Starting a bookkeeping business may be worth looking into.

Bookkeepers help business owners organize their finances, keep their records accurate, and understand where their money is going. Since most businesses need bookkeeping help every month, this can also be a great way to build recurring income instead of constantly looking for new one-time jobs.

You can start small with just one client, work around your current job or family schedule, and grow the business at your own pace. You also don’t need to be a CPA or have an accounting degree to get started.

Today, I have a great interview with Jaime Rodriguez about how to start a bookkeeping business and how AI is changing the industry.

Jaime started his bookkeeping business, Paralledger, in 2017 after taking the Bookkeeper Launch course. At the time, he was working as a controller for a law firm and commuting more than an hour each way. He wanted a more flexible way to work and decided to build a business of his own.

Over time, Jaime grew Paralledger to around $105,000 a year in revenue as a solo bookkeeper while working about 15 hours a week. His business later grew into a team that brought in nearly $220,000 a year.

Jaime eventually joined Bookkeepers.com, became CEO, and purchased the company in 2025. Now, he helps other people learn how to become bookkeepers and start their own businesses.

Of course, with AI becoming more common, you may be wondering if bookkeeping is still a good business to start.

Jaime believes it is. AI can help with some of the repetitive work, but businesses still need real people to review the numbers, catch mistakes, ask questions, and explain what everything means.

Not sure whether bookkeeping would be a good fit for you? Jaime has a free three-part Bookkeeper Launch training that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what bookkeepers do, how to find clients, and what the income potential may look like. It is a helpful way to explore the business before deciding whether you want to invest more time or money into it. You can sign up for the free Bookkeeper Launch classes here.

How To Build a Successful Bookkeeping Business Today

In this interview, you will learn:

• What a bookkeeper actually does
• How much a freelance bookkeeper can earn
• How to find your first bookkeeping client
• Whether you need a degree or accounting experience
• How AI is changing bookkeeping
• Which bookkeeping tasks still need a real person
• How to start a bookkeeping business from home

If you are interested in a flexible work-from-home business with the potential for recurring monthly income, you will enjoy this interview.

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Bookkeeper Launch Course

This free training will teach you what you need to know to become a virtual bookkeeper and make money from home.

Sign Up Here

1. Can you introduce yourself and share your personal story, including how you went from being a Bookkeeper Launch student to owning Bookkeepers.com? When you were a bookkeeper, how much did you earn each month and was it a full-time business for you?

I’m Jaime Rodriguez. I own Bookkeepers.com, and I also started a bookkeeping firm called Paralledger. The funny part is that I was a Bookkeeper Launch student long before I ever imagined owning the company.

In 2017, I had an accounting degree and worked as a controller for a law firm. I knew accounting. What I didn’t know was how to build a bookkeeping business of my own. I was working long days and commuting over an hour each way. I wanted a different way to work, but wanting that and knowing how to get there are two different things.

I enrolled in Bookkeeper Launch in March 2017 and started Paralledger that year. I learned how to find clients, price my work, put systems in place, and deal with the questions that come up when you’re responsible for someone else’s books. Having people to ask when I got stuck mattered as much as the lessons did. I got my first client within a few months.

Eventually, while I was the only bookkeeper and had no staff, Paralledger brought in as much as about $105,000 a year, or roughly $8,750 a month in revenue. At that stage I worked around 15 hours a week on the business. I don’t want someone to read that and think it happened the month after I enrolled. It took time to learn the work, earn trust, and build a client base.

Later, I joined the Bookkeepers.com team in 2019, became CEO in 2024, and purchased the company in 2025. Paralledger grew into a team business while I worked full-time at Bookkeepers.com. At its peak, the firm brought in just under $220,000 a year in revenue, and about $150,000 was my take-home pay. I spent around 20 hours a month on Paralledger then because my staff did the other client work. Those are two very different stages of the business, and I think it’s important to be clear about that.

Now I get to teach the program that helped me start. I remember what it feels like to look at a blank page and wonder, “Okay, but how do I actually get someone to hire me?”

2. For someone who is completely new to this, what does a bookkeeper actually do?

A bookkeeper helps a business owner know where the money went, what the business earned, what it owes, and whether the numbers can be trusted.

Say a small business owner opens QuickBooks and sees hundreds of bank transactions. Some are customer payments. Some are supplies, payroll, or transfers between accounts. A bookkeeper makes sure they’re recorded in the right places, checks that the records agree with the bank and credit card statements, and investigates anything that doesn’t make sense. Then we help the owner understand the reports. Did the business make money this month? Are customers paying? Is there enough cash for the bills coming up?

The software can import a transaction, but it doesn’t always know the story behind it. A $2,000 withdrawal could be an equipment purchase, a loan payment, an owner distribution, or something else. Getting that wrong can give the owner a misleading picture of the business.

If you like organizing information, solving little mysteries, and helping people feel less lost with their finances, you may enjoy bookkeeping. You don’t need to be a human calculator. You do need to care about accuracy and be willing to ask questions when something looks off.

3. Is starting a bookkeeping business still a good side hustle for beginners?

Yes, for the right person. One appealing part is that many clients need help every month. If you do good work and build a relationship, you can have recurring work rather than starting from zero each month. You can begin with one client while keeping your job and decide how much you want to grow.

But I want to be straight with people: starting a business takes work. You need to learn the skill, practice it, talk to potential clients, and follow through. The flexibility comes from building a business and good systems. It doesn’t mean there are never deadlines or a client question on an inconvenient day.

If what you need right now is money this weekend, I wouldn’t tell you to start a bookkeeping business and expect an instant paycheck. If you’re willing to learn a useful skill and build something over time, it can be a strong side business that fits around a job or family responsibilities.

4. Do you think AI will replace bookkeepers? Why or why not?

I think AI will replace a lot of tasks bookkeepers used to spend time on. I don’t think a business owner can safely hand over the books to an AI tool and stop paying attention.

We already have software that suggests categories and matches transactions. AI makes those suggestions faster and can help with more complicated workflows. That’s useful. It also means a bookkeeper who only offers to enter data will have a harder time explaining their value.

Here’s an example from my firm. Our staff used to pull a payroll summary, find the right totals, and manually create the payroll journal entry in QuickBooks. We built an automation that takes the report, extracts the figures, and posts the entry. Now the bookkeeper reviews whether the entry was entered correctly. That review isn’t ceremonial. The bookkeeper needs to understand the accounts, catch something unusual, and make sure the result matches what actually happened.

To me, the role is shifting from doing every piece of data entry to supervising the tools and taking responsibility for the books. That makes bookkeeping fundamentals more valuable, because you cannot review work you don’t understand. I wouldn’t tell a beginner to ignore AI. I’d tell them to learn bookkeeping first so they can use AI well.

5. What bookkeeping tasks still need a real person, even when AI tools are being used?

The big one is judgment. A bank feed shows what moved through the bank. It doesn’t tell you why. If a business owner bought something on a personal card, paid a loan in several installments, or accidentally deposited the same customer payment twice, the bookkeeper has to figure out what happened and ask the right questions.

Reconciliations still need attention. A tool might propose matches, but someone needs to determine why the books and statement don’t agree and whether the difference is a missing transaction, a duplicate, a timing issue, or an error from months ago. Cleanups are especially good examples because the information is often incomplete or inconsistent.

There’s also the human side. A client may say, “We were busy all month, so why is cash tight?” That question requires a conversation and a look at the business, not just a nicely formatted report. A good bookkeeper can explain what the numbers show, what still needs checking, and when to involve the client’s CPA or another specialist.

AI can help prepare work. The bookkeeper is responsible for checking it and communicating with the person who relies on it.

6. What does “AI bookkeeping” mean, and how are bookkeepers currently using AI in their businesses?

People use that phrase for a few different things. Sometimes they mean features already inside accounting software, like suggesting a transaction category. Sometimes they mean using an AI tool to read a document or draft a client message. And sometimes they mean connecting several tools so a repetitive process runs with less manual work.

The payroll example is the kind of practical automation I care about. The staff uploads a payroll report, the workflow identifies the figures needed for the journal entry and creates it in QuickBooks, and a bookkeeper checks the result. You can apply a similar idea to pulling information from bills or organizing payment processor reports. The point is to save time on repeated steps while keeping a person who understands the books in charge.

I also think there’s a difference between using AI to help you think and allowing it to act. Drafting a checklist is one thing. Posting an entry into a client’s books is another. The more an automation can change, the more important it is to have clear review steps. If I’m teaching someone new, I want them comfortable with the bookkeeping basics before they rely on a tool’s answer.

7. How should bookkeepers talk about their value when potential clients think AI can do everything for them?

I wouldn’t argue with a client about whether AI is powerful. It is. I’d ask what they actually need solved.

If they say, “QuickBooks already categorizes my transactions,” I might ask, “Great. Who checks those categories? When was the last time all your accounts were reconciled? Can you explain why your profit went up but your bank balance went down?” Those questions move the conversation toward the outcome the owner cares about: numbers they can trust and understand.

I’d say something like, “I use technology to get the routine work done efficiently. You’re hiring me to make sure your books are accurate, spot what needs attention, and explain what your numbers mean.” That’s a much better conversation than selling the number of transactions you can enter.

And be honest about your scope. A new bookkeeper doesn’t need to claim to be a tax expert or a CFO. Doing reliable monthly bookkeeping, communicating clearly, and knowing when to ask for help is already valuable.

8. Do you need a degree, accounting experience, or special certification to become a bookkeeper?

No. I had an accounting degree before I started Paralledger, but you don’t need to follow my path. Plenty of good bookkeepers came from completely different careers. What you do need is training, practice, and the ability to recognize when something in a client’s books doesn’t look right.

You also don’t need to be a CPA to offer bookkeeping services. A CPA license and the training to run a bookkeeping business are different things.

I understand why someone without an accounting background would want more than a course completion badge before taking on a client. That’s why Bookkeeper Launch helps students work toward the Associate Digital Bookkeeper Certificate. Students learn the fundamentals, practice applying them, and take both knowledge and practical final exams to earn it. It gives you a way to demonstrate what you’ve learned as you build the confidence to do the work.

And if you’re thinking, “I’ve never been good at math,” bookkeeping is more about understanding what happened in a business and paying attention to detail than doing calculations in your head. The software does the arithmetic. Your job is to understand and check the result.

9. What are the basic steps to starting a bookkeeping business from home?

First, learn what the work actually involves. Don’t buy software and start advertising because you like the idea of working from home. Learn how transactions flow through the books, how to reconcile an account, and what an income statement and balance sheet are telling you.

Second, practice on examples where you can make mistakes and correct them. Try categorizing transactions, reconciling a bank account, and finding an error. You want to understand why an answer is right, not memorize where to click in QuickBooks.

Third, decide what you will offer. Monthly bookkeeping for a small business is a sensible place to start. Spell out what you’ll do, what the client must provide, when you’ll deliver reports, and what work costs extra. Set up the business, client agreement, secure way to receive documents, and a repeatable process for onboarding and monthly work.

Fourth, start having conversations. Think about business owners you know, people who serve them, and a type of business you would enjoy helping. Ask what is frustrating them about their books. Your first goal is to understand the problem and see whether you can solve it, not to pitch everyone you meet.

Finally, take good care of the first client. Communicate, ask when you’re unsure, and keep improving your process. A business grows one trustworthy relationship at a time. And if a client needs a cleanup or work beyond your current ability, get support before you promise a result.

10. How much can a freelance bookkeeper realistically earn, and how many hours might they work?

There isn’t one reliable income number because clients differ in size and complexity, and the first months of building a business look nothing like an established practice. But I can give you an example of how the math could work.

A straightforward small monthly client might pay around $300 to $400 and take about five to eight hours a month or less once the process is running smoothly. Three such clients at $350 each would bring in $1,050 in monthly revenue. At that workload estimate, the recurring client work might take about 15 to 24 hours a month. That’s before prospecting, admin, software, taxes, and the extra work of bringing those clients aboard. It’s an illustration, not a promise or an estimate of take-home pay.

Onboarding may add about 10 hours for a new client in the first month. A cleanup is different work altogether. Depending on how far behind the client is, it can take around 10 hours a week while the cleanup is underway, and a multi-month or multi-year project might be priced anywhere from about $2,000 to $10,000 based on size and complexity. You should assess the books and define the scope before quoting that kind of job. Cleanup fees are project revenue, not recurring monthly income.

My own numbers show what can happen after a business has clients and systems. I reached about $105,000 a year in revenue as a solo bookkeeper working around 15 hours a week. The later $220,000 revenue year involved a staff doing most of the client work. Neither figure is what a new bookkeeper should expect to earn right away. Start with what one client would mean for your life, then build from there. What could one client paying you an extra $350 a month do for you?

11. How can a new bookkeeper find their first client if they do not have experience or testimonials yet?

You don’t have to pretend you’ve run a bookkeeping firm for 10 years. You do have to be ready to do the work, explain what you can help with, and be honest about what you’re still learning.

Start with people who already know and trust you, including business owners and the people who work with them. Tell them clearly what you do. “I help small business owners keep their books current and understand their monthly numbers” is more useful than “I started a company, please refer me.” Ask about the frustration they’re dealing with. Are they behind? Do they dread opening QuickBooks? Does their tax preparer keep asking for things they can’t find?

Then offer a specific next step, such as a conversation about their current process. Listen before you quote a price. If the books are behind, figure out the cleanup separately from the monthly work. And don’t wait until your website, logo, and social accounts are perfect to speak with a real person.

Your first client might come from a friend, a local business connection, or a referral from a CPA who doesn’t want to take on monthly bookkeeping. It may take more conversations than you hoped. Keep learning, keep reaching out, and make it easy for someone to see that you’re careful, responsive, and willing to solve a real problem.

12. Can you share an example of someone who started a bookkeeping business and what their experience has been?

Kandi Johnson’s story is a good one because it shows both the opportunity and the work behind it. She joined Bookkeeper Launch in 2020 while she was an executive director at a chamber of commerce. She had years of banking and customer service experience, but she wasn’t already running a bookkeeping firm. She thought bookkeeping could become a side business and went through the training during the shutdown.

When she finished, she posted on Facebook about her training and her Associated Digital Bookkeeper certification. A friend with an event management business was doing her books on paper. Kandi offered to help at a low introductory rate and used that first relationship to learn what her invoicing, engagement letter, and document process should look like. Another friend became a virtual client. She talks openly about second-guessing herself and redoing reconciliations while she learned. She had only two clients in her first year, and that was enough for her at the time.

Later, a CPA she knew through the chamber asked whether she could subcontract for him as he moved away from bookkeeping. She worked with roughly 15 of his clients for a year, and 14 moved to her business when he stopped offering the service. Those relationships led to more referrals. Today, Kandi has a team and serves roughly 60 to 70 clients.

That isn’t a typical first-year result or a reason to expect 70 clients. What I like about her story is that she started small, asked people she knew, learned from mistakes, and built relationships that led to the next opportunity. She also talks about working too much before hiring, so there’s a lesson about building a business you can actually sustain.

13. What advice would you give someone who is interested in bookkeeping but worried that AI has made it too late to begin?

I’d tell them to spend less time trying to predict the entire future of AI and more time seeing whether they like the actual work.

AI changes the tools. Business owners still need accurate records, answers to their questions, and someone who notices when the numbers don’t make sense. A beginner today should learn the fundamentals and become comfortable with technology. Those things work together. If you know how bookkeeping works, you can check an AI suggestion, fix a bad entry, and improve a process. If you skip the fundamentals, you may just make mistakes faster.

I also wouldn’t tell you to quit your job tomorrow. Take a look at the work. Try some practice bookkeeping. See whether you enjoy bringing order to a messy situation and explaining it to another person. If you do, take the next step and build your skills. If you don’t, it’s better to learn that early.

The question I’d ask isn’t “Will AI exist?” Of course it will. It’s “Do I want to become the person a business owner trusts to use these tools well and take care of their books?”

14. Can you tell us about the Bookkeeper Launch class and what readers will learn? How is Bookkeeper Launch different from your AI Bookkeeping program, and who is each program designed for?

Bookkeeper Launch is for someone who wants to learn bookkeeping and build a business around it. We teach the bookkeeping fundamentals, give students practice, and cover the parts I needed help with when I started: finding clients, pricing, onboarding, building systems, and delivering the work. There’s a community and support when you hit a roadblock, whether the question is about a client’s books or growing your business. That support is a big reason I joined as a student in the first place.

AI Bookkeeping is a separate program for people who already understand the work and want to use AI and automation to improve how they do it. That’s where we get into practical systems that can reduce repetitive tasks, like extracting information from bills or processing payroll data. It isn’t the starting point for someone who has never reconciled an account. You need to know what good bookkeeping looks like before you can supervise a tool that helps produce it.

If you’re reading this and wondering whether bookkeeping is even a good fit for you, start with our three free classes. They show you what the work involves, how people get started, and what the income opportunity looks like. You can decide whether you want to go further before paying for a program. I would rather have you watch them and decide this isn’t for you than buy a course because someone made the business sound effortless. It isn’t easy, and it isn’t for everyone. But if the work clicks for you and you’re ready to put in the effort, Bookkeeper Launch gives you a path and people to turn to while you build.

Want to see if bookkeeping is a good fit for you? You can sign up for the three free Bookkeeper Launch classes here. You’ll learn more about what bookkeepers do, how the business works, and how beginners can get started.

Are you interested in starting a bookkeeping business? What would be your biggest concern about getting started?

10

Bookkeeper Launch Course

This free training will teach you what you need to know to become a virtual bookkeeper and make money from home.

Sign Up Here

Recommended reading:

• How To Become a Bookkeeper With No Experience (Step-by-Step Guide)
• How To Become a Bookkeeper and Make $40,000 Per Year
• 20 Of The Best Entry Level Work From Home Jobs
• 15 Monthly Service Business Ideas To Start
• How To Find Online Bookkeeping Jobs

The post Will AI Replace Bookkeepers? How One Bookkeeper Built a Six-Figure Business appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

When you don’t make a lot of money or are trying to manage with rising everyday costs, it can feel like your entire paycheck disappears as soon as you get paid. Between rent, groceries, utilities, insurance, and everything else, there may not be much left over.

And if you’re already spending as little as possible, you may be wondering how you’re supposed to budget when you barely have enough money to cover your bills.

I understand how frustrating that can be, and many people are feeling the same way right now. Everything just feels so expensive lately!

When I was paying off my nearly $40,000 in student loan debt, I paid close attention to how much money I was making and spending. I was constantly looking for ways to lower my expenses and earn extra money because I wanted to get rid of my debt as quickly as possible.

Having a budget helped me figure out where my money was going and how much I could afford to put toward my goals.

But I also know that budgeting looks very different when you’re making $1,500 a month compared to $5,000 a month. If most of your income goes toward your basic living expenses, you probably don’t have much room to make changes.

In today’s article, I’m going to explain how to budget on a low income, including how to divide your paycheck, plan for bills, and make a budget when you don’t have much extra money. I’ll also share monthly budget examples for people earning $1,500, $2,000, and $3,000.

You don’t need any fancy budgeting tools to get started, either – a notebook or spreadsheet on your computer can work just fine.

P.S. I have a free monthly budget printable that you can download by clicking here (no signup or anything needed).

How To Budget on a Low Income

Below are the steps I would take to create a budget on a low income.

1. Figure out exactly how much money you make

Before you can create a budget, you need to know how much money you have coming in.

And I’m talking about your take-home pay, not how much you make before taxes.

For example, if you earn $35,000 a year, you won’t actually have $35,000 to spend because taxes and other deductions may come out of your paychecks.

To get started, look at your recent pay stubs or bank deposits and write down how much money you actually receive.

You’ll want to include income from things like:

• Your full-time or part-time job
• A second job
• Side hustles
• Freelance work
• Child support or other regular payments
• Any other money you regularly receive

If you get paid twice a month, figuring out your monthly income is pretty easy. Just add your two paychecks together.

If you get paid every two weeks, it’s a little different – let’s say you bring home $900 every two weeks. You would receive 26 paychecks throughout the year, which means your average monthly income is $1,950.

However, most months you’ll only receive two paychecks, or $1,800.

I would base your regular monthly budget on that $1,800 instead of the higher average. That way, you’re not depending on money that won’t arrive until a future month.

You’ll also have two months each year when you get three paychecks, and you can make a separate plan for that extra money.

What if you don’t make the same amount each month?

If you work different hours each week, earn tips, or are self-employed, your income may change quite a bit.

I know what that’s like because I’ve worked for myself for many years, and business income isn’t always the same every month.

One thing you can do is look at how much you’ve made over the past three to six months.

For example, maybe you made:

• $1,800 in January
• $2,100 in February
• $1,950 in March
• $2,300 in April

Instead of creating a budget around your highest month, I would look at what you typically make during a slower month.

