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. Do Gigs on Fiverr
No matter what type of service you offer, you can likely offer it on Fivver. This is terrific for digital services such as graphic design, web design, short audio or video clip creation, editing services, writing and so on. If you have a bit of extra time and have decent command of the English language – you can make some good extra cash just from writing a few articles.
Fivver has expanded beyond just the $5-per-gig model. Fiverr Pro pools the best talent on its platform. Depending on your skills, you could do considerably well on here. There are even some people making 6 to 7 figures a year just from Fiverr!
2. Negotiate A Better Mortgage Rate With HARP
If you’re a homeowner and you want to save yourself thousands of dollars this year, there’s a government program that you might be able to take advantage of called HARP. The Home Affordable Refinance Plan (HARP) could help hundreds of thousands of Americans reduce their monthly payments by as much as $3,500 in their first year. The program was set to expire in 2017 but has been extended to 2018 for the time being. In order to qualify for HARP you’ll need good or excellent credit, so if you don’t have a very good credit rating then this probably isn’t for you. To check if you qualify visit HARP Approvals, and fill out the short quiz (take 2 minutes). If lowering your payments, paying off your mortgage faster, and having an extra $290 a month in HARP savings would help you, then this could be the easiest money savings tip you take.
3. 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.
4. Answer Questions on JustAnswer.com
People looking for expertise online. JustAnswer (and several sites like it) allow doctors, lawyers, engineers and others with enhanced knowledge to earn a small income merely answering questions from people who would otherwise have to pay a hefty sum for those answers.
5. Get Paid To Take Online Surveys
Let’s face it, a lot of us have a bit of extra time on our hands that we just spend watching TV. 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 easy to do.
6. 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.
7. Cut The Cord on Cable Forever
Millions of Americans are completely cutting the cord on their monthly cable costs, allowing them to save $100+ per month in unnecessary fees. Many of them are switching to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video subscriptions, but there are also other ways you can get cable channels without needing to pay a monthly fee. All your local news, weather, sitcoms, cooking shows, kid’s shows, sports and thousands of movies are available for free with an antenna. In fact, most broadcast stations offer additional regional programming, absolutely free. The ClearView antenna simply attaches to your current TV’s antenna jack (all TV’s have them), and then you get to enjoy Free Broadcast TV. It supports 1080p HDTV and has up to 30 miles of range, so it’s nothing like the “rabbit ears” you used in the past. If you find you’re not watching as much television as you used to, this could be the perfect solution for you and can save you a lot of money every month.
8. Sell on CaféPress or Etsy
If you can design digital items, you can sell them for a share of the profits on a site like CafePress. You can do this with nothing more than some design software. They can include custom logos, inspirational sayings and other topical or trending designs appealing to the masses.
You could hire a designer to assist you with this, but you still need to come up with the ideas. This works best if you understand design yourself but requires no overhead. Items are printed and delivered on-demand. You simply receive a share of the proceeds. Similarly, you could sell items on Etsy as well.
9. Walk Dogs
There are networks devoted connecting dog owners with dog walkers. Rover is one of the largest networks of dog walkers out there. Of course, you could also use social media or just knock on neighbors doors to advertise your services, but you can easily use one of these services. Not only will this help your bank account but it will also help keep you fit!
10. Register Your Pet As An Emotional Support Animal
Having a loving companion is truly a blessing, that’s why having a dog or cat can be a source of great comfort when you’re feeling down. Not to mention, having a pet has also been scientifically proven to be better for the health. But having a pet can also mean a lot of added costs, for instance, many landlords charge pet rent and pet deposits. That’s why registering your pet as an Emotional Support Animal can save you a lot of money over the long run. By registering your pet (pretty much any animal can be considered an Emotional Support Animal), landlords are not allowed to charge pet rent or pet deposits! If your pet is well socialized and isn’t aggressive you can easily get it registered as an Emotional Support Animal by visiting this website – Use the Coupon Code LIFED20 to get $20 off!
11. Rent a Spare Room on AirBNB
AirBnB can s a terrific platform for renting out a spare room. You can make some good money, especially if you live in a tourist destination. If you don’t mind the neighbors, then this is definitely an option. You can crash with friends and family and rent out your entire house if you’re really desperate.
