Author: Rajan Malla

10 Ways To Make Extra Cash For The Holiday Season

The holiday season is approaching, which means it may be time to start thinking about your financial game plan heading into holidays like Christmas and Hanukah. It’s no secret that this time of the year can be financially difficult for many people, with things like gift-giving and party planning being on the top of everyone’s mind, so it’s important to start thinking about this ahead of time.

Luckily, even during a worldwide pandemic, there are tons of ways to make some extra money on the side to push you over the line for the end of 2020. From more traditional methods to even some outside of the box ideas, here is the list of our favorite ways to make a little extra this holiday season.

Ten ways to make extra cash

Working retail

Unsurprisingly, a great first place to start looking is around your local retailers and local businesses to see if they’re seeking any kind of seasonal employees. Especially with Black Friday approaching in the coming weeks, any major store or shopping mall will surely be looking for extra help to keep their stores running properly.

If traditional retail, grocery, or even restaurants isn’t your cup of tea, there are tons of “fun” seasonal gigs you can search for around you. For example, working at a Christmas tree lot/farm can help you get into the spirit while making money. Even becoming a Santa Claus or elf actor at a local attraction can help you bring joy to children while also making some good money. Research into how your town or city celebrates the holidays and look for a fun way to get involved!

Side hustle delivery gig

Using your car for side hustles has become extremely popular over the past few years, and especially during the holidays, it can be a great way to make some money. Many delivery services and ridesharing sharing services have increased in popularity, and with the increase in use, comes the demand for drivers.

For example, goPuff, one food and household essentials delivery service has seen a massive increase in interest over the past year due to its flexibility during the holidays.

“Side hustles are a great way to earn some extra spending money,” says Elizabeth Romaine, goPuff’s Director of Communications. “Becoming a goPuff driver-partner not only allows you to earn extra money utilizing your car, but you can also choose the hours that work best for you—so flexible!”

The same trend is occurring with travel apps like Uber and Lyft. Due to “peak pay” hours at different times throughout the week (and more prevalent during the winter), it can serve as an extra incentive to get off the couch and help some travelers in need.

Blogging

Believe it or not, but starting and maintaining a blog can be an easy and creative way to make money. Monetizing a blog is becoming more and more commonplace as the power of SEO is becoming increasingly popular among brands and writers.

If you run your own brand or business, beefing up your following through your blog is a great way to gain traffic to your site and potential conversions. Start planning out your content calendar now so that your content is getting in front of your readers that can lead to purchases on your site.

On the other hand, if you don’t offer products, start monetizing the way you view sponsored posts. With influencer marketing and branded partnerships at an all-time high, creating a media kit and sponsored post rate can be a great way to connect with brands online and make decent money.

Selling things around the house

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure is how the saying goes, and especially during the holiday season, there will certainly be people looking for presents! This is the perfect time to offload some things around your house that you either don’t want anymore or you don’t use.

Sure, garage and yard sales are something that instantly comes to mind, but in the middle of a pandemic, it’s increasingly easier to make your sales online. Some of our favorite apps and hotbeds for online sales include Facebook Marketplace (especially if you are selling locally) and Mercari (for longer distanced transactions).

The beauty of these platforms is that you can offload just about anything. From furniture to electronics, these places are great to show off anything you’re looking to cash in on. To get started, lean on tools, tips and timeless online selling advice to help get your items out of the house and money in your pocket.

Start a business

Do you have a hobby or talent you’ve been looking to monetize? Starting a business, and particularly an online one has never had a better time to start than right now. What many don’t realize is quite how vast the internet is and how many people can potentially be interested in buying your products.

Websites like Etsy and Bigcommerce have made many hobbies like arts and crafts or sports card training turn from a fun hobby into a lucrative business. The beautiful part of setting up a shop online is how easy it really is. Platforms like the ones mentioned above are as simple as a few clicks of buttons to get started. With not only design options to customize to your liking, but it also gives you all kinds of ways to customize prices, imagery, shipping options, and much more.

Take this holiday season to think about your hobbies and if you have the opportunity to capitalize while you can.

Pet sit or babysit

The holiday season is busy for everyone, especially for those that need to travel to visit their families or catch up on their last-minute shopping. This is a perfect time to ask around and see if anyone you know needs a babysitter or pet sitter. As easy as dedicating a few hours some nights or simply checking up periodically on a pet, this is a great low-effort, high reward way to make a little side money.

The key to this option is making yourself available and also well-known. If you decide to go this route, be sure to be flexible and also outgoing so you can actually get some action. Ask friends and family, coworkers, or even neighbors if they need any help. We know everyone’s holidays are busy, so if you’re able to help them out, they’ll definitely be appreciative.

