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Question of the Month

Question of the Month is yet another effort by the debtcc team to enhance the community knowledge bank. It’s a monthly contest and every month a challenging question will be thrown before the members for responses. The best answer will be chosen collectively at the end of the month by the debtcc members and the admin panel of the site. The winner of this contest will receive a handsome reward of a $50. The purpose behind this idea is to encourage the members to share their real life experiences in dealing with the financial challenges. Though different financial issues are being discussed across the debtcc board, but it doesn’t leave much scope to the members to share their personal experiences. Here is the place where it can be done, and also that the new members can get the innovative ideas to deal with their debts along with the conventional ones.

Latest Question



Question 8: How can you use internet to earn or save money?

We are finding it tough to maintain our livelihood during this ongoing financial crisis. Can internet be used to earn or save some extra bucks so that it can sail us through these troubled times? How? Share your experiences and knowledge with us to win $50.

Winner Post

Trophy iconAnswer 1:There are countless ways to earn money and also save money on the internet. Lets start with earning. There are the obvious ways like Ebay. But there are also more specialized sites where you can sell items such as Etsy, who specializes in handmade items and vintage and Bonanzle.

There is, of course, Amazon and Cash4Books where you can sell used books. The latter will even pay your shipping. The only drawback is you need to find what they are buying. Go to a thrift store and copy the codes from books that you think will sell and go put them in their site. They will immediately return a price to you if they are interested. You can even get a scanner that will tell you from where you are looking at books but they are expensive. There is a link to Cash4Books on my blog at www.myfrogpatch.blogspot.com.

Another way to make money off the internet is with affiliate marketing. That is selling products for others by posting links or ads on a blog, website, article or signature in your email or forum posts. Successful affiliate marketing takes some hard of work in the beginning but it keeps on producing. Say you write an article on Squidoo about training rabbits. It may only earn you 10.00 per month in adsense from Google but it will keep doing it for years.

Now lets say you have one hundred articles out there. That is a residual income of 1000.00 per month for years to come. That is a very conservative figure, providing you write good content and learn how to effectively market. Once again there is a link on my blog for a book called Affiliate Marketing Blueprint. It costs 7.00 but is worth every penny and much more. My advice however is do not pay for a system that promises to make you 5000.00 per week working only a couple hours per day.

Guess who is making that kind of money? Right, the one you just gave your 39.95 to. Stay away from MLM (multi level marketing) that requires you to recruit a downline but has no tangible product. Also shy away from any program that requires you to purchase inventory. You will wind up with a whole garage full of vitamins or cosmetics that you cant sell. A few years ago my wife was insisting that this new powder that you mix in bottled water to fortify it vitamins was the next biggest thing. I ordered a sample and it tasted like diet Kool Aid. A few months later Vitamin Water hit the markets and flew off the shelves as it was marketed by Coke or Pepsi. All the others like Snapple soon followed. Am I glad I do not have boxes of that "next biggest thing" in my closet.

Regarding saving money on the internet. Coupons, coupons and more coupons can be printed from Val Pak and dozens of sites like it. Do a Google search and you will run out of printer paper in no time. Couple those with your stores sales and you a a big winner. My wife slashes our bill each week with internet and newspaper coupons. You can also save money on travel by working Travelocity, Price Club, AAA and several others against each other. Also one of the best ways to save money on the internet is by taking the advice of the people who are right here on this site whose personal financial experiences and solutions are priceless!

Answer Posted by | frogpatch

The other answers worth mentioning are:

Answer 2:Yes. The Internet can definitely be used to earn and save us some extra bucks. You have those affiliate programmes, eBay, get-paid-to sites or simply set up your own website and sell your stuffs. Theres too many methods out there thats yet to be explored. Creativity added with a good marketing strategy will definitely earn you some extra bucks off the Internet.

I've known of some people who dont just sail through. They are even making a living off the Internet.

Get-paid-to sites are probably the most popular way to earn some extra cash off the Internet. Why not? Most, if not all, are free to join and they even pay you for doing things you normally do. Examples includes Paid-to-click, Paid-to-read and Paid-to-post sites, just to name a few of the popular ones. Of course, this get-paid-to sites mostly earn you paltry sums but thats where the power of referrals comes in. The sites pay you to refer people to their website. But even with enough referrals, I dont think youll be able to sail through. At most, youll just be able to start the ship(have enough to pay the bills etc..).

The second method Ive mentioned is affiliate marketing. This method is free for the affiliates but costly for the consumers. The job of an affiliate is to help companies to sell their products. The companies will, in turn pay the affiliates a certain agreed-upon amount of commision. In other words, affiliates are what I would call "online salespeople". This is a better method than get paid to as it earns you more for each sale transaction youve made. One of the most popular affiliate website has to be Clickbank. Theres so many products for the salespeople to choose from. And as with real-life sales people, successful affiliates are really smooth-talkers who knows how to play around with words.

