Tips to Make Money

1. Make money with the extras that you have. Grow a garden and sell the extras at the Farmer’s Market. Divide the plants in your flower garden and sell the extras. Rent out space in your vegetable garden for others that desire to grow their own veggies but have either no space to plant or not time or desire to prepare a space.

2. Have a yard sale or go to an auction and sell all of those things that you don’t need, use or truly love. Maybe you get all the money that you want from the item and maybe you only get a bit of it. But some of something is a lot more than all of nothing.

3. Use what you have. Open your garden or yard for receptions or parties or photo shoots. People are always looking for some place a little unusual to host events.

4. Do what you are good at or those things that you enjoy. Not everyone can organize a closet or clean a home from top to bottom. Some people don’t have the knowledge of how to complete the task and some people don’t have the desire. Both of these categories will pay someone else to do those jobs that they can’t or won’t do.

5. Rent your extra space. Everyone is downsizing and some people are looking for a space to store extra belongings or looking for rooms to rent. If you have an area that might fit these needs then consider looking for someone to rent the extra space that you have. Be sure to have a contract so that both parties will be protected.

The best way to make money during anytime is to think outside of the box. Either find a need that isn’t currently being met and meet it or else find a better way to meet the needs that are already being met. Times may be tough, but you can still make money in this down economy without having to have money to get started.

This is the only mantra some people heard through out their lives. The job becomes the center of the universe. “I can’t do that because I would have to quit my job and move.” “I have to work longer hours because I could lose my job.” “I can put up with the horrible work environment because the benefits and retirement are good.”

Let it all go and start living life for joy instead of for the paycheck. Start spending time doing the things that you love instead of plowing through work for thirty years HOPING beyond hope to be able to enjoy them when you retire from work.

Giving up the Paycheck Security

1. Forget everything you have ever been taught about how your life should be led. Create your own path instead.

2. Admit there really is no security in a job. The company could go under, the position could be dissolved or the industry itself could become obsolete. The security has to come from your own skills and abilities.

3. Create your own retirement. Set aside a portion of your income each month so that you create your own retirement rules. Don’t focus on shielding your money from taxes because, believe you me, the government is going to get their share one way or another. Focus instead on creating a foundation for the life you intend to lead.

4. Do what you love. There are people that will pay you to decorate their house, do their grocery shopping, maintain their garden or just watch their home. Set up a service doing what you know and are passionate about and provide a needed service to the people around you.

5. Be frugal in all things. Buy what you need, wait to buy what you want and save for all your purchases so that you pay cash along the way. Saving money is the quickest way to get to a place where you can live the life that you desire.

Retirement is just code for living a life that you enjoy. Choose to live that life now – no matter what stage you may be in – by ignoring the normal route and choosing a path less taken.

Several months before my husband left his job I started looking for opportunities on the internet. There were surveys to fill out for a few dollars, paid-to-post sites that would give me pennies for each post on forums, and some other small income sites that helped me build up to about $40 each week. I continued to pursue the writing aspect of the online jobs and it was just a few months before I was making real money writing online. Writing is a good path for me, but it is not the only way to make money online.

• Hobbies – we have set up a website for our garden (although we have not yet utilized that website) and it includes a catalogue area so that we can have plants for sale on the site. Flower gardening is something the whole family enjoys most days so making money from something we enjoy seems like the natural course to take.

• Passions – is there a product or line of products that you are passionate about? The company may have an affiliate or distributor program of which you can be a part. I’m a fan of Nutrilite vitamins and health products so I am debating on setting up a Quixtar site to offer to others the products that I enjoy so much.

• Knowledge – this is an age of information and the internet is leading the charge. Having knowledge in a certain niche (like finances right now) gives you a chance to set up a website and actually make money off that website. You can also promote your speeches, papers and other projects on the website. The great thing about the internet is that it costs so little to take the chance.

• Stuff – there are people that just love to yard sale, collect or just shop (and have room for all that stuff). Some do it for pleasure and some do it for resell. Either way you can set up a store on eBay and auction of your treasures to the highest bidder.

There seems to be no limit as to what can be done on the internet. It all comes down to what you want to invest your time doing. Making money in any business or line of work requires some knowledge, energy and time. Determine today where you can take advantage of the internet opportunities and then start making money online.

I want to go back to a time when family and life were what really mattered. There has to be an age when money wasn’t the only focus – especially when there really wasn’t money. Maybe if we were bartering again with chickens and eggs and labor money wouldn’t be such an issue.

