Whether you are new to your career or an industry veteran with 30 years of experience. It’s likely that you want to increase your take-home pay. How To Increase Your Income By Making Extra Money.
Although we can’t guarantee you a raise this year, there are some ways to increase your income. And you might not even have to leave the house to do it.
Figuring out how to make money means using a three-pronged strategy:
- Reducing the percentage of your income you’ll need to pay taxes on,
- Lowering the amount of money that goes to essentials — such as utilities — and
- Earning extra money through your primary job or a secondary source.
Luckily, technological advances and the rise of the gig economy mean that there are now easy ways to make money both online and off.
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There are so many ways to start making more money. From sources of extra income, passive income ideas, ways to make more money at your current job, and more.
One of the things I am passionate about is Helping People Learn How To Increase Their Income. That’s because I know how much it can improve your life.
I learned how to make more money so that I could pay off my debts, which I did in 9 months.
I used a number of the ideas that you’re going to read about today, including taking online surveys and Starting This Blog zerox24: How To Increase Your Income – Make Extra Money
What I love about learning how to increase your income is that it can make a bigger impact on your overall finances than budgeting alone.
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For example, when I was trying to pay off my debts, I did cut my spending. But there was only so much money in my budget to begin with.
I had to start making more money if I was going to pay them off as quickly as I wanted to. Learning how to increase your income can help you:
- Stop living paycheck to paycheck
- Help you reach retirement sooner
- Save for large purchases, such as a vacation
- Pay off debt, like credit card debt or student loans
- Become more diversified with your income streams
One of the most common ways to increase your income is with a side hustle. But today’s article will contain more than just side hustles.
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Perhaps you’re not looking to work more hours (or you simply just don’t have the time), but you still want to make extra money.
Whether you have just one free hour each day or if you are willing to work 40 to 50 hours a week on top of your full-time job, there are many options when it comes to learning how to increase your income.
How To Increase Your Income
Find A Part-Time Job.
The classic answer to how to increase your income is finding a part-time job. It’s still a great option for many people today. How To Increase Your Income – Make Extra Money
Some examples of part-time jobs may include:
- Deliver Food – There are so many different options for delivering food nowadays. Between working directly as a delivery driver for a restaurant, or for a food delivery company like Grubhub.
- Finding a Part-Time Job During The Holidays – Examples include working at a retail store (they tend to ramp up hiring before the holidays), working at a tree lot, finding a job at a costume store or haunted house, and more.
- Deliver Newspapers – Delivering newspapers can be a good way to make some side money. You may have to wake up early, but maybe those are the hours you are looking for.
- Deliver RVs To Dealerships – This is more of an untraditional part-time job, but it sounds like a fun one. The majority of the time RVs can’t be transported by semi-trucks because of their size. This means someone has to drive them from the manufacturer to the RV dealership. To make extra income doing this, you can contact RV manufacturers and RV dealerships to see what opportunities they have.
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- Run Errands For Others – Being someone’s assistant can be an interesting way to earn extra money. You may get paid to do someone else’s laundry, clean their home, pick up their food, answer phone calls, and more.
- Work At a Retail Store – I worked in retail for over five years and made lifelong friends in the process. The income is okay, but you usually receive a good discount when working in retail.
- Search For a Seasonal Job – If you have a job that gives you the summers off (or whatever season), then finding a part-time seasonal job could be a good way to earn extra money during your time off. Employers like Starbucks, REI, and Costco even offer benefits for part-time work, which adds even more value to the job.
- Work At a Restaurant – You could be a host, wait tables, bus tables, bartend, and so on.
- Substitute Teach – Sometimes the schedule can be tricky as you may be called at the last moment, but other times you may secure a long-term position.
Sell Items To Increase Your Income
Here’s a question I get often: How Can I Increase My Income Quickly?
Selling is one of the fastest ways because most people have things sitting around their house that they can quickly sell to make extra money. How To Increase Your Income – Make Extra Money
Here’s how to increase your income selling stuff – more than just selling things around your house:
- Sell on Etsy – Etsy is a great place to sell handmade items, vintage finds, and craft supplies.
- Have a Yard Sale – A yard/garage sale can be an easy way to make extra money because people come straight to your home. The only downside is that you usually don’t make as much for your items as you would if you were to sell them on sites such as eBay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace.
- Sell items on eBay – eBay is a great place to start, as nearly anything and everything can be sold on eBay.
- Try Sell Your Gift Cards – If you have gift cards that you aren’t going to use, why not sell them to earn extra money?
- Sell your new or gently used sports gear – Play It Again Sports is one of several second hand stores that buys and resells sports equipment and workout gear. These kinds of items also sell well on eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace.