The 3rd method Ill cover is setting up your own website and selling your own products. This is almost similar to affiliate marketing. The only difference is you are the salesperson. You decide what you sell and how you sell it. Basically, you are the boss. This is the best method to sail through economic times and maybe even earn a living off the Internet. But, of course, your product must be beyond superb and your marketing tactics have to be excellent. This method has mostly been successful for people that already have a real physical shop and a strong customer base. They set up the websites so that its easier for customers to simply order products online and saves the hassle of going to their shops.

So, those Ive mentioned are just 3 of the common methods people use to earn that extra money.

In terms of saving through the Internet, theres eBay whose array of products sold are normally cheaper than outside market. Then, theres those get cash back websites where you get your cash back on items that youve bought. Not the whole amount but a certain percentage. These are the methods to save online. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention blogshops are also on the rise nowadays and if youre great at searching the net, youll find items with huge discounts at blogshops.

Thus, these are the methods of earning and saving online. Of course, theres many other methods such as freebies trading and becoming a realtor.

All in all, Ill wrap up by saying "A creative mind and excellent marketing tactics are the keys to online success".

Answer Posted by | Zaf

Answer 3:Considering the economic times, many people are going to the net for answers and how to supliment thier incomes. Frankly it is harder than most people think to make a living online but it can be done. Not only can you make money, there are great ways to save money outside the normal ways. Just in the last few months this is how i saved and made money on the internet to supplement us through these tough times.

1. I have a ebay store were i am decluttering myself plus making a little extra money. killing 2 birds with one stone and the fact that im crafty helps!!

2. I spend alot of time helping people with thier debt and show them ways that i save (thanks to the internet) even though this does not make me money, its rewarding in its own way.

3. I have found so many new ways to save me money thanks to the internet that i normally would never have thought of such as making my own cleaning supplies, online coupons and discounts, purchasing items through mypoints which pays me to do the shopping that i normally would have anyhow.

4. I am finding ways to grow my own erbs, gardens, and fruit and veggies, and learned how to can thanks to the internet. I would have had to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of books for the information that i got for free, saving me both the money in how to books, and saving me money on my groceries and saving on our belts too.

5. Found out how to make certain craft items that i did not know how to do to sell for income.

These are just the tip of the iceburg as to how i have earned and saved money the last few months. After going through my debt settlement program i thought i had gotten myself to were i could do no more, when in fact i was wrong i am finding new things all the time that help me save a dollar or two or earn a few dollars here and there. Most people would not think that this makes much of a difference but by the end of the month i have saved myself hundreds of dollars just by saving a dollar here and there.

Every little bit adds up, and if you are careful you will find ways were you will make the ends meet to get through these tough times. Its not always how much you make, but how much you save or spend.

Answer Posted by | love_my_things

Answer 4:I am a mother of 7 and I use the internet to make $$ and save money for diapers, gas and Chuck E Cheese for my kids. I complete surveys online (1 company has paid me since 5/20/2008 -$121.90 less than 1 yr. NICE! - 2nd highest TOTAL REWARD PAYMENTS TO DATE $44.00 since 4/13/2008), I complete PAID product evaluations for companies, also I belong to MyPoints which earns you points for various activities (i.e. reading emails, shopping online, printing & redeeming coupons, playing games online, etc.) to date in less than 5 yrs. I have cashed in points for gift cards totalling $675.00- over $125 yr. NICE! Also I complete secret shops for various companies online which has been very lucrative for me (BEWARE-dont pay to become a secret shopper!!!). Get my username and PM/email me if interested & I will share all (permission granted for those who ask Vikas, HA,HA). Also there are Several freebie links that you sign up for samples for things you use everyday (i.e. shampoos, toothpastes, pledge wipes, dog food, OTC medicines, etc). I also sign up for email newsletters to places I shop frequently (Kohls sent me $5 gift card for signing up for e-newsltr., Joanns sends 40-60% off coupons, Chilis, TGI Fridays, Wendys all send coupons for free food, Wal-Mart has free sample link on site, etc.) So if you ask me if you can make & save money from internet -YES!!! -Dont expect to make millions but you can have a nice stash cash amount from it. This forum has been such a great asset of knowledge to me I thought I would try the QOM & be an asset in an area that I have knowledge in. God Bless all and remember knowledge is power and strength. The strong can assist the weak which gives them more power in turn knowledge.

