Today is Tuesday Toot Day!

What does that mean? Well, it means every Tuesday, you get to post an accomplishment that you have done. As moms sometimes, we are quick in praising our kids and others about their accomplishments but we are “shy” when it comes to our achievements so … here is our chance.

Tuesday Toot ~ Contests, Freebies ~ Giveaways
Round Up Feature

As a new feature on Moomettesgram’s Musings, I’m going to be offering various contests and tips on where to get Free products you can use, as well as Giveaway information!  There’s a new tab up above the first post, captioned “Contests.”  (I can’t seem to get ‘Giveaway’ to fit in there.)

You’ll find links to various favorite sites where you can enter contests and giveaways, and hopefully have some fun and save some money to help out in today’s downswing economy!

I might possibly do a Weekly Roundup post to include in there if I get enough notices!

Let me know if you have a contest or giveaway going on, either now or in the future, and I’ll be happy to add it to the weekly roundup.

So whether your a Mom of a young family, or a Baby Boomer, Senior or Retiree ~ Good Luck!

Be entered in all future Contest Giveaways sponsored by Moomettesgram’s Musings!

Grab My Banner and place it on your Home Page Sidebar, and you will automatically receive an entry in all contests.

One my banner is in place, leave a comment, along with your link, at the bottom of this post to let me know, and you will be added.

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Boutique Hartstrings Sailor Prep Dress - Contest Ends 9/2/08

In a previous post I mentioned how I’m an infamous list maker. I think it’s safe to assume that most women probably are. I have all kinds of lists ~ for my cubicle job, household lists, my eBay store, online boutique Shoppes site ~ even a Bucket List!

My next top priority is to make an effort to get my Virtual Assistant business off and running, so I can retire from that day job that I keep talking about.

I have yet to order business cards for my VA business, but when I do, I’m going to order from Visa Print. They always have some sort of Special Sale going on. I’ve ordered the Free Business Cards for my Shoppes site there, as well as my eBay store. I like to include a business card when shipping out items from my eBay store, thanking my customers for their purchase, and reminding them to leave Feedback for me if they are pleased with the transaction. In the past, I also had cards made up for the various Affiliate companies that I once was an independent consultant for.

What I like about Vista Print is the fact that I can order cards from either their templates, or upload my own, like I did here.

I can even get note pads, address labels and car magnets with my company’s name! I did opt for the cute little gold-finish business card holders which fit easily in my purse.

I’ve been reading on many blogs that those who attended BlogHer ‘08 were passing out business cards.

Many moms use them as “Mommy Cards” to give out to the moms of their childrens’ friends! What a cute idea!

When my own daughters were younger, I printed ‘babysitting’ business cards for them to hand out to put up on the refrigerator, and even passed out a few myself to co-workers who were in need of a sitter. Now you can have them made up for Free at Vista Print!

Check them out!

Interested in saving money with the downturn of today’s economy?  I know I am!  Whether you’re a young mom or a mid-life Boomer like myself,  every penny helps.  I even take advantage of Senior Citizen days and discounts, whenever I can!

I’ve added a new content section featuring Freebies & Contests!  Check in often and see what’s new!

For starters, visit My Savings, as I’m sure you’ll find something of interest ~ whether you’re shopping online, or looking for FREE Samples, Coupons, Sales,  and Special Offers & Deals!

My In Box is overflowing!  Recent emails that I’ve received must be a sign of the times.

I have received so many emails from the various work-at-home mom advertising sites that I’m signed up for.  All of them have been offering best buy specials gimmicks.

“Renew early - sign up for “lifetime placement” and lock in for a one-time rate!

Most of these advertising sites are from mom-owned WAHM businesses.

Yes, I do like to support other mom-owned businesses.  However, I caution you in falling for this common sales pitch tactic.

What I believe is happening, is that these people are in a pinch, and are trying to earn some extra fast cash.

Before you sign up for a renewal, ask yourself some questions:

• **Will your own site be around next year or for a lifetime?  Is it working for you?  Do you think you’ll want to continue with your direct sales or affiliate company/ecommerce site/product?  Is your product flying off the shelf so fast that you need a ‘lifetime’ rate?

• **Will the site you’re going to advertise on be around next year, or for a lifetime?  What is their refund policy should they fold, or should you decide to discontinue your affiliation/shop/product?  If they’re so successful, why are they trying to raise cash now?  That’s what they’re really trying to do.  If they include comments such as “our site is growing by leaps and bounds” ~ they it’s ‘Buyer Beware.”
  

• **Have you checked your statistics to see if this particular advertiser is generating enough traffic for you to renew, especially for a lifetime?

As I keep stressing, read between the lines.  Don’t fall for any sales pitch and part with your hard-earned money that isn’t going to be profitable for you.  It may sound enticing, but I still think it’s a sign of a tough economy.

