Parafiks - A Personal Finance

How I Made $1,417 from a Baseball Game Ticket Flip

Hey everyone! Happy Monday. I managed to get a good amount of side-hustle work done over the weekend, though it flew by too quickly. I can’t believe July is almost over. This will be a short week for me—I only work three days, WOOHOO! We had free tickets to yesterday’s Cardinals game and went with … Read more

How I Earned $1M from My First Course Without a Big Launch

I created Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, my first online course, in July 2016. Over the next two and a half years, that single course generated more than $1,100,000 in revenue. That figure was achieved without webinars, Facebook Live sessions, guest posts, or a big launch event. The course is evergreen and has primarily spread … Read more

10 Tasty Camping Meal Ideas for Quick Outdoor Cooking

Camping is an affordable and rewarding activity to enjoy with family or friends. With these 10 easy camping recipes, you’ll have a variety of tasty, budget-friendly meals to prepare while outdoors. I love camping and creating satisfying meals over a campfire or portable stove. These recipes are simple, require minimal prep and cleanup, and many … Read more

Top-Rated Trustworthy Banks in Illinois: Where to Keep Your Money

This article is sponsored by Midland States Bank, and the information provided is for educational purposes only. Please verify current rates, fees, and terms directly with each institution. Managing your finances is simpler when you have a dependable banking partner. Illinois offers many banks, but which ones consistently meet customers’ needs? You deserve a stable, … Read more

How I Earned Income Blogging from Home in May

Welcome to my May business report, where I share how I made money online while traveling full-time last month. Here’s an update on how the business performed and what I learned.

If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you might wonder why I publish monthly business reports.

This began as an extra income report to document the money I earned from side jobs, excluding income from my day job. I quit my job as a financial analyst in October 2013, and since then my monthly reports have showcased the various ways I earn a living through my business.

Think about this for a moment — you make a big purchase and, afterwards, a sinking feeling sets in as you realize the buy was a mistake.

Sound familiar? Most of us have been there at least once. Sometimes the regret surfaces immediately; other times it creeps up months or even years later when you finally see the purchase for what it was: money wasted.

Poor spending choices can lead to a range of emotions and consequences, including:

Disappointment and self-reproach.
Questioning other, more valuable uses for that money.
Regret over having made the purchase at all.
Frustration for having wasted resources.
Accumulation of debt in the worst cases.

But you don’t have to repeat the same mistakes. Thoughtful decision-making can prevent future regret.

Looking for Swagbucks tips to earn more extra money online? Swagbucks is a widely used rewards platform where you earn points for simple tasks such as taking surveys, watching videos, shopping through partner links, and more. I’ve used it for years and redeemed over 100 gift cards from the comfort of home. There are several … Read more

Why You Should Save and Invest for Retirement — A Personal Finance Confession

One topic I rarely discuss on Making Sense of Cents is investing. For a long time, investing was not something I explored deeply in my personal finances. I realize that sounds like a personal finance blogger slip-up, but it’s honest: I was embarrassed to talk about it. We always had some money in a retirement … Read more

How We Eliminated $100,000 of Debt on One Income

Hello! Today I’m sharing an inspiring debt payoff story from Sarah, a Southern California mother of three. She blogs at Let’s Talk Mom Business about the budgeting and frugal living tactics she and her husband used to eliminate $100,000 in debt while living on a single income. Shortly after our second child was born six … Read more

Do You Need Travel Medical Insurance for Long-Term Trips?

The following is a sponsored partnership with SafetyWing travel medical insurance. All opinions are my own. I’ve been traveling full-time for several years. For a long time my travels were mainly within the U.S. by RV, and out of habit and complacency I never looked into travel medical insurance. I just assumed I was fine—almost … Read more