Tweet
Need A Few Extra Bucks? Think Small to Save Big
Everyone is short on cash sometimes, but if you’re like me then you don’t have a single dollar left the day before payday. Since I’m so broke, I never put much thought into saving; until my situation became dire. I thought I needed a big loan until someone told me to think smaller. So I found ways to save a buck and make a buck and things got a little better. Here are 20 ways to create a few extra dollars where there was none:
Banking: Don’t pay to save
1. Find a bank that pays you instead of charging you. Many banks these days offer free checking accounts and other money-saving perks. Some will even offer sign up bonuses and deposit the cash into your new account.
2. Avoid debit card fees by going to the bank’s own ATM machine. Better yet, when you’re shopping, take advantage of the cash back option many stores offer. It’s free.
3. Open a separate savings account and have your employer direct deposit a certain amount from each paycheck into it. It can be a small amount like $5 or $10 a week. You won’t even know its missing; it’s a great way to save some cash.
Home:
Shed extra expenses:
4. If you don’t watch much TV, cancel your cable service. It is a big expense that you won’t miss. You can always opt to stream free TV shows and movies from sites like Hulu. Even a paid prescription to Hulu is only $8 a month! If your TV is internet capable, you can hook it up to your PC to watch your favorite shows. You’ll never know the difference.
Eat cheaper: Cook more meals
5. Making meals at home is so much cheaper-and healthier-than eating out. Take out that long-forgotten crock pot and use it to make something like beef stew. Have some for dinner and freeze the rest into individual portions to heat up next time you need a quick meal.
6. Take shortcuts like buying fresh chicken, which is inexpensive, and marinating it right in the storage bags before putting it in the freezer; next time you want chicken, just pop it in the oven.
Grocery shopping: Shop wiser
7. Compare prices and take advantage of sales. When the grocery store advertises a 10 for $10 item, you don’t have to buy all 10; the grocery store just wants you to think you do. You can get 4 or 5 for $1 each.
8. Opt for ground turkey-much cheaper than ground beef.
9. Buy store brand products-most of them are made by the same companies as the brand name.
10. Pick up paper goods and cleaning supplies at the dollar store.
A penny saved is a penny earned: Save your change
11. Every time you make a purchase, take the change and squirrel it away in a jar somewhere. At the end of the year, or whenever you’re ready, take it to your bank and deposit a nice chunk of change. You get the idea…
Internet: There are many ways to make money online.
12. You can write articles and get paid for it. Some sites will offer you small pay for small articles, while some blogs will pay you big money for longer ones. Either way, it comes in handy to get regular payments of $10, $20 and even $50 and up. Check out blogs like makealivingwriting.com and earnblogger.com for lists of sites that pay for articles and blog posts
13. Become a mystery shopper. You will be emailed a list of weekly assignments; you can pick the ones you want. Better yet-not only do you get paid for the “shop” but you get reimbursed for anything you’re required to buy, so you end up getting that product or service for free. Some mystery shoppers work online visiting websites instead of physical stores. Try SecretShopper.com or BestMark.
14. Work from home. Get hired as a call center representative through companies like LiveOps.com, WorkingSolutions.com and AlpineAccess.com. You apply online and if accepted, they will train you and pay you by the hour to take calls from home. Most companies will give you a basic script to follow, so there’s no worrying about saying the wrong thing. You can also try basic data entry. Though scams are plentiful, there are legitimate jobs out there. Check Craigslist or blogs like homewiththekids.com for real, hiring companies.
On-the-go: We work to make money, but sometimes we end up spending it instead. For instance, transportation is a major expense for some.
15. If you commute to work, it would behoove you to download an app that tells you where you can find the cheapest gas prices in your area. If you don’t drive, take public transportation instead of cabs. If you must take a cab, opt for Uber or Lyft instead. The cost is half of that of cab fare and you don’t have to tip.
Hidden Expenses: If you added up all the money you spend each day buying your morning coffee and ordering out for lunch, you’d be amazed at how much you spend.
16. Brown bag your lunch and start taking lunch from home instead. It’s cheaper and healthier.
17. Buy a travel mug and bring your own coffee.
Technology: Let your smart phone work for you by downloading apps that make you money.
18. Field Agent pays you to do nearby small tasks while you are out and about. You may have to take pictures of a product at your local Walmart or checking if a certain product is in stock at Lowes. You earn $5 to $10 per task on average and that gets deposited into your Paypal account.
19. Pact pays you to lose weight. You get paid $5 a week for meeting your goals and you get healthier for doing so.
20. Receipt Hog pays you to take pictures of your receipts. You earn points for every snapshot and redeem the points for gift cards or Paypal deposits.