If you can cover your basic expenses with $1,800, then that may be a good number to use for your regular budget.

Then, you can save some of the extra money during higher-income months to help pay bills during slower months.

2. Write down everything you spend money on

Next, make a list of your monthly expenses.

This includes your big bills, such as rent and groceries, but also the smaller things that you may not think about very often.

For example, you may remember that your electricity bill is $120 a month, but what about laundry detergent, toilet paper, birthday gifts, or other household items?

Those things cost money too!

Here are some common expenses to include in your budget:

• Rent or mortgage
• Electricity, water, and other utilities
• Groceries
• Gas
• Car payment
• Car insurance
• Health insurance and medical expenses
• Phone and internet
• Childcare
• Debt payments
• Household supplies
• Entertainment
• Subscriptions and memberships

I would also look through your bank and credit card statements from the past few months because you may find expenses that you forgot about or realize that you’re spending more in certain categories than you thought.

For example, maybe you’ve been budgeting $300 a month for groceries, but your statements show that you’re actually spending around $400.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re spending too much on groceries. Food prices can be expensive, especially if you’re buying food for a family.

But it does mean that your budget needs to reflect what you’re actually spending. Otherwise, you might keep going over your grocery budget every month and not understand why.

Note: If you want help keeping track of your money, you may want to try Empower. It’s a free financial dashboard that can help you see your spending, accounts, and overall financial situation in one place. I think this can be helpful if you’re trying to figure out exactly where your money is going each month.

3. Put your most important bills first

When you’re living on a low income, you may not have enough money to pay for everything you want.

That’s why I think it’s important to start your budget with the things you need.

These are expenses like:

• Housing
• Food
• Utilities
• Transportation to work
• Essential medical needs
• Childcare so you can work
• Insurance and other important obligations

Let’s say you make $2,000 a month after taxes.

Your rent is $900, groceries cost $300, utilities are $150, and transportation costs $200.

That’s already $1,550.

You have $450 left for everything else, including insurance, debt payments, phone bills, and other expenses.

Seeing these numbers written down helps you understand what you’re working with.

You may have heard of the 50/30/20 budget, which suggests spending 50% of your income on needs, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings and debt payments beyond the minimums.

While that can be a helpful guideline for some people, I don’t think it works for everyone.

For someone making $2,000 a month, spending only $1,000 on all of their basic living expenses might be impossible.

Your rent alone could take up that much!

If your basic bills take up 80% or 90% of your income, your budget needs to reflect that.

I would start with the things you absolutely need and then figure out what you can afford to spend on everything else.

Also, if you don’t have enough money to pay all of your bills, pay attention to which ones have the most serious consequences if they’re missed. For example, falling behind on rent, utilities, or transportation needed for work can create major problems.

If you’re in this situation, contacting the companies you owe money to and asking about payment arrangements may help.

4. Choose a budgeting method that works for you

There are several different ways to budget, and you don’t need to use the same method as everyone else.

I think a simple budget is usually best, especially when you’re just getting started.

Here are three budgeting methods that may work well for you.

1. Zero-based budgeting

With zero-based budgeting, you give every dollar of your income a job.

For example, if you make $2,000 a month, you decide how all $2,000 will be used.

That might include rent, groceries, utilities, debt payments, savings, and other expenses.

The goal is to have your income minus your planned expenses and savings equal zero.

This doesn’t mean that you have to spend all of your money. Putting $50 in a savings account still counts as giving that money a job.

I like this method because you can see exactly how much money you have available for each category.

2. Paycheck budgeting

If you live paycheck to paycheck, you may prefer budgeting based on when you get paid.

For example, maybe you get paid $1,000 every two weeks.

Instead of creating one big budget for the entire month, you decide which bills you’ll pay with each paycheck.

You might use your first paycheck to cover rent and groceries, then use your second paycheck for utilities, insurance, and other expenses.

This method can be especially helpful if you regularly find yourself running low on money before payday.

Note: I have an example of paycheck budgeting later in this article.

3. Cash envelope budgeting

Cash envelopes can be helpful if you have a hard time sticking to certain spending limits.

How does this type of budgeting work?

So, let’s say you’ve decided that you can afford to spend $250 a month on groceries.

You could put $250 in an envelope at the beginning of the month and use that cash whenever you go grocery shopping.

You can also use different envelopes for gas, household supplies, clothing, and other expenses.

The idea is that you know how much money you have available before you make a purchase. Of course, you may need to adjust the amount if prices change or your household needs more than you originally planned.

5. Decide how much money you’ll spend in each category

Once you’ve listed your income and expenses, it’s time to put the numbers together.

You can start by writing down how much money you make each month.

Then, subtract your most important expenses, such as rent, groceries, utilities, and transportation.

After that, decide how much money you can afford to put toward your remaining bills and other expenses.

For example, your budget might look something like this:

• Monthly income: $2,000
• Rent: $800
• Groceries: $300
• Utilities: $150
• Transportation: $200
• Phone: $50
• Insurance: $100
• Debt payments: $150
• Household expenses: $75
• Savings: $25
• Other expenses: $150

Total: $2,000

This is just an example, of course, your own budget may look very different.

Something I would be careful about is making your budget too strict.

For example, if you usually spend $400 a month on groceries, I wouldn’t suddenly lower that amount to $150 just because you want to save more money.

Unless you have a realistic way to make that work, you’ll probably end up going over budget.

Instead, maybe you could try lowering your grocery spending from $400 to $375 and see how that goes. You could plan meals around ingredients you already have, compare prices at different stores, or buy more store-brand products.

If you’re able to stick to $375, you could try lowering it a little more the following month.

And if you can’t, that’s useful information too.

Your budget should be something you can actually live with after all!

One more thing I recommend is having a category for expenses that don’t happen every month.

For example, you may need to buy new tires, pay your car registration, replace worn-out shoes, or buy Christmas gifts. These things may not happen very often, but they’re still expenses you’ll want to prepare for because they can be expensive.

6. Make a plan for months when your expenses are higher

You may have some months when you spend more money than usual.

For example, your electricity bill might be higher during the summer, your child may need school supplies, or you might have a car repair.

I think it’s important to plan for these expenses because they can really hurt your budget when you don’t have much extra money.

One way to do this is with sinking funds.

A sinking fund is simply money you save for a future expense.

Let’s say your car insurance is $600 every six months.

Instead of trying to find $600 when the bill arrives, you could set aside $100 each month.

That way, when it’s time to pay your insurance, you already have the money saved.

You can do this with expenses such as:

• Car insurance
• Car repairs
• Christmas gifts
• Birthdays
• School supplies
• Annual memberships
• Medical expenses
• Pet care

Of course, if you’re already struggling to pay your monthly bills, you may not have enough money to save for all of these things.

That’s okay. Start with the expenses that are most important or most likely to come up.

Even setting aside $10 or $20 each payday can help if you have room in your budget.

I would also look at when your bigger bills are due throughout the year.

For example, if you know your car registration is due in three months, you can start figuring out how you’ll pay for it now instead of being surprised later.

Example of a $1,500 Monthly Budget

I wanted to include a few sample budgets because I think it helps to see what budgeting on a low income can actually look like.

First, let’s say you’re bringing home $1,500 a month after taxes.

Here’s one way your budget might look.

As you can see, this budget is pretty tight.

It also assumes that you’re able to find shared housing for $600 a month and that you have relatively low transportation costs.

Depending on where you live, that may not be possible.

For example, if your rent is $1,000 a month, you would only have $500 left for everything else.

And that probably won’t be enough to cover all of your basic expenses.

I think this is important to point out because not everyone can make a $1,500 monthly budget work, especially if they’re supporting children or living somewhere with expensive housing.

Example of a $2,000 Monthly Budget

Next, let’s look at someone who earns $2,000 a month after taxes.

With $2,000 a month, there’s a little more money available, but you would still need to watch your spending carefully.

Housing is one of the biggest things that stands out to me in this example, because if rent increased from $750 to $1,100, that would be an extra $350 a month.

You would have to find that money somewhere else in your budget.

This is why I think it’s so important to pay attention to your largest expenses.

While cutting small purchases may help, things like housing, transportation, and insurance can make a much bigger difference.

For example, if you could lower your car insurance by $40 a month by comparing rates, that would save you $480 a year.

Or, if you could reduce your phone bill from $80 to $40 a month, that would be another $480 a year.

Of course, you may have already lowered these expenses as much as possible, but if you haven’t, I think these are worthwhile to look into.

Example of a $3,000 Monthly Budget for a Family

Budgeting for a family can look quite different because you’re paying for more than just yourself.

You may have higher grocery bills, childcare costs, school expenses, and other things to think about.

Here’s an example of how a family might budget $3,000 a month after taxes.

For this example, I’m going to assume the family has one child who is already in public school and only needs occasional childcare. I’m also assuming they live in an area with relatively affordable housing.

For many families, childcare alone can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars each month. For example, at my daughter’s first preschool, the monthly cost was a little over $2,200 a month, and that was the normal rate for all of the preschools in the area.

If you’re paying $1,000 a month for childcare, this budget obviously isn’t going to work without some major changes.

One thing I would pay attention to is planning for expenses related to children.

For example, you may need money for:

• School supplies
• Field trips
• Birthday parties
• New clothes and shoes
• School pictures
• Holiday activities
• Medical appointments

These expenses can sneak up on you if you’re only thinking about your regular monthly bills.

I would also see whether there are any free or low-cost programs in your area that could help.

For example, your local library may have free activities for kids, your community may offer affordable recreation programs, or your family may qualify for childcare assistance.

And don’t forget that you can still have fun as a family without spending a lot of money – going to the park, having a movie night at home, visiting the library, or exploring free local activities can all be enjoyable.

I have an article on how to have fun while budgeting that shares more ideas.

Note: One easy way to earn rewards on groceries you’re already buying is with Fetch Rewards. This is a free app that lets you scan grocery receipts and earn points that you can redeem for gift cards. You’re not going to get rich from scanning receipts, of course, but it’s an easy way to get a little something back from purchases you’re already making. I personally use it for all of my grocery shopping!

How To Budget When You’re Paid Every Two Weeks

If you get paid every two weeks, budgeting by paycheck is a method that some people prefer.

Instead of thinking about how much money you’ll have for the entire month, you plan around the paychecks you’re actually receiving.

Let’s say you bring home $1,000 every two weeks.

During a normal two-paycheck month, you would have $2,000 to budget.

Here’s an example of how you might divide those paychecks.

First paycheck: $1,000

Second paycheck: $1,000

Now, something important to remember is that your bills may not line up perfectly with your paychecks.

For example, if rent is due on the first but you don’t get paid until the fifth, you can’t wait until the fifth to come up with the rent money – you’ll need to save that money from an earlier paycheck.

This is why I think writing down your bill due dates is so helpful.

You can use a calendar to keep track of things like:

• When you get paid
• When rent is due
• When utilities are due
• When your insurance payment comes out
• When credit card payments are due
• When other automatic payments are scheduled

Then, you can decide which paycheck needs to cover each bill.

What about the two extra paychecks each year?

If you’re paid every two weeks, you’ll generally have two months each year when you receive three paychecks instead of two.

I think this can be a great opportunity to get a little ahead financially.

For example, you could use an extra paycheck to:

• Build your emergency fund
• Pay off credit card debt
• Get ahead on rent
• Save for car repairs
• Pay an upcoming insurance bill
• Prepare for Christmas expenses

You don’t need to use the entire paycheck for one goal, either – maybe you put $500 toward savings, $300 toward debt, and $200 toward other expenses.

What matters is that you have a plan for the money instead of accidentally spending it.

How To Budget When Your Income Changes Every Month

If you have an irregular income, I would make a few changes to how you budget.

This may apply to you if you work in a restaurant, have a seasonal job, are self-employed, or work hours that change each week.

For example, let’s say your income looks like this:

• January: $1,600
• February: $2,100
• March: $1,850
• April: $2,400

That’s a pretty big difference between your lowest and highest months. And if you create a budget assuming you’ll always make $2,400, you’ll have a problem during the months when you earn much less.

Instead, I would start by figuring out how much money you need each month to cover your basic expenses.

Let’s say you need $1,500 for rent, groceries, utilities, transportation, and other necessities.

Your first goal would be making sure you can cover that $1,500.

Then, during months when you earn more, you can set some money aside to help during slower months.

For example, if you make $2,400 one month and your essential expenses are $1,500, that leaves $900.

You may need some of that money for debt payments and other expenses, but if there’s anything left, you could save it.

Over time, you may be able to build up enough money so that you’re not depending on every paycheck arriving at exactly the right time.

I also think it’s helpful to have a separate account for money you’re setting aside for future bills because that way, you’re less likely to accidentally spend it.

One other thing to watch out for is automatic payments.

If your income changes each month, you’ll want to make sure there’s enough money in your checking account before bills are automatically paid. Overdraft fees can be expensive, and they’re especially frustrating when you already don’t have much money to spare.

What If You Don’t Make Enough Money To Cover Your Bills?

Sometimes, after adding up your income and expenses, you may realize that you just don’t make enough money.

Example of a budget that doesn’t work

Let’s say you bring home $1,800 a month after taxes, but your monthly expenses add up to more than that.

Here’s what your budget might look like:

As you can see, this person is spending $250 more than they make each month.

And the hard part is that there aren’t really any unnecessary expenses in this budget. There’s no restaurant spending, shopping, or expensive entertainment to cut.

So, what can you do when your budget looks like this?

1. See if you can lower any of your bigger bills.

Housing, transportation, and insurance are often some of the largest expenses in a household.

Depending on your situation, you may be able to save money by changing phone plans, comparing insurance rates, using public transportation, or sharing housing costs.

For example, switching to a less expensive phone plan might save $20 or $30 a month.

If you’re able to lower several bills, those savings can add up.

Recommended reading: 10 Monthly Bills You Can Negotiate Today

Note: If you drive, you may want to see if Upside is available in your area. This is a free app that can help you earn cash back on eligible gas purchases. It won’t lower your car payment or insurance, but it may help you save a little money on gas you’re already buying. I use this whenever I can because it can save you money on each gallon of gas or diesel that you buy.

2. Find out if you qualify for financial assistance.

Depending on your income and household size, you may qualify for programs that help with groceries, healthcare, utilities, childcare, or housing.

Some programs to look into include SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and local utility assistance. You can also check with local food banks or community organizations.

I know some people feel uncomfortable asking for help, but these programs exist for a reason. If you’re struggling to afford basic necessities and qualify for assistance, there’s nothing wrong with using it.

Recommended reading:

• 17 Ways To Get Free Money From the Government
• How To Get Free Food – 13 Real Ways To Eat for Free
• How To Get Free Clothes Online & Near You
• How To Get A Free Car – 11 Places For Those In Need
• How To Get Free Baby Formula

3. Look for ways to earn more money, if possible.

I’ve talked about side hustles a lot on Making Sense of Cents because they can be a great way to earn extra money.

For example, you may be able to make money by:

• Babysitting
• Walking dogs
• Selling items you no longer need
• Cleaning homes
• Doing freelance work
• Delivering groceries or food

Even an extra $100 or $200 a month may help cover bills.

But I also know that not everyone has the time or ability to work more hours. If you’re already working full-time and taking care of children, adding another job may not be realistic.

Here are articles on ways to make extra money that you may find helpful:

• How To Make $5,000 a Month
• 75 Ways To Make Extra Money
• 31 Best Stay At Home Jobs (#1 Is My Full Time Job!)
• 17 Low Effort Side Hustles That Can Make You Extra Money

4. Contact companies before you miss payments.

If you’re having trouble paying a bill, it may help to contact the company and explain your situation.

Some utility companies, lenders, and other bill providers offer payment plans or hardship programs, and you can ask whether they have any options for someone who’s struggling financially.

And if you’re having trouble keeping up with debt, I’d be especially careful about taking out payday loans or other loans with very high fees and interest rates because they can make it even harder to get caught up.

I go into more detail about this in my article 8 Things To Do if You’re Barely Scraping by Financially.

Frequently Asked Questions About Budgeting on a Low Income

Below are answers to some common questions about creating a budget when you don’t make a lot of money.

How do I budget when I barely make enough money?

If you barely make enough money to cover your bills, start by writing down your income and the expenses you absolutely need to pay. This includes things like rent, groceries, transportation, and utilities. Then, see how much money is left for everything else.

If you have very little left over, you may need to focus on keeping your bills organized and avoiding unnecessary fees rather than trying to save a large amount of money. For example, knowing that your electricity bill is due next week may help you avoid spending money that you need for that payment. And if your expenses are higher than your income, you’ll need to look for ways to close that gap.

How do I budget $1,000 a month?

Budgeting $1,000 a month can be extremely difficult if you have to pay for housing and all of your other living expenses.

For example, if your rent is $900 a month, that only leaves $100 for food, utilities, transportation, and everything else. That’s probably not going to be enough and will not be possible to do.

If you only make $1,000 a month, I would start by looking at your housing situation and whether you qualify for assistance programs. You may also want to see if there are ways to increase your income, depending on your schedule and circumstances.

How much should I save if I have a low income?

I don’t think there’s a certain amount that everyone needs to save each month because everyone is different.

If you can comfortably save $10 a week, that’s $520 over the course of a year. If you can only save $5 a month, that’s okay too.

And if you’re having trouble paying for basic necessities, those should come first.

Once you have enough money to cover your bills, you may want to start with a small emergency fund. For example, you could set a goal of saving your first $100. After that, you could work toward $500 or another amount that makes sense for your situation. Even a small emergency fund can be helpful if your car breaks down or an unexpected bill arrives.

What are the best books on budgeting?

The best books that can help you improve your personal finance situation and budget better include The Simple Path To Wealth, The No-Spend Challenge Guide, The One Week Budget, How to Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck, and I Will Teach You To Be Rich. You can read my full list at 14 Best Books About Budgeting.

How To Budget on a Low Income – Summary

I hope you found my article on how to budget on a low income helpful.

I know that budgeting on a low income isn’t always easy, especially when it seems like your entire paycheck goes toward paying bills. But I still think having a budget can help, even if you’re not able to save much money right now.

You can see exactly what you’re spending, plan for upcoming bills, and figure out how much money you have available before making purchases.

And you don’t need anything complicated to get started!

You can just write down how much you make, list your monthly expenses, and start figuring out how to divide your money.

What matters most is that you’re using a budget that makes sense for your income and your life.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to budgeting on a low income?

Recommended reading:

• How To Stop Living Paycheck To Paycheck
• 23 Money Saving Hacks That Work
• 12 Best Tips To Simplify Your Financial Life
• 18 Best Money Saving Apps

The post How To Budget on a Low Income (With Real Examples) appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

If you’re looking for ways to make extra money before Christmas, you’re definitely not alone.

Thankfully, there are plenty of flexible side hustles you can do in your spare time, and some may even help you make money within just a few days.

I’ve tried quite a few side hustles over the years, and I love that there are so many ways to make extra money without committing to a traditional second job.

Best Ways To Earn $500 Before Christmas Without Getting a Traditional Second Job

In today’s blog post, I’m sharing 12 ways to make an extra $500 before Christmas. Whether you have just a few hours a week or want to earn money as quickly as possible, there are plenty of ideas to choose from.

1. Sell things you no longer need

One of the best ways you can make money for the holidays is selling stuff sitting around your house that you no longer need or use. Clothes, shoes, home decor, jewelry, toys, outdoor gear, and unused gift cards are all easy things you can sell right away for money.

You may even have items that are more valuable than you realize that could be worth a good chunk of money. 

For a quick sale, sell items on Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, OfferUp, or other resale platforms. It’s important to take high-quality, well-lit photos of the items and include as many details as you can. And, to get ideas on what to price items at, look at similar items on resale platforms. 

Recommended reading: 15 Easiest Items To Sell That You Already Own for Quick Cash

2. Create and sell holiday printables

If you don’t mind spending a little extra time on a side hustle that can potentially turn into semi-passive income, I’d try creating and selling holiday printables on Etsy. Printables are products that people can download online and print as many times as they want, and you don’t need to worry about keeping inventory or shipping anything.

You can create printables like holiday games, gift tags, checklists, party invitations, and other digital products people may be looking for during the holiday season. This is a good option if you’re willing to take the time to build up your printable business, as it takes time to get traffic and sales. 

I recommend signing up for the Earn Money Selling Printables free online training. You’ll learn printable ideas, how to get started on Etsy, and how to actually make sales.

Recommended reading: How I Made $6,161 in Just 4 Months With a New Etsy Printables Shop

Free Training: Earn Money Selling Printables

Do you want to make money selling printables online? This free training will give you great ideas on what you can sell, how to get started, the costs, and how to make sales.

