Finding Legal Images

Photo Credit: Nasa

Let’s face it. Not every post or article is on a topic we have home photos kicking around for. While using your own is great if you have them, other options are out there to get the ball rolling, and since many of them involve helping bring awareness to other artists and sources out there, this process can be very much a win-win scenario. Following are some strategies and sources work from home writers have available.

1. Affiliate link programs, company sites, and PR firms.  While Amazon is the mega giant for this strategy, publishers’ sites are also great for book cover images as well. Sometimes Amazon has the adapted “peek inside” graphics that look great for their purposes, but not for yours. Whenever I have requested a review book from a publisher, they are more than open to sharing the book cover image from their site. Product reviews done at the request of the company also require images. In my experience, these have frequently been emailed to me via the company or its PR firm. Remember, these entities want the press for their products. It’s in their best interest to be cooperative. Just remember to give proper photo credit, and to include a link for online publications.
2. Online image exchanges. There are several sources online where individuals have databased images they are willing to share in exchange for a photo credit and link back to their photo main page. Here’s one section from Flickr where people allow use for reciprocated exposure, and you can search the database by key phrase. HUGE time saver and resource. Saudi Aramco has an enormous online photo archive they are very generous with for people needing images. Other sources include StockXchng and the Morgue File Archive.
3. Give ‘em a call. Seriously, give them a call. If you find a to-die-for-image from an independent artist who hasn’t released it for public use, contact them via phone or email to see about featuring their work in a post with a link back to their online site. They may be thrilled for the exposure. Of course, the better your traffic numbers, the more leverage you’ll have.
4. Purchase royalty free image libraries. Actually, the two extensive CD image libraries I own, I got free after rebate from Office Max. They were both from the Art Explosions company, and retailed at the time for about 60 bucks a set. The ones I have are categorized by topic. However, the images aren’t titled and there is obviously no search function. So this can slow things down a bit. There is an interesting mix of photos and cartoon images, though. 
5. Government images. Here in the states, anything produced by the government is considered public domain. Common courtesy dictates an acknowledgement credit, but sources abound here. For historical as well as kick butt storm photos, marine photos and more, check out the photo archive from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Clicking the tab at the top of the page that says “collections” is a quick and simple way to navigate between various photo topic areas. My personal favorite? The storms section. Wow! Looking for various still shots of animals? Don’t forget to the check out the image archive from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Polar bears, seals and more are photographed by people whose job it is to be out in the wild with the animals themselves. While not necessarily as glossy and sexy as some of the images from N.O.A.A and other sources, there are still some decent images here. Helpful for the blogger needing wildlife images.  For historical and artistic images of countless topics, the National Archives is the place to go. Quite a bit of research will be necessary (this is NOT a wimpy archive), but if you need something specific, chances are you’ll find it here.  Finally, for the Cadillac of space imagery, check out NASA’s collection. Loads of stuff here from space program moments to slammin’ Hubble shots. Really some nice stuff if you’re needing images relating to what NASA does.
6. Be a budding photographer. If you have an interest, get out the digital camera and start clicking and experimenting. You might be surprised at the quality of photos you are able to produce. Bonus? You’ll own them, and have the ability to photo something exactly the way you want it.

These are the sources I see as providing the greatest flexibility and access for the at home writer / blogger. If you know of others, please feel free to post about them in the comments section. Thanks for tuning in!

Extreme Savings Article: Another Couple’s Story

Flickr Photo Credit: KissThis

Are we too frugal, I’ve been wondering lately, as more and more people subtly hint they have absolutely no understanding of our lifestyle? Bulk shopping, second hand clothes, giving away half of everything we own before the government stored it for two years, 6 months of backpacking followed by the landing at our new lake cottage, giving away or handing off most of what was inside this place, too? What were we thinking?

