Month: December 2018

  • 35+ Legit Ways to Make Extra Money

    I love thinking of and talking about ways to make extra money.

    Like most people in my generation, I graduated college with my fair share of student loan debt. And let’s be real, life is just expensive in general. And rather than just getting by, paying my bills, and being able to put a little extra in savings, I want to reach real financial freedom someday.

    And I truly believe that side hustles and extra income will be able to change my life – and yours too! Because of that, I’m sharing 35 ways to make extra money.

     

    35+ Legit Ways to Make Extra Money

    There are affiliate links in this post, meaning I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information, see my full disclosure policy here.

     

    Start a side hustle

    1. Start a blog: This one is first on the list because it’s seriously my favorite of all the ways to make more money! Blogging started as just a hobby for me, but as soon as I realized the income potential, I dove right in.

    2. Become an influencer: These days, it’s possible to make money with your online presence without even having a blog! If you have a significant following on social media, you can become an influencer and get paid to promote brands on social media (primarily Instagram). 

    3. Start an Etsy shop: If you’re a crafty person, Etsy is definitely for you! Etsy is an online marketplace where you can sell anything that is handmade or vintage. 

    4. Freelance writing: Not only can you make money writing for your own blog, but you can become a freelance writer and make from other sites as well. I started off using my freelance writing income to supplement my income before turning it into my full-time job. The best way to learn about freelance writing is through the course Earn More Writing, which is what I used to help me make money through freelance writing.

    5. Editing: In addition to freelance writing jobs, you can also find freelance editing jobs. Lots of blogs and websites hire freelancers to edit their articles for them.

    6. Affiliate marketing: Affiliate marketing is where you make a commission selling someone else’s product. Bloggers make a lot of money with affiliate marketing, but you definitely don’t have to have a blog to be successful at affiliate marketing! You can share affiliate links anywhere, such as your social media pages, and make a commission when someone uses them. 

    7. Become a virtual assistant: More and more companies and individuals are hiring virtual assistants, so it’s becoming a more and more lucrative career. A virtual assistant (or VA) does administrative tasks for a person or business, but it’s done online instead of having to go into an office.

    8. Social media management: If you love being on social media and figuring out social media strategy, you can become a social media manager for other companies. Many companies and websites outsource their social media management rather than bring on someone full-time to handle it.

    9. Sell your photography: If you’re good with a camera, you can use that to make extra money. You could become a part-time photographer and take on jobs on the weekends, or you can sell your photography to a number of different stock photo sites.

    10. Start a different business: The options for online businesses are pretty endless these days, and chances are you can take something you’re passionate about and figure out how to make money from it online.

    11. Self-publish books: These days, it’s surprisingly easy to publish a book. You can self-publish and sell your book solely as an eBook or even sell physical books through Amazon.

     

    Make extra money online

    12. Sign up for Rakuten: If you shop online, Rakuten is seriously the easiest way to make more money because it gives you FREE cash back on purchases you’re already making! You just sign up and click on a link through the Rakuten website when you make your purchase, and you’ll get cash back. You can sign up for Rakuten here and get $10 when you spend your first $25!

    13. Get cash back on groceries: Apps like Fetch Rewards and Ibotta allow you to get cash back on groceries you already purchase! You just upload a picture of your receipt, and you’ll earn cash back on certain grocery purchases. I use Ibotta every week and ALWAYS find something to get cash back on.

    14. Teach English online: These days, it’s super easy to find work teaching English online, and companies like VIPKID actually pay you really well to do it. You can get paid $17-$22 per hour and make your own schedule.

    15. Airbnb: If you’ve got an extra room in your home, try renting it out on Airbnb. If you live in a popular city, you might be surprised just how much you can make.

    16. Take online surveys: There are tons of companies that will pay you to take market research surveys online! They’re free and easy to join and use. The best site I found for online surveys is Survey Junkie.

     

    Offer services to other people

    17. Pet sitting: If you’re an animal lover, this one is seriously right up your alley! This could either mean you staying at someone else’s home or having their pet stay with you. Either way, it’s a win-win because you’re getting paid to hang out with animals.

    18. Babysitting: If pets aren’t your thing, but you love kids, look for babysitting or nanny jobs instead. You’re not going to get rich taking care of someone else’s kids, but it’s definitely a way to make some extra money.

    19. Housesit: Believe it or not, you can make money looking after someone’s home while they’re out of town. Sites like TrustedHousesitters can help you to connect with people who are looking for someone to housesit for them. This is an even more lucrative offer for people who are traveling and can save money by housesitting instead of paying for lodging. TrustedHousesitters is specifically for pet lovers!

    20. Yard maintenance: You can make money by mowing lawns and doing other lawn maintenance in the summer or shoveling and plowing snow in the winter.

    21. Clean homes: If you’re one of those rare people who really don’t mind cleaning, then getting paid to clean homes might be right up your alley!

