There are two ways to get your finances in better condition and enjoy a better, less stressful life. The first is to reduce your spending. There are dozens of ways to do this. In previous posts I shared with you some of the ways that I’ve learned about cutting the cost of groceries, health insurance, utilities, cable TV auto insurance and so forth.
Earn extra income
But there is a second way to improve your finances and that is by earning extra income.
One of the most popular ways to do this today is through Internet marketing. There are literally hundreds of people who are earning anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars a day at home sitting in front of their computers. Of course, for every one of these people there are 10 who may be earning only a few dollars a month. This is because Internet marketing is like any other business–there are simply some people who are much better at it than others.
Could you make money online?
Most experts feel the best way to make money online is via affiliate marketing. This is where you create a website and promote the products of other companies and earn a commission for doing so. The 800-pound gorilla in affiliate marketing is Amazon.com. And there are many, many people who make good money just promoting its products.
You can also make money part-time as a medical transcriptionist. This is a person who takes audio recordings from physicians and transcribes them to text. This is a legitimate job and is definitely a way to supplement your regular income.
Sell on Etsy
Are you an artist or do you do crafts such as jewelry, pottery, clothing, illustrations, bath products, edibles or others? If so, you might be able to sell them on the website Etsy. Last July alone, Etsy says it sold 487,000 items, totaling $7 million. The company charges just $0.20 to list an item and takes 3.5% of each sale.
If you are a graphic artist, a writer or a software developer, you can make money in your spare time through websites such as oDesk and Elance. You will need to register and provide information regarding your skills. You may also have to take a skills test. Once you are accepted you can bid on jobs. It might be slow going at first but as you get more clients and more of a reputation, you’ll get more business and can charge more for your services.
Be a tutor
If you are highly proficient in something such as math, spelling or composition you could make money tutoring students. There are also people making good money tutoring kids for SAT and ACT tests.
Then, of course, there is good old eBay. You may have stuff just lying around your house that you could put on eBay and make some immediate money.