How To Save Money On Home Improvements After A Disaster

“I was just in the neighborhood…”

These words are often the beginning of a very common scam.

That’s a tip off that this isn’t a save money opportunity.

If your house has been damaged in a fire, flood, or other natural disaster, you could be a prime target, to lose money.

Phony contractors make big claims and charge big bucks to repair your home.

They may demand a large deposit up front, then start the job and never finish it.

They may use poor quality material, perform shoddy work, or fail to meet building codes.

People are often so consumed with the devastation that has occurred in their lives that they are more vulnerable to disaster fraud.

Learn the Signs of Fraud to Save Money

If you educate yourself against dishonest contractors now, you can avoid becoming a victim of disaster fraud.

To save money, beware of contractors who:

• Go door-to-door looking for customers (and without business cards), drive an unmarked van or truck, or have out-of-state license plates.

• Ask you to pay the entire cost of the job up front.

• Encourage you to spend a lot of money on temporary repairs.

• Ask you to obtain the permit for any work. It could mean the contractor does not have a license.

• You can only reach them through an answering service.

• Quote you a price that’s vastly different from estimates from other contractors.

• Make outrageous promises and pressure you for a quick-decision.

Know Who to Trust to Save Money

Follow these tips for protecting yourself and hiring an honest, reliable contractor:

• Ask your insurance agent, friends, and neighbors who they recommend.

• Write down the salesperson’s license plate and driver’s license numbers.

• Ask the contractor for proof of his insurance coverage and any licenses he need to perform the repairs.

• Ask for a list of recent customers, then call them and find out if they were satisfied with the work.

• Call your local Better Business Bureau or Home Builders Association to find out if a contractor has complaints against them.

• Get estimates in writing from at least three contractors. These should include all the labor, materials, and verbal promises the contractor made.

When you are ready to sign a contract, make sure it includes all work details, warranties, time schedule, the quality of building materials, and cost.

Fill in all the blanks in the contract. Never leave empty spaces for someone to fill out later.

Pay by credit card or check, never cash. Checks offer the most protection, because you can stop payment if you have a dispute with the contractor.

Pay in installments. Put as little money down as you can, and only make the last payment when you are completely happy with the work.

Tell your insurance agent if an unlicensed or fraudulent contractor approaches you.

Disaster fraud doesn’t have to ruin your life; there are ways you can still save money, by not being defrauded.

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

  

Inspiration -- Madam C. J. Walker: "I Promoted Myself Into Business..."

Madam C. J. Walker

You cannot get debt relief if you do not have a money strategy.

This post was presented to inspire you to promote yourself into a make money online from home business.

Therefore, Madam C. J. Walker is a woman that all single moms should study.

In 1993, I attended broadcasting school in Indiana, where I saw a documentary about her, and visited her factory that has become a renown museum and mixed-use center that spans a city block.

To me, she is the pure essence of a single mother who chose to blaze her own trail to business success and debt freedom.

She started out doing menial jobs, but she decided to "promote herself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations... I have built my own factory on my own ground."

Talk about breaking through economic barriers.

Can you imagine the difficulty she faced and endured pulling herself up out of poverty?

I cannot pretend to think that she did not need debt relief as well.

When I start to feel that things are not going right or, not happening fast enough, I think about Madam C. J. Walker for a reality check.

Then, my courage is renewed to walk through fire and on water to reach my goals.

If you have never heard of Madam C. J. Walker, I would like to introduce her to you through a New York Times Obituary, which briefly tells her life story:

May 26, 1919

Wealthiest Negress Dead

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

In 1917 Madame Walker completed at Irvington, on the banks of the Hudson, a mansion which cost $250,000, and since then had made her home there. The house, which is one of the show places in the vicinity, is three stories high and consists of thirty or more rooms. She had installed in this home an $8,000 organ with furnishings, including bronze and marble statuary, cut glass candelabra, tapestries, and paintings, said to be of intrinsic beauty and value.

