Vague Blog Disclosures Suck

At some point if you monetize your blog, you have to figure out how you're going to disclose the pay-for-play relationship you have with brands and sponsors you work with.

That's the decision I'm facing as I get set to announce my first paid spokesperson opportunity.

The guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission pretty much leave it up to the blogger as to how we do it, they just want to ensure it's done. 

I've seen it done all kinds of ways - from having a blanket disclosure statement to spelling it out in posts. Some bloggers take the extra step and let their readers know, link by link, when they're promoting affiliates.

Here's how I'm going to disclose the information to you:

In plain, non-confusing, free of legal jargon english at the end of each sponsored post.

Adding a separate disclosure page with cookie-cutter lingo doesn't work for me. Yes, that would make it clear that I may receive compensation, but it's still too ambiguous as far as I'm concerned. If I purchase something with my hard-earned money and decide to write about it, that's one thing. I don't want the lines to become blurred when I'm compensated for giving my opinion.

As my valued reader, it's not your job to figure out when I'm endorsing a product/service for money and when I'm not. I'd be up front with you even if I wasn't required by law to do so.

It all boils down to this: When the shoe is on the other foot, how do I want to be informed? How you answer that question should guide your decision making process when it comes to keeping your audience in the know.

Don't assume I'm turning my blog into fish stick and Febreeze territory. Ain't happening. You got my word. 

I'm simply doing my best to honor our relationship and the trust you bestow upon me. I'm grateful that you take the time to read, share, and engage with me here. 

Amberr declared my blog a "no-bullshit" zone. Let's keep it that way.

Non-Meme Queen: The Versatile Blogger

I've typed and deleted three sentences trying to get this post started. I'm not deleting anything else. Whatever it ends up being, just go with it please?! Great. Thanks.

A few months ago on twitter I had a question about something. I don't remember exactly what, but what I do remember is that Amy came to my rescue and answered it. We've been blogging buddies since then. She lives in Chicago and tells me at least a couple of times a month she wants me to come visit. 

Sit tight, Precious...I'll be there soon as I can!

Three bloggers awarded Amy The Versatile Blogger award. The rules state if your blog is mentioned, you have to tell seven things about yourself and list 15 13 bloggers you think others will enjoy reading.

I appreciate Coffee Lovin Mom passing the torch to me.*

7 RANDOM THINGS YOU PROBABLY DON'T CARE TO KNOW ABOUT TUE®:

1. LEFT. my dominant hand
2. 13. favorite number, was my Daddy's thirteenth child (yes, he had 12 with his first wife)
3. ORANGE. favorite color
4. TERRELL OWENS. the man I plan to marry, he doesn't even know I exist but that's ok
5. OUTBURST!. my ROTFLMAO equivalent, you'll know it when you hear it
6. HEIGHTS. I don't do em
7. BETWEEN A & B. my bra cup size

BLOGS I GOTTA HAVE IN MY LIFE

1. hotchocolocatecaramelmocha
2. The Work at Home Woman
3. The Numbers Whisperer
4. Teen Entrepreneur Blog
5. Learn What Not To Do
6. Libra Fitness Austin
7. Miss Coupon Diva
8. Cassius Blue Consulting
9. 12 Most
10. The VaVoom Factor
11. Dump Your Frump
12. Girl Talk With Marlo
13.  Mel Robbins 

* I'm the self-proclaimed 'Non-Meme Queen'. As such, this is my first and last time participating in one of these.

Thank you kindly, Management.

Bloggers Don't Get Paychecks

A paid video blogging opportunity presented itself, I threw my name in for consideration, and ended up getting chosen to participate. The campaign isn't slated to go live until October and for that reason, I'm not at liberty to divulge the specifics of the project. Once everything is finalized, you'll be the first to know.

So what's the point of me telling you this now?

A good deal of women bloggers will tell you they blog because they love it and could care less if they make  any money. Visit a blog published by a man and you're going to get loads of information telling you why and how you should be monetizing your blog.

Every piece of success advice I've ever read states this golden rule in some variation: do what you love and the money will follow or find something you're passionate about and get paid for doing it. This opportunity is the first rung on my success ladder. It's proof that my work is being recognized and confirms that people are willing to pay for it. Thank you, God. 

WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS?

