The Frugal Free Gal

10 Ways to Slightly Increase Your Income

Everywhere you turn nowadays, you can be guaranteed to hear a laundry list worth of complaints about the economy and rising gas prices. It’s not just the pessimistic grumbling this time, times are really and truly legitimately tough. Even the most optimistic people I know are at least feeling the pain at the pump. Something about this economic crisis has me a bit perplexed though. Amidst all the complaints, I don’t hear many solutions or fixes being suggested. It seems we’ve accepted our fate and are content to ride out this blip (hopefully) on our radar with a few well targeted rants and facebook status updates.

The truth is, there are things that we can do to make our lives easier and to ease our newfound financial burdens. There are small, but significant and valid ways of increasing your income without working the graveyard shift at your local fast food joint.

Here are 10 ways to slightly increase your income and reduce your economic frustrations:

1. Make a budget-First and foremost, if you don’t have a budget, make one. I’d like to leave this out and assume that this is the first place that most people start when their wallet is feeling light. The truth is, some people don’t know how to budget. Or they don’t think having a budget will help them. It will! Write down where your money needs to go and follow it up by recording where your money truly goes.
2. Shop strategically-Learn to use coupons, make grocery lists and menu plans and you’ll significantly reduce a huge chunk of your budget in one quick swoop.
3. Take advantage of deals, freebies and coupon codes-We all have necessities. This doesn’t mean we need to pay top dollar for our clothing, toiletries or cleaning supplies. Learn how to spot a bargain, and when you see a freebie sign up for it! (I recommend using an alternate email address when signing up for freebies online. Not for any sinister reasons, simply so you don’t clog your personal inbox with the inevitable emails those companies will send out)
4. DIY-Learn to do things yourself. From scratch cooking to home repair, there are so many services and goods that we contract out every single year. Teach yourself how to do a few things on your own and not only have you immediately saved money, you’ve taught yourself a skill that will continue to be a money saver for the rest of your life!
5. Take those newfound talents and sell yourself-Okay, not in the literal sense obviously. However, you now have a marketable talent that can make a small side income. Don’t assume that just because you know how to do something, that everyone else does. Or that they even want to!
6. On the same token, look at what you do professionally/daily and see if you can translate that into a side income as well.-Are you a teacher? Tutor on the side. Are you a computer repairmen? Start a small computer repair business from home in your off hours. Stay home with your kids? Watch a few of your friends kids in your home.
7. Make money online-You can start small with surveys and getting paid for emails. You can start a money making blog. Write for Associated Content or Viewpoints, or one of the dozen other freelance writing sites.
8. Sell your stuff-This doesn’t have to be original works of art you’ve created. Sell your old textbooks, clothes, books, etc on Ebay, Craigslist or even Facebook (to your friends and family). We all have stuff laying around that might not be useful to us, but might be treasure to someone else!
9. Negotiate with everyone-Call all those people you pay every month and see if you can negotiate for better rates or cheaper packages. You might be surprised how many companies are willing to drop your monthly rates just because you picked up the phone!
10. Downgrade-If times are really hitting you hard, it might be time to take a serious look at your lifestyle and your budget and make some cuts. Downgrade down to 1 vehicle, cut your cable package, give up the expensive kids activities, etc.

We can be proactive in cutting our expenses and increasing our income even in the current economy. There are areas of improvement available for all of us. So while I might still grumble and complain, I know that there are things that I can do! I’m not helpless, there certainly is hope…with plenty to go around.

Heather loves to write about frugal living over on her blog Family Friendly Frugality. She is from good ol’ Texas and resides there with her husband and her two young children. Stop by and stay awhile!

Did you know that herb plants can be found at your local garden center or farmer’s market for just a few dollars a plant? Plus, herb plants are perennials, so you never need to worry about replanting them the next season as they will come back in full force on their very own. Now that is value! So what does this mean to you? It means that herb plants can be a great addition to your garden, where they will not only add visual beauty but can be used for all sorts of practical reasons in your kitchen as well! Take a look below at 7 fun and frugal herbs you can grow and eat this season. It is not too late to add herbs to your garden or even incorporate into a year long indoor herb garden.

7 Fun and Frugal Herbs You Can Grow and Eat:

Mint –  Grow spearmint or zesty peppermint and use it for a whole slew of uses including garnishing beverages, spicing up your salads, or mixing with watermelon chunks for a cool and refreshing dessert. Muddle your mint and add it or chop it fine and toss it in. Freeze it in ice cubes to fancy up cocktails or lemonade as well.

Chives– Chop these onion flavored greens and use in your dips and salsas. Or, mix in with oils, butter, or cream cheese for an instant boost to your spreads. Just chop the stems fine and toss them in. Add them to potato dishes, sprinkle onto baked potatoes, or even bake vegetables sprinkled with chives.

Basil – Basil is perfect for seasoning tomato salads, zesting up your green salads, or adding to your pasta dishes whether they be hot or cold. Just chop and add as needed for a quick boost. Add a little olive oil, basil, tomato, and onion for a quick summer salad everyone will love.