Start cleaning or shoveling snow

Depending on where you live or what season you’re in, you might have some options to get gritty with a side hustle. With a pandemic front and center of our lives, more people are worried about cleanliness than ever before.

There are a number of reasons or situations where people might need someone to come in and clean for them. Put yourself out there as an option for hire! Whether you’re hired to keep things clean at a small wedding ceremony or outdoor reception, or someone wants to help their older loved ones maintain a clean home during this time, you could be making the most out of the opportunities to keep people safe and healthy.

Before jumping into a cleaning business with a sponge and a bottle of glass cleaner, you may want to familiarize yourself with the current CDC cleaning and disinfecting guidelines. This way you can be certain the products you are using are satisfactory and you have a greater understanding of the cleanliness expectations people might have right now.

If cleaning others’ homes seems risky and not a viable option for you, consider other tasks you could do for money. In the fall you could offer to rake and bag up the leaves that fall onto peoples’ lawns. Come time for the snow to fall you could make use of your snowplow or snow blower, and offer your plowing services to those nearby who might be in need. Maybe you don’t have any machinery, but you have a shovel. People often have stairs, decks, patios and even their roofs that could use a shovel.

Try out survey websites

You might have heard about people getting paid to take surveys or fill out forms to make a quick buck. Maybe you never gave it a try yourself because you weren’t sure where to start or what sites were legitimate. When you’re looking to add to your income the last thing you need is to end up scammed.

The best way to take advantage of these opportunities is to check out sites that have already been reviewed and tested by someone else. Peruse through the lists to find the best sites to make money on and avoid the hassle of your own trial and error to find which actually works. Here are instructions for Dollar General Survey which is a quick way to get a gift card.

It’s important to pay attention to the nature of the survey, however, as some have certain requirements of the person taking them. Be sure that your demographics, habits or whatever determining characteristics are listed apply to you so that you’re eligible to take the surveys and you aren’t wasting your time.

Add Money-back extensions

This year more than ever, consumers are likely to take to the internet to do their shopping. Whether you have the time or energy to browse around looking for the best deals, there is another option to make the most out of your online shopping. Cashback extensions allow you to earn money while you’re doing your shopping. This is an ideal way to add up your pennies because it is something you can do that takes up little to no extra time from your day.

By downloading a cashback browser extension you can shop anywhere on the internet and if the store is affiliated with Rakuten, it will not only check for coupons, best prices, but it will also earn you cash back for your eligible purchases. Using this tool is a no-brainer because you can save on items you already planned on buying and the money-back adds up!

The way the cashback works is as you shop you’ll see the Rakuten button pop up asking to scan for offers. Once you click it, the extension runs through its process, checks for pricing, sales, coupon codes and logs your purchase total. Your cash-back saves up during these windows of time, about a few months, and at the end of that time period they will mail you your “big fat check.”

Besides the extension, you can always begin your shopping right on Rakuten where you can look through the big sales and deals they’re highlighting. This can be a good way to get gift ideas for your loved ones, while also saving some cash.

Become a Flipper

When you hear the word flipper, you might think you don’t have the skill set it requires to buy a house, fix it up and resell it for more money. However, flipping is something that is catching on well outside the realm of real estate.

Crafty people are hitting up yard sale after yard sale, or keeping an eye on digital marketplaces for cheap items like an old piece of furniture. If you’re looking to drastically increase the value of the item you’ll need to put a little work into it. With the example of furniture, say a stool, you might consider at least sanding it down and refinishing its stain or giving it a nice pop of color by painting it.

Another way people are flipping items is by keeping a close eye on sales. When they find a product on sale for a much lower price they buy it, or maybe a few of them, and list them online to sell. You can decide if you want to list it higher than its normal price or not, so your profit margin may depend on the item’s demand.

No matter your personal skill set, how much time you have available, or how much energy you have to expend on making some extra cash this holiday season, there is something out there for you. If you haven’t found something from this list, fingers crossed it made you think of a solution that best fits your life. Hopefully, with a little extra cash this holiday season, it’ll be the best one yet!

November 10, 2020
5 Unexpected Expenses And 5 Ways to Pay Them

Paying for any expense is never a fun time. But unexpected expenses are especially the worst. They often destroy the most potent of financial plans and leave absolute destruction in their wake.

Sometimes it’s a medical emergency that is worth six months of your salary. Another time, you have to attend a wedding —somewhere in Europe.

