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Make Money on Craigslist: How I Earned $3,500 in 30 Days

2018-08-05T22:18:00.001-07:00

Make Money on Craigslist: How I Earned $3,500 in 30 Days

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When I first started working from home, 99% of my business came from word-of-mouth – a design here, a few blog posts there. I started every workday by spending a few hours writing cold emails to friends of friends and pitching to freelance gigs found on various sites and Facebook groups. Finding work was as much a part of my work-at-home job as doing the actual work.

Eventually though, as you’ll find out if you’re in the work-at-home world long enough, there will come a time when you decide to scale your business, branch out of your current line of work, or diversify your income. So how can you quickly and easily find new clients and customers to fill this gap?

This is how I earned $3,500 on Craigslist in 30 days, using minimal marketing anyone can do.

Now, I’m going to forewarn you that I made money on Craigslist in two very different ways: One, completely average, and the second, a little unusual.

When I decided I wanted to expand my photography portfolio from corporate work to family and portraits, I knew I was going to have to branch out of my current client list. Outside of family and friends, I was at a loss at where to turn. I mean, how do you advertise services you’ve yet to actually perform?

On a whim while spring cleaning, I posted an ad on Craigslist. One $5 ad and a month later, I had landed $2,700 in photography work – with no website, business cards, networking, or marketing. You heard that correctly!

Because of the overwhelming amount of spam and scams on Craigslist, the site now requires you to pay for advertising services—$5. I can confidently say that the ROI on my $5 advertisment was well worth it.

The following $800 I earned through a rather unusual hobby—but before I tell you about it, I want to tell you about how I came to the decision to monetize it. After reading posts on The Work at Home Woman about generating income through finding your niche, I spent a good deal of time thinking about these things:

What hobbies do I enjoy?
On what subjects am I the expert?
Is there any type of work I could spend hours doing?
Any topic I could spend hours talking about?

After that, the answer was easy – aquascaping! Aquascaping is the art and design of living, planted aquariums; you can learn more about it here.

Along with my ad for photography and a host of items I found while cleaning out my closet, I posted an advertisement for live aquarium plants. I didn’t anticipate much demand, and at only a few dollars per plant, I didn’t anticipate much profit. But as plants produced from trimmings that I would otherwise have thrown away, every cent earned was (almost) one that didn’t cost me anything to produce.

What I thought would be a low-key Craigslist ad that almost no one would pay attention to, turned into $800 in extra cash over a two-week span. While I don’t think this will replace my day job any time soon; it was absolutely the easiest (and most fun) $800 I’ve ever made!

Do you have a service, product, craft, or hobby that could potentially be monetized? If you’d like to test the waters in a low-risk environment with minimal upfront costs, consider advertising on Craigslist or one of the numerous online platforms available to you.

Here’s how to get high-quality responses and make money from Craigslist advertising.

1. Use quality photos or example pieces.

If you don’t use photos in your advertising, you’re unlikely to get a response – period. And a simple link to your portfolio site is unlikely to be clicked if the person doesn’t open your ad in the first place. Include a minimum of 5-10 photos on your ad to give people a bite-sized preview of your work.

What about writing or more abstract services? Head over to Canva to design yourself a nice-looking service offering design.

2. Introduce yourself.

This seems like such a simple step, but it’s one that’s frequently overlooked! Especially with a platform like Craigslist, making your ad friendly and personable goes a long way to establish trust. Tell people who you are, why you’re posting, and where to find additional information about you.

3. Tell people exactly what kind of jobs you’re wanting to do.

When you create your ad, consider your prospective clients and customers and for what they will be searching. For me, particularly with my plant ad, I was targeting people who were buying used fish tanks on Craigslist. Think – what are the odds someone would search for the exact genus and species of aquatic plant I was selling? Not high! Instead, I listed my ad for “Live Aquarium Plants”, and in addition to the name of the plant, I included in my description naturally-placed search terms like “fish tank” and “aquarium”.

Do the same with your service. I could have left my photography ad at “Photography”, but instead I individually listed out “engagement photography”, “senior portraits”, etc.

4. Offer a deal or leave room for negotiation.

Now, this may sound counterintuitive if your goal with advertising is to bring in cash, but I assure you, this trick of the trade works – and it works well. Ads that include “OBO” (or best offer), “price negotiable,” or “discounts available” have a roughly 75% greater response rate. Price your services and items so that you have room for negotiation; people love a good deal.

