Perfectly Imperfect Family and Finances

Posted By Mr. Imperfect on January 26, 2009

Welcome and thank you for reading our article. We are continuing to eliminate our debt. Our goal is 40% this year, even in this slow economy. If you are getting out of debt, or just enjoy personal finance and money saving articles, you can get our post via an RSS reader or Email.

In our last post we discussed some of the ways that we are going to save money this year.  Now, on the flip side of that coin, we are going to list a few ways that we are going to increase our income this year.  If you can save on your expenses, and increase the amount of income you are bringing in, well my friend you are fighting with a two edged sword.

Just as a disclaimer, for those of you who are looking for full time income, these ideas are for supplemental income only.  You will not get rich completing some, or even all of these activities.  I will say that depending on your level of commitment it is feasible to make an extra $200-$300 a month by working at all of these.   If you decide to work extra hours at your current job (or pick up a part-time job) those numbers will increase drastically.  So, without further delay, here are some of our nickle and dime sources:

1.  Surveys and Email Programs-Last month we made over $40 dollars by doing this when we felt like it.  Last year, when we disciplined ourselves to completing surveys everyday we averaged around $65 a month for surveys only.  Here are some of the survey providers and email advertisers we use:

• Inbox Dollars-sends you emails a few times a day, you click on the link in the email, and you get paid(only 2 cents each, but all you are doing is clicking a link and then closing the tab right?).  They also have surveys (this is one that we done everyday) that you can qualify for and make $0.50 each.  If you frequently shop online, the have several rebate programs that you earn money back for each dollar you spend. Right now they are offering a $5 sign-up bonus.
• Your2Cents-has surveys available often.  They will send you an email telling you about the survey (what it is about, how long it will take, and how much it pays).  They usually pay $1-$5 per survey, and they mail the check once you have hit $10.00.  They say that it could take up to six weeks to get your check, but every time we have requested a payout we have received our check within the first week.
• YouData-sign up for their program, fill out a couple of profiles, then get paid to view ads.  Right now they are doing text ads, but video will be coming soon.  The general pay is $0.20 per ad viewed (at least that is what we have been paid thus far), and they pay every Friday via PayPal.
• OpinionOutpost-almost the same as Your2Cents, they send you an email with the various details, and you earn so much per survey that you qualify for and complete.  Their surveys are generally short, and they have always sent out several a week to us.

2.  Ebay-this is not as lucrative as it used to be (increased number of users, higher Ebay fees, etc), but it is still a reliable source of income.  Start slow by selling items from around your house before trying to enter the wholesale arena.  Here is a post we done on selling items on Ebay.

3.  Freelance a skill or service-do you have a hobby?  A skill that others would pay for?  There are always people willing to pay you to do a service that either they do not want to do, or do not know how to do.  There are too many to mention here, but just a few that come to mind right away: Article writing for blogs or content providers, cleanig houses or cars, walking dogs in your neighborhood, window cleaning for local businesses-you get the idea.  The trick is to find something that is going to make you some extra money, but does not require a lot of overhead up front.

4.  Blogging-this one deserves a whole series of post (which it will get in the future).  You can make a  considerable amount of money by blogging, but it is a lot of work.  We make money from this blog as well as a couple of others, but the hourly wage is a very insignificant number.  When you are blogging, it really has to be about the passion and not the money.

5.  Extra work-everyone’s least favorite, this is one that we are going to implement this year as part of our Total Money Makeover. We are going to start by working extra hours that are available at our “day” jobs.  If these hours are no longer available, then getting a part-time job will be the next move.  I know that everyone thinks this economy is aweful, but those who want a job have one.  It may not be one that they prefer, or that is what they consider their “pay-grade”, but they have one none the less.

6.  Donate Plasma-we have done this for quite awhile, and it is similar to giving blood, only they give most of it back.  Without going into too much detail, blood plasma is used to make various medications.  The service we use pays $35 dollars per donation and you can donate twice a week.  For more information search for a Plasma Donation Center in your area.

Once again-you are not going to get rich by doing this, but our goal is freedom from debt; wealth will come later.  Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

What are your plans to increase income this year?  Have you tried any of the above?

• How to Break the Paycheck to Paycheck Cycle
• Selling on Ebay: One Way to Make Extra Money

Category: Finances
Tags: eliminate debt, extra income, extra money, surveys