Cents, which was a blogging course called Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I regret not creating something sooner because this has been an excellent source of income and has helped many people along the way.
If you really want to learn how to monetize a blog, I recommend that you start an email list from the very beginning.
I waited several years to start my email list, and that was a huge mistake!
Here’s why you need an email list right away:
As a new blogger, you’ll want to find ways to attract a readership to your blog and your article.
No, you don’t need millions and millions of page views to earn a good living from blogging. In fact, I know some bloggers who receive 1,000,000 page views yet make less money than those with 100,000 monthly page views.
Every website is different, but once you learn what your audience wants, you can start to really make money blogging, regardless of how many page views you receive.
Having a successful blog is all about having a loyal audience and helping them with your content.
Even with all of that being said, if you want to learn how to monetize a blog, learning how to improve your traffic is valuable. The more loyal and engaged followers you have, the more money you may be able to make through your blog.
There are many ways to grow your readership, such as:
Now, I also want to talk about helpful resources, courses, and more that can help you to learn how to grow your page views on your blog.
Below are some of my favorite blogging resources to help you improve your traffic:
SEO (search engine optimization) is how you get organic search traffic to your blog.
When you search a phrase on Google, you’ll see a bunch of different websites as the results. This is the result of these websites applying SEO strategies to their blog.
This is a great way for readers to find your blog, and SEO is important to pay attention to as you learn how to monetize a blog!
Below are some of my favorite SEO resources:
Below, I’m going to answer some questions I’ve received about how to start a blog such as:
The amount of page views needed to make money blogging varies, and there is no magic number that you should be aiming for.
This is because it depends on so many factors, such as how you will monetize your blog, your niche, the number of email subscribers you have, the quality of your website, and more.
You may see success with 10,000 page views a month, or you may see success with over 100,000 page views a month. It simply depends on the factors above.
Beginner bloggers can make money in many different ways, such as display advertising, affiliate marketing, creating their own products, and sponsorships.
You can start any of these right from the very beginning.
Display advertising is usually the easiest way to begin monetizing a blog, but the payoff is not very high, especially in the beginning when your page views are not high.
I recommend just launching your blog as soon as you have one blog post and a design. Building a huge backlog of blog posts isn’t usually needed, and it can prevent you from ever getting started!
The more blog posts you have, then the more traffic you may get. That’s because it’s more opportunities to show up in Google searches or share your posts on social media.
I recommend publishing a new blog post at least once a week. Anything less isn’t advised.
Publishing blog posts consistently is smart because readers know to expect regular content from you.
Bloggers fail for many different reasons. These reasons may include:
And much more. Blogging is like any business – there are things to learn, things to improve on, and more.
If you have any other questions related to starting a blog, I recommend checking out What Is A Blog, How Do Blogs Make Money, & More. In this article, I answer more questions related to blogging such as:
And more.
Please leave a comment if you have any questions.
Thanks for reading!
Source: makingsenseofcents.com
Kim Duong is the senior shopping editor at Cosmopolitan, overseeing shopping coverage online for all things fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and sex. When she’s not musing about which products are actually worth your hard-earned cash, she’s also writing (sometimes slightly unhinged) fashion content in print. You can find her previous writing in Refinery29, InStyle, Travel + Leisure, and StyleCaster. Follow her on Instagram for bottomless cute dog content and did-that-really-happen-to-me story times in her highlights.
Hannah Chubb is the lifestyle editor at Cosmopolitan, covering all things home, travel, food, health, career, and more. She spends pretty much every hour of every day curating the internet for the best new products, trends, and travel destinations. You can typically find her looking for houses she can’t afford on Zillow or Airbnb, planning her next meal before she gets to the restaurant, or taking all of the Justin Bieber classes over and over and over again on Peloton. Follow her on Instagram.
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Source: cosmopolitan.com
In a world where speed and convenience have been the siren song to consumers, there’s a movement toward buying more mindfully, sustainably, “slowly.”
You’ve heard of slow fashion. Slow food. Slow travel. And when it comes to the home, “slow decorating.”
A reaction against rooms filled with mass-produced “fast furniture,” slow decorating embraces a more deliberate approach that prioritizes a personal connection to the stuff we live with. It might mean giving new life to heirloom or found pieces. Or buying new things that have the quality to last.
The journey of creating a space is as important as the destination.
New York City designer Gideon Mendelson thinks the movement echoes the Japanese philosophy of “ikigai,” which centers around finding meaning and purpose. Applied to interiors, it’s about creating spaces that promote all-around well-being.
“To me, good design makes room for living and doing. Decorating with meaningful pieces isn’t about chasing an aesthetic, but curating spaces that resonate with authenticity and personal stories,” he says.
“It’s not just about how it looks; it’s about how you want to live.”
And you don’t have to spend a lot, he says. He framed some inexpensive yet eye-catching vintage deli signs, adding a playful element to the Hamptons dining room of a family of five.