According to Bankrate’s Financial Security Index, three in ten Americans have no emergency savings at all. So what should they do if faced with expenses they’re not expecting?

There are several ways to tread waters in such a scenario. But before going into them, let’s take a look at some of the most common ways unexpected expenses emerge.

Common Types of Unexpected Expenses

Even if you map out a perfect budget that covers everything from rent to grocery, your financial stability is vulnerable to some of these unpredictable expenses.

1.    Medical Expenses

Anyone not covered under a good insurance plan can be devastated by medical expenses. According to the New York Times, the majority of American families are a single medical emergency away from complete financial ruin.

Unfortunately, a $1000 medical bill is enough to put most households under. And let’s not ignore the mental toll health-related matters takes on an individual. Money should be the last thing on a person’s mind while they’re dealing with health issues.

Ideally, it should never come down to health against money but unexpected medical conditions often create this bleak situation for people who don’t have any savings set aside or are uninsured.

2.    Home Maintenance

You never know when something will go wrong in the house. Be it termites, plumbing issues or the refrigerator breaking down — house expenses come out of the blue.

It’s hard to plan for them but one can minimize the risk to an extent. While you can not predict a colony of insects finding refuge in your attic, you can get someone to look at the wiring and plumbing system to see if any issues can occur in the immediate future.

Even then, these types of expenses are inevitable. And without any savings in the bank, they can be especially worrisome.

3.    Buying Gifts or Taking a Trip

You would be surprised to know just how many people go into debt in the holiday season. People who haven’t saved throughout the year often seek out loans for buying Christmas gifts.

But this can be avoided with an appropriate saving plan. Meanwhile, there is no way to plan for your friend announcing her pregnancy and buying something cheap for her baby shower is not an option either.

Similarly, unplanned trips can throw one’s financial plans out the window. Whether you’re flying out to attend a friend’s wedding or to see an uncle who’s going into surgery —these trips can often be quite costly.

4.    Car Issues

Having your own set of wheels is always a good thing. However, with your car comes expenses like property tax, inspections and maintenance.

Sometimes a ride can give you other troubles as well, which is why anyone that owns a vehicle should have a car savings account. You never know when the engine will break down or any other repair will be needed.

When that happens, you need to have a plan or you’d be left with a broken down car and a massive bill from the mechanic.

5.    Stolen Items and Mugging

No one wants to be at the receiving end of theft or mugging. However, life is unpredictable. Losing something valuable can be both personally and financially damaging.

Replacing items is a tedious process especially when you’ve been a victim to a crime. Insurance and savings can come to your rescue in such situations.

Still, it’s better to stay safe, take inventory of expensive items, save their pictures in a secured location and write down their values. In case they are ever stolen, you should take all the necessary preparations.

How to Pay for Unplanned Expenses

Life is uncertain and things often don’t go as planned. Paying off unforeseen expenses might seem like a mountain to climb. Fortunately, a few tricks can make this summit a whole lot easier.

1.    Reduce Your Variable Expenses

It’s hard to completely overhaul your expenses on short notice. Although the process can be overwhelming, you would need to go through your statements, utility, credit card, receipts, loan payments and other spendings.

Knowing where the money is going will put things into perspective. It will also help you reduce variable expenses such as electricity bill, car maintenance and grocery among others.

Reducing these expenses will not be easy. It will require lifestyle adjustments such as avoiding transportation costs by carpooling, cooking at home instead of eating out and skipping the manicures for a while.

When it comes to shopping for groceries, there’s always the option of seeking discounts. This will be easier online than in brick-and-mortar stores. Digital coupons can help you save on regular household expenses and bring down your variable expenses considerably.

2.    Seek a Personal Loan From a Credit Union

Credit unions are often the better alternative to commercial banks as the latter tend to have higher interest rates. The only catch is that membership is required in credit unions before one can apply for a loan.

This requirement can be fulfilled by opening a savings or checking account with the credit union. What you have to examine is whether savings in interest is greater than added requirements.

For anyone that’s already a member of a credit union, securing a personal loan with relatively lower interest rate shouldn’t be that much difficult.

3.    Reach Out to Family

Borrowing from family might be one of your better options. It’s extremely rare for a relative to charge interest on a loan. Also, it’s less likely for this loan to have a predetermined repayment model where you’d be repaying a fixed amount each month.

But there is a downside to such a loan. Involving money in relationships can end up having some negative consequences. Research suggests that almost 45% of such transactions end up badly.