    22. Rent out your car: Apps like Turo allow you to rent your car to others for the day.

     

    Sell your stuff

    23. Sell on eBay: eBay is still a great place to sell used items and ship them to their new owner.

    24. Sell on Craigslist: Craigslist is a great way to find local buyers you sell your used items. The one downside to Craigslist is meeting up with a stranger, so I always like to do this in a public place!

    25. Sell on Facebook: Facebook’s marketplace makes it super easy to sell stuff online. I’ve had a lot of success with this. The big upside to Facebook over Craigslist is that it’s a little easier to vet the person you’re meeting up with.

    26. Sell on Poshmark: If you’ve got a closet full of clothes you don’t wear, you can make extra money by selling them on Poshmark.

     

    Make extra money at your job

    27. Ask for a raise: Asking for a raise at your current job is a great way to make extra money because it doesn’t require you to take on extra work. You’re just making more doing the job you were already doing!

    28. Work overtime: If you work an hourly job, consider working extra hours to make extra money.

    29. Get a promotion: If there’s room to grow in your company, see if a promotion is available.

     

    Other ways to make extra money

    30. Pick up a seasonal job: During the holidays, there are tons of seasonal jobs available. This really comes in handy since the holidays are when most of us could use a little extra money anyways. In addition to a little extra money, you also might be able to take advantage of an employee discount for some of your Christmas shopping.

    31. Sell plasma: Did you know there are companies that will pay you for your plasma? The process is similar to donating blood, but you get paid for it. A lot of friends of mine did this in high school and college for extra money, and you can earn about $50 per donation.

    32. Sign up for credit card rewards: There are lots of credit cards that offer cash back for using them or for spending a certain amount of money in the first three months. Make sure only to go this route if you really feel you’re responsible enough for a credit card (because let’s be honest, not everybody is).

    33. Invest: Investing obviously isn’t a sure thing, and it’s not as quick of a way to make money as some of the other things on this list. But if you have the money available, you might consider investing.

    34. Become an Uber or Lyft driver: A part-time job that you can do completely on your own schedule is becoming an Uber or Lyft driver. You don’t have a schedule, so you can work around your life, and you can make a lot of money if you’re available to drive at peak times.

    35. Get a part-time job: Check out local businesses to find a part-time job. Jobs such as retail, serving, and bartending are ideal when you have your nights and weekends free.

     

    Final Thoughts

    Let’s be real – most of us could really use a little extra income these days. Whether you’re trying to get out of debt or saving for a big goal, making a little extra money is a great way to do it. Hopefully, one of the ideas on this list will speak to you and be just what you need to bring in a little extra money every month!

  • How to Set Goals and Plan Your Best Year Ever

    Just a few years ago, I was one of those people who would set a few arbitrary new year’s resolutions on January 1, only to never think about them again.

    That’s how most of us set goals. We think of a goal or something we might want to accomplish in the future. Then we either hope it happens, or we forget about it altogether.  

    But if you really want to achieve your goals, you’re going to have to do more. Achieving your goals takes time, effort, and planning. You can’t achieve goals just by hoping they happen someday. You have to take action.

    In this post, I’m going to lay out the steps you can follow to set goals you’ll actually achieve and plan your best year ever.

     

    How to Set Goals and Plan Your Best Year Ever

     

    How to Set Goals and Plan Your Best Year Ever

    STEP 1: REFLECT

    You can’t set goals for your future until you take some time to reflect on your past and where you are right now.

    I want you to grab a notebook or open a word document, and write down the following life categories:

    1. Relationships (friendships, romantic relationships, family)
    2. Health (physical and emotional)
    3. Career
    4. Finances
    5. Home/Environment
    6. Fun & Leisure
    7. Personal Growth

    If there are any major categories in your life that aren’t represented here, such as religion, parenthood, etc., feel free to add those as well.

    Next, go through each category and write down where you are NOW.

    Be honest with yourself about the good and bad in your life for each of these categories.

     

    STEP 2: ENVISION YOUR FUTURE

    Once you’ve thought about where you are right now, take a look at each of those life categories and envision what you want them to look like in the future.

    You can be as broad or as specific as you’d like. In this goal-setting exercise, we’re just envisioning our future, not choosing a big goal yet.

    For example, do you see yourself getting married? Having kids?

    Maybe you hope to own your own business someday or have a corporate career trajectory in mind.

    I love doing this exercise right after Step 1 because it’s SO eye-opening. It really shows you the discrepancies between where you are now and where you want to be. And it REALLY helps with setting goals.

     

    STEP 3: SET SMARTER GOALS

    Now that you’ve thought about what you want your future to look like in all areas of your life, I want you to focus on ONE of those areas to focus on right now.

    Yep, just one. If you set a bunch of BIG goals for yourself, you’ll be unfocused and will have a really difficult time reaching them all.

    By setting just ONE big goal, you can give it your full focus and really ensure you accomplish it.

