5 Ways Everyone Can Make More Money

by David Ning on 23 November 2010

 

If someone asks you whether you'd like to make more money, I bet most of you would say yes. The follow-up question would be "Why aren't you making plans to make more?" When a specific method to make money is mentioned, people usually make a quick decision as to whether it's feasible. Some people can quickly adapt to the method and start making money, but what if you are the type who keeps saying no? Are you actually ready to make more money? To help you figure this out, let's look at the handful of ways people are cashing in, and see if you are willing to do what it takes.

1. Start a Business

Many people find their riches from a company that they started, but opening for business doesn't always mean looking for capital from investors and trying to materialize an idea that may take years. An entrepreneur who mows his neighbor's grass runs a business, and the lady who consults on makeup for people's weddings has a business too. I started MoneyNing.com with no funding, and it's grown to an enterprise that supports multiple people. You can start small too.

2. Change Jobs

Loyalty is cherished in any company. There's no doubt about it, but there are very few success stories of a person who moved up the ranks of the corporate ladder working for only one company. For most people, the big break (in other words, the huge increase in salary) really only occurs when they change positions to a totally different company (or at least department). Do you want to make more money? Perhaps you should dust off your resume and start trying to land interviews. People are paid to contribute, and one of the best ways to improve a business is to hire someone from a totally different company who can inject fresh ideas. Who knows? You might become the star at your new job just because you adapted what you already know from your old company to the new culture.

3. Ask Your Boss

If you like sticking with the same company, then ask your boss how you can earn more. Let him know, respectfully of course, that you'd like to earn more money and see if the pair of you can work out a plan. You will want to have specific goals with a reasonable timeline so when review time comes, you can be factual about your progress.

4. Get a Second Job

Using more hours of your day to make more money is tough work, but it's probably the quickest way to earn more bucks. I would argue that you should find part-time work that can grow into a better source of income than your primary job, because when you work two jobs, the first job will usually suffer. Examples include a small business you are trying to start or a different career that you think is more promising. Either way, don't take this decision lightly and weigh the pros and cons.

5. Start Saving, and Enjoy Passive Income

Once you have amassed a small fortune, you will see the benefit of saving as your passive income grows without much intervention. Dividends, interest payments, and appreciation are mainly why so many people can seem to live without doing much work. There are ups and downs, but if you can stay the course, the long-term picture is usually pretty.
These five methods are how people generally earn more. I bet you already knew all these right? But if you always thought you wanted to make more money and haven't yet, re-read all of the above and honestly ask yourself whether you are willing to do what it takes. Are you really ready? If you are, here are 15 more specific ways to earn more

Money Saving Tip

From: Moneysavingnut.com 
  Try your hardest to always buy on sale.  Paying regular price for most items is just not necessary, if you plan ahead and watch for sales and specials at all of your local stores.  

a.  Check your weekly newspaper fliers for announced sales and specials, and look for the store’s sales flier and unannounced sales while in the store.  

b.  Take advantage of buy-one-get-one-free offers for items you really need.  Some stores do not even make you purchase two of the item to get the discount.  Ask the store about their policy.

c.  Look on the higher and lower shelves for specials and less expensive products, where they are often located, rather than on the eye-level shelves where most of the higher-priced products are stocked.

d.  Make sure to look on the “outside” lanes of the grocery store, particularly at the front of the store against the front wall.  Often there are unannounced specials offered with some real savings.

e.  Get a rain check for any sale item you need that is out of stock.  If the rain check indicates the number that you can buy in the future at the sale price, make sure that the store fills out the rain check with the maximum number you want to buy.  Most stores are very liberal with this policy

 

Frugal Ways to Save at Least $100 a Month

Melissa Neiman
Monday, November 22, 2010

More fromImagine spending just $20 a year -- or less -- for yearly telephone service. Or, perhaps you'd be interested in shaving 15 percent off your monthly utility bills. Two frugal experts say you can do it.

Everyone looks for simple ways to save, especially in today's tumultuous economy. Bankrate asked two frugal bloggers to share their thoughts on some nearly effortless ways to hang on to your hard-earned green.
If you take their advice to heart, you'll likely save at least $100 a month around the house.
Rethink Your Phone Service
Fed up with expensive telephone bills? Jonni McCoy, author of the Miserly Moms website, recommends switching to an alternative phone service like magicJack or Skype.
Such services allow you to make local and long-distance calls for a fraction of the price of traditional phone service. For instance, magicJack customers can get phone service for as little as $19.95 a year, while Skype calls are free to other Skype users.
"These are good alternatives to (traditional) phone service, and they include long distance, so no extra card is needed," McCoy says.


