Have you ever seen the lady at the store who holds up the line because she has about a million coupons she is sifting through? Yep, I have too! Couponing can be time-consuming and eventful, to say the least.

But, it really does not have to be that hard. There are ways to organize and plan your shopping trips so that you do not get an attitude from your cashier or stares from customers behind you in line.

I have listed my favorite “go to” posts for couponing below. Each of these has awesome information about the different aspects of couponing and saving money.

How to Start Couponing for Beginners: 2017 Guide

Where to Find Free Printable Coupons 

How to Organize Your Coupons

These are a few of my favorite coupon organizers. They’re pretty cheap too!

The Ultimate Guide to Stacking Coupons

Mobile Couponing Apps to Save Even More!

17 Mistakes Couponers Make and How to Avoid Them 

Coupon Lingo: Learn What It All Means!

Coupon Cheat Sheet 

Whew! That’s a ton of information to take in. Make sure you save this post so you are able to come back and make the most of the information. You can also pin it to Pinterest so you will have it in the future.

If you are just now starting your couponing journey, I wish you the best of luck! It is so liberating when you finally get it and see the amount of money you save every month!

 

Other Money Saving Posts

10 Things to Do Every Day to Save $550+ Every Month

How We Paid Over $100K of Debt With This Simple System

 

What tips do you have for making couponing a success?

 

 

I recently read a Facebook post about a mom’s opinion of buying her teenager a car when she received her license. There were several comments regarding this subject and whether they agreed or disagreed with the mom’s opinion. I found it interesting and I happened to agree with her. I thought it would be neat to see what your opinion is on this subject and conduct my own research on this topic.

In my opinion (please remember this is my opinion and everyone is entitled to their own), I feel a teenager should have responsibilities, other than school curriculum and activities, in order to learn “real world” values. If we are given the opportunity to raise a child, we should raise them to become responsible and contributing citizens of society. Responsible and Contributing are keywords when it comes to a person’s success when living alone, without the help of others. The last thing we should do is enable our kids to the point of crippling them in their adulthood. I believe there needs to be a good balance of love and discipline within the home. I have already learned that my child’s innate nature is to be selfish. It is my job as her mother to teach her how to be selfless yet still have confidence in herself to feel that she can handle the pressures of society.

So, it’s that time! Your child is about to turn 16 and will need something to drive. You need to make a decision! Are you going to purchase a car for your child, help them purchase a car, or let them purchase their own car (if possible)? Then comes the long term financial decisions. Who will be paying for gas, car insurance, taxes, and maintenance? Tell us why you feel this way.

I’ll go first:

“My husband and I believe when our children reach this milestone in their life, there needs to be responsibility. Now, that does not mean they have to go it alone. We do plan on helping them out depending on their maturity level at the time and our financial circumstances. Even if we could buy a brand new car and pay for everything, we would not do it. We may buy the car and let them take care of the insurance, taxes, gas, and maintenance. Or we might do half on everything but gas. I believe they should at least make enough money to pay for where they drive. It’s a good win-win. If they want to go somewhere, they will need gas to do it. If they have not worked enough to put gas in their car or have chosen to spend their money on something else, they’re out of luck. We do not want to teach our children it’s okay to spend their own money on the things they want in life but have someone else pay for the necessities. They need to learn to budget their income and expenses.”

 

Let’s hear it. Comment below or send us an email at info@breakingfinancialchains.com and let us know your thoughts on this subject. Once I have enough feedback, I will post the results back here on this post so make sure you subscribe to our newsletter below to be informed when it’s up!

 

Welcome to my very first traffic and blog income report. I decided when I first started my blog, I did not want to wait until I started making money from my blog to post blog reports. The thought never crossed my mind I would actually make money my very first month blogging!! But, it happened and I am stoked about it.

I wanted to post blog reports starting my first month because I thought it would help me stay accountable to my goals and also give others a little insight into the first months of blogging. I love reading other’s income reports but most of the time I find myself asking the same question: “How long did it take before they grew a following and made money”? So, hopefully my journey will be helpful to those with the same question in the future.

You may be asking yourself why in the world would someone want to share their income report. There are two main reasons I want to share this report with all of you:

• First and foremost, I want you to know it is possible to make money blogging! One of the biggest benefits to me this past month was other’s income reports. I would devour them and learn how other bloggers are making their money, gaining traction, and what did or did not work for them. There is so much to gain from these income reports. My income may be small in the beginning but I encourage you to look at other bloggers income reports to learn from them as well.
• Second, I want to have accountability and this is the best way I know of to feel the pressure. If I put it out here for the world to see, I can’t really take it back. I am the type of person that if I set a goal, I try my hardest to accomplish it. I may not even get close to accomplishing my monthly goals, but as long they are set and written down, I do my best to reach them. It is just a little way of giving myself a push to JUST DO IT!

