DIY Bed Risers From Scratch

I am not going to write a long post for making your own DIY bed risers instantly. Its a hack to raise your bed without having to buy pieces of wood or anything else. All you need is four cardboard boxes of the same size. You might have these lying around the house. You just need to stuff the boxes with old books. If you do not have enough old books like me. Stuff them with old clothes or clothes that you are not wearing. Make sure to wrap them in a plastic bag before stuffing them inside the box. Seal the box with a large tape and tie a string or ribbon around it if required. Create 4 boxes in this manner. Place a thick book or book with a hardcover on each box. You can also place something else on the box such as a piece of hardwood, plastic or any waste material that you can find. In my case, books worked fine. I wanted to simplify my bed, creating more free space in my room. So I separated the crown (with legs) of my metal bed and placed these boxes below the bed frame to create a shorter and simpler bed. It will work best for children's bed and for those who are not overweight. 

Let me know if you created your own bed risers and if you found this useful.

Tip: You can also use bricks or concrete blocks instead of boxes if they are easily accessible.

About this Blog: Scam Story

This blog started accidentally when I brutally got scammed on freelancer.com.

I was having my summer vacations in 2017 when I started looking for some writing and data entry jobs on freelancer as I had a well established profile on this website. So, after bidding on dozens of projects in a desperate attempt to earn some money for my semester fees; I came across this project.

Judging from the description, I assumed that this could be a new employer looking for writers. As naïve as I was, I not only placed a bid but also agreed to the terms of the project despite the fact that employer seemed quite rude. On the first day of my work, I received this email from the employer who had told me that all the communication will take place through gmail and not through the freelancer website.

Note: The project was not awarded on hourly basis nor did I receive any login details for any website.

Looking at the format of email, all my doubts about this being a scam cleared because everything seemed professional. The email id of this employer ''admin@22tips.com'' was a business id. He/she started sending me loads of assignments as shown in pictures.

I not only worked myself but also had a team (of 2 girls) work on it. We had to write 8-10 articles per day. After a week, I was waiting for my pay but didn’t receive it. On inquiry I got a response saying:

"I don't waste my valuable time repeating things" followed by something like

"All pay has been made to those who sent their work lists and we received no work list from you so no pay for you."

So I was told to work for another week because apparently it was my mistake that I didn’t send the details without being informed that I had to.

Meanwhile, I got another job. The latter was from US and the former was from UK. The second employer named Paul Richardson apparently belonged to edicitera writing firm based in California USA. I searched the company profile on Google and was content about this employer as well. (Yes I know I was stupid). I was told to contact him on skype and upon contacting, he told me that I will be tested with a sample. I passed the test. Then he sent me a thorough professional looking message stating all the terms and conditions.

I had to complete all the assignments within a given time limit. I had to be able to write about 300 words within half an hour on ANY topic. I had to mention my specialties. I would not be paid in advance and the pay was $0.2 per word. I accepted this project and so I wrote articles all day long. Both the employers also asked me to write ‘emergency articles’ like 1000 to 1200 word articles within 2 hours and I did!

I created invoices and by the end of 2 weeks in June I had completed and submitted all these articles with invoice.

And this is the response I got:

I told him (the first employer) that I will not work anymore unless I wasn’t paid the outstanding dues but he was not only uncivilized; he outright refused to pay. Then he/she left a false review on my profile stating lies in a paragraph saying that I never worked on time and provided low quality work etc. That was the end of my patience!

I complained to the freelancer staff but they were unable to help and only assisted me as far as blocking the account of this scammer. They couldn’t even remove that review even after I proved that it was false.

Back to the other one from editcetera. He told me that I will be paid after the weekend, then on Friday of that week and then He vanished. I sent messages but I was blocked.

What I did after that:

•      I rigorously searched for the solutions on Google but the only solution in a case like mine was to involve authorities like lawyers, cybercrime police etc.
•        It could be very costly for me as both the employers were far from my country of residence.
•        Nevertheless, I complained here and here.
•        Then I contacted several groups and pages on facebook for help but none of them was able to give a solid advice on what to do on these matters.
•        I searched for plagiarism in my articles and found the websites where my articles had been published.
•        I tried contacting the so called ‘authors’ of these articles and tried telling them that I was the original author and I wasn’t paid but alas!. I never got a reply from them.
•         I tried contacting some of the high paying websites to accept and publish my remaining articles that were written for as low as $4 per article but until then they also got published somewhere else.
•         I contacted Google and created a comprehensive report in which I attached all the evidences about the authority of those articles and uploaded the articles on my blog as well. I wanted to send DMCA notice to the authors of those websites (where my articles had been published illegally) but Google apologized and said that they could not help me because the evidence was not enough and they could not do anything in cases like these i.e. employer/employee disputes.
•      Then I created accounts on websites like Dotwriter etc and few of the articles were sold but the progress was too slow and paypal is not available in Pakistan!
•      I tried selling my articles on various freelancer groups but people wanted different topics with different word count and format.
•       I uploaded some of them on hubpages and 2 or 3 of them got published and ‘secured’.
•        After exhausting all the avenues I finally contacted hackers…. I asked them if they would help me get my money back which is my right! Warning: Don’t try this at home (or anywhere) ;)

·         So, those hackers were asking for huge amount of sum in advance and I wasn’t even sure that they can do the job so I left it there. (Don’t contact them with your personal id or with your own device and real location). Don’t even bother trying it btw….

