Exciting news! I’m featured in a story on Media Bistro, a Web site for writers and content producers, about monetizing your Web site. Unfortunately the site requires a paid membership to read the entire story, but here’s a snippet.
Breaking Into Web Journalism: The Basics – by Lin Grensing-Pophal
Julia Scott is a print reporter turned online journalist who left a steady gig at a newspaper to launch her blog BargainBabe.com in January 2009. She began turning a profit in her first month. “Monetizing a blog is possible, but it’s a ton of work,” says Scott. She spends 10-12 hours a day working, plus a few hours over the weekend, but says: “I’ve been able to make money off of my passion, and it’s really rewarding.” Scott doesn’t charge for content (“although I’ve toyed with the idea”) — but rather makes money from advertising, freelancing and self-syndicating her content. “News outlets are desperate for great content and, in exchange for a very low fee, I negotiate a non-exclusive contract,” she says.
While those with a writing background are well-suited to monetizing content they create, blogging requires some additional skills, says Scott. Making money online means becoming more than “just a writer.” You need to become, in essence, an entrepreneur. “You have to be so much more entrepreneurial than you ever had to be as a reporter or editor in a newsroom,” she says. “You really have to learn to be a self-promoter.”
Scott’s story is not unique. In fact, she is one of many journalists who are making a good — sometimes exceptional — living by monetizing Web content…
Here are five ways to lower the cost of flying on your summer vacation – or any trip!
1. Sign up for the email list of your favorite airlines. When a fare sale starts, airlines often email their loyal customers. I got a round trip ticket to New York City for less than $160 because Jetblue emailed me when they dropped their fares. Hubby and I paid $39 each way to fly to Portland because we got an email about a fare sale from Southwest. Yes, you will get some annoying emails from signing up, but usually you can tell from the subject line if the email is about a sale or not.
2. Thoroughly search Kayak.com, a site that aggregates travel deals seen on Travelocity, Expedia and others, before you book. I find most of the lowest fares I have booked through Kayak.
3. Fly mid-week for lower fares. Simple but it works.
4. Once you book your flight, register it at Yapta.com. If the price drops, Yapta will email you how to get a refund or credit. Many airlines charge a re-booking fee so the drop has to be significant (generally $75 to $250).
5. Check out TravelZoo.com. I love this site because it sends me travel deals from my local airports. They have many vacation packages and oftentimes the vacation specials page has deals that are eye-popping.
Which airline has the best luggage policy? National Geographic travel writer Chris Elliot says hands down it is Southwest.
Are you going on a cruise anytime soon? CruiseCompete.com is a site that I like to find cruise deals.
The way it works is that you tell the site what kind of cruise you would like to take. Say you and five friends want to go to Alaska for 5 nights. The site sends your vacation specs to travel agents, who then email you quotes for that cruise. I tried it months ago and got 6 responses within an hour. Even if you do not book through one of these agents, it is a good starting place to gather pricing information. Get a quote here.
You can also browse by ship on Cruise Compete or look at their specials.
This is a guest post from Betsy Rosenfeld, who writes a blog called Love Thy Dog and just published a book, The Complete Single’s Guide to Dog Ownership.
All budget conscious pet-owners should get pet insurance. Just like their human owners pets get sick and get hurt and treatment is expensive and unpredictable. Although a new concept for many Americans, pet insurance has been around since the 1920’s in Britain and it’s very popular in Canada.
Pet insurance is an indemnity insurance which basically means you pay a premium, monthly, quarterly, or yearly (there are often discounts for paying yearly) and you submit your pet’s veterinary bills to the company. They pay you back according to your coverage, i.e. after they apply your co-pay and deductible.
Here is where things can get dicey. All pet coverage is NOT the same. First, policies vary widely as do their premiums. You can get policies that range from those which just cover accidents to those which cover the common vet visit. Accident only policies are less expensive and as the coverage goes up so do the premiums.
Secondly there is the issue of pre-existing conditions and exclusions. Basically things the insurance won’t cover because your pet either had the condition before, or is predisposed to having because of its breed. Each company operates differently in regards to their policies on pre-existing conditions so be sure to read the fine print.
Unfortunately in this new economic landscape, just like many human insurance companies, some pet insurance companies are using a deny-first-ask-questions-later policy.
Go to PetInsuranceReview.com and see which company sounds good to you, and be sure to read the fine print. The company I used sent me a check immediately after my dog burst her spleen a few years ago, yet due to a technicality that I should have noticed (and that I am fighting) they denied a recent and very expensive claim.