Not only have we pared down financially in an attempt to retire early, we have pared down our belongings in order to enjoy it. We’re becoming minimalists in a society that values the accumulation of goods. Then I ran across this article on the internet. The couple in this article is living with a savings plan at least as extreme as ours. They will be retiring early as well. No, we are not too frugal. Nor are we wrong to be paring down, at least not in my opinion. Having less in the house has helped us be able to focus on the really important details required to track investments and stay on top of home maintainance while running the business and pursuing other artistic project options If we had to move all those other items out of the way to dust, vacuum, or just generally “deal with”, I wouldn’t have time to do even half of the other more important things on my plate right now, and neither would my husband. More square footage in our living space would also be required in order to house them. We’ve been joking lately that if we don’t stop, we’re going to be like one of those couples you see in the modern home design magazines . . . not owning anything but a bed, a laptop, some file boxes and a microwave. Not quite that extreme yet, and truth be told, probably never will be. But the concept is sound. Owning and owing less goes a long way towards having the freedom to live an authentic life and have the means to handle life’s little emergencies along the way. That’s our opinion. We’d value yours as well, if you care to sound off with a comment.

Just Starting Out: The Power of a Studio Apartment

Flickr Photo Credit: Ninja Poodles

Don’t ask me why, but it took me years to accept that these were a good idea. I really wish someone had at least tried to convince me otherwise, but for some reason I thought that the possibility of not having a separate bedroom was far too horrible to even consider. For crying out loud, what was I thinking? I could have saved hundreds of dollars a month, and I wasn’t making that much to begin with!!!!!

Later, in my late twenties and early thirties, I finally saw the light. While I was no longer quite as tight financially, money was still a consideration. So was lifestyle. Choosing to go with a studio apartment enabled me to live directly on the beach where I could snorkel before and after work, have my morning coffee overlooking the sunrise in the South Pacific, and drink my evening glass of wine to the sunset over that same beach. The cost? Far less than many of my colleagues were paying much further away from the water and still having to have room mates in order to afford rent.

How did I get over my resistance? Partly because I just finally decided that life was too short, but also because I saw a few other people with fabulous looking studio apartments. These were successful professionals making great money, but choosing a more relaxed lifestyle in order to have more time for fun, or to save for long term financial goals like home ownership. If you like the loft style or open plan living, you can learn to embrace living in a studio apartment.

The expat lifestyle was another component to helping me make the switch. Traveling and moving every one - two years, I basically got sick and tired of lugging everything with me and learned to live with less. I also got comfortable picking up used items temporarily and either reselling them or giving them away when I left. Crockpots, beds, sheets, tables, microwaves . . . all things I’ve bought and gotten rid of more times than I can remember now.

The lifestyle that comes with a studio is also great for younger people who are still finding their way. It takes far less time to maintain a living space this size, as well as far less money. One of the things that makes it hard for younger people to save money (at least I think so) is that it is so hard to see ahead and realize that you will eventually be able to afford at least a little fun and achieve goals at the same time.

Starting to save and take steps to penny pinch is much easier when you are living in a place that is less demanding on your time and money. The more overwhelmed you are, the easier it can be to just give up and not bother. So give yourself a break. Open up to the idea of studio and efficiency living if you haven’t already. It may get you through some tough financial times more easily than you would have imagined, and allow you a great relaxing location to boot.

Hospital Income Insurance

Flickr Photo Credit: Frazzled Jen

This is something we carry on ourselves as a very affordable way to provide financial back up in times of unforeseen medical emergencies. It’s also great if you have children, as they are usually in the emergency room for one accident or another at least once a year. Since two of my close friends have recently gotten caught with the extra expenses that occur when a child has an accident (day care, taxi rides, take out food, extra services, the things that are hidden costs and medical insurance doesn’t pay for), and neither one of them was aware that this type of product existed, I decided it was probably time to post on the subject.

This product is very affordable, at least through our insurance company and the money comes directly to you. You receive a certain predetermined daily amount (you choose how much you want to receive daily and your premium is based on that) any time you are checked in to a hospital for a day or more. The amount is even higher if the covered party needs to go into intensive care for a length of time. There’s also a separate alottment for accident related emergency room visits (going in for the flu or a fever doesn’t count) that is quite large (well over a thousand dollars) and a huge help for those things that result after going in . . . take out food, taxi rides if your vehicle was also damaged, etc.

