Blog - Making Sense Of Cents

Your Fall Financial Checklist: 17 Things To Do Now

Last Updated: September 13, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Looking for fall financial tips and money moves to complete before the year is over?

The hot summer months are over for many of us, and there are only a few months left in the year.

Today, I want to talk about fall money tips, smart money moves, and having a fall financial checklist to help you make fall a productive and good season.

This is a great time to start thinking about what you can do to save some money, prepare for the following months, and improve your life.

The tasks on this fall financial checklist will help you to remember to sign up for health insurance, prepare your home for winter, gather important documents, beef up your retirement savings, not miss out on employee benefits (hello, paid time off!), and more.

Of course, not everything on this list will apply to each of you, but this checklist can be a good place to start. [Read more…]

How To Become A Freelance Writer

Last Updated: September 9, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Want to learn how to become a freelance writer with no experience? Here’s how you can find freelance writing jobs and make money at home.

Finding a freelance writing job is a dream for many. Being able to make money writing from home can be a great career choice.

Today, I have a great interview about how to become a freelance writer with Alexander Webb. Alexander is a freelance writer for National Geographic, the New York Times, and more.

Alexander Webb and Kristin Wong (writer for New York Times, Glamour, Lifehacker, and more) created Come Write With Us, an online course for writers. This course teaches everything Alexander and Kristin have learned from writing for top newspapers and magazines.

Their course delivers real results and students have become freelance writers for magazines, websites, and one even writes for the New York Times.

Are you wondering questions such as:

What is a freelance writer?
How do freelance writers get paid?
What do you need to become a freelance writer?
How can I find my first writing job?

Today’s interview will help you get started and perhaps even introduce you to a new way to make money from home. [Read more…]

How I Grew a Travel Blog to 100,000 Monthly Readers

Last Updated: September 3, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 9 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hello! Today, I have a great guest post to share from Alex Kroeger from ViaTravelers about how they grew a travel blog to 100,000 monthly pageviews in less than 12 months. Enjoy!

If you read travel articles or follow travelers on social media, chances are you’ve deliberated about starting your very own travel blog. But, of course, the daily grind of a desk job makes us daydream sometimes. But that dream can be a reality!

If you travel for your hobby, you likely have a pretty easy way to monetize your hobby. You don’t need to travel full-time to make money from travel blogging. You can do it even if you only travel sparingly.

When you travel, you likely build a massive repository of photos, food experiences, hotel experiences, lessons learned, frustrations and so much more. These memories make for an excellent way to journal your memories, document them and make some money along the way.

Why not put some of these memories to work and earn from passive income (at the very least) along the way?

Who knows? It may just turn into a full fledged online business…

Don’t let the existence of literally thousands of such blogs discourage you from starting your own. With the right tricks up your sleeve and a true passion to see the world, you can turn your blog into a real money maker. There will come a time when you can finance your travels through that very blog. [Read more…]

Why I Went With A Credit Union Over A Bank

Last Updated: September 12, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The following is a partnership with SELCO Community Credit Union on the benefits of credit unions, and why I went with a credit union over a bank. All opinions are 100% my own.

There are many benefits of credit unions such as lower fees, lower loan rates, and more. Today, you’ll learn about why you should join a credit union.

I’ve banked with a credit union my entire life. Starting at the age of around 14, I went to my local credit union with my parents and opened an account with them.

And, ever since then, I’ve used local credit unions for my day-to-day banking, as well as any loans that I’ve wanted.

Even as a full-time traveler, I still use credit unions, and have not had any issues with that. I am able to get my day-to-day banking, as well as non-routine transactions done all over the country with no issues.

Credit unions often provide the same or better products and services as the big banks, with the added benefit of being more flexible, more responsive, and more personal.

Credit unions are popular for many reasons, like having lower fees, lower rates, and more.

If you haven’t joined one yet, you will probably be quite interested in what you learn in today’s article. [Read more…]

What You Need To Know About Investing, Retirement Planning, and More

Last Updated: August 30, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 1 Comment

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you interested in learning how to invest, start retirement planning, and more? Today’s article will allow you to get started with retirement planning and help with each step along the way.

Planning for retirement and starting to invest can be a very intimidating topic for the average person, and I completely understand that.

However, once you start, everything becomes much easier. You just have to get over that hump, and you can do that by reading up on the different retirement planning topics.

Today, I am rounding up some of my most helpful articles in these areas, so that you can reach financial freedom and start retirement planning.

Some of the topics below include:

How to save for retirement
Answers to 13 of the most popular retirement planning questions
How to start investing
Why you should be careful with 401k loans
What is financial independence retire early?
Different ways to save and invest for retirement
Planning tips for the future and for your family, such as obtaining life insurance, estate planning, and more.

Plus, I’m sharing several early retirement stories from real people. [Read more…]

Celebrating 10 Years Of Blogging – What I’ve Learned and Love After Earning Over $5,000,000

Last Updated: August 23, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 31 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

This seems completely crazy – it has been 10 years since I started Making Sense of Cents!

10 years ago seems like so long ago, but then it also seems like just last week at the same time.

10 years ago, I had no real dreams or goals for this blog. I was completely anonymous and I had no idea what I was doing. It was all just for fun.

Today, I have grown this blog into hundreds of thousands of monthly readers, I have formed great friendships through this blog, have earned an amazing income that allows me to retire whenever I’d like, and I love what I do.

I never would have guessed this for myself back when I first started Making Sense of Cents 10 years ago.

I have never been more grateful, especially lately.

My blog has grown into a wonderful business that has allowed me to enjoy my work, have a flexible schedule, and earn a great living.

Plus, knowing that I have a baby on the way and with how sick I was for the first few months, I have been able to take time off. And, I’ll be able to take a lot of time off when the baby comes as well. [Read more…]

How To Make $1,000+ A Month Selling Stickers Online

Last Updated: August 16, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Do you want to learn how to sell stickers on Etsy?

Creating stickers to sell on Etsy can be a great side hustle because many people use them and buy them, you can make money from home, and it can be fun!

Today, I have a great interview to share with you. I interviewed Mim Jenkinson on how to sell stickers on Etsy.

Mim has taught over 2,500 people how to make stickers from home.

Mim started with no graphic design skills and didn’t know how to create stickers when she first started. It’s something she learned as she went along and she has now turned this into a $100,000+ yearly business.

Are you wondering questions such as:

What are stickers?
Do stickers sell well on Etsy? How do I sell sticker packs on Etsy?
Who buys stickers on Etsy?
How much can you earn from selling stickers?
How do I find customers to sell stickers to?
Can someone with no tech skills create a sticker?

Today’s interview will help you get started and perhaps even introduce you to a new way to make extra money.

Also, you can sign up for her free class – Create Stickers That Sell. In this 60-minute class, you’ll learn the 3-step method to creating stickers that sell and stand out on Etsy and make money from home.

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