Since I have nothing going on in life that is exciting, I would like to update my financial progress. Since I last posted, I have made another $12 on Vindale, and another $16 on Cash Crate. The other sites are based on a point system, and have not been updating very often. I took yesterday off, because I had a ton of homework to do, plus classes and taking the kids out.
Otherwise, it has mostly been just a lot of day dreaming about sailing. Hopefully, 2013 will be the year I have my sailboat on the water. Right now, my main goal is to get a couple of tarps to put over her, because where I have it located now is under trees and my boat is filthy.
So, money isn't that great doing surveys.. Maybe $50 a week, for lots of time sitting around and waiting for a survey to pop up so you can grab it before anyone else does. I'm actively searching for other survey sites though. It would be nice if I could raise that another $20.
Wish me luck.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
It's been a while
Well, I finally have work. It is not great, but I am my own boss and I make my own hours. I do surveys online, at around a dollar a pop. So far, I have made $62.00 using Vindale and another $8.00 on Cash Crate. I just started a couple of other companies, so haven't progressed that far with them.
I work a little under three hours every day, and have been doing this for about a week. So, I'm averaging right now about $3.00 an hour - which to be quite frank I am surprised. The work is easy, so I can't really complain. In addition to Vindale, and Cash Crate I have started Ipsos, and MySurvey. I will probably add a few more to that list as time goes by.
The thing is, this is better than nothing. I made over five times this at my last job, but my last job was nearly four years ago. I also save money on gas, and child care so it all is not so bad.
I'm also in college again, doing pretty well. I'm taking elementary algebra, and enjoy it a lot. I also am taking Micro Apps, but the teacher hasn't updated anything in the past month. I will be getting a financial aid check for the next semester, and that along with some tax returns I will purchase a truck so that I can find a job in Tampa, tow my sailboat, and do a lot of necessary yard work.
So, I'm pretty happy about things. Before to long, I will have my sailboat in the water and enjoying a bit of sailing. Heck, if I can make enough online I might just stick with doing online work permanently, and just enjoy life on my own terms with no boss dictating to me.
I really wish I had found these sites earlier, I always thought they were just a scam, but it turns out they are legit. Not exactly enough to support oneself, but definitely enough to have some extra spending money. If I can make $400 a month doing this, I will have more than enough to get things going. Of course, that would probably be six to seven hours a day doing surveys, and a job at McDonalds would pay more.. but hey, I sort of enjoy doing this.
My wife and I are incredibly frugal, and have been living off of less than $24,000 a year for the past two years. We have made it work, by clipping coupons, going to good will, cutting back dramatically on our utilities, cooking our own meals, and performing all maintenance work ourselves. We haven't missed one mortgage payment yet, which is surprising. I'm really glad we decided to go with a smaller home.
Regardless, if you are in the same boat, here is my list so far of survey sites that may help you. The only one that I have made enough money from to cash out is Vindale, and that was $50 check mailed off to me.
https://www.mysurvey.com
I know that it seems like a scam, but give it a try. Research about them online, and find out for yourself. There are a plethora of survey sites out there, and I am a newbie to the scene, these are just the ones I have been using thus far. One note here, you gotta actually put work in these sites to get anything out of them, I mean it when I say I average 3 hours in a day so far, it is devoted entirely to answering surveys.
I also am considering selling blood plasma, twice a week. That could pull in another $60.00 each week, but I am not sure if it is in demand in my area. I am also worried about any scars it could cause, I don't want to look like a drug abuser. Got to love the life of poverty, hey it could be worst. At least I am healthy, have two great kids and a wonderful wife.
I also am considering selling blood plasma, twice a week. That could pull in another $60.00 each week, but I am not sure if it is in demand in my area. I am also worried about any scars it could cause, I don't want to look like a drug abuser. Got to love the life of poverty, hey it could be worst. At least I am healthy, have two great kids and a wonderful wife.
Hopefully, my next post here will deal a bit more with my sailboat. I'll keep updating the survey sites though, but don't worry.. I'm not going to focus solely on them, just a little something for the people out there that are in tough times.
If I find any other ways to make money, that do not end up costing you money in the long run, I'll post them to the blog.
Best of luck.
If I find any other ways to make money, that do not end up costing you money in the long run, I'll post them to the blog.
Best of luck.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Still stuck in neutral
Well, unfortunately the newspaper delivery job fell through. Despite us calling the manager several times, he kept promising to find us a route but never returned the calls. I've put an application in Office Depot last week, but have heard nothing thus far. I think they are interested in younger people as that is who they have been hiring as of late.
