Money2aMillion

I finally selected my new domain name for this blog. I could have just selected www.doublechallenge.com. It was available. The problem is that I always regretted that choice becuase it doesn't perform very well in the searches. When people are looking for money making blogs, they don't type in double or challenge. They DO type in Money though. I really like Mike's domain name at Mikes Money Making Mission because a lot of people might type in "Making Money". I could have tried, "Flips Money Making Mission", but I also wanted to have a reference to doubling somewhere in there - not to mention it would be pretty cheap to steal his idea. I could have named it Double Money Challenge, or Making Double Money or something like that, but nothing sounded right. I settled on Money2aMillion because it had the word money which does great in the searches and the number 2 refers to the doubling aspect. Now I just have to figure out how to upload blog software and start blogging there. (Any tips are welcomed) Until then, this will still be my home.

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Another Approved Pay Per Post - Post

My boots post I did for Pay Per Post was approved. That's another $5.50. I can't wait until it hits my paypal - I think it's done once per month. I'll let you know when I have it. Remember, you can register through my link to the left. Why havn't you signed up yet?

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Paid for Webhosting

I paid for the webhosting for the new blog address and the Cashcomrade.com site today. Now I just have to pick a new domain name for the site and figure out how to set up a blog on it. I'm too busy tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

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$20 in my pocket (ok, not yet)

My $20 post was approved by Pay Per Post today! Now I just have to wait for the payment. Definitely the easiest $20 I ever made. It's worth it to sign up just for that post, although you will likely want to take advantage of others. I'm still trying to come up with the new domain name for my blog. It's actually a very serious decision when you think of search engines and all. Not many people looking for blogs like this type in the word double or challenge. But how many type in money? A lot I imagine.

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Received watches

I received the 6 watches today. Like I said, I paid $80.65 for them so I need to sell them for more than $13.33. Having seen them, I am quite sure this is going to happen. I have three styles (2 of each). Two of the styles look great and the last one I am not sure about. Once I put them on line I should get a hint at how well they sell. If they DO sell well, there is more where that came from as the place I bought them from is STILL selling them at a steal. I'll keep you posted.

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New Domain Name for the Double Challenge

I've been noticing that a lot of Pay Per Post opportunities require that you have your own domain name. I think I will probably end up getting my own domain name to take advantage of this opportunity. The web space I am buying can only be split into two domains, so the Double Challenge will have to pay for the whole $50, but I figure I should make back this money in the extra opportunities available to me when I get that one approved as well. Now, if I could only choose a new domain name...

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Cashcomrade.com Back on Line

I've decided to re-instate the Cashcomrade.com website. It still hasn't made me much money, but I have some new ideas I want to try. My problem was that I couldn't afford the $49 that was being asked to renew (based on my stake - this is really a good price for what I was getting). Well, it looks like someone I know needs to start thier own site too, so we're going to split the cost of the website fees, which would only cost the Double Challenge $24.50. A much easier pill to swallow. I haven't paid yet, so i havn't adjusted the shown profit on the left, but when I do you'll see it drop a touch. I think this is a good investment as I have learned a TON from it so far.

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Opened a Double Challenge Bank account!

I decided to go out and get a bank account exclusively for the Double Challenge. Actually, I took out three of them. I was going to take out one, but I wanted a high interest savings account so I could make the most amount of money (yes, yes - a savings account does not give you the most amount of money, but I mean the most from a bank account for now) The bank I like has a policy that if you want to withdrawl from your savings account, it takes one business day. Usually, you would transfer the money from your savings into your chequing for the next day - at that point you can withdrawl it. So I needed two to do that. BUT they also have two types of Savings accounts. One where if you have any amount of money you get a decent interest rate, and one where it is really crappy under $1,000, but really really good if it's over $1,000. So I figured I should get both of these because in the future I may have more than $1,000 in the bank. I deposited $300 and decided to hang on to the rest for now so I'd have some on hand in case a good deal came my way. Finally, I will at least be making some interest on this money I have made and it won't just be sitting in my sock drawer.

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Used a Coupon

I used one of the Cheerios coupons that I found on my cereal box. Actually, I had to register at a website and download and print the coupon. I definitely would have bought the Cheerios anyways - ok, maybe not on that particular day, but I would have bought Cheerios anyways since that is all my 2 year old wants to eat. I also saved the GST and PST taxes that I would have had to pay on the $1 I saved, although I had to use printer ink and paper, so I figure they cancel out and I'll add a cool $1 to my stake. I'll try not to spend it all in one place.