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- Flip Items For Resell– One reader’s family was able to make $42,875 in one year buying and flipping items for profit, and they were only working about 10-20 hours per week.
- Sell Items On Craigslist – Craigslist is another website where you can sell pretty much anything and everything, from clothing to cars. Sales are posted online, but the money and goods are usually exchanged in person at an agreed upon meeting place.
- Sell On Poshmark – Poshmark is one of the most popular places online for people to buy and sell new or gently used clothing, shoes, and more.
- Sell Things On Facebook Marketplace – Facebook Marketplace is probably one of the most popular places to sell online right now. Here, you can find buyers in your area, but for larger items, like cars and furniture, buyers are often willing to travel or pay for shipping. Plus, because you are probably already on Facebook, this is one of the easiest ways to sell your stuff, and it’s free.
- Sell To Second Hand Stores – There are many second hand stores out there that will take your clothing and shoes. Stores such as Plato’s Closet and Buffalo Exchange will pay you upfront for clothing, and they take all of the legwork out of selling items, which is really helpful. There are also second hand stores for designer items, women’s clothing, children’s items, and more. Some pay upfront, whereas others may not pay you until after the item has sold. It simply depends on the store’s policy.
Make More Money at The Job You Already Have.
If you’re already employed and not interested in learning how to increase your income with a side hustle. One idea is trying to earn more at your current job. How To Increase Your Income – Make Extra Money
Perhaps you have limited time, or you’re looking to simply make more efficient use of your time.
- Find overtime hours to work – One way to make more money at work is to see if your company will allow you to work overtime. Some companies welcome overtime, and you can earn a decent amount of money by doing so.
- Go for a raise – One way to grow your income, without possibly adding any additional work hours to your life, is by asking for a raise. Many employees do not ask for raises, so you might be leaving money on the table. Over numerous years, this can add up to a significant amount of income! If you’ve just successfully completed a big project or taken on new responsibilities, then it might be time to ask for a raise and state your case.
- Seek out a promotion at work – If a raise is not possible without a different position, then you may want to try for a promotion that comes with a pay bump. Sometimes companies can only pay you so much for the job you currently have, but you may be able to increase your pay through a promotion with different and/or additional job duties, a possible move, etc.
If you want to learn how to increase your household income, you and your partner could both look into the tips I just gave. Can you imagine how much extra money you may be able to bring in if the both of you got raises, for example?
Find A Side Hustle To Increase Your Income
Of course, I have to include Finding a Side Hustle as the top way to Increase Your Income. After all, this is how I paid off my debt in just 9 months.
What’s great about finding a side hustle is that there are lots options for side hustles right now. Many people have extra time to start one.
Whether you’re looking for something that is just a few hours each week or something with nearly full-time hours. There are so many different options.
Here’s How to Increase Your Income with a Side Hustle:
1. Walk Dogs or Pet Sit –
Walking dogs and pet sitting can be a great way to grow your income for anyone who loves animals.
You may be going over to your client’s home to check in a few times a day, you may be staying at their house, or the animals may be staying with you.
Rover is a great company to sign up for if you’re interested in becoming a dog walker and pet sitter.
2. Sell Printables Online –
Creating printables on Etsy can be a great side hustle. Because you are creating PDF files, you can create and sell them an unlimited number of times without much additional work.
3. Start a Blog –
This is the first thing I recommend to anyone interested in learning how to increase your income, and this is because it helped me make more money, pay off my student loans, and completely change my life.
Join Free How To Start A Blog Course if you’re interested in learning more.
4. Rent Out Your RV –
Many RVs sit unused in storage lots, driveways, and backyards, making this a great way to make extra money.
5. Get Paid To Answer Surveys Online –
Answering surveys online won’t make you rich, but if you want to know how to increase your income from home, this is one of the easiest ideas.
Survey companies I recommend include: American Consumer Opinion, Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, Branded Surveys, and Pinecone Research.
These survey companies are free to join and free to use! You get paid to answer surveys and to test products. To receive the most survey opportunities, it’s best to sign up for as many survey sites as you can.
6. Join a Focus Group –
You can get paid $50 to $100 per hour by joining a focus group with User Interviews.
Credit Card Rewards To Get Cheap Travel And Cash Back
I have been using credit card rewards for years now, and they can be quite easy to use. While you’re not exactly “Earning Income,” it is a way to earn more for travel. How To Increase Your Income – Make Extra Money
There are lots of great rewards cards out there. But what is best for you depends on what you’re looking for.
- Cash back?
- Maybe you want travel points?
- Or maybe you want a card that pays you for grocery shopping and eating out?
Fortunately, there is something for everyone.
How Can I Increase My Income At Home?
