This Blog Has Moved!!

Go to www.easykindamoney.com !!!!!!!!

I finally got the bugs worked out... I have archived the posts from this blog into the new blog... I hope you like the new site. Please feel free to comment and give me suggestions on the new blog.

Thank you all for reading and commenting.

Passive Income To-Do List for July

Image via CrunchBase

I am finally getting my head wrapped around the things I need to do in order to build my passive income. I think that it was overwhelming at the outset. There were just so many ideas and so much information to sift through. I was hard pressed to prioritize these ideas, but I think I have a better clue now.

The List

• Finish moving this blog to http://www.easykindamoney.com/
• Write at least two articles per day at eHow.com
• Read and comment on an one article from each of my eHow friends every other week.
• Mid-month, begin going through 31 days to building a better blog at Pro Blogger
  
  Moving the blog
  
  It is simply a matter learning a little more about Wordpress. I have chosen the theme, etc. I am just trying to figure out the widgets at this point. Other than that I really do like the simplistic power of Wordpress. As I mentioned in my previous post I Need to Move My Blog, I went with Bluehost as suggessted by Pat at The Smart Passive Income Blog .
  
  Writing more on Ehow
  
  I know that Ehow will never make me rich, however it is a good source of steady and predictable passive income. I have been slacking a bit with it lately, so I am resolving to write 2 articles per day. This should increase my monthly income by about 70-80 dollars.
  
  Commenting on eHow articles
  
  I tried an experiment by religiously commenting on my eHow friends' articles for two months and then I stopped commenting for two months. I am fairly certain that by commenting, I can increase my eHow income by about 12-15%. I think this is due to three things: First, these friends rate and comment on the articles. Secondly, these comments are posted on their home pages. Lastly, I think that these friends click on some of the ads on my pages as a favor. Although I do not condone this, I think it is just a fact of life.
  
  31 days to build a better blog
  
  This is a great project that every blogger should try. Each day contains a fairly easy project to improve your blog. I am actually really excited to embark on this.
  
  
  
  

Why Create Passive Income?

Image by mohdzakri.com via Flickr

The idea of creating income streams that continue to pay is actually at odds with the mindsets of many people. I have heard the comments of; “If you have that much time on your hands, you could be working some overtime.” Or “Why don’t you get a real job?” (by the way, I do have a “real” job as a debt collector).

I think that much of this attitude comes from the idea of getting something for nothing. It is obvious that if you have tried to get something from creating passive income streams, you realize that you will work many hundreds of hours with very little reward before you start seeing the returns on your investment of time. It may be just as obvious that there are many money-making “scams” and unrewarding wastes of time out there. I think that is the true purpose of this blog; to sift through the river sand and find a small nugget of gold or two.

An ongoing passive income gives the freedom of working when you want and where you want. I also know that by diversifying your income into “streams”, you can beat the “lay-off” reaper. If a website closes or an online experiment you tried goes bust, you still have these other income streams available to pay your bills.

It all makes sense on paper; let’s see how it works in the real world.

I Need to Move the Blog

Image via CrunchBase

As much as I like theBlogger.com format. I can see the limitations. If I really want to expand, I need to leave the nest. It is too difficult for a non-techie like me to customize things the way I want . In addition, it is obvious that having my domain name would be beneficial.

I had looked into several web hosting companies that offered "Wordpress" ready hosting, and I decided to go with "Bluehost". This decision was not made lightly, but I trust the opinion of "Pat" from http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/ . So I will be spending most of July bringing that blog to fruition.

But don't worry (he said, as if you lived and breathed for this blog), I will continue to post here, and I will archive all of my posts on the new site; as well as leaving a link here to the new-and-improved-blog.

Please try to bear with me through these first growing pains. I am discovering this journey into passive income just as you are. (we can do this, he said as he put on his sweater and outdoor shoes. "Can you say "passive income""? he said as he fed the fish and strolled out the door).

Blogging

I realize that blogging is not exactly passive income. Although, the archives should still produce ad revenue. Blogging reached it theoretical peak last year, so a new blog is not that inticing. However, a properly placed blog with good content and muti-media should still do well.

I read a very good report on blogging at http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/06/23/get-your-free-roadmap-to-become-a-blogger/ they are not paying me, nor do I have any affilition with them. But this report really opened my eyes to the thought process to writing a blog.

I think I must include this into my online income streams. It seems that it will requre a concerted effort, but with good long term results. With the added cash from the adsense program, and the exposure to my other projects, I think even this blog might be a little profitable.

Blogging may not be the end all and be all of my internet income plan, however, I think it can become an intergal part of the machine. One more cog that fits into my passive income stream

Saving Money as Passive Income

Image via Wikipedia

As I have become more excited about this idea of passive income, I am exploring many of the the blogs out there relating to the subject. I ran across something that gave me a new paradigm for some of my thoughts. Saving money can be considered passive income.

Look at it this way, If I reduced my expenses to zero dollars, then all of my income would be disposable income. Therefore every dollar I save is one more dollar of disposable income. Perhaps ol' Ben Franklin had it right; "A penny saved is a penny earned."

I do not believe it would be helpful to include money saved in my passive income statistics. In addition the one drawback to this income stream is that it is finite. Once I reach zero expenses (yeah, that will happen), The stream is capped.

However, I can certainly do some things in my life to save in this manner. I am terrible at paying things on time, I could easily save fifty dollars a month in late fees. I also should consider getting a roommate. I live alone in a two bedroom apartment, and saving half of my rent could sure help. Just these two changes would increase my monthly disposable income by $450.

I know this is not some revelation in income generation, but some food for thought.

CashCrate

I have been using CashCrate for about a month now. From everything I hear it is a good source of passive income. However, for me I have not seen the revenue and referral generation that I would like to see.

CashCrate is a free referral site. You can generate direct income by responding to offers such as surveys, or trial offers. but the intriguing part is the referral system. This should be able to create a good stream of passive income. The payout plan is fairly generous, and the program is simple enough. I have received my first check from Cash Crate (yes, the only payout option at this point is by check), so I know they are legit.

Image via CrunchBase

My problem seems to be getting the referral. I have 4 articles published on ehow. These articles are also cross-posted on Associated Content. I just cant seem to build the referral base that I want. I may be too impatient, so I will keep pushing the program and see where it leads. I may just need to be patient and mix up my advertising a bit.