15 Ways to Make Money in 2015
15 Ways to Make Money in 2015
This is my fourth and final 15 of 15 series. I have shared 15 ways to save, 15 ways to invest, 15 ways to fight debt and now 15 ways to make money in 2015. As I shared on Monday, sometimes you have to think beyond your 9 to 5 job to make more money and make your financial dreams come true. If you need some inspiration, here are some of my thoughts:
1) Ask for a Raise
I think the first and easiest place to look for more money is in your current job. It’s never comfortable asking for more money; however, if you approach your boss at the right time and with the appropriate information, you may be surprised by the response. Sit down and objectively view your contribution to the company, create a list and compelling argument as to why you think you deserve a raise, and then set a convenient time to discuss it. When asking for a raise, always remember my favorite Wayne Gretzky quote,
"You miss 100% of the shots you never take."
2) Invest Your Money
As I wrote a few weeks back, I think one of the best ways to easily make more money is to invest the money you already have. From my perspective, my clients tend to keep too much money in cash and barely earn enough in interest to beat inflation, with a smart approach to investing, they make their money work for them rather than the reverse.
3) Freelance Writing
Last year I made a goal for myself to attend FinCon and pay for my trip with freelance writing income, and I achieved that goal and then some. I earned over $5,000 last year from freelance writing income alone. If you are thinking about this, a great site to find work is jobs.problogger.net or Odesk or check some of your favorite sites and see if they are looking for writers.
4) Secret Shopping
Secret Shopping was another way that I made money last year, and I even blogged about my experience. BestMark is the company I worked for, and I earned anywhere from $17 to $25 a shop. In some instances I earned free meals for secret shopping, and it was a great way for me to catch up with friends while not spending any money.
5) Create an Account on Fiverr
I confess that I typically think of going to Fiverr to look for someone to help me; however, my friend Lauren over at The Write Budget created a Fiverr site to earn more money and had great success with it. There are endless services you could advertise on Fiverr, and once you build a following, you can break out of the $5 gigs and ask for more.
6) Open an Etsy Storefront
This is actually a project I am toying with for 2015. I would love to sell some of the tools and resources that I provide clients through an online storefront like Etsy. It’s obviously the perfect site for the artsy and creative; however, you can sell just about anything through it. If you have had success with this, let me know in the comments.
7) Find Work on Craigslist
I used to think that Craigslist was only for finding an apartment or selling stuff online, but thanks to a chat with my friend Melanie, I realized that you could actually find all sorts of work through Craigslist. Just look out for creepy unemployed investment bankers who want you to clean their homes and watch while you do it.
8) Sell What You Don’t Need
We all have clothes and various other things in our homes that we don't need or use, and there are numerous resources we can utilize to sell these. If you live in a warm weather environment, a yard sale is a great way to do this. My hubby and I had one before we moved back to New York and made over $2,000. If you want to stick to online resources, Craigslist and eBay are great for goods and if you want to sell clothes, I like Twice or Tradesy, but here is also a list of 10 other great online clothes selling resources.
9) Weekend Warrior
As I mentioned on Monday, you don’t need to just stick to your 9 to 5 job to make money. I have a good friend who has worked for Ann Taylor on the weekends for over 10 years despite the fact that she has a day job at a large bank, and my client took a weekend job at Target to make some extra dough. There are plenty of other retail jobs for weekend work if you want it.
10) Network
Whether or not you are consciously looking for another job, you should always keep in touch with friends and family about what work could be out there for you. Even if you didn’t want the new job, it could give you leverage to go back to your current employer and get a raise. Either way, you should always keep your network alive and active because you never know when it will lead you to more money.
11) Think Outside the Box
My friend J. Money has a great resource of various side hustles that other people have worked and they include anything from a Chik Fil A mascot to a phone sex operator. When you are looking to make more money, the more creative you can get, the better your moneymaking opportunities.
12) Tutor in Your Favorite Subject
Depending on where you live and the subject you tutor, you could earn between $50 and $100 an hour tutoring. A great first step is sending your resume to department chairs at schools near you, or you can also check out tutor.com for jobs.
13) Pet Sitting / Kid Sitting
There are a number of places to go to find this kind of work, but I think the best thing to do is network with people you know, especially at work. If you mention that you are looking for work and could assist with these services, your co-workers could not only give you the business, but they are great and trusted referrers because they spend all day with you.
14) Get a Roommate
If you have extra space in your home, you should think about renting it out to a roommate. You will lose some privacy and there will be inconveniences; however, you could make thousands of dollars of extra income a year from sharing your space.
15) Start a Blog
Creating a successful blog takes a lot of work; however, there are many ways that you can make money from your blog. Some people utilize affiliate links to products and services and make money when you click on those links. Other bloggers accept sponsored posts where a company pays the blogger for a mention and/or link on the blog. Finally, you could make money like I did which is through freelance writing work that came as a result of having this blog.Gif Source: Giphy