Here we are working diligently to get our financial lives in order; we have filled in the black holes, made a workable budget and now to speed up the whole process we need to make more money. There are lots of ways you can add to your income. Below are a few ideas, please leave a comment if you have any others.
Sell stuff – I adore Ebay. I went through my flat and made a stack of things that I could definitely live without. Some of these included: beautiful high heels that I never wore, collectible fashion magazines that were collecting dust, designer clothes that don’t fit anymore and that is just the tip of the iceberg. I did my Ebay selling a few months ago and I don’t miss a thing. I am planning another rummage to get rid of some more. My new mantra is minimalism is fun.
Get a second job – This one is a bit difficult if you work a normal 40 ( then adding travel 50) hour week as so many of us do. So after listening to many podcasts on making money, I think the best thing is to have a sleeping business. What the heck is a sleeping business, you ask? It is where you have a business that you don’t have to be in a specific place at a specific time. Wealthy people usually have property or stock as their sleeping business, but since I am not wealthy (yet) I have buttons.
Ages ago I did a post on having an Etsy shop and how it was a bit more work than I had thought. In short, I was making earrings so I had to design them, source the parts then photograph the product and write a description. It really was not so bad, but unfortunately, about a million other people were doing the same thing. Then a light bulb went off when I found a source for gorgeous vintage buttons. There were a lot less people selling buttons and they have sold well with much less work on my part.
There must be countless things you can do without having to exchange a precise amount of time for a specific amount of money. Ebooks come to mind as does teaching if you have a marketable skill, do you have any other ideas for sleeping businesses?
Give something up – many moons ago I used to smoke and when I quit I was in a state of constant surprise that I had more money in my pocket than I expected. Once a habit becomes a habit you don’t notice how much money you are giving to that habit. Have you ever given up a habit and found yourself much better off financially? Do tell.
I have actually given up going to “spa” twice a month. I do not deprive myself, I just realize I can still pamper myself at home, facials and body scrubs can be done without the need to go to a spa…what I can’t give up is a good massage….still, it’s a huge savings already.