I ran across some interesting money saving tips while I was online wondering about a mortgage life insurance quote.  Yes, I am often distracted, and thank goodness!  I find the most useful (and unuseful things too, true.) but mostly useful information.

My distraction began with the suggestion to comparison shop for auto insurance, life insurance, etc.  It was followed by a list of budget friendly tips on all topics.  The one that struck me is to downgrade our satellite tv package. My husband is always complaining that there is never anything on that HE wants to see.  So then what do you do when you're in the mood for a movie?  Subscribe to Nextflix or Blockbuster online!  Duh!  For $10 a month you can have any movies you want delivered right to your door.  

I was so excited because I despise my $120 per month satellite bill. I know that we do not watch tv that much.  I talked to hubby about it.  I was sure he'd be on board, but he shook his head in remorse and said one word.  "Entourage".

Dangit! "Entourage"... I forgot.  And it's going to be back on soon.  Hmmmm.  I still think it's a great idea but I'll just have to research my package a little better and see if I can remove some other component than HBO... like maybe Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. :-)

There are many work from home jobs and lucky me I have 4 of them. <<note intended sarcasam>>  Don't get me wrong, I love my work, but doing it at home is challenging. 

First of all I should clarify that having 4 jobs that I work from home is not equivalent to working 4 jobs outside of home.  Like when I was younger and I worked at the local paper,  the gym, the mall, and waited tables all at the same time.  That was rough too, but in a different way.  When it comes to working from home, the key to success is to have several streams of income.  The is especially true when if you work from home online where the payout on many assignments some small, but when you factor in the little amount of time it takes to complete the task and how many small tasks you can complete, you would be shocked at how high your potential hourly wage is, once you learn how to spot the legitimate work from home opportunities from the scams.

So then what's the problem you ask?  As I said, the payout per task is low so if you manage to only complete one or two tasks per DAY as opposed to PER HOUR, you are not very motivated to take on more work.  At least I am not.  Now whether that lack of motivation is a result of feeling like I am not valuable because I only made $9 for a full day's work or because I actually am so broke that I cannot afford to get out of bed because it will result in eventually needing to replenish resources like food, laundry supplies, and Lord help me,  the gas it takes to go anywhere... I am not sure.  What I am sure of, however, is that if you cannot provide yourself with a distraction free area from which to manage your work at home career, you are doomed.

Many people say they are distracted by things like the phone and household chores when they work from home.  Not me.  I think they work beautifully together.  Every 45 minutes to an hour I get up from the computer and stretch, do some sit ups, throw in a load of clothes, or unload the dishwasher.  I think it's a MUST DO, especially when your job is sedentary.  It gets your blood circulating, gives you some exercise, and prevents those little jobs from piling up.  No, for me the big distraction is my husband.  

Hubs is laid off so he is home a lot.  When he isn't home, he is in and out, he never stays away for a significant amount of time, and constantly says, "You're STILL on the computer?"  "You need to get out and get some exercise."  "You're home all day here there is no excuse for not getting out and taking a walk," "You're home all day here, I can't understand why the house isn't cleaner."

<<Sigh>>

I sell real estate and each day I have lots of emails to read and answer, properties to research, paperwork to fill out, etc.  I do freelance writing.  I am a social network marketer for a real estate company.  I am an author working on two books currently.  AND I am building a community website for the women in my local community.  I do my banking online.  I communicate with my kid's teachers online, participate in school opportunities, and keep tabs on their grades... ALL ONLINE.  Yes, it takes a lot of time, but it is all the same stuff everyone else does, but I have a cool efficient routine of doing everything from the comfort of home.  Makes sense but not when you have an unemployed hubby.

So I want to find a cheap little office to rent so that I can work and earn to my potential.  This does not really make sense from a financial standpoint because it digs into my overhead.  BUT if it allows me to do more work, it is worth exploring.  Now opposed to finding homes for rent or apartments for rent, finding cheap office space for rent is not so easy.  But that's the plan.  Unless someone has any better suggestions of what to do with my husband?  Anyone?