The amount for my husband and I to be covered each month is very nominal. If we had children, there’s no way I would be without it. One trip to the emergency room will more than cover the premium cost for the entire year. The friend I was talking to this week couldn’t believe no one had tried to sell her this product before, and said that one child’s broken arm had put a definite dent in things for them this summer, particularly since they are in the middle of house renovations at the same time.

I would think even single people could benefit from this product. One friend that comes to mind right now is selling one house and purchasing a new but smaller town house. The only person around right now to run around, leaf blow the patio for the house that’s selling to show, replacing the mulch, do the daily light dusting and other things that come with keeping a home in show condition at a moment’s notice . . . her. If she were to be in the hospital, for sure this would have to be hired out. What peace of mind a product like this might bring someone in her situation. She probably already has it, I don’t know. I bring this situation up as an example to show that nearly everyone can benefit from something like this, and it’s not an expensive monthly bill compared to how much security and peace of mind it brings.

Just sounding off on a great product idea that pays big dividends in a time of need. If you have any other stories about how having this type of insurance has saved your financial tush, please feel free to sound off. We’d love to hear from you.

Money: Degrees of Separation

Flickr Photo Credit: Notratched

We’ve all heard about the idea of degrees of separation when it comes to how far removed we are from knowing a particular person. For example, you have a friend who’s aunt works on a committe along with a specific public figure . . . something along those lines. But have you ever thought about applying this line of thinking to financial decisions and how far away or close they bring us to a particular goal such as long term travel? I once heard the comedian Jeff Foxworthy say during a TV interview that he was two decisions away from putting up dry wall for a living. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, and I daresay neither was Mr. Foxworthy. My point is this: our financial decisions have the power on a daily basis to bring us dramatically closer, or further away from that which we value or desire. 

It’s very easy to get bogged down in the perceived length of time it might take to achieve a goal, particularly if your salary is far less than you desire and your only available strategies appear to be to those that save smaller increments at a time such as coupon clipping, ice tea making, etc. But how many of us surviving on even a moderate income make larger decisions several times per year that could pay for a travel or other type of dream immediately?

Here’s an example I was discussing with a friend this week who encouraged me to post about it: Less than a year before our around the world trip and David’s retirement from government service, we knew we would have to purchase a newer vehicle with less mileage for him. We owned his current vehicle outright, having paid cash several years prior. We also had a reasonable amount left over from that year’s tax return. Long before we knew we would be desperate for a new auto, we started looking around and let friends know that we were looking as well. It’s important to note that THIS TOOK EFFORT. Shopping properly for any large ticket item is a job, not a hobby or something you can expect to achieve  in an afternoon with no prior research. After a few weeks, a friend who had been reading the paper one morning (we were half down with the flu and had skipped it) called to say she saw something she was sure would interest us. An elderly woman who was no longer able to drive was selling a practically new (30,000 miles) small-sized SUV for several thousand dollars under the blue book in order to unload it quickly. Even sick, we knew we needed to make viewing this vehicle a priority. So off we went, and had a new vehicle within  24 hours. We took the needed balance out of another account and priced the older Jeep to sell quickly. It did, and we replaced the savings with that.

How does this relate to taking an around the world trip, you ask? I’ll tell you. Nearly every other vehicle we were interested in was closer to 20,000 dollars. This one sold for 10,500. We were very close to purchasing one of the other vehicles because we were transitioning on so many levels (house sale, cross country move, military retirement, new property purchase, long term trip, no next job) that we just didn’t want to have to make room for an unpredictable car. Have we gotten vehicles before for less than 10,000 dollars? Yes. I’m still driving one of them and it’s doing quite fine, despite being nearly 16 years old. My point is, we spent over 9,000 dollars less than we were about to. Our approximate total for all the months we spent on the road, excluding air fare? Roughly nine thousand dollars.

