Making Money on Social Media

Hey y’all,

Social media platforms have become so important by way of sharing your passions and connecting with likeminded people all across the world. I find it truly a blessing to be apart of the generation using technology to its full advantage and that includes getting paid for your work. A lot of people have the viewpoint that influencing isn’t a job and therefore should be unpaid but I disagree. Monetization (the action or process of earning revenue from an asset, business, etc.) isn’t the goal for every social media user and that’s perfectly fine but for the folks who are putting in hours of content making I think its fair that they expect compensation for their work. Sharing a photo or a funny video may seem easy from the outside looking in but any dedicated content creator knows that getting those things just right takes time and effort, similar to a full time job. Depending on what type of content you’re delivering on your page there are several different steps that fold into sharing that photo or video. There is the clean up before and after the shoot, the staging of the piece or persons, set design, hair and makeup, directing, editing, creative writing, the list goes on. Add into that equation another party like a sponsorship for a brand and there’s email communication, contracts, administrative work, and approval from a team, all of this can eat up a big chunk of your time which to me should be billable hours.

I initially entered this space with high hopes of monetizing our platform to free me from the barriers of a traditional job and to fund our more lofty goals for our homestead property. I have been incredibly inspired by the many influencers I have seen quit very well paying full time jobs to pursue their passions and share them with the world at large. I believe with enough dedication, creativity, and consistency anybody can make this a reality for themselves. And while we have quite a ways to go before I am able to call this my full time occupation we have been fortunate enough to receive several paid partnerships from some well known brands all by our visibility on the platform. I am definitely no expert but I would love to share a few techniques that have helped us bring in income from our page.

I wanted to start by sharing that we did have a ton of help when we first entered the instagram scene because our page was shared by a few big name accounts which drove our follower count up practically overnight. Having a huge following isn’t exactly a necessity when it comes to securing partnerships but maintaining at least 1k – 5k with high engagement from your audience will help convince brands to pair with you. Follower count is one of the things brands look for in terms of KPI (key performance indicators) and falls into the engagement category which in my short experience is what most partnerships are interested in. At the end of the day you have to remember that whomever you’re partnering with is a business and their ultimate goal is to get as many eyes and buys on their products as possible. So monitoring and maintaining your engagement with your audience is really of major importance, use your professional dashboard on Instagram to your advantage.

If you haven’t already change your account label to either a business or creator account, that way you have access to all the tracking tools Instagram already provides. There are also a number of apps you can use to track engagement, for me personally I rely heavily on my professional dashboard. Keeping your audience engaged is really a matter of consistency and authenticity in my opinion. You don’t have to follow every trend or use the same popular sounds as everyone else because that isn’t what drew your audience in in the first place. Remaining as true to yourself as possible regardless of what’s popular will always land you with a group of loyal followers because they are interested in you! To keep them interested be consistent, I know that coming up with new content everyday can be difficult but the way these apps are set up is you will disappear if you do not post. Beating the algorithm is hard enough so remember to check in with your audience and use all the features to make things easier, you don’t have to post on your profile grid everyday you can just pop in on your story to give folks a quick update on the goings on of your life.

Having brands reach out to you is absolutely wonderful but at a certain point you are going to have to put in some work to secure partnerships. My ultimate advice is to reach out to brands that you already support so that you are familiar with the company and product. A lot of blogs will provide you with a template that you can copy/paste once you’re ready to make contact but I find its in your best interest to form personalized emails for every company you reach out to. Explain to them what you love about their brand and how you feel it aligns with yours, mention products that you have used and of course talk about how your audience values your insight. You don’t want your page to be full of ads that don’t align with your original message because it will cause your follower count to drop so be discerning when connecting with brands.

Have a media kit ready to share with whatever company you reach out to, there are several templates on Canva that you can use to create one. Media kits are important because it is essentially a one page visual aid representing your major key performance indicators. You want to keep it clean and simple so its easily digestible and showcases you as a professional. Don’t be afraid of putting your rate right on the front page of your media kit, brands want to know upfront what you charge so be sure you have that figured out before you begin reaching out to companies.

Rates can be tricky but honestly go high because there is nothing worse than selling yourself short. The brands more often then not will accept but sometimes there is negotiating involved, don’t let that discourage you though. The more you practice the better you’ll get at securing the rate you want. Often times brands are represented by the same media company so even if you didn’t get the rate you hoped for taking the job might ultimately land you more work. Remain professional and on top of your game and I promise you’ll be monetizing your content in no time flat.

I really hope this was helpful and know that if you have any questions I would be more than happy to provide you with my limited but useful insight.