What I learned from this experience:

There are some things every freelancer should keep in mind not to get scammed like this; no matter how desperately you need money.

•            Always ask for upfront fee or payment even if it’s as low as 15% of theoriginal. This will let you know that the employer is capable of paying.
•          There are various systems for escrow payment ( Milestones in case of freelancer). You should ask the employers to deposit the funds in escrow and they can release it once you complete the work.
•          Never agree to work on the projects that ask for work in advance and payment later. Even if it’s stated in their terms and conditions.
•          Look for the behavioral cues of the employer. If he/she seems too assertive or ill-tempered and rude, discard them.
•          Do not work for very low wages like $1 per 500 words (yes I have seen and done that in the past as well) unless your English or the required language proficiency is crap.
•          Although I have come across some really good employers with that ‘risky’ behavior of mine but the loss has always been greater than the benefit.
•          The real employers were always polite, gave work in reasonable amounts like 1 to 4 articles per week and paid promptly.
•          Even if the rude employers do pay, don’t work for them because they will prove to be very demanding and they will not pay easily.

What You can do in this situation:

·         First of all, you have to be as quick as possible in taking action. Send a legal notice to the employer if you know their address.
·         If you happen to reside in same area as them, take the case to the small claims court.
·         If you are stuck in a situation like mine. Don’t panic. Create your blog on blogger if you do not already have a website or blog.
·         Post all the articles that you haven’t been paid for on the blog and do as he says in this video. Make sure you follow these steps otherwise your blog will not be indexed by Googlebot.
·         When you submit the sitemap as mentioned in this video. Make sure you change the
u     user-agent* Disallow to Allow. Otherwise your site will not get crawled. Don't worry it's really easy.
·         After that create a Hub pages account and upload all the articles there with the corrections and changes they ask for.
·         If any of your articles got published on hubpages by your name, you will become the owner.
·         Do not worry about making money at this stage. First you have to make sure that you OWN the articles. You can always sell them later by removing them from your blog or hubpage profile and selling them for reasonable prices.
·         If you have paypal available in your area; Dotwriter is a good website for selling articles.
·         Last but not the least, this may sound a bit unethical but if you suspect that an employer may be a scammer and they also abuse you like mine did. Do not confront them or fight with them (because that doesn’t work). Just embed a “keylogger” in the next word file you send to them. They will definitely download that file and the keylogger will get installed on their PC. Create a separate e-mail id for keylogger ‘activities’.
·         Don’t do it if you are impatient or the employer seems slightly annoyed. These kinds of things should be kept for extreme cases.

·         For more information on keylogger and how it works you should Google it and do some research. :p

Finally, I will be adding all My articles with titles and the respective links of the websites they have been posted on in my next blog post.  Although I did not get any kind of credit for my hard work, neither the girls did but I still own that. That’s MY content.

7 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY FROM AMAZON TODAY!

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Whether you are a work-at-home mom or an aspiring entrepreneur, these nifty little tricks will help you understand how to make money on Amazon. Several websites out there will claim to make you a millionaire by selling on Amazon but that’s not my goal. Instead, my goal is to inform about various avenues for making money on Amazon and the rest is up to you!

Everyone knows that Amazon is a marketplace that connects interested buyers with potential sellers. But other than selling directly on Amazon, did you know that you could also earn money through other methods? So you may be much interested in knowing that how to make money on Amazon actually. I have personally tried and tested each of these methods and can tell you what works and what doesn’t.

1.      Turn-in used items to Amazon

Amazon has a great program that allows you to turn in used items in exchange for Amazon gift cards that you can use for purchasing anything on the site. Amazon currently accepts video games, books, cell phones and tablets through this trade in program. I personally used this when I was moving out of my dorm and ended up with quite a sum in my Amazon store credit. And best of all, I didn’t have to do any selling. I just packaged it and sent it to the nearest delivery center and my account was credited in the next couple of days.

