Personal Finance 87

Have you already made your financial plans for 2018? Did you cut off from the list your next vacation just because after these holidays you can barely keep your head above water? You better write that destination again! Even better…you can double your time in your exotic destination without tighten the belt.

Whatever your goal is, we will help you reach it! Without a hint, it’s hard to figure out from where you can save several hundred or a few thousand dollars, so we’ve made a list of 19 simple ways you can save and make some money to move toward your goal.

Take advantage of these ideas and you will never regret it!

 

1. Do Gigs on Fiverr

No matter what type of service you offer, you can likely offer it on Fiverr. This is terrific for digital services such as graphic design, web design, short audio or video clip creation, editing services, writing and so on. If you have a bit of extra time and have decent command of the English language – you can make some good extra cash just from writing a few articles.

Fiverr has expanded beyond just the $5-per-gig model. Fiverr Pro pools the best talent on its platform. Depending on your skills, you could do considerably well on here. There are even some people making 6 to 7 figures a year just from Fiverr!

 

2. Negotiate A Better Mortgage Rate With HARP

If you’re a homeowner and you want to save yourself thousands of dollars this year, there’s a government program that you might be able to take advantage of called HARP. The Home Affordable Refinance Plan (HARP) could help hundreds of thousands of Americans reduce their monthly payments by as much as $3,500 in their first year.

The program was set to expire in 2017 but has been extended to 2018 for the time being. In order to qualify for HARP you’ll need good or excellent credit, so if you don’t have a very good credit rating then this probably isn’t for you.

To check if you qualify visit HARP Approvals, and fill out the short quiz (take 2 minutes). If lowering your payments, paying off your mortgage faster, and having an extra $290 a month in HARP savings would help you, then this could be the easiest money savings tip you take.

3. Drive For Lyft

Need a fun, flexible way to earn money this month? Try driving with Lyft! Demand for ridesharing has been growing like crazy, and it shows no signs of slowing down. To be eligible, you’ll need to be at least 21 years old with a year of driving experience, pass a background check and own a car made in 2007 or later.

We talked to Paul Pruce, who’s been driving full-time with Lyft for over a year. He earns $750 a week as a driver. Best of all, he does it on his own time. You can work days, nights or weekends — it’s up to you! Work 40 hours a week for one month, and you could bank up to $2,400. Just remember to include the cost of gas and car maintenance in your profit calculations.

4. Answer Questions on JustAnswer.com

People looking for expertise online. JustAnswer (and several sites like it) allow doctors, lawyers, engineers and others with enhanced knowledge to earn a small income merely answering questions from people who would otherwise have to pay a hefty sum for those answers.

 

5. Get Paid To Take Online Surveys

Let’s face it, a lot of us have a bit of extra time on our hands that we just spend watching TV. What if you could get paid a little bit of extra pocket money just for taking a few online surveys? Would you do it? There’s a new website called Survey Junkie that allows you to do just that.

You provide them with a bit of information about yourself and they’ll match you up with to surveys that you can complete for big brands. You then earn rewards and virtual points that you can redeem for Paypal or e-Giftcards. You won’t make a ton of money doing this, but it could help pay for a few things every month and it’s easy to do.

6. Get a Lower Auto Insurance Rate

You might think you’re already paying a low auto insurance rate, but recent research shows that only 5% of Americans over the age of 30 are paying less than $50 per month for car insurance. If you’re currently paying more than $50 per month, and have had no accidents or tickets in the past two years, you can probably secure a much lower car insurance rate.

The best way to do that is to compare quotes from multiple insurers – let them compete for your business. In fact, there’s a new website that allows you to do just that – it’s called Best Quotes Auto Insurance. Once you fill out the form on their website they’ll provide you with multiple quotes you can choose from. If you’re still not satisfied, you can always call up the major car insurance companies and let them know you’re looking for better offers and see what they say.

7. Cut The Cord on Cable Forever

Millions of Americans are completely cutting the cord on their monthly cable costs, allowing them to save $100+ per month in unnecessary fees. Many of them are switching to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video subscriptions, but there are also other ways you can get cable channels without needing to pay a monthly fee. All your local news, weather, sitcoms, cooking shows, kid’s shows, sports and thousands of movies are available for free with an antenna. In fact, most broadcast stations offer additional regional programming, absolutely free.

The TVFox antenna simply attaches to your current TV’s antenna jack (all TV’s have them), and then you get to enjoy Free Broadcast TV. It supports 1080p HDTV and has up to 30 miles of range, so it’s nothing like the “rabbit ears” you used in the past. If you find you’re not watching as much television as you used to, this could be the perfect solution for you and can save you a lot of money every month.

 

8.NEVER PAY FOR HOME REPAIRS AGAIN

Many homeowners don’t have the extra cash to shell out for repairs when something in the house breaks. You most likely have homeowners insurance right? But what about if your washing machine of 10 years breaks down? Or your dryer just stops working one day? Homeowner insurance won’t cover those repairs.

That’s why getting setup with a Home Warranty Program can actually end up saving you a lot of money in the long run. It will cover any unexpected repairs to your appliances, plumbing, water heaters, heating and other electrical systems.

They also will replace anything that they can’t fix. Make sure you shop around for rates on a home warranty program – this website will give you quotes that you can then choose from. A home warranty program should be a minor cost that can end up saving you major money.

9. Walk Dogs

There are networks devoted connecting dog owners with dog walkers. Rover is one of the largest networks of dog walkers out there. Of course, you could also use social media or just knock on neighbors doors to advertise your services, but you can easily use one of these services. Not only will this help your bank account but it will also help keep you fit!

 

10. SELL ON CAFÉPRESS OR ETSY

If you can design digital items, you can sell them for a share of the profits on a site like CafePress. You can do this with nothing more than some design software. They can include custom logos, inspirational sayings and other topical or trending designs appealing to the masses.

