The Extra Income Guide Blog

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With the Christmas holidays two months away, you have probably made your list of gifts for family and friends.  Perhaps you have also decided to reduce the amount spent per gift this year, and that’s ok.  Frugal gift giving doesn’t necessarily mean cheap, but rather thoughtful and creative gifts that your recipients will appreciate and treasure.

Here are some ideas and suggestions on how you can present wonderful gifts this Christmas without breaking the bank.

If you love to bake, why not put together a gift basket filled with homemade cookies and muffins as well as a variety of teas.  You can purchase baskets at any dollar store, as well as the wrapping to go along with it. 

Another gift idea that has always been popular is a basket filled with bath and body lotions, body wash, and scrubs.  These items are very affordable and you can create a unique basket filled with scents that are sure to please any recipient.

Do you have a friend or family member who loves coffee?  If so, you can purchase a box of sample coffees.  Add some homemade muffins and present it in a gift basket as well.

Aromatherapy candles are also a big hit.  Add CDs that can calm and soothe such as sounds of nature or the ocean.  You can find these affordable items at dollar stores and online for half the price.

If you make your own homemade jams and jellies, why not put together a gift basket filled with these items along with homemade muffins and some green tea.  This is a healthy and inexpensive way to say you truly care about the recipient’s wellbeing.

Perhaps you have a friend who loves books.  There are plenty of books on a variety of topics you can buy at half the price at bookstores or online.

How about a large soup cup filled with hot chocolate mix and marshmallows for those cold winter nights?  You can use your creative ideas to make this a most unique “basket” of treats.

Gifts do not have to be expensive.  It could be a picture of you and your friend placed in a lovely frame, a homemade hat and scarf for the winter or even a CD of favorite Christmas music that you put together for that special friend.

Frugal gift giving not only saves money, but allows you to really think about a gift that is unique to the person.  It shows you have taken the time to select or create those items you know will be appreciated by a friend or family member.

Happy Giving

Steve Bents

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Ah, the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday, can either be a shopper’s dream or the worst nightmare. 

For the last several years, department stores have been opening up earlier every year.  Lines have formed outside these buildings anytime from 2 a.m. onwards.  For those of you shop on Black Friday, you are well aware of the many sales offered by most merchants.

For those of you who have never shopped on Black Friday, it’s quite an experience.  The key to landing those terrific sales is to have a plan. 

Armed with your Christmas list, experts advise that you go directly to the departments where your items can be found.  If necessary, visit the departments before Black Friday so you can easily find the best route on B-Day.

Avoid browsing and try not to buy anything for yourself.  Time is precious on this day, and there are always mobs of people trying to grab that last sale item on the rack.

While Black Friday offers great deals, it is a good idea to follow these tips:

* Check out the newspapers the week of Black Friday for sale items.
* Clip out any coupons from the newspapers as well as online coupons that can be utilized in stores.
* Check each store’s online website to determine what items you will be purchasing.
* Check out what time the stores will open and close.  Keep in mind some stores offer sales for a few hours only.
* Wear comfortable clothing and shoes.
* Try to pay for items with cash (use a waist pouch or a neck pouch to store the cash).  Bring a bottle of water – it can get awfully hot!
* If you have to pay with a credit card, use only one card and pay off the balance as soon as possible.
* Take someone with you so that you can both shop for the items on your list.

Although most people look forward to Black Friday, others avoid it like the plague.  That’s okay, too.  With online shopping becoming more popular, you can avoid the mobs and shop from the comfort of your own home, at your own pace.

In any case, stay focused on your mission; stay vigilant with those around you, and stick to your list!

Happy Earning

Steve Bents

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Hello and good day everyone……Today I launched one of my first products!!!! 

TheGimpTutorial.com

These are seven videos that total over an hour to help everyone create their own website, minisite, logo’s, ect.  Everyone can’t hire their own professional designer and with these videos you can create your own logo’s.  Now I will say these videos were not created by me…I don’t have a great speaking voice…yet I used these videos to create the logos on a few of my other websites.  These videos were produced and created for me and I have the exclusive rights to them.  Now I am offering a special Introductory price of only $27.95.  This $27.95 is all it will cost you to learn how to use the great free designing software…GIMP.

Please read through my sales letter and if you want purchase the product.  Let me know if there are any problems or anything of that nature.

Thanks and Happy Earning,

Steve Bents

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Traffic exchanges are an excellent way to receive free traffic to your website. A traffic exchange, also known as a click exchange is actually a membership site, which allows it’s members to exchange traffic between their sites. These exchanges work on a credit system.  A member earns some credits by visiting some websites. These credits are then used by the member to show his own websites to other members of the exchange and so on. There are two types of traffic exchanges — manual surf and auto surf. Manual surf exchanges are better than auto surf exchanges.

       The first step is to sign up with a traffic exchange as a free member. You can also join as a paid member by paying a small monthly subscription. Once you sign up, you can add the URLs of the sites which you want to promote. You can also add banner ads or text ads. Now you have to start surfing and look at other people’s websites to earn credits. Paid members earn more credits by viewing websites than free members. You have to look at each webpage for a fixed period of time, usually 10 to 30 seconds. After that you can move to the next page. If you are a paid member, you can get some free credits per month. The credits you earn this way can be used to show your own webpages to other members of the exchange.

       To earn credits quickly, you can become members of different traffic exchanges and surf them simultaneously by opening different tabs on your browser. In this way, you can view different traffic exchanges at the same time and earn credits from each of them. You can also earn credits by referring new and active members to the exchanges. 
       One big disadvantage of using traffic exchanges is that the traffic is not targeted and  the conversion rate from this traffic is very low. The main reason behind this is that the viewers are mainly other website owners, who are only interested to earn credits to promote their own websites and not much interested in the sites which they visit. Traffic exchanges can be effectively used for lead capture pages. These are useful for promoting MLM programs and list building.

Happy Earning,

Steve Bents

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