Money

6 Unique Ways To Quickly Increase Your Income

One can never have too many sources of income

Despite what we are made to believe, there is enough money and success for everyone. If we want it, we just have to learn how to work for it. We must feel with every fiber of our being that we deserve it in order to manifest it. Believe it, take actionable steps and soon you will take your piece of the financial pie. As a single mother, on and off, for the last twenty two years, I have learned how to struggle and how to survive on very little money and zero child support. I have learned to love working and wouldn’t stop now even if I was filthy rich and able to make that decision. I’m not.

I am way more comfortable financially than before. Even so, I still use multiple resources to keep extra money rolling in every month. I do all of this in addition to my full-time job. I also do this in addition to raising six kids, taking care of a husband, and maintaining my sanity. Would it be easier for some of us overachievers to be gold-diggers or prostitutes? Probably. But for me personally, my thin moral fabric and extremely flexible code of ethics prevents this route. At least for now.

The tips below are the actual ways I currently bring in a little extra money each month. Sometimes, in the past, these small little income sources were the reason for food getting on my table or a birthday present arriving on my doorstep.

Surveys

I brought in roughly $100 this year from doing online surveys. I will admit I could’ve done much better with this, but I find it absolutely tedious and boring. I tend to do it mainly when I have to wait somewhere and avoid public eye contact. I could make a lot more doing this if I didn’t hate it so much. I’m also a little paranoid as to what they do with this information.

There are an abundance of survey apps available. A few I have had success with in doing this are Eureka and Inbox Dollars.

Rebates

Mail in rebates, although a humongous pain in the rear, are definitely worth the time and hassle to do them. Usually, rebates are offered on higher ticket items, but occasionally you can find rebates on smaller goods, including groceries. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars on electronics and bigger ticket items this way.

Receipts

This one is by far my favorite because I can track my spending and make money at the same time. I have several apps that I use to scan my receipts. Once you get a whole lot scanned in, you can cash out to a gift card of your choosing. I always choose Amazon, just so you know. Every time I buy anything I save my receipts and scan them daily. Most require the receipts to be scanned within one week of purchasing. My favorites are Fetch Rewards and Ibotta, to name a few. I am not making any money off of this article with regards to affiliate links. This is purely a recommendation on what has worked for me.

Penny Stocks

I invest around $100 a month in the stock market, bitcoin or ETFs. There has definitely been a learning curve since I began doing this a few years ago, but I learn by doing. I feel like I’ve come a long way for a novice investor. I wouldn’t go as far as to call myself a day trader yet, but I’ll be there before too long.

I actually didn’t expect to gain anything the first year I began experimenting with stock trading, because I learn by trial and error. Actually, I usually learn the best by learning via mistake. I was prepared to take a few losses and I did. But I started making a profit much quicker than I anticipated.

Silent Investments

I know a few people who make money this way. One man donated money to an entrepreneur starting a vending machine business and became a silent investor. In return, he gets a certain percentage of the profits each month. It sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I know another person who makes small loans and makes a return on his investment with the interest. I have done this before. It makes me feel somewhat guilty each time, so I haven’t done this as much as I could have.

Writing

I will not lie and say I have made any significant amount of money doing this, but can you put a price on sanity? Actually, you can. I save thousands of dollars on therapy and medication by writing as a stress release and a form of self care. There are many moments in my life where my writing has been my only outlet and source to vent to. That isn’t even counting all the things that I have written down instead of talking to my husband about.

Selling

There are many benefits to getting rid of old, unwanted items. First, it is amazing for your mental health when you declutter. Secondly, it provides a passive stream of income. There is a ton of money to be made in just gathering and posting old items to sell, especially with children’s items. Children’s items sell extremely fast since they outgrow things so quickly. Usually, that means great condition is almost guaranteed. In fact, many parents have to sell items with the tags still on them!

I put things on Offer Up and Poshmarks, which are both apps. I also sell things I have repurposed or no longer need in my sister’s consignment booth.

In conclusion, never doubt that we are the ones in control of our destiny and our finances. We only have to make the time in order to make the money.