How to Make Working From Home Work for You

If you are looking for ways to make extra money or have lost your job and need a way to make a full time income from home to fill the gap, look no further!  Okay, did that sentence grab your attention?  If so, good.  Keep reading.  If not, I hope you come back and take a second look.  I’m not trying to sell you anything or give you the next get rich quick scheme, but I am going to share with you a secret that not many people have discovered.  Interested?  Good.  Did you know that there are many ways of creating an income on the Internet?  Did you know that you don’t have to figure out how to set up a website or sell anything to do it?  That’s right.  You can create an income by creating content for the Web.  It’s not a scam, though there are many sites out there that might try to take advantage of you in these rough economic times.  But, if you are careful and savvy, you can earn as much money as you need on your own terms.  Want to learn more?  Check this out.

A couple of years ago as I was surfing the Internet looking for a way to make money to help stretch my dwindling full time income I was earning as a banker.  That’s right, I worked for a bank in the middle of one of the worst economic crises since the Great Depression.  Needless to say, I was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.  I had a house to pay for, a family to support and I was worried that I might get laid off any day.  And then I came across the website: associatedcontent.com. This little website began my writing career.  They allowed me to write almost anything I wanted, and they paid me. Not only would they give me an upfront payment for the articles I wrote, but they paid me every month for the amount of traffic my articles generated.  The more people that read my stuff, the more money I made.. I was hooked after I earned a few dollars for those first articles.

Of course, during the early days, the money wasn’t great.  I mean, the first couple of months I don’t think I cleared more than a hundred bucks, but that was a hundred bucks I didn’t have before.  Besides, having that extra in my pocket paid for my gas to and from work every week.  It was like I had figured out how to stretch my full time income just a little bit further.

My little experiment grew a little more each month.  I added a few more sites such as Helium, Demand Studios, Textbroker and Examiner, and started to see a real impact.  My current average, after 18 months of online writing is approximately 00 per month.  It averages out to be about the equivalent of earning per hour for 20 hours of work per week.  If you spread those 20 hours over 7 days, I work less than 3 hours per day at writing.  And the best part is, I can work those three hours in anywhere I want.  If I want to take a few days off, I write more on other days.  If I want to work at night, I can.  If I want to earn more, I can.  It’s all up to me.  I am paid for my efforts alone. 

Writing full-time making money online

I could easily leave my full time job and earn a good full time income by writing.  The only reason I haven’t yet is because I need the health, life and disability benefits I get from my job.  My goal is to become completely debt free (yes, that includes the house!) so that I can write full time and afford private insurance. 

I want to make a quick disclaimer here, though.  As good as everything sounds, and mark my words, this is a good opportunity.  I have no delusions about becoming the next Warren Buffet.  I mean, writing is great, but by no means will I ever be rich.  But, I do plan to become comfortable and in this economy, that’s really saying something.

Variety of making money online

the sites I write for offer different ways of making money.  Up until now, I have focused a majority of my efforts creating content for upfront fees. This process has allowed me to pay bills and pay down debt.  But, I know that this level of effort is not sustainable forever.  My focus is shifting to creating a passive income from sites that pay me per page view.  The way this works is that I submit an article and agree to accept a percentage of revenue from the amount of traffic my article generates in lieu of an upfront payment.  This way my efforts pay me each month instead of one time.  It takes some effort to get your library of revenue share articles built, but once you do, the money comes in each and every month without any additional input from you. 

The crux of my writing  centers around the things I know: veterinary medicine (in my life before I became a banker, I was a veterinary technician for 9 years!), banking and personal finance, do it yourself home improvement (my husband and I own a small home remodeling company), Internet and computer stuff and I am now doing a series on online writing. This is my opportunity to pay it forward, so to speak.  If one person finds these articles and is able to make a change in their lives for the better, then I have done what I set out to do. 

Cost of making money online

Okay, for those of you who have made it this far, you’re probably wondering where the catch is.  How much do I have to spend to get started?  Do I need more education?  I have to buy fancy equipment, right?  The answers are none, no and no.  All you need is an Internet connection, a computer and the motivation to improve your situation.  I subscribe to the idea that people should be paid for what they do, not pay for the opportunity to do it.  None of the sites I write for charge you anything to write for them, nor do they deduct any fees from your earnings.  What you see is what you get.

Benefits of making money online.

The benefits of making money online are staggering.  I make good money, I get to see my kids (help out with homework, etc.) clean my own home and actually see my husband.  I get to watch LOST every Tuesday, at least for a few more hours, and I can pay my bills each and every month.  I can attend my children’s softball/baseball games, chaperone the zoo trip and even have time to tend to my backyard garden and koi pond.  I plan to have enough money in my savings account and from the sale of my current 3 bedroom 1 bath cottage to upgrade to a larger home in two years, mortgage free.  If you’ve made it this far, it’s because you want to find a way to meet your goals as well, whatever those goals may be.  I hope that you find that way from this article and if you do, please drop me a comment and let me know how you’re doing.  Of course, I’ll be making a penny or so from your visit, but knowing that I’ve been able to help someone is priceless.