Money making/savings tips

Moms, pregnant women, or even just regular broke women are always looking for ways to make a little extra side cash. Unlike starting your own side business which takes a lot of time/committment, these are some simple things I've learned that anyone can do for extra money. I've been home for a month now trying to "break even" and I live by these things. I'll go into more detail later about things NOT to do, and more in depth about some of these ideas as well.

Fill out online surveys

This is not by any means a serious money-maker, but you get paid for every survey you take and if you do them all the time, it can add up to some extra cash. In a month, I've earned about $35 so far. Like I said, its nothing substantial but it can pay for one nice meal out, new baby outfits, a manicure, lots of things really. In another post, I'll go into some more detail about different survey sites, the rewards, pros and cons.

Mystery Shopping

Like the online surveying, this does not usually amount to a serious income, but you can make some decent extra cash doing it. In the month I've been home, I've earned about $120 so far from mystery shopping and have two more assignments lined up which will grant me another $50 plus a free meal at McDonalds. Like the online surveying, you have to know which sites to trust and which ones not to. More about that in a later post as well.

Always check receipts

Not just so you can make sure you were accurately charged (which is a good idea too) but quite a few retailers, Wal-mart and Michaels to name a few; provide a link on their receipts to an online survey you can fill out based on your customer service experience that day in the store. You don't get paid, however, you usually get entered into a draw to win a decent amount of cash or prizes. Of course the odds are against you, but I think its always worth the few minutes it takes. I've filled out a couple so far and haven't won anything yet, but fingers are always crossed :)

Sell your stuff!
Take some serious time to go through your items, and try to sell them online or at local thrift stores. There are some that will pay cash on the spot for items in good condition; you just have to know where to go. There are others, like the consignment shop in my town, that don't pay you on the spot - however, they pay you a percentage of what your items sell for. I've only made $10 this month so far, but I'm still the process of selling my stuff so hopefully more luck down the line :)