Find Money - Manage Money - Save Money

I was reading a magazine [Marie Claire] a few months ago that had a few tips in it concerning money - finding, saving, managing - that I felt were very helpful and realistic.

Find Money

$50 - Cash in where you hang out!

During these holiday hours, pick up a shift at your favorite coffee house, store, or restaurant.  Could be "fun work" if you pick the right place!

$200 - Multitask.

I thought this was was really cool!  You would have to see if anyone in your area is actually using it and you had the time to complete more tasks, but on www.taskrabbit.com you can advertise one-off jobs with a rate and location.  It could be picking up a few bucks to go to the grocery store (you might have already been going) or earn a few hundred bucks in a few hours for packing boxes or editing audio files.  

$1,000 - Clean House.

I do this OFTEN with my clothing sales each season.  I am a clothes horse and love wearing and buying new bargain items.  I wear them a few times and then I am done with them.  So I sell them to those who would love to wear them again!  Sell items on Craigslist, eBay, or check out www.textbookbuyer.com for your old school books that you are no longer in need of.

$10,000 - Pursue what you love.

Become a representative with a direct selling business, open up a Etsy store, develop an idea that you have had for awhile.  You have the confidence in yourself and your abilities, so just gather up the gumption to develop the idea and get the business up and going!

Get a Raise in 3 Easy Steps

Do your Research

Visit sites like www.payscale.com to see how your earnings compare with peers elsewhere.

Time It Right

Get your company's fiscal calendar and plan your meeting before the annual budget is set.  Talk to the boss on Wednesday.  Monday's busy; people are in weekend mode by Friday.

Make Your Pitch

Say you love your job and want to discuss your future there.  List three recent accomplishments - e.g. you beat a deadline or increased sales.  Explain that you're hoping to improve your salary.  Name an amount.  If you don't get it, end the meeting by asking when would be a good time to follow up.

Manage & Save

1.  Assess what you've got.

Know where money goes each month and you'll feel instantly on top of things.  The quickest way to do it?  Sign up for a free site like www.mint.com.  You'll enter information for each credit card, bank account, retirement plan, loan, and investment; your account updates with every transaction  to give you the latest picture of your finances in a colorful, easy-to-read format.

2.  Make a Budget.

Throw out that calculator.  All you need now for a simple budget is your iPhone and one of those scores of low-cost apps that will keep you in the smart-spending zone.  Try Spend ($.99), which displays what you can blow for the day, week, or month.  Expenditure ($1.99), which has a currency converter for vacation money management; or iXpenselt ($4.99), which lets you store receipts digitally and even alerts you to upcoming bills before they're due.

3.  Maximize Your Paycheck.

Take pretax dollars from your salary to ensure you have funds for things you need.  A flexible spending account (FSA) lets you pay for health expenses like contact lenses or acupuncture.  A woman who is making $50,000 a year who puts $2,500 in her FSA coudl get a tax savings of $625.  Max out your matched 401(k).

4.  Ditch Credit Card Debt

If you carry a balance of $10,000 or even $1,000, paying it off is a priority, says the founder of www.learnvest.com.  Many cards have six-month introductory rates of 0%, which later reset high.  Transfer your balance to one of those, and for half a year, pay it down with every penny, then close the card.  

5.  Stay on Top of your Bills

Create an e-mail account like jansbills@gmail.com for electronic bill delivery.  Set up calendar alerts for each vendor three days before is due so you can read the statement and fix mistakes like inflated restaurant tips.  Forget automatic transfers - bills have errors.  You need to check them first.  

Check out www.feedthepig.org to get more information on saving for now and for the future!

Now that I have referenced Feed the Pig, that crazy [but catchy] commercial that you had to have heard on the radio, is playing in my head! 

Hope this is helpful!