Did I Accomplish My Goals and Make Money in May 2017?

I made $28.98 in May 2017 from my blog (first month blogging). I know, I know…this amount is very small. However, if you know anything about blogging, you know it is a slow go. Most people do not even make money their first month blogging, so I was thrilled with this and hope it continues to grow! I will go into detail of where this money was from below. But first, I want to go through the goals I set for my first month and see how they turned out!

Goals for May 2017:

• 4 New Blog Posts
• 1000 Pageviews for the month
• 100 Pinterest followers
• 50 Facebook followers
• 25 Twitter followers
• 25 Instagram followers
• 10 Email Subscribers
• $0 in affiliate sales

Although my goals were not set very high, I really had nothing to go off of so I tried to set them at what I thought was reasonable for my first month. So, how did I do?

Actual Numbers for May 2017:

• 7 New Blog Posts
• 1489 Pageviews
• 177 Pinterest followers
• 147 Facebook followers
• 68 Twitter followers
• 62 Instagram followers
• 52 Email Subscribers
• $28.98 in affiliate sales

I feel like I crushed this month’s goals, however I realized my goals were not set high enough and I focused on too many things. Next month, I want to narrow my focus and hope to increase traffic to my blog.

May Blog Posts

My goal for May was to write one blog post per week so I could spend the rest of my week on driving traffic to those post and learning more about blogging in general. I did not want to overwhelm myself with an unrealistic goal since I am only able to work two hours a day on blogging. To my surprise, I was able to publish three extra posts for May. I plan to continue with this schedule until I see I will be able to spend more than two hours a day on my blog :-).

If you missed any post from May, check them out here:

How to Start a Blog and Quit Your 9 to 5

Make Extra Money with Paid Surveys

Everything You Need to Build and Grow Your Blog

How We Paid Over $100K of Debt With This Simple System

5 WordPress Themes for Female Bloggers

Earn FREE Money With the Ibotta App: Plus Earn $10 Just For Signing Up

The Ultimate List of Must Have Plugins for Bloggers

 

Acquisition Overview

Where did traffic come from?

1. As you can tell, social networks are bringing in 60% of my traffic (we will go into detail on this in just a bit). I would like to increase this number simply because I want to increase my traffic, however I would like to keep the percent at or below this in the future.
2. Direct traffic is nearly 30% but has a higher bounce rate and much lower duration average per session. I am not sure why this is but I would like to see both the number of session and the duration increase in the future.
3. Organic Search is a whopping 7.88%. I am especially glad that I do have organic search listed here and it is not 0. I am very pleased with the bounce rate and the duration per session. This month I would like to work on SEO to hopefully optimize my sight and gain more traffic organically.
4. Referral is the lowest, however bounce rate and duration per session is great!

Which Social Network drove the most traffic?

I was pretty disappointed when looking at this because I expected Pinterest to be my number one source of traffic. Having worked very hard with Pinterest, I feel I spend much more time working with it than I do Facebook. I will continue to work with it because I know for most bloggers it is what drives their traffic.

When I started at the beginning of May, I had no idea what I was doing with Pinterest. I ran across an eBook called Pinteresting Strategies several times and read multiple reviews on it that highly suggested it. I decided to take the plunge and invested in it ($32) and I am so happy I did. It help me understand what I was doing wrong and what I needed to change regarding my Pinterest Strategy. Take a look at the below graph:

I bought the eBook on May 5th and starting implementing a few of the strategies on May 8th. Needless to say it helped drive more traffic. Each spike is a new blog post that I pinned on Pinterest with my new Pinterest Strategy. Obviously I don’t have it down pat quite yet, but it will come.

I’ve been hearing about Tailwind Tribes in most of my Facebook groups but had no idea what they were or how to go about participating in them. Plus, I did not want to pay for Tailwind. However, through a lot of research I figured out in order to participate in Tailwind Tribes, you do not have to pay for the monthly subscription of Tailwind. You can sign up for their free trial and gain access to the tribes. If you decide not to opt for paying the monthly subscription once the trial is over, you can continue to participate in the tribes since they’re in the beta testing phase at this point. I signed up at the end of May and started participating with tribes. I am also taking advantage of the free trial and letting Tailwind pin 100 pins for me for free. I’m excited to see how this turns out and if it will be better, worse, or the same as my manual pinning strategy. We will find out in June :-)!

If you have not already signed up for the free trial in Tailwind, I highly suggest you do. Mainly for the Tailwind Tribes that you will have access to. Sign up for Tailwind here!

