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10 Ways to Slightly Increase Your Income
Everywhere you turn nowadays, you can be guaranteed to hear a laundry list worth of complaints about the economy and rising gas prices. It’s not just the pessimistic grumbling this time, times are really and truly legitimately tough. Even the most optimistic people I know are at least feeling the pain at the pump. Something about this economic crisis has me a bit perplexed though. Amidst all the complaints, I don’t hear many solutions or fixes being suggested. It seems we’ve accepted our fate and are content to ride out this blip (hopefully) on our radar with a few well targeted rants and facebook status updates.
The truth is, there are things that we can do to make our lives easier and to ease our newfound financial burdens. There are small, but significant and valid ways of increasing your income without working the graveyard shift at your local fast food joint.
Here are 10 ways to slightly increase your income and reduce your economic frustrations:
Make a budget-First and foremost, if you don’t have a budget, make one. I’d like to leave this out and assume that this is the first place that most people start when their wallet is feeling light. The truth is, some people don’t know how to budget. Or they don’t think having a budget will help them. It will! Write down where your money needs to go and follow it up by recording where your money truly goes.
Shop strategically-Learn to use coupons, make grocery lists and menu plans and you’ll significantly reduce a huge chunk of your budget in one quick swoop.
Take advantage of deals, freebies and coupon codes-We all have necessities. This doesn’t mean we need to pay top dollar for our clothing, toiletries or cleaning supplies. Learn how to spot a bargain, and when you see a freebie sign up for it! (I recommend using an alternate email address when signing up for freebies online. Not for any sinister reasons, simply so you don’t clog your personal inbox with the inevitable emails those companies will send out)
DIY-Learn to do things yourself. From scratch cooking to home repair, there are so many services and goods that we contract out every single year. Teach yourself how to do a few things on your own and not only have you immediately saved money, you’ve taught yourself a skill that will continue to be a money saver for the rest of your life!
Take those newfound talents and sell yourself-Okay, not in the literal sense obviously. However, you now have a marketable talent that can make a small side income. Don’t assume that just because you know how to do something, that everyone else does. Or that they even want to!
On the same token, look at what you do professionally/daily and see if you can translate that into a side income as well.-Are you a teacher? Tutor on the side. Are you a computer repairmen? Start a small computer repair business from home in your off hours. Stay home with your kids? Watch a few of your friends kids in your home.
Make money online-You can start small with surveys and getting paid for emails. You can start a money making blog. Write for Associated Content or Viewpoints, or one of the dozen other freelance writing sites.
Sell your stuff-This doesn’t have to be original works of art you’ve created. Sell your old textbooks, clothes, books, etc on Ebay, Craigslist or even Facebook (to your friends and family). We all have stuff laying around that might not be useful to us, but might be treasure to someone else!
Negotiate with everyone-Call all those people you pay every month and see if you can negotiate for better rates or cheaper packages. You might be surprised how many companies are willing to drop your monthly rates just because you picked up the phone!
Downgrade-If times are really hitting you hard, it might be time to take a serious look at your lifestyle and your budget and make some cuts. Downgrade down to 1 vehicle, cut your cable package, give up the expensive kids activities, etc.
We can be proactive in cutting our expenses and increasing our income even in the current economy. There are areas of improvement available for all of us. So while I might still grumble and complain, I know that there are things that I can do! I’m not helpless, there certainly is hope…with plenty to go around.
Heather loves to write about frugal living over on her blog Family Friendly Frugality. She is from good ol’ Texas and resides there with her husband and her two young children. Stop by and stay awhile!