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Turnonepoundintoonemillion.com

Ok, so the previous post was blatant advertising, but like I said, you should check out Pay Per Post (check out the link to the left). If they're happy with it, I'll make $5 for writing the below post. Hey, why not? I really do think it's a decent boot website. Anyways, I've been checking out a fellow doubler's blog (well, she planned on doubling, but needed the money too badly) who is kicking royal *ss! She's made over 8900 British pounds and she started in Febuary 2007. That's just a bit more than my measly $450 in twice the time. I decided that if I want to make some serious money too, I should check out to see what she's done to make so much cash. I just finished reading her entire blog and I must say it is worth the read. If you are serious about making some money blogging, you should check it out!

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Need Boots?

I came across this work boot webpage and thought they were pretty cool. The quote on their webpage is, "We specialize in American work boots and shoes made in the U.S.A. We take great pride in re-investing our profits in Made in U.S.A. work boots and shoes, keeping American manufacturing alive and Americans working." So if you're filled with patriotic pride, you might want to consider purchasing your boots from these guys. They also don't charge for returns and exchanges. Heck, they will even pay the shipping if you decide to exchange your boots for a different size! So give them a try and buy your boots from AmericanMadeWorkBoots

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Death and Taxes

For those of you who havn't been following my blog, I've been trying to get my US Citizenship sorted out. I just got off the phone from a 2 hour call to the IRS. Holy crap there is a lot to absorb. The lady was really nice, but she didn't want to go through my list of questions until she had asked me a billion questions to make sure I had the right forms. Most of what she said I already knew, but she refused to just go through my questions. FINALLY we went through my questions and I got most of them answered. Only a few remain that either I couldn't understand what she was saying, or she didn't really answer to my satisfaction (I don't think she really knew the answers). On one hand I feel much better now that a bunch of my questions have been answered and I can do most of the forms, but on the other hand, my mind is so boggled trying to absorb it all. The best part is that the lady said usually they want your current year (2007) and the previous 5, which is 6 years instead of 7. That was nice to hear. The worst part is that I might owe some tax this year because I sold my house in 2007. Apparently if you rent it (like I did for 10 months), then you are subject to tax on the amount you would have claimed for depreciation. I think I'll try to write up a few specific years now and call in if I have specific questions about those years. I can't wait to be DONE this.

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I'm Annoyed.

I'm so annoyed. The VCR remote control doesn't work. I explicitly asked the lady if it worked and she said yes. But how do you go knocking on someone's door who sold you a VCR for $2 and demand your money back? I'd look like a lunatic. I guess that's the risk you take when buying from a garage sale. It was also missing the screws on the top case, so I'll have to buy some (I did know about those though) I'll just have to sell the VCR without a remote, which will be much harder to do. I have the same problem with the TV, which brings me to the next thing I am annoyed at. I had a buyer all set up for the TV at 6PM on Friday and she simply didn't show. She hasn't answered any of my e-mails since, even though she was responding very quickly before she stood me up. Luckily I was going to be home anyways that night, but it still annoys me. I was supposed to make $20 that night and now I am looking for a buyer again. And THEN I put new batteries into one of the walkie talkies (the other one works already) and it didn't work! I was SOOOO annoyed since the guy had talked about his kids playing with them yesterday. I was just about to throw them in the trash when I decided to try one more time with the batteries in the other walkie talkie. Amazingly, it worked! I think I was because I didn't put the back on it the first time. At least that one worked out in the end. I posted an ad and already have people amazed that it takes 10 AA batteries. Hopefully that is a good thing (although i suspect it is not).

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Blog Approved by Pay Per Post!

I'm so excited! My blog was approved by Pay Per Post! Now I can get paid to blog! I logged in and checked out the opportunities and what did I find? I found a $20 offer to do this post. That's right! I'm being paid $20 to write this post RIGHT NOW! That is so awesome! Maybe the easiest $20 I ever made. The Pay Per Post website is set up so that it's easy to see what opportunities you can apply to. All you have to do is click on a button and Bam! It's reserved for you. Then you write up the post (like this one) and then send them the link to the post. It's like taking candy from a baby (not that I condone unscrupulous activities like that). The part I like the best is that right on the Main page, it shows you a breakdown of your posts taken, posts approved, posts rejected, How much you've been paid and how much you will be paid. Everything you need to know where you stand without hassling around with e-mails to support desks, etc. Honestly, ever since I discovered Pay Per Post at Mikes Money Making Mission I have wondered why I don't try joining up. Now that I am an official Postie (as they call us) I honestly don't know why every blogger doesn't sign up. Seriously.