Income by Affiliate Network:

BookScouter: $1.65

Coupons.com: $2.26

Google AdSense: $5.47

SendOwl: $12.80

*Pinteresting Strategies eBook

Grammarly: $0.20

Awin.com: $5.00

MaxBounty: $1.60

Income Total: $28.98

These are not all of the affiliate networks I participate with. They are only the networks I have earned money from in May. Since most bloggers earn a portion of their income through affiliate links, I developed a list of 315 Affiliate Programs for Bloggers and Online Business Owners to help you boost your monthly income. This list is for bloggers of all niches, not just the financial niche. If you do not see your niche listed, you can still utilize a good portion of the affiliate links, so make sure to look at all of them! Enter your name and email below to download the FREE list of affiliate programs!

 

Goals for June 2017:

• 4 New Blog Posts – Continue with the current schedule of 1 post per week.
• 2500 monthly Pageviews – I would love more but at this time I think it will be pushing it to get 2500 page views in the month of June.
• 300 Pinterest followers – I want to devote more time and effort on Pinterest and grow my following. This is something I have not completely figured out, but I will!
• 200 Facebook followers – Since I am focusing more on Pinterest, I am not going to drive this one as much.
• 80 Twitter followers – Again, Since I am focusing more on Pinterest, I will not have the time to put much effort in Twitter this month.
• 75 Instagram followers – Same as Twitter.
• 150 Email Subscribers – I have several post and a challenge I am working on that will hopefully boost my subscribers.
• $50 in affiliate sales – I would love this, we will see!

 

Blog News

At the first of June I made the decision to change the blog name from The Work From Home Evolution to Breaking Financial Chains. I decided to rebrand since the blog is not solely about working from home. I wanted a name that would better encompass what the blog is about. Since it is about making more, saving more, spending less, and living financially free, I feel that Breaking Financial Chains helps to describe that.

I am working on a free email challenge and hope to finish it up in the next week or two. It is a Money Challenge to make and save $100 in 30 days. This email challenge will give subscribers the exact steps they should take in order have an extra $100 at the end of the 30 days. If you would like to participate in the Money Challenge when it begins, please complete the form below and I will send it to you!

I also created a new Facebook Group: Breaking Financial Chains Community. I hope this can be a close community  so my readers and followers can get to know one another and support each other in their endeavors to become financially free. The purpose of this new group is for members to post questions, struggles, and wins! Members can also get advice and support from other members as well as give support and encouragement through their own experiences. If you would like to join our new Facebook Community, please ask to join here. We would love to have you!

 

Wrap Up

Whew! I am so happy with how May turned out overall with the blog. I am super excited to see what June has in store! Thank you for all your support and encouragement and also reading this report. I feel so much more accountable for what I am doing and I hope to have answered at least one question you had when deciding to read this report.

 

If you haven’t already taken the leap and are interested in starting a blog I highly suggest using Bluehost as your hosting provider. I have created a step by step guide that will walk you through signing up and setting up your blog. It is very simple and you can get started for as low as $3.95 per month.

Once you setup your blog, you will need to choose a theme. I have written a post on my 5 favorite WordPress themes and also give other resources to find great themes. I have also written a post about everything you need to build your blog and also all the plugins I use for my blog.

 

What are your goals for your blog and how are you crushing them?

 

Earn FREE Money With the Ibotta App: Plus Earn $10 Just For Signing Up

I have been earning FREE money with the Ibotta App for years now! Or if you like to save money, then you can look at it as I have been saving money with the Ibotta app for years! Ibotta is an app you download on your smartphone and earn money just by scanning the products you buy along with their corresponding receipt. It’s simple, easy, and the best part FREE! I personally love saving money on my groceries and well, anything I buy so I look for great bargains, use coupons (clip your coupons here and save on your next shopping trip), and download the best apps to earn back some of the money I have spent. Ibotta is my #1 recommended app to do this!

If you are not using the Ibotta app, then you should sign up today! It really is the best way to earn easy money and it is extremely simple. I have even included screenshots with step by step instructions below so there is NO EXCUSE! Oh and I forgot to mention. Ibotta is so awesome, they are even giving you $10 just for signing up and redeeming your first rebate within 30 days! That is too cool – so make sure to sign up and download the Ibotta app today!

Sign Up and Download the Ibotta App

Step 1:  Sign Up for Ibotta

You can either choose to sign up via Facebook or email. If you choose to sign up via Facebook, click the Join with Facebook. If you choose to sign up with your email, enter your information in the requested sections and click Join with Email.