5. Have an onboarding plan in place.

Learn from my mistakes. I was unprepared for was the rush of business I received. My inbox was flooded with emails and looked like a downright disaster zone, most of them asking the same questions, inquiring about the same dates, and almost all of them coming from similar-looking, auto-generated Craigslist email addresses that removed any identifying information. Know how you will handle these emails, organize them, and how you’ll set your rates.

Conclusion.

So there you have it; these are my best tips for finding clients and customers and making money on Craigslist when you’re just starting out. It also serves as an excellent, free platform for testing the waters of a product-based business you might have in mind. If the demand for your product is so great in such a small, localized area—just think: What could you accomplish with an online store?

Do you use Craigslist to make money? If so, we'd love to hear your story!

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Aimee Pass is a freelancer living and working in Austin, Texas. She enjoys taking a multidisciplinary approach to her marketing and writing that combines her love of design with darn-good storytelling. She also happens to really love plants (if you couldn’t tell). You can find her on at AimeeDiane.com.

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August 5, 2018 at 10:07PM

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Cat Is Feelin' the Love

2018-08-05T22:04:00.005-07:00

Cat Is Feelin' the Love

Brain Training for Dogs - http://bit.ly/dog-brain-training

Given the chance, 11-year-old Yamada grabs his human’s arm and holds tight. This video captures Yamada’s gaze of adoration that lights up the whole room. So sweet!

Dogs

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August 5, 2018 at 10:01PM

Round-the-Globe Look at Native Dogs: First Stop, Home

2018-08-05T22:04:00.003-07:00

Weekly Pet Quiz: Baby Talking to Your Dog, Mixed Breeds and Diabetes

2018-08-05T22:04:00.001-07:00

Weekly Pet Quiz: Baby Talking to Your Dog, Mixed Breeds and Diabetes

Brain Training for Dogs - http://bit.ly/dog-brain-training

1 Vestibular disease in dogs is a problem with what?

Digestion
Bladder control
Adrenal glands
Balance and spacial orientation
If your dog has been diagnosed with vestibular disease, you may be wondering exactly what that means. Simply put, the vestibular system is what affords mammals balance and a sense of spatial orientation. It's actually a system of structures in the inner ear, and when the system malfunctions, the brain doesn't have the information it needs to understand the body's relationship with the external environment. The result is a loss of balance and other symptoms resulting from vertigo and dizziness. Learn more.

2 While puppies respond to "baby talk" (dog-directed speech similar to infant-directed speech), adult dogs don't seem to.

TRUE
FALSE
A past study suggested that while puppies respond to "baby talk" (dog-directed speech similar to infant-directed speech), adult dogs don't seem to. U.K. researchers decided to test the validity of that conclusion by changing a component of the previous experiment — putting humans in the room with the dogs as they listened to speech recordings. Learn more.

3 When is National Mutt Day?

July 27th
July 31st
National Mutt Day (also known as National Mixed Breed Day), actually comes around twice each year, on July 31st and December 2nd. National Mutt Day was launched in 2005 to celebrate and help save the lives of mixed breed dogs. The goal is to raise awareness of the plight of lovable, deserving mutts living in shelters across the U.S., waiting with hope and patience for a family to take them home. Learn more.
August 1st
August 7th

4 What are free radicals?

DNA damaging molecules
During exercise, your dog's body produces free radicals, which are DNA-damaging molecules that cause oxidative stress. Learn more.
cell building proteins
organic compounds
energy creating molecules

5 Over the last 10 years, diabetes mellitus has increased ___ percent in dogs, and 18 percent in kitties.

20 percent
40 percent
80 percent
Increasing numbers of dogs and cats are being diagnosed with diabetes, and many are so sick they require daily insulin shots. A few sad statistics: Over the last 10 years, diabetes mellitus has increased 80 percent in dogs, and 18 percent in kitties. Learn more.
100 percent

Dogs

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August 5, 2018 at 10:01PM

Eating Well, and with Passion Lunch by Chloe Vegan Restaurant

2018-08-05T17:13:00.001-07:00

Eating Well, and with Passion Lunch by Chloe Vegan Restaurant

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During a break at the Affiliate Summit, we had lunch at by CHLOE. The restaurant aims to share delicious, wholesome, plant-based food that fuels and energizes without compromising flavor, taste or satisfaction. That’s what they claim anyway. Does it live up to the hype? Watch the video and find out.

Click Here To Download John Chow’s New eBook, The Ultimate Online Profit Model!

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August 5, 2018 at 05:07PM

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Lupita’s Sweet 15: Texas woman throws quinceañera for her dog

2018-08-05T14:43:00.001-07:00

Left at the shelter when her family moved, this sweet, senior shepherd deserves a second chance!

