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Shared Oct 26, 2012 comment

What I Learned from Spoiled Yogurt

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Jenetta emailed in the following tip:

Recently I purchased a container of non-dairy coconut yogurt. When we opened up the yogurt, it was molded and the store I bought it at was far away, so there was no way I could return it.

Instead, I sent an email to the company. They apologized and asked for my address so they could send me some coupons.

Well, my goodness, did they ever send coupons! They sent me 12 coupons for any of their products.

These are products that can cost up to $5 each. So basically they sent me what could be the equivalent of $60 worth of free product coupons!

In another instance, I purchased a container of non-dairy soy yogurt. I thought it looked funny when I opened it, but non-dairy yogurt can look different and I had not used this brand before. Then I tasted it… and immediately confirmed that it was spoiled.

Again, I wrote to the company. They apologized, too, and asked for my address. This time I received nine free product coupons — six for a large yogurt tub and three for small containers.

Lesson learned: Never just throw out food that is not good and straight from the store. Either take the food back to the store and get your money back or write to the company and let them know.

You might just be surprised at how generous they are! -Jenetta from Frugal Freebies and Deals

Shared Oct 26, 2012 comment

Upside-Down Praline Apple Pie

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Brigette Shevy

Just when you thought apple pie couldn’t get any better… it does! Not only does this pie look impressive, it tastes amazing, too.

This twist on the classic apple pie is probably my very favorite apple pie of all time. And no, it’s not even close to low-fat, but let me assure you that it’s worth every blissful calorie! One taste of the caramelized pecan-studded crust, and you may never be able to settle for regular apple pie again.

We served a pie similar to this at a Victorian tea room that Crystal and I waitressed at for several years (a loooong time ago!), and it was always a favorite on the menu during the fall.

This is my adaptation of that recipe.

Although this pie would be a fabulous addition to your Thanksgiving menu, there’s no need to wait until then to enjoy it!

Upside-Down Praline Apple Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoon salted butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 – ½ cup chopped pecans
1 ½ Tablespoons maple syrup or honey
Pastry for a 2-crust pie, homemade or store-bought
4-5 cup peeled thinly sliced apples
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the 3 Tablespoons butter in a deep dish* 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and pecans and drizzle with maple syrup. Top with one of the pie crusts (rolled to an 11” circle).

Mound apple slices into crust and sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Sprinkle of top of the apples. Drizzle with melted butter.

Lay the remaining pie crust on top. Fold the edges of the crust together and crimp to seal. Pierce top with a fork.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 400 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue baking for an additional 35-40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes (no longer!). Loosen sides with a knife. Turn upside down onto a large serving platter.

*If you don’t have a deep dish pie pan, you can use a regular one. You’ll want to be sure and put a cookie sheet underneath the pie while baking it as I’ve occasionally had a little of the caramel sauce bubble over.

This is fabulous served warm with ice cream!

Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 5, 3 and 1). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.

Shared Oct 26, 2012 comment

Decorating on a Dime: Keepsake Shadow Boxes

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 26, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Rachel of Third Stop On The Right

I have saved mementos from special events for as long as I can remember. I saved graduation tassels, play programs, awards and medals, keepsakes from my wedding, as well as from when my son was born.

It can be hard to know what to do with these things. Recently though, I found a way to inexpensively display these items so that everyone can enjoy them: Shadow Boxes!

Here’s what you will need to create a Keepsake Shadow Box:

1 Shadow box
1 Piece of cardboard cut to size of shadow box
1 Piece of felt, scrapbook paper, or fabric
Favorite mementos
Double-sided tape or pins

I bought an inexpensive shadow box to display these items. The one that I purchased was from Joann Fabrics and was originally $14.99, but with a half-off sale as well as a 20% off coupon I was able to get it down to $6. You can also get these for under $10 at Walmart.

Some of the shadow boxes have an inner display board which you can pin things to, but you will pay more for these ones. Instead, I used a sheet of cardboard cut to fit inside the shadowbox.

To begin, I gathered some of my son’s birth mementos such as a picture taken after he was born, the hospital bracelets, his hat, and also the card that was inside his bassinet.

