Career Archives - Page 2 of 34 - Making Sense Of Cents

My Search For A Better Work Life Balance

July 5, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 53 Comments

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As I talked about in How I Made $979,321 in 2016, my top goal for 2017 is to have a better work life balance. I am by no means complaining about anything at the moment, but I know that I could do better.

As a full-time blogger, taking a break from blogging can be quite difficult. It's easy to work 24/7, and as your own boss, you know that every minute is an opportunity to improve your business.

Plus, it's can be very difficult to disconnect because as a blogger, you can work from your phone, laptop, on vacation, and more.

If you’re like me, it is even more difficult to unplug when you love what you're doing.

But, that doesn't mean it's healthy.

Finding a good work life balance means taking breaks from work to enjoy life, and it’s important that you aren’t glued to a screen 24/7.

You need to enjoy what's going on around you, be present in the moment, and have a life outside of work.

Even if you are enjoying your work, a break is good. A bad work life balance can make you irritable, stressed, impact your relationships, and affect your health. [Read more…]

The Benefits Of Using QuickBooks As A Small Business Owner

July 3, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - Leave a Comment

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This post is brought to you by CJ Affiliate's VIP Content Service. While this was a sponsored opportunity from Inuit QuickBooks, all content and opinions expressed here are my own.

As a small business owner, tax time and keeping track of my income and expenses isn't exactly the most fun part of having a business. I always say that the most un-fun part of running a business of your own is when it comes to tax time. [Read more…]

How This 29 Year Old Is Building A Real Estate Empire

June 26, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 45 Comments

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I'm loving this new interview series that focuses on people who are doing extraordinary things with their lives. All of these stories have been incredibly motivating, and I can’t wait to share more! Past interviews include How This 28 Year Old Retired With $2.25 Million, How This Couple Paid off $204,971.31 in Debt, and How This Couple Bought an $11,500 RV, Traveled To All 50 States, and Built A Thriving Business.

For today’s post I interviewed 29 year old Elizabeth Colegrove, a successful real estate investor, property manager, and landlord.

She currently owns eight rental properties and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.

I asked you, my readers, what questions I should ask Elizabeth Colegrove, so below are your questions (and some of mine) about owning rental real estate and being a long distance landlord. Make sure you're following me on Facebook so you have the opportunity to submit your own questions for the next interview.

In today's interview, Elizabeth shows us how exactly she built her real estate empire, the process to affording each, what she looks for in rentals, how she manages her real estate properties long distance, and more. You can follow her on her blog at Reluctant Landlord. [Read more…]

How I Made $120,104.93 In May Working From Home

June 9, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 57 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Welcome to May 2017's business income report where I show you how I made money online last month. It's time to look at this month's update and see how I did.

Here's how Michelle made over $120,000 online, all while working from home and traveling! She shares her blogging tips in this monthly income report. If you're new to Making Sense of Cents, you may be wondering why I would want to publish my income report each month. You can simply skip to the next section if you're not new here.

This all started out as my extra income report because in the beginning, it was all about the money I was earning from my side jobs. In my side income reports from the beginning, I included all of the income I made except for what I made at my day job.

However, I left my day job as a financial analyst in October of 2013 and now my monthly income reports consist of the many ways I earn a living.

Many have asked why I would ever want to publicly post my income each month. Some think I'm crazy, whereas some are glad I'm open about what I'm doing. Whatever you think, I enjoy publishing my monthly online income reports and I share them publicly for three main reasons: [Read more…]

Why and How I Make Time to Blog With 3 Kids 3 and Under

June 9, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 31 Comments

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Michelle's quick note: Today, I have a great blog post from Dan on how he finds the time to blog with 3 children 3 and under. Dan Palmer aims to take a wholistic approach to personal finance by blogging about everything from the underlying ‘why' of personal finance, the every-day nitty-gritty hacks of frugal living, and the ‘how' of investing and growing your wealth. Find out more at penniesanddollars.com. Below is his blog post.

Anyone who has taken a serious stab at blogging knows that blogging takes a lot of time. Or at least, blogging well takes a lot of time.

You regularly have to find time to craft quality posts, maintain your site, promote your posts on social media, network with other bloggers, do research for your posts, respond to comments on your posts, and the list could go on.

This is a significant load, especially for the typical blogger that blogs while still working a full time job. On top of that, I have three kids, three years old and under.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking for sympathy. No one is forcing me to blog. I had a good idea of what I was getting into. And I love the time I spend with my three kids.

But you might still think I’m crazy.

And perhaps I am. Perhaps most bloggers are.

After all, for the first several months, if not years, you can easily put in a thousand hours with little or no financial compensation. You slave away for next to nothing. And yet, every blogger I know will tell you it’s well worth the effort. Otherwise they wouldn’t be doing it. [Read more…]

I’m a Female Breadwinner! I Earn Much More Than My Husband – So What?

May 30, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 78 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

It is less and less uncommon to have a female head of household, and it works very well for many couples. However, these changing roles can bring new challenges for both sides of the relationship.

I know this is true because I am a female breadwinner. In 2016, I earned nearly $1,000,000 from my business, and I am on track to earn even more 2017.

Even though I am the breadwinner, my husband takes on an equally important role in our relationship. He is responsible for the majority of the behind the scene duties that allow us to live a great life. He does help with the blog, but he is mainly in charge of us traveling full-time, cleaning, making our meals, managing the household, and more. He even makes sure that I am taking care of myself, especially making sure that I manage a good work-life balance.

We have a great relationship, and that’s because we make equal contributions to our relationship.

However, because I am a female breadwinner, it means that people often pass negative judgements on the both of us.

If our roles were reversed, it would be no big deal to have my husband as the sole breadwinner. Most would actually applaud him for his financial contribution and wouldn’t bat an eye at me taking on the role he plays in our relationship. [Read more…]

How This Couple Bought an $11,500 RV, Traveled To All 50 States, and Built A Thriving Business

May 24, 2017 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 48 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Heath and Alyssa Padgett. They are currently living in an RV full-time, making a living, and documenting it all.

Heath and Alyssa Padgett are living in an RV full-time, making a living, and documenting RV life all at the same time. Here's how they make this a reality! They blog over at HeathandAlyssa.com, and I'm a huge fan! Not only have I been on their podcast (How Michelle Makes Six Figures from a Blog While Full-Time RVing), we’re also friends.

In 2014, they quit their jobs, purchased a motorhome, and went on a year-long road trip across America. They worked jobs in all 50 states for a documentary they filmed called Hourly America.

After a year of living in an RV full-time, they realized RV life was for them. They worked to pay off a bunch of debt, built up their video production business, and they still love RV life.

This amazing couple has been featured on CNN, CBS, People Magazine, Business Insider, Forbes, and more!

Related articles on living in an RV full-time:

[Read more…]

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