1. What’s that?
2. How can I do that?

To be a freelance writer, you must have a strong grasp of grammar, spelling, vocabulary–in other words, you have to be a good writer.  You must have an engaging voice and be able to adapt your writing style to the needs of the client.  If you can’t write, don’t like to write, or don’t know how to wield a semicolon, then perhaps writing is not going to be an effective moneymaker for you.  You may think that editors can catch your errors and “fix” your writing, but in a freelance gig, your clients are paying you to do it right.  If they wanted to run everything by an editor, they’d have an intern do all their writing for free.

If you are a good writer, the next step is finding someone who will pay you to write.  If you start researching writing jobs, you’ll see that there are far more available jobs than you would think.  Unfortunately for you, there is a high demand for these jobs.  That is another reason you must have excellent writing and communication skills.  How does your writing rise above that of every other applicant who knows where their commas go?

Another thing that complicates your job search is the willingness of some writers to work for a pittance.  Though the best clients know that you get what you pay for, others are deceived by the number of “writers” willing to work for $4/page.   These writers are generally people who don’t know better and who don’t have the writing skill to demand better.  Why take $4 per page when you can command $50/page or more?

Now, if you start to market yourself as a freelance writer, you will need to do some research and determine your pay scale.  If you are just starting out,  however, you’ll likely be looking for jobs that being advertised through employment classifieds and that have a predetermined pay rate.  When you look at what a client is willing to pay, be sure you consider the time it will take you to complete the project and determine if it is worth it to you.

So where can you find these jobs?  I recommend networking first.  My very first copywriting job, long before I was relying on freelancing as my sole income, came as a result of my incessant nagging.  I have a friend who is co-owner of a small advertising firm.  I continually told him, “If you ever need help writing anything  . . . ”  He knew my background as an English major/Public Relations minor, and so when they had a project they were too swamped to complete on their own, I was the first call.  This never would have happened had I not let them know I was an available resource.  In fact, I have obtained all of my clients except one through networking.  The one I got from an online job posting, I got because I had experience writing in that particular field–because of one of the clients I got through networking.

If you don’t have a network established yet, or if you’re looking for more leads, I recommend the following sites for finding freelance writing jobs:

So, writers–what are you waiting for?  Happy hunting.

For those of you who don’t write, but still want to find a way to earn an income from home, make sure you take a look at WAHM.com.  It gives a wealth of ideas for work at home jobs.

The article was a guest post written by Heather of Work at Home Market, a WAHM resource with which I was unfamiliar until this article, but which I will be checking out in more detail soon.

In “How to Transition to Working at Home,” Heather writes of how, when she got married, she and her husband decided she would quit working outside the home after six months.   Heather’s experience is different from mine in several ways–the most important of which, in my opinion, is that Heather made the transition before she had children.  When I finally decided enough was enough and that I could no longer leave my Bear every day, I had to overlap my “outside job” and my new work at home jobs while caring for an infant (whom I was still nursing!) in the hours between the end of the regular work day and the baby’s bedtime.

For any moms looking to make this change, know this before you start:  It.  Is.  Exhausting.

That’s not to say it wasn’t worth it, because it was.  Just bear in mind that you will work a full day outside the home, take care of your family until bedtime, and when they are all cuddled up asleep, you will continue working into the wee hours.  And this schedule will last months.  Before undertaking a schedule of this magnitude, be absolutely certain that both you and your husband are on board and committed to your working at home.

Even with a Hot Husband who was committed to my staying home with our Bear, our marriage suffered neglect during this time period.  I’m not sure either of us was prepared for the amount of work I would be putting into the project or the care of our child, and the time that it would take away from our relationship.

Before I give any advice on how to handle that transition, I think I need to reflect on the experience a little more–to determine how I could have been more organized and prepared, and to what we as a couple could have done to make the process easier for both of us.  The first step, I think, is understanding that you are going to embark on an extremely difficult journey and keep your focus on how rewarding the destination will be.

Heather does not write how to manage time in her article on the transition to working from home.  Rather, she gives steps to finding a job and marketing your business, product, or service.  Those in the beginning stages, those considering becoming a work at home mom, will find “How to Transition to Working at Home” useful in determining how to get started.  Her advice on setting a deadline is particularly beneficial, I think.  If you want to work from home, this article gives a good, basic reference and is worth the read.

If I find a resource for how to survive the overlap, or if I can organize my own experience to share with you objectively, I’ll post it on Nix9to5.

What about you?  Have any of you successfully made the switch?  What is your number one piece of advice for making the transition to working from home?

Being a WAHM has a unique set of challenges–just like being a stay at home mom has it’s own benefits and drawbacks, and just like working outside the home has pros and cons.  I do think that, for our family, my being a work at home mom is the best possible solution. We simply can not afford to live on one paycheck, and working outside the home was killing me–I couldn’t stand not being home with my Bear!

