Recommended Resource Tools
This is a resource page with the Top 20 Sites to help you ‘Manage Time, Save and Earn Money’. It includes some highly recommended products, services, and companies that will help you save a lot of time and keep money in your pocket.
BLOGGING
Canva– An online graphic design software that can be used for web and print. A majority of my blog title (image) pics and Pinterest photos are created thru Canva. There are so many options and designs that make your image and presentation stand out. Super easy to use and you will not be disappointed. This is absolutely #1 in my books and I don’t know what I’d do without it. Saves me from purchasing design software that is expensive and so confusing. It’s free to use or can purchase a subscription for premium plans.
PicMonkey– Also an online graphic design software that is free to use or can purchase a monthly subscription to unlock premium options. I have a monthly subscription to PicMonkey and it allows you to be more creative with your design and you can save it for web or print use. This is great for making logos, headers, social media covers, and more. Start with a 7-day free trial with premium options.
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing– This course will teach you everything you need to know about Affiliate Marketing. The author, Michael Schroeder, will show you how she earns $50k+ a month from her blog using the tips she provides on this course. Check out her blog, Making Sense of Cents, where she posts her monthly blog income – it’s astounding how much she’s earned so far. I highly recommend this to new and existing bloggers looking to make income on their blogs.
Bluehost– A very popular hosting site amongst bloggers. From just $2.95/mo, you can create your very own WordPress site- with 1-click WP install and a 30day money-back guarantee. Using my link, you can get a free domain name at Bluehost, and by signing up for a 12 mo plan. You can start off with a monthly plan and reserve your domain name -for less than $12 for the year. This is a very good option for bloggers on a budget.
GoDaddy– My current WordPress hosting company- it’s got an easy-to-use dashboard, 1-click WP installs, daily site backup, and free stock photos within the Media Library. GoDaddy also includes many WordPress themes available for use. Plans start at $6/mo and also include a free domain name with a 12 mo plan.
Unsplash– A must-bookmark site to get high-quality free stock photos for your blog and social media. There are thousands of pictures you can use and do whatever you want with. You can search for pictures by keywords or go through the collections. Also, check out my post on How to get free photos for your blog and social media for more websites.
HipMedia– Create your own Media Kit that you can provide to potential sponsors – perfect for bloggers and businesses. Beautiful templates are available in a one-page or multi-page format. The designs are very hip and they will truly stand out – saving you time from researching and formatting your own media kit.
Envato– Purchased my WordPress theme called Bridge by Qode Interactive from Envato. Here you can find thousands of web templates and themes, website plugins, video effects, royalty-free music, audio tracks, fonts, logos, icons, stock photos as well as 3D print models. It’s pretty much your one-stop shop for your creative projects or anything web related. There’s so much you can find here!
ConvertKit– One of the best email marketing tools for bloggers. Subscription includes unlimited forms, courses, landing pages, and emails that you can use to grow your audience. ConvertKit allows you to create different newsletters for individual posts/pages and give your visitors some incentives after signup – like a free download of an e-guide, pictures, etc.
Tailwind – Did you know that Pinterest is one of the highest engaging social media platforms available? Having an active profile on Pinterest will allow you to share your content with so many people who may be interested in your niche. Tailwind allows you to schedule your pins on Pinterest using photos you’ve already published on Instagram or downloaded from your desktop or device. You can register with a free plan or purchase a premium plan for extra add-ons that give you more analytics. Here’s a $15 credit from me to get you started.
BUSINESS
Etsy– An online shop for all creative minds. Here you can purchase products as well as create your own shop for free! You can find a lot of unique items for just about anything – from accessories, clothing, craft supplies, and wedding-related materials as well as digital downloads, and the list goes on! Etsy is the place where all the crafty and DIY peeps go. If you’re looking to start selling some of your own stuff as well, this is the perfect place to start up without all those upfront costs of creating a website, shopping cart, and so on. Here are 40 free listings to get your shop started.
Shopify– If you’re looking to create a website with all the shopping cart (e-commerce) features, Shopify would be your best bet. It’s great for small and large businesses where you can build an online store- includes free themes to design your virtual shop, built-in POS software to take payments as well as integrated shipping rates at checkout. Price plans vary depending on your needs and right now you can take advantage of the 14-day free trial (no credit card needed) and there are no setup fees. I highly suggest taking advantage of the trial, and get the feel of what your potential shop will look like and the features that are included. This is the best way to get your shop up and running if you know nothing about website development or design. It’s secure, has unlimited bandwidth and you can also use your own domain name.