Thanksgiving Leftover Pot Pie Recipe

Hey y’all,

Dakarai and I hosted our first ever Thanksgiving this year and it was a roaring success. With seventeen members of our families in attendance, each bringing their own contribution, you can imagine the abundance of food that was present. While most dishes were gone before the end of the night we found ourselves with more turkey than we could handle even after scarfing down a few dozen turkey sandwiches over the weekend. So in the spirit of zero waste I scoured the internet for suggestions on what to do with leftover turkey and came across pot pie!

I am such a huge fan of the dish but have never attempted to make it myself until last night. I grew up eating the frozen banquet pot pies that come in that little red box and always thought they were so tasty even if the meat appeared questionable, haha. But after making my own I’m not sure I can ever go back to banquet pot pies again. Although the recipe is a bit time consuming it is worth every bit of effort, so without further ado my recipe for Thanksgiving Leftover Pot Pie! I really hope you give this one a try….

Ingredients

2 cups frozen peas and carrots

1/2 cubed golden potatoes

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 TBSP black pepper

1/2 TBSP kosher salt

1 TBSP cumin

1 TBSP coriander

1/2 tsp rosemary

1 cup stock (chicken or vegetable)

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup whole milk

2 cups cubed cooked turkey meat

4 9inch unbaked pie crusts (2 for crusts and 2 for tops of pies)

Directions

Step 1: Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Step 2: Place the peas + carrots, and potatoes into a saucepan; cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain the vegetables in a colander set in the sink, and set aside.

Step 3: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup of flour, salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander, and rosemary seasoning; slowly whisk in the chicken broth, heavy cream, and milk until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens. Remove from heat; stir the cooked vegetables and turkey meat into the filling until well combined.

Step 4: Fit 2 pie crusts into the bottom of 2 9-inch pie dishes. Spoon half the filling into each pie crust, then top each pie with another crust. Pinch and roll the top and bottom crusts together at the edge of each pie to seal, and cut several small slits into the top of the pies with a sharp knife to release steam.

Step 5: Bake in the preheated oven until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes. If the crusts are browning too quickly, cover the pies with aluminum foil after about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Tips:

Combine the seasonings and flour together in a bowl before adding them to the butter and onions

Combine the stock, heavy cream, and whole milk together before adding them to the flour mixture

Allow your pie crusts to sit out at room temperature 15-20 mins before use for maximum ease

Enjoy!

Beating the Bank: A Beginners Guide to Personal Finance

Money, it’s a touchy subject, and finances in any sense (or cents, haha) can be difficult to grasp for a plethora of reasons. It took me a long time to understand that a credit score wasn’t something that just happened and even longer to make myself accountable to that proverbial number hanging over my head. Crazy how a magic little number can be the difference between experiencing a major “adult” milestone or being jettison back into adolescence. Here are some things I’ve learned along the way to help you avoid the latter.

Ignore Boys, Not Your Bills…

In my opinion, the biggest hurdle I had to jump over was my embarrassing lack of knowledge and the sheer willpower I exerted to maintain that ignorance for several years. I would get credit cards and disregard the monthly payment as if it were optional which naturally got me into some trouble. I racked up a massive amount of credit card debt within my first year, so much so that I couldn’t get another one, or a loan, or a lease, or an apartment for years. My point is to pay your bills and pay them on time, it seems like a simple concept but so many of us falter on this basic step. If you have the means it is always best to pay above your minimum to stay one step ahead.

Organize, Organize, Organize…

It might seem OD but I have a spreadsheet for my credit card bills equipped with a formula that tracks my overall credit utilization. The goal is to use 30% of your available credit in order to achieve a higher credit score. I have payment dates, auto-pay dates, amounts, and accounts all neatly tucked into one place that I update monthly. It helps to keep me on track and in control of remaining balances, as well as my available credit. You can view a copy by clicking here. If you don’t understand the formula bit just reach out and I’ll be happy to talk you through it.

Get On The Phone And Talk…

I know phone calls may seem like a thing of the past but when it comes down to it speaking to someone will save you $$$ in the long run. If there’s a fee on my debit card 10 times out of 10 I am calling up the bank and asking for a refund with persistent. It might make you feel out of sorts to pester but this is your money and the banks (employees included) are not your friends. You don’t have to go in guns blazing you can be polite they usually are quite accommodating. If you find that you’ve used up “your refunds for the quarter” or whatever it is they say you can always throw a hardship in there for good measure. If it seems a little dishonest well that’s because it is but cmon this is capitalist America, right?

