June - A money making month

I decided that for June I will be doing a big no spend challenge, but not just avoiding spending, I would also sell off everything I don't need or have been meaning to list. I have boxes of stuff to sell. If I haven't sold it or at least listed it by the end of June I am going to get rid of it.

I feel like a lot of it is just a weight on my shoulders, so really needed to set this challenge to help me clear out my life. Our budget has increased recently and we need to be cutting expenses more and increasing our income. I am looking for a job, so selling off everything kind of feels like a now or never sort of thing. I don't want them to be a focus in my life for much longer.

I have not been going to counselling for myself as my daughters speech therapy was more important to me and quite expensive. I am updating things like our life insurance, want to update our will etc but all these things require money.

As such, June will be spent on things that can save us money, reduce the amount of stuff we have and not actually spending the money we earn.

I'll be blogging about it on my other blog and you can join me if you like.

When expenses exceed income

I am a little ashamed to admit my budget has gone out the window lately. I have been sick which has meant lots of Dr’s visits, medical tests and things to find out what is wrong with me. My daughter was diagnosed with a severe learning delay and needs speech therapy as well as some other tests, which is costing a lot.

Then of course with me being sick I don’t always have meals prepared and a little take away has snuck in, as well as more convenience foods, which has increased the cost of my groceries.

Back in February I did a money makeover on my other blog, focusing each day on one aspect of the budget and how we could make or save money from it. I realized this week I need to revisit that myself and do everything I suggested in there.

You see, not only has the budget been blown, but the extra expenses I now have are more than I am making on a regular basis. Some of my income is sporadic and there is no knowing how much I will make week to week. So far I have made it through and money has always come when I needed it, but I hate living like that. Worrying if I will have enough money each week.

I try not to focus on the negative and that I won’t have enough money because every time I have done that it has come true. That is whenever I have looked at my expenses and thought “I’ll never be able to pay all of this” I end up not being able to afford my expenses. Instead I prefer to look at it like this “I will make an extra $500 a fortnight” and then proceed to find ways to make more money.

I have been selling more things which has helped and I have other things which would make us money I have put off doing, but now I am going to do it and be good at it. I can cover all my expenses, even if it doesn’t look like it right now, I will make more money.

What do you do when your expenses outweigh your income? 

The power of positive thinking

Some people say it's wishy washy to think your thoughts have any affect on events. For me, I know when I focus on something, set goals or dream big lots of things change and what I previously thought was impossible becomes possible once I start to believe in it and myself.

Looking back over the time I have been blogging when I started I didn't imagine myself becoming a author, freelance writer, public speaker or having more than 1 blog I made any money from. I was just writing about what I was doing and how it would help people. As I went a long I began to see how my life could change and set goals fo myself.

It wasn't just about goals and big things I wanted to achieve though, it was about smaller things. Even little things like handbags. Just before Mothers Day I realised I needed a new handbag as mine was about to break completely. My wallet also needed replacing.

I found the items I liked and nearly bought them for myself for Mothers Day, but at the last minute changed my mind and decided I would find another way as I was not completely in love with the ones I found anyway.

Fast forward a week and a bit and out of the blue I get offered an absolutely stunning leather wallet and handbag worth over $300! I was going to buy a much cheaper bag and wallet, and now instead I am getting an even better set for free.

I know when I am negative about things, think I can't do it or things will never happen everything seems to overwhelm me and nothings happens.

When I focus on things in a positive light, things I need and want to achieve, I find the motivation and inspiration to take action. Things I need or want have a way of finding me and opportunities I never could have dreamed of appear in front of me.

I truly believe in the power of positive thinking, focusing on your goals and desires BUT I also full believe and know you need to to ACTION. You need to be actively doing something to help yourself achieve those dreams and goals.

Free stuff!

Today I had the opportunity to have a full body massage. It was for 2 and included discount vouchers for our next visit, tea and went for 1hr and 15 minutes. The whole package was worth $338, but I got it for free!! I love free stuff.

I also recently won a Michelle Bridges Crunch Time thanks to Mini Mumma which I am really looking forward to checking out. So far I am averaging winning a blog giveaway once a month which I am happy with. I only enter a few a week and it doesn't take long.

Also lately I have received some free samples, used free stuff I won as gifts and been able to share stuff with friends and family. I am truly amazed at the amount of free stuff there is available.

I have started a new website to track freebies, samples, competitions and things I find and receive to see just how much free stuff I get in 1 year. It's http://freebieyear.com I am still setting up the Facebook page and things, but there is info on there already if you want to check it out.

Making Money Using Clever Storage - Guest Post

The following is a guest post from Drew Davies.

We all have a overflowing cupboard or a junk room that we never manage to clear out – in a Big Yellow Self Storage survey, 61% of people questioned admitted to hoarding useless items around the house – but did you know that harnessing the space in your home more effectively could also make you money? Here are three top tips to create space and income.