The trend toward “slower,” more thoughtful interior design, Mendelson thinks, lies in subtleties: “The cherished heirlooms, and the intimate connection between a space and its inhabitants.”
Fast furniture’s association with cheaper materials, excessive packaging and frequent replacement clashes with consumers’ growing interest in minimizing our lasting impact on the planet.
Now, we’re buying more mindfully, but we’re also having a lot of fun DIYing.
During the pandemic, slow assembly lines and stalled container ships meant a lot of brand-new homewares weren’t getting made or sent to market, so upcycling stuff we had or found became hobby, and often necessity.
If you could find a great credenza at a flea market or online reseller that just needed a little TLC, why not?
Not too long ago, decor trade shows would include a handful of studio labs offering reclaimed wood items and organic textiles. Today, at global fairs like Ambiente in Frankfurt, Salone in Milan and Paris’ Maison et Objet, hundreds of companies show new design made with environmental and social impact in mind. Fair trade manufacturing. Fast-growing renewables like hemp, bamboo and cork. Cushions made of soy-based foam instead of petroleum-based foam. Recycled glass and metal accessories.
Mid 20- and 30-somethings are seen as drivers of the slow design trend. TikTok and Instagram feeds are full of refinish-and-reveal videos, and modest abodes full of found treasures.
Stephen Orr, editor in chief of Better Homes & Gardens, says he’s spent the past couple of years renovating a 1760s house on Cape Cod.
“The first year was during the pandemic, so antiques and flea markets were a godsend considering all the supply chain disruptions,” he says.
“But during that process, we came to the realization that pieces with a patina of age better celebrate the house’s long history anyway.”
He also added some new, modern pieces “so it doesn’t look like we should be dressed in period Colonial Williamsburg costumes.”
Furniture for sitting, sleeping and eating is where you should spend more money on quality, says Jillian Hayward Schaible of Susan Hayward Interiors.
“We encourage clients to invest in pieces like sofas/sectionals, beds, dining tables and upholstered items, because you can really feel the difference when these items are well-made,” she says.
Peter Spalding of the designer furniture sourcing platform Daniel House Club notes that imitations of Chippendale and other legacy-style pieces — think cabinets and wingback chairs, for example — were common in the ‘80s and early ’90s.
“Now, the imitations aren’t very valuable, but the originals remain highly sought after,” he says. “As you collect ‘slow furniture,’ buy the most authentic versions you can afford.”
Dan Mazzarini of BHDM Design and ARCHIVE echoes the advice.
“If you’re looking for a good investment, go straight to vintage. Things that have already stood the test of time often have another 50 years left in them! Side tables, desks, even cabinets are great pieces to look for,” he says.
Mendelson mentions a pair of vintage French plaster shell sconces in his Sagaponack, New York, home. He bought them 15 years ago “and they still feel fresh and relevant today.”
“I think a desire for one-of-a-kind and bespoke is at least starting a conversation about handmade,” he says. “Quality vs quantity. Living with intention.”
Many retailers are getting seats on the slow train. West Elm, for instance, was early among home retailers in joining Fair Trade USA, which ensures that suppliers maintain good workplaces and wages, and support their communities.
The global reforestation project One Tree Planted gets part of every purchase from furniture brand Joybird. Herman Miller’s rePurpose program gets used furniture to nonprofit organizations. And Ikea has initiatives like moving to bio-based glue, and instituting a buy-back/re-sell program that saw 230,000 items given a new life in 2022.
For the past five years, the United Nations Refugee Agency’s MADE51 initiative has helped artisans partner with fashion and home accessories businesses worldwide to create sustainable, fairly traded goods.
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New York-based writer Kim Cook covers design and decor topics regularly for The AP. Follow her on Instagram at @kimcookhome.
For more AP Lifestyles stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/lifestyle.
Source: apnews.com
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Wed, Feb 28 2024, 11:09 AM
At the TMBA’s Secondary Conference in Houston a topic is obviously interest rates and the economy… And the fact that the nation’s interest payment expense now exceeds our defense expense! It’s also a fact that Texas’ business climate is very friendly for companies. The #1 state in the nation for residential lending, California, not so much. Overheard here in the hallway: “California is a blue state wrapped up in red tape.” That said, permit process aside, California gets a lot of flak for its high cost of living, but that is for income tax rather than property tax, as exhibited in “Property Taxes by State in 2024” comparing home and vehicle taxes across the nation. Californians pay the 34th highest annual taxes on homes priced at state median value. New Jersey, Illinois, and Connecticut have the highest annual taxes on homes. Each year, the average American household spends $2,869 on real-estate property taxes plus another $448 for residents of the 26 states with vehicle property taxes. (Found here after 8:30AM ET, this week’s podcast is brought to you by nCino, makers of the nCino Mortgage Suite for the modern mortgage lender. nCino Mortgage Suite’s three core products – nCino Mortgage, nCino Incentive Compensation, and nCino Mortgage Analytics – unite the people, systems, and stages of the mortgage process. Interview with SoFi’s Liz Young on the need for Treasury auctions and how supply and demand at those auctions impacts consumer interest rates.)
