One of the cornerstones of the frugal lifestyle is spending less. However, while you are making your New Year’s Resolutions for 2022, don’t stop at spending less or cutting costs. Consider this as an additional resolution: Make more money. Don’t get me wrong. You absolutely want to focus on reducing your expenses (or at least cutting out the items that are least important to you) when it comes to your spending. However, don’t limit your financial resolutions to only saving money. Your financial situation can also improve dramatically if you can figure out ways to earn more money too.
Decide to Make More Money
Now is a great time to make more money. We’ve reached a point with technology that traditional boundaries don’t apply when you are trying to make more. Not everyone believed me when I told them this a few years back, but the pandemic has definitely woken people up to the possibilities.
You can start a home business, monetize your hobby, or even make money on a web site. While you can get a part-time job or do odd jobs around the neighborhood for extra cash, you aren’t limited to those items.
Commit Now For a Better Future
Figure out what you can do and then decide that you want to make more money this year. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money, but it can be enough to help you accelerate your goals. Would more money help you pay down debt faster? Build up an emergency fund? Take a family vacation?
Think about the most important ways that a little more income could help enhance your life, whether it’s maxing out your retirement account contributions or making improvements on your home. This will give you the motivation to decide to make more money, rather than get stuck with the idea that the only thing you can do is cut a little bit more.
ShutterstockIdeas For Making More Money in 2022
If you want to make more money in the new year, here are a few ideas that can boost your income. Some will take a little longer to get going, but those usually have a bigger payout down the line too.
There’s also no rule that says you have to stick with one idea either. You can certain do something to get an immediate cash infusion all while working on a longer-term project for the future. It all depends on what you are after.
Freelance
If you have a skill that is conducive to freelancing, this is one of the easiest ways to make money. You often get to do this from home too. Writing, editing, graphic design, software development, website development, and coding are all things that can be done from home as a freelancer. Plus, there are many opportunities to do these things. A couple hours a night can provide a little extra cash for you.
If things go well, you might even be able to turn the side gig into a full-blown business. And don’t worry if you think your skills aren’t up to par either. The more you work in the field, the more you get to hone your craft to become better. In other words, just get started and you’ll get better and better until one day everyone will be tripping over themselves to hire you!
ShutterstockPick Up Extra Shifts
For those paid hourly, sometimes you can just pick up an extra shift. If you haven’t put your name down to work an extra shift now and then, make it a point to do so now. The pandemic and the subsequent reopening mean that there are labor shortages everywhere.
You might be surprised at how easy it is to just take on more hours. You might be even more surprised at what you can accomplish if you just commit to it and how the extra money helps your finances.
Start a Side Business
Your side business can be one way to make extra money. If you work part-time or if you are a stay-at-home parent, a side business can be the way to go. Businesses like pet sitting, babysitting (check state and local regulations), teaching music lessons, and lawn care can all be successful and provide extra income.
I for one have needed all of the above services (except pet sitting because I don’t have a pet) at one point or another. There are plenty of others like me in the same boat, which means there’s plenty of demand. You can start off small, but don’t be completely surprise if things go really well. I know of people who ended up expanding their services and turning it into a full-fledged business. The owner of one of the art studios in town did just that. She started teaching kids how to draw, and she did so well that she opened a studio in the neighborhood plaza. I heard she now has three studios. Three!
ShutterstockBe a Virtual Assistant
You might be able to help someone keep track of appointments, emails, and do basic research. Virtual assisting is becoming a booming business and you can get a piece of it if you are organized, can work from home, and have a few hours a day to devote to managing others’ lives.
There is plenty of work to be had and if you can juggle equally important priorities sometimes, then there’s no reason why you can’t help more than one client at a time either. I know of someone who’s virtual assisting about 4-5 clients at the same time and he makes more than a full-time salary.
Dabble in Rebate and Survey Sites
If you want to make a little extra money or get rebates and save that way, you can use rebate and survey sites. There are apps that will help you earn points toward rebates on things you usually buy, and you can take surveys for small amounts of cash or reward points.
Swagbucks is one such example that can get you Amazon gift cards to use on your regular purchases. These sites won’t provide a lot, so it probably won’t be worth you devoting a great deal of time to them, but if you have a few extra minutes, it’s a good way to earn a few extra dollars.
ShutterstockAsk for a Raise or Change Jobs
If you’ve been at the same company for years, then you are likely underpaid. This is especially true if you’ve been at the position the entire time. That’s because those standard inflated adjusted wage increases workers get each year usually don’t keep up with the market.
You can try to apply for another job somewhere and see if you can get a salary bump, but you can also arm yourself with market information and talk to your superiors about getting a raise. Let them know why you deserve to be paid more. Highlight your accomplishments and remind them of the value you bring to the company. Be polite and don’t burn bridges, but you need to let management know that you want to at least have a path to higher pay.
Set Up Recurring Income Streams
I still receive money from the book I wrote a few years ago. You can also add affiliate programs to a website if you have one that is frequented by people. It’s possible to set up these recurring income streams. It can take a lot of time and effort to be successful, though, so you will need to put in at least three hours a day just to get things going. But, over time, if you do it right, you can come out far, far ahead.
Just make sure you don’t just go into an area because your friend down the street said there’s riches to be had. When you build something, make sure that it’s in an area you know quite a bit about. Yes, be wary of which industries pay more, but know that there’s money to be made even in the most obscure of niches because less popular means fewer buyers but also fewer competition.
ShutterstockStart Investing
Another thing you can do is start investing in a taxable account. You don’t need a lot of money to start and it can be a smart way to get a little more income. If you are first starting out, just remember that it’s the long term returns that you are after so try to ignore the short-term fluctuations. Otherwise, you’ll drive yourself crazy and also likely sell at the worst possible time when stock values inevitably take a dive.
You also want to be careful with income investing. Sometimes there’s a reason why a certain stock is paying a high dividend. Stick with low-cost index funds and you’ll be fine long term. Instead of just looking at the income that an investment throws off and pay taxes on it, use the total return to help fund your future.
The Bottom Line
No matter who you are, there is something you can do to earn a little extra money this year. Some of you could even do multiple items on this list to help you start getting ahead.
Making more money, whether it’s $50 a month or $2,000 a month, is possible. Think about how even a small amount of extra money could benefit you. You might be surprised to see how far an extra $75 or $100 can go each month. Think about it and consider ways to put your skills to best use.
Frugal new year’s resolutions don’t just have to be about new and creative ways to cut your expenses. They can also be about new and creative ways to make more money.
