Parafiks - A Personal Finance

Start a Career as a Freelance Writer: A Step-by-Step Guide

Want to learn how to become a freelance writer with no experience? Here’s a practical guide to finding freelance writing jobs and earning money from home. Freelance writing appeals to many people because it offers flexibility, variety, and the opportunity to make a living from words. With the right approach, you can build a sustainable … Read more

5 Legit Websites to Earn Extra Cash Online

I believe earning extra money can truly make a difference in your life. Whether you have only a few hours each month or a few hours each week to dedicate to side income, taking advantage of opportunities to earn extra cash is worthwhile. There are many legitimate ways to generate additional income. Below are five … Read more

How I Earned $131,448 Last Month While Traveling Full-Time

Welcome to the April business income report, where I share how much I earned online last month. Here’s the monthly update and a breakdown of how the month went. If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you might wonder why I publish an income report each month. If you’re already familiar, feel free to … Read more

How I Earned $1M from Photography Without Being a Pro

Today’s guest post is from Marc of Vital Dollar. He shares how he built several photography-related websites and, despite not being a professional photographer, achieved notable success. I found his story encouraging and hope you will too. Enjoy!

Photography can be a challenging industry. While a few high-profile photographers earn substantial incomes, many photographers struggle to make a consistent living from client work alone.

To earn a full-time income, many photographers diversify. Common paths include freelance writing for photography publications, authoring books or ebooks, creating online courses or digital products, running workshops or seminars, licensing stock images, and selling prints. These options can supplement income from client shoots.

I’m thinking a lot about self-employment and want to be as prepared as possible. As part of that, I’ve been reviewing our budget closely (we’ll post the full budget soon) and hunting for areas where we can cut or eliminate spending. Cable TV has come up repeatedly in those conversations. There are other reasons we’re … Read more

2020 Year in Review: Business Wins, Lessons, and Life Moments

Welcome to my 2020 business and life review. Normally I separate travel and business reflections into two posts, but this year I decided to combine them into one. 2020 was an unusual year that affected almost everyone. It was difficult for many, and I sympathize deeply. I’m grateful for my life, but 2020 was personally … Read more

BC Stack 2026 Review: Is This Supplement Bundle Worth It?

Hello! The BC Stack is an annual one-week event that runs this year from June 7, 2026 through June 14, 2026. It bundles a large collection of courses, trainings, templates, and resources designed for anyone running an online business, website, blog, podcast, or ecommerce shop. The 2026 edition features over 50 products—new items added this … Read more

7 Steps to Calculate How Much You Need to Retire Comfortably

Have you ever wondered, “How much money do I need to retire comfortably?” You’re not alone—I’ve run these calculations many times, and this is one of the most common financial questions I hear. Retirement planning can feel overwhelming when people toss around round numbers like $1 million or $2 million, but there’s no universal answer. … Read more

How I Eliminated $25,000 of Debt in 7 Months

Today I’m sharing a reader-submitted story. Mrs. Picky Pincher is the blogger and money-saving expert behind Picky Pinchers. She writes about living well while paying off $225,000 in debt. Below is her account of how she and her husband dramatically reduced their debt. Enjoy! I’ve always been terrible at math. I remember crying in fourth … Read more

8 Essential Tips for Buying Your First Home

When we bought our first (and current) home, the entire process moved quickly and smoothly. Our mortgage lender and real estate agent both mentioned it was one of the fastest transactions they’d handled. From pre-approval to closing, the process took less than a month.

We found the house we wanted in about two weeks. In that time we toured more than 20 properties in person and reviewed hundreds more online. We were convinced a number of those in-person visits would lead to an offer. Our agent probably grew tired of showing houses—luckily she was a family friend, which helped keep things amicable.

Now we’re considering buying again. We swing back and forth over what type of house we want, where it should be located, and how much we want to spend.

Our current home is suitable for now—there’s nothing wrong with it—yet we’d like something a bit nicer and with more space. That leaves us with two main options: a) stay put and save a lot of money; or b) buy a new home within the next year and finance most of it, likely with a roughly 25% down payment.