I’m not talking about the birthday money your grandfather gave you, or the allowance you got for taking out the trash or washing the dishes. I’m talking about money you earned from your own work and effort.

The first thing I remember buying with my own money was a metal detector when I was about 11 years old. It was a cheap little model that excelled at finding nails and other little metal objects in our yard, though it didn’t find the treasures I hoped. I can remember seeing an “incredible opportunity” in the back of one of my Superman comic books for people who were willing to sell Christmas cards and other greeting cards door to door. I was the little entrepreneur who sent off for the BIG catalogue and followed all the sales instructions. And yes, I got paid. Sometimes in cash, other times in prizes, but the company allowed you to determine which. MY first paycheck was that metal detector and it motivated me!

I can still remember the intense excitement when the UPS man drove up to our house. I knew what was in that log box and the only thing I needed at that point was 4 D-cell batteries.

The amount of commissions paid per sale wasn’t significant (as I recall it was about one dollar per box) but what it taught me was that labor meant profit and it put me in control of getting the things I wanted. I learned to ask questions of the little old ladies in the neighborhood such as, “Have you ever wished you didn’t have to go to the drugstore for a greeting card?” or “How much did you spend on Christmas cards last year? I can save you some money!”

I was a regular little salesman and I insisted on getting referrals. Looking back on it, my own social ignorance of how much of a pest I was had to have partially contributed to my success. Of course, those little old ladies were just happy that someone was visiting …

What’s the first thing you remember buying with YOUR own money? How did you earn it?

Leave your replies in the comments and yes, a jaded recollection of ancient history is allowed!

Photo by Hippycritical – thanks for the memories!

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Joey Chestnut

Do you ever wish that you had some kind of special talent or skill that you could use to make a lot of money and get out of debt, buy a first home, etc? Maybe you see people like Mark Zuckerberg who co-founded Facebook and is already a billionaire at the age of 25 thanks to his smarts and special skill set and become slightly jealous. Shoot, maybe you would even settle for being like Joey Chestnut the competitive eater who set a world record for eating 69 hot dogs with buns in 12 minutes. What do both Mark Zuckerberg and Joey Chestnut have in common? Each of them has a special skill set that they used to its fullest to become very successful. While not all of us can become as famous or as wealthy necessarily I do strongly believe that each of us could be considered an expert at something, anything – and with the proper direction we can turn that expertise into dollars in our pocket. Let me explain.

We are All Experts (in Something)

I would submit to you that you are an expert at something. I strongly believe that you know a particular subject area better than probably 90% of Americans. I also strongly believe that you can use this expert status and depth of knowledge about this niche to make yourself some money. Granted, these bold statements that I am making are true in different degrees with different people but I believe that these statement are true for everyone.

How to Find Out Your Area of Expertise

Many of you probably thought of your area of expertise the moment you first glanced at this page. For those who are still not so sure then here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. What do I enjoy doing? - Do you crochet for 3 hrs every day and know how to weave intricate “crochets”? (OK, you can probably gather that I for one am not an expert on crochet). Do you have a huge collection of Transformers that you still pose on your shelf as a 33 year old man? (Just for the record, I have not owned a Transformers action figure since I was about 9).
2. What am I good at? – Do guests rave about your cooking whenever you have company over? Are you the first person that your friends call when their car is “making a weird noise”? Do your friends hate inviting you over for poker night because you always win?
3. What did I study? – Did you graduate from college or trade school with a specialized degree?
4. What do I enjoy talking about? – Can you rattle on for hours about the Dallas Cowboys or geological formations or bond trading or equestrian sports or stamp collecting or (well, you get the picture)?
5. Do I have a specialized skill set learned from my job or business? – Do you have very specialized knowledge about a certain industry or product? Do you know things about a certain industry that only an “industry insider” would know?

I am willing to wager that every one of us could look through the above questions and come up with something (no matter how obscure) that we are somewhat of an expert in.