• I've yet to meet someone who goes to work for free. In most cases, they don't even enjoy what they do OR the people in their office, yet they show up. Why? THEY'RE BEING PAID!
• If people can go to a job they hate in exchange for money, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being compensated for doing something you kinda sorta enjoy - alot (see golden rule statement above). 
• Getting paid as a blogger takes a helluva lot longer than getting paid as an employee, but the earning potential is far greater. Please note: I would've had to work approximately 12 hours at the job I hated in order to make what I made for the video project that took 2 hours from conception to final product. 
• I like the idea of being paid for my creativity. I can name my past employers who made it very clear they weren't paying me for such.
• I have to continue to be on the lookout for these kinds of opportunities in addition to creating them on my own. I have to let people know I exist and the benefits they'll get by putting me to work. 
• Unlike an employee, I get to determine my worth. Since my pay is directly tied to my creativity, the incentive for going above and beyond and standing out is always at the forefront.  In past positions, I've been rewarded for merely meeting expectations and fitting in.
• Because I have expenses aka bills, I won't pocket a dime from this project...something employees AND start-ups can relate to.

 I don't have any qualms about putting this out there: Making money from my blog is only one of the income streams I'm creating and building for myself.

It's no different from any other venture people embark upon. It takes commitment, time, dedication, and innovation and smart investments to get results. If you think you aren't profiting fast enough, don't make the mistake of giving up.

Planning, executing, and adapting isn't just for big businesses. It also applies to blogging.

Read Bloggers Don't Get Paychecks - Part 2 to get the scoop on how it all came about!

Discount Swag: Old Navy Back2School Edition

Shopping at discount stores works for me, but not so much for The Boy and The Girl. Old Navy isn't a regular hang out of mine, but as long as they're running specials like this one AND offering money saving coupons - I'm there!

If you can't see the video below, CLICK HERE.

Since this is the first time I've purchased boys jeans from there, I'm going to pay close attention to the quality - how long they hold up and if they shrink in the dryer, etc. 

Let me know of any other Old Navy finds I might be missing out on. 

Thanks for watching & sharing your thoughts!

How To Survive Long-Term Unemployment

One of my friends I haven't seen in a long time invited me out for coffee. Nothing is on the calendar yet, but she told me when we get together she wanted to talk about how I've survived being unemployed for so long. 

I can't believe I haven't written about this. Yes I can. I have notes and scrap papers full of topics I haven't gotten around to sharing with you yet.

When Stesha told me no new jobs were created in August, I was in shock. Like, not ONE.

Without being too long-winded, I'm going to tell you how I've managed to survive over 36 months of unemployment (got my last unemployment check in May 2010):

FRUGAL FROM THE START

I've seen alot of articles offering tips to help people change their spending habits as a result of "the new economy". I was ahead of the game. While others were trying to figure out what a coupon was and had never touched a clearance rack, I was already a regular non-crazed coupon clipping discount shopper.

I was introduced to coupons around the age of 6. My then brother-in-law would take me to the grocery store and he'd teach me all about doubling and stacking. Although he didn't call it stacking. We just used multiple coupons for one item. He'd quiz me on unit prices. I always failed. I was happy as all get out when the stores started putting the unit price on the shelf sticker!

I've never been a label whore. Except when it comes to canned goods and household stuff. I recently started trying generics. I've switched to Wal-Mart's Great Value version of Scrubbing Bubbles and I also buy their frozen vegetables.

I don't wear designer clothes. If I have on something that's considered "famous label", you best believe I got it at Ross, Marshalls, or TJMaxx. There's an 85% chance it was on clearance and if it was regular price, I put it in layaway.

I shopped the same exact way when I had a paycheck. It's second nature to me.

LIVING WITH LESS

Aside from this big ass house with rooms I don't even go in, I'm a minimalist for the most part. I have a weakness for nice houses...in nice neighborhoods with good schools. This is usually accompanied by nice sized property taxes.

We've been here since 2005 and there are unfurnished rooms in my house. When Baby Daddy lost his job in 2006, that was the end of furniture buying. When most people buy a new house, they run out and furnish it on credit. Not me. Every piece of new furniture was paid for when we moved in thanks to layaway, which is the same as buying cash.

I don't like debt. I have it now as a result of unpaid bills, but it's not something I knowingly sign myself up for. Not having debt is what helped us save our home from foreclosure..the first two times. I've lost track of the number of foreclosure notices we've received. I just focus on the fact that despite overwhelming odds, we're not homeless and I thank God for the modification that resulted in an extremely low interest rate.

I pity the Jones's and have no desire to keep up with them. Running out buying the latest iWhatever has never been my thing. I replace things when they need replacing. I do my best to take care of them so they won't need replacing for a long time.