Customers nervous about dropping their traditional phone carrier have other options for saving money.
For example, consider canceling long-distance service from your phone carrier and using calling cards instead, says Susan Palmquist, creator of money blog The Budget Smart Girl's Guide to the Universe.
Need a second phone line? In this case, a service like magicJack works well, because it's "much cheaper than adding a second line to your existing phone account," Palmquist says.
When it comes to your monthly cell phone bill, save money by cutting down on your minutes and switching to a more basic plan. Palmquist recommends switching to a pay-as-you-go cell phone.
Cut Down on Electricity
Each month, utility bills silently drain a little more cash from your wallet, preventing you from building a sizable emergency fund or retirement nest egg.
There are several ways to trim these bills. Three quick and painless ways to save include: switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs (which are more energy-efficient than standard light bulbs) lowering the temperature on your hot water heater (130 degrees Fahrenheit is enough to kill germs) and drying your clothing on a clothesline or rack whenever possible.
McCoy and Palmquist also recommend signing up for any incentive or rebate programs offered by the local utility company.
With these programs, you typically agree to allow the power company to briefly shut off certain appliances when energy demand is particularly high. In return, you get a credit on your monthly bill.
For example, customers who participate in Florida Power & Light's On Call Savings Program allow FPL to install a small device on their water heater and air conditioner compressor. This allows the utility company to periodically borrow electricity for 15 minutes or so.
Palmquist -- who lives in Minneapolis and gets her power from Xcel Energy -- does this and gets a 15 percent discount on her bills.
Conserve Water


Are you drowning in monthly water bills? Palmquist and McCoy recommend money-saving options such as washing all clothing in cold water.
"I use cold water to wash clothes, and recently read that using the delicate cycle also saves water, too," Palmquist says.
In some cases, saving cash actually goes hand in hand with superior performance, Palmquist says.
"We installed a low-flow shower head in the main bathroom and find it not only saves water, but the flow is better than the old one," she says.
Of course, another "no-brainer" way to save is simply to use appliances less frequently. Wait until you have a full load before running the washing machine, dryer or dishwasher.
Don't overlook water-saving tips for outside the home. Palmquist plans to invest in a rain barrel for outside watering next year. Meanwhile, McCoy recommends making changes to landscaping "so there is less lawn to water."
Bundle or Drop Cable and Internet
McCoy suggests saving money by bundling cable and Internet services. Palmquist agrees, and recently switched to an "economy package" for her TV service.
However, Palmquist says it's important to look before you leap into bundling.
"Sometimes it's more expensive and they can lock you into a two-year contract, so check out everything first," she says.
If you're really gung-ho about saving, simply drop cable altogether. Perhaps you can watch your favorite TV shows for free on an Internet site such as Hulu.com.
Or, maybe it's time to simply give up those expensive TV habits and think about the priorities that really matter to you.
"My main advice is to think about wants and needs," Palmquist says. "Many of us think something's a necessity when really it's just a want."

This article is part of a series related to being Financially Fit

Leftover Turkey Crescent Bake

Leftover Turkey Crescent Bake

This easy casserole is so delicious, you may find yourself making turkey 'n all the trimmings just to get the leftovers to make it!

Prep Time: 5 Min

Total Time: 30 Min

Makes: 6

INGREDIENTS:

2

cups prepared stuffing

1 1/2

cups cubed cooked turkey

1/2

cup turkey gravy

1

can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

1

cup cranberry sauce

DIRECTIONS:

• In 3-quart saucepan, mix stuffing, turkey and gravy. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Spoon into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish.
• Separate or cut dough into 4 long rectangles (if using crescent rolls, press perforations to seal). Place rectangles over stuffing, leaving space between rectangles for steam to escape.
• Bake at 375°F 20 to 25 minutes. Top with cranberry sauce

Minimize waste.One of the easiest ways to save money is to make sure you’re not wasting food. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans throw out more than 25 percent of the food we prepare. And a study at the University of Arizona that tracked food use and waste from production to the table to the landfill estimated that the average American family of four throws out $590 worth of food each year. So we need to do a better job of using leftovers and learn what to do with food before it’s past its peak. Here are 20 creative ways to use up leftovers, which can help reduce waste.
Savings: $590 per year. (Estimated value of the food an average American household of four wastes in a year.)

by The Editors of EatingWell Magazine

Money Saving Tip

    When a recipe calls for vegetables, see if less expensive frozen vegetables may suffice.  Once a recipe is cooked, especially if you are planning on freezing it, the difference between fresh and frozen may be negligible, and there may be savings to be found.  In addition, taking vegetables out of the freezer may be just a bit easier and less expensive than that extra trip to the store.