Step 2: Download the Ibotta App on Your SmartPhone

Once you sign up, you will be taken to a screen that will let you download the app. Since I already have the Ibotta app on my phone, the screen shot below says Use the App. Instead, yours will say something like Download the App or Take Me To the App. You will need to click on this button.

You will then be directed to your app store. Tap on the cloud download circled in red below to begin the download.

 

Step 3: Open the Ibotta App on Your Phone

You can either tap on the Open button or tap the Ibotta icon to open the app.

Step 4: Login and Setup the Ibotta App

When you have opened the Ibotta app, you will see a screen like this. Click Log In at the bottom.

You will only need to enter your login credentials once. After you’ve logged in this time, the Ibotta app will keep you logged in.

Ibotta will ask to access your location. You will need to allow this so you will receive the most accurate rebates for the stores closest to you.

Would you like Ibotta to automatically notify you of rebates and savings? This is up to you. I do not allow it because I do not want to be bothered with extra notifications on my phone. However, if you do not mind, then you may save more money with notifications.

Welcome to Ibotta! To take a tutorial on how the app works, click Let’s get started at the bottom of the screen. If you want to skip this step, click Skip in the top right corner.

Congratulations!

You have successfully downloaded and setup the Ibotta app. Now you need to start earning money back from your purchases! Remember, in order to receive your $10 sign up bonus, you will need to redeem your first rebate within 30 days of signing up. Don’t let this go to waste, it is FREE money!

Sign Up and Download the Ibotta App

 

Psst!!….Was this post helpful? If so, please share it with others on your favorite social media sites. Also, we would love to hear your thoughts so be sure to drop us a comment below. Oh and one last thing…join our mailing list to receive other great information in your inbox!

 

 

5 WordPress Themes for Female Bloggers

So you are looking for the perfect theme for your gorgeous blog but cannot seem to find it!

You have all these great ideas in your head of what you want your blog to look like and the features you want it to display but for some reason every theme you find has something missing!

Are you to the point of pulling your hair out? If you’re anything like when I first started, you just cannot find the RIGHT theme to save your life! I worked on several free themes for 2 months with no end in sight. I never could quite get it right.

So I turned to paid themes and if I would have known what I know now about theme functionality, I would have went this route on Day 1. I wasted 2 whole months and had absolutely nothing to show for it! Now, my theme has all the features I want and looks professional and clean.

Since I had so much trouble with themes in the beginning, I decided to make a list of themes that are great for any female blogger whether you are just now starting your blog or changing themes. Hopefully this list of 5 WordPress themes for female bloggers will give you exactly what you are looking for and have you on your way to blogging without wasting any of your precious time on theme design. Hope you enjoy 🙂

 

So that we can continue to share free information like this with you, below are affiliate links that we will receive a small commission for if you choose to purchase through one of the links. It does not cost you anything. It is to help support the blog and keep more great content and information coming your way!

#1: Evangeline Genesis WordPress Theme

Of course I had to go with the theme I use for my #1 recommendation. If I did not love it then I wouldn’t use it :-). The Evangeline theme by Lovely Confetti is a responsive theme and works great on all devices. This way your graphics look great no matter what device your audience is viewing from.  It has a featured slider on the home page to display selected post to grab your audiences attention. You can choose between 4 color formats to match your style.  The colors shown in the demo did not really match the color scheme I was going for so I was glad to see I could change it to suit my needs. Other features includes 6 different page layouts, up to 3 columns in the footer , custom header/logo, and so much more! Oh and it is SEO optimized!

What I like most about Lovely Confetti’s Evangeline theme is she allows you to view how other’s use the theme. You can look at live websites that use this exact theme and how they are laid out. In my opinion, this really helped make my decision because I seen it in action!

This theme is for Wordpress.org sites only and requires the Genesis Framework (framework not included).

View Demo + More Details

 

#2: Swank WordPress Theme

I really like the Swank Theme by Pretty Darn Cute Designs for lifestyle or DIY/Craft bloggers. I think it is a bit different than the normal layout usually seen with blogs and it really stands out. This theme is very stylish yet professional and clean. It is fully responsive, has 6 different page layouts, cutom header/logo, customize color schemes, and so much more!

It comes with detailed instructions for easy installation and customer support if you have trouble. If you prefer not to install and setup yourself, you can pay to have it setup in 24 hours!

The Swank Theme is a genesis child theme and therefore requires the Genesis Framework . The framework is not included so make sure to purchase ($59.95), download, and install it before installing your theme.

View Demo + More Details

 

#3: Delightful Pro Theme

I chose the Delightful Pro Theme by Restored 316 for food lovers and really any other blogger out there. This theme is such a great example of an all-in-one theme. The colors really make it pop and help your readers to visualize what you are saying! It is fully responsive on any desktop, mobile, tablet, or laptop device.