On the better side of things, my four year old was accepted in Head Start, which is basically a preschool that addresses the needs of families in poverty, she will stay there from 7:30am to 5:30pm on Mondays through Fridays. They are also assisting me with going back to college to earn my associates in computer programming. While going to school, I'll pick up an A+ certification, and also learn a bit about office so I can hopefully get a job doing some IT support. That is the job I had before being laid off in 2008, and I absolutely loved it. I was pretty good at it as well, but when the stock market crashed the contract my company had with E&Y was not renewed so I was out of a job.
In other news, I sold my Windstar to pay for a few bills - but plan on having another vehicle after tax returns so I should be able to get a job fairly soon out of my immediate area. With Cailyn going to head start, and having a car, I should be able to get a job in Tampa relatively easy. The past four years, had to be scheduled around watching the kids, commute without transportation, and working around my wife's schedule - which left me with the option of only working third shift in the local area.
Anyway, things are looking up - perhaps I will shift into first gear soon. I really hope so, being an unemployed bum is only fun for so long. I really want to get my boat fixed, which in itself isn't going to be too expensive until you add that I need a proper tow vehicle, and an outboard which is going to cost a lot.
Speaking of my boat, I finally moved it to the side of the house. This was a real PITA, but thankfully my father has a truck and he helped me out. Eventually, I plan on laying down a bit of concrete and creating an enclosure/boat lift. It is just one more thing added to the list of wishes I have.
I'm surprised the grass wasn't in such horrific shape. It should grow back in no time, my yard looks so much bigger now - but to tell you the truth I sort of liked seeing my boat in the front yard. It is nice that it is no longer under that damn palm tree anymore though, it was filthy and making a huge mess of my boat. Things are not much better where she is sitting now though, I am going to have to get a tarp and soon.
Well, that is all for now. Hopefully, by the next time I write a blog I will have better news. Hopefully I will be gainfully employed and in college.
On the better side of things, my four year old was accepted in Head Start, which is basically a preschool that addresses the needs of families in poverty, she will stay there from 7:30am to 5:30pm on Mondays through Fridays. They are also assisting me with going back to college to earn my associates in computer programming. While going to school, I'll pick up an A+ certification, and also learn a bit about office so I can hopefully get a job doing some IT support. That is the job I had before being laid off in 2008, and I absolutely loved it. I was pretty good at it as well, but when the stock market crashed the contract my company had with E&Y was not renewed so I was out of a job.
In other news, I sold my Windstar to pay for a few bills - but plan on having another vehicle after tax returns so I should be able to get a job fairly soon out of my immediate area. With Cailyn going to head start, and having a car, I should be able to get a job in Tampa relatively easy. The past four years, had to be scheduled around watching the kids, commute without transportation, and working around my wife's schedule - which left me with the option of only working third shift in the local area.
Anyway, things are looking up - perhaps I will shift into first gear soon. I really hope so, being an unemployed bum is only fun for so long. I really want to get my boat fixed, which in itself isn't going to be too expensive until you add that I need a proper tow vehicle, and an outboard which is going to cost a lot.
Speaking of my boat, I finally moved it to the side of the house. This was a real PITA, but thankfully my father has a truck and he helped me out. Eventually, I plan on laying down a bit of concrete and creating an enclosure/boat lift. It is just one more thing added to the list of wishes I have.
Well, that is all for now. Hopefully, by the next time I write a blog I will have better news. Hopefully I will be gainfully employed and in college.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Scrub-A-Dub-Dub cleaning the Venture of Newport 23
I decided to clean my boat (still no name) a couple of days ago. Seeing that I haven't updated information on her in a while, I thought I'd upload a few pics.
After that rainstorm, there was quite a bit of water in my boat. I had to wet vac probably five to ten gallons.
Then it rained again and I got more water :( I really need to reseal all of the deck fittings soon.
Over one hundred miles on my NEXT Parowan bike
Well, I have finally done it. I have pedalled 100 miles since getting my bike last Christmas. I would have put a lot more miles on it, but being a stay at home dad sort of keeps me anchored at the house. Any way, there are few reviews regarding this bike so I'll just toss a quick seal of approval. The bike cost $49 new at Walmart and outside of a slow leak in the front tire, I haven't had a problem with it. It is a cheap bike, and I'm sure I put a bit more effort in riding around than people who have much nicer bikes, but it doesn't skip gears, the brakes work, I haven't had to replace a single thing on it yet.
There it is, still looking spiffy after being stored outside in Florida humidity for a few months. There is no rust that I can see. All of the parts are what came with it, nothing has been replaced. The gears all work, and everything works as it should. I will say, it did take about an hour to get everything put together and working right - but after that I haven't done any adjustments.
With that said, I have only really been hitting paved trails. I do ride over a bit of grass here and there, but nothing that would bang the bike up. The rims still rotate fine, and do not rub into the brakes.