And Talk Some More…

In addition to calling my banks on their bs, I call every single one of my credit cards about every six months to lower my APR rates. APR rates are those pesky little percentages you see at the bottom of your credit agreement when you first sign up for a new account. They may seem harmless but they are anything but, that’s the price you’re paying for borrowing money. And while it may say annual it’s actually taxed onto your account each month if it’s not paid off in full, increasing your remaining balance.

Late on your credit card payment and now you have a fee on top of your minimum payment? Well, dust off your yt people voice its time to make another phone call to your creditors. This one isn’t that bad I’ve found that if you’re generally an on-time client the credit card companies will have mercy on you and waive the late fee. They’ll also remove the late payment from your statement which will keep your account in good standing when it’s time to check your credit report score.

Get Added To An Account…

Add yourself to an account of a RESPONSIBLE person with their permission, of course, no scamming guys. But in all seriousness, a great way to boost your credit score is to ask someone you’re close with to add you as a secondary on an existing account. It doesn’t mean you need a card or access to any part of their credit account you just need your name added. That way every time they make an on-time payment or receive a credit increase your score benefits in addition to their own. It really doesn’t have any benefits for the account holder besides the fact that they would be helping someone else out.

Ask Your Mom…

I’m not going to lie although I had to experience these things myself in order for it to really sink in, my mom told me all this when I was just a teen. She showed me her spreadsheets and told me about paying over the minimum but I didn’t listen as kids do. My mom has excellent money skills and it shows as she is able to do practically anything she wants all by herself. She kept our household together and held down the fine details of the finances entirely because my dad is well …… a little forgetful and a lot of skeptical when it comes to bills and banks. He refused to get a bank account for IDK how long and kept all his money in random wads around the house. Anyways maybe your dad is the financial finesser or your grandma or your aunty Shena, my point is to talk to your elders they have a wealth of experience and knowledge you can learn from. All you have to do is listen.

5 Quick Kitchen Cleaning Tips

Oh, the kitchen… It can either be the central hub of creativity, conversation, and company or the bane of your existence. Becoming the latter is a lot more likely when your kitchens current state is overwhelming mess, which happens much more often than any of us would care to admit. Whether there are kids, dogs, you, ya mans, all of the above, or something in between I think we can all agree that this particular chore is never quite done.

But there’s hope to be found with some clever cleaning tips to take the grease out of more than a few places (elbows included).

Tip #1: White Vinegar, Period.

Vinegar is definitely a must on the shopping list in this house because its so versatile when it comes to cleaning. I keep a bottle in just about every room in the house but for the sake of continuity lets focus on it’s kitchen cleaning qualities.

  • Coffee Maker – Run vinegar through your coffee machine on a regular cycle as if you are making a fresh pot. Toss used vinegar and run warm water through a few cycles until the vinegar smell dissipates. Your coffee maker will look good as new.
  • Clogged drain – Pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar over top 1/2 cup of baking soda and quickly cover with drain plug to loosen stubborn clogs in your kitchen sink. Add 1 pot of boiling water about fifteen minutes after the vinegar/soda mix.
  • Stainless Steel Shine – Fill a spray bottle with undiluted white vinegar or pour about a tablespoon onto a microfiber towel. Gently wipe your stainless steel appliance until satisfied. Pat dry with towel, paper towel will sometimes leave residue behind so I don’t recommend for this particular task.

Tip #2: Soak Your Burners

Stove-tops can be a nightmare to clean especially the stuck on food and grime in or around the burners. Instead of dedicating yourself to scrubbing for a day try soaking your burners in ammonia overnight. I like to put my burners into a bin, preferably one with a lid, and pour about 1/2 cup of ammonia into the bin with the burners. I put the lid on the bin and let them soak overnight, when you wake up the previously hard on grime will now be a wipe-able slime. Not the best visual but you get the point. Some people recommend a garbage bag but burners and grates can be so clunky and heavy so I don’t find that to be a viable option, unless you have heavy duty bags.

Burner with Ammonia vs Burner without Ammonia

Tip #3: Name Brands Aren’t Always the Answer

So I’ll admit I can be a snooty shopper sometimes and there are definitely some bougie habits that I need to shed but NOT when it comes to cleaning supplies. I remember reading an article awhile ago where a dentist was saying that it didn’t matter what brand of toothpaste you bought it was all the same and the price only varies because of packaging and nothing more. I have a sneaking suspicion that applies to more than just toothpaste so I exercise the power of skepticism when it comes to purchasing cleaning products. I shop mostly at the dollar store, specifically Dollar Tree when I need to re-up on sponges, gloves, scrubbers, mop pads, etc. You do have to be discerning and make sure you purchase the correct sponges (they’ll trip you up because there are some that are cheaply made and not double padded) but it will save you a ton of money in the long run. My favorite hack is Dollar Tree has mop pads that will fit the Swiffer WetJet for a fraction of the price name brand pads would cost.