For most people–including me–it is difficult to figure out how to find legitimate work you can do from home, or how to find work that pays well enough.  There are, however, several options available, depending on your education and skills.  Not everyone can be a copywriter, not everyone can be an online tutor, not everyone has the magic eBay touch . . . but there is a wealth of opportunity if you are committed to thinking creatively, willing to try new things, and dedicated to the hard work necessary during the transition.

One of the best resources I found for job listings, employment ideas, and even daily living resources for work at home moms (or those striving to become work at home moms) is WAHM.com.  A lot of the resources and articles on this site are good for all mothers,  not just those working from home.  With recipes, parenting tips, job advice, and more, WAHM.com is an excellent resource for time-starved mommies.  Check them out and let me know what you think.

The great deals aren’t the only reason to sign up with MooLaLa.  They also have a fantastic referral program.  With most deal sites, you get a credit to the site when someone you refer makes his or her first purchase.  With MooLaLa, though, you get paid commission on every purchase one of your referrals makes.  In fact, you even get paid commission on the purchases you make!  It gets better, though.  Not only do you make commission on your purchases and you referrals purchases, you get commission on THEIR referrals, too!

Here’s how MooLaLa describes their PayMatrix referral program:

The Moolala PayMatrix is an exciting rewards program where you can earn money by simply referring your friends to Moolala.

To start with, we’ll pay you 2% of the deal value on any purchase you make. Then, if you refer friends, we’ll pay you 2% of the deal value your friends buy. But it doesn’t stop there. You’ll also receive 2% on any deal your friends’ friends purchase, and your friends’ friends’ friends purchase, and your friends’ friends’ friends’ friends purchase. It’s a 2% 5-level rewards system. And these aren’t one-time referral fees. As long as people in your PayMatrix are buying deals, we’ll keep paying you – forever.

What a great way to earn something as you help your friends get great deals, too!

Interested in signing up for MooLaLa to take advantage of their fantastic deals and/or referral program?  Just sign up here.

MooLaLa is a new deal site that, much like similar sites, saves you 50-90% on products, services, and entertainment in your area.  There is one big difference, though.   Most deal sites allow you to earn a referral fee in which you earn credit toward the site for the first purchase one of your referral makes, or they allow you to get your deal free if a specified number of friends purchase the same deal.  However, with MooLaLa, you make ACTUAL COMMISSION on your purchases, every purchase of friends you refer, AND every purchase of friends they refer!!  This “PayMatrix” continues up to five levels.

To get great deals and earn commission on those deals, sign up for MooLaLa.

Thanks to Simple Saving Savvy for the heads-up!

Right now, one of those survey companies I told you about before is looking for new people to join their community.  With SurveySavvy, you can earn cash for completing surveys, many of which are only a few minutes long.  While I haven’t become rich taking surveys, I have had no problems (with spyware or whatever), and have even earned a little bit of money.

Join SurveySavvy to start earning cash for your opinion.

One of my most recent BzzCampaigns asked me to check out CheapToday.com.  CheapToday is a deal site in which “power shoppers” scour the internet and post the best deals they come across.  Basically, you can look on this site to find the answer to “What’s cheap today?”

One of the things I’ve done to be able to work from home is to become a consultant with Usborne Books & More.  This is a great company to work with, and being a consultant has enabled me to build a beautiful library for the Bear!  I’ll tell you more about my Usborne experience soon, but for now,  I didn’t want you to miss out on the great Cyber Monday deals on books for babies, toddlers, children, and young adults.  Usborne books are of terrific quality and great for homeschooling as well:  The Pioneer Woman raves about Usborne!

Click here for my eShow to see the great Cyber Monday deals at Usborne.  Interested in setting up your own eShow to earn free books?  Let me know, and we’ll get you started.  All you have to do is send a link to your family and friends and sit back and relax.  They will shop online, and you’ll reap the benefits–no vacuuming required.

As a BzzAgent, I’ve been able to try full size samples of Cover Girl products, and I have received samples and coupons for got2b hair products.  My most recent BzzCampain is for Lifelock.  Lifelock is an identity theft protection service.  You may have seen their commercials, where the president of the company stands in front of a semi-truck driving around with his social security number painted on the trailer.  Anyway, as a BzzAgent, I get a Lifelock trial in return for telling you what I think of the service.

I just signed up for my trial yesterday, and so far, no one has stolen my identity.  Of course, no one stole my identity prior to my enrollment with Lifelock, either, so I don’t really know yet how well it works.  One cool thing about Lifelock, though, is that it immediately removed my name from mailing lists for pre-approved credit card offers.  I’m pretty excited about that.  I hate junk mail, and I particularly hate junk mail that includes my personal information!

While its too early for me to decide whether Lifelock is worth the fee to renew when my trial is up, they do seem to be off to a good start.

Stay tuned for my BzzAgent review of L’Oreal Paris Collagen Micro-Pulse eye treatment!  If you’re interested in becoming a BzzAgent yourself, click here to join.