OBITUARY

Mrs. C. J. Walker, known as New York's wealthiest negress, having accumulated a fortune from the sale of so-called anti-kink hair tonic and from real estate investments in the last fourteen years, died yesterday morning at her country estate at Irvington-on-Hudson. She was proprietor of the Madame Walker hair dressing parlors at 108 West 136th Street and other places in the city. Her death recalled the unusual story of how she rose in twelve years from a washerwoman making only $1.50 a day to a position of wealth and influence among members of her race.

Estimates of Mrs. Walker's fortune had run up to $1,000,000. She said herself two years ago that she was not yet a millionaire, but hoped to be some time, not that she wanted the money for herself, but for the good she could do with it. She spent $10,000 every year for the education of young negro men and women in Southern colleges and sent six  youths to Tuskegee Institute every year. She recently gave $5,000 to the National Conference on Lynching.

Born fifty-one years ago, she was married at 14, and was left a widow at 20 with a little girl to support. She worked as a cook, washerwoman, and the like until she had reached the age of about 37. One morning while bending over her wash she suddenly realized that there was no prospect on her meager wage of laying away anything for old age.

She had often said that one night shortly afterward she had a dream and something told her to start a hair tonic business, which she did, in Denver, Col., on a capital of $1.25.

In a few years she had accumulated a large sum, and invested in real estate in the West and South and in New York State, nearly all the property greatly increasing in value. She then owned a $50,000 home in the northern part of this city, which some years ago she gave to her daughter, Mrs. Lelia Walker Robinson, associated with her in business.

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

Single Mom 101 by +Anita Sands Hernandez

SingleMomDebtTalk.com Contributing Author +Anita Sands Hernandez

You were abandoned by a pitiless,  oligarch-run White House.

You are  jobless, chained with unpaid student loans, compound interest that triples which they tell you cannot be escaped.

You are unable to graduate with a degree,  unable to find a job, unable to pay rent, marry or have children.
We're going to fix all that.

GUERRILLA CAPITALISM and entrepreneurial moxie is taught here by an OLD-Timer, skilled in cottage industries, frugal living, QUALIFIED TO TEACH THE RUTHLESS RULES OF REALITY so that YOU WILL achieve wealth and success, family and love without slaving for massah or hoeing anybody else's row.

Is Student Loan Debt Consolidation Right For You

A lot of single mom students need to get student loans to complete their education that may result in student loan debt consolidation.

However, student loans can be a huge financial burden to you, with high interest rates.

Here’s where a student loan debt consolidation can help.

Essentially, a student loan debt consolidation gives you a longer period of time (as long as 30 years) to repay your student loan.

Usually, the interest rates are much lower since a student loan debt consolidation takes into account all the student loans you are currently paying.

The interest rate for a student loan debt consolidation is usually fixed and according to federal law, cannot be higher than 8.25 percent.

Although there are many benefits to having a student loan debt consolidation, many single mom students are confused since there are such a wide variety of consolidation loans available from the government or private sector.

Before applying for any student loan debt consolidation, you must do some research to determine which student consolidation loan is suitable for you.

Here are some pointers that I researched that you can take into consideration before taking out a student loan debt consolidation:

• Credit Rating for Student Loan Debt Consolidation

It is important to know your credit score since it is a major factor in determining whether you get the student consolidation loan.

If your credit score is over 660, then you should not have any problems getting a loan.

However, if your credit score is less than 600, you might want to evaluate ways to improve your credit score first.

Your credit score will also determine the interest rate you have to pay for your student loan debt consolidation.

The higher the credit score, the lower the interest rate, thus the more money you will save in the long run.

• Interest Rate for Student Loan Debt Consolidation

Even though you can get a lower interest rate with a student consolidation loan, the repayment period is usually longer.

In the long run, you actually pay more for your loans.

It ’s a good thing to research for lenders who can allow you to upgrade your payment when you can afford it.

For example, you may not be able to repay much when you are still a student, but once you have a job and have a regular income, it’s best to repay the loan as soon as possible.