2.      Become a Machine Trainer

Machines may be taking over the world but there are some things even machines don’t know. This is where you come in. Amazon has a program called as Mechanical Turk that allows you to train algorithms in various tasks such as – transcribing images and performing translations. Every such Human Intelligence Task or HIT that is successfully completed gives you a reward. The price per HIT is in cents, so you need to be able to do a lot of work in very little time if you plan on making this your source of income. Look no further for how to make money on Amazon and try using these easy techniques.

3.      Amazon Affiliate Program

If you own a website or have a blog, then the Amazon affiliate program is a great way to capture your audience. In fact there are many how to make money on amazon articles that boast of this benefit but this one gives you some real practical advice. I managed to earn enough to pay for my website’s hosting and domain which ran up to couple of hundred dollars per year. The key is identifying products that your target audience would want to buy. If you have a pet lovers blog, then consider promoting pet friendly items which will result in increased buyer conversion.

4.      Let lose your creativity

People who are good at making arts and crafts can now earn by selling their unique DIY products at Amazon. This newly launched program is called Handmade at Amazon and allows you sell one-of-a-kind products to people all over the world. For every successful sale, you earn a commission. You can now get your creative juices going and be your own seller.

Can you start a successful “how to make money on Amazon” blog now?

5.      Sell your T-shirt Designs

When you are good at designing T-shirts then don’t just use your talent for your friends for free. Make use of your killer design skills and earn royalties by designing T-shirts for Amazon. You don’t need to stock up inventory and print your t-shirts. Amazon will do that for you, for free! All you need to do is submit your application along with your designs. If you are invited to the program, then you can continue earning royalties as long as people keep buying them. Watch out for how to make money on Amazon by selling your t-shirt designs on youtube.

6.      Deliver packages for Amazon

For 18-25$ per hour, you can choose to deliver packages for Amazon through the Amazon Flex program. All you need is a car, a valid driver’s license and a smartphone to participate in this delivery partnership program. You set your schedule, pick packages and deliver them. It’s as simple as that. However, there is a hitch – the program is open only in selected cities across the US. But you can always join their waitlist to see if new opportunities open up in your city. So do not wait for more how to make money on Amazon ideas and get started.

7.      Professional Services

Whether you are an academic instructor or window cleaner, you can now use Amazon’s professional services as a platform to advertise your business. It is free to do, easy to start up and you only need to pay a percent of your earnings through the site. I was great with computers and helped troubleshoot a lot of my classmate’s computers. I ended up listing my services as a Computer Technician on Amazon Services and soon began running a small business from my dorm room!

If there is one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that there is a way for anyone to earn on Amazon even if they are not a tech guru or a marketing wizard. Whether you plan on doing this full time or to earn extra income, don’t forget to let us know what worked and what didn’t in the comments section below. So know you know plenty of answers for how to make money on Amazon.

8 techniques to help you fall asleep faster

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Sleep is essential for proper functioning of the body. During this period of inactivity, the body goes to an anabolic state that helps regulate and maintain several important body organs including the muscles, heart, liver and kidneys. Aside from that, it also restores your mental faculties which is why you feel refreshed and well rested after a good night’s sleep.

However, insomnia can be a real problem for several people. Whether you stay up late with your gadgets or watch TV late into the night, insomnia can be difficult to manage especially if you must go to work the next morning. The following 8 techniques will help you fall asleep faster.

1.      Put away all gadgets

Repeat this mantra to yourself – ‘No gadgets after 9 PM’. It has been scientifically proven that gadgets on the bedside are a strict no-no. The light from the gadgets tricks your brain into thinking that it is still daytime and therefore the brain never powers down. Putting away all gadgets at least a couple of hours before bedtime will ensure that your brain has enough time to power down slowly.

2.      Develop a routine

The key to a good night’s sleep is to develop a routine and stick with it. Our bodies are designed with an internal clock and it is important to keep functioning per the clock and not changing your habits every day.  A research on children shows that developing a bedtime routine not only helps children fall asleep faster, they also stay asleep longer with lower nightly wake ups.

3.      Eat appropriate food

During dinner, it is essential to have food that will help you sleep. Do not eat heavily during dinner as metabolism can take longer. Avoid spicy foods that could potentially cause heartburn. Do not eat a lot of carbohydrates or sugary foods just before bed time as it could give a burst of energy that will prevent you from sleeping properly.

4.      Take a bath

During sleep the body temperature lowers naturally. It is possible to mimic this natural phenomenon by taking a bath. Remember to take a warm bath instead of a cold bath or you will find yourself wide awake instead of fast asleep.

5.      Try the 4-7-8 method

The 4-7-8 is a breathing technique invented and popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil. This technique is simple and involves breathing in for a mental count of four, holding your breath for a count of seven and exhaling for a count of eight. Note that the numbers are not four seconds or four minutes but rather your mental count of four. Dr.Weil demonstrated that this technique helps men and women of all ages go to sleep.

