For most of us, there will come a time in our lives when we have trouble with money. Whether we’re struggling to pay the bills, having to frantically redraw budgets for our kids’ birthdays or realising that the savings we’ve made for our year-end holiday are just not quite enough, money troubles are a common dread for most of us.
It doesn’t have to be this way, though. Through a combination of savvy, intelligent spending and clever workarounds, you can squeeze just that little bit more use out of the money you do have in your pocket, and use clever methods to get a little more. Read here for advice to help you when money is tight - there are lots of options.
Take out a loan
It sounds counterintuitive, but taking out a loan can really help you if your tight spot isn’t a massive emergency. If you’re really, seriously struggling, then a loan probably won’t help and could in fact hurt your situation, but if you just find yourself a little short each month then a loan could be the answer to your worries. Make sure you find yourself a good personal loan provider, because there are plenty of unscrupulous companies out there who just want to exploit you. Decide how much you need and don’t borrow more than that – it’ll only come back to bite you later. Once the cash is in your pocket, it’s a good idea to spend it on whatever debts or financial obligations you have, since consolidating your debts (remember those ads?) makes things much easier. If there’s a little left over afterwards, don’t be afraid to treat yourself!
Sell old possessions
Chances are there’s a lot of stuff gathering dust in your home that someone else could use much more than you could. If you’ve got kids, have a talk with them about their old (old, not new) video game consoles and see if they still use them; if they don’t, that could be a great source of cash for the family. If your kids don’t want to part with their electronics, or you don’t have any, then there’s still plenty of stuff you could get money for. Old DVDs, music CDs, smartphones and other electronics can all fetch a pretty penny on sites like CEX or Mazuma, and even if the amount isn’t transcendent, every little helps, right? There’s bound to be something in your house that you don’t need any more, and money troubles provide the perfect time to start thinking about selling. Another great option is discount and voucher codes - website like DealsDaddy.
Pick up blogging
If you’re a smart cookie and a writer to boot, there could be a place for you in the blogging world. If you’re new to this whole thing, blogging is basically just people writing down their thoughts about things, compiling lists of exemplary products in certain fields, or just telling stories about themselves or their lives. Some people have managed to make extremely lucrative careers out of blogging through clever use of affiliate marketing (building links to other websites within a blog) or targeted social media influencer campaigns. Be aware that if you do want to pick up blogging, it’s likely to take you a little while to build up the kind of following that will regularly make you money, so this probably isn’t really an option for those of you struggling in a short-term sense. Once you have got the following, though, it’s one of the most rewarding ways to make money there is.
Become an Uber driver
You might have heard some slightly unsavoury things about Uber, but the fact is that this company remains a great way to pocket a supplemental income, especially if you find yourself working significantly less than full-time hours. To become an Uber driver, all you’ll need is the right to work where you live, a clean driving license and a car that isn’t about to break down. If you’ve got all of those things, you can simply sign up with Uber and decide when and where you want to work. You control which fares you pick up, how much money you make and when you want to stop. Uber might not be the best job for people who hate driving, but if you often find yourself cruising around the city streets late at night looking for purpose, you could do a lot worse than driving for Uber.
Sell your designs
This one’s for the creative types among you. If you’re a dab hand with digital design, then you could sell your shirt designs, logos and other things on CafePress. You can design everything yourself, or you could enlist the help of a designer to assist you, and once you’ve decided on a design to sell, CafePress will print and ship items on demand as orders come in. Similarly, if you’re a craftsperson and you want somewhere for your items to go on sale, give Etsy a try. Etsy is essentially CafePress for physical objects: blankets, figurines, knitted clothing, anything. If you have a creative bone in your body and you’re itching to get your work seen while making a bit of fast cash, give these sites a go.
*This is a collaborative post*