If you want to work from home, there are many things you can do. How To Increase Your Income – Make Extra Money. I love being able to work from home. There’s no commute, I can make my own schedule, and more.
There are many different options for working from home, depending on what you are looking for, including:
- Sell On Amazon – You can sell items on Amazon and make a great income doing so.
- Build An Online Store – Did you know that you can create your own online store to earn extra money? Jenn, a reader of mine, started her online business a little over four years ago, and since then she has developed and grown three successful online ecommerce stores earning an average of $19,000 per month.
- Search For a Bookkeeper Position – You don’t have to be an accountant or have any previous experience if you want to learn how to increase your income as a bookkeeper.
- Find a Proofreading Job – Do you enjoy finding errors?
- Become a Virtual Assistant – Becoming a virtual assistant is one of the most popular work from home jobs, and it is growing like crazy. More and more companies need virtual assistants. Virtual assistant tasks may include social media management, formatting and editing articles, scheduling appointments or travel, email management, and more. Basically, you get paid to do any task that needs to be done for someone’s business but doesn’t need to be done by them. Sell Templates Online – You can start creating Canva templates to sell and make money all from your home and never have to ship a thing.
- Start Writing For Others Online – A freelance writer is someone who writes for a number of different clients, such as websites, blogs, magazines, and more. These writers don’t work for one specific company, rather they work for themselves and contract out their writing.
Ways To Dramatically Increase Your Income
1. Monetize Your Vlog, Blog or Website
If you have a website or YouTube channel, you might be able to make money by monetizing it.
One quick way to earn money online is to place ads on your site — you’ll earn money anytime someone views or clicks the ad.
How much you earn depends on your platform and your contract with the advertiser.
But if you run a YouTube channel that receives 1,000 views a day, you might be able to earn an extra $1,440 per year. According to SocialBlade, a research and consulting company specializing in social media marketing.
2. Claim Charitable Deductions: How To Increase Your Income
If you’re generous with your time and money. You might be eligible for tax breaks that can help lower your liability, thereby increasing your take-home pay.
According to the IRS, you can deduct donations to qualified organizations — for example, a charity like the American Red Cross, a nonprofit school or hospital.
You can also deduct out-of-pocket costs you pay to do charity work with qualified organizations. These costs include uniforms worn while volunteering as well as your mileage for traveling to and from a volunteer site.
3. Pay Off Your Debt
The idiom “you need to spend money to make money” wasn’t written with debt repayment in mind, but it could have been.
A whopping 47% of Americans carry at least $25,000 in debt, excluding mortgages, according to a 2017 study from Northwestern Mutual.
And 45% spend half their take-home pay on repaying their debt.
If you’re dealing with consumer debt, especially higher-interest credit cards or lines of credit, work on paying them down faster.
Paying off that debt could put the hundreds or even thousands you’re paying annually in interest back in your pocket.
4. Capitalize on Employer-Sponsored Child Care
If you’re fortunate enough to work at a company that offers child care. Google runs four care centers near its Mountain View, California, Headquarters. These on-site perks can make a big difference in your take-home pay.
Child Care Aware of America reported that full-time care costs an annual average of $12,781 in Massachusetts, and still rings in at $3,997 yearly in the least-expensive state, Mississippi.
So getting free or heavily discounted child care could be a big boost to your paycheck.
Even if your company doesn’t offer daycare on site, you might be able to receive benefits that can increase your take-home pay.
Yahoo, for instance, offers employees $500 to spend on items for a new baby.
5. Work on The Holidays: How To Increase Your Income
Of course, working more can increase your paycheck. However, you don’t necessarily have to log more hours to make more money.
Depending on your employer, simply choosing the right shifts could help you earn more.
If your employer offers time and a half or double-time payment for working on the holidays, consider signing up for an extra shift or two to increase your take-home pay.
The extra work doesn’t necessarily have to get in the way of your holiday fun, either.
Consider celebrating Thanksgiving on Saturday or Sunday instead of Thursday, for example, to pick up some extra cash.
6. Adjust Your Utility Usage
Signing up for cellphone, cable and internet service is a balancing act between buying enough to cover what you need and not paying for services you don’t use.
Look over your recent statements for those services to make sure you’re not paying for extras.
You should also consider switching to an alternative cellphone carrier or check out television streaming services and call providers to negotiate better rates on the features you truly want.
Look over your electricity use, too. Some suppliers charge less for energy use later in the evening, so simply making dinner later in the day could help you save.
And if you live in a sunny state with a high electricity cost, renting solar panels might save you even more money.
7. Claim The Home Office Deduction: How To Increase Your Income
If you’re setting up a side gig that’s run out of the house, and you’re using part of your home exclusively for your business, you might be entitled to a home office deduction.
