Save Coins
At the end of the day, put all of your change into a jar. Do not touch the money until the jar is full, then roll the coins and deposit them into your savings account at the bank.
Go Cheap
Eat at home all week and serve super cheap meals (macaroni and cheese, quesadillas, pasta with sauce, tacos, pancakes for dinner, homemade or canned soup and grilled cheese, etc.). The money you save on your grocery bill and eating out can be put into savings.
Sell, Sell, Sell
Find things in your house and garage that you can sell on Craigslist or other online websites. Books, musical instruments, video games, recent dvd’s, nice children’s clothing and furniture in good shape are all good sellers.
Go Part Time
Get a part time job delivering pizza or working as a waiter in a popular restaurant where you can earn tips. You can also work part time at retail stores.
Recycle
Call your local recycling center to see if they pay for aluminum cans or scrap metal. Let your neighbors know you’re collecting soda cans or ask a local business if you can collect their used cans.
Other Money Making Ideas
One easy way to make a little extra cash is by participating in online surveys. Click here for My Top 5 Favorite Survey Sites.
Another way to bring in more income is to start a small home-based business. Some ideas are: lawn care/landscaping; baby sitting/in-home childcare; house cleaning; pet sitting or grooming business; garage clean up; baking/catering.
You can also buy things at yard sales like used clothing, musical instruments, books or toys and resell them on eBay or Craig’s List. Be sure to research the regulations in your area and check with an accountant regarding tax implications. You may also want to check with your auto insurance company as delivering food or goods for money may negate your policy in the event of an accident. Check the exclusions in your insurance paperwork.
How have you earned extra cash? Leave a comment. (Legal ideas only, please. 
)
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my husband and I have been aggressively paying on student loans. Over the past year, we have:
1. Worked for a local food delivery company (these seem to be common in college areas too)
2. Cut up all old credit cards
3. Sold items on craigslist
4. Rented a room in our house to temporary roommates found through a friend who hires for temp professional positions in our area
5. Set up a “summer fund” through our bank (I’m a teacher) 6.Consigned clothing
7. Set up a “lump sum” account for annual/semi annual bills, etc.
8. Use cash envelope system to stay in budget
9. used free trial to BJs to buy bulk items like deodorant and cleaning supplies
10. My husband uses the gas buddy app to find the cheapest gas around
11. We TRIED couponing, I have a lot to learn
12. I’ve done promotions (like at sporting events or trade shows, product demos, giving out samples)
13. We called the cable company to cancel, and they lowered our bill by $15 a month. This is what we were hoping because it would have costed us more for hubby to go out and watch the game.
14. We pack our lunch every day for work.
Also, when I was in college I sold books on Amazon to make extra money. I am thinking of trying this again soon.
Also, I highly recommend the Dave Ramsey financial course, which is where many of our ideas came from! I hope this helps someone!
All GREAT ideas–thanks Jess!
Hi! Just so you are aware, delivering food or goods for money may negate your auto insurance policy if something were to happen. Please read the fine print on the exclusions portion of the actual policy, not just the dec. page.
Thanks Jorie!
I’ve sold items on ebay, craigslist, facebook, and amazon. I used to clean house with my husband and he used to do lawn care. I also made money with chacha.com, mysurvey.com, clixsense.com, cashcrate, being an adult webcam model, and swagbucks.com.
Doing promotions are the best way to go! You can find them easily in the events section on Craigslist and sign up with companys that will use you for day sampling, at sporting events, whatever. Normally they pay between $10-$25 an hour and last about 2-6 hours. Pro: YOU get to say which days and times you can work so it is perfect if you have a family or another job so you can work this extra cash around your schedule. Con: Sometimes there is a lot of driving involved so make sure it is worth the money before you use the gas to get there (hint: if you get hired for a promo, ask the manager if they will pay travel time if it is a far distance)
Great idea Melissa! I had never heard of that.
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