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17 Ideas to Help Maximize and Leverage Your Finances

Field tested, tried and true ideas!

By Dylan MillerPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
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Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash

17 Ideas to Help Maximize and Leverage Your Finances

Let's face it. Let's all face it.

At some point, we have struggled to have enough money to meet our financial goals.

I can't think of a single person who has never struggled with money at SOME POINT.

We were living on less than $50k a year in a decently expensive area of Columbus, OH for a family of three when I tried pretty much every single one of these out. These are all things I have tried at some point, and many of them worked out well. Several of them we still utilize daily!

Not kidding.

Field tested ideas right here for you!

Here are 17 tips to help stretch your funds a little further to reach those financial goals using three categories which are accessible to pretty much everyone: Saving Money, Making Money, and Double Dipping.

Saving Money

1. Shop on Wednesdays - I worked in grocery for years. New stock comes in on Tuesdays so the mark down items and new sales go up on Wednesdays (typically, depending on the store, of course).

2. Shop Around for Energy Providers - If you can, prowl the internet for energy providers. There is always a company offering a contract for a lower rate for "a limited time." Then you switch again when that one runs out. We have been paying the "new member" rates for energy providers for years (currently about .51/kwh when the average for our area is closer to .61/kwh, and it adds up over time!)

3. Thrift Shop - This one is obvious BUT it does help in the long run and maybe helps curb the need to buy whatever is the newest trend, if that is a vice for you. Thrift shopping is huge in my area and lots of trendy people thrift shop all the time.

4. Use the Libby App (if available in your area) - this is the only way I read or listen to books these days. You link your library card and it lets you access the entire ebook and audiobook selection directly to your phone! I used to buy a ton of books and now I don't spend money on books unless it comes out of a designated budget and is one I need/really want and can't find on Libby.

5. Eat vegan (or semi-vegan) - this one kinda sucks if it's not your thing but cutting back on eating animal products saves you way more than you would expect. And you can pack in protein through a lot of other means like peanut butter and beans among other things, if that is a concern. Dairy products are still usually fairly cheap and have good protein, too. Not a fun tip but one I have utilized to help save money when I needed to.

6. Use Trim - It's a neat little app that can help point out expenses you are paying for which you might not want to pay for anymore. You can pay for a service (I don't so can't speak to it) that will negotiate bills and payments for you, too.

7. If possible, refinance or consolidate payments - depending on the debt you have you can sometimes work with companies or banks that will help reduce your pay-off amounts, interest rates, or extend the length of the loan to lower your monthly payments. I have heard great things about a company called Silver Lion and GotZoom (for student loans, specifically) but cannot speak for them personally.

Making Money

8. Dosh App - Rebate programs and apps can help you get money back on stuff you are already buying. Sometimes they will let you double dip off the same receipt/items, too! On more than one occasion we have ended up getting more cash back on an item than we spent on it!

9. iBotta App - same thing as the Dosh App above.

10. Side hustles - everyone knows about it. Find something you can do on your own time on the side to generate extra income - Uber, Doordash, build furniture, TaskRabbit, build a business, invest in an MLM, the list goes on and one and one.

11. Donate Blood Plasma - I have done this for well over a year. Right now, if I donate twice a week, I make $100 that week and it only takes up about 2-3 hours of my time total per week. So, that's nearly $50 an hour! When I was in ministry I also used my time in the chair to study for lessons or to read books that were on my list for my ministry reading (I tried to read 40 books a year with at least 30 of them being pertinent to my ministry). I know it is a little scary and creepy but it does a lot of good for people and helps bring some income here and there!

12. Write for something - This one may not seem applicable to everyone, but everyone can write something. Seriously, everyone has a story to tell and most apps used to write with have built in grammar and spelling check to help you out. I recommend Vocal, obviously. P.S. I wouldn't cry if you decided to read any of my stories.

(You can write on Medium, too, but you only make money if you pay for a subscription and people give you "claps" to applaud your work. I have not had success on Medium but I know plenty of people who have! )

13. Self-publish - This follows the same vein as writing something above. However, if you can self-publish or create a product to sell on Etsy or an ebook on Amazon then this is another income stream that pays off over time. It won't make a lot of money at once but it will give you something to create income from by advertising and marketing it well and organically on social media or word of mouth. I am in the process of writing several books/novellas as well as some individual pieces to start publishing and I'm hoping it works out well.

14. Advertise yourself as a "mover" - Now, this could sound like a side hustle. I think it is less side hustle and more of being a good Samaritan which can sometimes pay off in a huge way. I have made loads of money in bursts this way - one time I even got paid the same as professional movers because the person would have rather paid me than the movers so paid the same they were charging!

Double Dipping

15. Field Agent App - So, this app is neat because you get paid to do little tasks for stores or stuff. It's a lot of audits (checking their displays and taking pics) and buy & try (buy it, try it, and leave some comments). You get reimbursed for purchases and get paid something (not much, but something!). I do these tasks when I am at the store and it won't be super out of the way, so I'm not wasting any time on it!

16. Gigwalk App - The same as Field Agent. I don't use it much, though, because there aren't as many "gigs" in my area.

17. Ask your job to double dip with other jobs - this one was clutch for me. It was risky but it worked out in the end. If your company is big on community involvement or volunteering in general, then this should be easy to convince. For example, I found a job working at a child center that needed me for 3-10 hours per week depending on how much I wanted to work. I went to my leadership and mentioned how it was a great way to get me involved in the community in a neutral space. They knew my financial struggles as well and agreed to count 6 of my hours at that job each week to count towards hours in my full time position for them as "investing in the community." They paid me the same, but I got to work for two incomes at the same time for those 6 hours each week. This could work in a lot of ways depending on your area and situation. Get creative, make sure it is a legitimate way to work within their goals, and pitch it well.

The End

Well, hopefully some of this gets your gears turning on how to save, make, and double dip. These are some things which have worked for me. There are plenty of ways and loads of advice out there about how to be smart with your finances. But these 17 ideas are to help maximize and leverage your finances to the best of your ability. Every penny counts!

...

P.S. If you feel so inclined, there is a nifty way to leave a tip for me below! All of my tips help keep me being able to invest time into quality pieces of work for your eyes and brains to enjoy! If you consider and decide to leave a tip, then please know I appreciate it immensely! If you don't, then I still appreciate you immensely!

I am a freelance writer with a background in Ministry and experience everywhere from technical document writing to copy writing to creative writing. I have interests and knowledge in Ministry, Marketing, Parenting, Leadership, and Technology. If you are looking for someone to work with and like what you see, then email me at [email protected] or check out my portfolio at dylmill.contently.com.

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About the Creator

Dylan Miller

Former Pastor, Father, Husband. Not necessarily in that order.

I write about many things about the human experience.

I am sometimes good. I am not always kind. I am never perfect.

In other words, I am human.

Hello.

website: dsmstoryforge.com

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