Sign Up Here

3. Shovel snow

If you live somewhere that gets snow, shoveling sidewalks and driveways can be a great way to make some extra money.

You can sell your services after winter storms and get paid for each job.

You can find jobs by posting your help in local Facebook groups, putting up flyers around town, or simply asking your neighbors if they’d like your assistance.

Older adults and busy families are almost always looking for help shoveling snow. If you already have a shovel, there’s nothing else you need to start this side hustle. 

4. Sell firewood

If you also live somewhere with cold winters, selling firewood can be a way to make money seasonally.

People in these regions are always looking for firewood for fireplaces and stoves.

This is a great side hustle if you already have access to firewood, too. You can sell bundles and larger quantities through Facebook Marketplace or local community groups. 

5. Pet sitting and dog walking

One of my favorite side hustles ever was pet sitting and dog walking. It’s a chill and easy way to make extra money and works out perfectly if you love animals.

I found all of my jobs through the Rover app and found it a great way to pick up extra money. The holiday season is especially busy for this side hustle because people are traveling a lot more and need help with their pets. 

To find jobs, you can post your services on local Facebook community groups, post flyers around town or at coffee shops, and simply let friends and neighbors know you’re looking for pet sitting and dog walking jobs.

This side hustle never felt like work to me, which is why I always recommend it to anyone who loves animals. 

Recommended reading: How We Make $12,000 a Year Dog Sitting From Home

6. Wrap Christmas gifts

Are you good at wrapping Christmas gifts? If so, you can turn that skill into a side hustle.

As the holidays come around, plenty of people would rather have someone else wrap their gifts for them than spend hours doing it themselves. 

You can offer your gift-wrapping services to family, friends, neighbors, and people in local community groups. You can charge per gift, per hour, or create packages based on the number of presents.

This is a great, simple side hustle for anyone looking to make extra cash by wrapping presents. 

7. Babysit

Babysitting is one of the most straightforward ways to make money for Christmas.

This side hustle was my most common and consistent way of making money in college, and I always recommend it to people who enjoy working with kids. The holiday season is especially busy for parents, and they’re always looking for help around this time.

You don’t necessarily need a regular babysitting job; you can simply pick up date night jobs and one-time things. If you’ve babysat in the past, mention your experience and references.

8. Deliver food or groceries

If you want a side hustle where you can choose when you work, then delivering food or groceries is the way to go. Apps like Instacart make it easy to pick up jobs when you can and accept grocery orders that work for you. 

Keep in mind, you need transportation to deliver the groceries, whether it be a bike (bikes are only allowed in certain cities as a mode of transportation, though) or a vehicle. You need to factor in these expenses when taking these jobs since you’ll need to cover gas and wear and tear on your car.

Recommended reading: Instacart Shopper Review: How much do Instacart Shoppers earn?

9. Get paid to hang Christmas lights

If you enjoy decorating and don’t mind physical work, hanging Christmas lights is a great way to make extra money during the holidays. Many homeowners love having their house decorated without having to actually do the work themselves. 

You can offer to hang up and take down holiday decorations. You can charge by the hour or by the project depending on how large the house is.

Note: If you’re not comfortable with heights or working on a ladder, it’s probably best to choose a different side hustle. 

10. Make and sell holiday crafts 

If you enjoy making things, the holidays can be a great time to turn that hobby into a way to make extra money. Handmade gifts are especially appealing during the holidays because people are always looking for unique gifts to give to people.

You can make and sell things like jewelry, crocheted or knitted items, artwork, candles, ornaments, and so many other crafts. You can start selling items on Facebook Marketplace, at a local craft fair, on social media, or in a local gift shop.

If you’re trying to make money quickly, I’d focus on crafts that you already know how to do, so you don’t have to take time building up a new skill. 

Recommended reading: 12 Best Places To Sell Crafts and Handmade Goods

11. Take family holiday photos

If you have a decent camera and enjoy photography, taking family holiday photos can be a fun way to make money.

Many families are looking for photos for their annual Christmas cards or simply to capture the season. You don’t need elaborate photography sessions; you can instead keep things simple by offering a 30-minute photo shoot at a pretty location nearby (like a park or beach) or at their home.

Note: Make sure you’re comfortable with taking photos and editing before charging for sessions. There are helpful beginner photography Facebook groups that you may want to check out!

Recommended reading: How I Make $20,000 A Month As A Family, Maternity, and Newborn Photographer

12. Use surveys and reward apps

Surveys and reward apps can be an easy way to make extra money for the holidays.

Survey companies like American Consumer Opinion pay people to answer questions about things like products we use, your household, and opinions on different topics. You can also get paid for playing games on some of these apps.

You won’t get rich making money from surveys or rewards apps, but it can be an easy way to make a little extra money, such as while watching TV.

The survey companies I recommend signing up for include:

1. American Consumer Opinion
2. Survey Junkie
3. Swagbucks
4. User Interviews
5. Freecash

Recommended reading: 15 Best Paid Survey Sites To Make Money

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to common questions you may have about making money for Christmas.

What is the fastest way to earn $500 before Christmas?

The fastest way to earn $500 before Christmas is to start a side hustle that pays quickly and fits your schedule. This includes selling things you already own on Facebook Marketplace, dog walking through apps like Rover, and delivering groceries with Instacart. 

How early should I start trying to earn Christmas money?

The earlier you start earning money for Christmas, the better. Ideally, you want to start doing this a few months before the holidays so that you have enough time to make the amount of money you need to earn. Just $100 a month in side hustles can really add up during the holiday season. However, if you’re reading this late and it’s already December, there are plenty of side hustles you can start now to make money quickly.

What holiday side hustle can I start with no money?

Holiday side hustles that you can start now with no money include things like selling items you don’t need anymore, pet sitting, babysitting, delivering food/groceries, and so much more. Many of the side hustles on this list don’t need any money or experience to start.

How To Earn $500 Before Christmas Without Getting a Traditional Second Job – Summary

I hope you enjoyed my article on how to earn $500 before Christmas without getting a traditional second job. 

Making an extra $500 before Christmas can help you pay for gifts, holiday activities, and other expenses without going into debt.

And, you don’t even have to do all 12 side hustles on this list. You can start with one or two that fit your schedule and see how much extra money you can make.

Whether you decide to sell things around your house, babysit, or try pet sitting, there are plenty of ways to make extra money before Christmas.

Which side hustle do you want to try to make money for Christmas?

Recommended reading: 

• How To Give Meaningful Gifts When You’re on a Tight Budget
• 8 Ways To Change Your Holiday Spending – Make This Year More Meaningful Than Ever
• 24 Best Winter Side Hustles To Make Extra Money
• How To Stick To Your Holiday Budget & Avoid Debt
• 58 Random Acts Of Kindness

The post 12 Ways To Make $500 Before Christmas Without Getting a Traditional Second Job appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

Maybe you’re looking for stories that inspire personal growth or motivate you to try new things. You might even be looking for books that teach you something new about yourself and the world.

As someone who reads a lot (I have over 800 books cataloged in my Goodreads account as read), I have a fair share of books I can recommend on these topics.

And these book recommendations are good! I’m not a fan of boring, stuffy books with hard-to-understand jargon and overly complicated ideas. 

In today’s article, I’m going over:

• The top list of books I recommend reading
• Why I recommend reading these books
• My go-to personal finance book
• The book that helped me feel like I wasn’t stuck

Recommended reading: 40 Ideas That Will Help You Learn How To Live Your Best Life

10 Life-Changing Books To Read at Least Once

Below are some of my favorite life-changing books I have read over the years.

Note: There are many ways to get the books below for free. I recommend reading 13 Ways To Get Free Books Online and Sent to You to learn more.

1. The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins

If you feel completely lost when it comes to investing and getting set up for retirement, you need to read The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins. This is the book I wish I had read when I was in high school, and I often think about how this needs to be required reading before you enter college.

Investing often feels so hard to understand and complicated when it’s actually quite straightforward once you know the basics. This book is incredibly easy to read, and there’s no stuffy jargon.

Once you’re done reading this book, you’ll feel confident with your finances, and you’ll realize building wealth isn’t at all as complicated as you originally thought. 

Please click here to buy The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins.

2. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

This was one of the very first books I read that talked about death so beautifully and made me less scared to die.

The author was a neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at 36 years old. In the book, he shares his experience of being diagnosed with terminal cancer just as his career and family life were starting.

This story makes you think about so many important things in life and raises a lot of questions about what is truly meaningful. This book made me sob, but don’t let that stop you from reading it. 

Please click here to buy When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.

3. Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen

Are you looking for a really quick read about changing the way you think? If you’re someone who tends to overthink and obsess over the little things that actually don’t matter, you need to read this book.

The book is broken down into short chapters with actionable steps to get you on the right path. You’re encouraged to step back from your usual way of thinking and be more intentional about the thoughts you’re thinking and whether or not you want to keep believing them.

This is a recent read for me, and I love how short and easily digestible the chapters are. I learned how to apply things from the book directly to real life circumstances.

Please click here to buy Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen.

4. The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga 

If you’re anything like me, you really care about being liked to the point where you might not be genuine with yourself. I believe I’ve lived this way for so long because I feel safe and avoid conflict, but I also know this way of living can be exhausting.

The Courage To Be Disliked showed me that I can live a life true to myself without factoring in other people’s opinions. You save a lot of time and mental effort in life when you start living the way you want to without having to constantly think of other people’s thoughts and opinions. 

Please click here to buy The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga.

5. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron 

Don’t shy away from this book if you think you aren’t an artist.

In fact, you should especially read this book if you don’t think you’re an artist or a creative person.

This book is all about reconnecting you with your creative side and exploring things that can make you happy. If you feel stuck or uninspired in life, this is a great book to read.

One of the biggest things I took away from this book is that you don’t need to be a productive person or make a lot of money in order to be worthwhile as a human being. You can create and make things just for the enjoyment of it.

I’ve lived a lot of my life thinking I was never a creative person or that I had to be good at art in order to be creative. Neither of those things are true. This book is a must-read to bring that fire of creativity back to your life.

Please click here to buy The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

6. Know My Name by Chanel Miller

One of the more difficult books on this list is Know My Name by Chanel Miller. This is a memoir based on the real-life story of a woman who was sexually assaulted while attending a university.

This book is about finding your voice and reclaiming your identity after experiencing something so difficult. What I enjoyed most about this book is learning that the worst thing that’s ever happened to you does not need to define the rest of your life.

Please click here to buy Know My Name by Chanel Miller.

7. Grit by Angela Duckworth

Grit is the book to read if you’re struggling with success.

This book teaches you how to think about success and talent differently. You learn that the things that actually matter are persistence, patience, and continuing to work on something even if progress feels slow.

This is the book to read if you need a gentle reminder that you don’t need talent or to be naturally good at something to get better at it. 

Please click here to buy Grit by Angela Duckworth.

8. Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza 

This is a great book everyone should read to take a closer look at their thoughts.

Many of us mindlessly accept all of our thoughts as facts, and this book helps break those habits. You’re even encouraged to take a closer look at the behaviors and habits you don’t like and how to break patterns you don’t want to keep.

This book is definitely more unconventional than the rest of the books on this list, but it’s still worth mentioning here. 

Please click here to buy Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza.

9. You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

One of the very first self-help books I ever picked up is You Are a Badass.

I was at the airport on my way to Las Vegas and wanted something to read on the plane. Little did I know I’d become obsessed and end up reading all of Jen Sincero’s books.

This is the perfect book to read if you need a simple, easy-to-read book on how to believe in yourself. You learn to get out of your comfort zone and actually go for the things you want.

I thought this book was really relatable and even funny at times. 

Please click here to buy You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero.

10. Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

Did you know the average person (if they’re lucky) gets about four thousand weeks to live?

When it’s broken down like that, you really start to care about how you’re spending your time. This is one of the newest nonfiction books I’ve read, and I wish I’d read it sooner.

If you feel like you’re constantly behind and not doing enough, you need to read this. This book encourages you that you can’t do everything and that you don’t even really want to anyway.

This is actually really freeing and helps you become more intentional with your time and where you spend it. 

Please click here to buy Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to questions you may have about books that can change your life.

Which is the best book to change your life?

The best book that can change your life depends on what you’re looking for.

For example, if you want to:

• Feel more confident about your money – The Simple Path to Wealth
• Think differently about life and figure out what truly matters – When Breath Becomes Air
• Stop overthinking right now – Don’t Believe Everything You Think
• Stop feeling like you need to accomplish everything – Four Thousand Weeks

All the books on this list can do something different for you. They can all change the way you see things and how you move about in the world.

What are the best personal finance books to read?

My all-time favorite personal finance book to read and recommend is The Simple Path to Wealth. This book is all about investing in a way that isn’t stuffy and hard to understand, which is how most investing books are written. If you’re new to investing, this book can teach you:

• How the stock market works
• Why low-cost index funds are so powerful
• Why investing simply is a good strategy
• Why market downturns are normal
• Why you don’t need to be an investing expert

Not understanding something as important as investing can be so incredibly anxiety-inducing, and this is why I recommend reading this book. You get so much power and control back, and it feels so freeing. 

What are some good books about feeling stuck in life?

If you’re looking for good books about feeling stuck in life, I recommend:

• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron if you’re feeling stuck creatively. We are all creative beings; many of us have just lost touch with how to be creative.
• Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman is especially important for people who are trying to get everything done and, at the same time, feel like they are not getting enough done. 
• The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga is the book to read for people who want to let go of others’ expectations and instead make choices based on what YOU want.

Best Life-Changing Books To Read – Summary

I hope you enjoyed my post on life-changing books to read.

Here is the full list of books:

• The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen
• The Courage To Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
• Know My Name by Chanel Miller
• Grit by Angela Duckworth
• Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza
• You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
• Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

I’ve been reading almost daily for as long as I can remember.

Reading gives me peace, calm, and consistency when everything around me is moving so quickly, which is why I always come back to reading.

I love that books can meet you where you’re at in life and always teach you something new. Sometimes you need a book that inspires your next life change, and sometimes you need a book just to take you out of real life for a while. 

What book has changed your life?

Recommended reading:

• 16 Best Money Books
• 18 Personal Finance Books That Will Change Your Life
• 13 Best Early Retirement Books
• How To Build a Meaningful Life Beyond the 9-5
• 12 Simple Habits for Living a Happy Life
• Top Side Hustles for Book Lovers

The post 10 Life-Changing Books I’m Glad I’ve Read appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

I recently tested a rewards site called Gemsloot to see if it really pays.

I didn’t just create an account and click around for a few minutes either. I played a game, completed a paid offer, tested the tracking, and withdrew my earnings.

In total, I earned $37.25 on Gemsloot. I cashed out the full amount as an Amazon gift card and received it quickly.

Here is exactly where my money came from:

• $8.40 from playing Block Blitz: Puzzle Adventure
• $28.80 from signing up for SoFi Plus
• $0.05 as a welcome bonus

I did have to pay $10 for the SoFi Plus subscription, so my actual profit was $27.25 after subtracting that cost.

My experience was positive. Everything tracked correctly, the website was easy to use, and I had no problems getting paid.

In this Gemsloot review, I will explain how the site works, how I earned $37.25, how long it took to cash out, and whether I think Gemsloot is worth trying.

Click here to sign up for Gemsloot.

Gemsloot Review

Below is my honest Gemsloot review based on my own experience using the site.

Quick summary of my Gemsloot review: Gemsloot is a get-paid-to website where you can earn money by playing games, answering surveys, testing apps, and completing offers. I earned $37.25 and successfully withdrew it as an Amazon gift card. One of the offers required me to spend $10, so my net profit was $27.25.

• Total rewards earned: $37.25
• Amount I spent: $10
• My actual profit: $27.25
• Time spent playing Block Blitz: Around 1.5 hours
• Block Blitz earnings: $8.40
• Cashout method: Amazon gift card
• Cashout time: Around 12 hours
• Did everything track? Yes
• Would I use Gemsloot again? Yes

Gemsloot will not replace your job or make you rich, but if you already enjoy playing games on your phone or trying new apps, it can be a fun way to make extra spending money.

What is Gemsloot?

Gemsloot is a rewards website that pays you for completing different online activities.

You can earn money by:

• Playing mobile games
• Reaching specific levels in games
• Answering surveys
• Downloading and testing apps
• Signing up for products or services
• Completing free and paid offers
• Taking part in bonuses, streaks, and leaderboards

When I logged in, there were many different offers to choose from. Some were quick and easy, while others had a long list of milestones that could take days or weeks to finish.

I liked that Gemsloot clearly showed how much each task paid. For game offers, I could also see the different levels I needed to reach and how much I would earn for each one.

Why does Gemsloot pay people?

You may be wondering why Gemsloot pays people to play games, answer surveys, and sign up for different services.

Gemsloot makes money from advertisers, so when you complete a task, such as downloading an app, reaching a level in a game, or signing up for a service, the advertiser pays Gemsloot a commission. Gemsloot then shares some of that payment with you and keeps a portion.

Companies are willing to pay because these offers help them find new customers, get more people using their apps, and collect opinions through surveys.

This is also why tracking is so important. The advertiser needs to confirm that you completed the required steps before Gemsloot can credit your account – Gemsloot doesn’t want to be losing money on things that are not tracking correctly.

How does Gemsloot work?

Gemsloot is fairly easy to understand, even if you have never used a get-paid-to site before.

Here is how it works:

1. Create an account. Signing up is free and only took me a short amount of time.
2. Choose an offer. You can browse games, surveys, apps, financial offers, trials, and other tasks.
3. Read the requirements. Each offer explains what you need to do and how much it pays.
4. Complete the task. This may mean reaching a certain level in a game, finishing a survey, or signing up for a service.
5. Receive your reward. Once the task is tracked and approved, the money is added to your Gemsloot balance.
6. Cash out. You can exchange your balance for cash, cryptocurrency, gift cards, and other rewards.

The dashboard was easy to use, and I did not have trouble finding the available offers or checking my earnings.

Signing up for Gemsloot

Creating my Gemsloot account was quick and easy.

The site was easy to use, and I could immediately see the different ways to earn money. I also liked that the offer amounts were shown in dollars instead of making me calculate how many points or coins were worth $1.

I did not have to verify my identity when I signed up or when I requested my first withdrawal.

Of course, this was just my experience. Gemsloot has information about identity verification on its website, so another user may be asked to complete verification depending on the account or withdrawal.

How I earned $8.40 playing Block Blitz

The first offer I tested was a game called Block Blitz: Puzzle Adventure.

I played for around 1.5 hours during one evening and reached level 50. The game was easy to understand, and I actually thought it was fun.

There were ads in the game, but they felt reasonable to me. I have played games where the ads seem almost nonstop, and this did not feel like that.

I also did not have to spend any money to download the game, continue playing, or reach level 50.

During my test, I earned money for completing different milestones, including:

• Reaching level 1
• Reaching level 3
• Reaching level 5
• Reaching level 10
• Reaching level 20
• Reaching level 30
• Reaching level 50
• Watching 20 ads
• Watching 50 ads

Those rewards added up to $8.40.

When I tested the offer, it showed a much larger possible total if I continued completing the higher levels. But those later milestones would have required much more time.

Based on the 1.5 hours I played, I earned around $5.60 per hour from Block Blitz. That is not a huge amount of money, but I was relaxing and playing a game that I was actually enjoying anyway.

What impressed me most was that every game milestone tracked instantly, and each reward appeared in my Gemsloot transaction history as I completed it.

How I earned $28.80 with the SoFi Plus offer

I also wanted to test a different kind of offer (one that was not a game), so I signed up for SoFi Plus.

The offer required me to pay $10 for the monthly subscription. After I signed up and paid, Gemsloot credited my account with $28.80.

The SoFi reward did not appear instantly like the game rewards, but it only took a few hours to track.

Because I spent $10 and received $28.80, my profit from this offer was $18.80.

This was a good offer for me, but I want to point out something important: Some Gemsloot offers require you to spend money or sign up for a recurring subscription.

Before completing a paid offer, make sure you:

• Read every requirement
• Check how much you must spend
• Compare the cost with the reward
• Find out whether the subscription renews
• Decide whether you actually want the product or service

I would not recommend spending money on an offer without understanding the full terms first. A large reward does not automatically mean it is a good deal.

Did my Gemsloot offers track correctly?

Yes, everything tracked correctly during my test.

• My Block Blitz milestones tracked instantly.
• My SoFi Plus offer took a few hours.
• I did not have to contact customer support.
• I did not have to submit proof for a missing reward.

Tracking problems can happen with almost any rewards site, even though I did not have any issues with Gemsloot.

Whenever you start an offer, I recommend that you:

• Click the offer directly through Gemsloot
• Allow tracking on your device
• Do not use a VPN
• Use the same device from start to finish
• Read every instruction before beginning
• Make sure you are a new user if the offer requires it
• Take screenshots of the offer and your completed milestones

I also like to complete the first paid milestone before spending too much time on a game. That way, you can check whether the offer is tracking correctly before you play for hours.