• Income Minus Expenses for Student Loan Debt Consolidation

You need to evaluate your current income minus your expenses to determine your net income surplus each month.

Calculate your expenses to see if you can reduce or eliminate any.

Make sure to do your research before taking out a student loan debt consolidation since you get only one chance at it.

It’s not easy to cancel it once you have signed the loan papers.

For student loan help go to http://www.debt.org/student-loan-help/

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

  

Commercial Brands Need Single Mom Blogs Worldwide

Commercial Brands Need Single Mom Blogs Worldwide

Commercial brands realize that single moms are not necessarily broke, but are influential social media savvy women who still have buying power, and can rally a personal network of other moms into a buying frenzy.

That power alone is why commercial brands are reaching out to single mom bloggers to help them spread the word about their products and services.

If you are a single mom blogger, it's not a matter of do you want to get paid, you do!

From my experience, it doesn't take a high-traffic blog to get monetized through commercial brands such as Kohls, iKea, Wal-Mart, Lowes... Why?

The following statistics are the leading reasons why they want to establish a relationship within the single mom / mommy blogger market:

• Women account for 85% of all consumer purchases including homes to healthcare
• Women represent the majority of the online market

• 22% shop online at least once a day and by mobile phone

• 60% of moms used coupons in the last 24 months

• 92% pass along information about product deals to their friends and family through social media platforms

• 76% want to be part of a special or select panel

• Nearly 50% of women say they want “greener” choices

• Single moms want help to get out of debt

• Single moms are very passionate about causes or events to foster awareness

• Single moms love to blog and create their own little communities.

Monetize your blog by offering promotional blog posts and sidebar space for them to market to single moms, in the U.S., Germany, Sweden, Australia...

So why not create a blog relations page to partner with commercial brands on the launch or creation of new products?

As we all know, most products from soup to nuts and everything in between target moms and women in general.

Let your blog relations or blog sponsorship page create a marketing relationship with them to help ”get the word out” for their new or existing product or service.

For those corporations that want to produce their own carefully written content instead of a spontaneous blog post by the blogger, either way, interesting posts will appeal to blog readers.

+SingleMomDebtTalk.com would also love to create partnerships with commercial brands that I use faithfully.

Thank you for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

Start Your Own Blog To Make Money Online

Many of you already have a blog with lots of steady, targeted traffic because it’s a blog about a specific niche or topic, but is it making money?

You have thought about monetizing your blog, but you don’t know how to do it, right?

There are several ways to monetize a blog and pay-per-click (PPC) ad programs are just one solution.

Whether you are a single mom, single parent, married or otherwise, you want to be compensated for your blog, traffic and hard work, right?

Well, here's what put me on the right path to making money online from home, in my pajamas!

Warning:  Patience is required.

According to statistics, out of 180 million bloggers, only a tiny percentage make money.

In my opinion, bloggers who are not making cash flow are unnecessarily worried about making their blog look commercial with advertising, instead of making their blog make money.

I have proven that a small blog can make money, and you don’t have to look for advertisers, they will come calling.

After you establish your blog on Blogger.com, which is owned by Google (sweet!), it will take you about six months before you start making money by offering affordable blog sponsorship.

Advertisers choose your blog because they can relate to your blog’s purpose (reason for blogging), good price, and a professional and friendly relationship, which is why it’s called blog relations.

I blog because I enjoy helping people find solutions to every day problems; so my niche topics are primarily targeted to women, single moms-dads, and stay-at-home mothers who are entrepreneurs or want to work from home.

You can be sure that I follow the advice that I give to others and I’m willing to do it for free!

Here’s how I do it:

• Since Blogger.com is already monetized with Adsense, providing you already have an account, pay-per-click (PPC) is a no-brainer.

• Amazon.com affiliate program advertising is another method I use to monetize my blogs.

• Affiliate offers still drive sales for large and small businesses across the Internet, so don’t leave this money on the table. Pat Flynn doesn’t, which is how his blogs earn most of its income every month.

