How to Earn Money as a Legal Transcriber and more...

Here's What's New How to Earn Money as a Legal Transcriber Brigette's $68 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6 Get Up Early Challenge: Day 10 (I gave myself a Grace Day!) Why I Set the Goal of Handlettering in 2016 + My 6 Favorite Resources 500 Things Decluttering Challenge: Day 9 :: How to Earn Money as a Legal Transcriber Guest post from Amber of ALM Transcription LLC There are quite a few options to earn money from home as a transcriber these days, but legal transcription is one field that won't be going away anytime soon. Compared to medical transcription where you must take a long, expensive certification program, general transcription which pays less, and braille transcription where you need to learn to read and type braille (you can take the course for free), legal transcription is the field of choice for many. Here are a few things to take into consideration if you are thinking of a career or earning extra money through legal transcription. Education While you don't need a formal education in legal transcribing, you do need to be familiar with transcripts, depositions, and the parts of hearings and trials. Having knowledge of legal terms will be extremely helpful and being able to follow formatting directions is imperative - a difference from general transcription where you are just typing in paragraphs for the most part. There are online courses that can help you learn the ins and outs of legal transcription. You'll also want to get your typing up to par in order to earn as much money as possible (you are paid per page, so the faster you complete the work, the more you earn.) Time Commitment The best part about being a legal transcriber is that you can set your own hours and work from home. The reality though is that attorneys and court reporters are notorious for not sending work until the last minute, or ordering overnight work because a deposition took place the day before the hearing is scheduled. The good news is that you earn more money by doing transcripts that are due faster, for instance a normal transcript might pay $1.50 per page if it is due in 7 days and over $5 per page if it is due the next morning. The bad news is that you are going to miss some sleep if you want to take that assignment. Being able to adjust your schedule as work comes in is important. Finding Work Most legal transcribers work for multiple court reporters and agencies in order to get work consistently. Getting in with just one court reporter and doing excellent work for them will usually get your name out as someone that is reliable. Agencies tend to have tests that you must complete before being considered, these are usually hard audios where the sound quality is poor or there are speakers with hard-to-understand-accents that must be transcribed perfectly. It is extremely important to follow all directions on these tests, especially the formatting. Other companies also use legal transcribers - like insurance companies that record claim interviews and police departments that record suspect interviews. With the skills of a legal transcriber, you can also pick up general transcription work on the side. Interesting Cases Unlike general transcription where you might be typing up an interview, training session, or meeting, legal transcription generally tends to deal with someone's actual life problems. This could be anything from a divorce and custody issues, to a police brutality case, or even a murder witnessed by someone. Being able to listen to graphic descriptions of violence, hearing someone that you believe is lying get away with it, and often times not knowing the outcome of the case because you only got part of the audio can be frustrating. There are very few dull moments as a transcriber though, and since you are at home you can yell or roll your eyes, unlike the court reporter that had to listen to everything in person! Working as a legal transcriber is fulfilling work and will essentially always be needed. Everyday our courthouses are filled with attorneys, and individuals like yourself filing for divorce and other issues. With court reporters switching over to digital recordings there will be more need for legal transcribers than ever, so it's a great time to get started - especially if you'd like to make money working from home! Amber Reynolds is a stay-at-home mom that has built a career as a legal transcriber. She now helps train the team for ALM Transcription LLC. photo source :: Brigette's $68 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6 Aldi Cabbage - $1.29 Cauliflower - $1.99 10-lb bag Russet Potatoes - $3.49 3-lb bag Sweet