Archive for Opinion
Garden Planters
Posted by: | CommentsI use to work in a Garden Center a long time ago. I loved it there surrounded by all the plants. I always loved spring time when the new Planters came in the shipments. All the Indoor Planters, Outdoor Planters, Garden Planters, and Window Box Planters. I loved seeing what the new designs for the year were going to look like and unwrapping everyone like it was a Christmas gift. Ok, so it wasn’t mine but I never have had a sense of being very materialistic. I still liked being around them all day.
The High End Planters and Decorative Planters were favorites I loved shopping for a new planter as I did my work. It is the new things like the planters which brought forth a kind of change. Marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next. One of the reasons I love being self employed now is the fact that I can create a new season like I saw in the Garden Center each year, just a little bit of change makes you look at things a bit different. I also loved the Garden Center work for the fact I grew up in the country on a farm so it brings back the very good childhood memories.
Gift Baskets
Posted by: | CommentsI was shopping gift baskets ideas earlier. I found a few I like. I was thinking of ordering one for my friend who is having surgery. I tend to send gift baskets for friends having surgery, birthdays, babies, and other celebrations.
I got a big gift basket not to long ago for some work I did for a company. They came to me on the word of a friend I have that works there, I got the work done for them much faster than the way they were going to doing it. Not only did I get paid I got a gift basket to go with it so I have snacks for days afterward. It is the little things like this that makes business relationships last and do really good.
Statistics Tutoring
Posted by: | CommentsA friend of mine in college just called me with a question about Statistics. I cringed. I loved college and the engineering, computer, and science classes but statistics was one of my least favorites. Statistics help isn’t something I can offer, I should have gotten a Statistics tutor myself.
I went online and looked for statistics help and found tutorvista.com. They offer Statistics answers, Statistics problems and a trial free Statistics help. I sent the website to my friend and said she should try them to answer her Statistics questions.
I didn’t need a tutor in college but I can understand why a lot of people do need them. Statistics is a required class for most degrees and a class which is usually pretty hard unless you are a math major. Ethics and Stats were probably the two classes I hated the most in college. I still managed to get through them. Good thing I didn’t have to take them more than once for the different degrees.
The tutorvista.com site has tutoring 24/7 which is convenient since a lot of my friend had problems scheduling with a tutor in person. I will have to talk to her later and see how things worked out.
Kitchen Appliances
Posted by: | CommentsShopping for Kitchen Appliances. There I said it, for some people it is like pulling teeth and others that scratch of nails down a chalkboard.
So many places and so many choices it is hard to decide what to buy these days so shopping for them can be such a chore and consume so much time. Refrigerators, dishwashers, dinnerware, flatware, microwave ovens, blenders. and so much more… You can spend weeks just checking out the stores one by one to find the right deal at the right time. A lot of people have started shopping online long before they set foot in a brick and mortar store now. It is one way to compare prices, brands, get reviews, and other information that a high pressure commission salesman is not going to tell you willingly.
I started shopping for a refrigerator lately. When I have time between work I tend to look around at what is out there on the market. I always like the side by sides, on the door water and ice, wish I could find one that has a Margarita dispenser on the door (Ok, I want a lot). I do like the stainless steel ones though.
It is important to shop around and get reviews, compare prices and such. Buying a major appliance is an investment. Pay a bit more to get the one you want and the one you know is going to out last the other models and you make a good investment. Investing isn’t just about the stock market but about what and how you spend the money you make just as it is about how you make the money.
Myrtle Beach Trip
Posted by: | Commentshttp://www.myrtlebeachseasideresorts.com/
Yes, I’m still looking at Myrtle Beach stuff. My friend wants to turn my relaxing/work vacation into a golf trip. He is sending me golf packages that the resort offers. I have never done a golf packages before, usually I hang out at the bar a lot with a laptop and do some work and maybe swim a lot. My friend really likes his golf though, his wife was telling me that she buys him golf stuff for his office all the time. She said she is going to send me photos.
I have decided on booking a resort, just trying to figure out schedule now. A resort is probably what I need to get some relaxing done. I need to also get some serious quiet time to get some more work done on my book. It is coming along good, just need some quiet time away from friends and office to get some good train of thought going.