VALUE YOUR MONEY

I'm a disciplined saver. I like looking at my money. Knowing it's there if I want to spend it. Being all dressed up, taking a trip you really can't afford (because everyone else is going and you're all about impressions) has to be the worst feeling in the world.

When you truly value your money and your self-worth, you don't make decisions like that. You're open and honest about your financial situation with everyone. Not just the people who share the same money philosophy.

When it was time to get a new car in 2007, I bought a quality used car. Why? Because I value my money enough not to sink it into something brand new that's going to depreciate at least 25% the minute I drive it off the lot. Car payments for both cars is $600 month. The price of ONE brand new one.

The one thing I didn't do was save while I was collecting unemployment insurance. I wish I had put back $50 month. That would've left me with $2,475 in savings when it ran out. Enough to have paid my car off in full.

I haven't gotten food stamps, Medicaid for my kids (I did in 2006 when both me and Baby Daddy were jobless), or any other kind of government assistance.

I guess I'm basically trying to say the relationship I've had with money all along is what best prepared me for unemployment.

I've always operated under the mindset that a paycheck is temporary and nothing I should create a lavish lifestyle around. I've truly believed in living well within my means.

Quinoa For Dummies

I had a plethora of titles for this post. Some of which included:

• Shit Dr. Oz Says
• Shit Dr. Oz Says to Eat
• It's Oprah's Fault He's on TV in the First Place
• Black Folks Eat Quinoa AND other Healthy Stuff Too

As not to offend anyone, I stuck with Quinoa for Dummies.

Dr. Oz introduced me to quinoa. Not personally, but via his tv show. He's also the reason why The Boy asks for these. The first time I ever tasted quinoa was earlier this year when my friend Chris gave me a bite of hers. She'd mixed together mushrooms, onions, other vegetables and pasta sauce. Meatless. Really good!

I liked it so much that she gave me a whole bag. No recipes, just told me to follow the cooking instructions on the back. She did say I could use it in place of pasta and rice.

My first attempt at making something turned out good. I pretty much followed Chris's lead and did an all veggie mixture with pasta sauce. The Boy and The Girl loved it!

This time around I experimented a bit more. I initially set out looking for a recipe calling for SilkPure Almond Almondmilk Vanilla. Being the experimenter I am, I thought it would taste good mixed with tomato sauce. Like using it in place of heavy cream.

I googled, found a pasta recipe using almondmilk and sun dried tomatoes, and created this

The quinoa is the white puffy stuff on top.

I took the next two photos using the food setting on my camera.

Is there a big difference in how it looks?

The Girl wanted to know what it was called. I told her I made it up.

She said we should call it

Quinoa Asparagus Trio with Tomato Almondmilk Sauce

Care to know what's in it?!

I made sure to write down what I was throwing in the pan as I went along. And in case you didn't know, measuring stuff when I cook is unheard of. 

Except the sauce. I made sure to get those measurements right for you. And measuring the quinoa for the first time can be tricky. This stuff multiplies like rabbits.

I only cooked a small amount because I didn't know what it was going to taste like. It was enough for me and The Girl to have seconds of the portion size pictured. 

The Boy couldn't have any...tree nut allergy. Bless his heart. 

What You Need: 

1/2 cup Almondmilk

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 1/2 cans of water (using the tomato paste can)

1 bundle of asparagus

As much red onion as you like (I like alot)

1 pkg of chicken sausage

garlic powder

dried basil

dried parsley

salt & pepper

1 tblspoon of butter (you can't possibly have sauce without it)

extra virgin olive oil

What You Do:

• Combine tomato paste, almondmilk, and water. I didn't add all the almondmilk at one time. I put in 1/4 cup, tasted it, decided I wanted more, and added another 1/4. That equals half, huh?! Now you can add your garlic powder, basil, parsley, butter, and salt & pepper. Stir all this up and simmer over low heat.

While the sauce is doing its thing, put your quinoa on. It only takes 15 minutes to cook.

Get your trio stuff together. It'll be ready around the same time your quinoa is done.

• Put the olive oil in the pan and throw the onions in to let them start to soften. Or would this be considered carmalizing?! I'll stick to what I know. Sautee the onions and add the asparagus. The chicken sausage I used was fully cooked so I added it when I had my asparagus almost as tender as I wanted it - just so the sausage could heat up and soak up all the flavor from the veggies. 

Now listen. You can make your trio out of whatever you want. You can even turn it into a quadruple. I was really wishing I had some mushrooms. You can add chicken breast, or thin sliced beef or pork. 

There's absolutely nothing wrong with omitting meat altogether.

Are you a quinoa virgin? What would you add to make this your own unique dish?