Tips on How to Make Extra Cash

All of us want to make extra money. In this day and age, we have many responsibilities, whether it be bills, credit card debt, or mortgages to pay off, here are a few tips on how to make some extra cash. Unlike other articles on this topic, this article focuses on managing your spending, and being smart about how you use your own money.

A lot of people talking about having a checking and savings account, but few people actually save money or save enough money. It is always smart to have money saved away in case of emergencies, or if you are trying to save up to pay off debts or purchase something. There are many methods on how to do this. Sometimes, your bank will even help you make money. Some banks have programs in which the extra change that you spend at the store will go towards your savings account.

The easiest way to save money, however, is to plan out how much you would like to save per week. It doesn't have to be a large amount. You could say, "I want to save 500 dollars, and I can do that by putting aside X amount of money each week." Think about all of the extra money you spend on things every week, and instead, try to put that towards saving money. It can be as little as five dollars per week or as large as 50 dollars per week, it just depends on how much money you can invest in this project. However much money you save is up to you.

Once you have saved enough money, open up that savings account you have been waiting for, and deposit your money. It is always smart to have savings in case of emergencies or other life situations in which you might need some extra cash.

Here is another simple and easy way to make money. Every time you go to the store and pay with cash, take the loose change and put it in a jar at home. If you find any loose or spare change at home lying around, add that to the jar. Watch as your money piles up over the course of a month. You might not have a ton of money there, but it will be worth it to see. My family did something like this when I was young. We were saving for a trip to Disney World. My parents had a big plastic container, and any time and of us had any spare change, we would put it in the jar. A year later, all of us were going to Disney World. It was definitely very satisfying and it was very cool to see how much money could be saved in a year's time just by doing that. Even just saving 50 bucks is something to be proud of. See how much you can save by collecting your spare change, you might be surprised at how much you can save.

Now that we have discussed a couple of ways to save money, let's talk about earning extra cash. There is this great new thing called Facebook Marketplace, where you can actually sell any items that you've been trying to get rid of. Here, I will talk about the benefits of both Facebook Marketplace and Ebay.

Selling items through Facebook Marketplace is super easy. All you need to do is post a picture and description of your item and wait for interested buyers. The cool think about this is that you can sometimes even make a sale the day you posted it, and it is an easy way to make fast cash. However, there are a few precautions you should always keep in mind when using Facebook Marketplace:

1. Never give out your address or too much identifying information about who you are to the buyer.

2. Always meet them somewhere public, where you can exchange and make sure everything is there (they gave you the right amount of money, and also so they can check what you have brought and make sure it functions and works properly).

The benefit of Facebook Marketplace is the ease of selling, but it is up to you to be smart about how you do things, so you have to be extra careful.

Ebay, on the other hand, does a lot of the hard work for you, and you don't have to meet face-to-face; you actually just ship the item to their address. Sometimes, even, you get people who will pay a lot more for something than if you posted it on Facebook Marketplace. Through my own experience, I've noticed how I have had to haggle and drop prices a lot more on Facebook Marketplace than on Ebay.

So really, it all boils down to how quickly you want the money. If you need fast cash, Facebook Marketplace is the way to go. If you are looking for more money and are willing to wait for the right offer, use Ebay instead.

Last but not least, I'd like to talk about one more way that you can make some extra money. This one, however, does require a little more work on your end. If you have something you can sell; a product, arts and crafts, etc. than Etsy would be the right fit for you. You can create your own shop there, and it is easy to set up an account. The cool thing about it is it is like your own store. If you have a product, and if you are a creative-minded individual, Etsy would be a great way for you to make some extra money. However, keep in mind that this is like your own little business. You have to promote your products for sale in order to make a profit from it. I have friends who use Etsy quite often to sell items, and it really is hit or miss with this website. Posting your products isn't enough. You have to be really into marketing what you have to offer in order to make the kind of money you want from it. However, maybe starting small and seeing what the demand is for the type of products you are thinking of selling might help you get an idea of where to take the business from there. I am actually in the process of starting my own shop on Etsy and I am looking forward to seeing how things will go with it. But again, this would probably be considered a passive income, and you can't expect to make tons of money with it. Maybe you will be that person that makes a ton of money using Etsy, but honestly, being realistic about these things is the way to go. See what you can offer to the site that is unique and cool and you might find yourself making a good profit.

There are many different ways you can make money these days, either by saving your own money, or selling items online. I find that these are the best ways to make extra cash. So many people talk about apps that pay you to take surveys and other things like that. I don't put those things on here because I have tried some of those and have seen how some of them are just scams. You don't want to get scammed. Nothing is worse than spending all your time on something trying to make money only to find out that it is a scam. That's why I say being smart about your finances, saving money, and selling items that you have or that you are making online are the best ways to go. This ensures that you will make some profit, whether large or small, over time, you will save money and profit from these methods.