Then, I cut a piece of cardboard to the size of the shadow box and covered it with a piece of scrapbook paper (felt or fabric will also work) and then secured it with double-sided tape. I added the mementos, securing them with either the double-sided tape and pins.

After you add the mementos, you can just put the piece of cardboard into the frame, and you are finished! Then hang the shadow box on the wall and you have a beautiful keepsake that everyone can enjoy.

Some other great ideas for these shadow boxes are:

Wedding memories (such as the bouquet, garter, vows, or the veil)
Birth Memories (hospital wrist bands, hats, pictures, hand and footprint impressions, or cards)
Pregnancy Memories (ultrasound pictures)
Child memories (favorite toys, hand and footprints, pacifiers, or onesies)

How do you display or organize your mementos?

Rachel blogs at Third Stop On The Right, a blog dedicated to crafting, DIY, and the realities of parenthood.

Shared Oct 25, 2012 comment

Just Do It: The Best Way to Get Started on Your Dream

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Tessa of The Recreational Word Slinger

I discovered my love of writing earlier this year. I was looking for a full-time teaching position, but I had to resort to substitute teaching. On my days off, I would work on my blog.

Then, I started a book. Then, I started submitting articles for publication. (I even had one posted earlier this year here at MoneySavingMom.com!)

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was a writer then. Just like I’m a writer now. I love to write like nothing I’ve ever loved to do before, except maybe play basketball.

When I started my full-time teaching position at the beginning of this school year, I realized it would be difficult to try and do both writing and teaching. But I wasn’t ready to give up my dream just yet.

I decided early on that I would just get up early and do it. I had to make myself get up and write. Some forty days later, it is finally a habit for me!

The best way to get started on your dream is to do something. You can’t expect something to happen from nothing. Dreams don’t work that way. Start small, and you’ll eventually build some momentum.

I used this concept when I wanted to lose some weight. The first thing I did was to cut out sugar. That’s all it took. Nothing life-changing, but I did something about it. And, you know what? I’m starting to see some results.

It doesn’t take a philosophical revelation to begin doing something you love. Start small. Write. Run. Paint. Take a picture. Bake.

Just do it.

I hope that you make yourself do something today. Tell me about it in the comments. I want to celebrate with you!

Tessa is a teacher by day and a recreational word slinger by early morning/night. She blogs at The Recreational Word Slinger.

Shared Oct 25, 2012 comment

We Paid Cash: A Treadmill

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Testimony from Brooke

About two years ago, my husband and I decided that we wanted a treadmill but couldn’t afford one. With winter coming, we knew that our outdoor running was coming to an end and with two young children at the time, we knew that a treadmill would make life much easier.

We searched the newspaper and Craigslist for a while and finally found one for only $75 in a neighboring town. It was definitely not the treadmill we had envisioned but it would work. We took it home and it has worked for us… but it is definitely work to use it.

Since then, we’ve been on the lookout for something a little better — but still in our budget. We have a small savings account with about $200 set aside for big purchase items such as this.

As October approached, we started thinking of our winter exercise needs again. My mother’s co-worker expressed an interest to sell her treadmill a while back, but she wanted $450 for it which was out of our range.

When hers didn’t sell after a few months, she said she would take $250 for it. This was really tempting.

We went to look at it and it was like a dream compared to ours! It was only 3-4 years old and barely used with lots of bells and whistles. We decided that if we could sell ours then we could do this.

We put our used treadmill on Craigslist for $75, hoping to get at least $50 for it. Two days later, someone offered us the entire $75 for it and came to pick it up the next night. We bought that new-to-us treadmill for $250 and used our $75 to offset the price and make it $175!

We found out later that this was a $1200 machine, and after investigation of information on the machine’s console, we discovered it had only been used for a total of six hours! It was basically a brand-new $1200 machine that we got for $250!

We feel like we are running on a cloud now — especially compared to what it was like to run on the $75 machine. We enjoy it even more knowing we paid cash and saved so much money by having patience and waiting until we could find something we could afford. It was worth the wait.

Brooke is a wife and mother of three beautiful children; ages 5 years, 3 years, and 6 months. She works full-time as a third grade teacher. She loves spending time with her family, saving money for her family, reading, and scrapbooking.

photo credit

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Shared Oct 25, 2012 comment

Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They’re Hatched

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Testimonial from Stacy

My daughter had been taking piano lessons for a few months and was showing some real potential. She was quickly outgrowing her old keyboard and this was making practice increasingly difficult (the keyboard had fewer keys than a regular piano).

