Ways to Make Extra Money and Pay Down Debt

This is an article I originally wrote for Suite101.com. I thought I'd include it here for my blog readers. Enjoy!

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"How Can You Make Some Extra Money? Ways to Earn More Cash to Pay Down Debt"

You want to pay off your debt and build up your savings, but you need extra cash to make it happen. Here are some ideas to help you make extra money.

With tough economic times upon us, everyone is saying you should pay down your debt and build up your savings. But how can you do this, if you're living paycheck to paycheck and have no room for extras? What can you do to make extra money, so you can get on top of your debt and ahead in your savings?

Stop Borrowing Money

At the time of this article being published, the economy is in turmoil. The deep recession may not be over. Worse is possible. It's time to stop borrowing money. No more debt.

Your priority is to create a positive cash flow each and every month. That means you must spend less money than you take in. Your income must exceed your expenses. So, until you can increase your income, you must decrease your expenses to put yourself in the black each month.

Some ways to save money include:

• Eat more at home.
• Pack your lunch for work.
• Cut back on your driving, and that probably means cutting back on your extracurricular activities.
• Consider downgrading or even eliminating your cable or satellite TV
• Coupons, coupons, coupons
• Cut back on your monthly expenses. You'll see how this alone can put more money in your pocket.

Create Multiple Sources of Income

Don't rely exclusively on your job to pay the bills. Those days are over. Your job is only one source of income. It may be your primary source of income, but don't make it your only source of income. Because if you lose your job (and many people are losing their jobs), you'll be in deep trouble. Not only that, but chances are that your salary alone will not cover all your expenses and help you pay off your debts and build up your savings.

What can you do to bring in extra money? Here are some money-making ideas:

• Mow lawns, rake leaves, and/or shovel snow for those living in your neighborhood.
• Baby sit, elder sit, or house sit for your neighborhood.
• Auction stuff on eBay - not only your own things, but offer to help your relatives and friends also. Some people are still unsure about how to sell things online and are uncomfortable with auction sites like eBay. You can offer to do it for them - in exchange for some of the profits.
• Bake cookies and/or pastries and sell at area office buildings. Call the companies and/or building management first.

Surf around for other money-making ideas and be willing to think outside the box. You can actually make money fast if you put your mind to it.

Good luck!

Tips for Extra Cash

Looking to make some extra cash each month? Look no further than this guest article...

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20 Tips to Find Extra Cash and Resources Right Now for 2011
By Sandi Smith 

Could you use a bit of extra cash each month? I think most people would say yes. Here are several tips to start your new year with a little more green in your pocket.

• If you bill your time by the hour and sometimes forget to write your time down (I know I'm guilty), put in some extra procedures to capture that time. That's a big cash drain in your business that needs plugging in 2011.
• Check all of your insurance policies to see if you can raise the deductible. Check both your auto insurance as well as your health care, and for that matter, any other policies with deductibles. I bet you'll find at least $50 in savings. Also, check with your agent to see if you qualify for any other discounted savings, such as low driving miles, good driver discount, customer loyalty programs, and more. I just picked up a cool $300 with one phone call.
• Look for unused gift cards that might be lying around in a kitchen or desk drawer and cash them in for things you need.
• Take a good look at all the memberships you belong to. List ALL of the benefits of each one. Are there some free benefits you could use to save time or money? For example, both my WIC and NAWBO-SV memberships allow me to send in a press release about my business. Taking advantage of that could likely bring me more exposure and more clients. One of my memberships offers discounts at the office supply store, and another allows me to bring a friend for free. All of these benefits will save me money.
• Using your QuickBooks profit and loss report, scan your expenses for 2010. Is there anything you can do without (that didn't pay back)? If so, take steps to cancel or not spend that money in 2011. If you don't have the information to make the right decisions, take steps to better classify your expenses for 2011 so you can see where the money is going.
• Get to know the programs that your friends and family are associated with, and see if you can help them for mutual benefit. For example, if your cousin's work has an employee referral bonus of $4,000 and you have a friend who would be perfect for the job, make the connection. If you have a friend at HP who can get you a computer at a discounted rate (legally and morally), then go for it. Use social media to look for new connections where you both can profit.
• Do you have thousands of unused air and hotel miles? Sell them or start using them on trips you have planned.
• Does anyone owe you money from 2010? Give them a call and collect those old receivables.
• Make a list of restaurants where kids eat free on certain days, and visit them on those days. You can do the same for 2 for 1 or BOGO meals. Eat at the "nicer" fast food restaurants instead of the more expensive sit down restaurants. We like places such as Baja Fresh and Chipotle for great values and healthy food.
• Plan to bill faster for 2011 so you can get paid even faster. Better yet, offer prepay discounts and reward those who pay early with "fast-action scholarships" as they're called in the internet marketing world.
• If your grocery bill is getting a bit high, make some simple swaps. Choose frozen over fresh and regular over organic to save a few dollars every week.
• Create a new program, product or service that brings in a whole new revenue stream for 2011. I created four new revenue streams in 2010: one-on-one private coaching via phone, four new information products, the Mind Body Style event, and my brand new program Accountant's Accelerator.
• Cancel memberships, newspapers, and magazines that you are not reading or no longer need.
• Shop around for new vendors that you might not be getting the best service from. I continually get new web design clients who have had lousy service from their old web design company.
• Make part of your business green. Allow employees to stay home one day per week to save gas, adjust the thermostat to save heating or air conditioning, or go paperless.
• Participate in an affiliate program and sell someone else's products. It's easy money and you'll be rewarded with cash commissions when the products sell.
• Look in your closet, car, garage, storage, or around your home to see if there is anything you can use, repurpose or sell for cash.
• What do you need to finish that would bring in some cash if you just got around to finishing it?
• Enter contests that will bring you good public relations exposure. One example is the Silicon Valley Business Journal's Women of Influence awards.
• Find events that are free in your area and that will teach you some new skills and sign up. You can find them through government agencies, the Small Business Administration, coaches and consultants, via social media Facebook and LinkedIn events sections.

