Make More Money

Make More Money

Want to make more money? Certainly a strategic long-term business or investment plan is a good idea, but maybe you also want to make more money in the coming weeks or months. Below are some ways you can do this, using what you already have.

There are two essential ways to accomplish what you want - which isn't really to make more money. Money is a means. If you want a million dollars you want it for something, like perhaps a secure retirement, travel, a boat, home, freedom, or whatever. If you can get all this with half of a million dollars, you would accomplish the same thing, right?

The point is that the two ways to accomplish your financial goals are to make more money and/or spend less. Find car insurance for $500 less per year than your current policy, and you have effectively made $500 more, right? Keeping that in mind, here are four areas to look at, and some ideas on how to make more or save more money in each of them.
Make More Money With Jobs

- Work better-paying hours. Volunteer for Sundays, holidays, or any hours you are paid more for.

- Get a higher paying job. Why not look?

- Get a second job. This makes you money AND takes time away from spending.

- Get a raise. Asking for one is a good place to start.

- Work more hours - if you're paid hourly. Stay later, volunteer to take shifts, punch in earlier.

- Get paid for performance. Commissions or piecework are great if you are productive.

- Get a promotion. Just be sure it comes with higher pay.
Make More Money In Business

- Find ways to reduce half of your expenses, at least a little. Savings go straight to the bottom line.

- Upsell more. If even a small percentage of customers buy the expensive option, it can add up fast.

- Better advertising. Find the cheapest way you get new customers and put your money there.

- Better back-end sales. Sell something else to customer after the initial sale.

- Find small improvements for each part of your business process. Small changes can add up.

- Use the suggestions at our blog: How to Make More Money With Your Business

- Find and try low-risk ways to increase sales. An idle employee could call past customers with an offer.

- Test prices. You can make more money selling less if the profits are higher. Do the math.

- Sell your customer list. Or mail a non-competing offer to it for a fee.

- Find customers who didn't return, and find out why. Learn and make corrections.

- Sell any unused assets. Convert an old copy machine into money for advertising.

Make More Money - Investments

- Divert some of your "fun-money" into investments. Take it from activities that aren't really that fun.

- Make more active investments. Real estate takes time and effort, but the return can be higher.

- Use discount brokers. If you are making your own decisions, don't pay for full service brokers.

- Check interest rates at different banks. An hour doing this may yield $100 more - every year.

- Stop paying commissions. Mutual funds with commissions do not outperform no-load funds.

- Loan money to trustworthy friends at a higher rate of interest than your bank pays.

- Loan money to a friend who can make a profit on a deal and pay a percentage instead of interest.

Make More Money - Home

- Reduce the cost of half of the things you buy and do. Done right, you lose nothing in comfort or lifestyle.

- Make hobby income. Sell ad space on your web site, handicrafts, or start a consulting business.

- Reward the kids with cash for each usable money-saving idea they come up with.

- Use your home to make money. Create a duplex, rent rooms, rent the yard for RV storage, etc.

- Sell stuff. Not a way to make more money, but you can convert unused stuff into usable cash.

- Have the kids get jobs in the summer and pay for their own entertainment.

- Sell your home for a profit and move into a cheaper one.

Of all the hundreds of ways to make more money, you can find several that will work for you.

The ones listed here may seem mundane, and they are. However, suppose you did the following five things:

Work a Sunday or holiday each month at time-and-a-half pay. Spend $20 less each week on groceries. Negotiate a fifty-cent per-hour raise. Start a web site that makes just $160 per month. Move your investments to make $50 more per month.

Bank the money you make or save, and it would add up to at least $12,000 in two years. With this, you could look at small real estate investments, or business opportunities that could eventually lead to real wealth. All of these are also low-risk ways to make more money. What have you got to lose?