• My own finance books (see example below), eBooks, and Kindle information products accounts for some income as well.

Those are the ways I’m making money online with my blogs because multiple sources of income, no matter how large or small, is cash flowing. My blogging sites help to offset expenses for our non-profit organization for self empowerment of severely disabled women—DEOM, Inc.

Think of multiple streams of income like a river that feeds multiple small lakes and streams.

Is your blog one of them?

Final thoughts, other blog monetization methods I plan to pursue are invitation only ad networks and freelancing.

If you have an existing blog, there is no need to create ‘new’ content.

Create your own “viral blog with built-in monetization” and drive traffic to it!

If you don’t have an existing blog, then you will need to select a problem-solving niche topic that has a mass market interested in it, as well as you.

Google Adsense and Adwords have mastered the technical details of making money online so don’t try to reinvent the wheel.

Just go with their cash flow and start your own blog to make money online.

Many so-called Internet marketing gurus would advise you to start a blog from scratch and buy their software products that will deliver instant results, but I won’t.

I’m advising you to spend $0 to start a blog that will instantly become your online business for you to produce relevant content for a vast, hungry audience, and make money online, using Blogger.com.

I don’t make any money for endorsing Blogger.com; I just love it because it works!

The benefit of having an existing blog to start your own blog business is:

• The content is already available.

• All you need to do is transfer it to your Blogger.com blog that promotes problem-solving products, and start earning money.

Tired of the debt lifestyle?

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share the post.

Tonza Borden

Start Your Own +Blogger Website And Establish Yourself As The Trusted Expert

If you love blogging, then you should start your own Blogspot because people search Google, which owns Blogger.com, for information and will look to you as the subject matter expert to provide it to them.

With Blogger, you can blog once a week for best results (or whatever schedule works) to provide an opportunity to build on being the subject matter expert, while reinforcing your brand.

Here are several reasons to start your own Blogspot on Blogger.com:

1. Start Your Own Blogspot to Build a Relationship with Readers.
2. Start Your Own Blogspot to Keep In Touch with Subscribers.
3. Start Your Own Blogspot to Drive Traffic to It.
4. Start Your Own Blogspot to Build Content.

Visitors can read a post or two to determine if your Blogspot will be of interest to them, which could help to increase subscribers and potential sales.

Tip:  If you use Blogger.com as an alternate blog to optimize your SEO Score, it will also bring new traffic from the Google search engine.

Here are 5 more reasons to start your own Blogspot on Blogger.com:

1. Start Your Own Blogspot to Develop an Information Product.
2. Start Your Own Blogspot to Grow Your Email Marketing List.
3. Start Your Own Blogspot to Gather Demographic Data.
4. Start Your Own Blogspot to Save Money.
5. Start Your Own Blogspot to Get Feedback from Your Readers.

It’s common knowledge that people like to buy from people they like.

By using a Blogger.com blog to connect with readers in their homes or on their smartphone, you can develop a relationship of familiarity and trust.

Be sure to share a little about yourself or your company in some of your posts to make them more relatable and personal in tone.

Remind Readers of Your Blog Archives

Use links to turn your Blogspot and newsletter into ‘silent salespersons’ – driving traffic to your Blogspot and building your Email marketing list around the clock.

Tip:  If you blog once a week consistently, the Google search engine will love you for providing fresh, well-researched, and well-written content!

When your Blogspot becomes popular, pick the best-of-the-best of your posts and turn them into a bonus FREE ebook for readers who opt-in to build your Email marketing list.

Warning:  An Email marketing list is a very valuable tool, which represents the core relationship you have with your readers. In my opinion, selling, swapping or spamming your list should never violate this trust. Learn how to use it responsibly with value-based incentives that your list will appreciate.

Let Your Blogspot Subscribers’ Work for You :)

Be sure to remind your readers that it’s okay to forward your blog posts to anyone they would like.