6.      Scent your room

Scent your room with a scent that is pleasant such as lavender or camomile. A study published in Chronobiology International found that aromatherapy benefits young men and women and helps them sleep soundly. All study participants reported higher vigour and energy in the morning. 

7.      Keep your bedroom cool & dark

It is important to keep your bedroom cool and dark. The temperature recommended by researchers suggests 60F as the ideal temperature to fall asleep. Several people also have the habit of watching TV as they fall asleep. Research shows that this is an extremely destructive way to sleep and will not benefit you in the long run. Therefore, make sure that TV, laptops and phones are left outside the bedroom door.

8.      Think about your day

Go over your day, introspect and think about all the things you said and did. Not only is it a good way to self-inspect yourself but Rewinding and thinking about your day has been proven to cause sleep. You can also inculcate the habit of writing in a personal journal. Make sure it is a physical journal and not an online one since you probably know by now that no gadgets are allowed in the bedroom.

And that’s it! In 8 simple techniques you can now fall asleep like a pro.

5 gadgets that will help you achieve your fitness goals

Fitness enthusiasts know that without constantly measuring, analysing and streamlining your fitness routines it may not be possible to consistently achieve your fitness goals. That is where these gadgets come in. Built by the best technology companies around the world these gadgets were designed to impress. Learn more about their features, price, availability and what makes them tick!
Halo Headband
First up is the Halo Headband. Backed by the power of neuroscience, this headband claims to stimulate the brain and regulate muscle movement. The Halo headband is not just for elite athletes, it is also for musicians, rock climber or just about anyone who wants to improve their motor skills. They claim that Halo sport provides ‘neuropriming’ by stimulating the motor cortex of the brain through sensitive nibs that is embedded within the headband.
Of course, it is a regular headband too that allows you to listen to your favourite music. It also has a mobile application associated with it that helps increase muscle memory and endurance. All the science does not come cheap either.
Price: $749.00
Unique Factor: Backed by neuroscience, this headphone stimulates the motor cortex
Availability: It is available for order through the Halo website
Fitbit AltaHR
Fitbit is not a new name in the fitness industry. Having made the first ever commercially successful fitness band, it is not news that they have made another product that caters to fitness enthusiasts. Fitbit Alta released a couple of years ago, and they have taken it up a notch with AltaHR where HR stands for Heart Rate. The remodelled Alta carries all the perks of its predecessor such as slim band width, removable bands and integrated mobile app. Add to it a heart rate monitor and you have a perfect recipe for fitness.
The best part – the connected app uses the heart rate monitor to measure the calories burned giving a more accurate estimate of your activity and helping you monitor your goals.
Price: $129.95 with frequent discounts available on multiple sites
Unique Factor: Integrated heart rate monitor to better track calories burned
Availability: Available through multiple retailers or directly through the Fitbit site.
Nadi X yoga pants
While technically not a gadget, this article of clothing is every much a yoga enthusiasts dream. Have you ever tried teaching yourself yoga or wanted to do yoga but were intimidated by the classes? The Nadi X yoga pant was designed for people like you. The pant comes with built in sensors (called as Haptic sensors) that vibrate and help you do yoga movements. The sensors are strategically placed near the hips, ankles and knees with embedded technology that does not feel bulky. The pants are available in various colours to suit your mood and are not too expensive either. Of course, you cannot machine wash these pants and may want to take good care of them.
Price: $299.00
Unique Factor:  Made for self-taught yoga enthusiasts the dress is unable
Availability: Only available from selected online retailers
Motiv Ring
Even though watches and bands are great for tracking your movements, they are cumbersome when you want to lie down or sleep. These Motiv Rings are great alternative to bulky bands. Made from titanium, this little ring can last for up to five days without requiring recharge. And if it does run out, you are still left with a well-designed accessory.  The ring is waterproof and monitors heart rate, calories, sleep patterns and active minutes. Fitness enthusiasts will love this one and the only worry is that you will forget to take it off.
Price: $199
Unique Factor: Small and compact with an in-built heart rate monitor
Availability: Available soon. Keep watching the company website
Under Armour Speed Form Gemini 2 Shoes
Under Armour has been known for their apparel but these shoes take the cake. They are made for running and hiking. With a built-in chip that tracks how long you have been running and a connected app to measure the data, you can track every one of your movement. The application allows you measure cadence, time, duration and distance with accurate GPS information.
Price: $149.95
Unique Factor: You can only run 400 miles on this shoe but when you replace it, your data will not get lost
Availability: Through Under Armour website and in Amazon
These gadgets were designed to assist you in achieving your goals faster and with ease. Even if you are not planning on buying them for yourself, they make for a great present to friends and family. No matter what occasion you are celebrating, try one of these gadgets for your favourite people and see how they rejoice!