Rosemary – Rosemary is ideal for perking up your meat dishes. Simply add rosemary springs to marinates or sprinkle chopped rosemary onto meat before grilling or roasting. It pairs exceptionally well with pork and even roasted potatoes.

Cilantro – Chop up cilantro and add to salsas and guacamole dips. Or you can add it to steamed rice and veggies for an extra boost of flavor you won’ forget! Cilantro can also be added to soups and stews for extra and inexpensive flavor.

Lemon balm – Lemon balm can be added to teas or even just hot water for a soothing and sweet flavor. Just break off a couple of leaves and toss in. The refreshing flavor is also stimulating and therapeutic, giving you relief from common cold symptoms.

Oregano – This herb is perfect for tossing into cold salads and pasta dishes. Add it to homemade sauces as well for a savory homemade flavor. It can also be tossed into meat marinades to give them an extra boost.

See how easy it is to use herbs in your everyday cooking? They are so inexpensive, you are better off growing your own fresh herbs as opposed to buying dried varieties for ten times the cost at your local grocer. So head to your local gardening center, or even grow your own from seed (you can find seeds at your local dollar store!) and see what uses you can find for these fun and frugal herbs! You will find they can easily help you stretch your food budget and help you save.

Related: Tips for Growing a Garden on a Dime

I’ve been using coupons for a while now. There are several places to find coupons: the newspaper, magazines, mailings, and more.  A few years ago, printable coupons appeared on the world wide web and they became popular very quickly. You no longer have to wait for the Sunday newspaper to find coupons that you are interested in. You can do a search of the coupon you are looking for and you may be lucky enough to find it online. If you follow my website, you know that I post printable coupons on a daily basis.

Throughout the years of my coupon use, I’ve had a few friends and even fans comment about how they don’t like to print coupons because they think the price of printer ink is expensive. Well, it is. But, that doesn’t mean you should avoid coupons simply because of the cost of printer ink.

There are a few tips you can follow to help save money on printer ink. To save money when printing coupons, be sure to set your printer settings to black and white. There’s no need to print coupons in color. Black and white coupons scan  just as good printable coupons with color. Along with this setting, print your coupons on the “Quick Print” or “draft/gray scale” setting. This setting seems to use less printer ink.

Another way to save money on the ink when printing coupons is to have your ink cartridges refilled. You can take your empty ink cartridges to places like Walgreens and have them refilled for a lot less than if you were to buy brand new ink cartridges. If you don’t want to take them in to have them refilled, you can do it yourself. Just buy an ink refill kit and do it at home at your convenience. I’ve tried this method and it can be a bit messy, but it’s worth it!

Happy printing (and saving!)

Whether you are a single mom, a mom who stays home, or a working mom, if you are looking for ways to make ends meet, pay down debt, or save for retirement or college, there are some simple things you can do from home to make extra money. While these jobs aren’t likely to be the highest paying jobs you have ever had, they can bring in a nice side income stream.  Best of all, you can do them from the comfort of your home and around your family’s schedule.  That beats going out and working part-time any day.

Ways to Make More Money – Earn Cash Now!

Start a Blog.

Do you have something you could write about that would provide value to others? Consider starting a blog. You can monetize your blog with ads, sponsored posts, affiliate links, and more.

Submit your Photos.

Do you like to take photos? Have a lot of great photos saved to your computer? Try submitting your photos to Shutterstock to earn extra cash! My online portfolio has been earning cash for a few years now! Every few weeks, I’ll add a batch of photos. Once accepted, users can buy your photos and you can earn money!

Earn with Mobile Apps.

Groceries make up a big part of the monthly budget for families. Take advantage of using the Ibotta and Checkout 51 apps and browse through the offers to see if there are any that match your grocery list. For example, I just looked and saw a $0.50 rebate for any ground beef! We buy ground beef often, so we will be taking advantage of that rebate. (Here’s an awesome free printable grocery list that you can use for your next trip!)

Join Fetch Rewards

***Use code 4Y6FF when you join to get a possible credit depending on the current promotions.*** Fetch Rewards – Turn your points into great rewards!

“Easy savings at any grocery store, every time. We work directly with popular brands to bring you savings on thousands of products every day, no matter where you get your groceries. Just scan your receipts and let us do all the work.”

Complete Online Surveys 

Completing online surveys can be a great way to earn some easy money or rewards in your spare time. Check out sites like Swagbucks! Find one or two survey sites that are right for you. Browse through each site to see what they offer and you’ll get a good idea of which ones are worth your time, efforts, and energy according to your interests. 

Earn Cash Back 

Do you shop online often? Earn cash back with Rakuten (Ebates). Just shop with Ebates at your favorite stores, earn cash back on your purchases, get paid by check or paypal!

Sell Textbooks

If you have free time in the summer, pack up the kids and search garage sales for old books and textbooks.  If you have a smart phone, you can look up the books as you shop garage sales to see how much they are selling for online.  Then, list the books from the comfort of your home when you have time.  Some people make several hundred dollars per month buying old books or selling textbooks online.

