$50,000 as a TpT Seller is Doable!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!! Well, ladies and gents what a way to ring in the New Year! I have hit the threshold of $50k as a teacher pay teacher seller and I am thrilled to share this news!

Let me start by saying that this journey was no easy task. I started taking my shop (Barnett’s School House) more seriously in the summer of 2012 as I was home with my baby boy on maternity leave. I was a determined and brand new mother, and I was also a little bored at nap time so I figured why not.

Little did I know I would chicken out on ending my career, but also little did I know that the summer months of 2012 I would make well over $3,000!!

My story began with an interactive notebook that I decided to create and sell. You can see it by clicking here. Then I added a little more with worksheets. Things such as morning work and review sheets. I did all of this during nap time while my baby boy laid right next to me.

In August, alone that year my shop took off and I was pumped! I paid off some debt and a few months later I was able to buy a new vehicle to replace my old faithful. I decided this business wasn’t as lucrative in the winter months and I became scared of leaving my career behind so I continued to teach.

Here I am almost eight years later and my baby boy will be turning eight years old next week. He now has a sister who will be turning five in a few short months. I have used this extra income to save for our future and make a tremendous leap in my life.

In the end, I must say I have been truly blessed. Did I suffer from burn out a time or two over this eight year journey? Of course I did, but I kept my little shop going and in the process I started a sign shop on the side.

It is no easy task being a mother and an entrepreneur on the side, but you make a little and that's encouragement especially when you can spend that little extra on your babies. Barnett’s School House has been a fun and exciting journey and I wouldn't trade this leap I took for anything! I hope you all will embark on a journey as well because you never know what God has in store. You can follow me on TpT and feel free to comment below!

As an update, I have finally finished my serious of videos where I teach you all of my tips and tricks on how I have became a successful seller of TpT!! Click HERE to find out how you can learn how to be a successful seller of teacher resources!

Couponing with Apps

I've been working hard this summer to save as much money as I can. Coupon apps are a great place to start. They can be really annoying at times, but getting an extra 50 bucks here and there just to spend on groceries and things again and again is very helpful.
I currently use three different apps.

The main one I use is called Ibotta. When you go to sign up you can use my referral code to help you out: aaobmao. This one is fairly easy to use. You scan your QR code and then you pick the items that are on your receipt that you purchased. Once that happens they'll send you an email saying your savings have been added to your account. So far today I've saved $4 on different items that I purchased from Wal-Mart. Keep in mind that you have to reach $20 to make a withdrawal, but it's well worth the few extra minutes you spend in your car to scan that receipt.

The second app I use is called Checkout51. you can use my Checkout51 code to help you sign up. I've used it for a while. It used to be a little more complicated, but has gotten a lot easier. I click the items I would likely purchase from the list of coupons available, this is called adding offers. Then I click redeem and upload my receipt if I happened to have purchased those items at the store.

The third app I use is Coupons. I click my stores I normally use and I add items that I might purchase from the available coupons list. Then once I purchase some items I submit my receipt and then it's up for review and those amounts I saved are up for review and will be put into my account.

Okay. So there's a few ways that I save money when it comes to couponing. It can be a slight headache with children, but if you have time, you're dedicated and you're willing. You're going to save some money in the end! I hope these help all you penny pinchers out there! I know they do me!

Have a great school year people!

Wow! The summer is Gone!

So the summer is just about gone for me and first off I want to apologize for not being around the last year or so! It has been one crazy year and I can't even begin to tell you what's been taking place. So I want to share a video I created for all you teacher peeps out there!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Management-and-More-Transform-your-Classroom-into-Perfection-Ecourse-2990356

I've embedded the sample video and hopefully it works the way I planned it to. I really enjoyed making this thing and would love to find time to make some more. One of these days, I will. So my next endeavor is my newest adventure with website building! I am super excited to get this up and going as I have been working at website building for a long time now. My website is www.dcmarketingserv.com. So swing by and give this teacher chick some views!

The Sign Shop is Open!!!!!!