If an offer does not appear immediately, that does not always mean it failed. Some offers take longer to report than others. Gemsloot has a help page explaining why an offer may not be tracking.

How I cashed out $37.25 from Gemsloot

Once I had earned $37.25, I decided to withdraw the entire amount as an Amazon gift card.

My first cashout took around 12 hours to be approved, and the gift card arrived the same day.

At first, I wondered why the withdrawal was pending. But Gemsloot explains that a user’s first cashout goes through a manual review. This helps the company look for multiple accounts, bots, and other types of fraud.

According to Gemsloot, later withdrawals may go through its automatic system and are usually processed faster.

You can read more on its page about why an offer or cashout may be pending.

I thought 12 hours was reasonable for a first withdrawal, especially because I requested it at night. Most importantly, I received the full $37.25 Amazon gift card without any problems.

What rewards can you get from Gemsloot?

Gemsloot has a very large selection of withdrawal options, and when I checked, reward choices included:

• Amazon gift cards
• PayPal
• Instant debit card withdrawals
• Bitcoin
• Target gift cards
• Google Play gift cards
• Apple gift cards
• Nintendo eShop gift cards
• PlayStation and Xbox rewards
• Roblox and Fortnite rewards
• Restaurant gift cards
• Travel gift cards
• Many other retail and entertainment gift cards

I chose Amazon because I knew I would use it, and it made the cashout process easy to test.

How much money can you make with Gemsloot?

The amount you can earn with Gemsloot will vary quite a bit.

It depends on:

• The offers available in your country
• Whether you use an iPhone, Android phone, or computer
• Which games and tasks you choose
• How much time you spend
• Whether you are willing to complete paid offers
• How many milestones you reach

I made $37.25 during my test, with a $27.25 profit after subtracting my $10 SoFi Plus cost.

But the largest part of my earnings came from one sign-up offer. If I had only played Block Blitz, I would have earned $8.40.

That is why I would view Gemsloot as a way to make extra spending money, not as a full-time job or a source of steady income.

Some offers may pay a few cents. Others may pay much more but require a purchase, a subscription, or many hours of work. You have to compare the time and cost before deciding which offers are worth it for you.

Is Gemsloot legit?

Yes, Gemsloot is legit based on my personal experience.

I completed offers, earned $37.25, requested an Amazon gift card, and received the full payment very quickly.

I also liked that:

• Every reward tracked correctly
• The dashboard was easy to understand
• My completed transactions were clearly listed
• My cashout was approved without a problem
• I did not have to verify my identity

Of course, my experience cannot guarantee that every person will have the exact same results. Available offers, approval times, and verification requirements may vary.

But I can confirm that Gemsloot worked for me and paid me what I earned.

Pros and cons of Gemsloot

Here are the main pros and cons based on my experience.

Pros

• It is free to join. You can create an account without paying anything.
• There are many ways to earn. You can play games, answer surveys, test apps, and complete offers.
• The site is easy to use. I had no trouble finding offers or checking my progress.
• My game rewards tracked instantly. I could see each payment appear as I reached a milestone.
• There are many cashout choices. You can choose from cash, cryptocurrency, gaming rewards, and a large selection of gift cards.
• I received my payment. My $37.25 Amazon gift card arrived the same day.
• Some games are actually fun. I enjoyed Block Blitz and did not feel like I was forcing myself through it.
• I did not have to complete identity verification. This made my first cashout easy. I did read that sometimes a person can be flagged and asked for their driver’s license, though (which is normal for rewards and get-paid-to apps/sites).

Cons

• Some offers require money. I had to spend $10 to earn the $28.80 SoFi Plus reward.
• Subscriptions may renew. You need to understand the terms before signing up for a paid service.
• The first withdrawal may take longer. Mine required a manual review and took around 12 hours.
• Games can include ads. Block Blitz had ads, although I thought they were reasonable.
• The highest game rewards may take a long time. You may need to reach very high levels to earn the full advertised amount.

My tips for making money with Gemsloot

If you decide to try Gemsloot, here are my tips.

1. Start with a free offer

You do not have to spend money to use Gemsloot. Starting with a free game or survey gives you a chance to learn how the site works without risking any money.

2. Read every requirement

Some offers require you to be a brand-new user. Others have time limits, spending requirements, or specific milestones.

Do not assume that simply downloading an app will earn the full reward.

3. Check that the first milestone tracks

Before spending hours on a game, reach the first paid milestone and then immediately go back and check your Gemsloot account.

My Block Blitz rewards appeared instantly, which made me feel happy to continue.

4. Take screenshots

Save screenshots of:

• The original offer
• The requirements
• Your game level
• Any purchase confirmation
• The completed task

I did not need my screenshots to fix a tracking problem, but I always keep proof just in case.

5. Separate earnings from profit

If you spend money on an offer, subtract that amount when calculating what you actually made.

My Gemsloot account showed $37.25 in rewards, but my profit was $27.25 because I spent $10 on SoFi Plus.

6. Choose offers you actually want

I enjoyed Block Blitz, so earning $8.40 felt like a bonus for something I did for fun.

I would rather choose a game or service that interests me than spend hours completing something I dislike just for a small reward.

Who is Gemsloot best for?

Gemsloot may be worth trying if you:

• Already enjoy playing games on your phone
• Want to make a little extra money in your spare time
• Like testing new apps and websites
• Want several gift card and payment choices
• Are willing to read the offer requirements carefully
• Understand that earnings can vary

It may not be a good fit if you need predictable hourly pay or want to replace your full-time income.

Frequently Asked Questions About Gemsloot

Below are answers to common questions you may have about Gemsloot.

Does Gemsloot really pay?

Yes, Gemsloot paid me. I earned $37.25 and successfully withdrew the full amount as an Amazon gift card.

Is Gemsloot free?

Gemsloot is free to join, and there are free ways to earn money. For example, I did not spend anything to play Block Blitz and earned $8.40. However, some optional offers require a purchase or paid subscription (not on Gemsloot, but through the offer that you are signing up for).

How long does Gemsloot take to pay?

My first Gemsloot withdrawal took around 12 hours because it went through a manual review. I received my Amazon gift card the same day. Gemsloot (as well as real person reviews that I found online) says later withdrawals may go through its automatic system and can be processed faster.

Why is my Gemsloot cashout pending?

Your first withdrawal may be manually reviewed to help prevent fraud, bots, and multiple accounts. Cashout timing may also depend on the offer, amount, offerwall, and your account’s trust score.

Does Gemsloot require identity verification?

I was not asked to verify my identity when I signed up or cashed out, but some others have – it is normal for get-paid-to sites. Gemsloot talks about why they may need to verify your identity here.

Why didn’t my Gemsloot offer track?

Some rewards can take time to appear. My game rewards were instant, while my SoFi Plus reward took a few hours. I recommend that you make sure you follow the instructions, allow tracking, avoid using a VPN, and save screenshots. If enough time has passed, you can contact Gemsloot or the offerwall listed on the task.

Can you make a full-time income with Gemsloot?

I would not count on Gemsloot for a full-time income. Instead, I think it is better for making extra money or earning gift cards during your spare time.

Is Gemsloot worth it?

I think Gemsloot can be worth trying if you already enjoy mobile games, surveys, or testing new apps. I liked the site, everything tracked correctly, and I received my reward without any problems.

Gemsloot Review – Summary

I hope you enjoyed my Gemsloot review.

Overall, I had a good experience with Gemsloot and I didn’t have any issues. The website was easy to use, there were many offers to choose from, and every task I completed tracked properly.

I earned $8.40 playing Block Blitz, $28.80 from signing up for SoFi Plus, and a $0.05 welcome bonus. That gave me $37.25 in total rewards.

After subtracting the $10 I spent on SoFi Plus, my actual profit was $27.25.

My first withdrawal took around 12 hours because it required a manual review, and I received my Amazon gift card quickly. I did not have to verify my identity, contact support, or fix any missing rewards.

Would I use Gemsloot again? Yes.

I especially liked that the game rewards tracked instantly and that I could clearly see what I needed to do to earn each payment. I would use it for games or offers that I was already interested in trying.

You can click here to sign up for Gemsloot.

Have you tried Gemsloot or another get-paid-to site? What was your experience?

The post Gemsloot Review: How I Made $37.25 Playing a Game and Completing One Offer appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

Have you ever thought about helping local businesses advertise, but without starting a full marketing agency or spending a lot of money upfront?

Today, I’m excited to share an interview with Rachel and Dalton, who run a local direct mail card business. They started out trying different side hustles, eventually quit their jobs, and built a business that now includes direct mail cards for local businesses.

So far, they’ve made over $100,000 in revenue from these cards and have sent more than 40 mailings.

A community direct mail card is a large postcard that features multiple local businesses. Each business pays for an ad spot, the card is mailed to thousands of homes in a local neighborhood, and the person running the card keeps the difference after printing and postage costs.

Rachel and Dalton say one card can bring in around $1,100 to $3,500 in profit, depending on what you charge.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

• How a community direct mail card works
• How much money you can make
• How much it costs to get started
• How to find local businesses that want to advertise
• How to choose neighborhoods to mail to
• How USPS Every Door Direct Mail works
• Whether you need graphic design or printing experience
• How long it takes to put a card together

I also recommend checking out the Community Card Playbook if this side hustle sounds interesting to you. What I like about this business idea is that you don’t need a storefront, inventory, or a huge amount of money to get started. Rachel and Dalton created Community Card Playbook to walk you through the process they use themselves, including how to find advertisers, choose mailing routes, create your card, price your spots, and get everything printed and mailed. They also give you their scripts, templates, and printer recommendations, so you’re not figuring everything out on your own. You can learn more about Community Card Playbook here.

How To Make $1,000+ With a Direct Mail Side Hustle

This interview is for you if you want to learn how to make money with a direct mail side hustle.

1. Tell us your story! Who are you, and how did you get started with a direct mail side hustle? What do you like about running this business?

I’m Rachel, and my husband is Dalton. We met at work, and from almost the first conversation we had, we were talking about owning our own business and getting out of our jobs. That was always the dream. We had only been together about three months when we did our very first side hustle together: we bought a pallet of returned speakers and sold them one by one on Facebook Marketplace. We made about $600 on it and thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Looking back, that was such a small win, but it told us something about ourselves. Hustle was built into us.

Over the next few years we explored a lot of side hustles and business ideas. Some made a little money, some made none, but nothing really stuck. What did stick was the plan. We saved for five years knowing that at some point we were going to go all in. When we finally did, we quit our jobs about a month apart. We had roughly three years of living expenses in the bank, and we made a deal with each other: “If we can’t make something work in three years, we’re better off going back to a 9 to 5.” That deadline was real, and it kept us moving.

We started as a marketing agency doing digital services. Websites, Google Business Profile setups, all the things that so many other people are already trying to sell. We learned fast that local business owners are absolutely bombarded with “I can build your website” messages. They’ve heard it a hundred times, and most of them have been burned at least once. What they were not being bombarded with was a really affordable direct mail offer.

That’s where the light bulb went off. Business owners already know, like, and trust direct mail. They’ve seen it work. The problem is that most of them can’t afford to send their own mailer, because sending a few thousand postcards on your own costs real money. So we asked a simple question: what if we put multiple businesses on one big postcard, so each of them only pays a fraction of the cost? That became our community card, and it became our best selling service almost overnight. It moved to the front of our business and it’s still there today.

What I love most about this business is the freedom it has given us. We work from anywhere, we set our own hours, and we’ve built something that pays the bills without either of us having to answer to a boss. It also means we get to work together, which I know is not for everyone, but for us it’s been the best part. Every card we send is a little reminder that the deal we made with each other paid off.

2. What is a community direct mail card, and how does this business work? Can you explain it in simple terms for someone who has never heard of this before?

A community card is a huge postcard, typically 6.5 by 12 inches, that features multiple local businesses on it. Instead of one business paying to mail their own card, we put 16 businesses on one card and mail it to a few thousand homes in a specific neighborhood. Think of it like the coupon cards or coupon magazines you’ve probably gotten in your mailbox, except it’s one oversized card, it’s all local businesses, and there’s only one business per industry on it.

The way the business works is simple. You pick a neighborhood, you sell the ad spaces on the card to local businesses, you collect their money up front, and then you send the design to a printer who prints it and gets it into the mail through the post office. Each business pays a small fee to be on the card. You pay the printer for the printing and postage. Whatever is left over is your profit.

The reason it works is that you’re solving a real problem for both sides. The business owner gets in front of thousands of homes for a couple hundred dollars, which they could never do on their own. The homeowner gets a card full of local businesses and deals in one place instead of a pile of junk. And you get paid for putting it together. Nobody is losing in that deal.

3. How do you make money with a direct mail card? How many businesses typically advertise on one card, what do you charge them, and what does the profit look like?

Our card has 16 ad spaces, 8 on the front and 8 on the back. Each space goes to a different business, and we only allow one business per industry, so there’s one plumber, one landscaper, one salon, one realtor, and so on. That exclusivity matters a lot to business owners, and it’s one of the first things we mention when we reach out.

We charge anywhere from $150 to $300 per business per mailing. Where you land in that range depends on the area. The nicer the neighborhood you’re mailing to, the more you can charge, and larger metros generally warrant higher prices than small towns. 

Here’s what the math looks like. If you charge $150 for all 16 spaces, that’s $2,400 collected. After printing, postage, and fulfillment for a mailing to about 2,500 homes, you’re looking at roughly $1,128 in profit. If you charge $300 for all 16 spaces, that’s $4,800 collected and about $3,528 in profit. Those numbers are based on the printer we use for printing and fulfillment, but other printers should come in around the same. So one card is somewhere between $1,100 and $3,500 in your pocket.

The part people don’t always realize is that the same businesses tend to come back. Once a business has been on a card and gotten a few calls from it, they want to be on the next one. So after your first card, you’re not starting from zero. You’re calling people who already said yes and asking if they want to stay on. That’s where this starts to feel less like a hustle and more like a business.

4. How much money have you personally made with this business? What can a beginner realistically expect to make from their first card or first few months?

We have brought in over $100,000 in revenue from the cards so far, and we’ve sent more than 40 mailings. 

For a beginner, I think a realistic expectation is around $1,000 in profit on your first card. Your first one is the slowest because you’re building your list from scratch, figuring out your message, and getting your first few yeses. Once you have that first card out, things speed up. If you stay consistent, you can typically get a card out every 4 to 6 weeks.

For us, after our second month of doing these cards we started sending two cards per month in two different neighborhoods, and our profit was a little over $2,000 a month at that point. That’s when it went from “this is a fun side thing” to “this is actually paying our bills.” I always tell people not to judge the business on card number one. Judge it on card number three. By then you have advertisers who renew, a list of businesses who told you “maybe next time,” and a system you actually understand.

5. How much money does someone need to get started?

This is my favorite part. It really is a $0 to get started kind of side hustle.

The only thing you actually need is a way to design the ads. We use Canva, and the free version will get you surprisingly far. If you want the paid version for the extra templates, it’s a small monthly subscription. AI tools like ChatGPT and nano banana are also really good at designing ads now, so you have options.

Here’s why there’s no money at risk: you don’t buy any printing until you’ve sold all the spots. You reach out to businesses, they say yes, they pay you, and only after all the money is collected do you send the design to the printer and pay for printing and postage. You’re paying the printer out of money the advertisers already gave you, and you keep the difference. And if you’re really strapped for cash and don’t want to pay for a design subscription, wait until you’ve sold your first spot and then sign up. At that point your first advertiser has literally paid for your tools. That makes it a true $0 out of pocket business.

6. How do you find local businesses that are willing to advertise on the card? What types of businesses tend to be the easiest to work with?

We reach out to businesses mostly through Facebook Messenger and email. For Facebook, we search for local businesses in our area and message their business page directly. For email, we search Google for businesses by category, like “plumber Colorado Springs,” pull their email from their website or Google listing, and send them a note. Between those two, you can build a list of a hundred businesses in an afternoon.

The message we send is really simple. It goes something like: “Hey, we’re putting together a postcard featuring local businesses that goes to 2,500 homes in [neighborhood]. We only allow one business per industry. Would you be interested?” That’s it. We don’t send a pitch deck or a long explanation. Short and friendly gets way more replies than long and salesy.

You can also call businesses, or even stop by in person and have the conversation face to face. Whatever fits your personality best. Some people in our community love walking into a shop and shaking hands. I’d rather send a hundred messages. For us it’s email, Facebook DMs, and then a phone call to anyone who replies that they’re interested. The phone call is where it closes.

The easiest businesses to work with are the ones that already understand advertising and sell higher-ticket services. Think HVAC, plumbing, roofing, landscaping, painting, realtors, med spas, dentists, that kind of thing. When you tell a plumber it’s $150 or $300 to be on a postcard going to 2,500 homes and their average job is $1,500 or $5,000 or more, it’s a no brainer. One customer pays for the ad many times over. Businesses that sell a $10 product have a much harder time seeing the math, so I don’t spend a lot of energy chasing them.

One more tip: businesses that are already advertising somewhere, whether that’s Facebook ads, a billboard, or a wrapped truck, are usually the fastest yes. They’ve already decided that advertising is worth paying for. You’re just offering them a cheaper way to do it.

7. Why would a local business pay to be on one of these cards instead of buying Facebook ads, Google ads, or sending their own mailer?

Let’s start with sending their own mailer. To mail 2,500 postcards on their own, a business is looking at somewhere north of $2,000 or more once you add up design, printing, and postage. To be on our shared card, it’s a couple hundred. They reach the exact same mailboxes for a fraction of the price. That alone is usually enough.

Google ads and Facebook ads absolutely work, but they’re crowded, they’re expensive, and they’re getting more expensive every year. Every business in town is bidding on the same clicks. Meanwhile, there’s a huge lull in the direct mail world right now because everyone decided it was dead. That’s exactly why it’s working so well. The average household only receives about two pieces of mail a day now. When a big, colorful, oversized card shows up in the mailbox, people actually look at it. It sits on the counter. It goes on the fridge. Compare that to a Facebook ad that gets scrolled past in half a second and replaced by a hundred more within the hour.

When we’re talking about attention, direct mail is winning right now, and most business owners already know it in their gut. They’ve just been priced out of it. We’re not trying to convince them that direct mail works. We’re removing the reason they stopped doing it.

There’s also the community angle. Being on a card with 15 other local businesses feels different than a random ad. It feels like they’re part of something local, and the people receiving it treat it that way too.

8. How do you choose where the card gets mailed? How does USPS Every Door Direct Mail work, and do you need to understand postal rules before starting?

We choose well-known neighborhoods that business owners will immediately recognize. When we started these cards we were living in Missoula, Montana, and two of the well known neighborhoods there were Miller Creek and Rattlesnake. When a business owner heard those names, they knew exactly what that meant: the folks living there have disposable income, because those were the nicer neighborhoods in town. Half of your sales pitch is done for you just by naming the neighborhood.

I’m not talking about the richest neighborhoods, though. That’s a mistake I see people make. The wealthiest households don’t care about a discount, and they’re more likely to look at a postcard full of local businesses and think it’s junk mail. The sweet spot is middle to upper middle class, roughly the $70,000 to $120,000 household income range. Those people have disposable income, they own their homes, they hire plumbers and landscapers, and they still care about getting a good deal.

This is where Every Door Direct Mail, or EDDM, comes in. EDDM is a program from the post office that lets you mail to every single address on a mail carrier’s route without needing anyone’s name or address. You’re not buying a mailing list. You’re simply saying “deliver one of these to every house on these routes,” and the mail carrier drops one in every mailbox on their normal rounds. Because the post office doesn’t have to sort by name and address, the postage is the cheapest they offer, well under the cost of a regular stamp per piece.

The best part is the free mapping tool on the USPS website. You type in a ZIP code or an address, and it shows you a map of every carrier route in that area. You click on the routes you want, and it tells you how many homes are on each one along with the average household income, average age, and household size for that route. That’s how we know we’re hitting the $70,000 to $120,000 range. You can also choose to send to residential addresses only and skip businesses. We keep picking routes until we’re at around 2,500 homes, which is our standard card size.

Do you need to understand the postal rules before you start? Honestly, no, as long as you use the right printer. There are rules about the size of the card, the postage marking that gets printed on it instead of a stamp, how the cards have to be bundled, and the paperwork that goes to the post office. That sounds like a lot, but any printer that offers full EDDM fulfillment does all of that every single day. They’ll tell you the exact size to design to, they’ll tell  you the specs for the correct postage marking on your design, they’ll bundle everything the way the post office requires, and they’ll deliver it to the right post office for you. All you need to know is which routes you want and what the card should look like. Let the printer handle the rest.

