Here are some ideas I've seen floating around the internet. I thought I would list them out here for you. If you think of any more, feel free to add to the list!
Extra Income:
Ask for a raise if it's been awhile or if your job has changed! Nic has asked for 3 raises in 5 years of working at his company, and he has received one every time he asked. It doesn't hurt to ask!
Extra Jobs:
Paper Routes
Delivering Pizzas
Delivering Phone Books
Retail Jobs
Online opportunities: Associated Content (get paid to write short articles), Cash Crate (I'm not completely sure what this is, but some online people have had great success) online tutoring, and Live Ops (work from home call center)
House cleaning
Lawn mowing
Pet sitting - My sister in law does this - visits a house once or twice a day to feed animals or take them outside. She takes her kiddos with her and sometimes goes with hubby when he gets off from work.
Contract work (like if you are an IT person, build a website for someone)
Babysitting
Decrease costs:
Cable/Internet: call your provider and see if they will lower your rate or you could drop these for just a few months.
Food: Shop at Aldi's, coupon, watch for sales, get help with Angel Food Ministries.
Cell Phones: Get a cheaper plan - get rid of land line if you never use it. Or.....gasp......drop the cell phone! Letters are cheaper and you'll end up with more time on your hands! We have a trac phone for emergencies, but in the week we have had it, we never once thought of using it. Hopefully we stay this way!
Netflix - for $10 a month Netflix is our entertainment budget. We don't have cable and this is much cheaper than cable.
I'm good with the coming up with extra jobs section, I can't really think of a whole lot of ways to decrease costs. I know there are a ton of ways to do it, I just can't think of any!
Any way, that's all for now!
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1 comment:
Hmm...other ideas...
Food is of course a big way to save. Cooking in bulk, and cooking less popular but nutritious and cheap foods will cut down in cost. For instance, dry beans. Takes a bit of extra work to soak and cook them, but if you think about using them to extend your food, instead of replace it, it can be good. To use that as an example, instead of going from a rich, meaty (expensive) stew to a bland plate of beans, use the beans to "stretch" the stew. Start using meat less as the substance, more as a flavouring. And hot sauce is not expensive for the amount of flavour it provides. Hot sauce and black pepper cover a multitude of sins!
Of course, this all goes with a big hearty side dish of "do what I say, not what I do". I am not the most economical cook, but I've gotten a lot better.
Still, I guess the thing to remember is that the most lavish and extravagant home-cooked meals are often on par in price with cheap, forgettable restaurant (and even fast food) meals. If you're trying to save money, the decision to eat out ought to be chosen as a luxury or rare treat, not merely as a convenience. That said, I'm lucky enough to enjoy cooking, so it is kind of like an exercise enthusiast saying, "hey guys, come out and jog in this heat, it's fantastic!"
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