10 Things To Buy Now And Stock Up

 Sarah Rae Trover:

This is the cheapest they will be all year!


1. Butter - It might as well be gold in our kitchen, but at prices hovering around $4 a box for most of the year, it's just ridiculous to not purchase it on sale during the holidays. You'll see the price go down at major chain grocers to around the $1.99 mark and since it freezes nicely, you're all set. Don't be afraid to just ask for a case. Your local dairy stocker will thank you.
2. Crackers - Although you can absolutely make crackers on your own, when it comes to entertaining, it might not be at the top of your list if they're just put out for a snack instead of a large feature of the meal. Look for sales on snack crackers or saltines; they have been known to bottom out between $0.75-$1.00 per box!
3. Poultry - Even if you have your fair share of turkey over the next several months, that doesn't mean it stopped being an inexpensive food choice during the next few months. Chicken and those cute little Cornish hens will be on sale with turkey, and although prices are great the week before a holiday, the weeks following will see even better price points. Stores need to empty their freezers to make room for new product and you'll see things go down to $.40/lb! Again, freeze for winter stews and quick meals.
4. Sugar - Although sugar is a pantry baking staple, it's not really all that cheap. Look for it to take $1-$2 price cut, with brown sugar and powdered sugar taking the largest price dip. (Sale prices often mean that customers are limited to one or two per purchase, but there's no shame in making 10 purchases in a row. Just add a pack of gum or another grocery item to each one and your sad-eyed cashier might be willing to combine them all into one transaction!)
5. Frozen Vegetables - While most of us are busy planning to roast trays of winter vegetables, it doesn't mean that the bagged industry isn't vying for your dollar as well. Through the year you'll see sale prices as low as $1.00/bag, but through the holidays that number can drop by a solid quarter or two! We like to stock up on frozen peas (which are nearly as good as fresh, depending on the brand) and spinach for quick stir-fries.
6. Bacon - Usually hanging around between $2.50-$6.00 price range, bacon has been known to drop to $1.50 a pack. Since it freezes like a champ, it's a great item to stock up on to have around for more than just breakfast.
7. Oil - Although we don't really go through a great deal of oil, since we've started making most of our cupcakes vegan (they're really that good) we go through more than we used to. Aside from that, frying up a batch of homemade onion rings or buffalo wings is always a plus, but the oil to fry it in can be more expensive than the actual food itself! Check grocery stores as well as hardware stores (where they sell turkey fryers) for ridiculously great deals on oil. Get a gallon for $20 instead of $30-35!
8. Nuts - Our favorite on-the-go source of protein that packs some serious snack potential is nuts. They're rather pricey most other times through the year, but you can find them at reduced prices at bulk retailers and grocery stores. Look for containers of "holiday nut varieties" and keep them in a cool dark place in your pantry away from light or heat and they'll easily last an entire year.
9. Plastics, Foils, Papers, Storage Containers - Although we strive to be as eco-friendly in the kitchen as time and money allows, many kitchen staples such as plastic bags or wrap and parchment paper or aluminum foil (even reusable containers!) all go on sale for super low prices. If that's something you household uses, stocking up now will save you cash throughout the entire year!
10. Cupcake Liners - Although we're still fans of cutting our own liners from parchment paper, that might seem like one step too many for some. Cupcake liners normally hover around the $2.75-$3.00 range and although that's ok for a random muffin session, if you'll be baking cupcakes for a large engagement such as a wedding or birthday blow out, buying them now can save you pennies that could otherwise be spent elsewhere!
Additionally: Along with this list you'll find most things in the baking aisle on sale at some point in the season and although boxed pudding or cake mixes aren't as tasty as the real thing, it never hurts to have one or two floating around your pantry. Also, things like dried fruits hop on sale as do chocolate chips and other cookie mix-ins!