Lender and Broker Services, Products, and Software
“If you’re heading to ICE Experience, there’s never been a better time to catch up with the Optimal Blue team. Our PPE clients are actively upgrading to the Encompass Partner Connect integration and enjoying new features and benefits. On average, loan officers experience a 60% reduction in the time it takes to request a lock and see it auto-confirmed within Encompass through this upgraded integration. This means users can continue with disclosures and other loan-processing activities faster, which shortens turnaround times and increases efficiencies. If you’re an existing Optimal Blue client and interested in hearing about the other benefits of upgrading, or if you’d like to further discuss your business strategy, consider scheduling a meeting with the Optimal Blue team at our private poolside cabana. We will also be set up at the Optimal Blue booth throughout the event and ready to chat at your leisure. See you in Vegas!”
Compliance Experts Report on 2024 Mortgage Servicing Outlook! Watch the 30-minute webinar that recently launched with ACES’ EVP of Compliance, Amanda Phillips and Reid Herlihy of Ballard Spahr as they discuss the most recent mortgage servicing news, CFPB Supervisory Highlights, and expectations and predictions for 2024 and beyond. Watch the recording.
Guaranteed Rate has chosen Evocalize to enhance the digital marketing capabilities of its mortgage loan officers. Evocalize, renowned for powering leading mortgage and real estate industry tech platforms, is partnering with Guaranteed Rate to revolutionize lead generation and referral partner engagement. Through Evocalize, loan officers can execute targeted digital marketing campaigns across various platforms including Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Gmail, and YouTube instantaneously. This collaboration empowers loan officers to leverage local data for lead generation amidst changing regulatory landscapes. Evocalize will leverage real-time data and machine learning algorithms to optimize ad management. Guaranteed Rate anticipates significant benefits from this partnership, including enhanced lead generation, reduced marketing costs, and streamlined compliance efforts, ultimately improving the overall customer experience. Learn more here.
“Welcome to the new AFR Wholesale® (AFR)! Change can be good. Our team has been relentlessly pursuing better execution. This exercise has led to great program enhancements, operational improvements and of course, better pricing. Non-Delegated and Wholesale clients have commented on our aggressive pricing across all programs. Notably our new expanded note rate adjusters in conventional and government. We’ve also revised pricing for our Down Payment Assistance Program going into purchase season. AFR is dedicated to offering not only competitive rates but also a customer-centric approach, ensuring that you and your borrowers have the tools and options needed for a beneficial experience. Delegated Correspondents have also seen sharper pricing and incredible turn times (under 48 hours). Ensure you’re leveraging all AFR benefits by reaching out to our Account Executives, 1-800-375-6071, or explore our enhancements through our Quick Pricer tool. Not a client? Partner with AFR today!”
When Al Gore invented the internet, he envisioned a world where borrowers and Realtors could stand in a home, pull out their phones, and update pre-approval letters on demand. Make him proud and check out QuickQual by LenderLogix.
STRATMOR on Lender-Vendor Communication
We in the industry know that there is often a massive disconnect between mortgage lenders and their technology partners, so why isn’t “business relationship therapist” a thing? In STRATMOR Group’s February Insights Report, Senior Advisor Sue Woodard takes on the role of “therapist” to help both lenders and vendors unpack the key areas of disconnect. If you need guidance in breaking down these communication barriers, contact STRATMOR and don’t miss “Step into Our Office: Couples Therapy for Mortgage Lenders and Tech Vendors” for suggestions for both parties and to learn how STRATMOR is already working with technology providers to hear, understand and better respond to the needs of the lending community.
Disaster News
Given that 20-25 percent of the nation’s mortgages come from California, exposed to earthquakes, fires, and flooding, seeing a disaster declared there is worth noting for lenders and servicers alike. FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of California to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding, January 21-23, 2024. The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in San Diego County.
“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA App.”
But up in Washington we have wildfires: FEMA DR-4759-WA.
On 2/19/2024, with DR-4758, Release Number HQ-24-024, FEMA declared federal disaster aid with individual assistance has been made available to San Diego County California affected by severe storms and flooding from 1/21/2024 to 1/23/2024. See AmeriHome Mortgage Disaster Announcement 20240206-CL for inspection requirements.
On 2/15/2024, with DR-4759, Release Number HQ-25-025, FEMA declared federal disaster aid with individual assistance has been made available to a county affected by wildfires from 8/18/2023 to 8/25/2023. See AmeriHome Mortgage Disaster Announcement 20240208-CL for inspection requirements.
