I was self-employed most of last year and had what felt like copious amounts of money flooding into my account at regular intervals. Yes, I knew that I’d have to pay tax on it but when I got my full-time job earlier this year (which considerately deducts tax automatically from my wages each fortnight) I forgot all about it. D’oh!

So the money that was blooming in my account, which I was planning to shove into high-yield investments (or at least some spring fashion), has gone out the window. The less greedy part of me acknowledges that a lot of tax is well-spent on funding local health, education, infrastructure, etc etc. But some is definitely not allocated as wisely: government funded hip-hop courses spring to mind.

I felt like Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, not kissing Demi Moore or announcing: “You in trouble, girl,” but at the moment she’s forced to relinquish a seven-figure cheque to a pair of oblivious nuns collecting on the street. I didn’t have to part with quite that much, but I can understand her reluctance. After all, if I was being haunted by Patrick Swayze I’d find some comfort in that money.

Normally I scoff at the idea of ‘feeling’ something’s going to happen, but I blame marketing. The lotteries people start pushing the “PowerBall’s reached $10 million!” hysteria, urging me to buy the $10 winning ticket and reap my rewards today despite the 1-in-14-million odds or whatever they are.

They also harp on about how I can take my (imaginary) kids to Disneyland. That seems to be the #1 fantasy. You never hear the actors dreaming of boosting their Super, dabbling in the market, paying off their hefty mortgage, sending their kids to Eton or bumping up their contribution to the homeless animals.

So I buy a ticket on the odd Saturday, feeling slightly foolish but still justified because it could well be my time to win. It isn’t. Within five minutes my numbered scrap of paper (”and the lucky PowerBall number is… not on your ticket!”) has become a scrap of paper.

When I give it more thought, though, I don’t mind never winning the lottery. I don’t really want for anything. I don’t have a family to feed, I’m not working five jobs to pay the bills and I don’t dream of Disneyland because I’ve been – well, to EuroDisney which is more or less the same – and the queues were eternal.

Do you buy lottery tickets? What would you change in your life if you won?

That reference would have been completely lost on me the first time I saw the episode (yes, I watch the odd rerun) but I understand now, because a year ago I started reading lots of books about how to manage my money better.

We don’t have four-oh-wunks here in NZ, but we have a new thing called Kiwisaver which is similar. Deposit some funds, and the government/your employer will help out too. Sounds good. I’ve signed up with a medium risk fund at 8% of my net income.

It’s hard, though, for two reasons. One, I have a terrible attitude about ageing. I want to be better and wiser etc, but why does that have to be accompanied by hundreds of cats/walking frames/the pervasive scent of lavender/ lawn bowls? So it’s hard to acknowledge that I’m heading in that direction and need to prepare financially for a time when people start buying me lavender soap for my birthday.

Also, it’s money that could be spent on far more exciting things: travel to exotic locations, books, clothes, gadgets… best not to dwell on it really, and just do it. I’ll thank myself later.

Do you have a four-oh-wunk?

I’m a flat-hunting veteran – I’ve lived in more flats than you’ve had hot dinners this month. When looking for a rental property, I’ve learned to ask the following questions, which have been upgraded since I was student when all I required was a roof of some sort and hopefully slightly human flatmates:

• How much is rent (obviously) but also what is the bond and are there agent’s fees? Can be crippling.
• Is there a carpark and how secure is it? Is there any parking for visitors? Or maybe you don’t want visitors in which case it doesn’t matter – release the hounds.
• How much sun does it get? Is there lots of natural light? Unless you are a goth you might want some.
• Is there any heating? Thermals aren’t sexy. On anyone.
• Are there shops/cafes etc nearby? Two words: morning coffee.
• Are there lots of light fittings and plugs (sockets, I believe they’re called in the US)? Some places are just badly wired.
• Is there a lawn to mow? Any comfortable outdoor spots? Don’t get lumbered with the gardening of a rental.
• Is it insulated and sound proof? Any construction/planes/trains/drum and bass fans nearby?
• Is it placed directly on a faultline? (All of Wellington is; small quakes are part of life)

No property is perfect and it’s hard for something to meet all of the criteria. My new house (rented) is pretty awesome but I have to drive to food and town. Still, so do most people.

What do you look for when you’re house hunting or flat hunting? Any sharp learning curves?

I do feel a little guilty driving; after all, it’s not helping our ailing environment.  But let’s stop for a minute and consider the alternatives.

• Buses. There are many smoke-belching buses but they never show up on time and seem to be permanently filled with angry people.
• Trains. There’s a vague train system but it doesn’t cover the center properly, and no subway or trams.
• Cycling. Bike riding comes at your own risk as drivers have no idea how to deal with a cyclist and there are no friendly bike lanes.
• Walking. Auckland is one of the most spread-out cities on the planet, so walking is generally out unless you have 5 hours to spare and sturdy Hobbit feet. Yes, Frodo walked across New Zealand/Middle Earth with the ring but only because cars hadn’t been invented.

So a car it is.
But cars are expensive. A carful of gas/petrol here is US $50 although suburbanites seem to love their SUVs, so it’s often more. Car maintenance is more, insurance is more, and replacing tires after hours of midnight drag-racing is more still.

There are some good tips online about how to be more economical with fuel, but basically I find cars a pain in the fender. They smell, they’re expensive, they break down and they get you stuck in non-events called ‘traffic jams’.

Your thoughts?

How does one go about making money online?

1. Mindset. I always felt sure I’d be rich. I don’t know if this contributed at all, it was really pretty irrational but I’m sure it didn’t hurt.