How much did you save? I'd love to read your blog posts about what you did to keep more of what you will be making in 2011.

Sandi Smith coaches women business owners to boost their revenues, live fearlessly, and take giant leaps in their business using the science of breakthrough success. Sign up at http://www.sandismith.com to get her FREE newsletter full of business-building tips.

Article Source: 20 Tips to Find Extra Cash and Resources Right Now for 2011

Crazy Kids Bank $119,833.57 Through Facebook!

Have you been trying hard to make money at Internet marketing? Perhaps you've been slaving away for years with article writing, blogging, pay-per-click, JV deals, and all that - and nothing seems to click for you.

Well, these two "dumb kids" (that's what they call themselves, but they obviously aren't too dumb) stumbled on something that looks pretty cool!

This new approach has already stuffed approximately $119,833.57 into their pockets using the power of the Internet...

... and that's just in ONE MONTH!

Clearly, when they said this thing "OBLITERATES" the old methods, they were not kidding.

You can see their results and method for yourself at...

"Facebook Traffic Secrets Revealed"

And here's the real kicker...

[X] you don't need a website
[X] you don't need Google
[X] you don't need to create products
[X] you don't need to fork out on costly advertising
[X] you don't need any previous experience

I know you hear a lot of claims being thrown around online these days, and I'm just as sick of the BS as you are. But there is something very different about this system...

"Facebook Traffic Secrets Revealed"

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These guys have the PROOF!
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Proof that it is possible to rake in 58,396 visitors on total autopilot, EACH MONTH like clockwork.

Proof that these visitors are so targeted, that they continually stuff an average of $119k into regular affiliate accounts and Paypal each month... DESPITE any competition out there.

Watch The PROOF right here:

"Facebook Traffic Secrets Revealed"

And they're going to PROVE that YOU can do the same, with nothing more than a simple affiliate link, a bank account and a point and click system to follow.

So, what are you waiting for?

The truth is, you're about to see how real affiliates are making real money online, without any of the old, out dated methods that simply don't cut it any more.

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In fact, this system is PERFECT for...
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[YES] Newbies

[YES] Technophobes

[YES] People who don't have time to spend all
evening writing articles

[YES] People who hate building endless
amounts of websites

[YES] Marketers who just can't seem to get
enough traffic

[YES] Affiliates who just can't seem to
convert their traffic into sales

[YES] Low budget work from home types who
can't afford to waste money on costly
advertising

[YES] People who can't afford to put all
their time, money and energy into
unreliable SEO tricks

[YES] People who don't have time to blog
everyday, with pathetic commissions
in return

So head over there now...

"Facebook Traffic Secrets Revealed"

Make Money as a Summer Tutor

Are you gifted in math? Are you an expert in science? Do you have a mastery of the English language? Knowledgeable in history? If you have the knowledge and skills -- and you don't mind working with kids, then you could make some extra money this summer as a tutor.

There are plenty of parents that would like to get their kids some remedial, supplemental help this summer in reading, math, science, history, etc. If you can meet that demand, then you can make some extra monthly cash this summer.

The best place to advertise your services is probably your local newspaper or community newsletter. You could also distribute flyers around your neighborhood, targeting those households (obviously) with children. You could even call the local school district to see what ideas they may have.

Good luck!

