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Scheduling Posts Ahead of Time

If you’ve been following on social media for a while (particularly Instagram), you might have seen my content calendar a few times. I am OBSESSED with planning out content. That’s why I am SO excited to teach you more about scheduling posts on social media. P.S. You can free monthly content calendars sent directly to your inbox just by signing up for my newsletter below or in our free social media group on Facebook.

So, why should I schedule out my social media posts?

I love scheduling my social media posts ahead of time because it not only helps save me time in the long run AND plan ahead what I need to get done, it also helps me repurpose content. I believe that repurposing content is essential to long term success on several social media platforms – especially if you’re using Pinterest! Do you need help managing your Pinterest or repurposing your content? Let’s chat!

How do I schedule my social media posts ahead of time?

There are many ways you can schedule social media posts ahead of time. Some apps actually let you do it directly on their website (like Pinterest and Facebook) but I love to use Later because of how easy it is to you. If you use this link you can even get an extra 10 FREE posts per platform per month. With Later, you can link one of each of your accounts including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. Then, upload the images you would like to post, drag and drop them into your content calendar (or even pre-set your posting times for each week and organize your grid via the preview section to see what they will look like on Instagram). After writing your caption just push save.

Your posts can automatically be published to Instagram if you have a business account which is linked to a Facebook page! Just change from “notifications” to “auto” at the bottom of the scheduled post.

 

If you need extra help getting set up, don’t hesitate to reach out to me on Facebook or make a post into our social media group. 

BONUS: Something I learned recently!

Recently, I learned an extra bonus tip that helps save even more time! When you’re scheduling your posts on Later, you can hover over an additional “social bubble” at the top of your screen and a plus sign will appear. Click it and you can schedule two posts (the same image and content) to multiple platforms. For Pinterest, you’ll just add in your list, board, and title (it will prompt you). Check out what I mean below.

Did you like this tip for creating and managing several different Instagram accounts? You can learn more in our FREE social media discussion & learning Facebook group! Join here. You can also receive more free tips and tricks as well as a monthly content calendar (with hashtag suggestions), by signing up for our newsletter below.

If you enjoyed reading this and would like more information on home, lifestyle, advice, tips, tricks, and more, follow me on Instagram @Its.Mary.Taylor and on Facebook at Mary Taylor! I can’t wait to see you there!

 

Signing off,

Mary Taylor <3

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Bitcoin Vocabulary

A-Z of Cryptocurrency Terminology Cryptocurrency Vocabulary

Bitcoin Vocabulary

The two best known hardware wallets are the Trezor and the Ledger Nano S. There are also e.g. Cryptographic Signature — A particular Bitcoin wallet and its corresponding private key are connected via cryptographic wizardry. Bullish — an expectation that price is going to increase. Bubble — A bubble occurs when the prices of a commodity (here — crypto-currencies) in the market significantly exceed the intrinsic value of this commodity. Bubbles can “burst” at any time within a very short time, which causes a →bear market to be created.

The name of a decentralized p2p crypto-currency network. Buy Bitcoin Worldwide receives compensation with respect to its referrals Bitcoin Vocabulary for out-bound crypto exchanges and crypto wallet websites. Virgin Bitcoin are bitcoins that are purchased directly from miners.

Limit Order/Limit Buy/Limit Sell

Distributed Ledger Technology or DLT — Mostly describes →Blockchain (or blockchain-like) technologies. Distributed ledger means that several https://www.tokenexus.com/ participants in the network have a complete copy of all transactions. ASIC — stands for Application Specific Integrated Circuit.

Premine can be fraudulent, but it can also be seen as a means of paying for development and listing on exchanges. Lightening Network — is a payment protocol which is operational on top of the blockchain which is capable of millions to billions of transactions per second across the entire network. Has been touted as one of the most potent solutions to the cryptocurrency scaling issue. IOTA — IOTA is a cryptocurrency that wants to penetrate the Internet of Things market. Hard Fork — new blockchain software that is non-backwards compatible. This causes a cryptocurrency to split into 2 separate currencies.

Medium of Exchange

Cryptocurrency activities like purchasing, trading, holding, and selling have inherent risks. Readers should exercise due diligence before participating. CoinSutra and its writers are not responsible for any investment losses from acting on website or social media content. Bitcoin (₿) is a cryptocurrency invented in 2008 by person or persons unknown but using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. The first use of Bitcoin was in 2009 when it was released as open-source software.