FHA, VA, Ginnie Mae, HECM, and USDA Developments
Ginnie Mae’s mortgage-backed securities (MBS) portfolio outstanding grew to $2.53 trillion in January, including $28.1 billion of total MBS issuance, leading to $10.8 billion of net growth. January’s new MBS issuance supports financing for more than 91,000 households, including more than 46,000 first-time homebuyers. Approximately 77.6 percent of the January MBS issuance reflects new mortgages that support home purchases, because refinance activity remained low due to higher interest rates.
The January issuance includes $27.4 billion of Ginnie Mae II MBS and more than $674 million of Ginnie Mae I MBS, including nearly $558 million in loans for multifamily housing. For the 2024 calendar year to date, Ginnie Mae supported the pooling and securitization of more than 46,000 first-time homebuyer loans. For more information on monthly MBS issuance, unpaid principal balance (UPB), real estate investment conduit (REMIC) monthly issuance, and global market analysis, visit Ginnie Mae Disclosure.
In USDA news, an Unnumbered Letter (UL) dated February 13, 2024, has been issued which increases the appraisal fee to $775 and the conditional commitment fee to $850 under the rural development direct programs. The fee increases are effective March 14, 2024. The increased fees reflect market research for origination appraisals in rural areas and incorporates the average cost of appraisals under the programs’ nationwide contract with the Appraisal Management Companies.
With the current market trends of rising interest rates, the Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program (SFHGLP) Rural Development announced a Stand-Alone MRA ratio waiver; to remove the 55 percent and 31 percent limitations from the requirements in the regulation for the Stand-Alone MRA.
FHA published Frequently Asked Questions, FHA (FAQs), that address inquiries received from stakeholders regarding its final rule, Changes in Branch Office Registration Requirements published in the Federal Register on February 2, 2024. This regulation eliminated the current requirement for lenders and mortgagees to register branch offices where they originate FHA Title I or Title II loans. This new rule, which becomes effective on March 4, 20 is not applicable for those institutions whose fiscal year ended on December 31, 2023, and are required to recertify by March 31, 2024. Recertification fees for those lenders will be calculated based on the number of registered branches as of the last business day of their fiscal year-end certification period. Refer to the rule and accompanying FHA INFO 2024-01 dated February 2, 2024, for information on the rule.
Effectively immediately, AmeriHome is removing the existing $100,000 maximum cash-to-borrower overlay on VA Cash-Out Refinance transactions, to align with VA guidelines. For additional information, see Product Announcement 20240207-CL.
Big news for the “Empire State” of New York! Plaza Home Mortgage excitedly shared that borrowers can now utilize a reverse mortgage for purchasing a home. This is a great option for “buying up” or keeping key cash liquidity vs paying all cash. Plus, FHA now allows borrower concessions up to 6% of the Principal Limit. So, what does that mean for your borrower? When discussing the HECM product, these interested party contributions [or concessions] may include REALTORS®, builders, developers, lenders, and others with an interest in the transaction. Now, interested parties may contribute up to 6% of the sales price toward the borrower’s origination fees, closing costs, prepaid items, and more.
Weary about adding reverse mortgages into your business plan? Although there are lower LTVs caused by the higher rates, keep in mind that the acceleration of equity often offsets all of that. While your senior borrowers may get 47 percent instead of 57 percent LTV, their house may have appreciated $150K or more. Contact Plaza Home Mortgage for more information.
Pennymac Announcement 24-07 provides updates to Government LLPAs effective for all Best-Efforts Commitments taken on or after Friday, February 09, 2024.
The Single-Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program (SFHGLP) announced upcoming revisions to technical Handbook 1-3555, Chapter 12, Property and Appraisal Requirements. Changes are expected to be implemented on April 1, 2024. View USDA Rural Development Bulletin for more information.
Per Pennymac Announcement 24-13, Government LLPAs were updated, effective for all Best-Efforts Commitments taken on or after Friday, February 23, 2024, as follows: Improve values on the ‘Government FICO Price Adjustments’ LLPA Grid.
Capital Markets
There are competing narratives emerging around the strength of the U.S. economy. Weaker consumer spending of late calls into question whether the economy can avoid a recession, consumer confidence has fallen and remains shaky, economic activity pulled back in January as storms and cold weather disrupted day-to-day activity, and markets received a disappointing Durable Orders report yesterday. However, employment has remained resilient, homebuilder confidence has improved, and Treasury auctions this week have not indicated any sort of flight to quality. On balance, the data suggests that the economy should pick up as the weather improves.
Home prices continue to hold steady as demand greatly exceeds supply. The FHFA Housing Price Index rose 0.1 percent month-over-month in December after increasing a revised 0.4 percent in November, while the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index was up 6.1 percent in December after being up 5.4 percent in November. However, local markets are seeing some price easing. Supply and demand may be a greater determinant: Despite high rates, home prices rose 5.1 percent in January, year over year, and while still painfully low, inventory is up 3.1 percent year over year and new listings rose year over year for the fourth straight month.
