Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Ideas to save money and make a little extra

Do you ever find yourself thinking, "I don't know If I am going to have enough money to pay all my bills this month" or  "I really want that new swimsuit I saw at Victoria's Secret but I just don't have the extra cash to spare this month"? I think most of us can relate to not having enough money every month whether it be simply to pay the bills or just buy something nice for yourself or someone you love. It seems like no matter how little or how much money we make there is never enough after the bills get paid. If you are like me and ask yourself these questions from time to time (it's a lot more for me) then you probably wonder how you could get your hands on a little extra cash.

When it comes to dealing with money and finding ways to make a buck or two in a time of need, I seem to have a gift. I have to give credit to God. I trust the Lord will provide for me and low in behold, he never fails me. God never lets me down when I put my unwavering faith and trust in him. I know that may not be the same for everyone but that is okay. That is how I choose to live. We don't judge here. Back to the gift... I feel like God inspires me with ideas and a creative personality, which help me to come up with crazy ways to provide for myself and family. Takes for instance this blog. ( It's a way to make money) I love to talk and write. It's a win win. I quit my job two years ago to start my own business and work for myself. You would think that would be a hard decision, but for me it was not an option and after several months of prayer and meditation on the matter, I had complete faith that the Lord would make a way for me and that I was doing the right thing. Two years and several business adventures later, I am still doing okay and managing to survive as a stay at home mom. I don't make a ton of money but I do manage to make a living by being creative and making smart decisions when it comes to saving, spending and making money.

This is by no means about getting rich. Getting rich usually takes time, planning and a lot of  hard work. These ideas are for the average person who needs to make some modest extra money.

Get Creative and Crafty

If you have any bit of creativity in you then you should utilize it. There are so many crafts, projects and artisan products that you can make to sale at a craft show, farmers market or a specialty site like Etsy. Let me help you get your creative juices flowing by giving you some examples. If you like jewelry you can make your own unique jewelry line and sale it at craft shows or online. I have dabbled in this area a bit and I do enjoy making my own pieces. It is also a way to save money on buying your  jewelry and what a great way to advertise your very own line of one of a kind, handmade pieces of art. There are many tutorial videos online that can help you learn the trade if you need a little practice and sometimes the local craft stores may offer jewelry making classes for a small fee. It's worth looking into. You can make your own jams and jellies and sale them at the local farmers market. If they are good enough products then you could talk to the local grocery stores about trying them out on the shelves if you are looking to go big. Hey, it's worth a shot. There are an endless amount of crafts and handmade items that one can specialize in from candies and pastries to clothing and furniture. You don't even have to make the furniture. I have been known to refinish or repurpose FREE furniture pieces that were given to me and then turning around and selling them for a profit. People are always looking to get rid of furniture for free if you are willing to just take it off their hands. Swallow your pride and take the old beat up table and chairs. It may look like a Goodwill find now but when you are done with it, it's going to look like an expensive vintage treasure. You could easily make a couple of hundred bucks on doing this alone. The creative ideas are starting to flow freely now, aren't they?


Blogging and Freelance Writing

Blogging is a very popular trend these days. Kind of. Writing has been around from the beginning but blogging in particular is a new way of being heard and expressing one's self. There are lots of ways to make money by blogging from advertisements to sponsors and many more. You can do freelance writing for the local paper or online papers and contributor sites like Yahoo or Examiner. There are really tons of things to write about and endless opportunities to get yourself heard and paid if you just look for them and do a little research. If you can think of a topic to write about there are always some like-minded people out there who wants to read about it. Writing can also be very therapeutic and relaxing. If you are into that sort of thing!