Sell Clothes Online

Kids’ name brand clothing can sell for good price on eBay, especially if you know to sell the spring/summer clothes in March and April and the fall winter clothes in August and September.  Seasonal holiday clothes should be sold in late November.  You can find clothing to sell by scouring garage sales as well as second hand shops.  To make the most money, try to buy the clothing at second hand shops when they are on clearance because the season is ending.

Related: 7 Places to Snag Second Hand Clothes

Sell Crafts Online

If you are a crafty person, you can always make your own crafts and sell them on a site like Etsy.  However, Etsy is becoming increasingly competitive, so you have to have a way to make your store or your product stand out from others.  Etsy’s blog suggests listing something every day and relisting your items frequently.  Often with Etsy, making your first couple of sales is hardest.  Once you have done that, if you have pleased customers, they will likely bring you word-of-mouth traffic.

If money is tight, don’t despair.  There are plenty of ways to make money that you can do in your free time around your own schedule as well as your family’s.  As you develop different income streams, you will find that you feel more and more financially secure.

What is your favorite way to earn extra money?

Ways to Earn Extra Cash and Rewards

Creating Extra Income Through Consignment

Do you feel that little tinge of guilt whenever you toss something into the trash? Feeling like you might be wasting something of value is a terrible feeling, but you might be unsure of what is trash and what is treasure. If you have wondered what items in your trash might actually have some value, you have stumbled upon your answer! Below, you will find 5 ways to cash in on your trash. So many of the items you use to pitch are actually worth a little change in your pocket. Give these 5 ways a good look and think twice about what you keep and what you toss.

5 Ways to Cash in on Your Trash:

1. Wine corks.
Crafting with wine corks is really popular these days. Many crafty gals and guys are looking for wine corks to make peg boards, key chains, coasters, and more out of. Save your wine corks and you can get as much as 0.50 cents a piece each. Just gather yours up and head over to eBay or Etsy where you can sell your corks for cash. List them in one giant lot together instead of piece by piece. The more interesting the corks, the more money they will fetch you.

2. Aluminum.
The cost of scrap aluminum keeps fluctuating, but the fact is it is still worth cash. Keep your aluminum pop cans, food cans, food wrapping, house materials, and other aluminum scraps and redeem them at a local recycling center for cash. They pay per pound, so the more you have the better. Kids will love coming with you to watch how the scrap is weighed and fed to the conveyor belt, so take them with you to get in on the action.

3. Broken jewelry.
If you broke a piece of jewelry, are missing the match to an earring, or even just have some extra backings, check them for marks. If they are 10, 14, or 18 karat gold, or if they are sterling, they are worth cash! It does not matter what condition they are in, just head to a local jeweler’s and have them weigh and pay! If you find costume or other scrap jewelry pieces not gold or silver, no worries. Crafters on eBay and Etsy are looking for all sorts of scraps for their creative needs. List your pieces on there as one giant lot and see what you can make!

4. Old clothing.
If you have clothing that is torn or stained, don’t pitch it, cash in on it. Crafters use all sorts of scrap pieces of wool and denim, as well as vintage t-shirts for their creative needs. Offer your scrap clothing on eBay, Etsy, or the Craigslist Crafting Section and see what you can get for it. You may be surprised! Even if you just get a few bucks per piece, that is better than the nothing you would get by throwing it away.

5. Paper items.
Some paper items are highly collectible and valuable. If you are cleaning out a junk drawer and stumble across old restaurant menus, cookbooks, instruction manuals, owner’s manuals, save them. People are always looking for these items on eBay. You may just get a few bucks a piece each, but hey it’s something!

See how easy it is to get cash for items otherwise destined for your trash? Give these tips a try the next time you are cleaning out a drawer or room and see how easy it is to drum up a little extra dough!

How often do you go grocery shopping? If you are like me, you probably go to the grocery store about once a week or once every two weeks. If you are one that likes to stockpile, you may not find yourself at the grocery store as often because you have a lot to choose from already at home.

Are you trying to save money this year? Maybe you need to pay off debt. Maybe you want to save up for a summer vacation with the family. Did you know that using coupons at the grocery store is one of the easiest ways to save money? You can slash off a lot of money from your grocery bill if you use coupons on a regular basis.

Using coupons is pretty easy. You just have to sit down and take the time to find coupons online (or in your newspaper inserts), print coupons and organize your coupons in a way that will help you so that you can find them when you need them. If you are concerned that printer ink is too expensive, don’t be! There are so many ways to get affordable printer ink. You can also set your printer to the “Black and White” settings and “Quick Print” to save ink.

Don’t make the mistake of printing too many coupons when you first begin! You may find that you print coupons that you really don’t care about or for products you don’t ever buy. Select coupons wisely. Make sure you select coupons for products that you know you will use. You may end up wasting money if you print every coupon out there and spend money on products just because you have a coupon.

Need help getting started? I found these printable coupons for you to take advantage of! Not only will you find grocery coupons you will find local coupons as well. Happy saving!