Today’s economic calendar kicked off with mortgage applications from MBA decreasing 5.6 percent from one week earlier. Later today brings the second look at Q4 GDP and January advanced indicators: the goods trade deficit, retail inventories, and wholesale inventories. Three Fed speakers are currently scheduled: Atlanta President Bostic, Boston President Collins, and New York President Williams. We begin the day (an early travel day for me) with Agency MBS prices, the 10-year yielding 4.28 after closing yesterday at 4.32 percent, and the 2-year at 4.67.
Jobs and Transitions
Looking to expand in CA or NV? Licensing in both states is now taking nearly a year. Opportunity for immediate licensing in either or both states. New established small Mini-Corr/Broker shop located in Northern NV for sale. The operation was established by an industry veteran with two immediate family members. Some circumstances with the family have changed and the principal believes it would be better to continue forward becoming a part of a larger entity. The company is licensed in NV, CO, TX, FL, and CA; banking license should be completed within 6 – 8 weeks. If interested, please contact Chrisman LLC’s Anjelica Nixt to forward your note to the owner.
Movement is providing its loan officers, and the agents they work with, a unique way to highlight their impact. Powered by the company’s new proprietary sales and marketing tool MORE, every Movement LO and the agents they closed loans with in 2023 recently received a personalized “Highlight Reel,” featuring an email, web page, and social media content showcasing the work they did together last year and how that work impacted their respective communities. Movement has also released its annual Impact Report, which also looks back on the previous 12 months. Check out all the ways Movement helps its loan officers stand out with unique storytelling, content, technology, and yes, MORE, at MovementLO.com.
New American Funding is pleased to announce the addition of industry leader Mosi Gatling as SVP Strategic Growth and Expansion. Gatling is renowned for her expertise in serving previously underserved communities and her commitment to increasing Black homeownership in the U.S. and will help to reshape the industry’s approach towards minority communities and effect positive change across the mortgage industry.
Download our mobile app to get alerts for Rob Chrisman’s Commentary.
Source: mortgagenewsdaily.com
Looking for the best business ideas for kids? Finding business ideas for kids is a great way for them to learn about starting their own business, being responsible, and understanding money from a young age. They get to understand how to set goals, handle money, and feel the joy of earning their own extra income….
Looking for the best business ideas for kids?
Finding business ideas for kids is a great way for them to learn about starting their own business, being responsible, and understanding money from a young age. They get to understand how to set goals, handle money, and feel the joy of earning their own extra income.
Whether it’s in the summer, after school, or on weekends, having a small business can be a fun and educational thing to start.
I did many different things as a kid to make extra money, and they all taught me so much. There are many different ways for kids to make money, as you will learn below.
Here are the best business ideas for kids to start.
If your kid enjoys being creative and making things with their hands, selling arts and crafts can be a great business idea for them. It’s not only fun but can also help them earn some money.
Here are some crafts kids can make and sell:
Recommended reading: 16 Best Things To Sell On Etsy To Make Money
If your child is really good at a subject like math or science, they can start a tutoring business. They can help other kids who might find those subjects tough.
Tutoring is something they can do after school when they’re finished with their own homework. It’s a great way to use what they know to help others and even make some money.
Learn more at The Best Online Tutoring Jobs.
If your child loves being around kids, babysitting can be a great way to start their journey into the world of small businesses for kids. It’s not just about watching kids; it’s about creating a fun and safe environment while parents are away.
Your child’s reputation is important, and they can start with their neighbors or family friends who already know and trust them.
To decide what they should charge, you can look at what other babysitters charge in your area, but consider how much experience your kid has.
I recommend having your child learn about basic first aid and child care, and you can find classes through community centers or the Red Cross.
Babysitting is what I did the most of as a kid. It was my first full-time job, actually. Starting at the age of 14, I was working around 40 hours per week in the summer taking care of a baby in my neighborhood (I found the babysitting ad on a local bulletin board!). I earned $10 per hour. The mother was a nurse, so I was working about 13 hours per day for a few days each week.
If your kid loves animals, starting a pet care service or dog walking business could be perfect for them. It’s more than just a job; it’s a way to care for pets when their owners can’t.
In this job, you might look after pets either at your own home (called pet boarding) or take care of them at their home.
Depending on their age, your child may walk the dog for 15 to 30 minutes a day, or more.
I was recently looking at a local bulletin board, and a parent put up an ad for their 10-year-old to walk dogs. The parent would be there as well (to ensure the safety of both the child and pet, of course), but it was a small business idea that the kid wanted to start. If your child is a little older, they may be able to do this on their own as well.
Starting a lemonade stand is more than just a fun activity; it can be their first step for starting a business as a kid!
Your child will probably want to start with a simple recipe, as lemonade does not have to be hard. They can try different flavors, like strawberry, to make your stand unique.
They will need pitchers, cups, ice, and a table.
Work out how much each glass of lemonade costs to make, and then decide on a price that makes a little profit but is still affordable for customers.