Our tax return was coming soon and would cover the cost of a basic digital piano, so we started looking. We feel in love with a low-end Yahama and bought it with our credit card.

The following week we got our tax return. But, it was $1,000 less than we expected.

I had calculated something incorrectly. Now we had to find a way to pay for the piano that was in our living room and on our credit card, and we didn’t have enough money to cover it.

To compound the problem, my son woke up with bites all over him. Big red bites of three in a row.

Do you know what that means? It means we had bed bugs!

{Before you start to think we are totally disgusting, be aware that bed bugs are easy to get. Just because you have bed bugs, doesn’t mean you are dirty. Although you really feel dirty, I can assure you of that.}

Now, we had a problem. No money, debt, and bed bugs.

Since having bed bugs is a rather serious issue, we ordered the bed-bug killing spray with our credit card and also purchased covers for the beds, new pillows, and pillow covers. All on the credit card.

Not only had we spent our tax return money before it arrived, we also failed to have an emergency fund in place. This was very poor planning on our part.

If you are alive, emergencies will come your way. I know this all too well, but chose to ignore it.

I’d like to tell you that we have overcome our debt, paid everything off, and are on our way to a fully funded emergency fund… but the harsh reality is that it is taking a very, very long time to crawl out of the hole we created.

We are being a lot smarter with our money now and are getting closer to the end of the tunnel, but we are not there yet.

I hope this story will help those of you living without an emergency fund see how quickly things can go wrong and how one or two poor choices can snowball into months (or years) of hardship.

I also hope this tale of woe will cause you to stop and think before spending money you don’t actually have. In other words, don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Have you ever made unwise financial choices that have had lasting effects? Do you think an emergency fund would have helped you avoid the situation?

Stacy is embarrassed and humbled by the unwise choices she has made and is now striving to live a more frugal and disciplined lifestyle. Reading MoneySavingMom.com is a big part of that!

photo source

Shared Oct 25, 2012 comment

Baked Apple & Brown Rice Casserole

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Michelle

It cannot get any easier than today’s recipe for Baked Apple & Brown Rice Casserole. In fact, I almost feel guilty because it’s just so easy. But, I have been asked for the recipe several times and it’s always a huge hit at our home.

My mother-in-law has always made the best baked apples. The kicker is that she hardly does anything to the dish, yet it always turns out delicious. Well, this isn’t her recipe, but I did get one very important tip from her — use a variety of apples and pears. Something about the variation in tartness, juiciness, and sweetness lends to a perfectly melded pan of apple goodness.

In this season of our most favorite traditional and bountiful fruit, try this easy baked apple recipe. I promise the whole family will love it and will be asking for the leftovers the next day — if there are any!

Baked Apple & Brown Rice Casserole

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked brown rice (leftover rice is great)
3 pounds variety apples, cored & diced large, either skin on or off
3 pears, peeled, cored, & diced large
1/2 cup brown sugar (you can substitute honey or maple syrup for the sugar)
3 Tablespoon coconut oil (or butter)
1-2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
shredded coconut, raisins, nuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread the cooked brown rice in a layer on the bottom of a 9×13 glass baking dish. (If you’d like, you can add some of the rice on top of the casserole for a little bit of crunch.)

Cut your apples and pears into large chunks. Skin can be left on or cut off. Mix them around on top of your rice until you have enough apples/pears to just about reach the top of the baking dish. Spread your sugar over the fruit.

Cut coconut oil into small pieces and stagger across top of apples. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg across the top and add any additional toppings (optional).

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until apples are soft but not mushy.

As always, I have a few notes worth mentioning.

::This dish is naturally allergy-friendly. Yay!

::I like to cook up a pot of brown rice a day or two before (for another meal) and use the leftovers in this casserole. It’s a great way to get two meals out of one night’s effort of labor.

::Feel free to sprinkle anything on top of the apples that sound good to you. Some options are shredded coconut, raisins, and even nuts.