Applying the degrees of separation model of thinking, we were only one degree / financial decision away from a lifelong goal. Think about this for a minute. Are you in the middle of a major home remodel and think you can’t do both that and another goal? Can you bump down your decision on a designer faucet, paint color or antique Persian rug in order to free up money for another goal? Can you pick up some fabulous furniture at a moving sale (trust me, living in Tucson for several years taught us that this does not have to result in owning the cheap stuff) rather than buying new at a showroom on credit? That can easily result in at least 10,000 dollars worth of savings. Think making your own curtains or even hiring a local stay at home mom to do it for you is a trite way to save money? With a small cottage it may only result in a savings of one to two hundred dollars. While that’s certainly nothing to sneeze at, those of you with a larger executive style home know that designer drapes for a large multi-story structure can add up to big bucks. Hire it out or make them yourself to carve out money for an additional large cost goal. I promise you, they won’t have to look chintzy or cheap.

Once you’ve shifted your mind set to realize the power of the financial decisions you make every day in your life and home, I think you’ll start to see how easy the dream of long term travel can be to accomplish. Travel isn’t your thing? There are many other ways you can rechannel monies saved to honor other priorities and goals you have set for yourself. How about a college education for yourself or your children, staying home to be a parent, caring for an aging or ill parent, writing your first novel or album, pursuing art or even charitable interests?

The friend I was discussing this with actually got the ball rolling by saying she was looking at various vacation packages she was interested in and some of them shocked her by being priced as high as some vehicles she had owned. She also went on to say that she had taken the time to search on the internet for the vehicle she wanted, a Jeep Liberty. She got a practically new one (less than 3,000 miles) for approximately 3,000 dollars less than other more abused, higher mileage versions of the same thing. For some people, that’s a decent month’s salary. Still think you can’t save up that three month emergency savings total? You may be separated by fewer degrees from that and other goals than you think.

Working From Home: A More Efficient Use of Your Valuable Time

Flickr Photo Credit: M. Shades

Not only is working from home of greater benefit to your clients and employers, it’s of greater benefit to your schedule as well. Telecommuting saves your boss from worrying about whether you’ll arrive at work on time due to bad weather or traffic. But does it also not save you the same stress as well? And what could you do with that extra hour’s drive time twice a day? Maybe finally squeeze in time for exercise or creative writing? How about a little extra time for your kids or getting an economical soup ready for the crock pot instead of shopping on the way home for an expensive take-out meal?

Have you ever known that while you were too sick to go out in the freezing rain or snow to work in an office, you could have cranked out a decent amount of work in your PJ’s with a cup of soup by your computer? How about the amount of time spent fiddling with hair and skin treatments? (Guys, this includes you too.) I get dolled up maybe once or twice a month if I have to have a coffee meeting on grocery shopping day. With that extra 30 minutes a day, I can check clients’ emails sooner, squeeze in a couple of extra sales calls, or write up a quick press release. Work at home moms doing the cloth diaper thing might want to use the time to deal with that. Whatever fits your situation.

One area of time availability I found greatly impoved by working from the house is a category I call “incidentals”. What I mean by this is those little blocks of time that are completely wasted and unproductive in a traditional corporate work environment. Walking from one office or conference room to another. Standing in line for the photo copier or coffee pot. Wait time for late-starting meetings . . . you get the picture.

Working at my home, the maximum number of people waiting in line for coffee is two. Ever. If I’m walking down the hall between the office and my chosen comfy writing space of the day, chances are I can pick up some dirty laundry or do a little dusting along the way. On hold call time is a great opportunity to fold laundry, refill my coffee or clip coupons.

See what I’m getting at? Normally, after a long day’s work in the traditional employment world, I’d still have to come home to another “job” of all the necessary household items I was not home to get done during the day. Through streamlined use of my time, I now have my nights and weekends free to spend time with my husband, pets and other family members doing something fun and rewarding.

Having one of us at home has provided my husband and I not only with a greater quality of life, but greater control over our family time and finances. If you are at all able to do this for yourself, I highly recommend the work at home experience.

Working From Home: Nylons and Nail Polish Add Up to Big Savings

Flickr Photo Credit: Wrestling Entropy

Walking out the door to a traditional job can cost big money. Gas, oil, tires, wiper blades, makeup, increased hair care costs, replacing dress shoes due to inclement weather, snagged nylons, manicure upkeep, cell phone and calling plan, PDA, power watch, day care . . . the list goes on.