Mowing lawns is a great way to start a small business as a kid. It’s simple to get going, and kids can make money during spring and summer.
They’ll need a lawn mower, fuel, and basic gardening tools.
Next, it’s time to set rates. Figure out how much to charge for each yard. A good plan is to look at what others charge and then set a competitive price.
Your kid can talk to neighbors, family, and friends to find new lawn mowing jobs.
I know many, many families who have kids who mow lawns to make money. I also know several people who have older kids who have turned this into a full-time business that has grown with them as an adult.
Raking leaves is a great business idea, especially during the fall. Trees drop their leaves and many homeowners need help gathering and disposing of them.
To get started, your kid will need to have a sturdy rake, bags for leaf collection, and a pair of gloves to keep their hands clean and protect them from blisters.
If you live in a place where snow falls, a kid can make money by shoveling snow. This job is great if they enjoy being outdoors and don’t mind the cold. Start by asking family and neighbors if they need help clearing their driveways and walkways.
They will need a few things to start:
Your kid can hand out flyers or tell friends to spread the word. Social media can be a big help too. A simple post can let everyone in your neighborhood know that your kid is ready to help clear the snow.
If your kid likes being around kids and celebrations, becoming a birthday party assistant could be a fun way for them to earn money.
They will help set up decorations (balloons, banners, and table settings), organize games (such as being ready to lead a game of musical chairs or a treasure hunt), and make sure the party runs smoothly (they might help serve cake and snacks to the little guests.).
Starting a YouTube channel can be exciting. If your child is under 13, remember, they can’t have their own account. But with a parent’s help, they can still share videos.
Your child can pick something they love, whether it’s science experiments, video game walkthroughs, or crafting tutorials.
They will want to post videos regularly – maybe post once a week to start.
Remember, it’s all about doing something fun and sharing what they love. Starting a YouTube channel takes work, but if they stick with it, they could make something really cool.
If your child is looking for a responsible way to earn some extra cash, becoming a lifeguard could be a way to make money.
Not only does this gig teach important life-saving skills but it also teaches them responsibility and discipline. Many local pools or community centers offer lifeguard certification courses, giving them an excellent opportunity for young entrepreneurs to get valuable training.
Running a small lifeguard business can be a win-win situation for kids and the community. They can sell their services to local events, pool parties, or even provide private swimming lessons.
Note: In most states, you need to be at least 15-years-old to become a lifeguard.
Starting a greeting card business is something your kid can have fun with and get their creative juices flowing! They can make cards for birthdays, holidays, thank you, congratulations, or just to say hello.
They will need:
They could start by selling to family and friends or at school events. As they grow, they could try selling them at local markets or even online.
As a neighborhood helper, they can sell their services to people around your community. This is a great way to help others and earn some money.
Your child can sell services such as:
To get started, your kid should make a list of what they’re good at and what they might enjoy doing. Then, let neighbors know about their services with flyers or tell them directly.
If you have many kids, they could even involve multiple family members so that each kid has their own specialty or niche as a neighborhood helper.
Starting a small business as a reseller means buying products at a lower price and selling them for a profit. They don’t need to make their own things; instead, they can find good deals on items, then sell them to others for more than they paid.
They can get items from yard sales, thrift stores, or their own home.
They can sell online on places like Etsy or eBay, or at school events and local fairs.
Recommended reading: 16 Best Selling Apps For Selling Stuff Online And Locally
Becoming a voice artist can be an exciting way for kids to explore and share their talent. If they enjoy speaking and have a unique voice, this could be a fun business idea for them.
They can sell services for character voices for cartoons and animations, narration for audiobooks or educational videos, commercial voice-overs for ads and marketing materials, and more.
They will need to start with a good microphone and recording software on a computer. They can practice by reading out loud and recording their voice.
To find work, they can join online platforms like Fiverr, where people look for young voice talent.
Recommended reading: How To Become A Voice Over Actor
If your child is interested in acting, the first step is to take acting classes, which can help them learn the skills they need to act in plays, movies, or TV. These can be found online or at a business near you.
Once they have some skills, they can try out for local theater productions and school plays, and join their school’s drama club. Being part of a production gives them practical experience and shows them what it’s like to work with a director and other actors.
Starting a candy business can be both fun and rewarding. With a love for sweets and a little creativity, your child can turn their passion into profit.
Candy is something that I see children selling all the time, and it completely makes sense – everyone loves candy! So, it is an easy item to sell.
They can sell homemade treats like chocolate-covered pretzels or gummy bears. Or, if you prefer, you can buy popular brands in bulk and sell them individually.
Next, consider where they will sell the candy. They may be able to sell at school, neighborhood, or local community events, and you should always ask for permission when selling in public areas or on someone else’s property.
Pricing the candy is important. You’ll want to make sure your kid covers the cost of what was spent and adds a little extra for their profit. Selling candy for $2 or $3 can make it easy for customers to buy without thinking twice.