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Garage Sales Again

I managed to haul my butt out of bed for the third straight Saturday. I don't even know who I am anymore. That isn't like me. I usually need my beauty sleep. I guess I've become motivated about this challenge again and I want to be successful. I havn't heard of anyone yet who's actually made it to the million so maybe I can be the first! I only had an hour at the garage sales since my nephew is having his first birthday party today so I had to be out there bright and early, right at 8AM. I was looking at a couple of air conditioners. They were asking $50 for some old one and $100 for a new one. I might have made some money on them, but I wasn' t sure so I passed them by. I did end up picking up a VCR for $2, which I am sure I can sell for more considering I have already sold VCRs for $10 and $20. The other thing I bought is more of an experiment. I bought some really old walkie talkies. They each take 10 (yes - TEN) AA batteries, which is insane. The antenna is unbelievably long at about 1 meter. They are really old so I figured there was a chance that someone might want to buy them as a blast from the past. They only cost me a $1 so if they're a dud then so be it. There was a part of me that thought no one is going to want Walkie Talkies that take TEN batteries. After I bought the Walkie Talkie's I headed over to another garage sale where I was acosted by a crazy lady. First she started talking about her cat and how he liked the chair she was selling. Fine... but then she asked me if I wanted some weed wackers that didn't work (3 of them) and that it takes a mechanical mind to fix them... and that she tried fixing them herself, but her friend called her and interrupted her... or maybe she should turn them into modern art and become famous and move to California (not making this part up - this is what she said). She went on and on and on. THEN she said I should buy some shorts that SHE used to own and that they would look great on me. She held them up to me and said I could try them on behind her bush and that she'd block others from looking. Seriously! I had to get out of there. Luckily someone else got her attention so I bolted. She was CRAZY! She killed 15 minutes of my hour so I'll have to watch out for time wasters in the future. Time is money Lady!

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Sold the Windows NT Workstation CD

My Copy of Windows NT Workstation sold for $6, which is sort of low for the ones that I can see that have sold on ebay, although some seem to not have sold at all. Probably what hurt me is the fact that my ebay account is not 'verified', which means I can only ship to Canada. Since the States has 10 times the population, this is 10/11 of the population I cut out. Not very good. I have learned my lesson and will make sure I am verified before my next ebay auction. The other thing I did that was dumb was assuming that $7 would cover the shipping since it was in Canada. Turns out that Expresspost costs $8.28 so I cut into my bottom line by 20%. Not very smart. Mental note - if you are going to charge a flat rate for shipping, you should make sure it will cover the maximum you'll have to pay. I didn't even cover the minimum. So in the end, I sold it for $6(auction)+$7(shipping charged to customer)-$8.28 (shipping charged to me)-$0.68(paypal)=$4.04 A lot of work for not much gain - but every bit helps and I basically got paid to learn two lessons. I'll take it.

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Bought 6 New Watches!

I found some heavily discounted watches on line today. Their suggested retail price ranges from $95 to $100 each. I managed to snag all 6 for $80.65 total including shipping! That's $600 worth of watches for just $80.65! They were listed as 90% off plus shipping. I couldn't pass up the deal, as I figured out that I only needed to sell each watch for more than $13.33 to realise a profit. There's no WAY I should have trouble doing that (I think). I mean, even the crappy plastic watch went for $5. SURELY a watch that is supposed to sell for $100 should sell for more than $13.33. Even if the manufacturer is exaggerating, they couldn't possibly exagerate that much. I signed up for the slowest possible shipping, so I may have to wait 2 weeks though. Hopefully when I get the watches they aren't pieces of crap. They looked good on the website. I'm just glad I have something exciting on the go.

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Coupons Again

I noticed a coupon on the side of my ceral box today. A long time ago I considered using coupons and adding this amount to the Double Challenge, but I never made a final decision. After seeing this coupon, I thought about it again. The point of the Double Challenge is to make money without affecting my real life finances, so if I would never use the coupon (and I NEVER use coupons), then it should count. But this is a very slippery slope, because I may convince myself that I would have bought something when really, I'd just be buying it to use the coupon, which would mean I would be negatively affecting my real life finances. I've decided in the end to allow coupons IF and only IF the following two conditions are true.
1) It needs to be something I definitely would buy anyways. Like the exact cereal I eat all the time, not tickets to the latest theater production.
2) If it is for a different brand than I would usually buy, I have to check and make sure the new price plus the coupon is the same or better than the usual brand.
The coupons on the cereal box were two for $1 off Cheerios. Since this is practically all my son eats for breakfast, they qualify. Next time I buy Cheerios I'll have $2 extra for The Double Challenge.