In addition, it’s important to include a newsletter opt-in for those who received your post from social sharing methods.

A simple line titled, ‘Get Your Own Copy of XXXXXX’, with a link to your sales page is all it takes!

By offering a niche newsletter..., you’ll be able to build your Email marketing list to build a relationship with your readers who are also your customers.

Learn what your readers are interested in, how to better serve them, and how to give them what they want.

They are not interested in what you want!

Make sure they become return readers and repeat customers!

All of the above benefits of publishing a Blogspot on Blogger.com is FREE.

On mobile devices, it also shows a mobile version of your Blogspot, and your Adsense, providing you have an account.

The NO COST of Blogger.com top-rated, highly searchable blogging platform is worth more than the cost of paid blogs, brochures, business cards, advertising, direct mail, pay-per-click or other means of promotion.

Not only that, but you have to manage that media/advertising/promotion/marketing production!

Because your Blogger.com blog is delivered on Google.com, providing you have selected the right niche topic, your Blogspot will be listed on the first page of the search engine, which will help to grow your traffic -- without worrying about the expense.

Bottom-line, it’s proven that a Blogger.com blog is the most cost-effective marketing solution for you to start your own blog!

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden

10 Principles Of Paying Off Debt With A Budget

Best Bets for Paying off Debt

Don’t let financial chaos keep you from paying off debt.

Instead, create a budget worksheet to record income, expenses, debt, and other financial transactions.

Paying off debt with a budget will help you understand how to take charge of your money.

Here are ten principles behind this strategy.

Set Goals for Paying off Debt

1. Brace Yourself for Murphy’s Law When Paying Off Debt
2. More Month At the End of the Month than Money for Paying Off Debt
3. Track Credit and Credit Card Purchases for Paying Off Debt
4. Plan a Fiscal Year for Paying Off Debt
5. Work Together with Your Family for Paying Off Debt
6. Decide what Specific Financial Goals You Want to Reach
7. Think About Long-Term Goals Like Retirement. Also, Decide What to Achieve in the Next Few Years, What to Accomplish This Year, and What You Can Do in the Next Month
8. Write These All Down, Rank Them by Importance, and Assign Due Dates
9. Next, Estimate How Much You Must Save to Meet Each Goal for Paying Off Debt
10. Figure How Much to Put Aside Each Week to Reach Your Total Savings Goal, and Then Write Down Specifically How You'll Make That Happen

Murphy's Law Factor

Murphy’s Law states, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” so take the total expenses and increase by 10 percent.

Open an extra account at your bank or credit union to save money for emergencies such as car repair or a layoff.

If you can, accumulate about three months’ worth of take-home pay.

The fact that you are reading this blog may mean that you are also looking for income solutions.

If that is the case, then I recommend starting a blog and monetizing it.

If your income is below the national poverty level, that means you must end the monthly mistakes that are sabotaging your budget.

Your budget worksheet coordinates your monthly bills and expenses with your take-home pay.

However, there’s probably no such thing as an average month (considering Murphy’s Law), so outline each month individually.

Be sure to include planned savings for your three months take-home pay, and treat it like a required expense.

Don’t get ambushed by high credit card bills.

Every time you use a credit card, write down the date, what you bought, and the amount charged.

If you use several credit cards, keep separate budget worksheets or columns for each one.

What is a fiscal year?

Instead of a calendar year from January to December, a fiscal year means financial year or budget year.

It is a period used for calculating annual financial statements.

However, for your purpose of paying off debt, you will lay out a yearly budget of planned expenses that aren’t part of your regular monthly bills, such as new glasses or contact lenses, firewood, homeowners insurance premiums, vacations, etc.

Review a previous year’s spending for similar expenses and estimate what costs are likely to be this year.

Decide where you might cut back, then total the remainder and divide by twelve.

Now, you can see how much to put aside monthly for these expenses.

Make budgeting a family affair.

By sharing the information, you also share the burden.

Tired of the debt lifestyle?

Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and share this post.

Tonza Borden