If your kid is interested in working online, then they may want to try starting a blog. It doesn’t take a lot of money to get started, and it can teach a kid a lot about how to run a website.
I have met many teens over the years who have started a blog, and I think it’s a great small business idea!
Whether they want to share their hobbies, interests, or personal experiences, a blog gives them a platform to be creative and communicate.
Other business ideas for kids related to this include starting accounts on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, and starting a podcast.
Recommended reading: How To Start A Blog Free Course
Newspaper delivery is a classic way for children to earn some money. It’s a job that can fit well into their schedule before or after school. Plus, they can get good exercise at the same time!
It’s usually pretty simple: they take newspapers and deliver them to people’s homes.
When I was younger, I had a friend who had a delivery route. Once, I went along with her and helped her deliver some newspapers. It was hard work but she ran it smoothly!
If your kid is interested in this job, start by checking with local newspapers. Call them and ask if they’re looking for delivery helpers. Some things they might need:
They will learn responsibility by making sure the newspapers are delivered on time.
Sometimes there may be age limits, so if your child is younger, they might need to get a work permit. But often, kids as young as 11 or 12 can start with a bit of paperwork.
Recently, I was on Facebook, and a parent was helping their child host a garage sale. They were letting their child take control of most of the sale, but the parent was posting about it in the group to get more traffic to their yard sale.
They were selling the kid’s used toys to help them declutter and make some extra money. I thought this was a great idea!
Kids can learn the basics of entrepreneurship by organizing and pricing their toys for sale. This activity not only teaches them about value assessment but also introduces the concept of supply and demand as they observe which toys are more popular among buyers.
People pay good money for used toys all the time, so this can be a great side hustle to get into.
Face painting can be a fun and profitable small business venture for kids who love art and painting. They can start by setting up a face painting booth at local events or birthday parties.
Running a face painting business encourages kids to develop their entrepreneurial skills, from marketing their services to managing customer interactions.
Kids who care about the environment can turn it into a business by collecting recyclables. With a passion for keeping things green, they can offer to gather recyclables from neighbors, schools, or local businesses.
This not only helps the environment but also teaches kids about reducing waste and recycling.
I have been seeing more and more parents starting vending machine businesses for their children.
Getting kids into the entrepreneurial world by running vending machines can be an interesting and educational small business idea. Whether they decide to place machines in school common areas or local community spaces, managing a vending business can help teach children valuable lessons in supply and demand, handling inventory, and understanding customer preferences.
Running vending machines also gives kids a chance to learn about financial responsibility as they handle income, expenses, and profit calculations.
Recommended reading: How To Start A Vending Machine Business
In this section, you’ll find answers to common questions about starting a business as a kid.
Starting a business that fits into their hobbies and interests makes a good choice. For instance, if they like technology, they might try starting a blog or YouTube channel. If they love the outdoors, then a lawn mowing or gardening business might be a better fit.
A kid can make $100 fast by selling their old toys or clothing items that they already have. You, the parent, can help them organize a yard sale or gather their items to sell in a Facebook buy/sell group.
Kids can sell a lot of different things to make money, such as jewelry, paintings, greeting cards, homemade cookies, lemonade, used toys, and more.
They can start businesses at school like a pencil and eraser store, a book swap service, or a snack bar (if the school allows it). Just remember to check in with the school’s rules to make sure their business idea is allowed on the school campus.
Here are steps a child can take to start their own small business:
Throughout this process, parental involvement is so important. Parents can guide, supervise, and provide a supportive environment for the child’s business, making sure it is a positive and educational experience (and safe!).
At around 9 years old, they can start businesses that use creativity and simple skills. For example, making greeting cards or friendship bracelets.
There are many things that a 10-year-old can do to make extra money. A 10-year-old can start a lemonade stand, sell crafts, do yard work, and more.
There are many things that an 11-year-old can do to make extra money. An 11-year-old can rake leaves, walk dogs, sell baked goods like cupcakes, and more.
Younger kids can think about businesses like lemonade stands, which are simple to set up and manage. They also might create and sell craft items or start a pet sitting service for neighbors if they enjoy spending time with animals.
A teen can make money online by blogging, offering online tutoring services, selling printables on Etsy, reselling items online, and more. I recommend reading 17 Online Jobs For Teens To Make Money to learn more.
When starting a small business as a kid, it’s important to think about safety and the rules they need to follow. For safety, always make sure they have an adult they trust to help watch over their business. If they’re selling something like food or crafts, make sure everything they use is safe and won’t hurt anyone.
For legal aspects, different places have different rules for businesses. They might need to ask for permission from someone (like you, the parent) or maybe need a permit.
They also need to make sure they have supervision, which means having an adult around to help them out and make sure everything’s going right. Monitoring what they are doing online, if they are dealing with customers, can be very smart because you never know who they are selling to or talking with.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post about small business ideas for kids.