How to Make Some $$$ from Your Expertise

The next step to putting your newly discovered area of expertise to use making some money is to bring that knowledge to the world on the world wide web. The wonderful thing about the Internet is that even if your area of expertise happens to be “North Dakota Sheep Herding” then chances are that there is an audience that would love to learn about the knowledge that you have. Granted, you might not make as much money from advertisers or paying customers as someone who has a lot of knowledge about the stock market but you absolutely can develop a loyal following and make money in the process.

The wonderful thing about starting a website or blog and writing about something that you happen to already know a lot about is that A) You will already know what you should write about and B) Chances are that you enjoy the subject matter and can add some unique insight and helpful tips that someone who is not familiar with the subject or who does not enjoy the subject would be unable to.

To use two personal examples of putting some of these steps into practice: Ron started this site to talk about his passion for making wise financial choices and he is committed to not only providing top notch financial education but also providing insight into the different underlying character traits that influence our financial decisions. I am a CFP® and the owner of an independent insurance agency that sells Florida health insurance and so I had a lot of knowledge about various financial topics so I started a site to help people easily compare credit cards and a site to help people easily leave reviews and compare health insurance providers. My most recent venture is putting up a site that will allow people to easily do a car insurance comparison and find ways to save money on their auto insurance.

I would challenge you to ask yourself the questions above and see if you might be an expert in hiding that is primed to turn your specialized knowledge into a source of income. What do you think?

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Levi Strauss arrived in San Francisco in 1853, just 5 years after gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California and opened the western branch of his family’s dry goods store. In the years after gold was discovered, hundreds of thousands of people arrived in the Golden State to pursue the American Dream and Levi Strauss was there to “mine the miners” rather than mine the gold.

I recently heard a very successful farmer speak at my Rotary Club meeting and was struck by one statement: “I farm about 4,500 acres and more than half of that is dedicated to producing seed to sell to other farmers.” He is farming the farmers.

There are websites galore dedicated to making money online by teaching people how to make money online. There are writers who write about writing, business people who’s business is teaching business people how to conduct business, passionate people who’s passion is helping others find their passion, and coaches who coach coaches on how to coach.

What do these ventures have in common?

They all take advantage of a rush of sorts. Many of these see that miners, farmers, online entrepreneurs, and coaches all need something and rather than jump into the fray of competition against them, instead make their fortune in supplying people who are looking to make a fortune.

For example, young kids think setting up a classic lemonade stand is how to make extra money, but what if they started building lemonade stand KITS and selling them to other kids? My daughters make a fortune babysitting, but what if they were motivated to organize a sitter’s club and sold memberships to parents who needed a sitter on short notice? Sometimes just a potential sitter’s phone number is golden!

Making money isn’t about jumping on a bandwagon with the “next big thing.” It isn’t about retailing lemonade or retailing anything for that matter. That’s too obvious. Where real money can be made is in supplying those who are looking to jump on a bandwagon.

Where can you make your money?

What “gold rush” can you take advantage of? Instead of jumping in on the “next big thing,” what can you supply to those looking to jump in on the next big thing? This is what out of the box thinking is all about.

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy in the footer of the site or on my About page.

With the media endlessly trumpeting the decline in American manufacturing, you’d think there was absolutely nothing made in the United States anymore. Nothing could be further from the truth. Though the number has shrunk due to technology advancements and cheap labor overseas, there are still plenty of things manufactured in the US from appliances to yard tools.

What IS “American Made?”

One reason we don’t buy American more often is that we don’t know what is and isn’t manufactured in the USA. When 70 percent of a GM, or Ford vehicle is made from parts manufactured overseas, is it any wonder that we question what is and isn’t American? Honda (Japan), Mercedes (Germany), and Hyundai (Korea) all have manufacturing plants in Alabama, Michelin (France) has one in South Carolina. Are their products American made? Their US employees certainly think so. If 80 percent of your car is manufactured in other countries, is it really American? It’s hard to say with certainty. Sure, legislators assign a certain percentage of parts that must be American made to claim the Made In The USA label, but what is so miraculous about going from 59 percent to 60 percent?