2018-08-05T12:43:00.001-07:00

BBQ Blogger

2018-08-05T10:18:00.001-07:00

BBQ Blogger

Awesome Writing Jobs Online -> http://bit.ly/Writing-Job-Online

Hi,

I’m Scott, the content manager for GoShindig.com, and I’m looking for a BBQ blogger. Articles will be both informational and product round-ups (and be a minimum of 1000 words).

Applicant

Experience in writing blog posts with examples of published work
Willing to complete a paid trial task
Immaculate grammar, punctuation, and writing skills
Experience in writing for SEO

How to apply:

Please send an email [email protected] with the title BBQ Job and your desired price per word in the subject line, and include the following within the email:

Any BBQ related experience
At least two examples of blog articles you have written

Writing Jobs Online

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August 5, 2018 at 10:16AM http://bit.ly/Writing-Job-Online

Slow Day: Week 31

2018-08-05T10:14:00.001-07:00

Slow Day: Week 31

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Welcome to my weekly Slow Day post, inspired by Monica from The Homespun Heart. My Word for 2018 is Slow and, in the spirit of that word, I’m taking one day each week (Wednesday) off — I’ll be unplugged and offline and plan to move at a slower pace, take time to do things that refresh me, and just really focus on being present and savoring the moment.

Each week, I’ll be sharing a photographic peek into my Slow Day. Enjoy a little peek into our lives!

As I mentioned earlier, we spent all last week near Mountain Home, Arkansas at Bull Shoals Lake with all of my extended family (26 people total, if I counted correctly!)

So enjoy a little peek into our day at the lake…

We all contribute to the meals when we’re together. My youngest sister plans the menu and then put together a sign-up sheet that we all signed up on. Today’s breakfast was Baked Oatmeal, courtesy of my sister-in-law.

We all stay in different cabins, but we eat our meals (and hang out a lot) in the big cabin that my parents stay in.

The girls loved getting to spend time with their baby cousins.

It was an absolutely gorgeous morning!

Silas and I went out on the boat for the afternoon.

We watched Jesse ski.

And then he knee-boarded, too.

(I also knee-boarded, but since I’m the one who usually takes pictures, we don’t have any pictures of me. 🙂 Silas knee-boarded, too, and you can see the video and read more about that here.)

Atlas and I spent a lot of time together this past week. He’s such a cutie and I love how much he’s learning how to talk and communicate!

The chaos before dinner. 🙂

Dinner was hamburgers, hot dogs, veggies, fruit, corn on the cob, and french fries.

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August 5, 2018 at 10:06AM

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Can't Eat Another Diner Burger? Check Out These Healthy Road-Trip Food Spots - Lean Belly Breakthrough

2018-08-05T09:22:00.003-07:00

Can't Eat Another Diner Burger? Check Out These Healthy Road-Trip Food Spots
Lean Belly Breakthrough!
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If traveling is a part of your regular routine, sometimes you get sick of doing the touristy thing and indulging in everything the city has to offer. Maybe you're traveling to a new place and you're excited to sample anything and everything fried, fatty, and sweet, but you also crave something healthy here and there to balance it out. Whatever your goals are, we pulled together a roundup of fresh and healthy restaurants and cafes to check out in every state the next time you're in town. Healthy has never been so easy. Let's take a tour around the states plate by plate!

The 8 Best Cities in the World For Well-Being

Lean Belly Breakthrough

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August 5, 2018 at 09:19AM

Ballet Meets Boxing in This High-Intensity 30-Minute Workout - Lean Belly Breakthrough

2018-08-05T09:22:00.001-07:00

Ballet Meets Boxing in This High-Intensity 30-Minute Workout
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Challenge your body with this high-energy cardio boxing workout from Mazi Dance Fitness, which combines ballet technique with boxing moves to burn calories and build strength. The workout mixes elements from the studio's signature classes - intense, high-kicking cardio from Ballerina Fight Club and toning moves from Ballerina Bum Bootcamp. You don't need any equipment for this one, so press play and get ready to sweat.

If you love this workout, be sure to check out Mazi Dance Fitness at the Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival in Chicago (Aug. 11). Get your tickets here.

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August 5, 2018 at 09:19AM

How to Perform Local Privilege Escalation Using a Linux Kernel Exploit

2018-08-05T09:08:00.001-07:00

What Freelance Writer Moms Should Focus on For Back to School

2018-08-05T09:07:00.001-07:00

What Freelance Writer Moms Should Focus on For Back to School

Awesome Writing Jobs Online -> http://bit.ly/Writing-Job-Online

The time is here!