Potatoes - $1.79 2-lb bag Carrots - $0.78 2-lb bag Onions - $0.98 3 cans Chicken Breast - $5.07 Mini Sweet Peppers - $1.99 1 pkg Zucchini - $2.49 24-oz Cottage Cheese - $2.29 5-lb bag Grapefruit - $1.49 Spicy Mustard - $0.99 Romaine Hearts - $1.99 Artisan Lettuce - $1.99 Frozen Strawberries - $2.09 3-lb bag Gala Apples - $3.39 3 bags Rice Cakes - $3.37 Bananas - $1.34 Egg Whites - $1.99 Whipping Cream - $1.69 3 dozen Eggs - $4.17 Total: $46.35 Harris Teeter 2 Gerber Graduates - $2.67, used 2 $0.75/1 printable (doubled) - FREE after coupons 10 cans Libbys Vegetables - $5.56, used 2 $1/4 printable - $3.56 after coupons 3 Larabars - $3.00, used $0.75/3 printable (doubled), plus receive $0.75 back from SavingStar - $0.75/3 after coupons 2 McComick Taco Seasonings - $0.67, used $0.50/2 Mccormick Taco or Chili Seasoning Mixes, exp. 2/28/16 (RP 01/24/16) (doubled) - FREE after coupons 10 bags Shredded Cheese - $13.16 4 boxes Uncle Ben's Rice - $4.00, used $1/4 Uncle Ben's Rice Products, exp. 3/6/16 (RP 01/10/16 #2), plus $1/4 evic - $2.00/4 after coupons 1 64-oz carton Blue Diamond Almond Milk - $2.50, used $0.50/1 Blue Diamond Chilled Almond Breeze, exp. 3/20/16 (SS 01/17/16 R) (doubled) - $1.50 Nasoya Organic Tofu - $2.00, used $0.75/1 printable (doubled) - $0.50 after coupons 2 Birds Eye Frozen Veggies (Protein and Flavorful) - $2.69, used $1/1 Birds Eye Steamfresh Protein Blends Variety, exp. 2/28/16 (SS 01/10/16 R), and $1/1 Birds Eye Steamfresh Flavorful Variety, exp. 2/28/16 (SS 01/10/16 R) - $0.69/2 after coupons Total: $22.16 Weekly Total for Groceries: $68.51 Weekly Menu Plan Breakfasts Oatmeal with Fruit x 3 Cereal x 2 Toast and Scrambled Eggs x 2 Lunches Baked Sweet Potatoes, Cottage Cheese, Bananas Tossed Salad (with Chicken, Cheese, Fresh Veggies), Apples x 2 Almond Butter on Rice Cakes, Carrot Sticks, Oranges x 2 Leftovers x 2 Dinners Three Cheese Baked Spaghetti, Homemade Breadsticks, Tossed Salad Lazy Cabbage Rolls, Easy Whole Wheat Bread Venison Roast in the Crockpot, Steamed Carrots, Baked Potatoes, Rhubarb Crisp Soft Tacos, Mexican Rice, Roasted Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese (For the kids; Eirik and I have a Wedding Rehearsal Dinner) Leftovers x 2 :: Get Up Early Challenge: Day 10 (I gave myself a Grace Day!) Good morning!!! It's Day #10 of the Get Up Early Challenge and I gave myself my first Grace Day of this challenge… I was supposed to be speaking at a local event this morning but that got cancelled because of the school closings and the snow. Which meant my entire morning is now free! Jesse didn't get back home from being out of town until close to 10 pm last night, so I decided this was the perfect morning to have a Grace Day! I just got up a little while ago and saw that it really and truly did snow! Now I'm off to have my quiet time and get ready for the day. I'll be on Periscope for my usual morning show at a much later time this morning - probably 9 am CT. We'll be doing our Q&A Friday today! I'd love for you to join me or watch the replay (just download the app and search for @MoneySavingMom). Are you joining me for the Get Up Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your wake-up goal this morning. We're in this together… And if you didn't hit your goal, that's okay! Give yourself grace, don't beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow! P.S. Read more about the Get Up Early Challenge here. Need some help and inspiration to use your mornings well? Download Day 1 of Make Over Your Mornings for free (scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for it!) :: Why I Set the Goal of Handlettering in 2016 + My 6 Favorite Resources A few weeks ago, I posted my goals for 2016 and the goal that people have asked the most questions about is my goal to "Spend 5 Minutes Handlettering Every Day." Because I've been receiving the same questions over and over again, I thought it was high time I write a post to explain more what handlettering is, why I chose this goal, what my end game is with picking this goal, and six of my favorite handlettering resources so far. What is Handlettering? Handlettering is basically just perfecting an artistic style of writing. It could be using a pen, markers, a brush, or calligraphy pens. There are a million different variations on styles - and they are all right because handlettering is an art form, not a systematic way of writing. Why I Chose the Goal of Handlettering I've long admired the beautiful handwritten quotes I see on Pinterest, on walls, Instagram, and on products. But I always felt like that wasn't something I could ever do, "because I'm not artistic". And I let that belief hold me back from even trying handlettering. I was so afraid of not being able to do it, that I didn't try. But then I realized how silly that was. If it was something I wanted to do, why should I let the fear of failure keep me from jumping out and attempting to learn something.  