Answer Posted by | cjohnson67

Answer 5:I believe the internet can make and save you tons of money!! You can go through your stuff and what you dont need or want anymore you can put up for sale on sites like e-bay and craigs list. But you can always get great deals from these sites also. There is also a site for places in my area called rtownshopper and you can go there and get certificates for dinner or almost anything for up to 50% off regular price just by using that site. Then there is this site Smile Where you can find out if your overpaying on your payday loans!!

I made over $400 selling stuff on craigslist in Feb. But I have also saved a TON of money buying hubby a new wedding ring off of e-bay. I paid $110 and it appraised for $1200 and the jewler was VERY suprised that I got it off of e-bay. I have also saved tons of money buying my kids clothes from e-bay. It also saved me gas, because I could look at it on the computer instead of driving around to garage sales and not finding things they liked or their size. I have saved hunders of dollars in interest fees to the illegal payday lenders thanks to this site.

So in my mind the internet is a good tool to use for earning AND saving money. But you do have to weed through the scams that are advertised on some sites, where you have to pay something like $40 for a booklet for work at home jobs. If you have to pay for information then you know its a scam.

Answer Posted by | puddlejmpr

Answer 6:THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS THE INTERNET CN SAVE YOU MONEY OR MAKE YOU MONEY, THERE CRAIGS LIST YOU CAN POST THINGS THAT YOU MANY WANT TO SELL, AND YOU CAN FIND REALLY GOODS DEALS TO I MYSELF NEEDED A NEW GAS DRYER, BUT A FREIND OF MY GAVE ME AN ELECTRIC ONE, SO I WENT ON GRAIGS LIST AND FOUND A LADY THAT HAD A GAS DYRER BUT SHE NEEDED AN ELECTRIC SO WE SWITCHED DRYERS, I ALSO HAVE SOLDED STUFF ON GRAIGS LIST I SOLD A WASHER FOR A 100.00 DOLLARS U JUST HAVE TO POST THINGS AND PEOPLE WILL ANSWER

Answer Posted by | MSPACK31

Answer 7:Yes it can, you can find several websites that will tell you how to save money and to cut costs. Thriftyfun.com will give you all kinds of advice to save money of all things from cooking to cleaning products. I also use websites such as allrecipes.com to cook my own food rather then spend the extra money on premade stuff. If you shop on overstock, ebay and craiglist you can also find things for a lot less then in stores as well as ads for yard sales and people selling used items and things for trade also.

Answer Posted by | KellyP

Answer 8:Use the internet to research information regarding banks offering the highest savings rates-checking accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, health savings accounts, & IRA accounts. Research online business ventures, buying items like prescription drugs, and take virtual tours of places without traveling. Enjoy your home by staying home & going online & discovering a wealth of information to challenge your mind-Focus on the Family, Max Lucados website, CNN, MSNBC, if further education needed-Take an online class!

Answer Posted by | Sherry1238883980

Answer 9:hELLO THE INTERNET CAN HELP YOU ACESS ALL FORMS OF PEOPLE TO HELP, YOU CAN ALSO CHECK TO SEE IF THEY ARE REALY TRUE TO WHAT THEY SAY, I AHVE BEEN ON MANY DIFFERENT SITES TO FIND THE BEST SOLUTION FOR ME, I AHVE JUST LOGGED ON TO AND FILLED OUT THE FORM TO THE COMPANY I FEEL WILL HELP THE MOST, THUS PUTTING MORE MONEY INTO MY POCKET AND KEEPING THE CREDITORS OFF MY BACK, I WOULD ENCOURGE ANY ONE TO SERACH THE INTERNENT FOR VERY HELPHFUL INFORMATION.

Answer Posted by | k.conrad

Answer 10:This site was reviewed, among several others, on www.infowars.com. So, it is number one of the few legitimate sites going out there. The infowars staff actually bought the different pkgs, and tried them out. It is Shelly Ryans instant profit machine.

www.instantprofitmachine.com

It is a click bank return, and it is very, very simple to do!

Quote from the site: I have found a foolproof method how anyone can easily make a big additional income every week with 15 minutes of their time and create a substantial monthly income. This method has never been released to the public before. Very few, if anyone has implemented this. I have decided to share my idea with you. The only thing I ask is you do not share this information with anyone.

Now you can pump out HUGE profits in just 5 minutes everyday using an embarrassingly simple, proven, plug-in-and-profit software that will zap quick, easy cash into your accounts at will...

These are just a few of the benefits:
NO Advertising required
NO Affiliate Marketing
NO Selling required
NO Additional Costs involved


There is a one time fee, and it comes with a 60 day guarantee. I do not remember if it was $50 or $67?