One way to avoid such an ordeal is by making the loan somewhat official. Putting the loan in writing and setting some loose terms might eliminate the possibility that you will take things lightly. After all, whether you borrow from a cousin or a bank, a loan is meant to be repaid.

4.    Utilize Your Savings

While borrowing money to pay for an unexpected expense might buy you some time —dipping into your savings is a much more permanent solution. But for this, you need a cash savings account that can be accessed without any penalties.

Beyond this, you need to ensure the money is not earmarked for some other purpose and whether or not you would be penalised for withdrawing it. An early withdrawal penalty is the last thing you need on top of a surprise expense.

Keep in mind that withdrawing cash savings is preferable to investments. Generally, the investments are meant for savings that have medium-to-long term.

5.    Sell Personal Items

Quickest way to make some easy cash is by going through your personal belongings and selling items that are no longer needed.

Look for clothes that no longer fit and sell them to local consignment shops. Organize a garage sale. Find collectibles like records, DVDs and action figures and put them up on websites like eBay. You can even advertise these on relevant Facebook groups to get better prices.

Not only would you make some easy bucks doing this but also free your home from unnecessary clutter.

Conclusion

Among the things that are certain in life, unplanned expenses are right up there with death and taxes. There are infinite ways in which you can be faced with a money situation you were least expecting.

A car accident can have you not only paying for fixing the vehicle but also treating any injuries you might’ve sustained. Similarly, a death in the family incurs ridiculously expensive funeral costs.

Thankfully, these risks can be somewhat mitigated through a good insurance plan and by setting aside some savings. There are other ways to go about this as well. One can reduce their expenses, seek out loans and sell some unnecessary items to ease some of the burdens.

The only option that’s not on the table is giving up and letting these expenses overwhelm you.

October 29, 2020
How I Successfully Paid Off My Student Loan While Doing What I Love
Your college education plays an impactful role in every aspect of your life. One of the biggest impacts it makes is on your financial life. A lot of times, it puts a damper on your good times. The same happened to me when I started college. I had big dreams and I wanted to enjoy my twenties to the fullest. However, it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Having to pay the student loan on the top of other expenses made it difficult for me to save money, invest in a retirement plan or go on a vacation. Yes! You do need a degree to climb up the corporate ladder, but the cost makes it difficult to afford your normal living.

However, it didn’t stop me from setting financial goals and working toward achieving them. I had to get a job to make extra money and limit my expenses only to my basic necessities. I saved to travel and invest in a retirement plan. It did take a lot of effort but in the end, it was worth it. It made me realize with proper planning and a little devotion I can pay of my student loan debt while enjoying the things I love. So today I am going to discuss with you how I kept student loan from ruining my financial health. Let’s get into it.

Ways to successfully pay off your student loan while doing what you love

Managing your student loan is important to feel less stressed and organized. Take a look at the ways I followed to get back on track with my finances while trying to pay off my student loans.

1. Create a strict budget and stick to it

Three of the top categories responsible for causing the most of the financial stress include student loans, credit cards and housing expenses. For me, the first step to combating financial stress was to write down what I need to spend on a piece of paper. That took the majority of anxiety out of my financial life. I created a concrete budget and tried my very best to stick to it.

I understand the majority of the youngsters find budgeting bland and boring. However, it doesn’t have to be. You can choose a creative way to track your expenses and income. I personally prefer journaling. I create two columns to track my expenses and income. I used colored markers and stickers to track where all my money was going and which expenses are easy for me to cut back. It helped me to make better decisions and plan to save for my next vacation.

2. Be clear about your financial goals

Setting your financial goals is as important as creating your own budget. Honestly, in the beginning, I wasn’t sure where to start. A couple of YouTube tutorials later, I decided that I need to break my goals down into three categories namely annual goals, monthly goals, and weekly goals. I divided my annual goals into smaller goals to achieve them on a monthly and weekly basis.

I calculated my regular expense for the month to see what could be cut back. I decided on a budget and planned on not to exceed it. Once my budget was decided, I put aside the rest of my income to hit my goal every month.

3. Having an Accountability Partner helps

Accountability is important when it comes to managing your finances as a student. I found it hard to stick to my goals and needed someone to remind me not to overspend. I had a friend with similar goals as mine and we became each other’s, accountability partners. It helped both of us to adhere to healthy financial habits we had developed. While choosing an accountability partner, you need to look for someone you don’t have a problem sharing your financial history with. Choose someone you can trust. If you have some extra cash, you can always invest in a licensed money counselor or a budget coach for professional help. It will enable you to make better financial decisions.