Do you hear the glorious music?

I’m talking about back to school. It’s the time when the children no longer whine that there isn’t anything to do or the stress of trying to keep a house clean, run a freelance writing business and have those family road trips is making you crazy.

I don’t know about you, but this was the first official summer with the twins since they attended Kindergarten last fall. The summers before this were no problem as I was a stay-at-home mom and formed my own work at home schedule with twins.

But, for some reason, this summer was a gong show.

Let’s see:

My daughter was sick the first week in July and spent three days in the hospital
The childcare options that I envisioned were no longer available
I got ill and then my husband got sicker
House chores (lawn mowing, gardening, organizing) took a back burner for July

So yea, July was not the greatest month for us. August is doing better but just slightly!

Back to school for me is filled with great ideas for my freelance writing business.

If you’re a stay-at-home mom and also a freelance writer, let’s look at how we can optimize the time when our little ones are off at school.

1. Have a Schedule for Work Time

One thing I realized once my twins started school is that I could sit at my computer from 9-3 without really getting up or working much.

This was a new thing for me – being a full-time freelance writer – and I already was making a big mistake – having no set schedule.

So, the first thing as a work at home mom is to find a schedule that works for you.

What I like to do is do my house chores in the morning. This sets the tone for my day. Since I work in my home, I don’t want a cluttered office or house. It needs to be organized and clean.

So I get that out of the way.

I then work from 9:30-12pm and take a break.

I have to get up, walk around and have lunch with my husband (since we also works at home). This is the time I continue with chores (empty dishwasher, fold laundry, etc..) and may run some errands.

It’s a good idea to take a mental break from working at home.

But this leaves little time before I pick up my kids at 3pm. Sometimes I can squeeze in work from 2-3pm.

Once the kids are home, it’s mom time. I stop working and focus on the twins and getting supper ready. Then when the kids go to sleep, I’m hustling again!

So figure out your schedule when it’s back to school time!

2. Have a Plan

Once you have a schedule, you need a plan for the business tasks you will be doing every day. If you’re new to freelance writing, your daily tasks will be different from someone that’s doing this full-time (like me).

New Freelance Writer Plan

Your primary job is to find a freelance writing job (if you don’t have one or you only have one). You will spend the bulk of your time:

Pitching to job boards
Pitching guest post spots
Cold pitching companies
Networking with brands, influencers, and other writers on social media

The second part of your time at home is creating content to market your freelance writing business. This is in the form of samples. You need to have enough samples of your writing ability to convince prospects to hire you for their blog or newsletter.

You can house your samples on Contently, on LinkedIn or on your blog (which I suggest since having a home base of all your writing and business is more converting).

Seasoned Freelance Writer Plan

Okay. You’ve been freelance writing for over a year now and probably had clients in the past. So, what do you do to take your freelance writing business to the next level?

The first thing is you need to start raising your rate. I know this can be scary and daunting, but that’s how you can make a living as a writer. I have a great video to help you (and make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos).

The next thing is to audit your writer website.

You need to look at your portfolio and only showcase your best writing. Segment your portfolio with the different topics you enjoy writing about or just make sure the best samples are on top.

Every year I also liked to change up my website copy and look of my site. While this isn’t necessary, it helped me grow as a freelance writer and figure out my ideal client through that process.

Finally, I would lean on your established clients and ask for referral business. My two top methods of landing freelance writing jobs as a seasoned writer are through referrals from previous clients and from other freelance writers and through my website.

3. Take Time Off Work on Weekends

This may be hard for many. For me, I focus on my personal projects on the weekends and save freelance writing for the week.

For new writers, this doesn’t mean stop work completely; it just means don’t pitch or do outreach on the weekends. Instead, use this time as learning time or educational time on learning how to be a freelance writer.

You can also learn more about your niche or a service like copywriting.

Personally, the best places to find freelance writing tips are on Pinterest. Make sure to follow me!

Just type in freelance writing into the search bar and see what pins interests you!

You can also check out these blogs to help you out:

If you can fit learning into your schedule then you won’t feel like doing that is a waste of time. It is part of your plan to be the better freelance writer!

During the weekend is mom time, right? Grocery shopping, meal planning, family time and more! For our family, every Saturday is family day. We do an activity like go to the lake, go bowling, bike ride or play mini-golf!

The point is, to spend quality time as a family since you work so hard during the week.

Back To School Means Back to Work for Freelance Writer Moms

Summer is only two months where I live. It’s only hot for those two months and then it cools down and before you know it, there’s snow for 8 months out of the year!

Balancing it as a work at home mom means fitting work during the summer and planning your work when your children go back to school.