Answer Posted by | alan rush

Answer 11:Yes, you can use the internet to earn extra money in a number of ways. One of those ways is to start a website (cheap these days) and earn money off of page loads and ad clicks with google adsense. The key is this: Topic of the website. If you start a website based on a topic that has high-paying kewords (mesothelioma, car insurance, insurance quotes), you will make alot of money per click, possibly $50 or more. A lot of money when considering the fact that you can actually find VERY cheap keywords to DRIVE traffic to your website. Keywords can be found that are as low as $.02 per click. Here is the strategy in steps:
1) Choose and register a domain name. Should preferably be based on the website topic and can be done for $9.99 at a website like goDaddy.com.
2) Pay for hosting. This can be done at the very same website (godaddy)
3) Develop the page with your text and give as much information as you can about your topic of choice (high paying keyword preferable). Godaddy and other hosting sites offer easy website editors (dreamweaver, etc) just in case you are new to web development and dont know html.
4) Get a google adwords account and pay for advertising to your site with as cheap adwords as you can find.
5) Get high paying adsense google ads placed on your page based on your topic. This usually is done automatically when you set up an adsense account and google detects those keywords in your page text.
You should be able to earn $1500 or more per month if all of the above steps go according to plan (and based on re-investment).
total cost to start: 9.99 for domain + 4.99 a month for hosting +(research about your topic, haha). good luck
p.s. to find high paying keywords to base your site on you can find some at: http://www.rumler.com/google/adsense/top-payingkeywords.php

Answer Posted by | RM

Answer 12:No way to earn from internet. But you can spend for less. Share your experiences and knowledge with us to win $50? Wow how funny it is. It that maintain our livelihood during this ongoing financial crisis? Wow, genius. Better say How can you spend on internet to earn to save some money. That will be more realistic.

Answer Posted by | maestro

Answer 13:Well the internet is like a library, full of information but at a much faster speed. And the questions you might have are only a few buttons away. And all the marketing and retail companies know that there are millions of people searching the web every day, and they have their advertising companies put up web posts and designs to attract our attention. And the competion between all these companies is ruthless. So what better than to have these millions of people compete with them. And they can get the results faster through the internet. And who would not like to work from home, save money on these high gas prices. You do not have to worry about spending money on clothes for work. And the rate of speed the companies get their progress is cheaper because they are not spending money on mailings, and stuff like that. You save money right there with gas and clothes.

Answer Posted by | niceguywwjd

Answer 14:This is a question that I have been asking for a long time, and to be honest, I do not have the answer. I have tride starting a blog to no avail, etc. Who ever wins this contest with the chosen answer, Please tell me how to make money on the internet...it has been one of my dreams for a long, long time.

Answer Posted by | Lukeskywalker

Answer 15:COUPONS~COUPONS~COUPONS, I LOVE those coupons. You can find coupons online for pretty much anything. I am a member of a few of the FREE websites out there that offer coupons. Also when I want a specific coupon, I look the manufacturer up online as well, many offer so many deals and coupons. Smile I also am a member of a few other sites that offer freebies, along with coupons to keep and or share, just for trying them out and giving my feedback.

I have been very fortunate to beable to find an online job. I now work with and for a couple of different companies online and it is very flexable to my families busy schedules. I do not pay for daycare, anyone with kids knows that is a HUGE savings in itself.

Pay Bills online, if nothing else it saves the stamp, but also saves a late fee when you forget last minute and if you send it the mail last minute, you have late fees. I also have a couple of our payments coming out automatically so I dont forget. I also love selling and buying on Ebay. I go through my sons clothes as well as mine and my husbands and we get extra cash. Also it is spring cleaning time, so I have been able to find items we no longer use or need and have sold that as well. There are also such great buys. I buy clothes for our family many you can find in "lots" which is a large amount of clothes, and some are even new. We bought all of our boys brand new shoes online for school, one pair was only $1.99 another was $7.99 and they were brand name, brand new shoes.

So many many deals to find online.

Answer Posted by | wendylynn93

Answer 16:I use the internet to save money by searching for grocery coupons, watching my bank accounts carefully to avoid any excess fees, and looking for good sales at local stores. I use it to earn money by filling out surveys, posting here at Debtcc, and selling on Ebay. Im also beginning a small stock-purchasing account to teach my son how the stock market works, in the hopes that it will better prepare him to deal with the ups and downs of the world financial markets later in life.

Answer Posted by | SUEBEEHONEY70

Answer 17:Yes found this out it can be use to read the news paper which I think is good. Secondly the internet can be use to pay bills. The internet can aso be use to do important emails, that saves time and traveling. third it can be use as a tool to be inform persons on legit imformation on the daily news, and current events.

Answer Posted by | A-O

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