It comes WooCommerce ready so you can create product listings if necessary. Although, you do not have to use it for selling products.

It is a genesis theme and will need the Genesis Framework.

Demo Theme + More Details

 

#4: Oleander Theme

I love the Oleander Theme by Solo Pine for travel bloggers! I think the layout is sophisticated and the designer really thought about what would showcase your post the best. This theme is compatible with WooCommerce so you can create your own shop if you sell products.

There are so many great features included in this theme I simply cannot list them all. A few of my favorites are:

• Responsive design
• Custom Facebook widget
• About me widget
• Sticky navigation
• 5 different blog layouts
• Promo boxes under slider
• Full-width slider
• Social media icons in both header and footer
• Translation ready

It comes with download instructions and a dedicated support site.

This theme is for Wordpress.org sites only so make sure your site is self-hosted before purchasing.

View Demo + More Details

 

#5: Glam Theme

I chose the Glam Theme by Restored 316 for Fashion bloggers. This is the perfect theme to show off everything you have to offer. It comes WooCommerce ready . It allows for a customized background/logo and you can also change the color scheme. The Glam Theme is fully mobile responsive and includes the Instagram feed and Simple Social Icons widgets to make sure it is easy to highlight your fashion posts on social media.

This theme is for Wordpress.org sites only and requires the Genesis Framework (framework not included).

View Demo + More Details

 

Resources For More Awesome Themes

These are my top 5 themes that I fell in love with when I first seen them. However, that doesn’t mean they are the only themes I would go with. There are so many themes that are beautifully designed and well suited for a blog. If any of the themes above did not tickle your fancy, don’t give up! I have listed my top sources for themes below. If I were looking for another theme, these are the first places I would go to find quality themes from reliable sources. They are not in any sort of order. I just listed them as I thought of them :-).

Restored 316

Restored 316 has so many great themes for a feminine WordPress blog. Her themes are fully responsive, WooCommerce ready, and always Stylish. She also has a neat Quiz to help you choose the best theme for your needs. Take the quiz and find out what theme suits your website!

View Restored 316 Themes

 

Pretty Darn Cute Designs

Pretty Darn Cute Designs also is a great resource for feminine WordPress blogs. Her themes are professional, classy, colorful, WooCommerce ready, and affordable.

View Pretty Darn Cute Designs Themes

 

Creative Market

Creative Market is a marketplace for designers to showcase their themes. Therefore you will find a variety of themes for every type of blog you can think of here. This is actually where I found my theme!

Creative Market Themes

 

StudioPress

You may have heard of StudioPress before. This is not my favorite place to find themes but it is worth mentioning because they do have some great themes and the site is easy to filter your needs. Another great feature is most themes from StudioPress include the Genesis Framework in the price.

View StudioPress Themes

 

Are you thinking of starting a blog but just haven’t quite decided if it’s for you? You should totally do it! It is one of cheapest entries into the business world and can be a great investment for your future. The best part about blogging, other than being YOUR OWN BOSS of course, is the sky is the limit!! You make it what you want and you get to share valuable advice with others! Why not take the leap today! Check out How to Start a Blog and Quit Your 9-5 to learn a little about the possibilities of income and to start your very own blog. Also make sure to head over to Everything You Need to Grow and Build Your Blog for my list of recommended resources for your blog!

 

Psst!!….Was this post helpful? If so, please share it with others on your favorite social media sites. Also, we would love to hear your thoughts so be sure to drop us a comment below. Oh and one last thing…join our mailing list to receive other great information in your inbox!

Make Extra Money with Paid Surveys!

Do you need an easy way to make extra money each month to help ends meet but do not have a lot of extra time to do it? Surveys are a great way to supplement income while watching TV or even when using the john. Don’t get me wrong, it is definitely not the most exciting thing to do, but hey if you can make extra money with paid surveys, why not at least give it a try?

Here is a compiled list of legit survey sites that will pay you $$ just to give them your opinion. When you sign up, you will have to complete a profile or tell the survey site little about yourself so they are able to match you with the best surveys to help them and not waste your time. Once you’ve completed these steps, you will be on your way to making some dough!

Since you will not be matched to all surveys with each survey site, I recommend you sign up for all of the survey sites at the same time so you will make sure to always have a survey to complete when you have time. This is the best way to optimize your income with surveys!

Disclosure: So that we can continue to share free information like this with you, below are a few links that I will receive a small commission for if you choose to purchase through one of the links. It does not cost you anything, it is just to help support the blog and keep more great content and information coming your way.

