i-Say is a community of dedicated individuals comprised of hundreds of thousands of people all interested in achieving one goal – sharing their opinions. i-Say panel members take surveys, create polls and help shape the products and services we all use every day. Earn points for taking surveys and use them towards charities, gift cards or cash. Click here to learn more.
Owning a vehicle can make life so much easier. You can go where you want, when you want. But when the car payment, insurance or registration is due, you may be gritting your teeth in frustration. Even used car costs can add up with maintenance and repairs. Here are five ways to offset the cost required to keep your car on the road.
Deliver a Local Paper
Believe it or not, newspapers are still around. Some of your neighbors are still looking for their daily news in print. If you don’t mind getting up a little earlier in the morning, you can deliver the local paper. When you contact the newspaper company, ask about available routes and the specific timelines for picking up the papers and delivering them. Then, find out what payment looks like. Figure in the cost of gas as well as the wear and tear on your car as you make these drop offs.
Courier
Today, everything needs to be done quickly. Documents are needed right away, packages need to make it across town immediately and signed contracts must be filed before 5 pm. By using your car as a courier service, you can make these deliveries for individuals or businesses that need help. You can work with an already established courier service or attempt to set up your own. Either way, you are paid per delivery and can usually work more or less, depending on your schedule.
Restocking
Have you even been to the grocery store and noticed that they are out of soda or bread? You can be a part of the solution. In this case it helps to have a larger vehicle. A truck would be even better. Look for local companies that need help getting out their bread out to the grocery stores. Talk to someone at the bottling company in your area to find out how they are getting their products out. This can be a great way to “work” part time and use your vehicle to make a little extra cash.
Advertising
Your car can be a walking billboard. From bumper cars to a complete covering, your vehicle can be an advertisement for someone else’s business. When you park in the grocery store parking lot, you are advertising. When you drive down the road, you are advertising. Even when your car sits out in front of your house, people are noticing the coverings or stickers and you are advertising. Payments are usually based on the amount of coverage on your car.
Taxi Services
While this is a bit of an extreme, you can always turn your vehicle into a taxi service. You don’t have to paint it yellow and put black and white checkers on it to make it legitimate. You can place a sign on the top when you are working and take it down when you are off. If you aren’t interested in carrying around strangers, consider building a relationship with a local assisted living facility. You can take residents out to run their errands and the company can pay you directly.
No matter which option you choose, making a little money with something you already own is a smart financial decision. Aside from the income that you can earn, there are tax benefits for you to take advantage of. Your vehicle becomes part of a business expense that can be deducted for your taxes depending on how much you use it and what you use it for. At the end of the year you can total up costs like service and maintenance as well as car insurance to lower your tax liability. In some cases the mileage that you drive can be used to your advantage as well. To get the biggest tax benefit be sure to keep extensive records of your driving, the distance you go and how much it costs you to get from point A to point B.
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Helen Pritchard writes for both netcars.com, a used car classified website and Car Finance 247 who specialize in helping people obtain car finance deals.
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Image courtesy of: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
If your teenagers are struggling to find a summer job, why don’t you encourage them to become teen entrepreneurs?
Teenage entrepreneurs not only earn money, but they learn responsibility, time management and discipline. Being your own boss also allows your teens to work around summer vacation plans. Now doesn’t that sound better than a summer of sleeping late, too much television and always needing money?
Step 1: Help them make a list of their passions, strengths and talents.
Step 2: Think about how those passions, strengths and talents could be turned into a business.
Step 3: Establish pricing – your prices should be cheaper than a professional which is a huge selling point!
Step 4: Promote your business with e-mails and flyers to friends and neighbors.
Step 5: Do a great job, and you’ll have no trouble building your customer base!
The Budget Diet girl has come up with a list of teenage job opportunities to help you jump start your teenage entrepreneurs!
Please click on the title of this article to share any ideas you may have for a young teenage entrepreneur.
My oldest son has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and he’s always had a desire to make money ever since his first lemonade stand at age 8! Unfortunately, it’s impossible to find a part time job when you’re just 13, so the entrepreneur in him found a way to make money as a teenager.
When he was just 13, he really wanted to earn money, so he made some flyers and passed them out to the neighbors! He offered to do odd jobs: pet sitting, house sitting, mowing, raking, plant watering, picking up the mail, picking up the newspaper, and more. Over the years, he’s had many regular customers and earned just enough money to enjoy dinner out with his friends on the weekends and a few new electronic gadgets.