9. Do you need to know graphic design or printing to do this? How do you create the card, find a printer, and get everything ready to mail?

You do not need to be a designer. I’m not one. Canva is so easy to use these days that anyone can put together a clean ad in a few minutes. It has tons of templates, so for most ads you’re just swapping out the business name, logo, phone number, offer, and maybe a photo, and you have a ready to go ad. Some businesses will already have an ad or a flyer they’ve used before and will just send it to you, which makes it even easier.

AI has made this even simpler. We use ChatGPT for some of our ads now, and a simple prompt describing the business and the offer will give you a completed ad in a minute or two. So the workflow is: collect the business info, make each ad, place all 16 ads into the card template, and export the file.

For printing, the key phrase to search for is “full fulfillment EDDM” or “EDDM full service.” That means the printer doesn’t just print the cards and ship them to you. They print them, bundle them the way the post office requires, fill out the paperwork, and deliver them to your local post office. You send them your design file and the list of carrier routes you picked, and you’re done. You never even have to touch a postcard. Before you ever sell a spot, get a quote from a printer for your card size and your number of homes. That’s how you know your cost, which tells you what you need to charge.

10. How long does it take to put together one community card from start to finish? What does a typical week look like while you’re working on one?

When you’re first getting started, expect about 4 to 6 weeks from the day you send your first message to the day the cards hit mailboxes. Most of that time is selling the spots. Once you have some traction in your town, it gets a lot faster. We typically fill a card in one to two weeks now, because we have advertisers who renew and a list of businesses who already know who we are.

In the beginning, our rule was 5 Facebook messages and 10 emails every single day, no matter what. We were doing it all manually. We’d spend about an hour or two a day figuring out who to reach out to and then actually reaching out. Then throughout the day we’d reply to anyone who responded and get on a quick call with the ones who were interested. That was really the whole job. Consistency mattered way more than volume. Five messages a day for 30 days is 150 conversations started, and you only need 16 yeses.

Now we have it automated. We feed our system a list of businesses, and it sends out over 100 emails a day for us across the multiple areas we mail to. So my job is mostly replying to the people who say they’re interested and getting them on the card. It’s far less time than it used to be, and it’s the reason we can run multiple cards at once.

A typical week while a card is filling looks like this: Monday through Friday, outreach goes out in the morning. During the day I’m replying to interested businesses, sending payment links, and collecting their logo and offer. Once someone pays, their ad gets made in Canva that week. When the sixteenth spot is sold, I send the file and the routes to the printer. The printer takes it from there, and the cards typically land in mailboxes about two to three weeks after that. Then I’m already starting outreach for the next one.

11. Can someone do this in a small town, or does it work better in a larger city?

Small towns work just as well, just for different reasons. Small town businesses have smaller budgets, and with a community card they can reach a huge portion of the entire town in a single mailing for a couple hundred dollars. Small towns are also very community focused. People want to support local businesses, and the brand recognition these cards provide, with customers seeing the same business over and over again, works quickly. In a small town, you also become known fast. After a card or two, business owners will start reaching out to you.

Larger cities are great too, for a few reasons. First, it’s so competitive that the low cost really stands out. A business can spend a fraction of what they’d spend elsewhere to reach thousands of their potential customers, while their competitors are paying thousands to reach the same people on Google or Facebook. Second, there are simply more businesses in every category, so filling a card is faster, and if the plumber you wanted says no, there are 100 more plumbers to ask. Third, a big city has dozens of distinct neighborhoods, so you can run separate cards in different parts of town and even put the same advertiser on more than one of them. That’s how you go from one card a month to several. Fourth, household incomes tend to be higher in larger metros, so you can charge more per spot. And finally, business owners in bigger cities are already used to paying real money for advertising, so $300 for 2,500 homes sounds like a bargain rather than an expense.

So the honest answer is that it works in both. In a small town you’ll fill cards on relationships and reputation. In a city you’ll fill them on volume and price. 

12. If someone wanted to start this side hustle this month, can you list the steps you would recommend taking?

Here’s exactly what I’d do if I were starting from scratch this month.

1. Pick your neighborhood. Go to the USPS EDDM mapping tool, type in your ZIP code, and choose carrier routes that add up to around 2,500 homes with an average household income in the $70,000 to $120,000 range. Pick a neighborhood that local business owners will recognize by name.
2. Get a printer quote. Search for a printer that offers full fulfillment EDDM and get a quote for a 6.5 by 12 inch postcard mailed to your 2,500 homes. Now you know your cost.
3. Set your price. Divide your cost by 16 and add the profit you want per spot. In most areas that lands you between $150 and $300 per space. Write it down and don’t second guess it.
4. Build your card template in Canva. Set up a 6.5 by 12 inch card with 8 ad spaces on the front and 8 on the back. Even a plain template with 16 boxes works for now.
5. Build your list. Make a list of 100 local businesses across different industries, one industry per line. Higher ticket services first: HVAC, plumbing, roofing, landscaping, realtors, dentists, med spas, auto repair, and so on. Grab their Facebook page and email address.
6. Start outreach and don’t stop. Send your simple message to 10 to 15 businesses a day. “We’re putting together a postcard featuring local businesses that goes to 2,500 homes in [neighborhood]. We only allow one business per industry. Would you be interested?” Reply to everyone who responds, and get the interested ones on a quick phone call.
7. Collect payment up front. When a business says yes, send a payment link right away. A spot isn’t sold until it’s paid for. Then ask for their logo, phone number, and the offer they want on their ad.
8. Make the ads. Drop each business’s info into a Canva template or use ChatGPT to generate the ad, then place it into your card layout. Send each business a quick proof of their ad to approve.
9. Send it to print. Once all 16 spots are paid and the ads are approved, send your design file and your list of carrier routes to the printer. They handle printing, bundling, and delivery to the post office.
10. Follow up and go again. Once the cards land, check in with each advertiser and ask if they want to be on the next one. Then start outreach for the next neighborhood. The second card is always faster than the first.

If you do nothing but those ten things for 30 days, you will have a card in the mail. It’s not complicated. It just requires you to actually send the messages.

13. Can you tell us more about Community Card Playbook and your membership? Who is it for, what does it teach, and how does it help someone launch their first card?

Community Card Playbook is the membership Dalton and I built to teach exactly what we’ve been talking about in this interview. It came out of people asking us how we were doing these cards, and us realizing that the best way to help was to just hand over the whole system.

It’s for a few different kinds of people. First, anyone looking to make some extra money on the side, whether that’s for a vacation, bills, a new car, savings, or just breathing room. Second, anyone who wants to dip their toe into the entrepreneur world. If you’ve ever thought about starting a business but didn’t know where to begin, this is a really low-risk way to find out if you like it. There’s no inventory, no storefront, and no money out of pocket, and you’ll learn to sell, which is the skill that every business runs on.

It also works really well for two other groups. If you’ve considered starting a marketing agency like we did, the cards are the best foot in the door I know of. You build relationships with dozens of local businesses, you get them a result, and that opens the door to selling them your other services. That’s exactly how our agency grew. And if you already own a local business, whether that’s landscaping, HVAC, plumbing, a salon, a restaurant, real estate, or anything else, you can run a card and put your own business on it. The other 15 advertisers pay for the mailing, and you advertise to 2,500 homes for free.

Inside the membership we have the entire process laid out end to end. That includes our printer recommendation, the exact scripts we use for outreach and follow up, our card templates, tons of video walkthroughs, and step by step trainings on everything from choosing routes in EDDM to setting up automated email outreach so you’re not sending every message by hand. We also do live weekly calls with Dalton and myself where we hop on, answer questions, share what’s working and what’s not, help people get unstuck, and go over real cards that members are putting together. Those calls are where a lot of the magic happens, because you’re hearing from other people who are a card or two ahead of you.

The goal of the membership is simple: get your first card in the mail. Once you’ve done one, you understand the whole business, and everything after that is repetition. We’ve watched people go from never having sold anything in their life to having a full card in a few weeks, and there is nothing more fun for us than seeing someone send us a photo of their first card sitting in a mailbox.

You can click here to learn more about the course, Community Card Playbook.

Do you think a community card like this would work where you live?

Recommended reading:

• 19 Best Side Hustles for Couples To Make Extra Money Together
• How I Made $6,161 in Just 4 Months With a New Etsy Printables Shop
• 31 Best Stay At Home Jobs (#1 Is My Full Time Job!)
• 22 Ways To Make Money Online Without Paying Anything
• How I Got Paid $39,177 Directly From Facebook in One Month Just To Post Content

The post How To Make $1,000+ With a Direct Mail Side Hustle appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

I worked throughout college and looked for ways to save money wherever I could. I bought used textbooks, lived with roommates, followed a budget, and tried to avoid spending money on things I did not really need. These choices may seem small, but they helped me avoid taking on even more student loan debt and taught me money habits that I still use today.

You do not need to be a financial expert or skip everything fun to save money in college. I think that making a few smart changes can help your money last longer, lower the amount you need to borrow, and make life after graduation much less stressful.

Best Money-Saving Tips for College Students

In today’s post, I’m going over:

• Things to do to save on college costs
• Being smart with scholarships and FAFSA
• Where to buy college-related items for cheap
• College jobs you can get to make money

Whether you’re starting college for the first time or already a few semesters in, these money-saving tips can make a big impact on your finances. 

Enjoy!

1. Create a monthly budget

A monthly budget is one of the easiest ways to take control of your money, and learning how to do this now will set you up for success in the long run.

A budget helps you see exactly where your money is going and can prevent you from spending more than you actually have.

Here’s how to create a budget:

• List your income (which may come from a job, scholarships, financial aid, or money from family).
• List your expenses (costs like rent, groceries, transportation, school supplies, your phone bill, hanging out with friends, etc.).
• Set spending limits for each category and plan for irregular purchases like school supplies, car repairs, and trips home.
• Review your budget each month (adjust your budget as income/expenses change).

A budget can help you avoid unnecessary debt and make your money last throughout your college years. A budget can also help you realize how much money you actually have available to spend!

Recommended reading: 14 Best Books About Budgeting

2. Apply for scholarships

Scholarships are one of the best ways to make/save the most money during college, so it’s important to apply for as many scholarships as you qualify for.

To find scholarships, start with your school and check the financial aid office for a list of scholarships you are eligible for. I also recommend you search websites like Scholarships.com and apply for local scholarships from local community organizations, businesses, and foundations.

Another helpful resource is The Scholarship System, which offers free training and a step-by-step program that teaches students and families how to find legitimate scholarships, submit stronger applications, write better essays, and reduce the need for student loans.

Even a small $500 scholarship can cover textbooks, school supplies, or several weeks of groceries, so don’t skip applying to the smaller ones. 

Recommended reading: How I Paid Off My $40,000 Student Loan Debt In Less Than One Year

3. Fill out the FAFSA each year

Every year, make sure you fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), as this may give you money that you never have to pay back, as well as other forms of assistance to make college more affordable.

Here are some things to know about FAFSA:

• You need to complete the application each year you are in college if you want to receive financial aid.
• Apply as early as possible, as sometimes awards can run out or be limited.
• Look for grants, which are a type of aid that does not need to be repaid.
• Don’t assume you won’t qualify; it’s worth it to apply anyway!

Recommended reading: How Do Student Loans Work? What You Need To Know About Borrowing Money For School

4. Buy used textbooks

When I was in college, I never bought new textbooks.

For $300+ a pop, I couldn’t justify spending that money, especially when I was trying to pay off my tuition while in college. Used textbooks are so much cheaper, with some books being just 10% of the new textbook rate. I bought my used textbooks on sites like eCampus.com, AbeBooks, ThriftBooks, and similar sites. 

5. Sell your textbooks after the semester

Textbooks are crazy expensive, like I said above, so sell them as soon as possible once you’re done with them, as new editions can come out quickly, making older textbooks harder to sell. You will most likely never open them again anyway, so you might as well just sell them.

You can also sell textbooks directly to other students who may need the same book by checking campus groups and student forums. Before selling any textbooks, check what your campus bookstore and online textbook buyers are selling the books for so you can try to get a similar amount. 

Another option is to sell your textbook online. You can click here to see how much you can sell your textbooks for at World of Books.

You can learn more about this at 8 Best Places To Sell Used Textbooks.

Recommended reading: World of Books Review: Is It Worth It To Sell Your Used Books?

6. Use your student discounts

There’s one time in your life where you’ll get to take advantage of student discounts, so make use of this time!

Restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, movie theaters, and shopping retailers are just a few places that give student discounts. Discounts are usually between 10% and 20%, which adds up quickly over time. 

And, all you usually need is to show your student ID, which is very easy.

7. Get furniture secondhand

If you need furniture, buy secondhand instead of buying everything new.

Check local Buy Nothing groups on Facebook, thrift stores, garage sales, and even see if there’s a place at your school where students leave stuff they no longer need. 

So many people give away perfectly good furniture, so this can be a great way to save money. My sister recently gave away a whole patio set for free to someone in college from her local Buy Nothing Facebook group, and it was nice!

Recommended reading: 11 Places To Get Free Furniture

8. Eat at home instead of going to restaurants

Another large expense for college students is groceries and eating out, so learning how to save money here can help a lot.

Here are a few things you can do to save money:

• Plan your meals for the week so you know exactly what to get when grocery shopping.
• Buy affordable staples that make up most of your meals, like rice, pasta, beans, potatoes, oats, and frozen vegetables.
• Cook in large batches, so you have leftovers for more meals (for example, what you eat at dinner could then be had for lunch the next day).
• Pack your lunch so you always have food on you and don’t get tempted to get takeout.

Recommended reading: How To Meal Prep On A Budget: 10 Great Recipes To Try

9. Walk or bike when possible

Transportation is one of the biggest expenses for students, which is why walking or biking when possible can save you a lot of money. If you don’t need to have a car (for example, if you don’t need to leave campus for a job), then you may want to think about getting rid of your car and saving your money.

A bike can make getting around campus or to work a lot cheaper, and you don’t have to worry about parking fees. If you don’t already have a bike, you can find affordable bikes on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, local bike shops, and garage sales. 

10. Find free entertainment

Luckily, as a college student, you’ll most likely get access to lots of free events run by your college.

Colleges usually host events like movie nights and sports games, and local museums often have free entry days. You can also take advantage of your local library, where you can oftentimes check out state park passes, national park passes, and even museum passes. Local libraries also host free events for crafty people, book clubs, and more (I LOVE free library events!). 

11. Get a roommate

I had roommates throughout college, and it was a huge money saver.

Getting a roommate significantly cuts your portion of rent. You can find roommates by asking friends or classmates, checking if your school has a roommate match program, posting a flyer at school, or asking around at work. 

12. Cancel subscriptions you don’t use

There are subscriptions for almost everything now, making it easy to sign up for several every month.

Here’s what to do to stay smart with subscriptions and not fall for overspending.

• Look through your bank and credit card statements each month to see how much you’re spending.
• Cancel unused subscription services and set a reminder (I like to use my phone calendar to remind me) to cancel free trials before you’re automatically charged.

Since you’re a student, you’re likely eligible for discounts with Amazon, Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and more. However, just because there is a student discount does not mean you need to sign up for it. Only sign up for subscriptions you truly use and need.

13. Avoid unnecessary credit card debt

One of the most important things to learn how to use now, before graduating college, is credit cards. Some of the most important things to remember about credit cards include:

• Only use your credit card if you are positive you can pay it off (you should be paying the full monthly bill each month and not just the minimum payment – this is because you do not want to be paying interest on your credit card!).
• Understand credit card interest rates (some credit cards start at 0% interest and then move to 20%+ once the promotional period ends).
• Avoid impulse purchases and allow yourself time to think before putting an unnecessary purchase on a credit card.
• Keep track of your credit card spending so you know how much you’ve been charged. 

Recommended reading: How Do Credit Cards Work? I Answer The Most Important Questions

14. Find a job or a side hustle

I worked all throughout college, my sister worked full-time (even while taking a full course load!), and I know plenty of others who worked while they were in college. While it can be hard, sometimes you may not have a choice (such as if you have bills you have to pay!).

If you are looking for a job while in college, an on-campus job can be a great place to start because these employers usually understand that school comes first. You may be able to work at the library, dining hall, recreation center, bookstore, admissions office, or another place on campus. You can also look into work-study jobs, tutoring other students, or becoming a resident assistant, which may help lower your housing costs.

When comparing jobs, do not look at the hourly pay alone. Think about how far you will need to travel, whether the hours work with your classes, and whether the job can give you useful experience for your future career. For example, a job that pays slightly less but is located on campus and works around your classes may sometimes be the better choice.

A side hustle can also give you more control over when you work. Some ideas include babysitting, pet sitting, tutoring, selling items online, answering surveys, or offering freelance services such as writing, graphic design, proofreading, social media management, or video editing. You could also create and sell printables or other digital products online.

Even working just a few hours each week can help cover your everyday expenses. Just make sure you leave enough time for classes, studying, sleep, and having some fun during college too.

Recommended reading: 21 Best Side Hustles for College Students To Make $500+ a Month

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to common questions you may have about saving money as a college student.

What is the best way to save money as a college student?

The best ways to save money as a college student include using campus resources like free events, gyms, transportation, and tutoring. I also think buying used textbooks or renting textbooks, which is what I did and easily saved me hundreds of dollars each semester, is a great way to save money. Getting creative in the kitchen and learning how to make really good coffee and meals at home, which will deter you from spending money on takeout, are more ways to save money in college.

How can I save money for college while I’m in high school?

If you’re in high school and wondering how you can save money for college, you are a thousand steps ahead of most people your age – which is great! Saving money for college now while you’re still in high school can alleviate a lot of stress while in college. To start saving money for college now, get a part-time job, apply for scholarships, save any extra money that comes from birthdays or holidays, and take college credit courses while in high school (doing this is extremely helpful!). While you’re at it, make sure you’ve opened a high-yield savings account so your money has somewhere to grow but still has easy access to it. 

What is the biggest mistake college students make with money?

College students tend to make a few mistakes during college, and that is normal – but it’s a good idea to know about them. The most common mistakes include not having a budget in place, using credit cards for everything and not paying them off immediately, overspending on food and entertainment, and taking on unnecessary debt. What I mean by unnecessary debt is taking out way more student loans than you actually need. 

How much money should a college student save each month?

The reality is, saving money as a college student is hard. Most college students are simply trying to make ends meet (cover rent, food, school supplies, transportation). If you can save money, a goal of $25 to $100 really adds up and can help you in case you have an emergency. Or you can try to save 10% of every paycheck. You can also try saving any monetary gifts you get, tax refunds, and other unexpected income. 

Is it better to work while in college?

For many of us, working during college is mandatory. I worked during college since I didn’t have any financial support, and it helped pay for rent, groceries, my car, school supplies, and other expenses. I also gained work experience that correlated with my degree, which made it even easier to get a job once I graduated from college. I also met new people and gained valuable references to put on my resume. As you can see, working in college has so many benefits that are not just making extra money.

14 Money-Saving Tips for College Students – Summary

I hope you enjoyed my article on 14 money-saving tips for college students. 

Learning how to manage, spend, and save money wisely in college is one of the most important things you can do as you begin your journey into adulthood.

It’s so important to learn these financial skills now before you start a career, rent an apartment, buy a home, and do other adult things. Spending time learning personal finance skills truly pays off in the long run. 

Is there anything I didn’t mention in this article on how to save money in college that should be here? Let me know in the comments. 

Recommended reading: 

• 16 Best Online Jobs For College Students
• 15 Of The Best Money Books For Young Adults
• 21 Ways You Can Learn How To Save Money In College
• How To Work And Go To College: 10 Tips That Will Help You Succeed
• 17 Online Jobs For Teens To Make Money
• 23 Business Ideas For Teens
• 19 Best Online Jobs From Home To Make $1,000+ A Month
• 17 Best Seasonal Jobs That Pay Well

The post 14 Money-Saving Tips for College Students appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

It’s easy to find lists of ways to make extra money. The harder part is choosing something you have time for, can afford to start, and might actually enjoy doing. A side hustle that works well for someone else may not fit your life at all.

I’m talking about a side hustle that fits with the amount of time you have, how much money you want to make, and even things you’re already good at. You may even want a side hustle that fits your personality type, working online vs. in-person, or working alone vs. with people. 

In this article, I’m going over important things to think about before choosing a side hustle, which will help narrow down which side hustle to start and what to do if you end up not liking your chosen side hustle.

How To Find a Side Hustle That Actually Fits Your Life

Here is a list of 8 ways to find a side hustle that actually fits your life.

1. Figure out why you want a side hustle

What do you want the extra money to do for you? Maybe you want to cover a monthly bill, build an emergency fund, or save for a car. Or, you might want to earn money from a hobby or eventually start a full-time business.

