Need some spending money?

Let’s face it, who doesn’t need some extra spending money?  The question is – how to make it?!  There’s always everybody’s favorite retirement plan…. the lottery!  But let’s not kid ourselves.  That’s a better plan for throwing our money away.

So what are you supposed to do when that Vegas trip is coming up or your coffee fund jar is running low?  You could go and get yourself a 2nd job but chances are one job is enough!  Most people turn to the internet to find extra money.  A very popular way to earn money online is to fill out surveys.   Let me share my tips for online surveys….

First.  You need to find a credible site that pays out.  My #1 favorite is http://cashcrate.com/585781 .  They do have a minimum pay out of $10.00 but I did that with my very first survey!  Their survey listing is awesome!  You have your choice of sorting – 100% free or trial offers.  Before you even start filling out the survey they tell you exactly how much they will pay you and if it’s a trial offer how much it will cost up front and how much they will pay.  For example, my first survey was for a trial offer at Blockbuster.  At the time I paid for a $10 trial but http://cashcrate.com/585781 paid me $20.00 for it!   Basically I got paid $10 for the trial AND I got free movies for two weeks!!  There are also 100% free surveys to fill out.  Those can be sorted by payout, name or newest.  Not to mention the 2 daily surveys for a guarenteed $.60 a day = $18 a month!  Easy money!!!

Second.  Get yourself a spam email account specifically for filling out surveys!  (Be sure to sign up with http://cashcrate.com/585781 using a valid email address that you check daily for any news/announcements from http://cashcrate.com/585781 )  Why do sponsors pay to have surveys filled out?  So they can get your contact info.  Personally I don’t mind receiving coupons and samples in the mail but I hate to get spam in my email!  If you have a spam email account you won’t have to worry about clogging up your inbox with offers from “V1agr-a” etc… 

Finally.  I’m sure you’re asking yourself “Really?”  Yes.  Really.  Within a couple of hours I was up to $42.00.  No, it’s not going to make me rich but it’s good petty cash for very little effort on my part.  I’ve read other accounts of people making $1,000+ per month so I know it’s possible to make some serious cash if you’re willing to put in a little more effort.

I’d love to hear if you’ve tried http://cashcrate.com/585781 and how it’s going for you!

The “B” Word – Step 1

The first – and most important – step in money management is to know where your money is going!  Sure, it’s easy to list off things like rent/mortgage, car payments, utilities and groceries but what about after that?  Where are all of those nickel and dimes going?  Chances are you don’t know.

There are many different ways to track your spending.  The cheapest way is to record every penny spent using a spreadsheet software or good old fashion pencil and paper.  The downside to that is it is time consuming, prone to error and is difficult to sort by category (which will be important to see where that money is going). 

If you’re willing to spend a couple of bucks (or use trial periods) there are several programs out there that will tie into your bank account and retrieve all of those transactions for you.  Of course this only works if you use your bank card for all of your purchases.  This can be a little time consuming if you don’t maintain your account daily/weekly and save all your transactions for the end of the month.  But if you stay on top of it this can be the most effective way to see where all that hard earned money is going. 

I suggest tracking your spending for a minimum of one month but two or three months will give you a bigger picture.  Don’t forget to watch things like car maintenance, yearly memberships/subscriptions, home improvements/maintenance and summer vacations.  Many people forget to look at how much they spend in those areas and in turn, forget to budget for them going forward.

Get started!  The sooner you find out where you’ve been the sooner you can figure out where you’re going!

If you’re already tracking your spending drop a comment and let us know what method you use.