WAHM Blog

Work From Home Writing Jobs

A quick update today to tell you about a few work from home writing jobs currently available at About.com - a couple of which would be particularly suitable for WAHMs!

I'm sure that most of you will have come across About.com many times before when researching various topics on the internet. It's a well-respected, 'authority' site and provides information and links on a huge range of topics. Different sections of the site each have their own 'guide' and a team of contributing writers, creating content and sharing experiences.

The position that really caught my eye - and which would be ideal for a WAHM with the necessary experience - is for a guide for the 'Breastfeeding' section. You'd need to have a professional background working with breastfeeding women, or as a health writer with lots of experience in writing about this subject.

If you don't meet these criteria, then there are lots of other positions available in many different fields. Pay starts at a guaranteed minimum of $675 per month - but many guides are earning lots more.

If the requirements of a guide are too stringent for you, then consider becoming a contributing writer. There are lots of positions available, but there's one that may suit you particularly well if you have little ones at home... and that's for someone to write about 'Precious Memories for Baby's First Year'.

Writers initially receive a guaranteed minimum of $500 per month, which increases with increased page views by visitors to the site.

To learn more about the positions I've highlighted here - and lots more - visit About.com.

And for more general ideas, visit my Work From Home Writing page.

Submit Tips for Cash Prizes

Today I want to tell you about an interesting site I came across this week. It's actually interesting on two counts:

• It's packed with tips to make life easier, with advice about everything from cooking to relationships
• If you're full of good advice and have no-one to share it with, then your tips may make you a little money!

The site I'm talking about is Daytipper.com. Every day, Daytipper publishes a selection of user-submitted tips. Some are rather obvious (save old toothbrushes for cleaning your shoes!), some are philosophical (appreciate what you have - life is never greener on the other side) and some are truly useful (learn how to clean your microwave with just a lemon!).

Once you've enjoyed browsing through the hundreds of tips already published, then it's time to come up with your own... and if you are one of the top three tip authors, with the most published tips within a given month, then you can win a cash prize of either $100, $75 or $50.

OK, so it's not enough to retire on, but every little helps, right?

And if you have loads of good ideas and can type quickly, each submission should only take you a few minutes (plus there's a character limit of 500 anyway, so the site is not expecting epic length tips!).

If you'd like to learn more, visit Daytipper here - and if you are chosen as a monthly winner, please do let me know!

Free Budget Worksheet - A Cool Tool to Keep Your Finanaces In Check

A free budget worksheet is an invaluable tool when calculating the family finances.

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Assembly Work At Home

Are you interested in doing assembly work at home? I'm talking about genuine work where you actually put together or assemble products for other companies.

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Frugal Recipes - Garbanzo Bean Curry

Garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas) are - in my opinion - a staple of frugal cooking!

Packed with nutrients, they are extremely versatile and easy to use. I include them in all sorts of quick and easy recipes, from simple dips (just puree them and mix them with some sauted onion, garlic and a touch of lemon juice) to delicious curries like this one.

Not only does the whole family - kids included - enjoy this recipe, it is VERY cheap to make. You can use canned garbanzo beans, or - more frugal still - buy the dried variety and cook them yourself for several hours in a big pan of water until tender. Remember - it's always more frugal to buy dried items like legumes from bulk bins, instead of opting for the pre-packed kind. And the biggest savings of all are usually to be made by purchasing items like these from ethnic stores rather than your local supermarket.

How To Make Garbanzo Bean Curry

little vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 plump garlic cloves, crushed
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 teaspoons of curry powder
2 cans cooked garbanzo beans (or equivalent amount of dried, cooked beans)
1 can of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp sultanas
1 cup frozen peas
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a saucepan for a few minutes, then add the onion, garlic and apple. Saute for 5 mins, until tender.
Stir in the curry powder and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Stir in the green pepper, chopped tomatoes and sultanas. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Add the cooked garbanzo beans and continue to simmer for 15 mins.
Stir in the frozen peas and cook for 5 minutes more.
Season to taste and serve with rice or some tasty Indian bread.

Frugal...but fab!

More tips for making frugal meals

Home Based Data Entry Jobs - REAL Work For WAHMS

Home based data entry jobs DO exist and it IS possible to bring in some extra money each month with this type of work.

