Category: Money
Posts about being frugal, getting out of debt, staying out of debt, spending practically and splurging joyfully. This category may also contain posts about hard money and what the government is doing to all that “soft money” it creates.
You should hear this from me before you hear it from them (via an email you’ll receive tomorrow). I’ll also be posting this on my Patreon page. As of December 18, Patreon will be adding a surcharge of 2.9% plus $0.35 to your monthly pledge. I realize this isn’t what you signed up for and that it will seriously change the picture, especially for some of you $1 or $2 patrons. I’ll understand completely if you withdraw your pledges. This isn’t actually a new fee, believe it or not. Previously, we Patreon creators have been charged a 5% flat fee…
I’m still basking in the glow of last week’s great gift, which enabled me to pay off last summer’s construction loan, budget money to insulate the attic and restore my propane service, do a little paying forward, and still put plenty aside. Yesterday another of my angels flew in and I immediately put his contribution to good use, also. In fact, three of Living Freedom’s biggest angels have been involved in all this. (And Patreon made its monthly payout, also put to good use, thank you.) Is there a word for a band of angels? Flock? Pride? Flight? Gratitude? A…
I mentioned on Wednesday that a pretty wonderful thing had … well, fallen upon me. That’s the only way to express it. I couldn’t write about it then. I barely can now. So first a little background. —– This month’s shocking collapse of Amazon Associates revenues (just when they should have started into their pre-holiday runup) had me thinking about this blog’s future. You guys stepped in with a YUGE response to my fundraiser last year after BHM cut me off. When Amazon nerfed its commission structure earlier this year, a lone angel quietly began making up for the loss.…
You’ve made it alllll the way to Black Friday. Which, despite much over-hype, is actually the best day of the year to buy a television. And is generally the best day of the year to buy one of Amazon’s electronic devices. In fact, Amazon is full of Black Friday Week deals you can buy via my links. And no doubt there’ll be more on Cyber Monday. If you’re interested in a nifty gift from a nationally respected company owned by freedomistas (NFI to me, but that’s fine), Hi Mountain Seasonings has supplies for creating your own homemade jerky, including a…
Finally I’ve put up the second, and longer, RebelFire story fragment — just for you active patrons. At the same time, I opened the first fragment, the one I posted last month, for public viewing. (See the post labeled, naturally enough, “First RebelFire story fragment.”) So there’s something for all on my Patreon page. Read, comment, critique, and I hope enjoy. I had extraordinary help, particularly on the second fragment, and have today “uncloaked” my helper — who really deserves a co-author credit but declines to accept one. Not one of my Patreon subscribers? You can become one for as…
Historically I’ve counted on November being the second-biggest month of my Amazon Associates year. This year Amazon commissions fell off a cliff. Right at the start of this month. It’s not part of a trend. Generally I’ve lucked out. Amazon nerfed its commission structure in March, but the blow didn’t hit as hard as I expected, both because an angel quietly stepped in to make up for the losses, and because even though the number of bought items dropped people chose a lot of items in the 7% or 8% categories. And some of those items were pretty big. But…