12. Tutoring
Parents are always willing to invest in their children’s future. If you have a great deal of knowledge in subjects such as math, science or computers, you could tutor for cash.
Both Indeed.com and Care.com offer opportunities for tutoring local students. You could opt for either of these platforms or simply find your clients through your personal network or social media.
13. Install A Home Alarm System
This money saving idea is also for homeowners, so if you’re a renter you can skip this one. Did you know that homes without security systems are 2.5 times more likely to be targeted by burglars and intruders? But installing a home alarm system isn’t just to stop burglars and intruders, it can also save you big money year after year. A house alarm will save you money on your homeowners insurance policy (which is generally mandatory if you own a home). In fact, on average installing a home alarm system will give homeowners a 10-20% discount on their insurance by having a high functioning home alarm system installed. The good news is that these home alarm companies are pretty desperate for customers at the moment so you can get a good deal. For instance, one of the best alarm system companies – ADT is currently offering over $800 in savings if you just pay the installation fee. That means you basically get a free alarm system for over a year, just by paying a $99 fee.
14. Housecleaning
There’s a variety of platforms online that you could tap into for doing this, or you could simply scour your neighborhood or post on social media. You could use Amazon’s Home Services for this as well, or you could create your own simple, one-page website to advertise.
Either way, this is a terrific way to make upwards of $20 per hour or more doing a job that’s often in high demand. You could easily make this a long-term gig if you perform well and don’t cut corners.
15. FIXD – Save Thousands on Car Repairs!
Have you ever gone to an auto repair shop for an oil change, only to have the mechanic say you need a new transmission? Or has the mysterious “check engine” light come on, and next thing you know the mechanic has a list of expensive engine parts that need replacing? Unfortunately, mechanics know taking advantage of people is easy, given their lack of knowledge about car maintenance needs. But there’s a new device you can carry with you in your car to tell you exactly what’s wrong with it. If you own a car built after 1996 then you can use this brilliant new device called Fixd to instantly diagnose any car problems. This means the next time your “Check Engine Light” happens to come on, you’ll know exactly what the issue is and the Mechanics won’t be able to lie to you! In the United States alone, this product did over $50,000,000 in sales in 2017.
16. Trade Cryptocurrencies (Forget About Bitcoin)
Many people have grossed over a million dollars in only 2 years. Others have started with $20,000 and found $256,000 in their account only 4 months later (That’s a whopping 1,280% ROI). One thing is for sure, trading cryptocurrencies is HOT! Bitcoin, Ethereum, and smaller coins are making people hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.
Here’s how you can potentially make serious money with Cryptocurrencies. A rare and exclusive report was created by the prestigious Underground Finance Group. They focus that information for how to maximize investments with the new digital currencies. If you’ve ever considered making money in Bitcoin, Ethereum, or any of the other coins available today, you must read this information here. But be careful, trading cryptocurrencies is still a very risky play.
17. Get Money Back Instantly For Stuff You’ve Already Bought
Do you love getting refunds? How cool would it be to get money back on stuff you’ve already bought without having to do a thing? Paribus is an app that lets you find out if stores you’ve shopped at online owe you a refund. It’s free to sign up. Paribus connects to your email account and checks your receipts. If they find out a retailer has dropped their price they file a price adjustment claim for you automatically. Try out Paribus.
Paribus works with a huge number of merchants that you probably already shop at, including Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Best Buy, Target, Apple, Kohl’s, and more!
18. Home Organizing
You could easily do home organizing for people. If you’re a tidy and organized person yourself, and you’re good at organizing spaces, why not offer your services to people around you? You’d be surprised at how many people, even on your own social media feed, might take you up on doing something like this.
Again, a site like Care.com also helps to connect home organizers with people looking for this type of service. It all depends on whether you want to go through a professional company or pitch it yourself to people that are already in your personal or business network.
19. Freedom Checks (Better Than Social Security)
Here’s something many seniors have never heard of. Apparently, thousands of Americans are now signing up for “Freedom Checks”, these are checks that make social security and every other government program look insignificant. In a special video presentation, Financial Expert Matt Badiali reveals how anyone can start collecting these checks. You can learn more about “Freedom Checks” by clicking here.