Michelle is blessed to stay home with her three children (ages 10, 7, and 4). She loves to experiment with allergy-friendly meals to serve those she loves who have food allergies.

Shared Oct 25, 2012 comment

Want to change your life? Start with something small.

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Much as I wish it were true, no one is born self-disciplined. It’s something you must intentionally cultivate with time and effort.

And it starts with making a choice. You must draw a line in the sand and say, “I am choosing to make changes to get me where I want to go.”

However, the immediate changes don’t have to be anything massive. In fact, I’d encourage you not to try and overhaul your life overnight. Instead, start with something small.

Here are some examples:

Want to have less clutter in your home? Start by getting rid of 20 things you don’t need in your main living areas. Make it a goal to do this every single morning and, pretty soon, you’ll start to see some real results!

Dream of beginning a blog? Start by setting up a domain name and committing to spend 15 minutes every day doing something blog-related, whether that’s reading through BloggingWithAmy, working on writing posts, or learning how to change things on your blog’s sidebar. Do something every day and it will add up to a successful blog over time.

Wish you could lose 10 pounds? Commit to exercise for 15 minutes every day, eat one salad each day, and drink 8 glasses of water. These simple changes won’t be too hard to implement and they will start to help you feel better and gradually lose a little weight.

Make the choice today to become more disciplined in one small area. Do this one thing repeatedly and don’t give up and I promise the little habits will add up to big differences over time.

Jumpstart Your Success! Last Day to Get 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life for Just $0.99!

Help kickstart your success by purchasing a copy of my ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. In this ebook, I walk you through step-by-step how to overhaul your life from the inside out. I break into down into bite-sized pieces and coach you through a 21-day journey to success!

Best of all, this ebook is just $0.99 through the end of today (Thursday, October 25, 2012) and I’m giving away a free printable Calendar Set to everyone who purchases.

Plus, did you check out the fantastic giveaway with over 150 prizes — things like gift cards, coffee, Thirty-One totes, books, DVDs, and much more? You can enter to win up to five times per person per day by purchasing an ebook or posting about the ebook on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and/or your blog.

Stay tuned because I have one big last social media giveaway coming up this afternoon that I promise you’re not going to want to miss! In the mean time, don’t wait to jumpstart your success, go get a copy of 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life.

photo courtesy of Big Stock

Shared Oct 25, 2012 comment

31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas: Usability Testing for Websites (Day 21)

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 25, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to October’s series on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas. In this series, I’m highlighting simple and legitimate ways you can earn extra cash in the next three months for those of you who could use a little extra cash to help you pay for Christmas — or just for your living expenses if you’re in a tight spot right now.

If you’ve found a great way to make extra cash before Christmas that doesn’t require an outlay of cash upfront, please email me your tip. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!

Guest post from Anna of Real Ways to Earn Money Online

If you are interested in earning some extra cash from home, you might consider getting involved with website usability testing. This type of work typically involves the use of a microphone and/or a webcam depending on the company you do it for.

Companies are willing to pay good money to have their websites tested by people like you and me to better understand what improvements could be made.

The wonderful thing about usability testing, besides the fact you can do it remotely from home, is that the pay is usually very generous for the time spent. Most usability tests take no more than 15 to 20 minutes to complete and you will typically be paid anywhere from $8 to $14 per test. The rate of course will vary depending on the company. Most usability testing sites pay within a few days or sooner after each test is completed.

Can you depend on usability testing to pay all of your bills? The short answer is no. Most of the tests will come to you via email and are on a first come, first serve basis — so you have to be quick to grab the tests before someone else does. This is why testing websites is usually no more than extra money for most people.

If testing websites sounds intriguing to you, here is a list of several companies that are often recruiting for testers:

TryMyUI – This company pays $10 per test completed with each test taking around 10 minutes to do.

User Testing – You can earn $10 per test at User Testing, paid via Paypal.

Userlytics – Userlytics will pay you $10 per test. For this site you will need both a webcam and microphone.

What Users Do – This company pays $8 per test, but they are are open worldwide (many of these companies are only open to the US).

YouEye – YouEye pays $12 per test paid via Paypal. You’ll need both a webcam and a microphone to complete the tests.

Even though the work is on a first come, first serve basis, your chances of continually earning extra money through website testing will increase if you are registered with more than one company.

The more companies you’re involved with, the more invitations you should receive!

Anna researches various online money-earning opportunities and work at home jobs. Her findings are published via her website, Real Ways to Earn Money Online.

Shared Oct 24, 2012 comment

Ask the Readers: How do you say no to expensive outings with friends?

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Michelle:

We’ve been doing our best to stick to an all-cash budget, and we’re making some real progress.

We have a group of nine couples who get together monthly. We usually “potluck” at one of the houses on a rotating basis. Fun and frugal, it’s one of our favorite outings of the month!

This month, however, an outing was planned that would have cost over $300 for the evening! We simply had to decline as that money was not in our budget. Unfortunately, we were the only couple to decline and I felt terrible.

So I’d like to know: how do you say no to expensive outings in order to stay on budget? -Michelle

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

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Shared Oct 24, 2012 comment

Just Do It!

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

{I was so proud of Silas for running his first half-mile race last Saturday after I finished my first 5K race. He was so determined about it and had a blast!}

You know one quick and easy way to kill your success? To convince yourself you can’t do something before you’ve even tried.

For so long, that’s how it was with running for me. I didn’t believe it was possible, so I didn’t even bother to try.

When I finally changed my attitude and stopped saying, “I can’t”, I surprised myself and trained and trained until I could run a 5K.

The training part wasn’t easy. There were (and still are!) days when getting on the treadmill is the last thing I want to do. But I knew that if I’d just lace up my running shoes and start running, I would never regret it. And I never have.

My friend, Ashley, shared this video with me awhile back and I’ve watched it multiple times since then. I encourage you to take two minutes to watch it today.

As long as you sit and make excuses, you’re never going to go anywhere in life. And you’re going to miss out on a whole lot of exhilaration and excitement, too!

So, I challenge you, stop letting fear of failure and negative “I can’t” thought patterns hold you back from success. Just go do it!

Even if you never make it where you hope to end up, I promise you’ll go much farther by getting up and doing it — something, anything — than you ever will by sitting and doing nothing.

Psst! Get Some Step-By-Step Help — And Have a Chance To Win Some Cool Prizes!

Want some motivation to get up and start doing things and living intentionally? You need to get a copy of my new ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. In this ebook, I walk you through step-by-step how to overhaul your life from the inside out. I break into down into bite-sized pieces and coach you through a 21-day journey to success!

Best of all, this ebook is only $0.99 through tomorrow (Thursday, October 25, 2012) and I’m giving away a free printable Calendar Set to everyone who purchases.

Plus, did you check out the fantastic giveaway with over 140 prizes — things like coffee, Thirty-One totes, books, DVDs, and much more? You can enter to win up to five times per person per day by purchasing an ebook or posting about the ebook on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and/or your blog.

Stay tuned because I have more fun giveaways — like Amazon and Starbucks gift cards! — coming up later today plus a Pin-A-Thon we’ll be running! In the mean time, don’t wait to jumpstart your success, just do it: go get a copy of 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life.

Shared Oct 24, 2012 comment

Take the 21-Day Self-Discipline Challenge beginning November 1, 2012

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Did you purchase my ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life at the specially discounted price of $0.99 yet? If not, go get your copy while it’s at this price!

And, if you need some additional accountability, Crystal from Serving Joyfully, Laura from Super Sweet Life, and Erin from Home With The Boys are going to be hosting a challenge/accountability group going through the ebook beginning November 1, 2012. Whether you blog or not, if you’d like more discipline in your life, they’d love to have you join them for the challenge!

Read all about the 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life Challenge right over here.

Shared Oct 24, 2012 comment

Why You Should Get It Done Early

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m over on Life Your Way talking about Why You Should Get It Done Early — a concept that has revolutionized my productivity and helped me to be a lot less stressed about life. Here’s a snippet of the post:

Get it done early. Such a simple concept, but it’s revolutionary if you implement it. I know, because I’ve experienced the fruit in my own life!

You see, for years, I’ve struggled with being on time. I was always waiting until the last minute to do what I needed to do and then I’d breathlessly rush out the door barely making it to my appointment in one piece — and late again, as usual.