Some would say that a product is “American” if it’s headquarters is in the US and the money stays in the USA. What about Chrysler? Formerly owned by Daimler Benz (Germany), but now owned by Fiat (Italy), do you really know which country receives their money? Regardless of any country’s public partnerships, do we really know whether those dollars are converted to Euros, or Yen, or Yuan as a hedge against the declining Dollar?

We’re disconnected from manufacturing

Not too many decades ago, you knew who manufactured your tires. You knew who wove your carpet yarn. You knew who operated the sewing machines, the presses, the giant machines of manufacturing. They were your friends, your cousins, your neighbors. Today, we’ve lost touch with people who make things.

We’re too interested in accounting

I call it the “accountification” of American business. We’re more interested in the buying process than in the manufacturing process, in how we can tweak the system to eek out another penny per share than in providing the highest quality product at the best price.

We’re too influenced by marketing

Whether we’re willing to admit it or not, marketing plays a crucial role in what we purchase. We’ve allowed ourselves to be convinced that a Lexus (Japan) is better than any other car out there and that having one in the driveway with a big red bow on top is the ultimate gift.

American business has been too slow

Not all the blame can be laid at the feet of the American consumer. American business has been very slow to react to changing conditions. When the gasoline shortages of the 1970’s hit the US, smaller foreign cars were snapped up like they were going out of style because they met the needs of the public. American manufacturing was incredibly slow to adapt and change. Not only that, but American manufacturers were perceived by the public as peddling shoddy materials as other countries (mostly Japanese) were steadily increasing the quality of their products.

Innovation comes from the field but accountants and “experts” are usually too slow to react to it.

The biggest reason is we’re a much more global economy

The interconnectedness of commerce today is astounding. Two hundred years ago, a chair manufacturer would buy lumber from a local forester, shape it with hammers and chisels made one town over, then sell it locally by delivering it on his own handmade wagon. Today, a chair manufacturer (even an American manufacturer) might buy veneers from a company in Canada, use adhesives made in India to attach it to a substrate made in Brazil, stain it with stains made in China after using power tools made with parts manufactured in 12 different countries, then ship it on a truck made in Sweden and a trailer made in Texas to a distributor based in France who will sell it to retailers all over the world using a marketing company that’s a partnership between and English and Japanese conglomerates. Assembled in the USA? Yes. Made in the USA? I’m not so sure.

What’s the solution?

We won’t be getting rid of the global economy anytime soon, not unless we’re hit by an asteroid or comet and life takes a radical change for the worse. What needs to happen is for manufacturers to focus on what they do best and for governments to get out of the way.

Does it really help a country to adopt protectionist measures when the problem is a lack of innovation, too much regulation, and politicians with ZERO business experience dictating how a company should be run?

History says no.

Check out:

Toys Made In America

Made in USA.org

Still Made In The USA

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6 personal factors that play a big role in starting your own business

Are entrepreneurs born or made? Some people are seemingly born with a knack for running their own show, while others struggle. Other people are content working in a well-defined role for a boss.  Still others, such as outside sales people, enjoy a combination of both. Are your ready to take the plunge and become an entrepreneur?

Having started several businesses in the past, I know that the personal aspect is as important as the financial aspect. Having the right personal factors in place is an asset that’s difficult to quantify, but a person with all the money in the world and a bad attitude will fail in his or her business while an entrepreneur with a great mindset will find a way to overcome even the largest obstacles. 

Risk tolerance

Starting your own business involves a higher degree and a greater quantity of risks than keeping a regular job. These risks may include financial burdens, the possibility of going out of business or even going bankrupt if the business fails. How do you currently react when things don’t go your way? If you’re starting a new business, get ready. Rarely do things ever go your way!