The IRS allows you to claim a portion of your home expenses, such as rent, electricity, water, gas, internet and phone bills, for business purposes.
The home office deduction also might allow you to deduct a portion of your home maintenance and essential renovations, as long as they’re relevant to your business.
So you’ll get an extra pay boost on top of the other benefits of upgrading your home.
8. Rent Out At Room ― and Maximize Your Taxes
If you live in a pricey city and travel often, consider renting out some or part of your home on a room-sharing site, such as Airbnb.
Even renting your space for a weekend occasionally might be enough to net you a few hundred dollars.
Rent your property for 14 days or less. You don’t need to declare the money as income, said Aaron Lesher, a CPA based in Washington, D.C. And if you pass the 14-day threshold?
“Make sure to file using Schedule E, which results in a significantly lower tax rate, since you avoid the 15.3% (federal) self-employment tax,” he said
9. Update Your Window Dressings
Paying utility bills can significantly eat into your take-home pay. And, surprisingly, updating your window dressings can help you save money.
Hanging drapes can lower the amount of heat lost through windows by up to 25%, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Drapes can also help you control how much natural light filters into the room, so you can open or close them to warm or cool your room, respectively.
Window films can also help insulate your windows and lower your utility bills.
10. Sell Your Influence: How To Increase Your Income
If you’re already active on sites like Facebook and Twitter, take a tip from social media masters Tony Robbins and Kim Kardashian and earn money online as an influencer.
Not only is social media its own legitimate side gig. But using it to build your reputation in an industry related to your main job can raise your profile. Making it easier for you to secure a raise.
You can also earn money directly by partnering with brands to use and review specific products or simply let a brand pay to place sponsored content on your profile.
How much you’ll make per blog or social media post depends on your following. Morgan Timm, a full-time blogger and blogging coach. Writes on her website that even beginning bloggers should charge at least $100 per post
11. Upcycle And Sell: How To Increase Your Income
If you have an eye for design or you’re the crafty type. Consider upcycling and selling goods on Etsy or eBay or through local boutiques or consignment shops.
Sometimes, a little sanding and a fresh coat of paint are enough to turn old. Abandoned furniture into someone else’s treasure.
Get the hang of selling online by cleaning out your home and listing the goods you’re ready to part with. Many communities have online “garage sales” run through Facebook.
If you develop a knack for photographing and selling your own items, offer to manage the listings for other people in your community — for a commission, of course.
Don’t hesitate to think outside the box and sell unconventional goods, too.
Jeff Neal, for example, says he takes home $800 per month in profits, on top of the salary from his full-time job, by running his online store, The Critter Depot. His product? Feeder crickets.
12. Deduct Business Expenses: How To Increase Your Income
If you have business expenses that can’t be reimbursed, they might be tax-deductible, said Josh Zimmelman, founder of Westwood Tax & Consulting. Allowable expenses might include tuition you paid for continuing education.
If you plan to use this money-saving tip, make sure to keep your receipts. You’ll need to demonstrate that any purchases were legitimate business expenses if you’re ever the subject of an IRS audit.
13. Work Out At Home
Staying fit is crucial for maintaining your quality of life — and staying healthy can help you save money in the long run.
Still, a gym membership can be pricey. Statistic Brain reported that the average health club membership costs $58 per month. That number can jump to more than $100 if you live in a pricier area, like Astoria, New York.
Increase your take-home pay by ditching the gym membership to work out on your own. Take brisk walks and runs around your neighborhood, and spend an hour cycling on the weekend.
You can strengthen your muscles with bodyweight exercises, like push-ups, which you can do at home.
14. Ask To Work From Home: How To Increase Your Income
Commuting to work every day isn’t just time-consuming; it can be incredibly expensive. In fact, research from Citigroup found that commuting costs Americans an average of $2,600 a year.
That works out to about $216 per month — a significant chunk of change you could save if you reduced or eliminated your commute time.
Save on commuting by asking your boss if you can work remotely, either full time or a few days per week.
Skype, Slack and other networking apps make remote collaboration easier than ever. The Harvard Business Review reported that working from home can actually make employees more productive.
15. Automate Your Savings
The key to increasing your take-home pay is being smart with your money, and setting up automatic savings withdrawals can help.
“The average savings rate in America hovers between 5% and 6%, which is far too low to actually get ahead.
Investments don’t just grow in value over time. Many also pay income,” said Brian Davis of BiggerPockets Inc., a resource for real estate investors.
“You can raise your income by investing more of your paycheck in yield-producing investments, like dividend-paying stocks and mutual funds and bonds.”
Additionally, other types of savings, such as an IRA, might make you eligible for a tax credit, which effectively increases your income by lowering your liability. Read More Here