Saving & Making Money

As a family of five with both parents in education, I am always looking for "easy" ways to make money! Here are some of the best ways I have tried out that take minimal effort!

• Open an Etsy Shop! $0.20 to list an item and 3.5% of the cost goes back to Etsy. Not too bad! This is great if you have a hobby or like to make digital products. I just spent $0.60 to open my shop with some digital files I had created for myself including schedule cards, a lesson plan book that will also have a notebook in the back (so tired of carrying so many things around at school!), and a 2016 planner. Yes, I realize it is only 2015, but I was in a mood :) Check it out! www.etsy.com/shop/TheOrganizedMe 
• Direct Sales are an option for people who have a bit more available time. I started selling Thirty-One about 2 years ago. I now have a team of people, and I average about $150 a month with only one party a month. Not all companies are the same, but I love Thirty-One. I do not need to keep any stock on hand, and I earn 25% commission on everything I sell. Plus I get some great rewards and incentives from the company and a small override from my team. Some months I have made as much as $700. Check it out! www.mythirtyone.com/348459/
• Ebates I signed up for Ebates in 2013, but I really didn't understand it or use it well. Living in a small town, I do the majority of my shopping (besides groceries) online. I shop at Amazon, Walmart, Target, The Children's Place, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes on a fairly regular basis (at least once a quarter). My kids use a lot of hand-me-downs, but sometimes I have to supplement with new clothing. I can also find all of the obscure items I can't find in my town. I try to shop local as much as possible, but then I move on to my online friends! Ebates will also show you all of the current coupons and deals for the store you are going to shop at, including the codes. You just log into Ebates, then search for your store. Ebates redirects you and then rewards you! Up to 6% at some stores, but most are 1-3%. 
• Nielsen Panel - You can download an app that tracks data from your phone, and you earn rewards that can get you actual items or gift cards. We love anything that can get a gift card. There are so many choices! I downloaded the app in December and am just racking up points right now for doing nothing besides sharing my information. Some people are really up posed to sharing information, but it doesn't bother me - definitely a personal choice!  
• Virtual Bee - If you have good typing skills, there are places that allow you to work from home and get paid by completing projects. At Virtual Bee, you take a three part "assessment" to evaluate your typing skills. The biggest challenge is following the complicated directions! You can take the assessment every 24 hours to improve your score. You are given a percentile and then may be offered jobs. I haven't completed any of the jobs so far, so I can't say any more about this one. 
• Walmart Savings Catcher - It is a free app that you download onto your phone. After shopping at Walmart, just scan the QR code on your receipt, and the app will compare what you paid to the nearby stores. If there is any lower advertised price than what you paid, you get the difference. You can get the money back in the form of a Walmart gift card. Since October, we have earned over $20 by scanning receipts. I am saving up for some items for the guest room! 
• Healthy Wage and Diet Bet - Two sites that allow you to "bet" on what you are going to lose. After entering your data, it shows you the returns you can earn on your money if you meet the goals. You have to have money in order to place a bet, however. 
• Thred Up and Like Twice - These online clothing thrift stores/consignment stores offer store credit for referrals as well as sending in your own clothes to sell. This won't be a huge money-maker, but it could help with clothing bills! 

I hope maybe one or more of these ideas can help you out! Rather than putting this money towards the general family fund, I find that I am more invested if I use it to save up for special things. On my current wish list: summer vacation splurges, trip to New York, fitness tracker, decorating the guest room, trip to Colorado, and patio furniture! Happy saving!