2. Sense of opportunity. I remember the first time I heard about the internet. I felt it would change my life even then. Then, when I started to use it, I was even more taken with it. Basically the ability to serve a worldwide market for such low cost seemed too good to be true.

3. Fun. I enjoy what I do. I used the internet a lot before I even made a cent, then when I started making money and doing business online it just felt like a fun computer game (I used to like all the Railroad Tycoon and Ports of Call-style virtual business games).

4. Inspiration. Seeing others do well sparked the competition in me and gave me ideas.

5. Imitation. Copying things that others had done, but changing them and improving them by adding my own spin.

6. Initial success. The first sales gave me just enough motivation to continue.

7. Trying and Failing. Some things work, some don’t, you won’t know which your plan is until you try it. For example, I tried setting up a blog network but it didn’t work out.

8. Track and Test. Most business plans don’t work the very first time. You need to optimize, and you can only optimize properly if you’re tracking your stats properly!

9. Functionality. I know it’s common sense, but make sure your website works properly in all browsers etc. I often get lazy and don’t, then am surprised when fixing something like a form makes a world of difference to my conversions.

10. Luck. Luck will often play a role; you can be in the right place at the right time. Of course, the more you work and the more you try, the better the odds of making it big!

(ReviewMe is an online review marketplace, where bloggers can review products and websites etc for a cut of the profits. The value of a review is determined by things like the site’s ranking and the topic. Here’s their FAQ page about selection criteria etc.)

So Rich Minx has been rated by ReviewMe based on my ranking in Technorati (6K), my subscriber numbers (5), Alexa ranking (181K), my About Me photo (Could Do Better) and my IQ (90). I get 2/5 stars.

Two out of five! That’s a good Robin Williams movie, which is to say it’s still very bad. Still, it is nice to be accepted and is another step on my path to Ultimate Fighting Blogger.

I hope someone wants a site review because I love writing them. When I reviewed CareerRamblings.com a while back they said it was one of the best reviews they’d seen, and I didn’t even pay them to say it.

A Rich Minx review would give you:

• Feedback from me, an experienced webmistress, on your content, design, layout, SEO, and fashion sense
• Tighter abs
• A free set of steak knives if you order in the next 10 minutes, pay by credit card and quote the promotional number I seem to have misplaced
• I can be as gentle/tough as you like!

Have you used ReviewMe before, either as an advertiser or blogger? How’d it go?

Anyway, I was reading an interesting post on Self Made Minds where Scott was considering his mortality and how his death would affect his online business. He made a list of things to ‘hand on’ to prevent all his hard work going up in smoke.

I read all the way to the bottom, thinking I really must make similar contingency plans, and then saw my own name.

“Thankfully I am an online nobody, some bloggers like Darren, Paula, Shona & Yaro are brands who could lose most to all income without their actual presence…”

While I was sleeping, someone had called me a brand and considered my mortality. I was touched.

This was my comment:

“Woohoo, I’m a brand! That means I must be ready to create my own perfume line. “Rich Minx – the scent of money”. You’re right, if I went to the great Blogosphere in the sky my blogs would not hum along nicely without me. Mental note: must clone self. I’m not sure my family would miss the $3 a day though ”

Have you planned for your possible rendezvous with Death? Would your blog hum along nicely without you? Are you insured? Do you have a will? These are all deep questions for so early in the morning here but most of you are at midday yesterday so should be able to catch these curveballs.

* Weetbix is a New Zealand wheat cereal that tastes better than Weetabix. Marmite is a black yeast extract that you spread on toast and only tastes good if you were raised on it and tastes better than Vegemite, which is a similar spread that Australians like.

But the main thing is, I’m back! I’m right in the middle of town and yet it looks so empty. There is so much space. This is the fourth time I’ve come home after a long absence and that always strikes me, along with how intense the light here is, and the colors.

I dropped by my storage unit to pick up some winter clothes (yep, it’s winter, brrrr) and noticed all my possessions , and realized I hadn’t given them a minute’s thought since I left. For six months, a pink wheely suitcase had been enough.

Driving back from the airport, I heard on the radio that the New Zealand dollar is again at an all-time high at 80.4c to the US dollar, and is predicted to keep rising. Just a couple of years ago it was 47c; just a few AdSense checks could’ve helped me retire!

So those US dollars I made and make are not quite worth what they might have been. Still, it’s money, right? I’ve been to Argentina; I shouldn’t complain about currency fluctuations.

Now excuse me while I fashion a bed somewhere out of US banknotes.

Okay, I don’t, but I was reading the ever-inspiring Pick the Brain this morning which has a list of classic Ben Frank wealth-building tips. It’s a thorough and interesting list and a couple of things struck me:

• All those years, my parents were quoting Mr Franklin.
• Mr Franklin was a very clever (if slightly preachy) man. He is long dead and yet he lives on through his inventions, kite-flying and memorable adages.
• There is a lot of nature imagery in his words. “Little strokes fell great oaks”, etc. And clearly he wants us to be frugal, disciplined and patient. And to get up early. Ha!
• But some of them are a bit heavy handed, in my opinion.”Be ashamed to catch yourself idle”? Geez, what a whip-cracker.

Still, in the vain (in both senses of the word) hope of immortalizing myself, I thought I’d take a stab at some adages of my own.

Rich Minx once said….

• A subscriber in the RSS feed is worth two of the Stumbles.
• He that lives upon hope of AdSense will die fasting.
• Rather go to bed postless than rise with a bad post in your mouth.

There. It’s only three but that should be enough to ensure my words live on. Come on, don’t die old and wrinkly at 100, write your own!