I hope these tips helped you and let me know in the comments your plan for back to school! I want to hear them!

Writing Jobs Online

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August 5, 2018 at 09:06AM http://bit.ly/Writing-Job-Online

Here's How Many Carbs You Can Actually Have on the Keto Diet - Lean Belly Breakthrough

2018-08-05T08:02:00.003-07:00

Here's How Many Carbs You Can Actually Have on the Keto Diet
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If you're thinking about trying the ketogenic diet, you've likely already started thinking about the foods you're going to have to restrict in order to successfully lose weight. The keto diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet in which the body produces ketones in the liver to use as energy in place of of carbohydrates. This state is called ketosis to describe the presence of ketones, a chemical produced when the body burns stored fat. While the thought of indulging in high-fat foods might cheer you up about your impending lifestyle change, we don't blame you if your initial first thought is, "Just how many carbs can I actually have?"

Cheese-Lovers, Here's All the Dairy You Can Eat on the Keto Diet

According to Dr. Josh Axe, a certified doctor of natural medicine, chiropractic doctor, and clinical nutritionist, in order for the body to successfully transition to and remain in ketosis, you should aim for about 30 to 50 daily net grams of carbohydrates. Once your body has gotten used to the reduction in carbs, you can opt to further reduce to about 20 grams of net carbs per day, which is considered the standard "strict" amount most keto dieters stick to. (More details on calculating net carbs can be found here.)

Shauna Sacco, a registered dietitian in Houston, finds it much more effective to simply put the calculator away, because unlike other diets, the keto diet restricts macronutrients rather than calories. "I encourage my clients to follow a 'food as medicine' approach to the keto diet, emphasizing the importance of getting plenty of antioxidants from leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, as well as whole foods from high quality, anti-inflammatory sourcing such as pasture-raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and eggs," she said.

12 Low-Carb Vegetables You Can Eat While on the Keto Diet

And we hate to break it to you, but yes, you do have to say goodbye your favorite comforting carbs like bread and potatoes when following the keto diet. "There is no room for any carbohydrate-heavy foods in the keto diet," Sacco said. "That means eliminating fruit, grains, starchy vegetables, and, of course, all sweets and sweetened beverages."

Lean Belly Breakthrough

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August 5, 2018 at 07:59AM

A Trainer Shares an Effective Strength Training and Cardio Schedule to Get Rid of Fat - Lean Belly Breakthrough

2018-08-05T08:02:00.001-07:00

A Trainer Shares an Effective Strength Training and Cardio Schedule to Get Rid of Fat
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Although a magical formula for losing body fat doesn't exist, we may have come pretty damn close. To be fair, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution, nor is it easy by any means, but Corey Phelps, NASM-certified personal trainer, certified BASI Pilates teacher, and TRX and Spinning instructor, shared an effective combination that could help guide you in the right direction. For starters, there is no definitive exercise that will end your weight-loss woes. Instead, you'll want to incorporate both strength training and cardio into your fitness regimen.

"Cardio-based exercises, otherwise referred to as aerobic exercise, use fat as the primary source of fuel, but cardio alone isn't likely to give you the lean, defined physique you're looking for," Corey told POPSUGAR. "A combination of strength training and cardio is what is needed."

According to Corey, the "ideal combination" includes the following:

Strength training - three to four times a week
HIIT (high-intensity interval training) - two to three times a week
LISS (low-intensity steady state) - two times per week

And, of course, the advice above won't work without clean eating and "minding your macros," as Corey explained. Her top cardio picks are rowing, jump rope, and swimming because "they target the whole body and burn major calories and fat," she said.

As for strength training, Corey recommends performing compound movements that work multiple areas at a time and changing the tempo to keep your body guessing. "For instance, when performing a squat, a varied tempo would look something like: lower for a four count, pause at the bottom for a three count, explode out of the squat on one count," Corey said.

Try her fat-blasting HIIT workout:

Directions: Perform each move for 45 seconds for a total of four to five sets. The entire workout should take around 27 to 34 minutes.

Jump rope
Squats
Jump rope
Push-ups
Jump rope
Split squats
Jump rope
Plank jacks

See each move broken down ahead!

If You Want to Get Rid of Fat, You've Got to Do These Exercises

Lean Belly Breakthrough

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August 5, 2018 at 07:59AM

I Meal Prepped Every Meal For 5 Days - These Recipes Made It Super Easy - Lean Belly Breakthrough

2018-08-05T07:22:00.001-07:00

I Meal Prepped Every Meal For 5 Days - These Recipes Made It Super Easy
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In college, meal prepping every Sunday night was a huge part of my healthy routine. It saved me not only time but also money. It kept me on track to meet my healthy goals, because I knew I had no excuse to grab something unhealthy on the go. All I had to do on a weekday was go home, and a nutritious meal would be waiting for me.