Wow! I am so busy!  Remember I was just saying a few months ago that I just love my blogging and freelance writing so much more than selling houses and was looking forward to quitting real estate once I lined up a few more writing gigs?  Well now I am confused!

I am not a top sales agent, at this time, by any means.  I have small children and have been fortunate enough to find a real estate broker who allows me to work at my own comfy pace without looming quotas and deadlines.  I have had a tough time with this market though.  The last year or so has taken a toll on me and I had about given up.  Buyers & Sellers changed so much when the market started to change.  I wasn't tough enough for it.  Then the time and sacrifice away from my kids and school stuff was just not worth it to me when the commissions fell so low.  Honestly, I could handle the low commissions, though.  It was the "mean people" that nearly did me in! Sounds juvenile, I know.  But the pace I was running between my kids, clients, and household, I couldn't take too many more grouches or bossy types running me ragged on their whims.  

So I talked to my brokers a couple weeks ago and said that I just don't think the job is meant for me, as much as I love everyone and everything about it.  I thought they'd want me to move along, instead they wanted me to stay and help just one buyer at a time if that's all I could swing.  How many bosses have you had that care about you that much?

Cut to now, 2 weeks later.  I have an accepted offer percolating, 5 very active loyal buyers,  2 casual buyers, and a handful of "chatters". And they are all great "normal" people with preapprovals and realistic expectations!  I am having a ball again!  

I think this is a very good sign for the market as well as the economy.  It took some time for people to understand the new market and for both sides to get comfortable with eachother again.  Prices are still great, people are in better spirits, incentives are in place for first time buyers... NOW really is a great time to buy!

I miss my Vegas vacations!  I have been whining about needing a vacation for a few months now, since the first sign of warm weather appeared.  I do not see an end to the vacation chatter in the near future. :-)  And thanks to the economy and the slim likelihood of being able to take a big relaxing vacation, most of it will continue to be presented in a "whining" fashion. :-)

The draw for Hubby and me runs far beyond the extraordinary casinos Las Vegas has to offer.  Neither of us even gambles, yet there are more Las Vegas attractions for us than we can get to in a week long visit. Maybe that is because we spend the first half of every day doing pretty much nothing. :-)  We get up, go for breakfast and head to the pool for a lazy day of reading, swimming, soaking up the sunshine, and sipping strawberry daiquiris.  We enjoy a light lunch at the pool, usually something fruit and salad-ish to save room for the ridiculous dinner we'll be eating later, then back to the basking routine until around 5pm when it's time to take a shower and get ready for the night.

The shows Las Vegas presents are amazing.  From the free of charge to the ridiculously priced, we are never disappointed.  Our favorite shows are from Cirque de Soleil.  OH MY GOSH your trip to Vegas is not complete until you have seen one.  Our first was MYSTERE at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino.  The next time we splurged for tickets to "O", where the artists perform in, on, and above water, leaving you speechless and breathless. 

We hope to be able to treat the kids to a Las Vegas vacation soon.  In addition to the Cirque shows, there are many magic shows, dinner shows, and other family attractions to dazzle them.  Some of the free shows are the most exciting for the kids.  My 13 year old son will go crazy over the pirate show outside Treasure Island and I can already see my daughter 9 dancing with delight on the bridge alongside Bellagio's Dancing Fountains.  

Of all the hotels in Las Vegas Harrah's is our favorite, can you believe it?  For price and feature, it just cannot get any better for us.  There are surely more extravagant hotels, but we spend SO LITTLE time there, that we would rather spend our money on shows, you know?  And Harrah's is right smack in the middle of the strip so we can walk from New York New York to Stratosphere in one shot.  Although having done it once with a big group on hungry stomachs and crappy shoes, I wouldn't recommend it! :-) 

As you can tell, it is all about rest and leisure when we are in town.  Maybe with all the Las Vegas packages available now we might be able to find a way to swing a few days there afterall... :-)