Then there’s the personal risks, such as not having enough time to spend with family or having to scale back on everything from vacations to private schools. Starting a business can be a money and time consuming project so, before starting any business, be sure you’re prepared to accept these risks.

How much time does your family need? How much time will you have to give them if your business is highly successful or if it struggles? How much time will they need in the next few years as you work to get things off the ground? I can tell you there were many nights my supper was waiting in the microwave and there were many missed soccer games and school functions.

Family support

Many entrepreneurs, myself included, can attest to the value of a supportive family. When I started the lumberyard, my wife was a rock of support. Knowing that your family and friends approve of your plans to start a business can improve your odds of success significantly. Having to justify your decision to an unsupportive spouse can be demoralizing, drain your confidence, and crumble your commitment.

Experience

When I started the lumberyard with my partners, we all had at least a decade of experience in the field. That experience helped us avoid pitfalls in areas such as granting credit to customers, handling vendors, and knowing what products to stock. The more firsthand experience and training you’ve had in your business field, the better your chances for success. You might consider going to work for a company in your field for a while or hiring employees who do have experience in that field.

Weaknesses

If you’re a sales superstar, chances are pretty good that paperwork isn’t one of your strong points, so hire a strong bookkeeper. Yes, you’ll probably drive each other crazy, but you’ll also be able to get more done! You can’t be thin-skinned! Admit that everyone, including YOU, has weaknesses. How do you overcome them? Hire employees who complement your skills or gather advisors to balance out your skill set. Just make sure you have enough basic business skills on which to base your company.

Motivation

If you can manage your own time and motivation, you’re in great shape. If you need someone to manage your time for you and get your motivated, entrepreneurship may not be in your best interests. Without a boss to direct efforts and monitor progress, it can be tough some days to accomplish anything. On top of that, having no other employees or colleagues around can make for a lonely work environ­ment.

However, the lack of distractions may help you accomplish more in a shorter amount of time, allowing you to spend time with family and friends.

Health insurance

If you’ve been reading this blog for more than a few days, you know about my health insurance nightmare. Losing access to affordable health insurance is one downside of leaving a corporate employer and COBRA protection is extremely expensive. If your spouse’s employer offers coverage, you may be able to piggy-back on that policy or you may have to buy a new or add-on health insurance policy yourself. Take some time and investigate various payroll companies that for a small fee, will lump you and your employees into their group. We used a program like this at the lumberyard and it was very reassuring to know that all our payroll taxes were properly handled and we were able to get great rates on our insurance. Having insurance is crucial for your physical and financial well-being; an accident or illness can sideline you (and by default your business) unless you have insurance to absorb the bulk of the treatment expense.

Should you start your own business?

That’s a question only you can answer, but by evaluating the personal factors for entrepreneurial success as well as the financial factors, you’ll be going into this new chapter of your life with your eyes wide open.

What other personal factors should someone consider when starting a business?

photo credit: Matt McGee

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photo credit: Jon Åslund

All you need is one standard box of your favorite flavor of cake mix, two eggs, and 1/2 cup (120 ml) of vegetable oil. Mix well and form into dough balls about one inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Press them into rounds approximately 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet at 400 F (205 C) for 7 minutes and allow to cool.

These little guys are moist, slightly chewy, very frugal, and limited only by the flavors offered by the cake mix companies! Chocolate, lemon, spice, butter, strawberry, you name it, you can make it as a cookie!

This recipe is especially helpful if you have a child with peanut allergies. As a matter of fact, that’s how we found it!

Bake some cookies and have a great weekend.

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy in the footer of the site or on my About page.

I can’t remember ever praying for a drought, but I’m almost there. My area of the country has been experiencing heavy consistent rainfall for weeks and my yard is in need of a brush buster and a wet/dry vac! I can’t run my lawn tractor because it will create ruts in the yard. Really. It needs to dry out!