Don’t get me wrong – I like money. It has its purpose and its time. I just don’t like the focus that it has for most people. Recently, I landed a great job and the only thing that my friend asked was “how much are you getting paid.” Although getting the pay check was nice, it was the opportunities that the job would present that was the real perk.

It is possible to look beyond the green.

1. What is the purpose of the job, the move, the change?
2. How does it feel?
3. What is the family saying? Doing? Thinking?
4. Is this the first step or the final leg?

Take the time to look at the person and you’ll find that the money doesn’t really matter all that much after all.

1. I will write down every penny we spend. I bought a ledger to be able to keep up with all the monthly expenses by category. I have already marked in that ledger what is allotted for things like groceries, gas, etc. Every time a check gets written or a card gets swiped, I will record it in that ledger. You can’t save money if you aren’t aware of what you are spending and where you are spending it.

2. I won’t spend money that isn’t in the budget. That means that if I run out of grocery money then I have to make do with what is in the pantry (it’s not like the pantry is any where close to empty). If I see the perfect shirt on sale, it will have to wait. I don’t have money in the budget this month for mommy clothes. If I don’t feel like cooking – tough. I’ve laid out a menu for the month and there is no excuse for not putting the food on the table.

3. I will put the extra in a savings account. I always SAY I’m going to save, but if I leave it in the general fund then I’m generally going to use it. Today I am going to open an account specifically for this money.

4. I will continue to push my writing so that more money continues to come in. My goal is that I will be earning the same paycheck as my husband. If we continue to set all that money aside then we will be in a position to pay off our mortgage in the blink of an eye.

5. I will set aside certain funds from my writing for my writing. Anyone who works from home knows there are expenses that will come up. I have determined that all money I make from print work will go specifically into my writing account. That way any expenses I incur I can pay.

Our budget doesn’t have to expand just because our income expands. We have been living a good, comfortable life over the last year. Instead of throwing the new money away, I am going to work harder to make sure that money makes its way into savings.

1. Dig out that old “Add-a-bead” necklace and cash it in. Your scrap gold (or gold you don’t need or want) could bring you a tidy little some. Since gold is going up in a financial market that seems determined to push investments down, it might be a good time to cash in.

2. There are items in your home right now that you NEVER use (and possibly never wanted). You hold on to them because your dieing grandmother gave them to you or for some other sentimental reason. Let it go. Free up your space and your life by changing those items into free cash. If you are worried about getting a good value for the precious then call a local auction. Most will charge around a 30% commission when the item is sold, but 70% of something is way more than 100% of nothing.

3. Send in those rebates. It may seem like a lot of hassle, but it will pay off. Most people just throw them away because they don’t want to be bothered with the details. That’s just money in the trash. After filling out a few, you will get the hand of it. It’s a shame to see so many people missing out on free money. I have even thought about starting a business where I do other peoples rebates for a small percentage of the money.

4. Since we already hit the jewelry box once, why not go through it again. Many people start wearing less jewelry as they get older (especially when they have small kids). Why not see if a local jeweler would be interested in some of the pieces you are no longer wearing.

5. Purge and sale! Yard sales are always a great way to get a little free money. Just be sure that you take what you don’t sale to charity (and get a receipt for tax purposes so that you can deduct the donation on your taxes next year). Not only will you have some cash in your hand, but you will have a much cleaner house.

Free money is all around you. Quit missing out and start digging in. There is no telling how many treasures you have hiding around your home right now.

1. Traditional Checking Accounts – not only do the banks now offer these accounts for free – meaning you save on all those fees they hit you with, but many of these accounts now offer an interest rate (although it’s tiny) for customers. Each month you can make a few dollars (or few pennies) just because you have an account.

2. Online Banking – Paypal is becoming as common as any bank out there. If you do have an account at Paypal, do you realize that they offer a “mutual fund” option that pays (at this time) nearly 5% on all monies in the account. Now that is a nice little bonus.

3. Rewards Cards – Every store seems to have them these days. Using the cards for items you would normally purchase can win you a big payoff (I just got a $30 rewards check from Staples and a $4 from CVS Pharmacy). These probably have to be used in-store, but it’s still free money.

4. Credit Cards – Even the lending industry is getting more competitive these days. Credit cards offer great rewards programs; cash back programs, or other options for their customers. IF you pay the card off each month (this is a requirement or the programs will never balance out) then you can use the card, get the rewards, AND let your money sit in an interest baring account until it’s time to pay off the bill.

Being smart with your money could help you make money in the long run. Watch for hidden or unexpected fees that will take away all the progress you make. Read all the fine print. Then go out there and find creative ways to let the industry make money for you for a change.