When he turned 16, he was excited about getting a real part time job as a grocery store bagger or cart boy. Unfortunately, he quickly discovered that those jobs would not offer the flexibility he needed for school, the golf team and other extracurricular activities. His answer, start a pressure washing business! Here’s how he did it:
He’s a senior in high school and still continues to pressure wash, house sit and pet sit. Just yesterday, he mentioned venturing into the pool cleaning business!
If your teenager needs to make money, odd jobs are the way to go for flexibility!
If you’re looking for a way to make a little extra cash, this article by Tom Tessin will guide you step-by-step into the world of online surveys. This just might be the perfect way to earn some extra cash for Christmas!
Tom Tessin runs FindMySurveys, an online surveys directory, helping those find legit ways to make a little money on the side.
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I think its human nature to want to make money overnight and not have to do much. Let’s face it, mega billionaires such as Warren Buffet or Bill Gates didn’t get rich overnight and neither will you. Unless you win the lotto, or you gain a major inheritance, you will always have to work for your money.
If you have been researching some ways to make money online, you’ve probably come across doing surveys for cash. While you can make some decent money doing them, I wanted to give you a simple how to guide to get you on the right path. This is a scam free, legit way to go. The last thing that I want to see if you sign up with a company and get ripped off.
Step 1: Have the mindset that you won’t make millions.
You’ve probably seen those ads where you can make $1,000 a hour. This WON’T happen. I can’t stress it enough. While it may be possible to make this a month, it’s going to take a lot of work, as well as time. If you have this mindset, the search will be a little easier for you.
Step 2: Research the companies first.
There are a lot of companies online and when I say this, I mean hundreds. About 95% of them are junk. Find major companies such LightSpeed, Opinion Outpost, and more that will pay you decent money for legit surveys. You want to avoid sites that deal with offers, rather than surveys. Here are some simple research tips:
Step 3: How are you going to get paid?
Avoid all survey companies that pay you in raffle tickets. This right here is a scam. It’s a nice way to tell you that they want to pocket all the money and not pay you for your efforts. Instead, find companies that either pay you via Paypal, or where you can convert your points into cash.
Step 4: Get to know how the process works.
Again, I can’t explain everything in one article, but I can give you the basics. Know the difference between surveys, as well as offer sites. Don’t give up sensitive personal information such as your Social Security number and more. The more you know, the more it’s going to help.
You’re not going to make millions, but you can make a thousand or so if you get the right amount of referrals. Work is work and remember that money will never come easy!
A few years ago my oldest child hit what I call “the in-between age”…old enough to go to the movies & go ice skating with his friends, but not old enough for a job! At the same time, his taste in toys changed from legos and action figures to expensive electronics!
Well…if you’ve been to the movies lately, you know that your child’s weekly allowance won’t go very far, and we are not the type of parents that hand our children $20 each time they want to go somewhere with their friends or each time they want a new video game.
So…what’s a Budget Diet girl to do??? How do you make money as a teenager or pre-teen?
Summers are the perfect time for your pre-teens & teens to earn spending money, and think beyond babysitting & lemonade stands (although these are both very lucrative)!
Over the years, my children have become young, budding entrepreneurs earning money doing all sorts of odd jobs. In each case, a simple flyer was e-mailed or passed out to neighbors & friends to promote the service. Consider these summer job ideas:
Summer job opportunities really do exist for this age group, but it will take effort on their part!
Have your children think about their passion, and see if you can help them think of ways to turn their passion into a money making venture.
Don’t forget to encourage your child to set a goal. It may be as simple as earning enough money to buy a Nintendo Wii, but it’s a goal, and that’s what will keep them motivated!
P.S. – My middle school daughter was just awarded “most likely to be an entrepreneur,” so it looks like her business sense is showing up in the classroom!
12 years ago, I left my job to stay home with our 3 children, and our household income was cut in half (YIKES)!
I quickly discovered that the stay-at-home mom job description included more than just play dates…I was now the CEO of our family, & the maid, the cook & the bargain shopper. So, my life as The Budget Diet girl began!
The Budget Diet is all about saving money, but sometimes we still need a little extra cash, so here’s your challenge for the week…explore money making possibilities!
Stay-at-home moms often feel like they need to go back to work to make ends meet, but they want flexible hours. So…what’s the answer???
Here’s an option…be a mystery shopper, and get PAID for eating out, shopping & more! My sister used to do this & loved it!
Could this be the perfect job for a stay-at-home mom or anybody that needs a little extra cash and a lot of flexibility?
Consider these perks…
Make $10 – $125 per mystery shopper assignment!
Get paid to eat out for FREE!
Get paid for your opinion!
Set your own hours!
Get paid to take surveys!
Learn more now!
A program for serious savings! $29 includes:
