{This post may contain affiliate links. That means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my disclosure for details.}
You guys, there were a few reasons I was inspired to write this post this week.
One. Since It’s the holiday season, I was busy searching Pinterest for some new Christmas cookie recipes. I am a sucker for a good Christmas cookie tray, as I am sure most of you are too 😉
Anyways…
After about an hour of clicking to new blogs trying to jot down new recipes, I was SO over it!
Why?
Y’all I am not even joking when I say that I had to X out of over 90% of these cookie recipe posts even before I was able to jot down the recipe. Why? THEY HAD TOO MANY ADS! These bloggers had so many dang ads on their website; the post took FOREVER to load!
Can ads make you money?
Yes. But they have to be done the RIGHT way. STOP with the ad overkill!
There is a way to tastefully place ads on your website, so they don’t hurt your loading time AND don’t block your reader’s view.
Try and stick to 3 ads MAX per page. With one or two being in your sidebar.
STOP WITH THE POP-UP ADS! That is me yelling at you. These are NOT making you money; these are hurting your traffic, loading time and BOUNCE RATE!
I bet you that 90% of my views didn’t even register on these websites I visited because the overkill of ads made me leave even before it could count as a view.
No joke.
Think about this for a min…
Are you making money from your ads? If not, get rid of them. You could have a killer post with some high paying affiliate links in them. But no one is ever going to get to that affiliate link if they have to close out of 10 ads and your website is taking 20 min to load.
Go to some of the big time bloggers website. What don’t you see? ADS!
OR if there are ads, they are tastefully placed. Too many ads also make you look SUPER spammy.
Trust me when I say, you have a much higher chance of making a decent amount of money each month (no matter your blogging niche) by focusing your efforts on writing killer posts with affiliate links in them.
Again, I am not saying to nix ads out of your life. I am saying, take a look at where they are and how many you have. Look at your bounce rate. Is it hurting? Take some ads down. I PROMISE you; it will help!
{This post may contain affiliate links, that means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you! See my disclosure for details!}
Hey there!
TailWind got ya down?
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Facebook groups can be a huge resource for bloggers and online business owners! They have helped me immensely since day 1!
I created my own FB Group called, “Pinterest Ninjas,” and you can join it here! (be sure to answer the questions)
We do threads that will help you expand your reach and grow your following, find the right Pinterest group boards and seek advice and tips from other members!
And, coming in 2019 I will be doing a TON of FREE LIVE training!
Come and join the nearly 4,000 members! Hope to see you there!
Yes I realize it is only November 14th… However, if your schedule is anything like mine is, every weekend from Thanksgiving on is booked. Solid. Needles to say I like to get a head start on decorating for Christmas. I will note that my husband knows thinks I am crazy and doesn’t love the fact I decorate before December 1st. Sorry Hubbs, not sorry.
Every year I like to add a little more to my collection of Christmas Decor. I also try to be as thrifty as possible. So this year I took a little trip to the Dollar Store and I hit the Jackpot!
I found some holiday flowers to add to my mason jars, and SUPER cute Christmas Figurines! Total = $5
Next, I needed a little something extra for the tray on my center island. I found this vase, more flowers and a tube of Christmas bulbs. Total= $3.00
I already have a few glass candle holders around my house so I grabbed another tube of mini bulbs to give them a little holiday flare. Total= $1.00
More holiday flowers added to the mason jar in the hallway. Total= $1.00
And lastly on my way out I saw this super cute sign that fits perfectly next to the front door. I will probably sort through my burlap to make a bow for the top! Total= $1.00
Grand Total= a whopping $11.00
Now you can’t beat that!
Do you have any cool Dollar Store Christmas finds? Let me know below!
You guys, this recipe definitely lives up to it’s name; Million Dollar Spaghetti. Not only is it a HUGE hit in my family but it’s very easy to make and re-heats really well. You know I am a big fan of left-overs! Also this is a GREAT dish to bring to someone who just had a baby!
Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1:15 Serves: 8
You will need:
1 (16 ounce) package spaghetti noodles
1 pound ground beef
1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup butter, sliced – divided
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
*Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. *Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until “al dente” (cooked through but firm to the bite), about 12 minutes. Drain.
*Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
*Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes, drain and discard grease.
1. Combine the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic and cottage cheese until well blended.
2. Use the butter to cover the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Spread half the spaghetti into the dish. Top spaghetti with creamy mixture.
3. Layer remaining spaghetti over creamy mixture.
4. Pour ground beef mixture over spaghetti and spread sauce to cover casserole.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
6. Spread Cheddar cheese over pasta and continue baking until cheese has melted and is lightly browned, about 15 more minutes.
And last but not least if you want to block out 48% of these carbs from being turned into glucose make sure you take two block before you eat! You can get your bottle HERE! I never eat a meal without it!
If you make this million dollar recipe be sure to let me know what you think!
So this recipe is nothing short of amazing. That’s right amazing. Not only is it super simple to make but it’s nice and hearty and filling! I know it’s good when my husband doesn’t try and spice it up with sriracha. Which he puts on everything.
Cook time: 6 hours Prep Time: 10 min
You will need:
2.5 pounds of golden potatoes
2 packages of smoked turkey sausage
1, 11oz can of fat free cream of mushroom soup
green onions (chopped)
2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning (give or take depending on how spicy you like your food)
First spray your slow cooker with cooking spray or use you can use one of these awesome slow cooker liners. I don’t even know how I ever lived without them! No more scrubbing out your slow cooker! Next chop up your potatoes, green onions and sausage and add them to the slow cooker. Finally pour your cream of mushroom soup and Cajun seasoning over the top, cover and cook on low for 6 hours. I topped mine with a little cheddar cheese and sour cream!
SO GOOD!
If you make this recipe be sure to let me know what you think!
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Next chop up your potatoes, green onions and sausage and add them to the slow cooker. Finally pour your cream of mushroom soup and Cajun seasoning over the top, cover and cook on low for 6 hours. 
I topped mine with a little cheddar cheese and sour cream!