I recently posted on my Mama Mentor Blog that this past weekend I visited my brother in upstate New York. I flew from New England to Rochester (via Cleavland, can you believe that?) ~ for FREE! As a Baby Boomer, keeping an eye on my finances is important.

How did I accomplish that in today’s economy? I transferred my credit card reward points that I had accumulated into my frequent flier account, and was given a travel voucher for a FREE plane ticket within the continental USA.

If you use a credit card frequently, you might as well be accumulating reward points towards items that you can use.

Explore the Credit Card Club to find the card that’s right for you ~ whether it’s a no annual fee credit card, or one that offers reward points, special offers and perks!

In an earlier post, I spoke of how I recommended to a fellow forum member the benefits of how I started several blogs to promote my Shoppes site, eBay store and affiliates. Here’s additional tips to support that suggestion.

Want Website Traffic? Start A Free Blog!

Blogging has become increasingly popular in the past couple of years. There are more and more blogs created everyday on a vast array of topics. Both personal and business.

If you own a website, then you know how difficult it is to get exposure to it. Creating a blog is one of the best resources there is today for receiving that exposure.

Like anything else…it takes hard work on creating interesting content on a new blog and getting traffic to it. Focus on your website or business when creating new posts and always try and add something new everyday. Try and connect with your creative side…we all possess some level of creativity! Give it a try…you just may surprise yourself at what you manage to conjure up.

Topics:

Concentrate on what people may be searching for today on the Internet. A lot of people are searching for content for their existing websites, marketing advice, and/or finding work at home jobs and home businesses.

While some people may be just searching for friendship and are interested in simply having a good time…getting to know others, conversing about current events, funny jokes, and the like. Some people are interested in infant clothing, toys, various baby items, and parenting tips or advice.

For example: If your website focuses on women’s interests…then center your blog around women’s interests, support groups, parenting issues, bargain shopping, household items, recipes, or whatever your website content may be. Try and make your blog posts as interesting as possible to try and keep people coming back for more.

Tips On Getting Comments:

1) Simply invite people to join in on the conversations and encourage them to comment on the various posts within your blog description.
2) If you own a website and message board, and you have advertising space available for other webmasters or business owners…announce a contest on your message board offering free advertising for the person that posts the most comments on your blog. ( I have a good friend that has done this very thing and it’s working great for her.)
3) Give people a chance to self promote their websites or businesses through their comments.
4) Offer something free…for example, a free ebook or some kind of software.
5) Participate in message boards, announcing your blog, and request their opinion. Ask them to place a comment post and share their thoughts and opinions about your blog.

Promoting Your Blog:

1) Advertise your blog on various message forums.
2) Include your blog link in your signature within message forums and emails.
3) Submit your blog in blog directories.
4) Exchange links with other bloggers.
5) Write articles relating to blogging and submit them to article directories.
6) Advertise your blog in various newsletters and ezines.
7) Include your blog link on any websites you may have.

One Last Thought:

Have fun with your blog. If there is something (off the wall) that you want to share or you think is really amusing…share it in your blog. Write about anything you feel like writing. The possibilities are endless!

You can create a free blog at http://www.blogger.com. Or, you can search for free blog sites at your favorite search engine.

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Article written by: Tammy Embrich
Tammy Embrich is an Internet Marketer and is the
Owner of: WAH Opportunities, Owner of: Real WAH Jobs, and owner of Cookin At Home

Tammy’s two WAH websites focus on free telecommute job leads and more.

I was tagged for a Meme earlier this week. In my full disclosure, I mentioned that I’ve lived in the same town virtually my entire life!

Such is not the case for my brother. Once he left for college out of state many moons ago, he never returned (to live in Connecticut.) My travels to visit him always involve flying, sometimes with my toddler DD when she was younger, and a 91-year-old grandmother in tow.

When my brother graduated from college, I made a mad dash to try to make it to the ceremonies – as it was a one day road trip, fly there and return home the same day and had to rent a car.

If flying to family weddings, reunions, graduations, vacation resorts or visiting Grandma and Grandpa are in your travel plans this summer, check out the special car rental offers at Advantage Rent A Car. What I like about this company is that they America’s first major rental car company to commit to going 100% Green!

Booking your reservation and choice of vehicle is easy, as Advantage is located in most major airports. And don’t forget ~ Advantage is committed to going Green!

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Are you an eBay Seller? Do you have an eBay store or a WAHM online ebiz?

As an eBay Power Seller, I’m always on the lookout for exceptional merchandise at a terrific price to offer my customers in my eBay store, Moomette’s Magnificents. Of course, as a Baby Boomer, it’s always a plus if I can supplement my own pre-retirement fund in the process!

I’d like to let you in on a little secret… Regent’s Secret.

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Regent’s Secret is a privileged and private members-only site that caters to the fashion forward. It provides access to the most coveted contemporary brands for a limited time (3 to 5 days) at up to 70% off of retail. Membership is free, just click the link below to join. Use my e-mail address as your reference! moomettesmagnificents06@yahoo.com

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