Dollar Tree Mop Pads

Tip #4: Start From the Top

This is something I’ve done since I can remember not because I was born a cleaning goddess but because I was lazy, sneaky lil kid… who knew it would end up working in my favor. We always used to split chores when I was younger or my sisters and I would end up bartering each other into assisting with the others chores for a quicker end collectively. I was usually on counter duty so I would just wipe everything onto the floor since it wasn’t my job to clean it up (rude, I know). Turns out that is actually a wonderful technique for saving time and preventing backtrack cleaning. Start from the top of the room, like the shelves and cabinets and make your way down to the floor. If were being honest I just throw any trash from the counter, shelves, or cabinets onto the floor and sweep it all up when I’m done.

Picture of organized top shelf

Tip #5: Every Space Can Be A Designated Place

I really wanted this to rhyme, can you tell… Anyway what I mean is name the spaces in your kitchen for an easier cleanup. We all know that humans are creatures of habit so if you start to put your peanut butter and jelly in this one space then that space is where you will almost always find your peanut butter and jelly. I don’t have it completely down packed but I organize my kitchen into sections. I have a place for pets supplies, a place for spices, a place for grains, a place for snacks, etc and it makes cleaning up so much easier and faster. Not only does it make cleaning more efficient it makes cooking a breeze! If everything is in a place I can remember cooking is easier, putting away groceries is easier, its a win win win.

  • Our designated places

A Beginner’s Guide to Restoring Faded Cabinets

OK, first let me state that this whole project was a happy accident… a grueling, disgusting, six-day accident but happy none the less. I also cannot stress enough that we are walking into every project with my 1 year of high school wood shop and Dakarai’s accumulated 60 minutes of welding experience so bear with us. What we lack in tactical skills, appropriate resources, and an abundance of free time we make up in effort, ingenuity, and positivity!

Our house has passed through many hands during its lifetime and has maintained its unique charm throughout. When it was our turn to carry the proverbial torch we found it had one additional quality to complement its allure….. DIRT! The house was filthy and while I’d love to dish on our dirty laundry, literally, we’re here to talk about cabinets. The kitchen cabinets were a complete nightmare and stained black from years of built-up dirt and grime. Just rubbing your fingertips against them was enough to warrant a full-body shower but whatever no harm no foul, we got right to work.

Step One: Clean the Cabinets

My initial thought was to clean the cabinets so that’s what I did. I grabbed a pack of Dollar Tree scour pads and LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner (because we all know this stuff will clean ANYTHING.) and started scrubbing. It took hours of elbow grease to clear the grime and reveal these delightful wooden cabinets but to my dismay, our overzealous scrubbing (because I did have help) and whatever is in my girl Lala had completely stripped the finish off of the cabinets.

So basically I improvised on sandpaper with 100 grit scour pads (this is a joke) and saved on a chemical stripper by visiting the local dollar store. Genius, right?! Since our cabinets now possessed a sad, faded disposition among the bright whites and blues we had no choice but to restore.

Before photo of the cabinets

Step Two: Restore the Finish

I did some research and found that Howard’s Restor-A-Finish was the cheapest and easiest product to use for the job. We went to Lowe’s and chose the Walnut stain as it was the best match to the before photos. I had purchased some kitchen cloths from Dollar Tree when I bought my other supplies and they were the perfect application tool. I recommend wearing gloves and a mask because you are working with chemicals and safety is important. It took just a few swipes and my cabinets were restored to their former illustrious color and formidable beauty.

After cleaning with LA’s Totally Awesome

Step Three: Seal and Maintain

We left the cabinets to sit overnight, a little bit of overkill but after all that work I didn’t want to risk making any mistakes. The next morning we used the same kitchen cloths (clean ones, lol) to apply the wax to protect the new finish. We went with Howard’s Feed-N-Wax because the Restor-A-Finish box recommended it and it was also the cheapest wax protectant they had at Lowe’s. The wax was slightly harder to work with than the finish because it has a clumping quality to it that makes it difficult to spread. To combat this issue and achieve an even spread we added the wax to the cloth and then worked the wax between our fingers. I also used an old toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies with the polish.

Cabinets after applying finish and wax

Step Four: Enjoy a Job Well Done

We gave ourselves about thirty minutes before we wiped off any excess polish and Viola! our cabinets are good as new! What started as a clueless venture into a wormhole of mass exhaustion and almost certain death… ended with our first completed project as brand new homeowners and natural DIYers. Hope this helps you as much as my hubris thinks it will.