If you're looking to live a healthy lifestyle, meal prepping can be a huge step in the right direction. A few minutes cooking meals for the week on a Sunday night might be your savior when you feel tempted to turn to processed and fattening foods. To make things easy for you, I've gathered my favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes to prep for the five-day workweek.

21 Simple Meal-Prep Combinations Anyone Can Do

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August 5, 2018 at 07:20AM

The Top 80+ Websites Available in the Tor Network

2018-08-05T07:08:00.001-07:00

Investigative Journalist Needed

2018-08-05T06:47:00.001-07:00

Investigative Journalist Needed

Awesome Writing Jobs Online -> http://bit.ly/Writing-Job-Online

At Top Secret Writers, we dig into stories on unusual topics most of the mainstream media doesn't cover. We focus on government secrets, paranormal, cults, and much more. We could be considered a conspiracy theory website, but we are an open-minded skeptical organization -- we believe in using an evidence-based approach to find the truth (or completely debunk) stories.

We are looking for a passionate investigative journalist to dig into these stories, make phone-calls, maybe even travel to places and investigate. We are changing from a blog-based (short form) approach to more of a longform, in-depth investigative model and we need extremely highly professional, expert freelance journalists who can help us take the site to the next level.

We're looking at stories that may get picked up by mainstream media once we break the stories. This takes work -- so please don't apply if you're looking to write quick one-of blog posts. That's not what we do. Stories may take weeks (or months) to investigate and complete. For this purpose we're boosting pay to cover that effort (as much as we can -- with the goal to increase it as our funding increases).

Writers who should apply are those who have a natural talent to research. You feel at home in the library digging though newspaper archives. You know how to dig through online archives for info, making phone calls to interview people, and filing FOIA requests and enjoy reading through declassified government documents for gems.

If you're very passionate about using an evidence-based approach to actually find the truth on topics few journalists and scientists dare to tread, this is for you.

Please only serious applicants. Please include links to past investigative-style articles you've written. Also, I'm not posting a pay rate because we're also working on a marketing strategy to boost funding so we can pay more than this to our writers for truly informative/provocative investigative pieces. So with your application, please include the sort of pay rate you feel is fair for this kind of work. Be honest -- we know the value of investigative journalists, and will be targeting fund-raising based on what writers feel is fair pay.

Our past work has gotten us (the founder) on interviews with national media and radio. Ryan was featured on the History Channel. Such opportunities for interviews will be yours.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you and embarking on this fascinating journey with you.

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August 5, 2018 at 06:45AM http://bit.ly/Writing-Job-Online

Add These 20 Crunch Variations to Your Routine and Chiseled Abs Are on Their Way! - Lean Belly Breakthrough

2018-08-05T06:42:00.003-07:00

Add These 20 Crunch Variations to Your Routine and Chiseled Abs Are on Their Way!
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While doing 100 crunches won't diminish belly fat, once you dial in your diet and lower your body fat percentage, you'll want to reveal your strong, chiseled abs! These crunch variations are basic yet effective, and if you want defined abs, these ab-busting moves will help make it happen!

Transform Your Abs With This 2-Week Crunch Challenge

Lean Belly Breakthrough

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August 5, 2018 at 06:39AM

Get a Sexy, Sculpted Back With These 5 Moves - Lean Belly Breakthrough

2018-08-05T06:42:00.001-07:00

Get a Sexy, Sculpted Back With These 5 Moves
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When you think of the body part that makes you sexiest, your back probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind, right? But picture the sexiest red-carpet looks you've seen lately - many of our favorite celebs opt for super-low-cut dresses to reveal their stunning backs, and the result is supremely sexy.

The good news is that you don't have to get bulky to have a sculpted back, but you do have to do exercises that target your back from top to bottom. We teamed up with Sarah Chadwell, NASM-CPT, to bring you five of the best back exercises to add to your workout routine.

"Not only is a strong back sexy, but it's important for your health. Back injuries are devastating and will impact your everyday life," said Chadwell. Here's how to keep your back both healthy and sexy, and get ready to rock that backless dress you've been saving!