Learn to Set Money Goals

One of things that sets high caliber achievers apart from others is the ability to set goals and effectively pursue goals. This truth is what prompted legendary author and speaker Zig Ziglar to say: "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."

When it comes to money, setting goals is critical, since setting goals gives you short-term and long-term motivation and focus. That motivation and focus are essential to your financial success. They will enable you to give yourself a welcome money makeover.

The basics of goal setting start with deciding on your purpose, direction, and values in your life and then setting long term aspirations to achieve the kind of life you want. Once your overall course is defined, you then must establish short term goals to help you get there.

A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this you will be always in the position of going towards your life plan goals. Everyday will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving you the feeling of accomplishment.

So, get out a piece of paper - and write down your financial goals. It's the first step toward achieving them.

Money Management: How to Get Extra Cash

Quotes on Getting Money

Wisdom from the past about making money...

"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest." - Adam Smith

"The real tragedy of the poor is the poverty of their aspirations." - Adam Smith

"I'm not a driven businessman, but a driven artist. I never think about money. Beautiful things make money." - Lord Acton

"Every young man would do well to remember that all successful business stands on the foundation of morality." -Henry Ward Beecher

"In all labor, there is profit. But idle chatter leads only to poverty." -Proverbs 14:23

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty." -Proverbs 21:5

"If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability." - Henry Ford

"He is rich or poor, according to what he is, not according to what he has." - Henry Ward Beecher

"Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one." -Benjamin Franklin

"A penny saved is a penny earned." - Benjamin Franklin

"Money and women are the most sought after and the least known about of any two things we have." -Will Rogers

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." -Mark Twain

"If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free; if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed." -Edmund Burke

"It is both foolish and wicked to teach the average man who is not well off that some wrong or injustice has been done him, and that he should hope for redress elsewhere than in his own industry, honesty, and intelligence." -Teddy Roosevelt

"He that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing." -Benjamin Franklin

"Only a fool says money is unimportant. Let him try to live without it." - Author unknown

Tips for Quick Credit Repair

The following is a guest article. It is reprinted with permission.

3 Easy Steps For Quick Credit Repair

Quick credit repair might seem impossible if you've been having credit problems. It's easy to think that once your credit score is damaged you might never be able to fix it. Fortunately, it's possible to take just a few steps and achieve quick credit repair that can make a huge difference in your score.

If you're having problems with your credit, you've probably gotten behind on at least one debt. Late payments or missed payments can dramatically damage your score. The first step toward quick credit repair is to make sure you make the right payments on time.

If you're having financial problems, just this first step can seem difficult. But if you figure your income and expenses and there's just not enough there to make the minimum payments, then you need to contact the companies and let them know you're having a hard time.

The credit card companies will usually be willing to work with you. They may lower your interest and/or your payments to make it easier for you to pay on time and get caught up. It can only help you to ask them.

If this doesn't work and you still can't pay, you may want to look into a quick credit repair program that negotiates for you to pay a percentage of what you owe in smaller payments. It's important to do something so that you don’t keep getting farther and farther behind.

Paying less than you owe will show up as a black mark on your credit report, but doing that is better than letting your debt slowly grow as you pay late each month or not at all. That can be far more damaging in the long run.

If you can manage the minimum payments, then the best quick credit repair step you can take is to make those payments on time. This will keep late payments from showing up on your reports. Step 2 is to try to make more than the minimum payments.

You can pay more on each card if you want. But you'll get more of a feeling of satisfaction if you choose one card to work on first. Make the minimum payments on the other cards, and pay as much as you can on that one card.

Using this method, you'll see the balance of that card drop more quickly. It can help you feel like you're really starting to take control of your credit. Once that card is paid off, chose another card and start applying what you were paying on the first card to it in addition to its minimum payment.

That balance will start falling even faster. Then once that's paid, add what you were paying to the minimum payment of another card. This snowball effect can get you out of debt much more quickly than you'd probably imagined.

The third easy step is to contact Experian, Equifax, Innovis and TransUnion and request your free annual credit report. Look them over and contact them about any errors. These are 3 easy quick credit repair tips than can really improve your score right away.

--Author Unknown

10 Ways to Earn Extra Cash

Need extra cash? Most of us could use extra cash each month. But few people have a plan on how to get that extra money.

I've prepared a FREE REPORT to help you develop a plan of action that can put extra cash in your pocket each and every month.

To claim your copy of this free report, right-click on the following link and select "Save As..." and then save it to your folder of choice.

"10 Ways to Earn Extra Cash"

How to Have a Yard Sale

Got some extra stuff laying around your house??? Free up some space and make some extra cash by throwing a successful yard sale....