Thinking about your goal can help you narrow down your options. If you want a little extra spending money, a flexible activity you can pick up now and then may work. If you hope to build a business, you may be willing to spend more time finding customers and learning new skills.

You don’t need a perfect plan, and just knowing what you’re working toward can help you choose what to try first.

2. Be realistic about how much time you have

Look at your work schedule, family time, and other commitments. How many hours could you spend on a side hustle in a normal week? And when are those hours available?

For example, if you only have time after your kids go to bed, a job that requires daytime meetings or hours probably won’t work. If your schedule changes every week, you may want something you can do when you’re free.

Recommended reading: 16 Ways To Find Time To Make Extra Money

3. Set an income goal

How much would you like to make each month? Your answer doesn’t have to be exact, but it should be realistic for the hours you have.

For example, making an extra $200 a month is a different goal from making $1,000 a month. If you can work five hours a week, $1,000 a month would mean earning about $50 for each hour you work, before expenses and taxes. Some side hustles could reach that rate, while others will not.

Think about how quickly you need the money, too. A service you can sell to a customer may bring in money sooner than a blog or YouTube channel, which can take time to build.

4. Think about what you are already good at

You may already know how to do something people will pay for. Think about your job, hobbies, education, and the things friends or family ask you to help with.

Your skills might include writing, organizing, caring for pets, taking photos, cleaning, or helping a small business with social media. Starting with something you know can make it easier to take the first step.

Of course, you can learn something new, too. But, sometimes thinking about what you’re already good at can save you some time.

5. Think about the kind of work you enjoy

Do you like meeting people, or would you rather work on your own? Would you rather spend your time at home, outside, or visiting customers? Do you enjoy creating things, solving problems, or doing a task with a clear start and finish?

These questions matter. For example, pet sitting could be a good fit if you like animals and don’t mind talking with their owners. Freelance writing may be a better fit if you prefer to work from home, although you’ll still need to communicate with clients.

No side hustle has to match your personality perfectly. But if you know you’ll dread an important part of the work, keep looking.

6. Check what it will cost to start

Some side hustles cost very little to try, and others may require supplies, tools, a car, insurance, a license, or training. Even a low-cost idea can have ongoing expenses.

Before paying for anything, write down what you truly need to begin. You might be able to use equipment you already own or test the idea with one customer first. You can decide later whether extra training or better tools would be worth paying for.

I recommend that you set a startup budget you feel comfortable with, and avoid spending money based only on what someone says you could earn.

7. Test your side hustle before going all in

You don’t need to build a whole business before you find out whether you like the work.

If you’re interested in cleaning houses, could you take on one client? If you want to sell printables, could you make a few designs and see what you learn from listing them? (For example – do you like making the printables?) If you’re thinking about pet sitting, could you start with one booking that fits your schedule?

Pay attention to more than what you earn. How long did the work take, including prep and travel? What did you spend? Did you like doing it? Would you want to do it again next week?

One small test won’t tell you everything, but it can help you decide whether to keep going.

8. Give yourself permission to change your mind

You might discover that an idea sounds great but doesn’t fit your life once you try it.

That’s okay.

You can use what you learned to pick something better.

I’ve tried many side hustles over the years, and some didn’t fit the way I like to work. Trying different things helped me learn what I enjoyed and what I wanted to avoid. You don’t have to keep a side hustle just because you spent time getting started.

Recommended reading: I Worked From Home for 10+ Years, Then Tried an In-Person Job – Here’s What Surprised Me

How To Narrow Your Choices Down to One Side Hustle

Before you look at the ideas below, write down your answers to these four questions:

1. How many hours can I spend on this in a normal week, and when am I free?
2. How much extra money would I like to make each month?
3. What can I afford to spend to get started?
4. Do I want to work from home or in person? With people or mostly on my own?

Now pick two ideas that match your answers. Look at what each one requires, including the time it takes to find work. Choose one to test on a small scale.

For example, say you have five hours a week, want to work from home, and have almost no startup budget. Answering surveys might be easy to try, but it’s unlikely to meet a large monthly income goal. If you’re good at writing, selling a small freelance writing service may have more room to grow, though finding your first client will take work. Your goal helps you decide which idea is worth testing.

Give yourself a short trial period, such as 30 days. At the end, look at your earnings, expenses, hours, and how you felt about the work. Then decide whether to continue, change your approach, or try your second idea.

Side Hustle Ideas Based on Your Lifestyle

Here are side hustles to choose from based on your lifestyle factors.

If you only have a few hours a week:

• Playing games on your phone – This is best for making a little extra spending money, not a large income goal or a job.
• Answering online surveys when you have spare time. Pay can be low, and you may not qualify for every survey.
• Dog walking or pet sitting when your schedule allows, while allowing time to meet owners and care for their pets.
• Sell a service you already know how to do, such as proofreading or taking photos, to a small number of clients.

If you want to work from home:

• Start a blog if you want to build something over time and can wait for it to earn money.
• Create and sell printables on Etsy if you enjoy making digital products and don’t want to handle shipping.
• Print-On-Demand if you like coming up with designs but don’t want to keep products in stock.
• Proofreading if you’re good at spotting mistakes.

If you want something that could become a full-time business:

• Dog treat bakery if you enjoy making products and want to grow from a few customers to regular sales.
• Bookkeeping if you like working with numbers and want to build a list of monthly clients.
• Membership or subscription business if you have something useful to offer people month after month.
• Pet waste removal if you like working outdoors and want to build a route of regular customers.
• YouTube channel if you enjoy making videos and are willing to keep creating while your audience grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to frequently asked questions about finding a side hustle that actually fits your life.

How do I know which side hustle is right for me?

The right side hustle should have a blend of the following things: schedule, skills, interests, and income goals. Finding the right side hustle also means finding something you can stick with that helps you reach your goals. 

How many hours a week should I spend on a side hustle?

You don’t need to spend a ton of time on your side hustle, especially when you’re just getting started. It really depends on how much time you have and what your goals are. Even just five hours a week can be enough to get started. 

What is the easiest side hustle to start?

The easiest side hustles are gigs that use skills you already have, require little to no upfront money, and can fit into your existing schedule. 

Can I start a side hustle with no money?

Yes, you can definitely start a side hustle with no money just by using the skills and resources you already have. Many side hustles can be started from home without having to buy any courses or expensive equipment. Here are 14 Side Hustles You Can Start With No Money.

When should I quit a side hustle that is not working?

It’s time to think about possibly quitting a side hustle when you realize it’s consistently taking more time, energy, and resources than it is worth. You also need to decide to quit if you’ve given it a realistic chance of working, but you’re just not happy with it. You can always try something else!

How To Find a Side Hustle That Actually Fits Your Life – Summary

I hope you enjoyed my article on how to start a side hustle that actually fits your life.

Finding a side hustle that fits your lifestyle is important because it helps you stay consistent, avoid burnout, and truly enjoy your work and everyday life. 

I have tried many, many side hustles over the years. Some I have loved, and others weren’t the right fit for me. Each one taught me more about the kind of work I enjoy, how much time I want to spend on it, and what I want my life to look like.

It’s okay if the first (or second!) side hustle you try doesn’t work out. You can take what you learned and try something else.

Which side hustle are you interested in starting?

Recommended reading:

• 17 Low Effort Side Hustles That Can Make You Extra Money
• How I Made My Side Hustle My Full-Time Dream Job
• The Very Honest Truth About Going Full-Time With My Side Hustle
• How To Quit Your Job And Become A Full-Time Blogger
• I’ve Done Over 20 Side Hustles – Here’s How To Avoid Burnout

The post How To Find a Side Hustle That Actually Fits Your Life appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

Maybe you want to stay home with your baby, but your family still needs another income. Or, perhaps you are on maternity leave and want to make extra money to help with diapers, formula, medical bills, and everything else that comes with having a baby.

You may also be looking for a flexible way to work because daycare costs are so high. Depending on where you live, childcare can easily cost $1,000 a month or much more.

I completely understand why you may be looking for ways to make money while caring for your baby.

I have worked from home for many years, and being able to set my own schedule became even more important after I became a mom. I am so thankful that my work allows me to spend a lot of time with my daughter.

But working while taking care of a baby is not always easy.

Babies do not care if you have a deadline. Some days they may take a long nap, and other days they may barely sleep at all. You may sit down to work and then immediately have to stop because your baby needs you.

Because of this, some jobs are much easier to do with a baby than others.

The best options tend to let you work whenever you have time so that you can work during naps, after bedtime, early in the morning, or when your partner or another family member is home.

Best Ways To Make Money While Taking Care of a Baby

Here are some of the best options from this list:

• Best long-term business: Starting a blog
• Best for earning money quickly: Selling things you already own
• Best freelance businesses: Virtual assisting, bookkeeping, and proofreading
• Best semi-passive income idea: Selling printables
• Best option if you have baby gear: Renting it to traveling families
• Best for earning a small amount from your phone: Online surveys or playing games

Below are 18 ways to make money while taking care of a baby.

1. Start a blog

Starting a blog is my favorite way to make money from home because it is exactly what I do.

I did not start my blog with plans to turn it into a business, and I definitely had no idea that it would eventually become my full-time income, but since then, I have earned over $5,000,000 from blogging.

My blog has allowed me to leave my day job, travel full-time for many years, create my own schedule, and spend more time with my daughter. I am honestly so, so grateful for my blog because of the life it has allowed me to have with my daughter.

As a blogger, you can write about nearly any topic you are interested in, such as:

• Parenting
• Personal finance
• Travel
• Food
• Crafts
• Home projects
• Fashion
• Books
• Pets
• Fitness
• Homeschooling

Bloggers can make money through display ads, affiliate marketing, sponsored partnerships, selling products, creating courses, selling services, and more.

One of the reasons blogging can work well when you have a baby is that you do not have to write an entire article at one time. You could come up with ideas while your baby plays nearby, create an outline during one nap, and write part of the article after bedtime.

You can work ahead when you have more time and slow down when your baby needs more attention.

Now, blogging is not a way to get rich overnight. It took me a while to earn money, and there is a lot to learn. But a blog can turn into a real business that earns money for many years.

You can learn more about how to begin in my free How To Start a Blog Course here.

2. Become an online bookkeeper

If you enjoy numbers and keeping things organized, bookkeeping may interest you. I have a couple of friends who stay at home with their children and run an online bookkeeping business, and they like and recommend it.

A bookkeeper helps a business manage its financial records, and this may include recording sales, tracking expenses, sending invoices, and putting together financial reports.

You do not have to be an accountant or have a finance degree to become a bookkeeper. This is a skill you can learn through online training like this free intro workshop where you will learn how to start a freelance bookkeeping business.

Many small businesses only need a bookkeeper for a few hours each month. Because of this, one bookkeeper may work with several different clients.

You may be able to complete most of your work whenever it fits your schedule, so this can be helpful if you are caring for a baby and cannot work the same hours every day.

Recommended reading: How To Find Online Bookkeeping Jobs As A Beginner

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Bookkeeper Launch Course

This free training will teach you what you need to know to become a virtual bookkeeper and make money from home.

Sign Up Here

3. Sell printables on Etsy

Selling printables is one of my favorite semi-passive income ideas.

A printable is a digital file that a customer buys online and prints at home. Because the item is digital, you do not have to package anything, keep inventory in your house, or make a trip to the post office.

Examples of printables you can sell include:

• Budget planners
• Meal planners
• Grocery lists
• Baby schedules
• Chore charts
• Baby shower games
• Birthday invitations
• Wedding invitations
• Homeschool worksheets
• Coloring pages
• Cleaning checklists
• Holiday planners
• Wall art

You can make a printable in Canva and sell it on Etsy or through your own website.

One of the best things about this business is that you only have to create each file once. After you list it for sale, customers can buy and download it over and over again.

Of course, you will still need to create new products, answer customer questions, and work on your listings. So, it is not completely passive. But you do not have to remake every product each time someone buys it.

You can learn more at How I Made $6,161 in Just 4 Months With a New Etsy Printables Shop.

I also recommend signing up for the Earn Money Selling Printables free training. You’ll learn printable ideas, how to get started on Etsy, and how to actually sell printables.

Free Training: Earn Money Selling Printables

Do you want to make money selling printables online? This free training will give you great ideas on what you can sell, how to get started, the costs, and how to make sales.

Sign Up Here

4. Start a print on demand business

Print-on-demand can be a flexible business to start while taking care of a baby because you do not have to make, store, or ship the products yourself.

With print-on-demand, you create a design and add it to products such as:

• T-shirts
• Sweatshirts
• Coffee mugs
• Tote bags
• Phone cases
• Stickers
• Hats
• Baby clothing
• Blankets
• Ornaments

When a customer places an order, a print-on-demand company makes the product and ships it directly to them. This means you do not need boxes of inventory sitting around your house, which is probably the last thing you need when you already have baby gear everywhere!

Print-on-demand can fit around your baby’s schedule because you can research ideas, create designs, and write product listings whenever you have time. You could work on one design during a nap and upload it later after bedtime.

You can sell print-on-demand products through Etsy, Shopify, Amazon, or your own website. Companies such as Printify, Printful, and Gelato can connect to your online store and take care of fulfilling each order.

I recommend signing up for the How to Make Money with Print-On-Demand free workshop. In this workshop, you’ll learn how one person made $500,000 in two years selling gifts, the best types of products to sell to maximize your earnings, and how to start this side hustle on Etsy.

Recommended reading: How I Make $7,500 Monthly Selling Print-On-Demand Gifts

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Make Money With Print-On-Demand Free Workshop

Want to learn how to make money selling print-on-demand products on Etsy? Check out this free workshop and learn how Emily made $500,000 in just two years.

Sign Up Here

5. Work as a virtual assistant

A virtual assistant helps business owners with tasks that can be completed online.

This was another one of my early side hustles, and I currently have a VA – I also know many VAs who have children at home.

Virtual assistants may help with:

• Answering emails
• Scheduling appointments
• Creating Pinterest pins
• Managing social media
• Formatting blog posts
• Sending invoices
• Organizing files
• Creating spreadsheets
• Researching article ideas
• Managing Facebook groups

There are so many different services you can sell as a virtual assistant, and it depends on what you know how to do and what your client needs help with.

If you are not sure what service to offer, think about the tasks you have done at past jobs. You may already know how to use spreadsheets, write emails, manage a calendar, organize files, or create graphics in Canva.

Many times, the business owner you work for will tell you exactly how they want things done, so it’s a job that you can learn as you go.

If you are taking care of a baby, I recommend looking for virtual assistant work that does not require you to be online at an exact time. Work that you can complete by a deadline will probably be easier than a job where you have to reply within minutes. For example, my virtual assistant has a set list of tasks to do each week, but it does not matter when she completes them – so she can have a flexible schedule.

Recommended reading: How I Got My Start as a Virtual Assistant with a Baby on My Hip

6. Proofread blog posts and other content

Are you the type of person who notices every spelling mistake?

Proofreaders read content and look for mistakes in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting. They may work for bloggers, book authors, business owners, students, or even court reporters.

The work is usually quiet and can usually be completed on your own schedule, which may make it easier to do while your baby is sleeping.

You do not need to be the best writer in the world to become a proofreader, but you should have a strong eye for small details. You also need to be able to stay focused because it can be easy to miss mistakes when you are rushing.

If you are interested in finding online proofreading jobs, I recommend signing up for this free 76-minute workshop all about proofreading. Here, you will learn how to start a freelance proofreading business. You can sign up for free here.

Recommended reading: 20 Best Online Proofreading Jobs For Beginners (Earn $40,000+ A Year)

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Proofread Anywhere

This free 76-minute workshop answers all of the most common questions about how to become a proofreader, and even talks about the 5 signs that proofreading could be a perfect fit for you.

Sign Up Here

7. Manage social media for small businesses

Many business owners know they should be posting on social media, but they do not have the time to do it, and this is where a social media manager can help.

Social media managers may create posts, schedule content, reply to comments, make graphics, research ideas, and help a business reach new customers.

They manage:

• Facebook pages
• Instagram accounts
• Pinterest accounts
• TikTok accounts
• LinkedIn pages
• YouTube channels

You do not need to work on every platform – I recommend choosing the one you know best.

For example, if you enjoy Pinterest, you could help bloggers create pins and schedule them. If you like Instagram, you could help a local business plan its posts and short videos.

A lot of social media work can be planned ahead. You may be able to make a full week or month of content at one time and schedule it to publish automatically. My virtual assistant is also my social media manager, and she schedules almost all of my social media content days and weeks ahead.

8. Create and sell Canva templates

You may enjoy this idea if you like designing but do not want to make a physical product.

A Canva template is a design that another person can buy and edit. The customer can change the words, pictures, colors, and fonts to fit what they need.

Some Canva templates you could sell include:

• Pinterest pin templates
• Instagram post templates
• Resumes
• Business cards
• Workbooks
• Ebooks
• Media kits
• Invitations
• Flyers
• Price lists
• Real estate marketing materials

Businesses, bloggers, teachers, parents, and many other people buy Canva templates because they want something that looks nice without having to design it themselves. I have personally bought Canva templates many times in the past, and they make running a business so much easier.

I recommend heading to How I Make $2,000+ Monthly Selling Canva Templates to learn more about this.

9. Sell items you no longer need

If you need to make money quickly, selling things you already own may be one of the easiest places to start.

You probably have items sitting around your house that you no longer use, like baby clothing, toys, furniture, electronics, kitchen items, decorations, books, or shoes.

Babies grow so quickly, and it can seem like they outgrow clothing and gear almost immediately. If you are done using those items, you may be able to sell them to another family.

Places to sell used items include:

• Facebook Marketplace
• eBay
• Poshmark
• Mercari
• Local parent groups
• Children’s resale stores
• Garage sales

You can use nap time to take pictures, create listings, and respond to messages.

This probably will not become a long-term income unless you start flipping items, but it can be a quick way to make extra cash and clear clutter from your home at the same time.

Recommended reading: 12 Best Places To Sell Used Baby Items

10. Rent out your baby gear

Did you know that you can make money renting out baby gear?

Families who are traveling may not want to bring a crib, stroller, high chair, car seat, toys, and everything else their baby needs. Instead, they may rent those items when they arrive at their destination.

BabyQuip is a platform where you can list baby gear for rent and deliver it to families who are on a trip or vacation.

Items you may be able to rent out include:

• Cribs
• Strollers
• High chairs
• Car seats
• Baby baths
• Toys
• Baby monitors
• Beach gear

You do not need to buy a houseful of baby products immediately. You may want to start with a few popular items, such as a full-size crib and stroller, and see how much demand there is in your area.

This idea may work especially well if you live near hotels, vacation rentals, theme parks, beaches, or another popular travel destination.

You will need a place to store everything, and you will need to clean each item carefully between rentals. You should also make a plan for deliveries and pickups.

11. Answer online surveys

Online surveys are not going to make you rich, but they can be an easy way to make a little extra money with no stress.

With surveys, you may be answering questions about the places you shop, products you buy, food you eat, shows you watch, and other parts of your daily life.

In exchange, you may earn cash or free gift cards.

I have taken many surveys in the past and received $50 to $100 checks from answering easy questions.

Surveys are flexible because you can usually do them from your phone and while your baby is sleeping, feeding, or playing nearby.

I recommend signing up for several survey companies because you probably will not qualify for every survey. You may also want to create a separate email address for survey accounts so that your regular inbox does not become too crowded.

Below are the companies I recommend signing up for:

1. American Consumer Opinion
2. Survey Junkie
3. Swagbucks
4. InboxDollars
5. Branded Surveys
6. Pinecone Research

You can learn more about online surveys at Best Paid Survey Sites To Make $100+ Per Month.

12. Participate in paid research studies

Paid research studies are another way to make money by sharing your opinion.

These tend to pay more than regular online surveys, but you may have to meet specific requirements.

For example, a company may be looking for parents of children under age 2 who have purchased a certain type of stroller. Another study may need people who use a particular bank, grocery store, or phone app.

A paid study may involve:

• Answering questions online
• Joining a video call
• Testing a product
• Sharing your screen
• Joining an online focus group
• Keeping a short diary

I have personally completed a User Interviews study that paid me $400 for one hour of my time. That is much higher than what you would normally earn from a regular survey.

You will not qualify for every research study, so do not be discouraged if you apply and are not chosen.

The study I did was a video call (which is one of the reasons it paid so well). If the study requires a video call, you will probably want to schedule it for a time when someone else can watch your baby.

You can click here to sign up for User Interviews.

13. Sell items on Whatnot

Whatnot is a live shopping app where people sell items through live video shows.

I think the easiest way to describe Whatnot is that it is like a mix of TikTok Live, eBay, and QVC. Sellers show products on camera, answer questions from viewers, and run quick auctions or fixed-price sales.