De-clutter and rent out a room

In the same survey, just under a third (26%) of us have a whole room in our home filled with junk and over a third (41%) would definitely rent out a room to make money to help in these tougher financial times. The first step is to empty the spare room. Re-locate anything you really want to keep (to an attic or self storage unit, for example) and then sell the rest of the items online. Two tips for selling on eBay – invest in good quality photographs, and always calculate accurate postage weight ahead of time to stop any nasty surprises at the Post Office.

Before you start letting out your room, however, you may need to tell your mortgage company and home insurers. Also, make sure your home meets safety regulations – ideally with smoke alarms and a gas safety certificate. Make sure the room you are renting out appeals to the right sort of paying guests. Take good photographs to help with marketing and have a clear idea of whom you want to share with. Always ask for references - and check them. Once you've decided on the tenant, agree on key ground rules from the outset, covering other guests, access to rooms and tidiness. Request half the rent before the tenant arrives so that if things go wrong you have protection, and ask for the remainder on the last day of the rental period.

If you don't like the idea of someone living in your house full time, consider short lets for local events. For example, with the Olympics bringing an influx of visitors to the city this July, many Londoners will make extra money by renting out a spare room over the summer. Have a look at what events in your local area will mean an increase of visitors and you could easily make extra money for a short lease.

Prepare your house for sale

Making your home inviting to a potential buyer can really help the process. When you are giving people the tour of your home, the last thing that you want is to make it look a lot smaller by failing to clear out any extra items.

Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them too. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don’t want buyers scratching their heads and saying, “What is this room used for?”

Create a home office

With overheads a real concern for small businesses, many professionals are relocating to a home office. Turning a spare room into an office space can cut down on travel and rent costs, but a balance needs to be found to make it a productive place to work. Clearing out anything unneeded is a must and finding a secure way to keep files, documents and invoices for tax returns is vital too.

How much can change in a week

2 weeks ago I set some deadlines fo some goals of mine. 1 week ago I got incredibly sick and am still sick now. It has come in waves with some times when I am better (so I was able to attend a baby shower in good spirits), but I am not going so well now.

This experience combined with many other things happening in my personal life has made me reassess what I do, how I live my life and my goals. So much so that I will be pulling back on all of them.

I am barely awake most of the time at the moment. I cannot eat or function properly. My daughter has a learning delay and needs extra care as well. These two problems, among other things means my million dollar challenge and the other mini challenges I have set myself mean nothing to me.

All I care about is my family and my health. I want to help my daughter to overcome her delay. I want to be healthy again and I can be. It will take a while as there are tests to do and if it is what they think there will be surgery, but thankfully recovery should be quick, it is just a matter of how soon I can get in.

As much as I have wanted to move back to Canberra I am kind of glad this is happening here in one way. I prefer the hospital here to the hospital in Canberra. Also my dr, all the tests needed and after care is free here whereas in Canberra I would have to pay.

But on the other hand my family is in Canberra and I would have more help and support.

My life is so all over the place at the moment with so many things happening which is why my challenges, while they will continue in some way (I am not exactly sure how or when at this point), and I will continue to blog intermittently because I love blogging, my passion and drive for much of this has shifted to my family and my health.

I know I will be fine, I am just really sick at the moment and I know my daughter will improve (she has been doing really well already). It is just that in this point in my life they are my priority.

Make Money Every Day

Other than going to your normal job if you have one, have you ever thought about trying to make money every day? As in doing just one thing every day to make some money?

It might seem an impossible task but since there are so many ways to make money it shouldn't be too hard to do one thing a day to make money.

You might try selling something. Facebook groups are great for selling things instantly. Look for a garage sale group in your area, take photos of things to sell and list them. You could of course also sell things on eBay, etsy (if they are handmade), Gumtree and places like that, but for doing it super fast I found Facebook to be best.

You don't have anything to sell? What about doing mystery shopping or an online survey? They won't make you rich but are a simple way to make some money which can be done from home.

Do some babysitting, either on a regular basis or even just as a one off.

Mow someones lawn, clean their house, do some ironing, mending or other little things that often need doing but people don't have the time or they like to outsource it. Sometimes people want these things done as a once off because they have family coming and they don't have the time. If you let friends and family know you are willing to do things like this on an as needed basis, so there is no pressure to use your services again, you might be surprised how many people have little jobs for you to do.

Have a garage sale. There is a fair amount of preparation involved but on the day you hold the sale you can make a lot.

Send off some jokes, pictures, puzzles or a story to a magazine which pays for them. If yours gets used you will get between $25 and $2,000 usually.

Enter competitions. It is not money you win usually but if you win something you would have bought otherwise it is a saving. Also you can always sell your winnings or use them as gifts.

Pot some plants to sell using cuttings or seeds. Once they are developed you can sell them.

Join a party plan. You do need to book parties to make the money though, so it is a long term thing, not a one day thing.

What could you do today to make some money?