Bitcoin Vocabulary

Decentralized — In a decentralized system, the users are linked to each other via →P2P. There is no central authority, with special privileges. Anyone can join a decentralized network, it is difficult to take offline and – in the best case – almost impossible to hack.

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Why, Which, and How to use All of Your Veggies

Let’s start with the why. Why should you use all of your vegetables? And what does that even mean?

The answer is pretty simple: because it produces less waste and saves you money. What I mean by “use all of your veggies” is to use as much of the vegetable as you can. This means leaving the skin on when possible (potatoes, tomatoes for soups/sauces, carrots – they don’t even have “skin” but lots of people still take off the outer layer – etc.)

Which vegetables can I use entirely?

Lots and tons! I won’t name every single vegetable but here’s some that you might not have thought of using the whole thing:

Broccoli – Yes, even the stem. Chop it up into smaller bite sized pieces or shred it and add it to your dish (salads, roasts, soups, etc). Broccoli is absolutely delicious!

Caulifower – Just like broccoli, you can chop up the stem to use in soup, on the grill, in the oven, or on the stovetop. You can even steam it and just add butter! 

Carrot – There’s no need to shred off the outer layer of a carrot. The only part you shouldn’t eat is the very top (where the leaves normally come from). If there are little strings coming off the bottom, either pull them off or eat them. If you wash the top those, you can use it in a smoothie or soup (especially if you like to make your own veggie broth).

Celery – Try to eat as much of the celery as possible. The leaves of celery you use in soup/broth, a roast, a stir-fry or even eat them in a salad (choppped up or whole). The only part you might not want to eat is the base. Place the base of the celery into a glass container with a little bit of water on the bottom. Continue to water and watch as a new celery grows. Then, you can plant it in a small amount of dirt or keep it growing in your water.

Tomatoes – You don’t really have the cut out or off the top of the tomato. Just chop it up with the rest of the tomato and enjoy! This would be great for salads, soups, and even sandwiches.

Pretty much every vegetable – If there are parts that you don’t want to eat, wash them and freeze them. Once you have enough, boil them in water with your favorite herbs and make your own vegetable broth. This is another great use for your celery leaves!

To make your own vegetable broth with leftover vegetables, simmer your vegetables in a large pot with water and spices for about an hour (really, the longer the better). This will allow the flavor to really develop. Good spices for soups include: mixed herb, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley. You can also add tomato paste or a can of tomatoes. 

Pro tip: you may want to sauté garlic and onions in olive oil (additional not just what was leftover) before adding the rest of your vegetables and water.

To read more about my recipes and why I create them the way I do (without specific measurements, times, and temperatures) check out this blog post. Post a picture of your soup and vegetables to your stories on Instagram and tag me (@its.mary.taylor) so I can see and share it to my story too!

If you enjoyed reading this and would like more information on home, lifestyle, advice, tips, tricks, and more, follow me on Instagram @Its.Mary.Taylor and on Facebook at Mary Taylor! I can’t wait to see you there!

Signing off,

Mary Taylor <3

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Why Blogs are Powerful for Your Business

Are you thinking about creating a blog or do you already have one? You probably started a blog or want to start a blog because you have some idea of why blogs are powerful for your business. If you’re thinking, “I have heard good things about blogging but don’t REALLY know why exactly I should be blogging regularly,” this is the blog for you! I often see people who start a blog but can’t keep up. If that’s your struggle too, check out my blogging services here.

My favorite reason for starting a blog is because of all the potential to repurpose content. If you know me, you know I love talking about repurposing (and not just in your home products but also, in your business)! Everything that you write in a blog can be repurposed to a bunch of mini posts on the same topic. So when you’re sitting down every week to schedule your social media posts, you can easily head to one of your previous blog posts and pull some of the content you’ve already written.

You can also draw further attention to the blog post by mentioning it within your social media post. Not everyone might have read the blog post yet. It can also encourage people to comment on the social media post with any questions or comments they had when they did read the blog post. Staying engaged with your audience is SO important.