Everyone is short on cash sometimes, but if you’re like me then you don’t have a single dollar left the day before payday. Since I’m so broke, I never put much thought into saving; until my situation became dire. I thought I needed a big loan until someone told me to think smaller. So I found ways to save a buck and make a buck and things got a little better. Here are 20 ways to create a few extra dollars where there was none:
Banking: Don’t pay to save
1. Find a bank that pays you instead of charging you. Many banks these days offer free checking accounts and other money-saving perks. Some will even offer sign up bonuses and deposit the cash into your new account.
2. Avoid debit card fees by going to the bank’s own ATM machine. Better yet, when you’re shopping, take advantage of the cash back option many stores offer. It’s free.
3. Open a separate savings account and have your employer direct deposit a certain amount from each paycheck into it. It can be a small amount like $5 or $10 a week. You won’t even know its missing; it’s a great way to save some cash.
Home:
Shed extra expenses:
4. If you don’t watch much TV, cancel your cable service. It is a big expense that you won’t miss. You can always opt to stream free TV shows and movies from sites like Hulu. Even a paid prescription to Hulu is only $8 a month! If your TV is internet capable, you can hook it up to your PC to watch your favorite shows. You’ll never know the difference.
Eat cheaper: Cook more meals
5. Making meals at home is so much cheaper-and healthier-than eating out. Take out that long-forgotten crock pot and use it to make something like beef stew. Have some for dinner and freeze the rest into individual portions to heat up next time you need a quick meal.
6. Take shortcuts like buying fresh chicken, which is inexpensive, and marinating it right in the storage bags before putting it in the freezer; next time you want chicken, just pop it in the oven.
Grocery shopping: Shop wiser
7. Compare prices and take advantage of sales. When the grocery store advertises a 10 for $10 item, you don’t have to buy all 10; the grocery store just wants you to think you do. You can get 4 or 5 for $1 each.
8. Opt for ground turkey-much cheaper than ground beef.
9. Buy store brand products-most of them are made by the same companies as the brand name.
10. Pick up paper goods and cleaning supplies at the dollar store.
A penny saved is a penny earned: Save your change
11. Every time you make a purchase, take the change and squirrel it away in a jar somewhere. At the end of the year, or whenever you’re ready, take it to your bank and deposit a nice chunk of change. You get the idea…
Internet: There are many ways to make money online.
12. You can write articles and get paid for it. Some sites will offer you small pay for small articles, while some blogs will pay you big money for longer ones. Either way, it comes in handy to get regular payments of $10, $20 and even $50 and up. Check out blogs like makealivingwriting.com and earnblogger.com for lists of sites that pay for articles and blog posts
13. Become a mystery shopper. You will be emailed a list of weekly assignments; you can pick the ones you want. Better yet-not only do you get paid for the “shop” but you get reimbursed for anything you’re required to buy, so you end up getting that product or service for free. Some mystery shoppers work online visiting websites instead of physical stores. Try SecretShopper.com or BestMark.
14. Work from home. Get hired as a call center representative through companies like LiveOps.com, WorkingSolutions.com and AlpineAccess.com. You apply online and if accepted, they will train you and pay you by the hour to take calls from home. Most companies will give you a basic script to follow, so there’s no worrying about saying the wrong thing. You can also try basic data entry. Though scams are plentiful, there are legitimate jobs out there. Check Craigslist or blogs like homewiththekids.com for real, hiring companies.
On-the-go: We work to make money, but sometimes we end up spending it instead. For instance, transportation is a major expense for some.
15. If you commute to work, it would behoove you to download an app that tells you where you can find the cheapest gas prices in your area. If you don’t drive, take public transportation instead of cabs. If you must take a cab, opt for Uber or Lyft instead. The cost is half of that of cab fare and you don’t have to tip.
Hidden Expenses: If you added up all the money you spend each day buying your morning coffee and ordering out for lunch, you’d be amazed at how much you spend.
16. Brown bag your lunch and start taking lunch from home instead. It’s cheaper and healthier.
17. Buy a travel mug and bring your own coffee.
Technology: Let your smart phone work for you by downloading apps that make you money.
18. Field Agent pays you to do nearby small tasks while you are out and about. You may have to take pictures of a product at your local Walmart or checking if a certain product is in stock at Lowes. You earn $5 to $10 per task on average and that gets deposited into your Paypal account.
19. Pact pays you to lose weight. You get paid $5 a week for meeting your goals and you get healthier for doing so.
20. Receipt Hog pays you to take pictures of your receipts. You earn points for every snapshot and redeem the points for gift cards or Paypal deposits.
Comment