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August 5, 2018 at 06:39AM

The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Running: 20 Tips Every Runner Needs to Know - Lean Belly Breakthrough

2018-08-05T05:42:00.001-07:00

The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Running: 20 Tips Every Runner Needs to Know
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If you're ready to lace up those sneakers and hit the ground running, whether it's for general health, weight loss, or to reduce stress, read through this guide first. You'll learn must-know tips and get expert advice on all things running. Pretty soon, you'll be calling yourself a runner!

5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Started Running

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August 5, 2018 at 05:39AM

How to Network-Unlock Your iPhone to Use with Any GSM Carrier on iOS 11

2018-08-05T05:08:00.003-07:00

Only Nefarious Things Happen at Midnight

2018-08-05T05:08:00.001-07:00

Five Home Improvements Worth a Discount on Your Homeowners Insurance

2018-08-05T05:03:00.003-07:00

Five Home Improvements Worth a Discount on Your Homeowners Insurance

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As a homeowner, the process of renovating, remodeling, and upgrading your property to create your own private corner of paradise can be an expensive hobby.

The silver lining however, is that some upgrades can help pay for themselves over the long run by saving you money on your home insurance bill.

Granted, the renovations that typically help you qualify for an insurance discount are of the less glamorous or aesthetically pleasing variety, but it’s still money in your pocket. And when it comes to home ownership, every penny is important.

Here are some of the projects to keep in mind when considering home improvements that can help pay you back with a discount on homeowners insurance.

Security Alarm

This one is (or should be) a no-brainer for homeowners everywhere. There are about 2.5 million burglaries annually, and 66 percent of them are home break-ins.

Naturally, burglars are more attracted to properties that don’t have a home security system. In fact, homes without such protection are 300 percent more likely to be targeted.

“Installing a home security system reduces the odds of a burglary and homeowners insurance gives you a reduction on your premiums if you do so,” says McCall Robison, who manages a home blog for Best Company that regularly focuses on cutting insurance costs and home improvements.

In addition, some home security systems will earn more of an insurance reduction than others. To max out the discount offered by your insurance provider, says Robison, your home security system typically must include central monitoring that’s connected to emergency services. The insurance company wants to know that in the event of a break-in, an alarm will be triggered immediately and authorities will be notified.

It’s also important to keep in mind that the home alarm systems of today are far more sophisticated and advanced than the simple burglar alarms of decades ago. The days of a security system focused only on theft are quickly disappearing.

Today, security systems include everything from sensors in your basement or near your water heater to detect water leaks to monitors that let you know if your pipes are freezing, says Jim Hyatt, senior vice president of personal lines at Arbella Insurance Group, in Quincy, Mass.

“Certainly, security systems are a great way to deter burglaries, but the bigger risk is fire and water,” says Hyatt. “Water is the other top cause of people having disasters happening to their homes.”

“A lot of alarm systems 20 to 30 years ago were just burglar and fire alarms,” added Hyatt. “Today it’s more common to also have water leak detection systems.”

Insurance companies will provide credits ranging from five to 10 percent for homeowners with security systems, says Hyatt.

Emergency Generator

With increasingly severe storm events occurring around the country and the world each year, many homeowners are installing generators to protect themselves. It’s a smart move on many levels.

“During some of these winter storms, utility companies have a very difficult time keeping up with power outages,” Hyatt said, and a generator can keep the lights on during such an event.

Perhaps equally important, a generator purchase will not only save a few dollars on your insurance, it will also help prevent expenditures on additional losses such as repairing burst pipes during extremely cold weather and redoing floors when the pipes leak everywhere.

Once again, the amount of the insurance discount related to the generator installation varies, but can be anywhere from four percent to 10 percent, says Robison, who adds that they can also increase your home’s resale value.

New Roof

If your roof is 10 or more years old, it’s considered a substantial risk by many insurance companies, says Robison.

“This results in higher premiums on your homeowners’ insurance,” Robison explained. “If this is the case, consider replacing your roof for a lower premium. Roof issues are the main cause of water damage and leakage, so your homeowners insurance will heavily consider a sturdy roof as a worthwhile discount on your premiums.”

Replacing or simply reinforcing a roof with newer, stronger material makes the most sense if you live in an area prone to heavy snow, rain, or natural disasters (think: hurricanes and tornadoes).

For those who do live in a dangerous and disaster-prone area, the roof is not the only item that can result in a discount.

Shatterproof glass and storm shutters are among the additional precautionary changes that provide protection during a disaster and translate into a reduced premium, said Robison. The states where home owners are most likely to get a hefty discount for these additional improvements are Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Louisiana.

Upgrading Old Electrical and Plumbing Systems

Do you own a home that was built in the late 1800s or early 1900s? Even if it was updated in the 1940s or 1950s, the plumbing and electrical are still several decades old, says Hyatt.