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Kool Aid Playdough Recipe - Make In Minutes For Hours Of Fun

This Kool Aid playdough recipe is easy to make and MUCH cheaper than the ready-made variety!

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WAHM Blog

wahm blog

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Bathroom Organization Tips For Busy Moms

Effective bathroom organization is important for everyone - but particularly essential for busy moms!

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Greeting Card Templates for Frugal Moms

As you'll know if you're a regular visitor to my site, frugality is something that's very important to me. As a work at home mom of five kids, it HAS to be - and it was particularly necessary to be frugal in the early days of working at home, when my income was relatively low.

So today I thought I'd share with you a few great resources I've found for free greeting card templates, enabling you to produce your own, gorgeous handmade greeting cards.

Not only does making your own greeting cards save money (quite a lot of money if you need them often, as the cost of commerically made cards is amazingly high!), it's also makes the card extra special to the recipient... and it's great fun!

Making cards is a great activity to do with your kids and if art and design are not your forte, then these greeting card templates will provide the artwork for you!

Greeting Card Template Resources

Making Greeting Cards has a good selection of templates, plus LOADS of other tips and ideas to help you produce wonderful results. I LOVE this site!

Hoover Web Design has a nice range of templates, although it lacks all the extra useful information provided by the site above.

If you use Microsoft Office, you'll find their range of greeting card templates here.

Greeting Card Templates has a truly impressive range of designs BUT they are not free. I've used this site occasionally for templates for cards I will be using in 'bulk' (for making a batch of similar Christmas cards for example), otherwise I'd recommend the free sites above, which are far more - um - frugal!

Finally - and if you're looking for a very simple, quick and FREE tool for making gorgeous photo cards - check out Photo Card Maker!

I hope you find these greeting card template resources useful - do let me know if you've found any of your own you'd like to share.

Click here for more frugal living tips...

Online Jobs

Finding online jobs is fairly easy if you have a computer with internet connection.

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Easy Recipes - Beefy Pasta

Last week I posted my very quick - and very easy - recipe for Chicken Supreme.

This weekend I thought I'd share with you another easy recipe idea. This one takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and another 15 minutes to cook (15 minutes during which you can be doing something else!). This recipe is ideal for the busy work at home mom as it takes up very little of your working day but means that you don't have to compromise on taste OR be tempted by unhealthier, ready-prepared options!

You'll find that your children LOVE this dish (have you noticed that most children seem to love recipes that combine tomato sauce and pasta...?) and it makes a satisfying meal for you and your partner too!

Beefy Pasta

1 lb lean ground beef
8 oz pasta shapes (I use rigatoni)
2 cups water
1 large jar (approx 26 oz) pasta sauce
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

Heat a frying pan and add the ground beef. Cook until browned all over (I don't add any oil, as the beef produces enough fat to brown it off).
Pour in the pasta sauce and water and add the pasta. Stir well and bring to the boil.
Immediately reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for approximately 15 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
Serve, topped with the Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses.

And there you have it - a tasty meal in minutes that everyone will enjoy!

I always welcome new recipe ideas from other WAHMs, particularly those that are quick, easy or frugal (the recipes, not the moms!). Just drop me a line here - I look forward to hearing from you!

Free Online Reward Chart

Just a quick post today to tell you about a very cool FREE website I've just come across that will help you encourage your kids to do their chores and save their money!

www.myjobchart.com, described by the founders as "an innovative job chart that is based on technology, positive feedback, and mutually determined rewards", is - quite simply - brilliant!

All you need to do to register is provide your email address. You then set up your own virtual job chart, adding various family members (with passwords), jobs and rewards.

This concept appeals to me on two levels - it's a great way to organize all the jobs that need doing and a great way to make kids WANT to do them, by appealing to their love of technology and all things 'online'.

Head over to their home page now and click to watch the video demo of how to set everything up - or click below to see my Reward Chart page, with ideas for more conventional reward systems.

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Work At Home Jobs

Work at home jobs are increasing with today's economy. Being a work at home mom is a popular choice, especially for moms with very small children.

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Easy Recipes - Chicken Supreme

I've recently shared with you a couple of my favorite frugal recipes - but today I have a recipe for you that may not be particularly frugal but, instead, is incredibly QUICK!

