The best way to have more money in the future, is to find ways to increase your income. $5 here or there may seem small, but it adds up over time. Here are a few ways you can earn extra income - either to save, or to use as your spending money, depending how you want to plan your finances.
1. Interest
Switch from a regular savings account to a high interest savings account. I switched around this time last year, and went from earning $0.25/year in interest, to what will be nearly $30 by the year's end. Wednesday's post will cover several good websites for getting a higher yield on your money. Many of these sites are FDIC insured, which means you will not have to worry about losing your money. You may potentially make more interest in a Money Market account, but it will also be riskier, since it is not insured by the government.
2. Surveys
When I was younger, my mom was constantly visiting the little survey place in the mall. I was bored out of my mind waiting for her as a kid, but now that I'm in a good 'target demographic', I can totally see why she did it. Earning anywhere from $5 to $20 for a little bit of your time, you've paid for your lattes for the week, and can divert what you would normally spend into savings or investments. You can also participate in online surveys that pay, although these are harder to come by.
3. Blogging
I started this blog because I wanted to get my money-saving ideas written down, so I can hold myself accountable to what I know are smart ideas. It's too easy to get lazy when you aren't thinking about frugality all the time. But since I was starting a blog anyway, it was incredibly easy to add in a Google Adsense bar. I may not earn much (people who blog for a living can make much more, because they have the time to put in to it). But $5 here or there really adds up over time.
4. Craigslist or Ebay
That's right. Last week's website was Craigslist, and the post focused on how to save money on buying things for your home. But you can use it to make money too! Every once in a while, go around your home and collect things that you don't need or don't use. Then take a few minutes and post it on Craiglist or Ebay, and wait for someone to want to buy your things! Not only did you make a few bucks, but you also cleared a little clutter.
5. Part-time Job
Ok. Admittedly, this one is a little more difficult. Some people don't have the time or the energy. But there are tons of jobs that are flexible and do not require steady committment. Find what you love to do, and see if you can fit it into your schedule. If you love kids but don't have your own, babysit for a friend's children or put an ad on Craigslist. If you like interacting with people, pick up a couple evening or weekend shifts at a restaurant. If you are a night owl like my fiance, take a Friday or Saturday night and drive a taxi. You can easily make $100 for one night of working at a restaurant or babysitting, or $200 for a 12 hour cab shift.
The only thing holding you back from making money is you! Adapt any of these ideas to fit your own life, and then you'll have a lot more money at the end of a year than you would have expected!
Showing posts with label monday money saver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monday money saver. Show all posts
Monday Money Saver #5: Starbucks Banana Walnut Bread
This week's Money Saver idea will be home-made Banana Walnut Bread. This recipe comes from one of the little cards they had sitting next to the register.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons buttermilk (to make buttermilk, add a splash of vinegar to the 2 tsp regular milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan and dust with flour.
Blend together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
Mix together the eff, sugar, and vegetable oil until combined. Add the flour mixture and when blended, add the buttermilk, vanilla, and mashed bananas. Mix until combined. Fold in 1/2 cup chopped wanuts and pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Top batter with remaining 1/3 cup chopped walnuts. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick uinserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the pan.
I don't have the nutritional data for this, but generally when I get the banana nut bread it's because I want something tasty for breakfast, not because I know it's the best food for me.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons buttermilk (to make buttermilk, add a splash of vinegar to the 2 tsp regular milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3 loaf pan and dust with flour.
Blend together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
Mix together the eff, sugar, and vegetable oil until combined. Add the flour mixture and when blended, add the buttermilk, vanilla, and mashed bananas. Mix until combined. Fold in 1/2 cup chopped wanuts and pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Top batter with remaining 1/3 cup chopped walnuts. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick uinserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from the pan.
I don't have the nutritional data for this, but generally when I get the banana nut bread it's because I want something tasty for breakfast, not because I know it's the best food for me.
Monday Money Saver #4: OpenOffice.org
Chance are if you are reading this post, you own a computer. That same computer also probably has a suite of programs used for editing text, spreadsheets, presentations, and things like that. Given that somewhere between 80 and 95% of computers run Microsoft Office, you probably have Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Most new computers come with these programs already installed, so the price has been worked into the purchase price. But according to their website, this suite of programs runs approximately between $150 (student version) and $680 (business version), depending on which programs you include in your purchase. The typical home package (includes Microsoft Outlook) runs about $300.
$300??? That seems like an exorbitant amount of money that could be better spent upgrading the physical capabilities of the computer, or just saved.
Never fear - you can save that $300 by downloading Open Office. Open Office is an "open source" software, which means that any computer geek can edit and improve the software package. Microsoft Office is proprietary, so only Microsoft can change it legally.
The programs included in the Open Office suite include your basic word, spreadsheet, and presentation editing software. But it also includes a graphics editing program and a database program, which aren't even included in the cheapest Microsoft download.
Even better, the Open Office suite of programs allows you to select the file type as you save a file. That means when you save the word file you just created, you can save it as *.doc, and then it can be opened in Microsoft Word. The files are almost completely interchangeable with Microsoft Office files, with the sole exception being some of the newer features of Microsoft Office 2007. If you know anything about Office versions, saving a document in Open Office is like saving it in Microsoft Office 2003.
If you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars for software, or you lost your Microsoft installation disk and don't want to buy it again, try Open Office. I've used it in the past, and it is very user friendly. Their website even has a support forum in case you really have trouble.
$300??? That seems like an exorbitant amount of money that could be better spent upgrading the physical capabilities of the computer, or just saved.
Never fear - you can save that $300 by downloading Open Office. Open Office is an "open source" software, which means that any computer geek can edit and improve the software package. Microsoft Office is proprietary, so only Microsoft can change it legally.
The programs included in the Open Office suite include your basic word, spreadsheet, and presentation editing software. But it also includes a graphics editing program and a database program, which aren't even included in the cheapest Microsoft download.
Even better, the Open Office suite of programs allows you to select the file type as you save a file. That means when you save the word file you just created, you can save it as *.doc, and then it can be opened in Microsoft Word. The files are almost completely interchangeable with Microsoft Office files, with the sole exception being some of the newer features of Microsoft Office 2007. If you know anything about Office versions, saving a document in Open Office is like saving it in Microsoft Office 2003.
If you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars for software, or you lost your Microsoft installation disk and don't want to buy it again, try Open Office. I've used it in the past, and it is very user friendly. Their website even has a support forum in case you really have trouble.
Monday Money Saver #3: Free Music
I know it's pretty easy to hear a song you like, and click a couple clicks, pay the $0.99, and download it to your computer. But that adds up really fast. A few songs a week and you're at a couple hundred dollars per year!
But there is a better way - as long as you have an internet connection! The following websites are excellent places to listen to free music - legally.
1. Pandora - pandora.com
Pandora is a website that uses algorithms to identify similar songs or artists. For example, if you want to play a station full of classic rock, enter in a few artists like Led Zeppelin or the Beatles, and it will populate the station with similar songs and artists. If you want pop circa 2000, "seed" the station with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys, or 'N Sync. You can give a song a thumbs up if you want to hear more like it, or a thumbs down if you don't want it played on that station ever again.
I am pretty sure you can create an unlimited number of stations - at least I haven't hit the limit yet. You can create stations for different moods - I have a "spa" station that I like to listen to while doing yoga, a punk rock station I put on when I'm cleaning the apartment, or even a christmas station I like to play while baking cookies.
The only frustrating thing about Pandora is that you can't ask it to play a specific song. The song you like might show up on your station, but you can't control when it plays. Also, if you listen to more than 30 hours of music in a month, you have to pay a $0.99 fee to continue listening. Even with these little frustrations, Pandora is an awesome music playlist. To keep it free, they do run ads occasionally - but not much more frequently than one 15-20 second ad per half hour. I highly recommend Pandora to those people who want to hear new music in a specific genre, but don't want to test out songs by buying them from iTunes or Amazon.
2. Playlist.com - playlist.com
Playlist.com is the answer to Pandora's inability to play a song on demand. While Pandora is good for generating new music that is similar to music you already like, Playlist is good for listening to songs you already know you like. You can search for specific songs or artists, and then add them to your playlist. So if you want a playlist with every Spice Girl song possible, you can create that, and listen to it as many times as you want. Like Pandora, they play ads on the webpage, but they are minimally invasive. Playlist is great if you've got a song stuck in your head and need to listen to it before it drives you nuts.
Now neither of these websites will work unless you are connected to the internet. For that, you will still need to download your music from a place like Amazon or iTunes. But as long as you have an internet connection, these websites will help curb your purchasing habit, and you can share your stations/playlists with friends. The other great thing is that Pandora is available for many mobile phones - it works on my Blackberry and I'm sure it works on the iPhone as well. Playlist.com won't work on phones yet, until they support Flash.
In the meantime, check them out and let me know what you think!
But there is a better way - as long as you have an internet connection! The following websites are excellent places to listen to free music - legally.
1. Pandora - pandora.com
I am pretty sure you can create an unlimited number of stations - at least I haven't hit the limit yet. You can create stations for different moods - I have a "spa" station that I like to listen to while doing yoga, a punk rock station I put on when I'm cleaning the apartment, or even a christmas station I like to play while baking cookies.
The only frustrating thing about Pandora is that you can't ask it to play a specific song. The song you like might show up on your station, but you can't control when it plays. Also, if you listen to more than 30 hours of music in a month, you have to pay a $0.99 fee to continue listening. Even with these little frustrations, Pandora is an awesome music playlist. To keep it free, they do run ads occasionally - but not much more frequently than one 15-20 second ad per half hour. I highly recommend Pandora to those people who want to hear new music in a specific genre, but don't want to test out songs by buying them from iTunes or Amazon.
