Tuesday 27 August 2013

21 Quick & Simple Tips to Save Money

As you know, day by day cost of every commodity is sky rocketing. It has become difficult for a common man to survive unless he or she takes certain measures.
I have suggested 21 quick and simple tips to save money living in India. You could do few simple things in your everyday life and save a lot of money for your future.
You don’t need to have a great mind for doing this as you will get opportunities every day, in every walk of life.


And here I am going to show you 21 quick & simple but effective tips:

1. Budgeting

The first step to save money is to make budget for you daily, weekly and monthly expenditure.
You could decide in advance, how much you are going to spend for groceries and other stuffs.
It will help you to spend money cautiously because you are less likely to surpass your fixed daily budget.
Therefore, daily budgeting is a great habit and you could do it on paper or use various online applications like Excel spreadsheet, Google docs for daily budget etc.

2. Leave the credit card at home

Well! If you have become addicted to credit card while you are on shopping spree then it is better to leave it in your home.
If a credit card is in your pocket then you tend to shop every other thing that you see in the store. You would like to buy this one and that one.
Hence, if you leave your credit card at home then you are restricted from buying all those unnecessary stuffs that you might have bought.

3. Electricity bills

You have to pay bills whether you like it or not. But you can save a lot of money while paying your electricity bills.
I am not suggesting to evade paying your bills. But you could use electricity wisely that would reduce your electricity bill substantially.
For example, switch off the AC if you are in other room, likewise do not use drier of your washing machine and prefer to dry your clothes under the sun.
Like this you could save a lot of money. Here are 10 tips for you.

4. Cook twice a day

You could cook twice a day rather 3 or 4 times. It means you could combine your breakfast and lunch and make it a brunch.
You could do it on daily basis. In evening you could have tea or coffee and finally, in night ending your day with a dinner.
Thus you cook only twice and save your money by buying less food items.

5. Take Your Lunch do not buy it

If you are working somewhere then it is wise to carry your lunch box. You should avoid taking your lunch in your cafeteria or buying it from somewhere.
There are two reasons for it. First is you save a lot of money because a meal outside could cost you heavily and secondly it is unhygienic to consume food that is from a canteen or a restaurant.

6. Don’t buy bottled water use aqua guard

This is yet another simple but effective tip to save money. If you prefer to drink safe water then you should install aqua guard in your house.
Instead paying money every time for bottled water of 1 liter or even 20 liters, you could buy an aqua guard and pay for once.
The water is as pure as of bottled water and at the same time you save a lot of money yearly.

7. DTH instead of cable

In India, all cities are using set top box instead of cable connection. I recommend you to shift your connection to DTH or dish tv as soon as possible.
You could save money because you will only pay for the channel that you want to see. If you do not want to see a channel like some English channels then you could avoid that channel and you pay only for those channels that you want to see.
This is not possible in cable connection because you have to pay for channels that you would not like to see.

8. Don’t pay for anything online

If you love to shop online then never pay for digital products that you buy. These products are mainly software and other downloadable stuffs.
Never pay anything using your credit or debit card because most of the items you could get for free if you spend some time online doing research.
You will always get items for free online on certain websites like pirate bay, filestube, torrents etc.

9. Grandma tips for beauty and medicines – no doctor

If you are conscious about your beauty and other health related issues then never consult a doctor.
Consulting a doctor could cost you heavy amount of money. Instead of consulting a doctor you could get tips from your grandma and other elderly people in your house.
They have some effective tips and secrets that you can learn and implement in your life.

10. Grow Vegetables in Gardens do not buy

People have started to realize that the cost of green vegetables is going to increase in coming days.
If they want to feed their children with fresh and green vegetables daily then it would be too costly for them.
Hence, the other alternative is to grow vegetables in your backyard. It is healthy to use and at the same time very cost effective.
You could certainly grow vegetables which take less water and sunlight to grow.

11. Mobile Plan

Using mobile is a daily necessity. We can’t imagine our lives without a mobile phone. So we cannot avoid using it in order to save money.
However, we choose certain plans where you get to talk maximum and pay minimum.
You need to aware all the plans offered by all the companies. Choose the plan which is best according to your need.
You could save a lot of money monthly if your mobile plan is right.

12. Use public transportation rather your car or bike

Petrol is already Rs 100/- for one liter and its cost is increasing day by day. Hence, you could use public transport like bus or metro instead of your car or motorbike.
If you are using public transport then it is very cheap because you have to monthly especially if you are a student.
Using your private vehicle would cost fuel which is very costly and add your expenditure.

13. Keep a piggy bank

Children do that and even you can do it. You can have a small piggy bank and keep filling it with lose money like coins of one, two and five.
Whenever you return from shopping, you always have change in your pocket. Instead of spending that spare cash in other things you could always put it into your piggy bank.
Once the bank is full, you can break it up and take all that money.

14. Always Ask your friends help

We all have friends; it is very smart to make use of them. If you are in great need of something or you are in some trouble then you could ask for help from your friend.
Suppose, your friends stays in a city that is very far away and you have some work in that particular city then instead of travelling to that city and paying money you could ask your friend to get your job done.
Similarly, there are small things in our lives that a friend of yours could help.