4. Make a plan to pay off your debt

How long does it take for student loans to be paid off? For federal student loans, the traditional 10-year repayment plan works. However, for me, it didn’t. I choose other ways to pay off my student loan debt including:
- The debt avalanche or debt snowball method
- A debt consolidation loan
- Refinancing student loans
5. Keeping an eye out for discount offers

There are a few basic expenses that are inevitable. These include revamping your seasonal wardrobe. While I was a student, I relied heavily on coupons and promo codes to purchase my clothes and accessories for cheap. Coupons make student life easy. They helped me prepare for college with ease. I got everything I needed for my dorm at a discounted price. I learned shopping for college doesn’t have to be expensive. You just need to keep an eye out for the right options. Various brands offer exclusive student discount coupons. It made it cheap for me to shop for bedding, towels and appliances I needed for my dorm.

Wrapping up

Student life is stressful and student loan debt makes it even harder. However, with careful planning from the very beginning, you cannot only pay off your debt, meet your regular expenses but what you can do when your student loan is paid off is live your life to the fullest. That’s my story about how I paid off my student debt without letting it ruin my financial health. I hope you find it helpful.
October 7, 2020
IQAir Portable Air Purifier Giveaway

Welcome to the IQAir Autumn ‘Breathe Clean Air Anywhere’ Portable Air Purifier Giveaway!

1 Winner

This giveaway is part of our Fall Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products.

Host is Deliciously Savvy

Michigan Saving and More

Comeback Momma, , Here We Go Again Ready, Naturalhairlatins, Seeking Serenity and Harmony,

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This giveaway’s Sponsor is:

WEBSITE ~ FACEBOOK ~ TWITTER ~ YOU TUBE

Available on Amazon

IQAir is a Swiss air quality technology company, specializing in protection against airborne pollutants, developing air quality monitoring and air cleaning products. IQAir also operates AirVisual, a real-time air quality information platform

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1 Lucky Winner will win an Atem Desk in Black or White PLUS A Carrying Case, Car Accessory Kit & Portable Battery Pack! Everything Making It The Most Versatile & Portable Air Purifier Ever! TRV $626

$626 TRV

See review HERE.

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Entry -Form

This giveaway/sweepstakes is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid to continental United States residents only, Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 10/31/20. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to mcushing7 at hotmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The giveaway is not valid where prohibited! By entering you are authorizing us to collect the information on the form below, this information is used only to contact the winner! No purchase necessary, Void where prohibited by law, and the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winners are chosen randomly by the Giveaway Tools program. The sponsors are each responsible for shipping of the above prizes. Work Money Fun or No blog associated with this portable air purifier contest are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Melissa Cushing at mcushing7 (at)hotmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Sponsors interested in joining our gift guides can see the information HERE.

September 14, 2020
Console Vault Giveaway

Do you want a console vault safe for your vehicle? Enter the sweepstakes below for a chance to win one.

Welcome to the Console Vault For Trucks Giveaway!

1 Winner will win Console Vault For Trucks

This giveaway is part of our Fall Gift Guide – Stop by to see all the giveaways and great products.

Host is Michigan Saving and More

Comeback Momma, , Here We Go Again Ready, Naturalhairlatins, Seeking Serenity and Harmony,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This giveaway’s Sponsor is:

Console Vault

Console Vault®, The Original In-Vehicle Safe™, has a solution with an innovative safe designed with your needs in mind to secure your valuables in your vehicle and now for your Harley Davidson motorcycle.

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1 Winner receives a Console Vault For Trucks

1 Console Vault For Trucks

up to $269 RV

See review HERE.

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THE GIVEAWAY

This giveaway/sweepstakes is in no way endorsed, affiliated, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Media Networking Site. This Giveaway is valid to continental United States residents only, Entrants must be 18+ years of age to enter. This giveaway event will end at 11:59 PM (EST) 10/30/20. The winner will have 48 hours to email their information back to las93063 at gmail dot com or a new winner will be drawn, you may want to put this email address as safe as it could go to spam. The giveaway is not valid where prohibited! By entering you are authorizing us to collect the information on the form below, this information is used only to contact the winner! No purchase necessary, Void where prohibited by law, and the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winners are chosen randomly by the Giveaway Tools program. The sponsors are each responsible for the shipping of the above prizes. Work Money Fun or No blog associated with the console vault contest are responsible for prize fulfillment. If you would like to be a sponsor in a giveaway like this please email Laura Smith at las930 (at)gmail (dot) com. If you take an entry you must stay following for the entire contest or you will be disqualified.

Sponsors interested in joining our gift guides can see the information HERE.

Entry -Form

September 13, 2020