Spotlight

This weeks spotlight blog is Amateur Asset Allocator, a blog written by a 20-something living in Atlanta (I love Atlanta!). According to Kyle, the blog’s author, he

works for a software company but since graduating college, investing, economics, and personal finance have been a huge hobby. [His] goal is to reach financial independence by 40, which means by then [his] income from financial assets should exceed income from [his] job.

Here are a few of Kyle’s recent posts:

• Outfit a home gym for less than the cost of a year at the gym
• Keeping the recession in perspective
• What matters in investing
• Choosing the best IRA for your needs: Traditional or Roth

I hope you enjoy Kyle’s work. I’m looking forward to reading more from this blog!

The Fab Five

An Auction Experience To Remember at My Dollar Plan. Madison relates her experience at a real estate auction.

Sara gives some fabulous ideas on How to Host a Simple Game Night with your friends or family. Game nights are great!

Being Grateful: Counting Up All that You Have Going For You at My Supercharged Life. Jeff hits us square between the eyes (in a nice way!) to help us see things from a different perspective.

What Malcolm Gladwell Should Have Told You In Outliers at PluginID Glen does a fantastic job finding the little thing that was left out of the book. I loved Outliers and even gave away 5 copies on my blog, but I think Glen nailed it.

Curbing Your Appetite For Stuff at Frugal Dad. It’s hard, I know, but material possessions really don’t make you happy. If they did, the narcissists in Hollywood would be the happiest people on earth!

Best of the Rest

Health Care Tax B.S. at All Financial Matters. “Change you can believe in” might become “Change you can’t believe.”

Five practical steps for generating new ideas and insights from Marc and Angel Hack Life. This was a guest post from Glen at PluginID again!

Interview with a Dave Ramsey Certified Counselor! Way to go Baker!

Anti Credit Card Legislation Hurts Just About Everyone at Mighty Bargain Hunter. Truer words were never spoken.

Work Abroad This Summer at Cash Money Life. I wish I had done something along these lines when I was in college.

Are You An ATM Parent? Am I An ATM Parent? This one hurt. If you’re a parent, you REALLY need to read this post. Ouch.

Enjoy the links. I’m still hoping to mow my yard.

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy in the footer of the site or on my About page.

We’re all searching for security in one form or another, whether it’s security in the form of personal safety and protection or security in the form of freedom from anxiety and fear. With our world turned upside down by the failure of financial, retail, and manufacturing giants along with rising unemployment and fears of a global depression, the search for financial security takes on a new level of importance.

Here are my seven keys to acquiring financial security:

1. Live on less than you earn
It’s the first key to achieving financial independence and security. Living on less than you earn means delayed gratification and it isn’t always fun in the short term, but it’s the best way I know to finance your long-term goals. Ruthlessly examine your current lifestyle, and if you see a lot of spending that is unnecessary, reverse course and think of it as found money, quickly depositing it into your savings account.

2. Invest in your own stock
Your ability to generate an income, based on your education, skills, and experience, is the single most valuable asset you own and is vital to your personal financial security. It is what puts food on your table and a roof over your head and it can’t be wiped out by a stock market crash! Thank goodness. Maintain your ability to generate an income through continuing education, additional training, your own personal development, and by seeking ways to make extra money on the side. If you work in an industry where layoffs are the norm or an industry  that is struggling, consider changing careers or relocating to an area where the economy hasn’t been as adversely affected by the recession.

3. Insure yourself and your loved ones
I can tell you from personal experience that adequate insurance is a MUST for achieving financial security. Always protect yourself from the biggest potential risks in your life — serious illness, disability, and death. Most people are disastrously under insured, especially if they become disabled. When an emergency rears its ugly head, you’ll never regret having “wasted” all that money on premiums for insurance you “didn’t need.” Don’t go overboard, but always make room in your budget for the proper amount of insurance. I usually ask myself, what would be the first 10 things to happen if [X] occurred? It’s a sobering reality to talk with people who put off getting insurance and regretted it when the impossible happened.