Swagbucks:

• Earn points by shopping online, searching the web, taking surveys, reading emails, watching videos, and more
• Redeem for cash or gift cards from your favorite brands including Amazon and Walmart
• Cash Payout: Paypal

Sign Up for Swagbucks here.

 

Opinion Outpost:

• Conducts survey about electronics, medicine, politics, sports, advertisements, appliances, and food
• Offers quarterly $10,000 prize
• Earn points that can be redeemed for cash or gift cards
• Cash Payout: Paypal

Sign up for Opinion Outpost here.

 

Inbox Dollars:

• Earn money with Surveys and so many other ways.
• $5 Sign-up bonus
• Cash Payout: Paypal

Sign up for Inbox Dollars here.

 

Valued Opinions:

• One of the highest paying survey sites with completed surveys being worth up to $5
• Payout: Visa Gift Card or other major retailer gift cards including Amazon, Macy’s, and Target

Sign up for Valued Opinions here.

 

Pinecone Research:

• Learn about products before they hit the market
• Influence which products make it to the stores
• Earn points that can be redeemed for cash or prizes
• Cash Payout: Check or Paypal

Sign up for Pinecone Research here.

 

Survey Club

• Earn money for surveys and studies
• Cash Payout: Check, Paypal, or Amazon gift card

Sign up for Survey Club here.

 

Survey Junkie

• Earn points that can be redeemed for cash
• Cash Payout: Paypal or E-Giftcards

Sign up for Survey Junkie here.

 

My Points

• Earn money by shopping online, searching the web, taking surveys, reading emails, watching videos, printing coupons, and more
• Earn points and redeem for gift card, cash, or travel miles
• Cash Payout: Paypal or Visa Card

Sign up for My Points here.

 

Panda Research:

• Earn money with surveys, reading emails,  referring friends, and more
• Payout: Paypal

Sign up for Panda Research here.

 

Harris Poll:

• Conducts survey about politics, business, sports, and health & life
• Earn points to redeem for rewards from top brands including Amazon, Starbucks, and iTunes

Sign up for Harris Poll here.

 

Toluna:

• Earn points and redeem for sweepstakes tickets, getaways, gift cards, cash, and more

Sign up for Toluna here.

 

E-Poll:

• Earn points and redeem for cash or gift cards from your favorite brands including Amazon, iTunes, and Walmart
• Cash Payout: Paypal

Sign up for E-Poll here.

 

Prize Rebel:

• Earn money and redeem via Paypal, Bitcoin, Visa cards, or gift cards from top brands

Sign up for Prize Rebel here.

 

Ebates:

I feel that Ebates is worth mentioning here because you can also make money fairly easy when utilizing it. If you shop and purchase online you might as well be using Ebates. It’s as simple as shopping major retailers through the Ebates site, making your purchase, and then redeem your points for cash.

Sign up for Ebates here.

 

Was this post helpful? If so, please share it with others on your favorite social media sites. Also, we would love to hear your thoughts so be sure to drop us a comment below.

How To Start A Blog and Quit Your 9 to 5

Have you ever wanted to share information or knowledge you have but do not have a platform to share it on?  What about help financially support your family while staying at home with your children? Then you need to start a blog. Have no clue where to start? That’s ok, I didn’t either. Learn how to start a blog and quit your 9 to 5! You can start a blog in any niche you want or you can have it encompass many of the things you love.  Numerous people have mommy blogs, finance blog, lifestyle blogs, travel blogs, and DIY craft blogs and make a killing each month doing it.

Don’t believe me? Look at a few of the income reports I found from other bloggers below and see how they are making 1000’s of dollars per month and living the dream life:

Making Sense of Cents: How I made $130,856.35 Last Month Blogging

Crowd Work News: How I made $5,189.08 in 9 Months of Blogging

Just A Girl and Her Blog: December 2016 Traffic and Income Report

These are only just a few I found. There are a ton of income reports out there for blogs in particular niches.  Just do a quick Google search for the niche you are looking for. The great news about starting a blog is that it is relatively inexpensive.  You don’t have to drop 100’s of dollars on it just to start out. I started out spending only $3.95 per month and you can too.

Now that we have covered why you should start a blog, let’s learn how to start a blog.

So that I can continue to share free information like this with you, below are affiliate links that I will receive a small commission for if you choose to purchase through one of the links. It does not cost you anything, it is just to help support the blog and keep more great content and information coming your way.

 

Choose Your Blog’s Niche

You need to choose what you want your blog to be about. What do you love sharing or writing about? What are you good at or have a lot of knowledge of? You need to choose a niche, but don’t narrow it down too much. You need to give yourself enough to write about.  Really think about this before moving on. The last thing you want is to choose your niche, setup your blog around that niche, and then change it because you can only write 5 really good posts about what you chose.