Well, ladies and gents, I've got some amazing news!! I've opened a store online! I decided it was time to share it with the world and I am so excited! I can barely contain my excitement! I have sold two of my handmade signs already and I'm just ecstatic! I've created a facebook page and added some to my Etsy shop! I can't wait to decorate other homes and bring the beauty of something handcrafted to others!

Please, please like my facebook page and follow me on Etsy! I'd love all your support!

XOXO,
Casey

I've included links to both above, but here they are as well!
My facebook link is: https://www.facebook.com/thesignshop2
My Etsy link is: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TreasuresbyKC

Life Happens

As I sit here visiting with my grandpa who has a terrible disease, altztimers, I feel so sorry for him. I feel sad that he’s no longer the man that taught me to fish. If only I were as smart as a scientist, I could make a serum to cure him.

All during that visit it got me to thinking about my own life. Am I living my life to the fullest? Am I loving like there’s no tomorrow? Am I finding the right way and going down the right path? Did I make the right choices in life? All of these questions may never be able to be answered because honestly I don’t know.

Life has a funny way of kicking you right in the ass. You go all through life, never do anything wrong and then one day, you’ve done something just a little different then you normally would. Do you regret it? No. Should you? I don’t know the answer to that. I feel like God places things in our lives for a reason. In all honesty, if it makes you the happiest you’ve ever been, then I think it’s a path worth taking. Besides all of the decisions you make that have always pleased others suddenly matter no more. You live, you love, you laugh and you cry. Life is life. No matter what, don’t ever let the glances and judging glares of others bring you down. No one is perfect. We can’t please everyone. The most important thing we should do, so that in the end we can say we lived life to the fullest, is do what makes us happiest and dream big! Never give up!

from Coffee Station to Back to School

I got a little crazy on myself when it came to finding the perfect kitchen hutch to house my newest desire for a coffee station. I'm not completely finished with all the decorating details, but that's okay because that's my favorite part! I found this little piece at a local vendor's mall after traveling and hunting for hours on different Saturdays! Yes, it was about twenty minutes away. It was fun while it lasted, but honestly, the hubs and I were about to give up on finding that perfect piece.

This adventure of mine is so ironic because I don't even drink coffee. Yes, you're smiling about that right now. Isn't this just the cutest coffee zone, though? My husband does drink it and it's funny because everyone in my family has been laughing about me setting this area up. Hey, at least they will be happy when they visit, right?

So, I was going to say that this coffee station is going to get me up and ready for back to school, but I ain't even gonna use it. Okay, I might put my hot chocolate over there when winter time rolls around, so there, I will use it. Happy school days, people!

Sharing a Little Digital Graphics Shop

Ladies and Gents, I've found the most adorable little shop on TpT and this lady has a lot of her items for sale for only one dollar! Yes, that's what I said, $1! This got me all excited because out of her shop I was able to make the most adorable cover pages I've shown you above for you teachers out there. These are sure to help with that classroom organization! It's called Hidesy's Clipart and she has tons of different digital items and the best part is, listen up all you TpT sellers out there, it's commercial use friendly and you don't even have to give her credit even though that would be sweet, of course!

So head on over to her shop to get yourself in on some of this digital action! Have a great rest of your day!

-Casey

My Newest Adventure

I've decided to open up a third business. I know, you're thinking I'm crazy right now. Two kids and a full time job, summers off. Well, I've been known to embark on one too many business adventures within the past five years. I would say at least 15 business adventures have come my way. Hahaha. I just can't help myself. I get this idea in my head and I just take off with it. Whether or not it goes anywhere doesn't ever seem to matter to me. Of course, I get down sometimes about them not working out, but it's okay. The point I'm trying to make here is I don't ever give up. Not one single time, even though I have failed more than one time, I dropped the business and started another idea. I can't even count how many business endeavors have failed for me. I just get back up and try something else. Let's see my TpT shop took off. I have made since 2012 over $36,000. My first Etsy shop with simple card designs has done alright, but it doesn't pull in much so most of the time it isn't worth my time. Now look at me, here I am with my latest creation of logo designs. I'm laughing inside right now because I'm thinking what in the world are you doing girl!!!

So feel free to look around my little Etsy shop right now and cheer this mommapreneur on. I'm planning to have at least a 100 different designs loaded by the end of this year! Yay for this girl!