4. Pay yourself first
If you never seem to have any money left over to save or invest, send yourself a bill! When you get a bill for your electric company or your car payment, it has a high priority so use that same idea and bill yourself for your savings account. Be specific. The mortgage company knows to the penny how much they want from you each month so use the same tactic on yourself. Then pay your regular monthly bills, finishing up with that blasted credit card bill. If you’re having trouble paying it, cut your discretionary spending, but always pay yourself first.

5. Avoid borrowing money
Have you ever met someone who’s financial security was compromised because they didn’t borrow enough? I haven’t. Only use credit for purchases that appreciate such as a home or a college education. Some people advocate borrowing to buy a car, but having paid off nine different car loans in my life, I wish I had never gotten started on that path. Pay cash for everything: automobiles, clothing, entertainment, furniture, travel, and electronics.

6. Invest in boring things
Uncle Warren (Buffet) says that he only invests in things he understands. He also says he prefers to shoot fish in a barrel — after all the water is drained. His investing philosophy has served him well for decades and cannot just be attributed to luck but to sticking to an investing philosophy that worked. If Buffet played baseball, he would swing only at pitches that would get him to first base and wouldn’t worry with trying to hit a home run. Likewise, we should concentrate on achieving good returns rather than the home run (Bernie Madoff anyone?). Avoid volatile stocks, initial public offerings, buying on margin, and commodity trading. Don’t try to time markets, because no one does it consistently well, though it does make sense to pay attention to what the large institutional investors are doing. Have the patience to wait out the occasional (and inevitable) bear markets, and unless you’re willing to dedicate yourself to becoming an industry guru, stick with index funds rather than individual stocks. If you’re not willing to become a guru, have the self discipline to stick with what works — index funds.

7. Diversify, diversify, diversify
Just a few years ago, you would have been considered a wise old sage for investing your retirement cash heavily into real estate and popular stocks like Starbucks, Bear Sterns, Chicos, and AIG. Where are those real estate prices now? Where are those company’s stocks now? When those popular stocks were flying high, putting money into safer investments like bonds, CDs and less volatile blue chip stocks was considered wasted opportunity. Diversification into safe investments was boring. But successful investors have always known that any one class of assets, stocks, real estate, bonds, CD’s, cash, or even business limited partnerships, will have its day in the doghouse and its day in the sun with a lot of average, slow growth days in between. That’s why you’ve got to own most if not all of them, in a mix that’s right for your age, income, family responsibilities, and risk tolerance.

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy in the footer of the site or on my About page.

As the recession forces businesses across the country to trim their labor force and cut expenses, many will undoubtedly turn to freelancers and independent contractors to accomplish those tasks formerly completed by full time employees. If you’re interested in learning how to make extra money or even in replacing your income, freelancing may be the way to go for you, but it is a different world in many different areas.

Taxes

Freelancers and independent contractors are generally responsible for their own taxes. Once you take the plunge into freelancing, you’re now responsible to pay both your portion and the employer’s portion of all taxes, including Social Security and Medicare.

Time

When it comes to time management, your time is your own. As an independent contractor, you and you alone dictate when and where you perform the work you’ve been contracted to perform. The IRS calls this the “right of control over contractors.” As a freelancer or independent contractor, the business cannot demand that you work certain hours, in certain places, under supervision, or with certain tools or equipment. Certain exclusions may apply under some conditions (it’s hard to evaluate accounts receivable if they won’t email their data to you or allow you to remove their files from the office), so it’s best to be flexible where it’s prudent.

Total Amount of Work

The beauty of using an independent contractor or freelance worker for the business reaches far beyond not having to worry about taxes. When the work is done, the work is DONE. A business doesn’t have to continue to pay you like they would a regular employee. No work means no pay, so you’ll spend a significant amount of time finding clients. Plan to reduce this time by securing referrals from existing or former clients and NEVER be afraid to ask for a good reference. If you can get this reference in writing, ask if you can post it on your website so potential clients can see what a great job you’ve done for others.

