Saving for Baby

So far I have been very lucky with this pregnancy. I have not been vomitting excessively, my coworkers have been supportive and I am not craving anything  bizarre or expenssive. My one main side effect is fatigue. When I get home from work (and sometimes when I am at work) all I want to do is cozy up in a nice blanket and sleep. Obviously that cuts into various frguality and money making measures as both take time and energy. Just cooking dinner has sometimes left me feeling a little distraught, as there are no chairs in my kitchen and I begin to feel dizzy after being on my feet for extended periods of time. Proper hydration is key to avoiding this.

Yet I am still plowing forward and trying to continue my routine. Each time I consider getting lazy and buying dinner or skipping a money making task I remind myself that each penny I can save for this baby now will help me in the future. Now is the best time to be putting aside money for the baby, as living expenses are at their lowest. It is also the best time to get working and setting up income streams because I will never have this much time again. I will only get busier after the baby arrives. Luckily the baby reminds me of its approaching arrival by moving around now and again. Providing me with delight and inspiration.

Here's how I did this past week, and how I'm planning on bringing in those extra funds for the future.

Demand Studios - $80 I fell off the wagon a little when it comes to Demand Studios. It is my bigest money maker (aside from regular work) so far but it is also my biggest time suck. To earn more income I need to actively invest time and write new articles. I am trying to increase my article writing to at least one a day or six per week (excluding Saturdays).

Squidoo - $6.17 plus $4.00 from Zazzle referalls. This week was the monthly payout for Squidoo. While this amount seems very pitiful, it is entirely passive income. I did nothing this month to generate the income. I set up these lenses in December/January and they keep putting out a small amount of cash each month. I now realize the power of this method and am going to try and put up some more lenses in the upcoming weeks. Now that I have a better grasp of affiliate marketing, SEO and the type of lenses people want to see I suspect I can generate more income this way. And passive income is great because it means I CAN take that nap I need.

Fiverr - $9 I had a few letter writing gigs purchased. These are pretty quick and fun. Fiverr is not a consistent or reliable method of making money but the sporadic orders are appreciated. Plus I have been getting very good feedback ratings. I think this makes the gig more popular and increases my ability to book future jobs if I post them.

Freelance Writing - Nothing. I finally got up the guts to ask the magazine I am writing for where my paycheck is. They owe me about $80. They are supposed to get back to me on Monday. We'll see. I am not submitting new pieces until I find out what is going on. They are usually reliable so I am rather surprised at this.

This blog - 4 cents? maybe? This blog is not a huge mney maker right now. But that's OK. It may one day become one. Or it may not. I am OK with that. Because I benefit from this blog in other ways. This blog helps me increase my savings in ways I never thought possible. I got two free pairs of shoes from the My Habit coupon I posted, I made $10 on the Serve promotion, I have been logging items into my price book and I am staying abreast of the best deals/freebies/survey sites and ways to stretch my dollar. I would not be half this efficient without this blog as motivation.

On the back burner are several items I keep saying I will get around to. This includes my eBook on medical school admissions and starting a recipe site to track my journey with Community Shared Agriculture cooking adventures. I am hoping to get to the eBook soon.

I am always on the lookout for new ways to bring in revenue. I don't scoff at small amounts because everything adds up and money can grow over time. If you've got an idea it would be great if you'd share it!