The following is a guest post by Dean Sherwin who writes the personal finance blog Art of Stinginess.
Some people like to get away from their desks at lunch time, which is fine. But others like to hang around the office chatting with their fellow co-workers waiting for normal work to resume. That can be a long hour to stand around doing nothing proactive.
Over the past couple of years as I became more and more interested in personal finance (the reason I started my own blog) I began to pick up various tips and tricks which can be done quickly with little effort. It amazed me how little the vast majority knew about these. And if they did they normally assumed it was too hard or even ‘too good to be true’. I’d like to share with you six of those tips in the hope you’ll consider implementing a few them into your life (or lunch break) to save and make some dough-re-me.
Online Surveys
Online surveys have received a lot of bad publicity but they’re actually a great way to earn an extra few bucks. When you’re first starting off the pay can be as low as $2 per questionnaire. However, over time your pay increases as your reputation does. By answering 2-3 questionnaires every day (maybe even using multiple services) you can easily increase the amount you’re paid (some people can get paid $40 for answering one questionnaire). However, don’t be fooled. This isn’t easy money at first. It takes time to build your pay up – but hey, it’s more profitable than standing around the water cooler.
Start a Blog
We all have hobbies that interest us profoundly. For some it’s gardening. For others it’s sports. Heck, even if your hobby is just raving about last night’s TV you can blog about it. Like-minded people follow such blogs in search of tips, tricks and above all; entertainment. Once you make your articles reader-friendly then you should start to see some traffic. In general, I stick to three rules when blogging. It’s got to be informative, entertaining and easy to understand.
Starting a blog is easy. For those less tech savvy, the best choice of service would be Blogger.com. You can have a blog set up there within five minutes. Once you have a loyal readership you can monetize the site with ads and affiliate links. The web is filled with guides about how to get started on this venture – but be warned, the success rate in blogging of making a second income is around the 8% mark. Only for those without dollar signs in their eyes!
Do your Shopping
I know this may seem like a weird one but bare with me. By shopping online when you’re taking a lunch break you save yourself two things: time and money. Often, online prices can be up to 10% cheaper than in store. Plus the sheer availability of coupons and promotional codes online is astounding. To avail of thousands of coupons, go to either Ask Deals or Coupons.com. You can then ask for your purchases to be delivered when you get home if it’s groceries or simply wait a few days for your package to be delivered.
Write Internet Copy
While this is similar to blogging – you’ll be earning from day one. Although it is less rewarding (speaking from personal experience). Writing articles for large sites can earn you a hefty income and there’s no reason you couldn’t get one done every day on your lunch break or even in a few spare hours on the weekend. The one and only site I recommend you write for is Bright Hub. The reason for this is that they actually pay their writers good. Unlike other sites where it can be as little as $3 per piece. You $10 for every article you write plus the advertising revenue each article brings in (no matter how long the article has been on there). So, even after the initial pay for an article has been sent to you, the article will still earn you a few dollars every month through advertising (depending on popularity). They focus on mostly technology and the likes but it’s not hardcore.
Sell Your Hobby
Yes, I’m serious. Almost every creative hobby has a money making angle to it. Most people are particularly skilled at their hobby of choice and that skill is almost often sought by others.
Take for example an amateur photographer. Small magazines and newsletters are always looking for photographs. That one great shot you took on your last photography trip could easily make you $50. Contacting the publications directly can be daunting and time consuming, so I recommend a site such as Alamy.com or ShutterShock.
Other hobbies include PC building, modifying gadgets, painting and wood craft. Pretty much anything whereby you end up with a finished product someone would be proud to call their own. Ebay is a great site to start.
Rearrange your Finances
Many of us put off this ghastly chore for a long time. A working environment is probably the best place to get it done. Quick moves such as cancelling expensive credit cards, switching checking accounts, moving insurers or simply calling up to ask for a better deal can save you a week’s wages when you add it all up.
Obviously, the bigger financial decisions should be done at home when you have your books in front of you but the basics such as the ones I listed above are fine and take no longer than a few minutes online or on the phone.
Hopefully, by taking the first step into putting some more cash into your wallet by changing how you spend your lunch hour will change how you spend your weekends!
About the Author:
This was a guest post by Dean Sherwin from Art of Stinginess – a personal finance blog specializing in neat tips and tricks to save you money every day without altering your lifestyle or refinancing a single thing. Click here to read more article like the one above.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
These ideas are great ways to use time and possibly generate some extra income on the side. However if you want to make serious money you will have to spend more time on it or possibly sign up for a coaching service. I am currently using one now and look forward to see if it will work out.
Hi Thomas!
Glad you liked the article.
The more time you dedicate to one or more of these methods, the more you’ll make.
However, the evrage lunch time per week is five hours so you could in theory make $50 extra per week. Which would be nice.
And of course if you do them at home, more cah will come your way!
Thanks,
Dean
Art of Stinginess
A great list, I must say. Another simple way is to brown bag your lunch instead of wasting $5-$10 five times a week going out to eat. Food from home is much cheaper, its got to be more healthy 9 times out of 10, and the savings are instant!
Hi David
I agree. Bringing your own lunch can ave you tonnes of money.
There’s actually a post similar to that on the Art of Stinginess homepage at the minute about reducing your food bills to just $5 per day!
-Dean
Anyone caught “The Richest Man in Town” by W Randall Jones? I was suspect of this topic at first, but it is well worth the read. An excellent view into the mind of self made billionaires.
http://www.therichestmanintown.com