Yet even with that experience, I know pet insurance is key. One should never have to euthanize a pet because they can’t afford the vet bill.
Betsy blogs about dogs and other creatures at LoveThyDog. Don’t forget to buy her new book!
Welcome back! I had a fantastic weekend and hope you did, too. I’ve got a deadline this morning and a speaking gig this afternoon so blog posts will be light today. Here are links to a few recent personal finance stories of note.
Debit cards are becoming more popular, but have two major drawbacks compared to credit cards, says Tightwad Tod.
Well-educated professionals are taking “survival jobs” earning $8 an hour, reports NPR.
Fake coupons from major manufacterers like Reynolds and Kraft are popping up on the Web, according to the LA Times.
Wise Bread suggestions 10 things to land a job online that covers the basics, like use a plain black type font, not a 16-point turquoise one.
Ordering flowers for Mothers Day this Sunday? CashMoneyLife has a bouquet of ideas to keep floral costs down.
I’m taking off this afternoon for a three-day camping trip near Paso Robles, my first time off since launching Bargain Babe! A few friends are racing in the Wildflower Triathlon, a hilly, hot, and grueling race. (I competed last year and pompously declared myself a rockstar afterwards.) Okay, maybe I did kick some butt. But still…
I’m not racing this year but am planning on being a super fan on the course while taking in the beautiful scenery and getting away from my computer. Phone service is spotty up there so I’ll be digitally disconnected. Withdrawal symptons – manically checking for bars of signal, sweating when I can’t find them, and then panic attacks when I realize news will be made without me knowing – should set in about 2 p.m. Friday. If comments take awhile to show up, it’s because I’m having convulsions.
I plan to kick the habit by staying busy. I’ve got a trashy magazine to read, a lake to swim in, a winery to check out, star gazing planned, beer to drink, a run with a friend scheduled, and friends to cheer on. Hubby says I’ve planned 80 hours of activities for the 48 hours I’ll be gone, and, well, he’s right. But I’m certainly not going to tell him that. Off to the great outdoors!
Enjoy your weekend!
Julia
aka Bargain Babe
A loyal reader named Eve turned me onto two coupon sites that she says have saved her bundles. One is called CouponsandForms.com. The site does not sell coupons – but charges a handling fee for each coupon you order. You must order $5 worth of coupons per order. Eve says she may pay $.08 for a $1 off coupon, which puts her ahead. Read more about how the site works.
TheCouponMaster also charges a small handling fee for coupons. When I visited the site I saw coupons for $.08 to $.50. The company also offers a $10 online class about maximizing coupon clipping. When you finish you get a $5 credit towards coupons on the site!
Both sites are very similar, but Coupon Master was easier on the eyes and was easier to navigate.
I’m curious to try buying coupons as I get out of the habit of clipping coupons. I’ll do it obsessively for a month and then slack off. Shhhh…don’t tell anyone. I’m much better at tracking prices and buying my favorite items on super sale, like I did today during Albertsons 8-hour sale (deodorant sticks $1 each, 1lb boxes of pasta $1 each, Corn Flakes for $1.50 a box and chocolate chips for $1.50 a bag). I saved more than 100% of my bill because of mark downs! But I only had two coupons, which seems woefully inadequate.
To Eve and anyone else who has used this type of service, please chime in with your thoughts! Is it worth it to pay for coupons?
The Metropolitan Opera in New York is giving free access to watch more than 200 full-length operas online this weekend. From 5 .p.m EST May 1 to midnight EST May 3, visit MetPlayer.org to stream an online video of an opera on your home computer.
To take advantage of the freebie you need to register/log onto their site.
Once you log in you can view their 20 high-def presentations, more than 40 classic telecasts, and 150 historic audio broadcasts dating back to 1937, according to a release about the event. Subtitles are available in a few languages.
Read the Met’s FAQs section about how it works and check out the technical requirements and troubleshooting tips. Met Customer Care will be available from 10 am to 8 pm on Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 6 pm on Sunday.
Thanks, Hubby!
Looking for coupons? CouponsHouse.com has online coupons for clothes, magazines, car products, and much more from more than 6,000 retailers.
Search for coupons by category, most popular, holiday, or most recently added. Each coupon has an expiration date, a link to more coupons from that seller, and the promo code, if applicable.
One cool feature is that you can sign up for categories of coupons that you are interested in via their free newsletter. CouponsHouse.com also makes their deals available via an RSS feed. Sign up by coupon category.
This is paid content. Interested in buying a sponsored post? Read my Advertise page.
