Is it Really About the Money? No Longer an Obstacle!

byJoshua0853

708 followers

Updated 11 years ago

Over the past several weeks, I have come across numerous blogs, posts, and other correspondence from Premium members who are considering giving up their memberships. The reason? They say they can no longer afford the Premium membership investment of $47.00 per month. I think that is a real shame because it does not have to be that way. Consider for a moment what they are really saying: "I am no longer able to invest $47.00 per month to secure financial freedom for me and my family." But is that really true? Perhaps, in a handful of cases, but certainly not all. If you are one who is considering giving up your Wealthy Affiliate Premium status, please continue reading. If that does not pertain to you, read on anyway. Who knows if or when circumstances may change?

$47.00 per month works out to be about $1.57 per day. With that in mind, let's look at some scenarios:

o Many people stop for coffee every morning before heading off to work, spending at least a couple of bucks in the process. Is it not worth giving that up to invest in your own future? (Even more frightening, Starbucks will set you back almost $5.00 per coffee).

o What about the soft drink or coffee ordered every day along with lunches—another couple of bucks? Water is free and a whole lot better for you.

o Women visit their local hairdresser periodically and can spend a small fortune each visit. What about visiting your local beauty school or college and receiving the same service for half the price or even less?

o Men will pay $10.00 to $20.00 for a decent haircut two to four times a month. I've been cutting my own hair for about 38 years and estimate a total savings of between $9,000.00 and $15,000.00 over that time (that's a decent down payment on a home).

My point here is that there are plenty of ways to make up the $1.59 per day needed to pay for a Premium membership with Wealthy Affiliate. Of course, everyone's circumstances are different and not everything is appropriate for everybody. However, I submit that anyone who cannot find $1.57 per day in their budget is simply not trying hard enough.

What about the yearly pay option? We save about $205.00 per year by paying annually. However, coming up with the full amount (currently $359.00) may be difficult for some. That is understandable, especially in today's economy. Yes...difficult...but not impossible. Assuming that investing in yourself is important, and you are willing to sacrifice, let's look at some ways to raise money quickly and relatively painlessly:

1. Got Hair?

Think about selling your hair if you have a fairly long mane (say more than 10 inches to spare). This can be especially profitable if your hair is of the "virgin" variety (no, your hair does not have to be chaste). Virgin hair refers to hair that has never been dyed, permed, or anything of the sort. Such hair brings a premium (appropriate because you are seeking a "Premium"). .

Here are some web sites if you are blessed with some bodacious locks and are interested in parting with some of it...for a price, of course:

http://hairsellon.com/hair-price-calculator/

http://hairsellon.com/

http://buyandsellhair.com/

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/style/rapnuzel-rapunzel-let-down-your-hair-and-sell-it-for-cash/

Actual auction:

http://www.onlinehairaffair.com/

2. CUT THE CORD!

Want to save anywhere from $75.00 to $150.00 per month or more? Think about getting rid of cable and/or satellite TV. I realize that some are cursing me right now, but please, hear me out on this. Let me begin by saying that I gave up my Direct TV more than two years ago and have regretted that decision for a total of...wait for it...".000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 Nano-seconds!"

That occurred when I received a check from Direct TV for $200.00 if I would come back. Not in THIS lifetime. Let me explain what I did:

My DTV bill was about $90.00 per month, including all taxes and fees. What I did to replace DTV was to buy a ROKU box for $99.00 (one time cost); buy an outdoor antenna for $89.00 (one time cost); buy a digital converter box for my one analog TV for $30.00; buy a lifetime subscription to PlayOn for $59.00 (one time cost); and subscribe to NetFlix for $8.00 per month.

Therefore, my total up front investment to save $90.00 per month was $99 + $89 + $30 + $59 = $277.00 (less than 3 months of Direct TV), and $8.00 per month ongoing (monthly net savings of $90.00 - $8.00 = $82.00.

ROKU is a device that allows you to stream content over the internet. It began by streaming limited content, such as NetFlix; however, it has now grown way beyond Netflix. ROKU supports 750 channels including 94 TV and movie channels along with channels for music and games. In addition to Netflix, TV and movie fans can access Amazon Instant video (including free programs on Amazon prime), Vudu, Hulu Plus, PlayOn (see below), HBO Go (you need a cable or satellite subscription to sign in) and even news and information channels ranging from Al Jazeera English live programming to Fox News, HuffPost Live, and plenty more.

PlayOn adds functionality to your online video streaming setup. There is a onetime cost of $59.00 but it is well worth it. PlayOn will add more than 100 online channels-like CNN, Comedy Central, CBS, Disney and Redbox Instant-for you to stream to you TV and mobile devices. With PlayOn you will also be able to watch Hulu on your TV or mobile device without a subscription to Hulu Plus. And with PlayLater you can record all this and take it on the go.

The outdoor antenna brings in broadcast TV channels (in my case - 24) to include local stations (ABC, CBS, NBC), PBS, Weather, ION, MeTV, QVC, Bounce, and much more.

3. Sell Stuff!

Everyone has "stuff" lying around in the basement, out in the garage, or stuffed in the back of some closet somewhere that they no longer want or need, that can be sold for considerable coin. Craigslist, Amazon, EBay, and other online sites can become your new best friends. Sign up and start raising money! FYI: Items that sell well on Amazon include DVDs, Books, Video Games, and/or Electronics. Books can be sold through Craigslist, Amazon, EBay, and Cash4books.net.

4. Mystery Shopping...

...if done right, can help you to raise money fairly quickly (may take up to a month to actually get paid). The trick is to be very selective in your shopping choices and to combine trips, if possible. For example, I have two shops already scheduled for Sunday in the same general area. This minimizes my travel expenses. Plus, both shops pay a bonus (one bonus is for $25.00 in addition to the normal shop payment of $18.00). To help find the better paying shops, it helps to register with a number of companies (there are hundreds of companies/schedulers for mystery shopping available and I am registered with about 18 of them).

If interested in mystery shopping, visit the Mystery Shopping Provider Association (MSPA) website and search their list of member companies. I recommend MSPA because most of the companies that they work with have standardized their application process, the look and feel of their individual websites, job notification procedures, and in some cases, the report format. It just keeps things simple. Although some (erroneously) believe that mystery shopping is a scam or does not pay well enough to make it worthwhile, I refute that. Sure, some jobs DON’T pay well. Just avoid those. In most cases, there is no penalty for turning down jobs. Any company that would hold that against you should be avoided. One last piece of advice: Never pay to register with a mystery shopping company.

Of course, there are many other ways that you can raise money to pay for your monthly Premium subscription. These are but a few of the ones that have worked for me (except selling hair).

Here's my bottom line to you if you are thinking about abandoning your Premium subscription because of affordability issues:

Is it really about the money?

If so, that is no longer an obstacle. Let's get to work!

Joshua