As a work at home mom with five children I really understand how it's sometimes necessary to try to put a meal together in minutes. It can be tempting to buy less-than-healthy foods that are quick and easy to warm up - but preparing meals for my family that are fresh and tasty is very important to me, even on the busiest days! And there are some great dinners that you can make from scratch that really don't take long at all... this recipe for Chicken Supreme is one of them!

Chicken Supreme

Serves 4 - just increase or decrease the amount of ingredients as necessary)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices of ham
4 thick slices of Swiss cheese
1 to 2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Pre heat the oven to 350 deg F.
Arrange the chicken breasts in an oven-proof dish and season with salt and pepper.
Lay one slice of ham on top of each chicken breast.
Lay the slices of Swiss cheese on top of the ham.
Pour in enough heavy cream to just cover the chicken breasts.
Place in the oven and bake for around one hour, until the chicken is cooked through and the top is golden.
And that's it - a totally delicious dish that needs just a few minutes to prepare! Serve with fresh green beans and rice (we think it's great -and healthier - with brown rice).

Please do let me know if you have any of your own fast (or frugal) recipes to share!

Frugal Recipes - Split Pea Soup

Another of my favorite frugal recipes is for split pea soup. In fact, for a work at home mom this recipe is great in more ways than one, as it's extremely quick to make.

It doesn't involve a great deal of preparation and most of the cooking time involved is the time the soup spends simmering... you don't have to DO anything, which leaves you free to either work at your business or take care of other household matters!

Split Pea Soup

8 rashers of bacon, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 sticks of celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb dried split peas
8 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves
2 tsp dried rosemary
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Fry the bacon over a medium heat in a large soup pot. You shouldn't need to add any oil as the bacon will provide plenty of its own!
When the bacon is crisp, drain most of the fat, leaving around 2 tbsp.
Add the carrots, onion, garlic and celery and cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the stock, then add the split peas, herbs and seasonings.
Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for around an hour, until the split peas are soft and broken down, and the soup is thick.
Add more salt and pepper if desired, then serve with crusty bread. Yum!

My children LOVE this recipe, so I hope you'll find it becomes a frugal family favorite with you too!

Read more tips for creating frugal meals.

Do You Hoard? Simple Steps from Hoarder to Order!

If you have a tendency to hoard items, then the resulting clutter can cause stress and anxiety. Here's how to take control of your home!

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BUILD A DESK | COMPUTER FURNITURE | COMPUTER FURNITURE ACCESSORIES

So you think you want to build a desk? It really isn't as difficult to do as some people might think.

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Declutter Fast - A Mess-Free Home for a Stress-Free You!

Need to declutter fast? Then try my top ten tips for creating and maintaining a tidy home.

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Frugal Recipes - Easy Pasta Bake

Frugal recipes - and recipes that are quick and easy to put together - are very useful when you're a work at home mom. It certainly makes life simple when you can get your dinner preparation done in under 10 minutes, leaving you more time to work and attend to other household chores.

And being able to produce a tasty meal without apending a fortune is a real bonus, too!

So I thought I'd share with you my simple - and relatively inexpensive - recipe for pasta bake. Of all the frugal recipes I use, this is one of my favorites! My children love it and I love it... in fact, it's a regular standby in our house for the days when there's very little time to cook.!

Here's how to make it...

Frugal Recipes - Easy Pasta Bake

1 lb box dried pasta (penne works well!)
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
approximately 40 little slices of pepperoni
salt
pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sugar
water
3 cups of grated Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
Tip the pasta shapes into a baking dish (around 13" x 9").
Pour in the tomatoes and the tomato sauce and stir well.
Chop the pepperoni slices and stir them into the mixture, along with the sugar, seasonings and Worcestershire sauce.
Pour in water until it comes to just under the level of the pasta.
Place in the oven and cook for 20 mins, stirrring well after the first 10 mins.
Remove from the oven, stir well, then sprinkle the grated cheese all over the top of the pasta.
Return to the oven and cook for another 15 to 20 mins, until the pasta is tender and the cheese is golden.
Serve!

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine - and if YOU have any frugal recipes to share, then please do let me know.

Read more tips for creating frugal meals.