30 Days of Financial Action -- Day Two: LEGIT Online Data Entry

Yesterday, I mentioned that I found a legitimate source for online data entry. There are a lot of scams out there, but there are a few real, legit options too.

Many legitimate online data entry gigs require you to work set hours and/or meet weekly or monthly productivity criteria (or even daily or hourly!). None of those options would work for me since I already have a full time job and lots of other responsibilities. Plus, I was looking specifically for options with flexibility.

I stumbled upon an organization that has since changed names a few times, but at present is called The Smart Crowd from a company called Lionbridge. 

Because of privacy issues, I can't really share much in the way of screenshots, but here is the current home page:

You are NOT going to get rich with this, and you are most likely NOT going to be able to even pay your regular monthly bills. It's very low paying data entry work, but for me, the flexibility to do it anytime from anywhere in the USA are great.

Typically, I earn enough money to pay for my monthly gas and a bit more, if I'm really on top of things.

When I first signed up with The Smart Crowd, I took a few typing and data entry tests and then had to sit back and wait. Several weeks later, I received an email stating my application had been approved and I could begin working.

When you are finally set up, you log in and see a list of jobs, each falling into a type of data entry category and each with their own rules for processing. You click on one and are taken to a screen with a box on top showing a clip to enter and a blank box for your data entry. Below that, there are two preview windows of the next two snippets to be typed or entered.

The main screen, after logging in, also shows you a break down of your productivity and earnings for the current month, current week, and current day.

At present, pay out occurs on the 15th and the 1st of every month if you earn a minimum of $30. This past month, I earned $48. My goal kept increasing as I moved past $30, and I had hoped to reach $60, but real life got in the way of those plans -- real life is one of the reasons I like the flexibility of this gig!

As I mentioned, you aren't likely to be able to pay your bills off of this data entry option, but you will earn enough for a tank of gas and a few other things if you really buckle down and stick with it. However, if life interferes, it's not a big deal to drop it for a day, a week, or even several months and then pick right back up again.

If you are interested in trying it out, click HERE to learn more about The Smart Crowd data entry.

What little side gigs do you have going on? 

Are you following a cash envelope system to get your finances straight? Check out this download-and-print cash envelope on Etsy. It's fun, inexpensive, and you can print as many copies as you need! It doubles as a coloring page too:

Check out Day One of my 30 Days of Financial Action:

30 Days of Financial Action: Day 1 -- Getting Started

I haven't blogged at Paying it Off One Penny at a Time in a really long time! I've just had so much going on, as well as a bit of (a lot of) anxiety and depression. 

But, I recently got my mojo back and am here to embark on renewing my journey to financial freedom!

Today, I am committing to blogging for 30 days about my DAILY financial freedom actions.

So, what have I done today towards my financial goals?

• Some online data entry--my goal is to cross the $30 earnings mark today (I'm at just under $28) which is the minimum required to be paid. {{Edited: I crossed the $30 mark!}}
• I added a few items to several craft supply destash bags that I have listed on local Facebook buy/sell/trade groups.
• I made coffee AT HOME instead of going and buying a drink.
• I did my own yard work until it warmed up enough for some bees to come out and start hovering.

My goals for the rest of today, financially are:

• Bump up my Facebook buy/sell/trade listings.
• Add my Facebook listings to NextDoor App and Let Go.
• Keep on the data entry throughout the day, even if I cross the $30 mark.
• See if a job I want has posted, and if it has, apply!
• Get in touch with my accountant about some things he was supposed to send me.
• Get in touch with my lawyer about my uncle's estate and probate issues.
• Work on listings for one of my Etsy shops -- The Crafty Hermitress.

How about you? What are you working on in your financial freedom journey?

Come back tomorrow when I blog about online data entry--I found a LEGITIMATE online data entry company!

30 Days of Financial Action -- Day 3: Resisting temptation

The hat was so cute!

I LOVE a good hat and I only have two...what's one more?

It was sooooo cute!

I clicked on "add to bag" and put the hat in my virtual shopping cart. I browsed some more and added a meal planner to my cart. I added a sticker sheet. I browsed some more.

Then, I clicked on my shopping cart and saw the total.

NOPE! Not going to buy anything!

Does that happen to you too? You see a great shopping haul video on YouTube or a cute pic on Instagram and next thing you know, you're mindlessly adding things to virtual shopping carts and making purchases without really thinking about it!

Ugh!

Thankfully, I had a sudden flash of cash flying out of my bank account to make this purchase and I stopped myself. I had almost $100 of products in my shopping cart, and it would have been so, so easy to enter my billing details and check out!

Instead, I tried to remember my desire to be debt free, to own my own home, and go on amazing adventures around the globe. I can't do any of that if I'm mindlessly spending money.

Does this moment of resisting temptation mean I've been perfect lately? Nope. I did spend more than I planned at the grocery store two days ago -- largely because I took my son with me and that almost always means going off-list. And, I did buy take away coffee last night and the night before on my way to work.

Overall though, I've been doing pretty well with minimizing my spending the past two weeks. And, since that blip a few days ago, I've been even more conscious of my spending habits. Last night, I almost went to Subway on my way to work for a sandwich, but instead, I remembered all those off-list items I'd purchased at the grocery store and found something in my freezer to take to work. And, instead of getting a snack from a convenience store on my break at work, I packed the second half of a smoothie which I'd stashed in my freezer two days ago.

My spending habits aren't perfect, but I'm trying and I'm doing better at curbing mindless spending and avoiding temptations.

How about you? How often do you cave in to temptation?

Other posts in this series: