How much money would you like to have saved by the end of 2018? Or for your next vacation? Or your emergency fund?
Whatever your goal, the number probably seems overwhelming.
Trying to figure out where several hundred or a few thousand dollars might come from is tough. Instead, break it down. Find ways to set aside just a little bit at a time — you’ll be surprised how quickly you can move toward your goal!
To help you get started with that first step, we’ve put together 19 easy things you can do to help save and make more money this year! Not only can you read about them here, you can click the links provided if you want to take advantage of these ideas.
1. Get Paid To Take Surveys
Let’s face it, a lot of us have a bit of extra time on our hands… Maybe we typically use that time to go on Facebook or watch TV. But what if you could get paid a little bit of extra pocket money just for taking a few online surveys? Would you do it? There’s a new website called Survey Junkie that allows you to do just that. You provide them with a bit of information about yourself and they’ll match you up with to surveys that you can complete for big brands. You then earn rewards and virtual points that you can redeem for Paypal or e-Giftcards. You won’t make a ton of money doing this, but it could help pay for a few things every month and it’s really easy to do.
2. Drive For Lyft
Need a fun, flexible way to earn money this month? Try driving with Lyft! Demand for ridesharing has been growing like crazy, and it shows no signs of slowing down. To be eligible, you’ll need to be at least 21 years old with a year of driving experience, pass a background check and own a car made in 2007 or later.
We talked to Paul Pruce, who’s been driving full-time with Lyft for over a year. He earns $750 a week as a driver. Best of all, he does it on his own time. You can work days, nights or weekends — it’s up to you!
Work 40 hours a week for one month, and you could bank up to $2,400. Just remember to include the cost of gas and car maintenance in your profit calculations.
3. Get a Lower Auto Insurance Rate
You might think you’re already paying a low auto insurance rate, but recent research shows that only 5% of Americans over the age of 30 are paying less than $50 per month for car insurance. If you’re currently paying more than $50 per month, and have had no accidents or tickets in the past two years, you can probably secure a much lower car insurance rate. The best way to do that is to compare quotes from multiple insurers – let them compete for your business. In fact, there’s a new website that allows you to do just that – it’s called Best Quotes Auto Insurance. Once you fill out the form on their website they’ll provide you with multiple quotes you can choose from. If you’re still not satisfied, you can always call up the major car insurance companies and let them know you’re looking for better offers and see what they say.
4. Stop Paying High Interest Rates On Credit Card Debt
When I decided to get serious about saving money, I had about $2,000 in credit card debt. My old card had an 18% or so APR, so I was paying almost $400/year in interest alone.
I was able to cut this unnecessary expense by signing up for a Monevo Loan. With Monevo loans you can see the rates offered to you without it hitting your credit score. Their lowest rates are 3.09% APR which could allow you to save a huge amount of money in interest per year.
And if you owe a lot of money in credit card debt? Move on to our next tip.
5. Consolidate All Your Existing Debt Into One Simple Payment
Facing a large amount of debt is like having a gorilla on your back. You’re constantly thinking about how you can pay it off. Debt consolidation is the process of combining all your unsecured debts into a single monthly payment. Generally this allows for much lower payments on a monthly basis than the sum total of the separate debts – making life a lot more manageable. The likelihood in these circumstances of reducing interest rates is very high, and there are many firms out there who will walk you through the process making it simple and painless. If you have more than $10,000 in debt, then this is something you should do right away. You can get the best quote to consolidate all your unsecured debt by clicking the link below.
In the end, you would save $76,642 over the course of the loan, or $213 per month. While your loan situation might be a little different, the moral of the story is you stand to save a ton.
Keep This Going…
If you’ve done everything that I did, and didn’t spend the extra money, in a few months or so you should have saved and earned a total of at least $1,000. $1,000 is great, but what’s better? $5,000. You’re really not that far away if you can keep this going.
I’ve always been super competitive, so I made a game out of trying to save more and more each month, and even challenged my family and friends to see who could save the most. Click the share button below to see if any of your friends/family want to do the same!
Get Started Today!
There is no timeline here because ultimately the quicker you perform all of these, the more you’ll save this year. I don’t know about you, but every day stressing about finances was a wasted day.
One final thing I’ve learned: The biggest mistake I made for years was never really getting started. So don’t let that happen to you… Take the following steps listed below and get started today!