There are additional hidden costs as well. The cost of not having time to shop for sales, hit the thrift stores, remember to mail rebate slips, clip coupons, cook from scratch and more. Add in dry cleaning and a few take-out dinners per month and the cost of walking out the door just might tip the scales into actually costing you money rather than making it. Let’s do a quick break down:

Day care - 600 dollars a month, nylons/cosmetics/miscellaneous - 40 dollars, extra cell phone minutes - 3o dollars, gasoline - 200 dollars a month, dry cleaning and take out food - 150 dollars a month.

Even using extremely conservative estimates and listing only a few line items, we are already over a thousand dollars. Kind of makes leaving home for a part time minimum wage desk job sound like a down right bad idea, doesn’t it?

If full time home making and investment tracking is not enough of a challenge for you and you really want to put your energy and talents towards additional efforts, at least consider starting your own business. You can bring in a little money, realize significant tax savings, and have more control over your personal and family time. In this age of online opportunities and telecommuting, going out the door to work is getting to be a very unnecessary expense.

Budget Tip: Create a Casserole

Flickr Photo Credit: R. Berteig 

 Starch option of choice (potatoes, pasta, rice, etc.)

Protein option of choice (leftover chicken, ham, ground beef, etc.)

Binder of choice (cheese sauce, homemade béchamel sauce, etc.)

Vegetable of choice (leftover asparagus, broccoli, frozen spinach, etc.)

Mix together in desired amounts for the “create a casserole” option of your choice. Affordable,

nutritionally sound, and only creates one dish to clean after the family meal. This strategy helps “Make

It Happen” in terms of both time and money.

Working From Home: Wear Your Own Work Station With a Service Apron

Flickr Photo Credit: Phunk Starr

Did you ever notice how restaurant personnel seem to be able to juggle many things at once with no desk to speak of? And what do they usually have for an organizational work station? That’s right. The multi-pocketed work apron. The kind I like best are the nylon ones with webbed belts. If they have at least one zippered pocket and a couple of deep ones, even better.

These things are a fabulous help to the work at home professional or the stay at home spouse. Instead of wait staff tools, think cell phone in pocket with blue tooth on, pens and post it notes, PDA’s and an extra pocket to “file” all those little notes and reminders you write for yourself until you can organize them in your home office at the end of the day. No more digging for pens or running for a piece of paper if a call comes in while your head is stuck in the dishwasher. Everything you need will be in easy reach.

A carpenter’s apron would probably work well for this too. A friend of mine hasn’t gone as far as the full apron, but her landlines cordless phone unit has a plug in for a head set. So that she won’t be glued to the wall and can deal with bulk food prep and other things while taking a consulting call, she got one of those single snap on pockets that can hook on to your belt. It’s one that electricians and other service persons use and she got it at Home Depot for under 10 bucks.

Working From Home: The Multitasking Power of a Blue Tooth

Flickr Photo Credit: Thunder Child 5

You won’t often hear me say this about a product, but this thing changed my life. Before getting my blue tooth, business calls performed while working at home involved either the accomplishment of not much else, or the development of head and neck problems (along with a fair amount of frustration) as I tried to grasp the phone between shoulder and ear while working on filing, keyboarding, cleaning or dinner prep. I’ve lost count of the number of times the cordless and cell phones nearly ended up in a full washing machine or worse yet, the toilet bowl. Not good.

Enter, my blue tooth. My head, shoulders and back are once again in alignment, and I can easily pull a colleague’s file while on the phone with them. With my increased work efficiency, extra time is freed up for money saving endeavors and the renewed exercise schedule ‘ve been wanting to get back to for years.

Blue tooths are helpful on the home front as well. It’s a completely safe way to accept a cell call from the highway when someone from home remembers a needed item after you’ve left for a shopping trip. It also makes a huge difference at the grocery store, leaving both hands free to pull out and organize coupons, cross items off your shopping list and lift large, bulk purchase items in and out of your cart.

I realize these are a bit of a cash outlay. But if you make a concerted effort to use it to streamline your home economics and business tasks, it might pay for itself quicker than you think.