Secret Shoppers, Taking Surveys and Testing Products

It can be hard to find a good secret shopper job but they are out there. I have been a secret shopper a time or two. I honestly didn't make much money but it is a way to eat out modestly and get reimbursed for it. Also most companies reward loyalty. If you do enough shops for a company and submit your reports consistently on time they are more likely to offer you more jobs. Plus it's fun. A little tip, you will never have to pay a fee to be part of a legitimate secret shopper job. If you are asked to pay to sign up it is probably a scam. Be aware. If you have the time and you like taking surveys then you should look into different websites that specialize in survey taking. Again, there are many survey companies out there and it can be hard to find one that is actually worth the time, but you can find them if you look and always make sure to read the fine print before you go spending hours taking survey after survey. Again, you should never have to pay a fee to be part of these surveys. I love to cook. I love gadgets and do-hikkies and thingamabobbers. So naturally I am part of a company who sends me products to test out, rate and review. As long as I am doing my part and rating the products, I get to keep them. It's like shopping for free. There are several different kinds of product testing opportunities out there if you are lucky enough to get in on the action. Good luck in your search.

Barter Service

Straight up, this is strictly professional. Don't get any ideas. We all have something to offer and the Lord commands that we help thy neighbor. So trading services, whichever they may be, is a great way to fulfill our brotherly duty as well as get stuff done for little to no money. Let me give you some examples of services that can be bartered between family members, neighbors, friends, etc. Let's say that you are a single mom and you need your yard mowed but don't have the money but you happen to be a guru in the kitchen. You can arrange to have a neighbor mow your yard in exchange for a dinner for their family homemade by you. People don't always think about these little things. I would never say that if you provide a service that someone always must return the favor. That is not what doing favors Is about. In this instance, it is important to have an open dialog about the transaction and expectations before moving forward. Communication is always important and this keeps the situation on the right track and no one gets let down or upset. A few more example of services to trade are tree trimming, house cleaning, picking up someone else's kiddos, running errands, grocery shopping and really anything that you can help someone out with. If you think about it from a helping aspect, it makes it much easier to think of things we can do for each other. We all win in this one.

Work From Home Jobs

If you have the discipline to work from home and are lucky enough to find a good position then you can save a lot of money in gas and childcare.  Working from home isn't for everybody. You do have to have a certain level of discipline and good time management skills. If you happen to have these qualities then this is a great way to make some decent money from home. There are transcriptionist and medical billing and coding jobs. I have come across different internet data positions where you work on making the internet better by going through tons of data and make sure the users are able to find the proper information in their internet search. I had a modest but regular job a while back of posting ads for various companies on certain advertisement sites. It was an extra $100 a month. Everything helps. If you are willing to do some research you can probably find a pretty sweet gig on the internet, but beware of the scammers. They are everywhere and they are ruthless. Always be cautious and good luck hunting.

A Newspaper Route

I know I know. You're saying, "this is really old school and only kids do paper routes." Actually a paper route can put a good chunk of change in your pocket. It is a job that is a little more time consuming but if you aren't looking for anything with a big commitment then this could work. I don't know the exact schedule of how things work, but if you are interested it is worth some research. You would have to be up early to drop off papers before everyone else wakes up, but then you get to go back home. You don't even have to ride a bike anymore. You can sit in the comfort of your own car with the heater on, in your jammies and drinking a cup of coffee. Sounds pretty good to me. Check it out.

Couponing

This is a great way to save a little money and possibly a little more if you are hardcore. Have you seen the shows? Basements stockpiled with rows of free goods. Heck yeah. There is a method and system to being an extreme couponer. If you have the time and organization skills then this could really be beneficial for you and your family. I don't know the legalities of it, but you could always resale items from your stockpile to family and friends at a lower cost. If you are a blogger then you would have endless amounts of free giveaways. I have seen people go to the grocery store and leave the register without having to pay a dime and sometimes the store manages to have to pay them  a modest few dollars. That's crazy. Those people are really good at it though. Couponing can not only save you money if done properly, but it can even make you a little money too.

I hope these ideas have sparked some ideas for you to save a little or make a little extra money. There really are an endless amount of ways to save and to make some extra cash. All it takes is some creativity and a will to get the best deal for your time. Get a journal or notebook and write down your ideas when they pop into your mind. Do a little research and see what you can come up with. I know you can do it. Happy hunting!

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