“You’re most likely paying a pretty high price for homeowners’ insurance,” said Hyatt, who notes completely pulling out the old wiring and upgrading it to current standards may be another way to cut your insurance bill.

Updating an old electrical system, like knob and tube wiring, can lower your home insurance premiums. Photo: House and Hammer

Removing a Wood Burning Stove

Ensuring that there’s a safe heating source in your home goes a long way toward keeping insurance premiums down as well. While a wood-burning stove may seem like a nice feature on a cold winter night, they account for a significant number of fires, says Robison.

“Insurance providers raise your rates if you have one,” says Robison. “Taking it out could save you anywhere from $50 to $150 on your premiums, depending on your provider. Also, not having a wood-burning stove makes your home less accident prone and much safer, especially if you have children in the home.”

The Bottom Line

Renovating your home is part of the joy of being a homeowner (at least for many people). But if you’re embarking on such changes, it’s important to touch base with your home insurance provider and ensure you have adequate coverage going forward to protect all the money you’re spending.

“If you decide to do a major renovation and expand the square footage substantially and add a bathroom, then your house is different than it was before,” said Hyatt. “You don’t want to get caught not having enough insurance after spending $70,000.”

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August 5, 2018 at 05:02AM

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Concocting Creative Recipes for Success

2018-08-05T05:03:00.001-07:00

Concocting Creative Recipes for Success

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I absolutely believe that there is tremendous value in following people that you admire in your industry. If you’ve been involved with Internet marketing and professional blogging for some length of time, then there are a few big names in this business that are probably familiar to all of you. Most of you probably know about Shoemoney, Darren Rowse, Zac Johnson and Neil Patel, among countless others.

Maybe you look up to them. Maybe you look up to John. And that’s all great, because they can provide you with tremendous insights into how you can better achieve success in your own career. But if you were to perfectly emulate exactly the same path, making exactly the same decisions along the way, you might not end up in the same place, holding up a seven or eight-figure novelty check for a photo opportunity. The circumstances are different. You are different.

Into the Mixing Bowl

And if you were to do something completely different, embarking into totally uncharted territory with a brand new idea and a totally new vision, you might actually achieve far greater success than you could have possibly imagined. Or you could just fall flat on your face. You never know.

Because of this incredible uncertainty, not only in Internet marketing but in the world of business in general, there are countless hordes of people out there who just want to be told what to do. They want to be provided with a step-by-step tutorial that they can follow to a tee to achieve the kind of success they desire. But that kind of perfectly rigid and defined road map simply does not success.

There is no single recipe for success.

Putting It All Together

Some people might read those words and feel discouraged. They might feel like even if they do what they think are all the right things and follow all the right steps, they still might not get to the level that they want to get to. Because there is no recipe for success. You can’t just follow a pre-defined set of steps and expect to be showered with rainbows and cupcakes and rainbow-covered cupcakes. That’s just not how it works.

But you’re not just some people, right?

If there was a single, pre-defined recipe for success, don’t you think everyone else would have already followed it? And if everyone else was following exactly the same recipe, the market would get saturated with exactly the same things over and over again to the point where they would no longer deliver any value to anyone. The recipe would become obsolete, and then you’d be left with no recipe again.

No. That’s not the point. And even if you got your hands on this secret recipe that no one else knew about, life could get boring awfully quickly, because you’d be following exactly the same formula every time to achieve exactly the results you predicted. That’s not the kind of thing that would get most people out of bed in the morning.

Inspired Cooking in the Kitchen

Instead, recognize that the lack of a single recipe for success is not a point of discouragement, but rather a source of inspiration and creativity. That fact should invigorate you, because it means that your day and all the days ahead are filled with boundless opportunity and possibility. You get up each day to take another creative crack at it, not completely certain how it will turn out. That’s the thrill of it and that makes the reward that much more rewarding.

Yes, you may approach these challenges with a similar set of tools and ingredients and resources. Yes, you may follow certain best practices to give yourself the best shot at success, but at the end of the day, it’s about putting yourself out there in new and imaginative ways. This is true whether you’re writing blog posts, putting together videos for YouTube, designing landing pages for affiliate campaigns, or any number of other creative and potentially lucrative endeavors.

Because when you achieve a certain level of skill and expertise in the kitchen, you don’t need to be following the recipes in someone else’s cookbook anymore anyway. You’ve got your own dishes to create. Go crack some eggs. Bon appetit.

Click Here To Download John Chow’s New eBook, and Live The Dot Com Lifestyle!

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August 5, 2018 at 05:01AM

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