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Don't Just Follow the Crowd

I am at the movies waiting for my movie to start and I am blown away. When I entered the theater I was met by a massive line. Five massive lines actually. After about 10 seconds I figured out that four of those lines led to three people who were selling tickets. The fifth line led to ten machines that sold tickets. This fifth line initially looked longer than any of the other four, but if you really looked you would see that this is because the machines lined the wall causing this line to start much closer to the door. In fact, this line had less people than any of the other four by half. Surely, anyone would easily figure out that a line half as long with three times the number of ticket sellers would be much faster. But there they were. 100 people all just standing there, waiting, completely oblivious to the fact that they were going to stand there 5 times as long for no reason. It amazes me, but this example just goes to show you that you should not always follow the herd. Just because everyone else is doing something a certain way does NOT make it the best way. Keep your eye out for what is best for you and follow your gut, not the crowd.

This makes me think of an e-mail I sent some guy selling his vending route. I asked him why he would sell it if it were such a good route. I had the feeling that since he was selling it, it must not be very good. But how do I know he's a good business man? He could be making a big mistake and just not realise it - just like the movie go-ers. Or maybe he's moving, or just needs the cash. I should look at it as a business decision on its own merits - not just assume its bad because he's getting rid of it.

Indiana Jones is starting now so I'd better go. Time to enjoy my great seat since I got in before the crowd.

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Some Interest, but no Sales (but there will be)

I put the humidifier and the TV on kijiji and the local for sale board and I have had a response on both already! The guy for the TV offered me $25 which would be a $20 profit. The only problem is he asked if there was a remote control. There should be, but the lady at the garage sale couldn't find it. She said she would give me a call when she finds it. Hopefully this does not become a huge liability. He hasn't responded if he's still interested. Hopefully he is, but we'll see. The guy for the humidifier was even more interested. He said he would come TONIGHT to come and pick it up. Luckily I was going to be home all night anyways. Unluckily he never came. Hopefully he still wants it, but I'm a bit annoyed, especially since he doesn't know that I was going to be home anyways.

I have a bid on the Windows NT software that I put on ebay. His bid is showing as $0.99 at the moment, so hopefully someone else gets interested or I will be giving this one away too cheap. Oh well, that is what the experiment is about. I'll keep you posted.

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No Sale!

I went back to the guy selling the air hockey table and offered him $50. He suggested $75, which I turned down. Sometimes you just have to walk away I guess. Like they say, you make your money when you buy, not when you sell. I was able to work on my US taxes again last night and I think I am finally at the point where I have all of my questions ready (or at least the first wave of questions). They're mostly questions about where certain types of income go considering that they are all foreign receipts that don't cross reference very well. I was talking about hiring an H&R Block type of business to help me, but I decided that I will just call the IRS directly and ask the questions. That way, I won't have to pay ANYTHING to get this done. Or if I do, then at least it will just be the 2 or 3 that I really need advice on. Unfortunately, they are only open during the week to call, so I'll have to call tomorrow before or after work. I can't wait to FINALLY get this monkey off my back. It's been in the back of my mind for years.

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More Garage Sales!

I managed to pull my arse out of bed for the second straight Saturday morning and this time it paid off (I think). I picked up a small colour TV for $5. I should be able to sell it for somewhere between $10 and $20. I also picked up a humidfier for $5. It is a bit old, but I sold one in the past for a big profit, so I figure I should be able to unload it for more than $5. There was also a telescope, which apparently originally cost $800 with all the accessories. He was asking $300, so I probably could have talked him down to $250, but I decided this was too much of a risk since I don't know anything about telescopes and was a fairly big chunk of my stake for a risk. I think my rule of thumb for the future will be not to risk more than 10% of my stake on any particular venture. That means I can only afford to pay someone about $45. This definitely removes the telescope possibility. There was also an air hockey table the people were asking $100 for. I MIGHT go back and offer $50 (ok, $5 more than I just said I would) but no more than that. Other than that there was another TV, but the lady said the picture comes and goes - don't want that risk, and some speakers which looked ok, but I have been trying to get rid of my current speakers for a long time. The problem I find with garage sales is that you can't research the product unless you go home and come back (which I sometimes do). If you think you find a good deal on line, it is pretty easy to see what new an used ones are going for in general. I'll put my new products on line some time this weekend.

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Free copy of Windows NT!

My co-worker gave me a free copy of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 today. He apparently never installed it so i figured I would put it on ebay and see what happens. In the past, I have always been afraid to list the posting too low, but some people argue that if you start the listing a $0.99 then it will encourage bidding and you may end up with a higher purchase price in the end. I figured that since it was free and I have nothing to lose, might as well conduct an experiment with this one, so I posted it for $0.99. Apparently my Pay Pal account is not "verified" yet, which means I can only post it in Canada until I fix that. I have no patience so I posted it anyways. Now that I really think about it, the States has 10 times the population, so I have lost 90% of my audience. Not a smart thing to do. If this doesn't sell, I'll make sure I get my Pay Pal verified first next time.