15. Buy everything in festival season

This is another smart way to save money. Your wife could do all of her shopping in a festival season.
You get a lot of discount if you shop in Diwali and other festive season.
Things like apparel, gadgets and other accessories could be bought in cheap rates at a wholesale price.
You could shop for entire year in a particular festive and in India there is always festive season.
So you will get an opportunity every now and then to shop in discount and save enough money.

16. Quit Habits like Smoking, Chewing tobacco etc

You could quit bad habits like chewing paan, smoking and even drinking alcohol.
A paan or even a cigarette could cost you more than Rs 100 to Rs 200 daily. There are people who smoke two packets of cigarette daily.
Moreover, alcohol is even more costly and bad for you health. Hence, you could get rid of these habits and save an amount of money that could buy you a house in next 20 years.
In addition to this, all these habits are injurious to your health. Check this article here to quit your bad habits to save money.

17. Buy your railway or air ticket online

You could buy your railway and airline ticket online. I personally book all my tickets for railways online.
If I have to travel next day then I would book it online using by credit card.
It saves you money because you do not have to pay for the travel agent.
You could do same thing when you buy an air ticket also.

18. Pay Your Bills on Time

You have to pay all your bills on due date. If you don’t then you have to pay heavy fine.
Same applies with paying EMI, if you miss payment for one month then you have to pay a heavy fine and if you repeat the same mistake again then amount could be double.
So avoid delaying your bills.

19. See a movie in home rather in a multiplex

Now a day, watching a movie in a theatre is like spending Rs 599 for a person. Besides paying for ticket you need to pay for popcorn, beverages etc.
Instead of spending some Rs 2000 for a family every week you could watch same movie with popcorn in your house.
A home theatre is better than watching movie in a multiplex every time.
And if you want to take this habit further then you can wait for 1 month & watch the movie on your idiot box.

20. Buy only those Products Which comes with money back guarantee

If bought a product and feel that it is not good enough then you should return the product back to the company and get your money back.
It is of no use buying a product which does not come with a money back guarantee.
You could get back the money and buy another product which you like hence you do not have to spend money twice.

21. Live in a smaller city

Finally, the best way to save a lot of money just in a year is by living in smaller city.
If your job allows you then you could move to a smaller city because expenditure is very less.
Cost of every commodity is less and you could save on everything you buy. Whether it is property or daily supply.
In conclusion, I would say that these were 21 quick tips to save money. You might notice that these tips could be implemented in your day to day life.
It does not need any science as a housewife can do it.

Thursday 15 August 2013

How to Start a Video Blog? A Complete Guide on Video Blogging

Today, every blogger realizes the importance of video blogging. Soon, other bloggers around the world would be jumping on to this bandwagon.Video blogging or Vlogging is going to completely change the face of blogging. Now, audience wants content which is more appealing to them and talks directly to them.
Masses are not interested in reading your stuff. Hence, smart bloggers are quick to make this transition. Although, video blogging is not for everyone, however you can still give a try because it is that easy.
video-blogging
How do you get started with video blogging? What do you need to get started?
What are the ways to promote it? What are its advantages and even disadvantages? And how to you monetize your videos to stay always on top?
These are various things that we will look in this article.
So before you start video blogging read this article and decide whether you want to go for it or not?

What is Video Blogging?

Well, I am not going to complicate things here as I will try to make it as simple as possible. Video blogging or informally known as Vlogging is not a new concept. It has been there for a while now.
Only thing is that now people are able to realize its true potential.
To make it simple, you most probably know YouTube, DailyMotion or Vimeo etc. The video posted there could be called as VBlog.
Individuals who are uploading their videos on these websites are generally called Vloggers. However, not everyone who uploads a video on YouTube could be called as a Vlogger.
It is because Vlogging is quite professional but others who upload are amateur. They upload their videos for fun or sharing it with their family and friends.
On the other hand, video blogging is to make some money with it apart from having just fun. An amateur could upload a video once in a week however a Vloggers need to do every day.
Video bloggers cannot afford to upload any type of content, the video they are uploading must be of good quality and people should enjoy watching it.
Moreover, in video blogging there is a tough competition from other video bloggers. So you need to come with new ideas to create videos which are unique and of good quality.
Therefore Vlogging is a serious business.

Is Video Blogging Harder than Traditional Blogging

The answer is Yes and No. Yes it could be harder if you think you are very shy on camera and have no intention appearing on it.
On the other hand, it could be very easier for those guys who love to face camera. Moreover, they do not have any interest in writing.
If you think you can write better and for you writing is the best way to communicate your message then there isn’t any need for video blogging.
Because everyone cannot create videos.
There are bloggers who are great when it comes to traditional blogging but they are equally bad at video blogging.
And vice versa, good Vloggers cannot be able to write something worth of reading.
Therefore, you need to make a decision whether you are fit for video blogging or not. If you think you cannot then don’t do it.
If you think you can then please go for it. You could see some great video bloggers on YouTube. If you can be one of them then you could give a shot.

How to Start a Video Blog?