It wasn’t just getting places on time that I struggled with. Getting things done on time was also my constant nemesis.

Oh, I always had great intentions. But inevitably, something would come up that seemed to need my attention more. Or I’d get distracted and put things off until the very last minute.

Read the full post.

photo credit

Shared Oct 24, 2012 comment

Do you have to give your SSN in order to order a Jingit prepaid card?

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 24, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A lot of you have been earning a nice little cashflow with Jingit every day. But some of you have been hesitant to sign up with Jingit since your earnings are loaded onto a prepaid card and part of the sign-up process is to give them your Social Security Number.

While Jingit is totally legit, I completely understand your hesitancy to give out your SSN online. However, there’s good news! Freebies 4 Mom discovered that Jingit is okay with you just typing in zeros instead of your actual SSN.

From Jingit’s FAQs:

QUESTION: Do I have to enter my Social Security Number in order to get the Jingit Debit Card?

ANSWER: No, you should be able to enter all ZERO’s like this: 000-00-0000 and you’ll qualify for a Basic Jingit Account instead of a Jingit Plus Account.

Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom!

(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)

Shared Oct 23, 2012 comment

31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas: Pet-Sitting (Day 20)

Published: by Crystal Paine on October 23, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas

Welcome to October’s series on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas. In this series, I’m highlighting simple and legitimate ways you can earn extra cash in the next two months for those of you who could use a little extra cash to help you pay for Christmas — or just for your living expenses if you’re in a tight spot right now.

If you’ve found a great way to make extra cash before Christmas that doesn’t require an outlay of cash upfront, please email me your tip. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!

Guest post by Debby from Nutrition Concepts

A while back, I realized that many pet owners wanted at-home care for their pets instead of boarding them when they were on vacation or just gone at work all day long. And since I’m a huge animal lover, I started a pet sitting business in my community about 3 years ago — and it turned into a great way to make extra money!

I’m a dog owner and lover, so I mostly focused on catering to dog owners, but I also have a few cat owners as clients now. I give my clients the option of bringing their pet(s) to me or having me come into their home one to three times per day.

3 Things To Consider Before Setting Up a Pet-Sitting Business

1. Setting Rates

In deciding how I would set my rates, I surveyed what local boarding facilities were charging. (I looked at Petsmart, Petshotel, and a few other local kennels/boarding facilities).

Based on their rates, I decided on the following: $25 a day for one dog and $35 a day for two dogs (3 visits a day), $10 for a single visit and $15 a day for cats (single visit).

2. Creating Business Materials

I made my own Pet Sitting Business Cards using Avery business card stock. It cost me about $10 to buy the business card stock but you could also make up your own using regular 8 ½ x 11″ paper or card stock and cut them up to business card size.

I created a Pet Sitting Information Sheet to keep track of all of the information I need while caring for my clients’ pet. This makes it easy to know exactly how the client wants their pet fed, walked, etc.

3. Advertising

We have a community/HOA website that I advertised on at first, but all of my clients now come from word-of-mouth referrals.

I also keep business cards in my purse or pocket to hand out to people I meet when I’m out and about and also when I’m out walking my dog in the morning and evening.

Prospective Client Playdate

When I have a new/prospective client who wants their dog to stay at my house, I have them come over for a play date and complete the Pet Information Sheet. I’ve learned to ask good questions during the play date visit to find out what the animal’s behaviors and habits are really like. As with all relationships, communication and being clear about expectations will make it a good experience for both parties.

Keys to Success

The key to success in this business (and many other businesses) is great customer service – I regularly stay in contact with my clients to let them know how their pet is doing, and I send notes to new clients to thank them for their business.

Another key is to find clients as close to your home as possible so you don’t have to spend a lot of gas money driving to home visits.

Pet sitting is a great way to make a nice extra income. Plus, if you’re an animal lover, it’s also a lot of fun!

Debby is an ex-corporate executive turned small business owner and nutrition educator who has a passion for life and helping others. She writes about raising healthy children and eating healthfully on a budget at her site, Nutrition Concepts. You can also find her at her Facebook Page, Nutrition Concepts, Inc.

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3 Things To Consider Before Setting Up a Pet-Sitting Business

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2. Creating Business Materials

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