Gifts For People Who Have Everything And Need Nothing

We all have at least one person who is really hard to shop for. I tend to mentally group hard-to-buy-for people into two groups. People who have everything, and people who don’t need anything.

People who have everything are usually people who have quite a bit of discretionary income. When there is something they want, they just buy it without thinking twice. This leaves them without a list of items that they want and don’t own. The other group would … Read the rest

Sweepers – How To Help Bloggers Provide More Giveaways

On my other blog Emily Reviews, I run a lot of giveaways. As a result, I have some sweepers or sweepstakes addicts who enter my giveaways and occasionally email or private message me. They usually say things like “Thanks for posting giveaways so frequently!” or “I love your blog, you have GREAT giveaways!” etc.

I really enjoy hearing from my readers, whether it’s just a ‘thank you’ for a giveaway, or a deep, personal response to something else that I … Read the rest

How I Make Money From My Blog

I blog for a living. While most people are familiar with the term blog, they don’t realize that you can do it for a living. I also feel like there is a significant misconception about blogs. Many people think of blogs as online journals, or a place to write about your day and share photos of your kids. They see articles shared on Facebook by blogs like Scary Mommy, and maybe even share them themselves. They don’t quite connect the … Read the rest

How To Socialize A Scared or Grumpy Hedgehog

I’ve gotten emails and comments about other aspects of hedgehog care in response to my two hedgehog blog posts – How To Care For A Pet hedgehog and Must-Have Products For Your Pet Hedgehog.

One question that I’ve gotten multiple times is how to tame or socialize a hedgehog that is scared or grumpy. I thought I would do a blog post on the question to help others who have this question.

When you have a hedgehog that is … Read the rest

Adopting Two Dogs – What Surprised Me

I read a lot of information about getting a dog before I brought home my two pugs. I had expected to get a puppy, though. A lot of what I had read focused on getting a puppy, instead of adopting adult dogs. I read so many posts that warned about things like a “honeymoon period” that fades after a few days, and then a much more difficult period with problematic behavior. I had read about how some dogs don’t bond … Read the rest

What To Expect First Gynecological Exam

This post has some TMI in it. It’s about gynecological exams (pap smears). Please discontinue reading if this subject bothers you.

I have a confession. I put off my first gynecological exam for a few years. I was told by one doctor at 18 that I should start having one, but I had heard from others that it’s okay to wait until 21. I asked about this and the doctor gave me the go-ahead to wait. However, I knew when … Read the rest

Budgeting When Self-Employed With Irregular Income

My boyfriend and I have been together for almost 9 years. We’ve mixed finances for several years now. We are both self-employed and have irregular incomes. However, his is much more reliable than mine is. Thankfully, neither of us have much overhead which helps to simplify our budgets in the areas where they mix with our businesses. Still, we aren’t in a position to be able to budget with savings every single month. Here is the basic framework for how … Read the rest

Blogging Goals Update

It’s been a while since I have publicly shared what my goals are for each of my blogs. The last quarter of the year is extremely busy for me at Emily Reviews as a result of my holiday gift guide. I’ve spent a lot of emotional energy the last couple of weeks trying to come up with a plan for keeping up with both blogs during November and December. My goals for both blogs, but especially Frank Loves Beans, don’t … Read the rest