Why I'm Putting My Imperfect Out There So I'm jumping out and getting brave. Not only am I publicly posting this as my goal, but I'm also putting my imperfect progress out there on Instagram and here on my blog. This is kind of scary for me because I'm a perfectionist, by nature. But I hope that by putting my imperfect out there - and sharing my progress and practice attempts - it inspires you to pick an area of your life to get brave with. We will miss out on so much in life if we're always holding back and saying, "I'm not going to put it out there until it's perfect." My Longterm Goals with Handlettering Truth be told, at first I felt almost a little bit embarrassed to put it out there that I had set a personal goal to do 5 minutes of handlettering every day. When I was thinking about goals, though, I realized this was something that would not only be fun and really inspire me, but it would be something I could use in many different ways. I can use lettering to write cards to people. I can use it to make signs to put around our house. I can use it to make graphics for social media. I can even use it to write pretty to-do lists every day! Most importantly, it's a gift I can give myself: to be intentional about taking time to sit down and quietly focus on creating something beautiful. I also love that it encourages me to exercise a different kind of creativity than I usually am exercising - which I think is a very good and healthy thing to prioritize. My longterm goal is to practice and improve in handlettering so I can write out quotes in a very artistic form so that these words would inspire myself and others. My 6 Favorite Handlettering Resources (so far!) CreativLei - I credit Lisa with first sparking my interest in handlettering… I watched her on scope and was so intrigued that I started to peek into what it was. And little by little, I started to get the itch to try it and perfect it. Hand-Lettering for Everyone - This book was a Christmas gift from MacKenzie and it's what really inspired me to set the goal of daily handlettering in 2016 the first place. I had been toying with the idea, but when this book showed up, I knew I wanted to go for it. If you are looking for a beginning book to inspire with dozens of different ideas and handlettering styles, definitely check this one out. I love it! I love how they break things down so it feels so much more doable!  Tombow Dual Brush Pen Art Markers - These are BEST markers! They are pricey, but they work so well and are so fun to use! LissLetters - Some of my readers recommended I follow LissLetters on Instagram and she's really inspired. She posts a plethora of handlettering photos and videos and her work is amazing! The #Handlettering Hashtag on Instagram - There's a wealth of inspiration by checking out the hashtag #handlettering on Instagram. Many creative folks not only share pictures but short little video tutorials -which I find highly helpful and instructive! Dawn Nicole - She offers a free online Art & Handlettering Class, too. Check out her Pinterest board here for more inspiration. :: 500 Things Decluttering Challenge: Day 9 It's Day #9 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge and today we were supposed to be working in our family rooms. Since we don't really have a family room, I decided to spend time in some other parts of the house that need some TLC. So I went through our bedside tables, as well as our DVDs and CDs. And would you know it?! I came up with 79 items to get rid of!!!! Today's total: 79 items decluttered Total for the entire challenge: 407 items so far! I'm keeping a running total of all my items decluttered during this challenge as I thought it would be fun to not only do Daily Totals but also Overall Totals. How many items did YOU declutter today?? Leave a comment and let us know.  P.S. You can read more about the Decluttering Course I'm going through here. If you'd like to join me in going through it in January and get the videos, information, and printables every day, you can go here to purchase and get it for just $5.99 right now! You received this email because you are registered on www.moneysavingmom.com with the email address panatllc1.kate@blogger.com. If you believe this has been sent to you in error, you can easily unsubscribe here. Money Saving Mom 2020 Fieldstone Parkway, Suite 900 #313 Franklin, TN 37069 © 2008-2015 Money Saving Mom, LLC. All rights reserved.