Temperamental Finances

Working as an independent contractor or freelancer can cause you to experience large swings in income, depending on how well you prospect for new clients. It’s important to set a realistic budget and to have a very well funded emergency fund.

What’s your experience?

Have you ever performed any freelance or independent contracting work before? What happened? What lessons did you learn?

Would you like to start doing some freelance work? Why? What are your aspirations?

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy in the footer of the site or on my About page.

Writing a daily column for a blog isn’t the piece of cake it may appear. Consistently writing involves a lot of research and a lot of typing and a lot of editing. But if you’re motivated and use self discipline, you CAN do it!

Sometimes, after working on an article for 4 hours, I still throw it out and start over because it just wasn’t right. Then I spend two hours looking for the right picture or graphic . . . Believe me, it’s a lot of work!

I’ve done a little research and found some places on the Internet that will pay you to write for them. If you’ve always wanted to take up writing, but you weren’t sure how or where to begin, here’s your chance!

Enjoy!

Writing a book?

Oreilly.com – Here’s a great outline on How to Write a Book.
Writer’s Net – Helps you find and connect to a literary agent.
WordFirm – Make money publishing books as a freelance writer.

Subscription Sites

Go Freelance – Subscription service that connects you to businesses that will pay you to write for them on a freelance basis.
Writer’s Market – A subscription service that tells you how and where to sell what you write.

Writing for a blog

Weblogs, Inc. – You might be able to blog for one of their 60 blogs or submit your own idea for a topic. You’ll get paid per post if you meet their minimum post requirements.
Triond – Get paid to write articles. The amount of cash you get paid depends on several factors such as display and contextual advertising that appears on the pages of your content. They share 50% of the revenue generated by your content.
PayPerPost – Get paid as much as $500 (or more) each month for writing articles and reviews of their sponsors on your blog.
Blogsvertise – Their advertisers pay you to mention and talk about their websites, products and services on your own blog. They want the publicity, the exposure, the Buzz! that online bloggers and internet journals can generate.
Review Me – After your blog has been accepted, they pay $20 to $200 per post that you write by reviewing different products, other sites, or services.
Smorty – Earn between $6 to $100 dollars per post you write on your blog. The amount you’ll be paid for each post depends on its overall popularity and the page rank of your blog.

SponsoredReviews – With SponsoredReviews, you set your own price. Depending on the size of your readership and the quality of your blog posts, you can earn anywhere from $10 to $1000 per review.
LoudLaunch – Write posts on your blog about an advertiser that interests you.
BloggerWave – Read the description for an advertiser and then write about it on your blog. Bloggerwave checks your posting and transfers your money by PayPal.
InBlogAds – Write about websites, products, services and companies on your blog and get paid for it. They’re in the middle of an upgrade, so enter your email address and they’ll contact you when they’re ready to go.
BlogToProfit – They connect you with advertisers that are interested in sponsoring your blog. Write a post and get paid!
eHow – Submit your articles and start earning money. Payments are made monthly through PayPal and are generally based on the traffic the article receives and the quality of the content.
451 Press – Write for a blog within their network and receive 40 percent of all generated revenue.
Digital Journal – Have a flair for writing news? Join their network of bloggers that get paid to report on newsworthy articles through their blogs.
BlogBurner – After you sign up for a free blog, you’ll get paid for writing new posts through Adsense clicks.
Squidoo – Earn money by writing your new blog, or if you’re philanthropic, choose to donate your earnings to charity.
About.com – If you have some expertise, you can become a paid “guide” writing articles for About.com. Your compensation will depend on how many page views your post generates.
Mashable – Mashable hires freelancers and new staff, offering one of the largest platforms for tech bloggers.

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy in the footer of the site or on my About page.