From traditional ways to make extra money like running a lemonade stand or mowing lawns to more modern business ideas like making and selling crafts or starting a YouTube channel, the possibilities for kid-run businesses are plentiful.
Starting a business as a kid can teach children valuable problem-solving and life skills. With the proper guidance and help, there are many different good business ideas that a kid can start.
I have been earning my own money from a young age, and it has taught me so much. I highly recommend helping your kids do the same!
What are your favorite kid business ideas?
Source: makingsenseofcents.com
Your credit score is a three-digit number that reflects your credit history. It’s not the complete financial picture, but lenders consider it when evaluating you for lines of credit and insurance.
But there are multiple versions of your credit score.
For the majority of lending decisions most lenders use your FICO score. Calculated by the data analytics company Fair Isaac Corporation, it’s based on data from credit reports about your payment history, credit mix, length of credit history and other criteria.
Some lenders use another scoring model, VantageScore, especially credit card companies.
But if you’re applying for a mortgage, the score on your application might be different from either of them.
Here’s what you need to know about credit scores if you’re looking to buy a home.
While the FICO® 8 model is the most widely used scoring model for general lending decisions, banks use the following FICO scores when you apply for a mortgage:
All the credit reporting agencies use a slightly different version of the FICO score. That’s because FICO tweaks its model to best predict creditworthiness in different industries. You’re still evaluated on the same core factors — payment history, credit use, credit mix and the age of your accounts— but they’re weighed a little differently.
That makes sense — paying off a mortgage is different than using a credit card responsibly.
The FICO 8 model used by credit card companies is more critical of high balances on revolving credit lines. Since revolving credit is less of a factor when it comes to mortgages, the FICO 2, 4 and 5 models have proven to be reliable when evaluating candidates for a mortgage.
According to Darrin English, a senior community development loan officer at Quontic Bank, mortgage lenders request your FICO scores from all three bureaus — Equifax, Transunion and Experian. But they only use one when making their final decision.
If all of your scores are the same, the choice is simple. But what if your scores are different?
“We’ll use the median as the qualifying credit score,” English said. “It’s called a tri-merge.”
If two of the three scores are identical, lenders use that one, he added, regardless of whether it’s higher or lower than the third.
If you are applying for a mortgage with a co-signer, like a spouse, each applicant’s FICO 2, 4 and 5 scores are pulled. The lender identifies the median score for each of you, and then uses the lower of the two.
Knowing your credit score is the first step in getting the best rates on your mortgage.
According to FICO, a borrower with a credit score of 760 can expect an interest rate of 6.47% on a 30-year fixed mortgage. For a borrower with a score between 620 and 639 (considered subprime), that rate would be 8.05%.
A 1.58% APR savings may seem negligible, but it could save you hundreds each month and thousands over the life of the loan.
Your credit score reflects your history of paying off debt. A higher score can save you thousands in interest payments over the life of your mortgage. If you want to improve your score:
*Experian Boost™ is a free service that updates your Experian credit report with on-time payments to your mobile carrier, power company and other utilities not usually linked to credit-reporting agencies. According to the company, users whose FICO scores improve see an average increase of 13 points.
On Experian’s secure site
13 points, though results vary
Experian®
FICO® Score
Results will vary. See website for details.
Since the mortgage industry looks at all three credit reports, consider a paid credit monitoring service that pulls more comprehensive data than a free version would.
In addition to providing regular updates on your FICO score, Experian IdentityWork℠ Premium examines data from all three credit bureaus and informs users about score changes, new inquiries and accounts, changes to your personal information and suspicious activity.
On Experian’s secure site
Free for 30 days, then $9.99 to $19.99 per month
Experian for Plus plan or Experian, Equifax and TransUnion for Premium plan
Yes, up to $500,000 for Plus plan and up to $1 million for Premium plan*
Terms apply.
*Identity Theft Insurance underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries or affiliates of American International Group, Inc. (AIG). The description herein is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.
The most accurate way to keep tabs on your mortgage-specific credit score is with the advanced version of MyFICO®, which shares versions of your FICO score calculated for credit cards, home and auto loans and more for $29.95 a month.
You’ll also have access to $1 million in identity theft insurance and 24-hour expert help if your identity is compromised.
On myFICO’s secure site
$19.95 to $39.95 per month
Experian for Basic plan or Experian, Equifax and TransUnion for Advanced and Premier plans
Yes, for Advanced and Premier plans
Yes, up to $1 million
Terms apply.
Mortgage lenders use a specific version of your credit score to determine if you’re a good candidate for a home loan. Make sure to monitor the credit score that matters to mortgage lenders if you’re looking to buy a home soon.
At CNBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. For this story, we interviewed Darrin English, a senior community development loan officer at Quontic Bank.
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit monitoring products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
Catch up on CNBC Select’s in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.
*Results may vary. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost.
Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
Source: cnbc.com