Well, there is some technical stuff that you need to understand before you start video blogging. But there is something more important that you need to know because learning technical stuff can be done in few days however learning how to create quality videos take time.
Hence, we shall look how you can create good videos daily.

1. Watch all Sorts of Video

You need to get an idea first then you could create videos. If you do not know what others are creating then you will find it very difficult to create content.
Go to YouTube and watch videos which are very popular. Subscribe to all those channels and watch them regularly.

2. Practice and Record in Front of Camera

To overcome your fear you need to practice in front of a camera. Sit down in front of the webcam of your computer and start recording a video. It will give you a real time experience.

3. Start with Creating Videos with Your Friends and Family

The best way to start creating videos is to do with your family and friends. You could easily record with a camcorder and upload on YouTube. However, keep in mind if you want to be Vlogger then your videos must stand out. It should not be just an amateurish video.

4. Never Plagiarize, Develop Your Own Style

Usually, individuals who start Vlogging would like to plagiarize and copy other’s style. Never do that.
The great thing about video blogging is that it gives you a chance to develop your own style. And people who watch these videos always look something that is unique.

5. Focus on Content of the Video

Focus, only on content rather other gimmickry. If your content is not good then you cannot become a Vlogger.

What You Need to Start a Video Blog

In this paragraph, we shall look at all the technical stuff that you need to have for Video Blogging.

6. A Microphone

A good quality microphone to record your voice. You need to overcome external disturbances like winds and noise like traffic, commotion etc.

7. Lightning

Lightning should be perfect where you would be recording your video. You could record in a closed studio.

8. Camera

You could get a camcorder as you do not need to invest in costly cameras.

9. Screen Capture

You could use software like Camtasia to edit your videos. There are many other software that you can make use of it.

10. Editing Video

If you want advanced editing then you could get other paid software too.

Advantages of Video Blogging

1. Get Instant Fame and Recognition

You could be easily famous or become an Internet celebrity. If your channel becomes popular on YouTube and have thousands of subscribers then you could be very famous among your followers.
This chance is very less in traditional blogging.

2. Get Your Own Followers

As I said earlier you get a lot of fans. You can interact with them learn what they need. Your followers are key to success when it comes to video blogging.

3. Good for Selling Products

Video blogging could make you a lot of money if you can convert those visitors into customers. You can start endorsing products on your videos moreover you could also make money with YouTube partner program.

4. See Your Future in Mainstream Media

If you become so popular on Internet then mainstream media could notice and you could be a real star if you got some real talent.
Basically, you could expand your domain from Internet to going mainstream.

5. Do not Have to Learn Writing

You could also avoid pain of writing lengthy content. Vlogging is lot more fun compared to traditional blogging so you will never get bored.
However, I need to aware you with certain disadvantages of video blogging.
First would be you need to overcome many technological difficulties like setting up studio, cameras etc.
Then, videos are very hard to optimize thus very little chance for SEO if your video is mediocre.
Moreover, videos could easily alter the uploading speed of your website.
Hence, these were some disadvantages of Vlogging.

Ways to Monetize Video Blogs

Off Course Vlogging is not for charity, you are blogging for some money. Hence you should know all the tricks to monetize your videos.

Traffic

First step to monetize your video is to get traffic. You need to get traffic of good quality. Hence, make sure even if your video does not go viral but at least it should have enough visitors.

Become a YouTube Partner

Next is become a YouTube partner. It will give you banner ads to show on your videos. You could choose various ads and start running. It is very easy to use and you could easily to generate a lot of money.

Start Selling Products Online

You could also start promoting products on other’s behalf. You could become an affiliate and sell products and earn commission.

Start Giving Premium Services to Members

You could also charge a fee from your members if they want to listen premium content. Initially, you could give them free videos to listen but if they want more then they need to pay to subscribe.

Sign Up for as many as Sponsors

If your viewership is large then you could get direct sponsors to show their ads on your video. You could charge enough amount of money from them.

Become MotionMaker at DailyMotion or Blip.tv Partner

Apart from YouTube there are many other Vlogging websites like Dailymotion, Blip.tv, vimeo etc. You could become a MotionMaker at DailyMotion or a Blip.tv partner and make enough money out of it.

Tips for Vlogging

Here are few tips that could come handy when you are Vlogging.
  1. Title is very important so create title which is close to your niche or topic of Vlogging.
  2. Do Not bypass SEO rules because your ultimate goal is to rank high in YouTube search engine.
  3. Your Video description should be at least of hundred words, not less.
  4. Next, you need to take care of all technical requirements to create an effective video.
  5. Recording camera and studio must be perfect if you want recording to be free of any disturbance.
  6. Make all right decision in choosing right editing software.
  7. Next comes the promotion and distribution of videos.
  8. You should choose right platform to upload your videos like YouTube is the best one. Moreover, you need to keep in mind there are websites which are only good for uploading certain types of videos.
  9. Timing is very important while making your video public. Choose the time when something is trending or very hot.
  10. Lastly, I would say you need to create content which is genuine and unique. Visitors must love it and are ready to distribute across the social media.
Vlogging involves passion, if you have a passion for creating videos on a certain topic then go for it. Otherwise, do not waste your time here.