We certainly wouldn’t suggest making a career change to using these techniques for your standard income, but if you’re feeling strapped for cash, there are a surprising number of unique ways to pull in a few bucks. If you’re out of work or have some unexpected expenses coming up, try one of these money-making tricks.

1. Take a Survey: Marketers and medical researchers are always looking for subjects to take various surveys.  This could range from filling out a short online questionnaire to having an MRI done at a local hospital, but hey, they pay.  Yellow Surveys is a great guide to finding current or upcoming paid surveys.  GPGP provides information about local medical centers seeking survey participants and how to apply or contact these organizations. (Continue reading…)

Most Americans make considerably more calls using a mobile phone than a land line at home.  It’s becoming more and more common to see families abandoning their home telephone altogether.  It is extremely unlikely for someone to make the switch to only a land line and discontinue use of a cell phone because this would entail giving up all the convenience and security that comes with having telephone access wherever you go.  However, the debate that is emerging is whether there is still a place for landlines to coexist in the world of mobile phones.  Consolidating your phone usage and bills can definitely simplify this part of your life.  There’s a reason home telephone sales are dropping, and in our minds there is a clear cut winner in this debate. (Continue reading…)

Buying groceries is one set of purchases you can’t eliminate from your budget, but there are plenty of ways to cut back on how much you’re spending each week.  Because it’s a necessary expense, it’s also probably one of your larger costs and therefore even more important to re-evaluate where you can trim down.  Next time you head to the supermarket remember a few of these easy to follow tips.

1. Shop at the Right Time: No, there isn’t some grocery store conspiracy where they change the prices from hour to hour, we’re talking about the right time for you.  Try to plan a trip to the store after you’ve just eaten so that hunger pains won’t have you buying products you don’t need or may not even eat.  Even though this may seem inconvenient, try to fit in a trip to the grocery store when you’re in a rush.  If you don’t have all the time in the world to stroll the aisles, you’re much more likely to get out with just the things you need. (Continue reading…)

When it comes to smart money habits, credit cards don’t usually make the top of our list.  These cards with their minimum payments of only a fraction of your actual balance me seem like the perfect plan, but they let you fall into thousands of dollars worth of debt.  Though we don’t necessarily encourage them, if you are going to get a credit card, shop around for a good rewards program.  These systems let you acquire points, redeemable for everything from free meals to entire vacations.

First and foremost you should understand that a credit card rewards program is only beneficial to you if you pay the balance each month.  Credit card users who only pay a minimum payment and constantly carry a balance will never reap the benefits of these rewards because they will be eaten up by interest. (Continue reading…)

With the worst oil spill in American history monopolizing headlines and one of the worst recessions in decades still looming, two of the biggest trends in our society are money saving and sustainability.  Fortunately, these are two concepts that often go hand in hand.  Going green is usually a great way to save money as well, so browse through these tips and kill two birds with one stone.

1. Toss the Disposables: Ok, so obviously you should throw away your disposable trash, but we’re suggesting you get rid of them once and for all.  Disposables actually cover a pretty broad range of areas; Drink from a water bottle not bottled water.  Use and wash real dishes, not plastic or Styrofoam.  Consider trying cloth diapers on your baby and ditch the costly, disposable diapers. (Continue reading…)