Square (Square Up)– This convenient tool is a virtual terminal that allows you to process credit card payments right on your mobile phone or computer. With low fees compared to bank rates, it’s simple to use and without all the hassle required for creating a merchant account. This app is a must! When I was doing my home business working as an esthetician, clients needed a way to make payments with their credit cards. Because seriously nowadays, who carries cash? From the Square Dashboard, you can create invoices, and timesheets and view the virtual terminal to process payments. There’s no charge to sign up and click here to receive free processing on up to $1000 in sales during your first 180 days. You can also order a free magstripe reader that you can use on your phone or tablet – would be great for selling at flea markets or for when you have a pop-up shop.
Fiverr– The perfect spot for businesses where you can hire freelancers to do tasks – from graphic designing (ie. logos), digital marketing (ie. SEO), writing and translation (ie. legal writing), Video & Animation, Advertising, Business Consulting and many many more. You can pretty much hire anyone for any project you need to be done starting at just $5. The absolute cost-effective way to have something done for you when you have a tight budget. The best part about joining Fiverr is that you don’t have to pay until you approve the project. It’s honestly a win-win situation, especially when you don’t have the time or when you don’t know how to do whatever it is you need to get done. I mean $5 is about the cost of your Starbucks Grande Caramel Macchiato.
Creative Market– A great place for all creators/designers. You can find so many graphics, templates, fonts, and more to help with any design you plan on creating.
TRAVEL
Airbnb– Travel the world and stay in unique homes at a better value compared to hotel rates. Or become a host, and earn income by sharing your home with other travelers. This is such a great option especially when traveling with a group, split the cost and stay for a much cheaper price. Go to Airbnb and get a $50 CAD credit with my referral link just for signing up.
New York Pass– If you’re traveling to New York, I highly recommend grabbing the New York Pass. This card allows you to visit many attractions while visiting New York and can be purchased in 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10-day passes. You can save more money with the pass compared to purchasing these attractions individually. It also gives you a guidebook, free maps, and bus routes. On my first visit to New York, we decided to purchase the 2-day pass and it was money well spent! We got to use the pass for entrance to The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Empire State Building, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise, and The Big Bus Tours -Hop On and Hop Off. Just the bus option was already a significant saving in transportation costs. A lot of places we wanted to go to for shopping and food were within the bus routes and we took advantage of it since it was included. I highly suggest purchasing it online because you save money on the pass and you can start planning your tours prior to arriving – you can plan your routes and create your itinerary ahead of time. Keep in mind, there are lineups to many of these attractions so it’s good to pre-book some (if available) in advance.
SAVINGS & FINANCE
Ebates– One of my favorite browser add-ons and mobile app. Ebates allows you to earn cash back at many many online retailers and if you live in the US, you can also earn cashback In-Store at certain retailers. You can find coupons, promo codes, and cashback savings online. Sometimes they have special promos where you get double cash back. This is one program you definitely need to sign up for and it’s especially great when you’re online shopping during holidays. Within 6 months of signing up, I’ve already earned a couple of hundred dollars on my purchases. I was gonna be shopping for items online anyway, so why not take advantage of it and get some money back. It’s free to sign up and I highly recommend downloading the app on your phone as well. For my Canadian Residents, join thru Ebates.ca, and here’s a $5 bonus. US residents can join thru Ebates.com and here’s a $10 bonus.
Honey– An online shopping tool that finds coupon codes automatically so you can immediately save money on purchases at certain online retailers. Coupon codes are valid at only online shopping stores in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. It also allows you to get cash bonuses for items purchased in certain US-based stores. How it works is you basically download the Honey add-on to your browser toolbar, and whenever you’re shopping online, the toolbar will indicate if there are coupon codes or cash bonuses available for that shop. Cash bonuses can be accumulated and redeemed by way of Amazon Gift Cards and can be combined with coupon codes.
Swagbucks– Earn cash back for shopping online, watching videos, playing video games, answering surveys, or searching the web for specific things. You can redeem points for gift cards or cash back through Paypal. Swagbucks is similar to the above programs where you can earn cash back for purchases, except it has more ways that you can earn points and from doing other activities.
Questrade- is one of Canada’s first and fastest-growing direct access discount brokers. Questrade trading commissions are among the lowest in Canada starting from $4.95 a trade. Since no two traders are alike, Questrade offers different trading platforms to cater to traders’ needs from the very active intraday trader to the long-term position trader. In addition, the Questrade RSP has numerous benefits. There are no annual fees, you can hold physical gold, and with the introduction of USD in RSP, you can trade U.S. securities without forced currency conversions.
Questrade is a direct access broker; this means your trades are sent directly to the market through electronic communication networks or ECNs. The benefits of direct access are much faster fill times and optimal price placement, which has the potential to save you substantial amounts of money on your trades. For currency traders, Questrade offers the ability to trade FX with a minimum deposit of only $250! Questrade also offers options trading.
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*Questrade makes no representations whatsoever about any other web site which you may access through this site, including without limitation any site whose services may be described or offered on the Questrade site. A link to a third party web site does not mean that Questrade endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content, or us, of such web site.
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