I decided on a Work From Home / Money Making / Savings niche because I can write about this stuff all day and there are a ton of things I know and can share with others. If I chose to write about Fashion, even though there are a ton of things you could write about, I would run out of things to say simply because I do not know much about fashion. Be nice to yourself with this, you will thank yourself in the long run.

Choose A Domain Name

A domain name will be your website URL.  My domain name is www.breakingfinancialchains.com. You may be one that can come up with brilliant domain names left and right. Or you may be like me and come up with absolutely nothing you like. It took me three weeks to come up with my domain name so please understand this may take a little time and patience.  Always try to stick with something that is easy to remember and if at all possible make it the name of your blog. It becomes confusing when talking with someone about your blog Pretty Lady and then tell them they can find your blog at beautifulself dot com. They will never remember it and therefore never find your blog.

Try to stay away from longer domain names. Mine was longer than I wanted but it fit so I went with it, however, I urge you to be cautious here.  Again, you want something that is easy for people to remember.  Most people can remember short and memorable quotes, sayings, names,  etc.

Do not use hyphens, numbers, or symbols. Even though it may make your URL or blog name look neat, this is a big no, no. I love examples because it helps me understand what the writer is trying to say. So here is an example:

·         Bloggingmemories dot com

·         Blogging-memories dot com

Both of these say the same thing, however when entered as a URL, you will end up at two completely different sites (I just made this name up, it will take you to la la land).  Let me stress this again…you need a blog name that is easy to remember. Therefore, when you tell someone how to find your blog, I guarantee it will be more frustrating for you to always explain the hyphen and most people will not remember the hyphen when they do have two seconds to look for your blog.

Choose a Host and Check Domain Name Availability

I recommend Bluehost as a host provider simply because I have always used them and can recommend the quality of their service.  I am paying $5.95 each month for my hosting, but if you sign up now they have a deal going on for $2.95 per month.  Select the plan (basic, plus or pro) you would like to go with. I recommend the plus because it comes with a few extras that only cost a few dollars a month more.  If you’re against Bluehost, I have heard Siteground is a really good hosting provider as well. I have never used them so I cannot put my stamp of approval on it, but you may want to check it out.

Once you have decided on a domain name and host, you will need to make sure the domain is available for use. You can check it with the new domain feature Bluehost offers.

If you have a domain name, you will enter it in the “I have a domain name” box on the right. If you do not already have a registered domain name, you will enter it in the “new domain” box on the left. Choose an extension (.com, etc.) for your domain. I highly recommend .com since it is the most common and is easier for people to remember.

Click the Next button.

Sign Up For Hosting

If the domain you entered is available, you will be taken to the account information screen to finish the sign-up process. Complete all the necessary fields. Make sure to enter a valid and working email address since your login information will be sent to the email address you list here.

Select Your Package Information

You can choose between a 12, 24, 36, and 60 month plan. The price per month is different depending on the plan you choose.

As far as all the extras available for purchase, that is up to you. I only recommend and purchased when I signed up the Domain Privacy Protection because I was using my personal information and did not want it shared.

Once you have completed the above step enter your payment information, check that you agree to Bluehost term’s and policies, and click the green submit button.

Check Your Email for Confirmation

Once your payment information has been submitted successfully, you will receive a Welcome email from Bluehost. This email has your account information and will allow you to setup your password.  Open the email and click Get Started.  Complete the necessary information and login to your Bluehost account.

Install WordPress

Once you are logged in, scroll down to the website box and click on Install WordPress.

A new box will appear, click Continue Installation.

You will need to choose which domain you want WordPress installed on.

Click the down arrow and choose the domain. Leave the directory field blank.

Make sure to uncheck the “Helpful Plugins” if you do not want them installed at this time and click the green Next button.

You will need to enter Admin Information.

Choose a site name or title. My site name is The Work From Home Evolution. This is not your domain name. Choose an Admin Username. Do not enter admin or administration here. Choose a username you can remember. Enter your admin email address and enter a password. Click the green Next button and Install WordPress.

Once you have successfully installed WordPress you will receive an email with login information.

I became very confused about the difference between Bluehost and WordPress. I wasn’t exactly sure

where I needed to go to design my blog. Let me provide a little help. Bluehost is just the hosting provider for your domain name. It has nothing to do with designing your blog. WordPress is the platform on which you design and build your blog.

 

CONGRATULATIONS! You now have a website to setup your very own BLOG!!  I remember when I first hit this step, I was so excited. I researched so many other blogs to see how they designed every page and I highly recommend you do this too. When designing your blog, you need to know what you want your end goal to look like. If you start your blog without any idea of what your going for, it will be very difficult and time-consuming when creating widgets, menus, and really any other aspect of the blog. Good luck!!

