4 Ways to Earn and Save Money Creatively

save creatively

My biggest goal this new year is to get my money in order. From the outside looking in, it looks like I travel often and enjoy life. Of course I enjoy life. However that’s not to say that it comes with a price. This new year, I plan to earn money creatively.

My goal is to both pay off debt and get money saved for travels this summer. I have set goals for exactly how much I will pay each month to lower my debt and how much I want to save.

One thing I know and love about myself (yeah self-love) is how resourceful I am! When it comes to lots of things in life, I always find an alternative way. This is just how I’ve always been. The other week I found myself thinking “leave it to me to get myself out of debt with a bunch of random jobs, projects, etc.” However that is exactly how it will play out and I’m excited.

Here are some ways I’ve found to earn and save creatively.

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Christmastime and thoughts on being home

First of all, Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it! I am back in Cincinnati, Ohio, spending the day with my extended family. However instead of writing about the dress I’m wearing or the crazy place I’m traveling to next, I thought I would be rather real with you all. Being home for the holidays this time around has felt rather … different. Let me back you up and give some back story as to why.

Three years ago, my mother was put in hospice around this time. She had suffered a brain aneurysm that August and was in the hospital ever since. It was a tough time for my family, to say the least. I was 28 at the time. No one ever expects to loose their mom at 28. So during this time, I worked during the days and spent the evenings with my mother contemplating what was ultimately to come. She made it through Christmas, but passed soon after in early January. Since then, I’ve had to get used to Christmas without my mother. It’s definitely hard considering that she was such a part of Christmas before.

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Move to La Rioja, 8 Reasons why you should

move to La Rioja

Several months ago, I made a move to La Rioja. I no longer live in the Granada.

You’re probably saying to yourself “okay where in the heck is La Rioja?” If you know me personally, you’re probably saying “okay I think that’s in Spain because it sounds like Spanish and I know Nina lives in Spain. But beyond that, I have no idea.” And if it just so happens that you’re a wine nerd, then you might have heard the name La Rioja somewhere as you did that swirl and sniff thing. Either way, the majority of you probably have no idea where or what La Rioja is.

First of all, La Rioja is located in Spain. It’s one of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities (basically like states in Spain). It is the smallest region and it’s largest city has a population of only about 150,000 people. That city is called Logroño and much like La Rioja, I doubt you’ve ever heard of it either.

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5 Best Language Learning Apps

best language learning apps

One big part of my life overseas in Spain is speaking Spanish. My move here would not be the same (and significantly a lot more difficult) if I hadn’t learned the language. To many people, the idea of learning a foreign language seems so daunting and complex. People often say “oh I wish I could, but I don’t have the time or money.”

However this is also 2018. It amazes me all the things that we can do from the comfort of our own homes these days. All we need is a computer or smart phone, and an internet connection. There are many apps that you can use to learn and practice languages, and they’re free!

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7 Companies With Online Teaching Jobs

online teaching jobs

Online teaching jobs are the wave of the future. One of the ways I earn money each week is by teaching English. However the job doesn’t involve printing anything or going anywhere. Instead I simply log onto a website on my computer and teach classes over video calls. I love that it’s comfortable and that I can do it from anywhere.

I have been teaching English online for about a year and a half. It took me a bit to find the company that was right for me. The truth is, there are lots of companies with online teaching jobs. Each one is a little bit different than the other. I decided that instead of writing this entire post myself, I would interview people who work with different companies that offer online teaching jobs. Best of luck in finding that perfect online teaching job!

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Exploring Nájera, Spain this fall

exploring Nájera

I have spent the past month or so exploring Nájera, Spain. Have you heard of Nájera? If not, I’m not super surprised. Heck most people outside of Spain haven’t even heard of La Rioja, the region it’s located in. I would have never come to this town if it hadn’t been for a recent life change.

Those of you who read the blog regularly or follow me on social media know that I moved to Granada, Spain two years ago. You all probably also know that I love Granada. If you’ve been, you understand why. If not, you can probably tell from pictures why I love that city. However my teaching program only lets us live in the Andalucía region for two years. So I looked at that as an opportunity to move to a different region and see what Spanish life is like somewhere else.

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The Ultimate ESL Teacher Resource Guide

esl teacher resource guide

Welcome to the ultimate ESL teacher resource guide. Just a few years ago, I had just arrived in Granada, Spain. Those of us who work as language assistants often make extra money by teaching private classes in the afternoons (clases particulares). I remember thinking “but how do I teach private classes? Like how do I create lesson plans?”

The other day, I was texting with a friend of mine who is going into her second year in Spain and first in Granada. I gave her some of my old private lessons as I am not in Granada this year. Through our conversation, I was giving her ideas of what to do with the kids. Things like activity ideas, my favorite youtube channels and websites where you can find materials. She joked that I was her auxiliar guru. I responded “hahaha maybe I should make a blog post with all my resources.” “I would bookmark the sh*t out of that!” she responded. So that sparked an idea.

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My book about tips for learning Spanish as an adult

tips for learning Spanish as an adult

I have some very exciting news to share with you all! As many of you know, I’m full of tips for learning Spanish as an adult. I never thought it was possible, but in just a few years I went from nothing to basically fluent. There are days here in Spain where I still shock myself. So I complied all of my tips for learning Spanish as an adult into a book!

So I decided to write down all of my stories and things I’ve found to work for myself and others, and turn it into a book! As both an English teacher and an expat living in Spain, I see so many adults struggle to learn languages as an adult. So I figured perhaps I could help people with tips for learning Spanish as an adult or learning any other language!

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My experience working at an English summer camp in Spain

English summer camp in Spain

I love living in Spain and working as an English assistant. However one tough part of the job is that we don’t get paid for four months in the summer. Our contracts are for eight months out of the year. Those of us who plan to do the program for multiple years need a plan in the summer. One way to earn some extra money is by working at an English summer camp in Spain.

There are many English summer camps throughout Spain and other parts of Europe. Native speakers are gold to them. Parents enroll their kids in camps like these because they obviously want their kids to improve and practice their English. So if these camps can advertise that their teachers are native speakers, they will get more kids to sign up.

I knew I needed to do something to make money this summer. So in March or April, I googled “English summer camps in Spain” and found quite a few. I filled out a few applications and got an interview with one. Perfect, I thought! After the interview, I found out about a week later that the job was mine! I would be working for them the entire month of July.

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12 things I wish I knew before moving to Spain

moving to Spain

I cannot believe it. It seems like yesterday that I was moving to Spain with just a duffel bag, a carry-on and a backpack. Two years have gone by so quickly. All I know is that my adventure of living overseas and traveling are just beginning.

In just a week and a few days, I’ll be packing my bags once again and moving up to the La Rioja region. I’ll still be living in Spain, just eight hours away from my beloved Granada. My teaching program gives us a two-year limit for working in the Andalucia region. So I figured this could be a great opportunity to see a new region. I’m not going to lie … the move was hard to stomach at first. I spent all year talking about how I would find a way to stay in Granada. However when I received my placement in my first choice region (I renewed just in case) of La Rioja, I thought “Nina, you’re a travel blogger. Go! You’ll have so much new material at your fingertips!”

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