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Post for Sale! POOOooooost for SALE!

Well, I'm officially a hired gun. You may have noticed the Hire Me advertisement on the left hand side of the blog. This is a feature of Pay Per Post, where advertisers can contact me directly and negotiate how much they will pay me to write a sponsored ad. I can turn down any opportunity I want, so I can make sure the content is at least somewhat related to my blog. Even though I can take advantage of this feature, I'm still waiting to get my blog approved so I can take advantage of the normal opportunities listed at Pay Per Post (I just signed up last night so it will probably be another day or so). I also figured out how to put up an affiliate link, so if you are interested in checking it out and want to support the Double Challenge, click on the link below and I'll get $15 (if you sign up and do one sponsored post.) I feel like a kid at Christmas!

Pay Per Post!

Well, this is the last post I need in order to apply to Pay per Post. I needed 10 posts in the past 30 days and this is the 10th. Like I said, I have heard some really good things about this website and I am really eager to see what kind of offers they have. The way I understand it is that they list different products/websites that are to be promoted. You pick one and post about it as a sponsored post. Once they approve your post then you get paid. You have to follow thier rules on how they want it written, but it sounds like a great win/win/win for the blogger, Pay per Post and the company trying to advertise. I'll let you know how it goes and how long it takes to get approved. Don't worry, I don't plan on bombarding my blog with a million sponsored posts, but I definitely need to get a piece of this pie if I want to get up to the next doubling level. A nice steady income stream would do wonders for me since I've been in the $400-$450 range for over a year now (has it been that long?) Pay Per Post seems to be the most recognised website like this, but there are others that I will be checking out as well. I'll try to keep the ads related to this blog as best I can. Who knows, maybe I'll advertise something you really need!

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Get your free credit report!

Did you know that you are entitled to receive free copies of your credit report? I have been meaning to do this for some time now and I FINALLY got around to it. I was very easy. If you live in Canada then all you have to do is go to Equifax! Be careful, because they try to get you to buy thier 'quick' version, which allows you to get your credit report instantaneously. You can buy a free version by clicking on the right where is says, "You can receive a free credit file disclosure from Equifax Canada Inc. via Canada Post. " You have to mail it in, but it supposedly only takes 5 to 10 days, so you might as well save the 15 bucks. I'll keep you informed when I get mine. I hope there's nothing fishy on there. If you're not from Canada, check your local credit bureau to see if you can get your credit report for free! It's your right to know what your credit score is.

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Taxes, Taxes Go Away!

My head is spinning. I've been doing my U.S. Taxes for the past two hours. I sold my house this year and I am afraid I willl owe tax on some of the gain because I rented it out for 10 months a few years ago. It seems that if you rent your house out, that portiion of the gain is not tax exempt. I'm not sure if I have to figure out how much it gained (or lost) during those 10 months, or if I'm supposed to multiply the gain by the percent of time it was rented for. I have so many questions on just this one topic that it is becoming clear that I will have to see some sort of financial advisor at least as a consultation. I really don't want to pay to have them all done as that would likely cost over $1,000! This dual citizen thing is supposed to be an advantage, but so far it is just been a big pain in the arse. I suppose if we ever want to move to the States, we'd have to do this anyways. Well, back to the grind.

A Garage Sale-ing We Will Go...

Well, I managed to pull my arse out of bed at 8:30 to check out some of the garage sales around the neighborhood. There was a lot of junk that no one would want, but I did find two things that I might be able to flip for a profit. One guy had a sewing machine for $5. It was quite old, but I can't imagine anyone paying less for it. Apparently I was wrong because when I went back a bit later with my wife, he offered it to me for $2! I'd definitely make a profit with that. The only problem is that we actually need a sewing machine and it's somewhat difficult to justify selling this one for $40, only to turn around and spend $200 on a new one.... or even 40 for a used one. The other thing I found was a DVD, plus a CD player that can hold 5 CDs. They were selling the combo for $20. I was a bit less sure about this one, but I think I could find some buyers eventually. They say that you make your money when you buy instead of when you sell, so I figured I would wait until a bit later in the morning when they're feeling more desparate to get rid of stuff and offer $15. I went back at 11AM and they had closed up shop. Crap. I guess I should have asked them when they were packing up. So I ended up the day very tired (went to bed waaay too late) with nothing to show for it - maybe. The worst part is that I KNOW we'll barely ever use the sewing machine. Some days are more profitable than others I guess.

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