There are hundreds of categories on Whatnot, such as:

• Trading cards
• Clothing
• Shoes
• Toys
• Collectibles
• Coins
• Jewelry
• Beauty products
• Home goods
• Comics
• Holiday items

One of the most interesting parts of Whatnot is that you do not need a website or an existing social media audience to start because buyers are already on the app looking for live shows and products.

You also do not have to show your face if you do not want to. You can point your phone at the products so that buyers only see the items and your hands. They will hear your voice as you explain what you are selling and answer questions.

My friends over at Marketplace SuperHeroes put together a free training called How We Made $247,840.96 in 125 Days on Whatnot. If you want to learn more about selling on Whatnot and see why so many people are excited about it, click here to register for the free training.

Recommended reading:

• Whatnot Review: Is This Popular Live Shopping App Worth It?
• How I’ve Made $400,000 In Sales on Whatnot In Less Than 9 Months

14. Provide childcare from your home

Watching another child can be a natural way to make money if you are already staying home with your baby.

A family in your area may only need childcare a few mornings each week. Or, another parent may need help during school breaks or while working.

You can start by asking friends, relatives, or neighbors if they know someone looking for childcare. Local parent groups may also be helpful, and you may be able to post in them stating that you are looking for a childcare job.

Before doing this, make sure your home is safe for children. I also recommend becoming CPR and first aid certified.

You should check the childcare laws where you live as well. Depending on your location and how many children you watch, you may need a license, insurance, inspection, or other approval.

15. Sell handmade items

If you enjoy crafts, you may be able to turn your hobby into an income.

Some handmade products you could sell include:

• Jewelry
• Candles
• Soap
• Crochet items
• Knit blankets
• Hair bows
• Stickers
• Baby clothing
• Personalized cups
• Holiday decorations
• Wooden signs
• Craft kits

You can sell handmade items on Etsy, through social media, at local craft fairs, or to people you know.

Before buying hundreds of dollars of supplies, I recommend making a few products and seeing if people are interested in buying them.

Also, craft supplies can add up quickly, so I recommend that you know how much it costs to make each item, including materials, packaging, selling fees, and shipping.

Recommended reading: 16 Best Things To Sell On Etsy To Make Money

16. Start a home bakery

If you enjoy baking, you may be able to sell food from your home.

You could make:

• Cookies
• Cakes
• Cupcakes
• Bread
• Cinnamon rolls
• Pies
• Brownies
• Dog treats – You can learn more at How I Earned Up to $4,000 Per Month Baking Dog Treats (With Zero Baking Experience!). Plus, you can sign up for this free training workshop that teaches you the small business plan for starting your own pet bakery.

Customers may order these items for birthdays, baby showers, holidays, school events, weddings, or just because they want something good to eat.

Before selling food, you need to check your state and local cottage food laws. These rules explain what foods you can make at home, where you can sell them, how they must be labeled, and whether you need a permit.

Recommended reading: 10 Ways To Make Money Baking

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How To Start a Dog Treat Business From Your Kitchen

This free workshop will teach you how to start your own dog treat bakery business.

Sign Up Here

17. Create an online course

If you have a helpful skill, you may be able to create an online course and teach it to others.

You do not need to be the top expert in the whole world. You simply need to know enough to help someone who is a few steps behind you.

Course topics may include:

• Budgeting
• Photography
• Crafts
• Fitness
• Cooking
• Gardening
• Parenting
• Social media
• Meal planning
• Starting a business
• Learning a language

You can create video lessons, written lessons, worksheets, or a mix of all three.

Before spending months building a course, I recommend talking with people who may want to buy it and asking what they struggle with and what questions they have.

Creating a course can take a lot of time in the beginning. However, once it is finished, you may be able to sell it many times without creating the lessons again.

18. Write and sell an ebook

Writing an ebook can be a good way to make money if you enjoy writing and have something helpful to teach.

Your ebook could be about:

• Saving money
• Traveling with children
• Meal planning
• Organizing your home
• Starting a side hustle
• Planning a wedding
• Homeschooling
• Caring for a certain type of pet

Your ebook does not have to be hundreds of pages long – instead, it could simply answer a question or help the reader solve a problem.

You do not need to write the entire book in one sitting, and you may write a page during one nap and another page a few days later. Eventually, those pages will add up.

You can sell ebooks through Amazon, Etsy, or your own website.

Tips for Working While Taking Care of a Baby

Working and caring for a baby at the same time can be hard; I know this.

Here are some of my best tips.

Pick only a few important tasks each day

Your to-do list may have 20 things on it, but you probably will not finish all of them while caring for a baby. And that’s normal!

Instead, choose one or two tasks that matter most.

If your baby takes a long nap and you finish more, that is great. But if the day does not go as planned, you will still know what to work on first.

Make a list of short tasks

I LIVE by my list!

You may not have three quiet hours to work, but you may have 10 or 15 minutes.

So, I recommend you create a list of small tasks you can complete quickly, such as replying to an email, taking a product picture, creating a Pinterest pin, or outlining part of an article.

This can help you use small pockets of time without spending half of that time deciding what to do.

Do not count on every nap

Some days, your baby may nap exactly when you expect. Other days, the nap may last only a few minutes.

I recommend you try to give yourself extra time before deadlines because waiting until the final nap before a project is due can cause a lot of stress.

Ask for help when you need it

You do not have to do everything alone.

Your partner, a family member, or a babysitter may be able to watch your baby for a few hours while you complete work that needs your full attention.

Even having two or three quiet hours once a week can be very helpful.

One thing to look into is if there is a local gym or YMCA in your area where there is a kids club. You don’t have to work out in order to use these! I know moms who simply bring their kids there for an hour or two and get work done on their laptop instead! This can be a much more affordable and flexible option for finding daycare, too.

Give yourself a break

Taking care of a baby is already a full-time job.

You do not need to work during every nap or stay up late every night. You need time to sleep, eat, shower, relax, and spend time with your family, too.

It is okay if it takes longer to grow your income during this stage of life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to frequently asked questions about ways to make money while taking care of a baby at home.

Can you really make money while taking care of a baby?

Yes, you can make money while taking care of a baby, but you will want to be realistic about how much time you have. Some jobs on this list may only bring in a little extra money, and others could eventually become a full-time business.

What is the easiest way to make money while caring for a baby?

Selling items you already own is usually one of the quickest and easiest ways to make extra money. You may also want to try online surveys or paid research studies. If you are looking for a long-term income, then starting a blog, selling printables, or selling a freelance service like bookkeeping may be a better choice.

How can a stay-at-home mom make $1,000 a month?

A stay-at-home mom may be able to make $1,000 a month through virtual assistant work, bookkeeping, childcare, or selling digital products. You could also combine several smaller side hustles. For example, you may earn money by selling items, answering surveys, and pet sitting.

What jobs can I do while my baby sleeps?

Some jobs you can do while your baby sleeps include freelance writing, proofreading, blogging, bookkeeping, creating printables, making Canva templates, managing social media, and listing items for sale. I recommend choosing work that can be paused in case your baby wakes up earlier than expected because this will probably happen!

Can I work from home without childcare?

Yes, it is possible to work from home without full-time childcare, especially if your work is flexible. However, working from home does not automatically mean that a job will let you care for your baby at the same time. A traditional remote job with phone calls and set hours may require childcare. But, a freelance job or online business where you choose your hours may be easier.

How can I make money from my phone while caring for a baby?

You may be able to make money from your phone by answering surveys, applying for research studies, selling items, managing social media accounts, or playing certain games. You can also use your phone to take product pictures, reply to clients, and work on your business when you have a few free minutes.

What are the best passive income ideas for new parents?

Semi-passive income ideas for new parents include selling printables, creating Canva templates, writing an ebook, creating a course, blogging, and affiliate marketing. These ideas are not completely passive, especially in the beginning, because you will need to create the product or content first. But once your work is finished, you may be able to earn money from it more than once.

How To Make Money While Taking Care of a Baby – Summary

There are many ways to make money while taking care of a baby.

You can work online as a virtual assistant, writer, proofreader, bookkeeper, or social media manager. You could also sell printables, rent out baby gear, provide childcare, or start a home bakery.

Some of these ideas may help you make money quickly, while others may take longer to grow.

I recommend choosing one idea that fits your skills, schedule, and current energy level, and even starting small and seeing what works for you and your baby. You can always make changes or add another income stream later.

What do you think is the best way to make money while taking care of a baby?

Recommended reading:

• How to Make Money on Maternity Leave: 27 Real Ways
• 12 Ways To Make Extra Money While Your Child Naps
• 17 Jobs Where You Can Bring Your Child To Work
• 32 Best Stay At Home Jobs For Moms & Dads (Great, Flexible Ideas!)
• 21 Best Side Hustles for Moms
• 28 Best Jobs For Single Moms
• 16 Best Jobs for Pregnant Women

The post How To Make Money While Taking Care of a Baby appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

I’ve definitely been there.

Over the years, I’ve tried everything from embroidery and watercolor painting to crochet and paper crafts. Along the way, I’ve bought plenty of supplies that I absolutely love – and plenty that ended up sitting untouched in a drawer.

If you’re wondering which craft supplies are actually worth buying and which ones you can skip, here’s what I’ve learned.

If I find a new craft, there’s a good chance I’ve ordered every tool and supply for it before the day is over. Since I’m one of these people, I’ve learned what actually gets used versus what collects dust.

Social media makes it seem like every craft tool is essential, but after years of crafting, I’ve found I love many purchases, but I regret a few others. Not because the craft supply is bad, but because I’ve found I don’t use it much, or I didn’t find the value in it. 

In today’s post, we’re going over:

• How to find craft supplies for FREE
• Why you should take advantage of your library’s new Makerspace
• Best craft supplies for beginners
• Craft supplies I still love and the ones I regret buying
• And finally, the biggest mistakes people make when buying craft supplies

Let’s get started!

Recommended reading: How To Make Money As A Crafter

How To Find Craft Supplies for FREE

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that you don’t always have to pay full price for craft supplies. In fact, some of my favorite supplies have been free or deeply discounted.

Here are some of the best ways I’ve found to save money before buying anything new.

• Join your local Buy Nothing group – you could even request craft supplies (and offer to pick up quickly!).
• Check Facebook Marketplace for craft supplies and set up keyword alerts.
• Ask friends and family if they have any craft supplies they want to get rid of.
• Visit creative reuse centers; this is becoming a popular thing in most major cities!

Recommended reading: 19 Awesome Ways To Get Free Stuff

Why You Should Take Advantage of Your Library’s New Makerspace

A lot of people don’t know this, but your local library may have a Makerspace, or may be getting one in the future. A Makerspace is a fantastic way to use expensive craft equipment without having to spend any money on it yourself.

Makerspaces usually include the following equipment:

• Laser engraving machines
• Sewing machines
• Cricut machines
• 3D printing machines
• Die-cut machines
• Button-making machines

This allows you to test out different hobbies without going all in financially. Libraries will even host classes so you can learn how to use these machines properly. 

Best Craft Supplies for Beginners

After years of crafting and trying out almost everything, I’ve narrowed down the best craft supplies for beginners. These items are used across various crafts and are very versatile.

When you’re first getting into crafting, it’s easy to think you need a different set of supplies for every hobby. But that’s usually not the case.

Over the years, I’ve found there are a handful of basic tools that work for dozens of different crafts. Starting with these essentials can save you money while helping you figure out which hobbies you enjoy most.

This includes items such as high-quality scissors, a cutting mat, a metal ruler, a hot glue gun, a variety of paintbrushes, a craft knife, and a shoe box to hold everything. 

Craft Supplies I Still Love and the Ones I Regret Buying

I’ve bought a lot of craft supplies over the years, and while many of them were worth every penny, others ended up collecting dust. Looking back, it’s pretty easy to see which purchases I would happily make again and which ones I wish I’d skipped.

Craft supplies I still love include everything I named in the section above (Best Craft Supplies for Beginners), plus:

• Embroidery floss organization box
• Craft cart
• Painter’s tape
• Project notebook
• Quality sewing needles
• Erasable pens
• Project bags to stay organized
• Rotary cutter
• Craft caddy
• Mod Podge

Of course, not every purchase has been a winner. These are the supplies I wouldn’t buy again – or at least I’d think twice before adding them to my cart:

• Cheap paintbrush sets
• Duplicate craft tools that I bought because they were on sale and “just because”
• Craft kits I never finished
• Supplies bought “just in case,” like extra yarn, when I haven’t finished the 5 projects before

The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Buying Craft Supplies

One of the biggest mistakes people make when buying craft supplies (and I know because I’ve done it many times) is going all in on something way too soon and buying everything they need for it immediately. As I mentioned earlier, the library’s Makerspace is a great way to find out if you really like a craft and want to spend money on it. 

I have also made the mistake of buying cheap tools and equipment when it usually makes crafting harder, which is not what you want when you are learning something new.

Lastly, many times I’ve bought supplies without having an actionable plan for them. They end up cluttering my space and overwhelming me, so I don’t even get started on the project. 

Recommended reading: 14 Best Crafting Hobbies That Make Money

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to questions you may have about craft supplies.

Where is the cheapest place to buy craft supplies?

The cheapest place to buy craft supplies depends on what you’re looking for. I like checking thrift stores, Facebook Marketplace, Buy Nothing groups, and creative reuse centers first because you can often find supplies for free or at a big discount.

Are Dollar Tree craft supplies worth buying?

Some Dollar Tree craft supplies are worth buying, while others aren’t. Basic items like foam brushes, small paint palettes, storage containers, popsicle sticks, and seasonal decorations can be a good value. For tools you’ll use often, such as scissors, paintbrushes, or cutting tools, I usually recommend spending a little more on higher-quality versions because they’ll last longer and make crafting easier.

How often should I declutter my craft supplies?

There’s no perfect schedule for how often you should declutter your craft supplies, but I generally do this about twice a year. Or I’ll start decluttering once everything gets to a point where it’s overwhelming and I have too much. Anything I get rid of (and that is still usable), I’ll donate to my local thrift shop.

If decluttering sounds overwhelming to you, I recommend breaking it into 15-minute chunks of time. For just 15 minutes, declutter a section of your craft space. You’ll be surprised by how much better you feel in just that short amount of time!

How do I organize a growing craft supply collection?

Now that you’ve decluttered, you can start organizing your craft supply collection. Keep similar items together and organize everything by craft type. For example, a shelf can have your yarn supplies, another shelf holds your watercolor supplies, and so on. Store frequently used items within reach.

I put my most-used items at eye level, right at the front of my craft closet. I highly recommend using clear containers, as it allows you to see everything easily without tearing apart your craft space. A label maker also comes in handy as it helps you label all of your storage boxes and containers. 

My number one tip is to use project bags! For example, if you’re someone who has multiple cross-stitch patterns going at once, separate project bags for each one are key. This helps me stay organized and get started on projects sooner because I’m not overwhelmed with finding everything I need.

What craft supplies are worth buying in bulk?

There are some craft supplies worth buying in bulk, including sewing needles, yarn (if you make large projects and knit/crochet often), storage supplies like ziplock bags or containers, cardstock, and adhesives. 

What craft supplies are best for trying different hobbies?

Certain craft supplies are great for trying out multiple hobbies. These include things like acrylic paint, quality paint brushes, cardstock, cutting tools, adhesives, fabric scraps, Mod Podge, stencils, felt sheets, and embroidery floss, just to name a few.

Recommended reading: 12 Best Places To Sell Crafts And Homemade Goods

What crafts are the cheapest to start?

Here’s a list of some of my favorite crafts, and they also happen to be the cheapest to start!

• Drawing/sketching
• Collage and mixed media
• Crochet
• Embroidery
• Air-dry clay
• Origami
• Coloring
• Macramé
• Snail mail
• Junk journaling
• Bookmark making
• Diamond painting
• Rock painting

YouTube has a plethora of tutorials to show you how to do every craft from start to finish. That’s how I learned to do most of my crafting and art!

How can I learn new crafts without spending a lot of money?

As I mentioned above, YouTube has a ton of free tutorials on about any craft imaginable. You can also look for creators on Instagram and TikTok who show how to do different crafts from start to finish. 

Also, your local library has books on how to craft and may even offer classes. You can borrow supplies from friends or family before you decide to commit to a craft to see if you like it first. 

The Craft Supplies I’ll Actually Rebuy (And the Ones I’m Still Mad At) – Summary

Crafting doesn’t have to be an expensive hobby. You can start with a few quality supplies, borrow or buy secondhand when you can, and avoid buying tools until you know you’ll actually use them.

That’s helped me save money, avoid clutter, and enjoy crafting a lot more.

What craft supplies do you still love? And which purchases do you wish you’d skipped?

Recommended reading:

• 16 Best Things To Sell On Etsy To Make Money
• How To Sell On Etsy Successfully: A Beginner’s Guide
• How I Make $400,000 Per Year Selling Educational Printables
• 21 Best Side Hustles for Moms
• 12 Best Places To Sell Crafts and Handmade Goods
• 14 Best Places To Sell Art To Make Money

The post Best Craft Supplies for Beginners (What To Buy and What To Skip) appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

I recently decided to test this out with American Consumer Opinion. I played a game on my phone for about one week, answered a few surveys, and then tried to cash out my earnings.

My result? I earned $14.44 in one week and requested the full amount by check to be mailed to my house.

And guess what? It worked!

Most of my earnings came from playing UNO on my phone. I made $12.01 from the game, and the rest came from surveys and other activities on American Consumer Opinion.

Now, playing games to make money is not a job, and it is definitely not a way to get rich.

But I know many people who already spend a lot of time playing games on their phones and earn nothing from it. If you are going to play a game anyway, you may be interested in choosing one that lets you earn a little extra money at the same time.

I mainly played while watching TV or doing something else that did not need my full attention. I did not spend any money on the game, everything tracked correctly, and the rewards showed up right away.

In today’s article, I am going to share exactly how I earned $14.44 with American Consumer Opinion, what the game was like, how the surveys worked, and whether I think it was worth it.

Click here to sign up for American Consumer Opinion.

What is American Consumer Opinion?

American Consumer Opinion is a rewards site where you can earn points by answering surveys and playing games.

You can use the site to share your opinions on products and services. Companies use these answers for market research so that they can learn what real people think.

American Consumer Opinion has been around for a long time – it first started with mail and telephone surveys, and it later moved online.

I actually first joined American Consumer Opinion back in 2017, so I have had an account for many years. The site was recently redesigned, and it now has games in addition to paid online surveys. I was curious about the new games section, so I decided to log back in and test it myself.

The new website was clean and easy to understand. From my account dashboard, I could see:

• My points balance
• Surveys available to me
• Games I could play
• My reward history
• My cash-out progress

One American Consumer Opinion point is worth one cent. This means that 100 points are worth $1 and 1,000 points are worth $10.

You can cash out once you have at least 1,000 points, or $10.

How I made $14.44 with American Consumer Opinion

For this experiment, I wanted to try both ways of earning that I saw in my account. I played one game and took a few surveys.

Here is a quick look at my results:

• I played UNO every day for about one week.
• I played for over an hour per day.
• I earned $12.01 from UNO.
• I attempted around five surveys and completed about three of them.
• I earned $14.44 in total.
• I spent $0.
• I cashed out the full $14.44 by check.

I did not make a large amount of money, but the experiment worked. American Consumer Opinion tracked my progress, added my rewards to my account, and allowed me to cash out.

How I earned $12.01 playing a game

After logging in to American Consumer Opinion, I clicked on the games section and looked at the different choices.

There were many games available, including card games, bingo, puzzle games, and more. I picked UNO because I already knew how to play it and thought it would be fun.

The UNO offer said I could earn up to $30.01 by reaching different levels within the allowed amount of time.

How much time did I spend playing?

I played UNO every day for around one week, and I spent over an hour playing on most days.

That may sound like a lot of time for $12.01, and it is important to be realistic about that.

This is not something I would recommend as a high-paying side hustle. If your main goal is to earn the highest hourly rate possible, there are many other ways to make money that will pay more.

Instead, I think this makes the most sense for someone who already enjoys playing games on their phone.

I played while watching TV or doing something else where I did not need to focus completely. It was an easy activity that I could do from my couch.

If you already spend an hour each night playing phone games, then earning $10, $20, or more may be better than earning nothing. You get to decide whether the reward is worth your time.

Was it easy to get started?

Yes, getting started was very easy.

I used my phone for this experiment. I found UNO in my American Consumer Opinion account once I logged in, downloaded the game, and started playing.

I did not have any trouble connecting the game to my ACOP account. I also did not need to contact customer service or ask for missing rewards because I had no issues whatsoever.

