Hail all,

Category: Business

Just a few days ago I resurrected a long dormant blog series titled Living on the Cheap. This was not a one-off, Think of it as the beginning of a second series of blogs on how to live cheaply.

Being frugal is it's own reward! Savign money on things you need means you can spend more on things you want!

But Living on the Cheap isn't all about saving money. In today's case, it's about earning some more. Below you'll find some tips which should hopefully help some of you get a little extra cash.

If you want to Live Cheaply with:

Games - Meat - Recipes - Utilities - Home and Health - Travel - Work/Car - Nights out - Internet

you can click the links above.

Enjoy!

1. (Assuming you're working) Ask for a raise. Very simple. Be direct. Put it in writing if you want. State why you want one, and why you deserve one. Even something as small as $1 an hour is more, and can add up.

2. Take a second job (or a first one, if you are unemployed). If you work the same hours every week, and find yourself with extra time - you can use this time to do some extra work. Taking on a second, menial job will earn you a little extra cash.

3. Mow lanwns. A local job centre will help you create and print your own business flyers, and you can just put these in mailboxes in your local area. At no cost to yourself, you might be able to do a few lawn mows once a week. Even at low cost, this can easily give you some good cash.

4. Competitions. Enter as many as you possibly can. There are scores of free competitions to enter. Do it on your lunch break. Create a dummy email address for all your competition entries. And enter as many as you can. Dont bother using the SMS or big TV ones, but most companies offer something on their websites often. Try it out. I've won t-shirts, hats, shoes, books and even money.

5. Declutter. According to scientists, the average person has several hundred dollars of useless stuff they can sell. Spend a few hours looking through your things. If it isn't needed, see if you can sell it. If it can't be sold, donate it. If you cant do either, recycle it.

6. Deliver catalogues. Usually local newspapers always have ads asking for people to deliver catalogues. This is a simple job, can be done in a few hours, and gets you good exercise. They generally pay cash as well, so you usually dont even need to report to Centrelink. Very handy if you're a struggling student.

7. Check Garage sales. Most parents have little knowledge of games, and they'll sell some genuine valuable stuff by accident. Look for people who are busy. Get there early. But it is possible to find boxes of old games consoles and games cheap, and then sold on eBay, making you a small amount. I've done this several times, and have always come out better. So far I've spent about $700 at Garage Sales, and I've made over $2000 back on eBay. And all of that is selling my own stuff, so no problems with Centrelink, etc.

8. Check Centrelink's policies out. They aren't so obvious about what they offer, but they offer a wealth of additional ways to get more payments. Ask them about Telephone and Internet policies. They generally give you a small return on your internet and phone bills if you are a student. Other options may be available to you, even if you work full time.

9. Cook and sell. Most schools are crying out for volunteers at their canteens. Make some cheap but good food that kids will buy. I recommend chocolate biscuits (although anything chocolate is generally good). Volunteer at the school, and for a few hours work, you can sell out of your food and even have a little lunch yourself. Good if you're a parent as well.

10. Become a Mystery Shopper. There are several major Mystery Shopper companies in Australia. They don't pay well, but they pay good enough for accurate reports. Most of the reports take about 20 minutes. They usually let you keep the items as well. Several years ago I did this and was mostly getting a lot of take-away. It wouldn't cost me anything, I'd get dinner, and a little cash on top.

11. Cash rewards. Believe it or not, they work. You sign up to the website, give them an email address, and they start sending you surveys. Doing them accurately will get you more surveys. Doing these gives you points, and getting more points means you can then convert them to cash, or entries into competitions, etc. Easy to do, takes little time and may get you some cash.

12. Look for it. I live close to a beach, and quite often people lose things there. Get yourself a decent metal detector, and you may just find some rings or spare change. It's a fun activity, and may make you some cash. I recommend putting up an ad for any lost jewellery though. For some people may miss it.

13. Work at home! Many companies require people to work from home. Everything from cellophane to magnet companies (both of which I've worked for) ask for a few hours of your time. They work by giving you a quota. They generally give you a small amount, so working for them shouldn't affect Centrelink benefits or your work.

14. Telemarketing. You can work at home doing this. You usually are asked to make a certain amount of phone calls and are asked to make a certain amount of sales. This can be done in spare time, and may make you some cash.

15. Walking dogs/ babysitting. Put an ad in the local newspaper (this usually is free) and advertise your services as either, or both. This is usually no cost to you, you shouldn't need to commute, and the money is usually cash.

16. Busk. If you have a talent (play an instrument, do magic) you can busk. Some parts of major cities have dedicated busking zones which require a permit (which you buy). But local areas and smaller cities don't. Even if you can't make a lot of money with it, you usually can make a little.

17. And finally, beg. Set up a website (your internet provider should allow you web hosting space, otherwise there are free options available), and ask people to donate you money. Set up a paypal link to your credit or debit account, and just make up anything to sound like you need the money.

Hopefully I've given you all a few ideas on what you can do. You can do some or all of these things. I hold down a small job, do some work for myself, volunteer at a local school canteen ocassionally (while selling my own stuff), and enter competitions a lot. And Im also a full time student. I make more cash obviously doing extra than not doing it, even if its minimal. But you make minimal on benefits anyway, so any little extra helps me get more games. Hmmm games.

Cheers all,

Saga.