    When it comes to setting goals, make sure to make it SMARTER:

    • Specific: The more specific your goals, the better. Don’t just set a goal of earning money with your side hustle. Set a goal of earning $1,000/month from your side hustle within the first year (for example).
    • Measurable: The progress of this goal can be easily tracked. $1,000/month is very specific – you’ll know for sure if you’ve reached it or not, as well as if you’re on track to reach it. And once you know how much you want to make per month, you know what your daily and weekly goals should be.
    • Attainable: While setting your goals high is awesome, make sure it’s something you can actually accomplish. Consider what will be required of you to complete this goal, and carefully consider whether you have that to give.
    • Relevant: Make sure your goal is in harmony with your core values and what you’re working toward in life. If your ultimate dream is to work from home full-time, then setting a goal of $1,000/month in the first year is awesome because you’re totally moving in the right direction.
    • Time Bound: Don’t make the time frame for reaching your goals open-ended. We tend to take as long to accomplish a task as we are allowed. If your goals are completely open-ended, they may never seem urgent enough to get to. As you can see, we set a time frame of one year for the goal we’re using as an example.
    • Exciting: Let’s be real – it’s going to be a lot easier to make time to work on goals that excite and inspire you. Emotions are a big factor when it comes to goal-setting, and you’re far more likely to reach for things that excite you.
    • Routine Bound: I firmly believe that creating routines and habits is the absolute best way to make changes in your life. Incorporating your goal into your daily routine ensures you’re making time for it and gives you a MUCH better chance of reaching it. For example, you might say that every evening you get home from work at 6 pm and work on your online business until 8 pm. It becomes a daily routine and ensures you’re putting in the time to reach that $1,000/month goal.

     

    STEP 4: BREAK DOWN YOUR GOALS

    Now that we’ve picked our big goal, it’s time to break it down. Looking at your goal as one big, huge step is going to be super overwhelming. You’re probably going to get discouraged pretty quickly because you just don’t know where to start.

    When I’m planning the action steps for my goals, I like to start by breaking the goal down into categories or mini goals. Basically, what big-picture things need to get done in order for you to reach your big goal?

    I do this by breaking down my big goal into categories. Then I break those categories, or mini-goals, down into smaller chunks. And then break those down into smaller chunks. And I just keep breaking them down into smaller and smaller pieces until everything leads to tiny, bite-size action items that can be put on your to-do list.

    Once you’ve done that, get those action items scheduled on your calendar or to-do list ASAP.

    Depending on the size of your goal, you might be talking about 90 days of action items, you might be talking about one year of action items, or you might be talking about even more. Just make sure you know what that time frame is (remember the T in SMARTER stands for Time-Bound).

     

    STEP 5: CREATE POSITIVE HABITS

    Setting goals is the fun part. It’s the follow-through that tends to get a bit rocky. The absolute best way to follow through on your goals and make time to work toward them every day is to form positive habits and daily routines that incorporate your goal.

    Let’s say your goal is fitness related. Maybe you want to run a marathon or lose a certain amount of weight. By working fitness into your daily routine and making it a habit, you won’t have to remind yourself every day or try to talk yourself into it. You’ll just do it.

    Here are a few things to keep in mind to REALLY make sure the habit sticks:

    • Focus on ONE habit at a time. Implementing a new habit is really hard. Implementing a bunch at once is damn near impossible.
    • Smart SMALL. If you want to start incorporating fitness into your life but NEVER work out right now, don’t try to start working out for an hour every single day. Start small and work your way up.
    • Anchor your new habit to an existing habit. Your day is already filled with habits. Anchor your new habit to one of those existing ones to make SURE it gets done.
    • Schedule it. A new habit might be hard to remember the first few weeks, so schedule it or set a reminder on your phone.

     

    STEP 6: CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY

    I tend to be a little overzealous when it comes to goal setting. And when I say a little overzealous, I mean a lot overzealous. But for years and years, I found that I would set these big lofty goals, and then they would fall through the cracks.

    Sometimes I would work toward them for a while and then lose my motivation. Or worse, I would lose my motivation pretty much right away and forget all about them.

    The best way I’ve found to stop this from happening is to create a system for accountability right away.

    So how do we go about creating accountability? Here are some ways to do just that:

    • Write down your goal. Seriously, this is a step most people DON’T take.
    • Share your goal. Pick just one person to share your goal with who can help keep you accountable, whether that be a partner, a friend, a parent, etc.
    • Track your progress. Remember that SMARTER goals are MEASURABLE, meaning you can measure their progress. Find a way to do this by using a notebook, journal, spreadsheet, etc.

     

    Final Thoughts

    As with literally anything, advice is only as good as the amount of time and effort you’re willing to put into it.

    But if you are truly diligent about implementing these steps and following through with the tasks you’ve put on your calendar, you are sure to reach your big goal this year.