I’m also looking forward to getting some good seafood on my trip. I keep seeing the gulf in the news and being from New Orleans I can’t think of the gulf without New Orleans and seafood.
Modern Marvels
Posted by: | CommentsI’m currently watching “Modern Marvels”, it is the episode on beans. You wouldn’t think beans would be an important product since you first think about beans to eat only. Beans are actually an important crop. Soy beans are used for much more than just tofu which I love, they are used to make hundreds of different products. Peanuts which aren’t actually a bean but a legume are used to make much more than making Jimmy Carter happy. George Washington Carver invented hundred of uses for both the peanut and soy bean. What is the point of this post on beans since I usually post on making money?
Knowledge is the key to investing. You don’t stop learning in college you should be learning the rest of your life. Knowledge is what you need to find new investments and ways of making money. If you stop learning then you might as well stop investing and sit in a corner waiting to die. Did I sound harsh there? I meant to sound harsh.
Just like with beans, watching “Modern Marvels” I have learned many new things plus got a lot of new ideas to check into for other ways of making money and investing. I watch the History Channel a lot also, from it I learn news ideas which are actually old ideas other people have had. I learn what works and where things can fail from past people who have tried something similar.
Knowledge and Education, NEVER NEVER stop learning.
What is Your Value?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat is your value? A simple question which a lot of people can’t answer.
It doesn’t matter if you are self-employed or work as a slave for someone else, you have a value. So what is that value?
What am I talking about? Maybe I should start a bit earlier in this conversation.
As a person with your skills and experience you are worth a certain dollar amount per hour, per year, etc… So being self employed or working as a slave you set your price you are willing to accept to do the work. Looking at it that way you have a value. So I ask again, what is your value?
If you are like me you have different values based on what type of work you are doing. For example…
Engineering work = $200.00-$300.00 per hour
Writing = $40.00-$60.00 per hour
Electronic Repair = $50.00 – $100.00 per hour
Website Design = $100.00-$150.00 per hour
and so forth.
Since I have a lot of experience in multiple areas I charge different for the different types of work. You might have more or less on your list but you do have a list.
If you work as a slave for a company than you get offered the lowest amount they think you will take to do the job. If they want you really bad they will pay you much more.
Being self employed is the same way. Some will offer the lowest amount they are willing to pay or can afford, while others will offer you a better price. If they know you and your reputation and they really want you then the sky is the limit on what they might be willing to pay to get you to do the job.
Now when I ask, what is your value? I’m asking how much have you valued yourself as in this market? What are you willing to work for to do any job offered?
A lot of people tend to under value themselves. They are willing to work for practically nothing just to have a job. Those people are usually complaining a lot about the work and the pay too. They get a lot of work though, since they will take just about anything. A lot of work and little pay is not any better than being a slave.
Some people on the other hand tend to over value themselves. If you aren’t willing to pay their price they won’t do the work. They tend to get few jobs but get paid a lot more for what they do get. This can often be equal to or more than the slave who under valued himself. Over valuing yourself can be bad if the economy like it is now sucks.
How much you value yourself for should be determined by many factors. Your current work load, job distance, job size, who is offering, and what kind of work all plays a factor in how much you should value yourself.
Before you set your value know what others doing the same work is getting paid. Then determine if you have more or less experience than them. Be honest with yourself at this point, it will make a difference. If you have a lot of time free then consider working for a bit less than you would like. If the company is small or just starting also consider working for a bit less, you might get loads more work from them in the future for it. You will build experience in when to take less or ask for more as time goes by, but never be afraid to set your price at what you and your experience are worth.
Another rule is to never quote what you want until you know the full details of the job. If you are interviewing for a slave position at a corporation then never bring up the subject of money, let them decide when to talk money.
What is Your Value, is a question all of us should ask ourselves at times.
Making Money Online – Never ending work
Posted by: | CommentsYes it is very possible to make money online. I make quite a bit these days. It really is never ending work though. People often think of it as “get rich quick”, you can be sure it isn’t. Passive income? Not hardly, it takes a lot of work “indirectly” to make money online. Setting up websites, keywords, topics, niches, and research. What looks like the really bad part is the fact that you can spend hours or days working on a project and not see any return for months. The entire time you are working literally for free.
So before you quit your day job, spend quite a bit of time working two jobs as you plan for your freedom.