Having a blog also gives people a reason to come to your website more often. Once they’re there, they might have a little wander throughout your site which could lead to more sales, clients, and customers.

You’ve gotten your potential client to your site now (through your blog post). They’re reading along and realize, “Dang! She/he knows what she/he is talking about!” When you blog about topics relevant to your business or brand, you’re building credibility! Having a blog should provide enough value that your reader feels like they’re learning something but not too much value that they now don’t need to hire you. If you’re a product based business, your blog posts should highlight different aspects of your product. For example, if you own a skincare company, you should write about the benefits of the ingredients in your skincare. Once your reader knows about all of these benefits, how could they not want to purchase your skincare? You’re selling without actually having to SELL. Instead, your informing your audience to make educated purchase decisions.

But what about those that don’t follow you yet? Blogs can be helpful for SEO purposes! SEO includes all of the things that you do to increase the visibility of your website and its content (like your blog) on search engine result pages (like when people search on Google). Search engines look at things like if a website is regularly updated, how long people stay on your website, the quality of the content on your website, internal linking, meta descriptions, image tagging, and more! Blogging can help you add more of these features to your website which will end up helping your website to appear higher in search results.

Whether people are coming to your site just for your free content (blog posts) or to purchase from you, you can still make money from everyone who comes to your site! Having a blog is another way that you can make money! Stay tuned for a blog post soon about ways to make money from your blog!

Now that you know all about why blogs are important for your business, are you going to start blogging? Once you write your first blog, don’t forget to tag me in the post when you share it! I can’t wait to read all about what you do. If you need help getting started, let’s chat! I not only offer blogging services but also coaching and editing. I can also help you repurpose your blogs into posts across your social media accounts. Check out my links below to get in touch.

If you enjoyed reading this and would like more information on home, lifestyle, advice, tips, tricks, and more, follow me on Instagram @Its.Mary.Taylor and on Facebook at Mary Taylor! I can’t wait to see you there!

 

Signing off,

Mary Taylor <3

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AliExpress Gifts for Kids

Last month I wrote a blog about Christmas Gift Ideas for Guys and when continuing my search for Christmas presents, I came across some of the most amazing AliExpress gifts for kids! You’ll want to add these to your cart right away so they arrive in time for Christmas but if you have the time, these are SO worth the wait.

Some of the links included in this blog are commissioned links. This means I may earn a small commission when you use them. I cannot see who purchases what and it doesn’t cost you anything to click on them.

These AliExpress kids finds are perfect for Christmas gifts for kids – especially if you’re on a budget! I’ve included everything from kids toys to kids clothes! These are definitely unique kids gifts. Don’t forget to join my free shopping group on Facebook to see more fun finds and shopping inspiration!

If you’re not set of having Lego or you’re on a budget but still want to build, you have to check out these Lego look-alikes from AliExpress! They have several different sets and the reviews are incredible. Check out these cheap Lego alternatives:

Purchase Here
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Do you love magic?! Have you ever seen gypsies, travelers, or magicians selling fun puzzle games? Here’s where they probably got them. These interactive games are even educational as they get your brain thinking.

 

 

Metal Montessori Puzzle

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If you prefer the wood style puzzles, check out these several different options:

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You can even build your very own wood plane or ship model using these laser cut out wood kits!

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Have you ever played tetris? What about wood tetris? Well, now you can!

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The amount of montessori based toys that AliExpress has is SO cool! Check out these large Rainbow Stacker Wooden Toys For Kids

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They even have wood baby toys! Check out these high quality baby 3D wooden puzzles!

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Purchase Here

How cute are these baby’s first Christmas PJ’s on AliExpress?!

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If you’re looking for inexpensive, modern children’s clothing on AliExpress, here are some my favorites!

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I can’t wait to see what you purchased! Feel free to share your reviews with us in our shopping group and post pictures when your items arrive. Don’t forget to save this post (even better, you can pin it to your Pinterest) so you can come back for more updates! Don’t forget to follow me so you can stay up to date with new blog posts and pins.

If you enjoyed reading this and would like more information on home, lifestyle, advice, tips, tricks, and more, follow me on Instagram @Its.Mary.Taylor and on Facebook at Mary Taylor! I can’t wait to see you there!

 

Signing off,

Mary Taylor <3