The longest ride I've been on thus far, was a thirty mile haul on the Suncoast trail and you can definitely feel it, the one major complain I have with the bike are the hand grips, they are solid plastic and after a while of sweating they get really slippery, not to mention uncomfortable. The seat is not as uncomfortable as you would think, it is is not luxury by any means but after that thirty miles I wasn't in any pain from it. My legs, well that is another matter.
Today I rode 15 miles on the trail, and it was incredibly relaxing. It is always nice to get away from home and just enjoy nature while riding your bike. For $49 it has surpassed any expectations I would have of it, of course I would rather have a nicer bike.. but when you have been unemployed as long as I have, this bike is an excellent choice for cheap entertainment. If it makes it to 200 miles, I'll be sure to check back in with another post.
There it is, still looking spiffy after being stored outside in Florida humidity for a few months. There is no rust that I can see. All of the parts are what came with it, nothing has been replaced. The gears all work, and everything works as it should. I will say, it did take about an hour to get everything put together and working right - but after that I haven't done any adjustments.
With that said, I have only really been hitting paved trails. I do ride over a bit of grass here and there, but nothing that would bang the bike up. The rims still rotate fine, and do not rub into the brakes.
The longest ride I've been on thus far, was a thirty mile haul on the Suncoast trail and you can definitely feel it, the one major complain I have with the bike are the hand grips, they are solid plastic and after a while of sweating they get really slippery, not to mention uncomfortable. The seat is not as uncomfortable as you would think, it is is not luxury by any means but after that thirty miles I wasn't in any pain from it. My legs, well that is another matter.
Today I rode 15 miles on the trail, and it was incredibly relaxing. It is always nice to get away from home and just enjoy nature while riding your bike. For $49 it has surpassed any expectations I would have of it, of course I would rather have a nicer bike.. but when you have been unemployed as long as I have, this bike is an excellent choice for cheap entertainment. If it makes it to 200 miles, I'll be sure to check back in with another post.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Florida is getting a lot of rain today
I meant to post this a few days ago, but my video wouldn't update on youtube. So here is a blog from a couple of days ago :D
I've been wanting to get outside to ride my bike around, but this rain is persistent. I still found some time to walk around in it and had a lot of fun, although walking a mile or two in flip flops can be painful to your toes.
I've been wanting to get outside to ride my bike around, but this rain is persistent. I still found some time to walk around in it and had a lot of fun, although walking a mile or two in flip flops can be painful to your toes.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Nostalgic for the old Internet
Back in the 90s, the Internet was a much different place. There were so many competing web hosting sites, search engines, chat clients, video streamers, video players, etc. Social media was not really here, sure we had geocities and a few others sites, but it was nothing like it is now.
Web pages did not fit a particular format, it was just a cooler place. Everything was customized, people would write their own pages, and it was a bit of an art trying to find good sites out there. I even miss the old web rings. Now, well now it is all sort of bland. I don't find myself fiddling around with my OS anymore, I no longer download all sorts of software to connect with friends.. I dunno, I guess things got too easy ;p
Mind you, I do enjoy the new Internet too, I just wish there were more homepages out there written by their owners. I have been thinking of making my own, and started the search for free web hosting sites. I've also been looking around for a search engine that is specifically designed for personal web pages.
Since I spend so much time on my computer, and everything is basically trivial, I decided to give Linux a try again. Here is an OS that can keep me occupied for a while, as I try to relearn it.
By the way, I'm done with the water fast for now.. I'm really looking forward to starting my new job, and having money to restore my sailboat. Speaking of which, it has been raining here in Florida like crazy, my boat has tons of leaks in it. I had to wet vac several galons of water out of it, I can't wait to get all of the fittings removed and sealed. I also can't wait to build a lifting cradle for her, which will also serve as a shelter.
Web pages did not fit a particular format, it was just a cooler place. Everything was customized, people would write their own pages, and it was a bit of an art trying to find good sites out there. I even miss the old web rings. Now, well now it is all sort of bland. I don't find myself fiddling around with my OS anymore, I no longer download all sorts of software to connect with friends.. I dunno, I guess things got too easy ;p
Mind you, I do enjoy the new Internet too, I just wish there were more homepages out there written by their owners. I have been thinking of making my own, and started the search for free web hosting sites. I've also been looking around for a search engine that is specifically designed for personal web pages.
Since I spend so much time on my computer, and everything is basically trivial, I decided to give Linux a try again. Here is an OS that can keep me occupied for a while, as I try to relearn it.
By the way, I'm done with the water fast for now.. I'm really looking forward to starting my new job, and having money to restore my sailboat. Speaking of which, it has been raining here in Florida like crazy, my boat has tons of leaks in it. I had to wet vac several galons of water out of it, I can't wait to get all of the fittings removed and sealed. I also can't wait to build a lifting cradle for her, which will also serve as a shelter.
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