This is important because game offers sometimes require you to start from a certain link so that your progress can be tracked. I made sure to open the offer from inside my American Consumer Opinion account before downloading the game.

I recommend doing the same. Read all of the directions first and download the game through the correct link. You should also make sure it is a game you have not downloaded before, if the offer requires you to be a new player.

Did the game rewards track correctly?

Yes! Everything tracked perfectly for me.

Each time I reached a new reward level, the money appeared immediately. I did not have to wait for hours or days to see whether it worked.

I liked that I could return to the offer page and see which goals I had finished, how much I had earned, and which levels were still available.

Did I have to spend money to play?

No, I did not spend any money. One myth about playing games to make extra money is that you have to spend money – but that’s not always the case!

UNO was free to download, and I was able to reach level 30 without buying coins or anything else inside the game.

Yes, there were ways to spend money, but I did not need to use them.

This was something I paid close attention to because I did not want to spend $10 just to earn $12. That would not make much sense for this experiment!

Were there a lot of ads?

Yes, there were quite a few ads.

The ads gave me more coins so that I could keep playing. I chose to watch them instead of paying for more coins.

If you are really good at UNO, you may not need to watch as many ads, haha! I needed the extra coins, so I watched more of them.

Even though there were many ads, I thought it was fine. I was playing for free, and the ads allowed me to continue without spending my own money.

Still, this is something you should know before you start. If you do not like watching ads, you may want to choose a different game or a different way to earn points.

What other games can you play through American Consumer Opinion?

UNO was only one of the games that appeared in my account.

Some of the other games I saw included:

• Bingo Blitz
• Coin Master
• Merge Sweets
• Idle Miner Tycoon
• Phase 10
• Mystery Town

Some offers showed the chance to earn $80, $100, or even more. But this does not mean you will receive the full amount simply for downloading the game.

To earn the highest advertised reward, you usually have to complete every goal within a certain amount of time. The later levels usually take much longer or are harder to reach.

My experience taking surveys on American Consumer Opinion

I also answered a few surveys during my one-week test.

I attempted around 5 or 6 surveys and was paid for about three. The surveys I completed took around 10 minutes each, and I thought the questions were easy.

The questions usually ask about products you buy, brands you use, your household, or your opinions on different topics.

You will not qualify for every survey because a company may be searching for a very specific type of person. For example, it may need answers from people of a certain age who have bought a certain product recently.

This means you may answer a few questions and then find out that you are not a match. This is normal with paid survey sites, but I know it can still be annoying.

I like that American Consumer Opinion gives you more than one way to earn. If you do not see a survey that interests you, you can look at the games instead.

How I cashed out my $14.44

Once my balance reached 1,000 points, I was able to cash out. Remember, 1,000 points are worth $10.

I finished the experiment with 1,444 points, which was worth $14.44.

My payment choices included:

• PayPal
• A check mailed to my house
• Donating my earnings to charity

I chose to receive a check in the mail, which takes around two to four weeks.

Pros and cons of American Consumer Opinion

Here are the main pros and cons based on my experience.

Pros

• American Consumer Opinion is free to join.
• You can earn through both games and surveys.
• The redesigned website is clean and easy to use.
• My game progress tracked quickly and correctly.
• My rewards appeared immediately.
• I did not have to spend any money on UNO.
• The $10 minimum cash-out amount is fairly low.
• You can play or answer surveys during your spare time.

Cons

• This is not a high-paying job or side hustle.
• Some games can take many hours.
• You may have to watch a lot of ads.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to common questions about earning money with American Consumer Opinion.

Is American Consumer Opinion free?

Yes, American Consumer Opinion is free to join. I also did not spend any money while playing UNO. Some games may have in-app purchases, but you should always decide whether spending money makes sense. I recommend trying to play for free when possible.

How much did I make with American Consumer Opinion?

I earned $14.44 in about one week. Of that amount, $12.01 came from playing UNO. The remaining amount came from surveys and other activities in my account.

How much can you earn playing games?

The amount depends on the game and which goals you complete. My UNO offer had a total possible reward of $30.01, but I earned $12.01 by reaching level 30. Some games advertised much higher total rewards. Remember that you may need to reach many levels before the deadline to receive the full amount.

How much time do the games take?

This will depend on the game, your skill level, and the offer requirements. I played UNO for over an hour each day for about one week. Someone who is better at the game may move faster or need to watch fewer ads.

Do you have to spend money on the games?

I did not spend any money on UNO. I used ads to receive more “coins” in the game to continue playing. Other games may work differently, so always read the offer and watch your spending.

How quickly do game rewards appear?

My rewards appeared immediately after I reached each required level, and I did not have any tracking problems during my test.

What is the minimum American Consumer Opinion payout?

You can cash out after earning 1,000 points, which is worth $10.

How does American Consumer Opinion pay you?

The choices I saw included PayPal, a check mailed to your house, and donating your earnings to charity. I chose a check, and the estimated delivery time was two to four weeks.

Can you really make money answering surveys?

Yes, but surveys typically pay a small amount. I completed around three paid surveys during my test, and each one took about 10 minutes. You will most likely not qualify for every survey you attempt, so you will want to keep that in mind.

How I Earned Extra Money Playing Games and Taking Surveys in One Week – Summary

I hope you enjoyed this review of my experience earning money with American Consumer Opinion.

Over about one week, I earned $12.01 by playing UNO and $14.44 total after adding in surveys and other activities. I played for over an hour a day, spent no money, and had no problems with tracking.

I thought the game was easy and enjoyable, even though I watched many ads to get more coins. The surveys were also simple and took around 10 minutes each.

American Consumer Opinion will not make you rich, and it is not a job. But if you already play games on your phone or like answering surveys, it can be an easy way to earn a little money during the time you may already be spending on those activities.

Click here to sign up for American Consumer Opinion.

Do you play games on your phone?

Recommended reading:

• American Consumer Opinion Review
• 14 Ways To Earn Amazon Gift Cards by Playing Games
• 21 Apps That Pay Real Money Instantly
• How To Get $20 PayPal Now

The post How I Earned Extra Money Playing Games and Taking Surveys in One Week appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

Maybe you have opened an investing app before, looked at all of the choices, and thought, “How am I supposed to know which one to pick?”

I understand.

Investing can feel confusing when you are first getting started. There are stocks, ETFs, retirement accounts, risk levels, fees, and so many other things to learn.

And even if you already invest, you may still wonder if you are doing it the right way.

Are you investing enough? Is your portfolio diversified? Are you taking on too much risk? What are you supposed to do when the market goes down?

This is where Stash may be helpful.

Stash is an investing and money app that is made for people who want more guidance. You can choose your own investments, use a portfolio that is managed for you, set up automatic investing, open a retirement account, invest for a child, and more.

Instead of just giving you thousands of investment choices and leaving you to figure everything out, Stash is designed to help you understand how you are doing and what you may want to do next. Stash describes itself as the next best thing to having a human financial advisor.

Of course, an app is not the same as sitting down with a financial advisor who knows everything about your income, family, goals, taxes, and other accounts.

But many people do not have a financial advisor, especially when they are only getting started.

So, Stash is trying to fill the space between doing everything on your own and hiring someone to manage your finances for you.

In this Stash review, I will talk about how Stash works, what it costs, the main features, the pros and cons, and who I think it makes the most sense for.

Please click here to sign up for Stash.

Quick Stash summary: Stash is an investing app for people who want help getting started and staying on track. It includes managed portfolios, automatic investing, retirement accounts, and other helpful money tools in one app.

Stash Review

In this Stash review, I’m going to walk you through what it is, how it works, who it’s for, and whether or not it’s worth the cost.

What is Stash?

Stash is an investing app that also includes financial guidance, retirement accounts, banking tools, and more. Stash was launched in 2015, and they currently have around 1,200,000 active subscribers.

With Stash, you can:

• Invest in individual stocks and ETFs
• Start with fractional shares
• Use a managed Smart Portfolio
• Set up automatic investments
• Open a Traditional or Roth IRA
• Open a custodial account for a child
• Get guidance inside the app
• Use a debit card that earns stock rewards

These days, opening an investment account is pretty easy, and you can usually do it from your phone in just a few minutes.

The harder part is knowing what to do after the account is open.

I have heard from so many people over the years who know they should invest, but they are scared of choosing the wrong thing.

So, instead, they do nothing.

They wait another month, another year, or even longer because investing feels too overwhelming.

Stash is made for this kind of person. It gives you access to investments, but it also tries to help you understand the choices in front of you.

Stash is also a registered investment advisor with a fiduciary duty, which means it is legally required to act in its clients’ best interests.

How does Stash work?

When you sign up for Stash, you answer questions about your goals, finances, and how comfortable you are with risk, and this all helps Stash learn more about what you are trying to do.

For example, someone investing for retirement in 30 years may make very different choices than someone who expects to need the money much sooner.

After answering the questions, you can decide how involved you want to be.

You can:

1. Choose your own stocks and ETFs.
2. Use a portfolio that Stash manages for you.
3. Do a mix of both.

I think the third option may appeal to a lot of people.

You may want most of your money in a diversified portfolio that is managed for you, while still choosing a few investments on your own.

With Stash, you do not have to choose between doing everything yourself and having no control at all.

You can get guidance while still being involved in your money.

What can you invest in with Stash?

Stash gives you several ways to invest:

• Individual stocks – You can invest in individual companies through Stash.
• Fractional shares – Stash also has fractional shares, which means you can invest in part of a share instead of needing enough money to own one full share. For example, let’s say one share of a company costs $300, but you only want to invest $10. Fractional shares may let you invest that $10 instead of waiting until you have the full $300. This makes it easier to start with a smaller amount.
• ETFs – ETF stands for exchange-traded fund. An ETF holds a group of investments. One ETF may hold stock in hundreds of different companies. This can make it easier to diversify because you are not depending on only one company. For example, if one company inside an ETF performs poorly, there are many other companies in the fund too (that does not mean an ETF cannot lose money – it can).

Main Stash Features

Stash includes many features, but you probably will not use every single one.

Before joining, I would think about which features are actually useful to you. You do not want to pay for a long list of extras that you never touch.

Here are the main Stash features.

1. Personalized financial guidance

The guidance is probably the biggest reason someone would choose Stash over a basic brokerage account.

Stash is designed to help you understand how you are doing and what you may want to do next.

For example, it may help you think about:

• Whether you are investing regularly
• Whether your investments are diversified
• How much risk you are taking
• Your retirement goals
• Your current progress
• Your next financial step

I like that Stash is trying to help people understand their money instead of simply giving them a place to make trades.

A lot of people are not avoiding investing because they do not care about their future – they are avoiding it because they are afraid of making a mistake or because everything is just too confusing to get started.

Having guidance may help investing feel less intimidating.

2. AI Money Coach

Stash also has an AI Money Coach.

You can use it to ask questions about investing, budgeting, retirement, and other money topics.

For example, you may ask:

• What is an ETF?
• What is diversification?
• What is the difference between a Roth IRA and Traditional IRA?
• How can I invest more each month?
• Am I taking too much risk?

I can see this being helpful when you have a quick question and do not know where to look.

But I would still double-check anything important.

AI tools can make mistakes, and they do not understand every detail of your situation.

For a major decision involving taxes, retirement, estate planning, or legal questions, I would still talk with a qualified professional.

3. Automatic investing

I am a big fan of automating your finances, and Stash lets you set up automatic investments!

When your investing happens automatically, you do not have to remember to do it each month.

You also do not have to make the same choice over and over again.

You could choose to invest:

• $5 every week
• $25 every payday
• $50 twice a month
• $100 each month

The right amount depends on your budget, and there is nothing wrong with starting small.

A small amount that you can stick with is better than choosing a large amount that leaves you stressed and causes you to stop.

One tip is to schedule the automatic investment for right after payday, because this lets you invest before you have a chance to spend the money somewhere else (just make sure you have enough in your checking account for your bills because you do not want an investment transfer to leave you short on groceries, your mortgage, or another important expense).

4. Retirement accounts

Stash offers Traditional and Roth IRAs.

An IRA is an individual retirement account that can come with tax benefits.

With a Traditional IRA, you may get a tax benefit now and pay taxes when you withdraw the money in retirement.

With a Roth IRA, you contribute money that has already been taxed, and qualified withdrawals in retirement may be tax-free.

One is not always better than the other. The right one depends on your income, tax situation, workplace retirement plan, and future goals.

Stash offers both managed and self-directed retirement options, and this means you can have Stash manage your retirement portfolio, or you can choose investments yourself.

When deciding if you should open a retirement account with Stash, I would look at things like:

• The subscription cost
• Any management fees
• The investments available
• How easy it is to transfer the account later
• Whether you plan to stay with Stash for a long time

5. Custodial accounts

Stash also offers custodial investment accounts for children.

This type of account is when an adult manages the account while the child is young, and once the child reaches the legal age in their state, the child generally receives control of the money.

The money may eventually help with:

• College
• A first home
• A car
• Starting a business
• Another future goal

Note: I think investing for a child can be a wonderful gift, but a custodial account is not the same as a 529 college savings plan. Money in a custodial account legally belongs to the child, and that means you cannot simply take it back or change your mind about who it belongs to later.

Before opening one, I would learn about:

• When the child will get control of the money
• How it may affect college financial aid
• Possible tax rules
• Whether you want the money used only for education
• Whether a 529 plan may make more sense

The account can be useful, but make sure it fits what you actually want to do.

6. Stock-Back Card

The Stock-Back^® Card¹ is a debit card that earns stock rewards on eligible purchases. For example, if you shop at Apple, you will automatically receive a piece of Apple stock.

I think this is an interesting feature if you’re looking for a debit card that gives rewards.

How much does Stash cost?

Stash currently has one subscription called The Stash Plan.

It costs:

• $12 per month, or
• $108 per year. The yearly plan works out to $9 per month, but you pay the full amount upfront.

The Stash Plan includes things such as:

• A personal investment account
• A retirement account
• Smart Portfolio
• Custodial accounts
• Financial guidance
• AI Money Coach
• Stock-Back^® Card¹ rewards
• An eligible IRA match
• Banking and budgeting tools

There are also some other costs, such as Stash currently charges a 0.25% yearly management fee on certain managed account balances. The funds inside your portfolio may also have their own fees, called expense ratios. And there may be fees for things such as certain transfers or paper documents.

Honestly, the monthly cost is the biggest downside I see, because paying $12 a month may not make sense if you only have a small amount invested.

For example, if you plan to invest $20 each month, paying another $12 for the subscription is a very high cost compared with what you are investing.

I think Stash makes more sense for someone who will use several of the features.

Perhaps you will use the managed portfolio, retirement account, custodial account, guidance, and automatic investing, and in that case, the price may feel more reasonable.

But if you only want an easy place to invest in one or two funds, you may not need everything Stash includes.

Before joining, I would ask:

• How much do I plan to invest?
• Which features will I actually use?
• Will I use the guidance?
• Will I use a managed portfolio?
• Will I open an IRA or custodial account?
• Are the total fees worth it to me?

What I like about Stash

Here are the main things I like about Stash.

It is made for people who feel overwhelmed

Many investing apps give you access to investments, but very little direction.

Stash is made for people who want more help, and I can see how this could make investing feel much less scary for someone who has never done it before.

You can choose how involved you want to be

You can use a managed portfolio, choose your own investments, or do both, and I like that you are not forced to make every decision on your own.

It focuses on long-term investing

Stash calls its investing philosophy The Stash Way.

It focuses on investing regularly, staying diversified, and building wealth over time instead of chasing the latest trend – I like this approach because most people do not need to trade all day or guess which stock will go up next week.

Automatic investing can help you stay consistent

Life gets busy, and you may plan to invest each month but forget.

Automating your investing can help you keep going without thinking about it all the time.

It has many tools in one place

Stash includes personal investing, retirement accounts, custodial accounts, financial guidance, and more – some people may like having all of this in one app.

Stash cons

No investing app is right for everyone, and here are the main downsides I see.

The monthly fee may be expensive for a small account

This is the biggest issue for me.

A $12 monthly fee can take a big bite out of a small account, so I recommend that you make sure the features are worth the price for you.

Some managed accounts have another fee

The 0.25% management fee may apply on top of the subscription.

You will want to include both costs when comparing Stash with other investing platforms.

You may not need all of the features

If you already understand investing and only want a basic brokerage account, Stash may offer more than you need, so you may be able to save money by using a different platform.

Who is Stash best for?

Stash may be a good fit for:

• A beginner who wants help getting started
• Someone who feels overwhelmed by investing
• A person who wants a managed portfolio
• Someone who wants to choose a few investments too
• A long-term investor
• A person who wants to automate investing
• A parent who wants to invest for a child
• Someone who wants retirement and personal investing in one place
• A person who will use several Stash features

Stash probably makes the most sense for someone who wants more help than a basic trading app gives them, but does not have a traditional financial advisor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are answers to common questions about Stash.

Is Stash good for beginners?

Stash may be a good option for beginners who want more guidance because it gives you the choice of a managed portfolio, individual investments, automatic investing, and educational tools.

Is Stash better than Robinhood?

Stash is better for beginners who want guidance and long-term investing. Robinhood is more focused on trading.

Is Stash better than Acorns?

Stash gives you more guidance and lets you choose stocks and ETFs. Acorns is more focused on simple, automatic investing.

Is Stash better than Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard?

Stash may be easier for beginners due to their easy-to-use app. Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard may be better for experienced investors who want more choices and no monthly subscription.

Can you lose money with Stash?

Yes, all investing comes with risk. Your investments can rise or fall in value, and you can lose money.

Can you make money with Stash?

Your investments may build over time, but there are no guaranteed returns. Your results depend on what you invest in, how long you stay invested, the market, fees, and your own choices.

Does Stash choose your investments?

Stash can choose and manage investments through Smart Portfolio. You can also choose individual stocks and ETFs yourself.

Does Stash offer retirement accounts?

Yes, Stash offers Traditional and Roth IRAs.

Can you invest for a child with Stash?

Yes, Stash offers custodial investment accounts that an adult manages until the child reaches the legal age in their state.

Can you cancel Stash?

Yes, but canceling the subscription and closing or transferring investment accounts may involve different steps. I recommend that you make sure you understand what will happen to your accounts before canceling because there may be fees and taxes that you have to pay.

Stash Review: Is Stash Worth It? – Summary

I hope you enjoyed my Stash Review.

So, is Stash worth the cost?

I think it depends on what kind of investor you are and which features you plan to use – Stash may be worth looking into if you want more help than a basic investing app gives you.

I like that Stash focuses on long-term habits, automatic investing, and helping people understand what to do next.

But there is a cost. At $12 per month, Stash may be expensive for someone with a very small balance or someone who only wants a brokerage account.

If you will use several of the features, Stash may be worth the cost.

If you already feel comfortable managing your own investments and only want a basic account, a different brokerage may make more sense.

Overall, I think Stash is best for someone who wants to invest but feels stuck because they do not know what to do. Stash can help you get started!

Ready to get started? Click here to sign up for Stash.

Have you ever put off investing because you were worried about doing it wrong?

The following are disclosures from Stash:

Paid non-client endorsement. Not representative of all clients and not a guarantee. View important disclosures

¹ Stash Banking services provided by Stride Bank, N.A., Member FDIC. The Stash Stock-Back® Debit Mastercard® is issued by Stride Bank pursuant to license from Mastercard International. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. Any earned stock rewards will be held in your Stash Invest account. Investment products and services provided by Stash Investments LLC and are Not FDIC Insured, Not Bank Guaranteed, and May Lose Value. Stock rewards earned with the Stash Stock-Back® Debit Mastercard® are fulfilled by Stash Investments LLC and subject to Terms and Conditions. To earn stock, you must use your card for a qualifying purchase. You are responsible for the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the investments you earn, as well as any applicable ancillary service fees. Investment products and services provided by Stash Investments LLC, including investment rewards paid via the Stash Stock-Back program, are Not FDIC Insured, Not Bank Guaranteed, and May Lose Value.

A Smart Portfolio is an account that Stash has full authority to manage. Stash-Managed Portfolios with balances of $1,000 or more, calculated daily, are subject to an additional fee of 0.25% of the account balance charged every three months.

Stash’s AI Money Coach provides general guidance based on your personal information available to Stash. It does not reflect your complete financial situation. Responses may be incomplete or inaccurate and should not be your sole source of financial guidance.

A Stash-Managed IRA is an account that Stash has full authority to manage and are subject to an additional fee of 0.25% of the account balance charged twice per year, when we rebalance your portfolio.

Recommended reading:

• Empower Review: Is This the Best Free Financial Planning Tool?
• How To Save For Retirement – Answers To 13 Of The Most Common Questions
• 16 Best Passive Income Apps To Make More Money
• How To Create a Realistic Financial Plan (That You’ll Actually Stick To)

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