 

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Learn Why You Need A Work From Home Resume

Would you like suggestions on how to improve your existing resume?  What if you don’t have a resume or at least one you do not feel is worthy of submitting?  If you have never worked from home before or have little experience working from home, it may be difficult to land a work from home gig. That’s why you need a work from home resume!

I remember when I first looked for work from home positions and I thought it was nearly impossible to land one. They were always looking for people with experience working from home or at least some remote experience. I remember asking my husband, “How am I suppose to ever have remote experience if nobody will give me an opportunity to gain remote experience”? What I didn’t know was that I did have experience but was not listing it properly on my resume. That’s when I create my work from home resume and landed my first work from home position.

You may be thinking, “I really don’t have any experience”, but I guarantee you actually do. Have you ever heard of turning weaknesses into strengths? Some people consider empathy or talking too much a weakness. Although it can be a weakness, it can also be a strength when proposed the right way or in the right setting. Listing remote work on your resume is the same concept. You have to think outside of the box when you do not have raw work from home experience from an employer who can give you a glowing recommendation..

A Work From Home Resume Should Include:

• some type of work from home or remote experience (again, you should think outside of the box on this one)
• experience in the industry or position you are applying for
• education in the industry or position you are applying for (unless this is not applicable)
• long-term employment (unless you are new to employment)
• skills and qualification that shows you can not only do the job, but do it better than others

Let us help you create or beef up your resume to show potential employers you are the best candidate.  Submit the necessary information required and we will help your resume stand out and possibly land the next job.

Click here to Improve Your Existing Resume

Click here to Let Us Create A Resume For You

Join Us To Learn How You Can Live Financially Free!

Welcome to Breaking Financial Chains Blog!  We hope you find yourself loving this blog and will come back for more.  It is our passion to help others who desire financial freedom see it become reality!This blog is filled with resources to help you learn how you can LIVE FINANCIALLY FREE!

When people find out I make an income from blogging, it usually isn’t too long before they ask how they can too! Living financially free is such a great way to live because you can truly be free to do the things you love and enjoy. Wouldn’t it be great if you did not have to go to work solely because your bills depended on it? Financial freedom is about taking back control of you finances and breaking the paycheck to paycheck cycle. We make more, save more, spend less, and LIVE FINANCIALLY FREE!

So why not enjoy life!  Take a look around the blog to find what resources are the best fits for you.  Do you want to start a business from home?  Make a side income to help pay off your mountain of debt? Maybe you would rather draw out a budget and save enough money to not work at all?  We have all this and more on the blog.

We Would Love To Hear From You!

What are you looking for on this site?  Side hustles, ways to save money, budgeting, ways to be frugal, etc?  Make sure to drop a comment and we may use it for future research and articles.

Make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter and follow us on social media so you will get the latest information we have!

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FREE Pricing and Profit Calculator: How To Price Your Products Or Services

It is imperative for every business to turn a profit in order to be successful.  So, how do you make sure you are making a profit instead of losing money?  Do you really know how to price your products or services or are you just guessing?

First, you need to set a realistic, overall profit margin needed in order to afford ALL of your expenses, including your salary.  Second, you need to determine if the price you are charging your customer will in turn meet your required profit margin, once you have calculated cost of each product/service.  If it does not, then you need to rethink offering the product/service or rethink the price.

We have developed an easy to use calculator that will analyze your cost for each individual product and let you know how much you need to sell the product for in order to meet your profit margin…and the great thing about it, it’s FREE!!  It’s a great tool to have and in our opinion, a necessity.

This calculator is ideal:

• If you are just opening your shop
• You have an active shop but are not making ends meet
• You have an active shop and would just like to know how you are doing
• Etsy Shops
• Shopify Shops
• Small Craft Shops
• Small Vinyl Shops
• Any other small businesses that sells products or services

The biggest mistake I see when my clients are calculating their cost is forgetting minimal fees or indirect cost.  When you are just getting started or are a small business, this alone can make or break the profitability of your business. Look at it this way: Do you want to work for free from now own? I didn’t think so. So before moving further with your business, I highly suggest you take a look at your cost vs. your price and the amount of money you actually need in order to thrive in this competitive economy.

Terms of Use:

Use of this Calculator from the Site, including, but not limited to uploading, downloading, modification, publication, transmission, participation in the transfer or sale of, copying, reproduction, republishing, creation of derivative works from, distribution, performance, display, incorporation into another web site (whether by linking, framing or any other method), or in any other way exploiting the content of the Calculator, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without The Work From Home Evolutions’ prior express written consent.

 

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