You could hire a designer to assist you with this, but you still need to come up with the ideas. This works best if you understand design yourself but requires no overhead. Items are printed and delivered on-demand. You simply receive a share of the proceeds. Similarly, you could sell items on Etsy as well.

 

11. INSTALL A HOME ALARM SYSTEM

This money saving idea is also for homeowners, so if you’re a renter you can skip this one. Did you know that homes without security systems are 2.5 times more likely to be targeted by burglars and intruders? But installing a home alarm system isn’t just to stop burglars and intruders, it can also save you big money year after year. A house alarm will save you money on your homeowners insurance policy (which is generally mandatory if you own a home).

In fact, on average installing a home alarm system will give homeowners a 10-20% discount on their insurance by having a high functioning home alarm system installed. The good news is that these home alarm companies are pretty desperate for customers at the moment so you can get a good deal.

For instance, one of the best alarm system companies – ADT is currently offering over $800 in savings if you just pay the installation fee. That means you basically get a free alarm system for over a year, just by paying a $99 fee.

12. Tutoring

Parents are always willing to invest in their children’s future. If you have a great deal of knowledge in subjects such as math, science or computers, you could tutor for cash.

Both Indeed.com and Care.com offer opportunities for tutoring local students. You could opt for either of these platforms or simply find your clients through your personal network or social media.

 

13. RENT A SPARE ROOM ON AIRBNB

AirBnB is a terrific platform for renting out a spare room. You can make some good money, especially if you live in a tourist destination. If you don’t mind the neighbors, then this is definitely an option. You can crash with friends and family and rent out your entire house if you’re really desperate.

 

14. Housecleaning

There’s a variety of platforms online that you could tap into for doing this, or you could simply scour your neighborhood or post on social media. You could use Amazon’s Home Services for this as well, or you could create your own simple, one-page website to advertise.

Either way, this is a terrific way to make upwards of $20 per hour or more doing a job that’s often in high demand. You could easily make this a long-term gig if you perform well and don’t cut corners.

 

15. FIXD – Save Thousands on Car Repairs!

Have you ever gone to an auto repair shop for an oil change, only to have the mechanic say you need a new transmission? Or has the mysterious “check engine” light come on, and next thing you know the mechanic has a list of expensive engine parts that need replacing? Unfortunately, mechanics know taking advantage of people is easy, given their lack of knowledge about car maintenance needs.

But there’s a new device you can carry with you in your car to tell you exactly what’s wrong with it. If you own a car built after 1996 then you can use this brilliant new device called Fixd to instantly diagnose any car problems. This means the next time your “Check Engine Light” happens to come on, you’ll know exactly what the issue is and the Mechanics won’t be able to lie to you! In the United States alone, this product did over $50,000,000 in sales in 2017.

16. Trade Cryptocurrencies (Forget About Bitcoin)

Many people have grossed over a million dollars in only 2 years. Others have started with $20,000 and found $256,000 in their account only 4 months later (That’s a whopping 1,280% ROI). One thing is for sure, trading cryptocurrencies is HOT! Bitcoin, Ethereum, and smaller coins are making people hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

 

17. Get Money Back Instantly For Stuff You’ve Already Bought

Do you love getting refunds? How cool would it be to get money back on stuff you’ve already bought without having to do a thing? Paribus is an app that lets you find out if stores you’ve shopped at online owe you a refund. It’s free to sign up. Paribus connects to your email account and checks your receipts. If they find out a retailer has dropped their price they file a price adjustment claim for you automatically. Try out Paribus.

Paribus works with a huge number of merchants that you probably already shop at, including Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Best Buy, Target, Apple, Kohl’s, and more!

 

18. Home Organizing

You could easily do home organizing for people. If you’re a tidy and organized person yourself, and you’re good at organizing spaces, why not offer your services to people around you? You’d be surprised at how many people, even on your own social media feed, might take you up on doing something like this.

Again, a site like Care.com also helps to connect home organizers with people looking for this type of service. It all depends on whether you want to go through a professional company or pitch it yourself to people that are already in your personal or business network.

 

19. Freedom Checks (Better Than Social Security)

Here’s something millions of Americans have never heard of. Apparently, thousands of Americans are now signing up for “Freedom Checks”, these are checks that make social security and every other government program look insignificant. In a special video presentation, Financial Expert Matt Badiali reveals how anyone can start collecting these checks.

BIG MONEY, BIG WASTES

Most of us make money mistakes, but they’re nothing compared to the wastes of money perpetrated by state organizations, private companies, and elite billionaires every year. So as 2017 comes to a close, let’s review the most staggering instances of financial waste in the past year—some that made headlines, and some that are still flying under the radar.

Click ahead to see the biggest wastes of money in 2017.

These days, it’s hard to stretch a dollar very far, but if you shop wisely, you can still get serious bang for your buck. From the perfect snack for you to one for your cat, they can all be had for $1 or less. Check out these tips!

One of the biggest challenges in personal finance is figuring out ways to spend less money — and one of the best ways to accomplish that is to cut down on your monthly expenses. Even though some of our regular bills might seem small and insignificant on their own, their cumulative effect can be enormous – and become a huge drain on our resources.

 

Did you know if you cut your spending by $13 a day, you’ll save $400 a month and $4800 a year? Pay attention to the little expenses because they really do add up. This is currently the most popular article on The Budget Diet, and I’ve updated it for December 2017, thanks to all the helpful comments. If you’ve read it before, read it again…a little frugal living refresher won’t hurt.

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As the bill becomes law, here are 34 things you need to know.

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Here are 10 tips and strategies for making sure you get the best-quality vehicle at the lowest price.