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Join IHOP today (Feb 24) to celebrate National Pancake Day! From 7 AM to 10 PM they'll give you one free shortstack of pancakes! One per guest. They do ask that you consider making a donation to support local children's hospitals through Children's Miracle Network, or other local charities. Also it says in fine print "while supplies last" and "valid at participating restaurants for dine-in only" so find one near you and contact them to see if they are participating.

Quizno's is giving away 1 million subs! Almost 200,000 given away so far! Register here.

Wanting to be a WAHM - part 2

So where was I? Oh.. .one direct sales company I did pretty well at was The Pampered Chef. They have wonderful products, and the recipes are easy and delicious! My husband still talks about how he loved when I would "practice" and do recipe taste tests for our family! lol I surprisingly had a easy time booking shows in the beginning. I think because they have a really generous hostess plan. The shipping costs have really gone up though, I recently noticed.... especially for us here in Hawaii. I was with PC for just over a year I believe... I know, I know.. "just a year?" lol Yup, that's me. Well I wasn't recruiting or doing good follow ups with customers.... so it's makes it hard to keep the ball rolling. Then, I think we moved.. or did I have another baby?? Hmmm.. one of those. My excuses...lol. I just lost the drive, I guess.


Why am I talking about all of this? I believe with all the job losses and the economy the way it is, I'm sure that are many people contemplating starting their own business or joining a direct sales company. I'm hoping that maybe if anyone reads my posts, they'll learn from my mistakes. I'm sure I'll still make many more.


So.. to sum it up... before joining a direct sales company or start your business, do what you LOVE! Ask yourself what are you passionate about? That is something that no one else can teach you! Will you enjoy what you are doing months from now? Years from now?

Do some research, ask questions. How much is the start up? What are the sales minimums? Are meetings required? Does your spouse and family support you (very important)?


Here are some great websites to check out: Direct Selling Association, Start up Nation, Small Business Administration, Inc.

For Hawaii residents: Business Action Center, SBA Hawaii, Hawaii Women's Business Center

Wanting to be a WAHM - part 1

Hi everyone! It's been over 5 months since I've last posted.... I apologize! If you've been following me... I THANK YOU! Life has been busy... baby just made a year old... and our finances have never been tighter! More on that later. So hey.. I'm back... hopefully for good!

Anyway, I've been a SAHM (stay at home mom) for almost 9 years. I LOVE it! But discontent always creeps in, and I feel an urge to do something... for myself and to contribute to my family's finances. Well... no luck yet... If you personally know me, then you KNOW I've done almost ALL the direct sales stuff... and I'm going to tell why only now I KNOW why it hasn't worked... for me anyway.

So what have I tried?... let me list it for you... Arbonne (twice), Tupperware, Discovery Toys, Usborne Books (twice), Stampin' Up!, Pampered Chef, Silpada Designs and Longaberger Baskets. gulp.... is anyone else out there reading this can relate??

Here are the reasons as to why I joined most of them... the MAIN one... I wanted the DISCOUNT! That's a good reason. Who doesn't love a discount? Then of course, most of these direct sales companies have sales minimums to stay active... and that's where it doesn't not work if you are only there for the discount and you only have so much money to spend monthly, quarterly, what have be.

I also thought.. "Hey, I can do what this lady does! And if I can make some $$ from it, why not!" Isn't that what most of their "recruiting" techniques do? uh- huh. Then I realize later, that I don't really have the "passion" for the products... I'm just repeating what the "sales meetings" inform us to share to customers.

So... more money down the drain... and more friends and family probably thinking... "What is she into now? What homeshow is she going to invite me to host or invite me to?"

Okay... so besides not sticking it out and persevering while with these companies (and some other personal reasons), the reasons why I didn't succeed, is somethings that I mentioned above. 1) No passion for what I was selling.... I loved using it, but I wasn't "passionate" about the product and the company. 2) I was basically just coveting what other people had.... wanting the sales they had, and thinking that I want to be like them!

Those two reasons sent my past direct sales experiences crashing to the ground. But on the flip side... now I get to share this with you right? =) And if you are thinking... "okay, she must be doing (or thinking of doing) something right now".. I'll post that soon too! =)

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$10 from Ebates!

I first mentioned Ebates back in April, and since then I have received my first rebate check of $16.48. Not bad! I got $5 for joining, and bonus $5 for making my first purchase, and $6.48 as a rebate from Magazines.com!

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Cutting Back Costs

Sorry, it's been a while...I'm still here. Just busy with family and normal day-to-day stuff.

Everywhere - you see prices rising, and with a family of our size (5 kids) we have to cut back where we can. This past month has been a serious financial reality check for us, and it's time to put our foot down. Here's what we've been "trying" to do better at to stretch our dollars...

• Hang our laundry, and NOT use the dryer - We recently bought a new umbrella type clothes dryer (our first one broke), and we've been using it daily if the weather doesn't look like rain.
  
  
• Use our air conditioner LESS or not at all - This is another obvious electricity saver. We started running more fans in the house...so far it's working. We have only been putting on the air when we are desperate! lol More home cooling tips here.

There are other cool alternatives that can be done... go to the library (we've done this). Enjoy their air conditioned space, and it doesn't cost a thing to bring some good books home! Go to an indoor shopping mall - careful you'll be tempted to buy stuff (especially if you have kids with you), so you probably won't be saving any money doing this. Go to Costco and stand in their large refrigerated section. It almost feels like a freezer though. I joke about doing this, and we've never done this just to cool down, but it sounds like fun. Oh..but it's another tempting "shopping" situation....remember..we're trying to save not spend!

• Buy take-out less! - I believe our family is getting better at this. Planning is definitely the key here. Knowing what you are going to make ahead of time, making sure you have the ingredients on hand and your meat thawed, makes it less tempting to say, "Let's order pizza!"
  
  
• Stay focused when shopping - Buy what you need, not what you want! Better yet, stay away from the mall and those SALES period, unless you have to get a gift (why not make a gift instead?) You may think you are saving when there is a SALE,...but you are still spending! I also try not to browse online or watch QVC - too tempting!
  
  
• Use coupons when possible - You can get coupons online and/or from the Sunday's newspaper. I'm still new at this. I currently don't subscribe to the Sunday paper (because I believe our family just gets tempted from all the sales ads) so my mom passes the coupons to me from her paper. I just clip the coupons for the products that I normally use and keep them in a ziploc baggie in my purse. I only use the coupons on the products if they are ON SALE at the store. So that's double savings! The experienced Money Saving Mom has really great advice and ideas on couponing.
  
  
• Saving more energy -We don't have a newer refrigerator with a water dispenser on the door, so my large family has been taking chilled water from our Pur water pitcher from the fridge. Well... opening and closing the fridge door wastes LOTS of energy, and the pitcher runs out of water frequently so we are constantly refilling it. To save time and ENERGY costs, we purchased a 3 quart water jug from Walmart. Filled with iced water, it sits on our kitchen counter for easy dispensing for thirsty family members. I REALLY should have done this sooner! My mom use to do this...so I SHOULD have known!
  Well, better late than never.

Hopefully these little things we are doing, will pay off. I'll know when the next electric bill comes in. What are you all doing to cut back costs? Please share!