2. Playlist.com - playlist.com
Now neither of these websites will work unless you are connected to the internet. For that, you will still need to download your music from a place like Amazon or iTunes. But as long as you have an internet connection, these websites will help curb your purchasing habit, and you can share your stations/playlists with friends. The other great thing is that Pandora is available for many mobile phones - it works on my Blackberry and I'm sure it works on the iPhone as well. Playlist.com won't work on phones yet, until they support Flash.
In the meantime, check them out and let me know what you think!
Monday Money Saver #2: DIY Popcorn
Growing up in the microwave era, most of us have been exposed to popcorn in either those little microwaveable bags, or at the movie theatre. But the cost of those snacks adds up very, very quickly. At $4-5 per box, and only a handful of microwave servings per box, you can go through a box in a week if you've got a big Netflix queue to watch.
But there is a better way! You can buy the kernels themselves (also at the grocery store) for a fraction of the cost of microwave popcorn. Popcorn kernels run about $2 for a bag that should last a few weeks. All you need to do it yourself is a pot with a lid, some oil, and whatever toppings you feel like adding. Best of all, you don't have to buy 5 different kinds of popcorn if you want to mix it up a little, you can just make it yourself each time. It takes a little bit more involvement than the microwaveable kind, and maybe another minute or two, but it makes a huge difference. Homemade popcorn is also a lot better for you, and for the workers in popcorn factories. The powdered butter they put in microwaveable popcorn can cause serious health problems, including bronchiolitis obliterans, or Popcorn Lung.
Directions:
1: Pour a few tablespoons of oil into the pot.
2: Throw in two or so kernels (not all of them at once!).
3: Heat the oil until those two kernels pop.
4: Pour in the rest of the popcorn (1/4-1/2 cup is enough for a couple people). Shake the pot (while keeping over the heat) so that the kernels pop evenly.
5: Let it pop!! Keep popping until you don't hear many more pops.
6: Pour into a bowl, and sprinkle your favorite toppings - then enjoy!
Here's a few ideas of popcorn toppings you can try:
- pour melted butter on popcorn, sprinkle with salt
- pour a tiny bit of melted butter on the popcorn, then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar
- pour a tiny bit of melted butter, then add some grated parmesan/romano cheese, or powdered cheddar
- pour a tiny bit of melted butter, then add a pinch of garlic powder and some dried chives
- pour a tiny bit of hot sauce, then add chili powder and a pinch of cinnamon
Another good option is to make 'dessert popcorn':
1: Spread popcorn out on a wax paper or foil -lined baking sheet.
2: Melt some chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, or other form of sugary goodness in a glass measuring cup in the microwave.
3: Drizzle over the popcorn.
4: Freeze it until the chocolate is hardened. Then enjoy!
Monday Money Saver #1 - Pumpkin Spice Lattes
It's that time of year! Fall is by far one of my favorite seasons - changing leaves, crisp cool air, pumpkin and cinnamon flavors, apples.. yum!
Along the lines of tasty fall treats, I absolutely love Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and would drink them almost every day if I could. But at around $4 for a cup, those lattes would quickly eat up my eating-out budget. So I found an awesome DIY recipe over at The Kitchn.The best part about it is that if you make it yourself, you can adjust the ingredients to get it exactly how you like it. I find the Starbucks version to be a little too sweet for me, so if I make it myself, I can cut down on the sugar. The ingredient list is super simple too.
-milk
-canned pumpkin OR Pumpkin Spice Syrup
-sugar or sugar substitute
-vanilla extract
-pumpkin pie spice
-espresso or strong brewed coffee
Head on over to The Kitchn for directions and ingredient measurements. I figure if you buy enough of these ingredients to make a latte every day for a week, it might cost you about $10 (if you need to go out and buy milk, canned pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice specifically for this recipe). That's much, much cheaper than buying a latte every day for a week - plus you get to customize it to your tastes! What's better than that!?
Along the lines of tasty fall treats, I absolutely love Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and would drink them almost every day if I could. But at around $4 for a cup, those lattes would quickly eat up my eating-out budget. So I found an awesome DIY recipe over at The Kitchn.The best part about it is that if you make it yourself, you can adjust the ingredients to get it exactly how you like it. I find the Starbucks version to be a little too sweet for me, so if I make it myself, I can cut down on the sugar. The ingredient list is super simple too.
-milk
-canned pumpkin OR Pumpkin Spice Syrup
-sugar or sugar substitute
-vanilla extract
-pumpkin pie spice
-espresso or strong brewed coffee
Head on over to The Kitchn for directions and ingredient measurements. I figure if you buy enough of these ingredients to make a latte every day for a week, it might cost you about $10 (if you need to go out and buy milk, canned pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice specifically for this recipe). That's much, much cheaper than buying a latte every day for a week - plus you get to customize it to your tastes! What's better than that!?
Monday Money Savers
Monday Money Saver #1: Pumpkin Spice Latte
Monday Money Saver #2: DIY Popcorn
Monday Money Saver #3: Free Music
Monday Money Saver #4: Open Office
Monday Money Saver #2: DIY Popcorn
Monday Money Saver #3: Free Music
Monday Money Saver #4: Open Office