Money doesn’t come cheap or easy, at least for the great majority of us. Every cent is hard earned in exchange for the sacrifice of goods, time and effort. But as hard as we work to make money, there are always opportunities to make more, to spend less or to save more. There are also, always people out there that want to take it from us. If money is a financial evaluation of how much our time is worth, you can increase the worth of your time by not settling to exist on your regular wage alone. Here are some tips on how we can all make or save some more cash.
1. Rent out a room
This country has a massive tourist industry, and if you have a spare room, you could use this to your advantage. Rather than just letting that room gather dust, why not advertise it on some tourist site message boards, or in local stores and supermarket message boards. You won’t have the overheads of competing hotels and b&b’s and can charge less which will appeal to travellers looking for a short stay on their tour of the islands.
2. Grow your own veg
This won’t save you a fortune, but its great exercise and experience, and the freshest greens you will ever eat. Every item you grow and eat is another buck you save on your shopping too. If you have a big enough space for growing, you can always sell your surplus at a local weekend market and turn a small profit too.
3. Pack your own lunch
This is a given, but there are still lots of people that eat out for breakfast or lunch at work. Doing so is such a waste of money and while it might not appear as much on a daily basis, if you count that up over the year it is a significant expense. Pack your own lunches for a snip of the price of eating out and you will notice the difference.
4. Buy in bulk
This is in general a great idea for saving money but be sure and look at the price per kilo stickers because you do occasionally get the odd exceptional promotions on smaller quantities in supermarkets that work out cheaper. However, this exception aside, bulk buying sale items at the supermarket, especially non-perishable goods such as washing detergent and toilet paper. If you buy food in bulk, keep an eye on the expiration date and look to freeze it in meal-sized packages
5. Make use of your weekend markets
If you have something to sell – be it a craft or a garage clear-out; get yourself a stall at a local weekend market. It’s a great place to set up to sell your old stuff, some handmade crafts if you can create some jewellery or furniture/carvings in your spare time. You could even get some cheap t-shirts in bulk and print or paint some cool designs to sell them on at a profit. If you're great in the kitchen and can create some tasty treats, cakes or jams then you could also sell these on but be aware that there are a few more conditions in terms of health and safety if you're selling on food.
6. Become a TV extra
It’s not as difficult as you might think, and often studios are looking for people of all different shapes and sizes. Register with an extras agency, preferably one that will register you for free and you might just find that you land the odd little part here and there. At the very least you might get the occasional tasty free buffet lunch.
7. Become a model
Again, much like applying to be a TV extra, there are lots of opportunities in modelling. We are not talking about becoming the next Mr or Miss New Zealand here, a part in a TV add or print advert would do fine and you don't need to be young or beautiful to land a job. There are no guarantees you will be picked but I can guarantee you won’t be if you don’t register.
8. Learn to Cook
Are you hampered in the kitchen by your lack of imagination or your limited repertoire of recipes? You could save yourself a fair buck or two by increasing your abilities in the kitchen. Improving your cooking skills will help you to rely less upon ready meals and takeaways. It will also increase your ability to be able to make the most of what you have in the kitchen there and then.
9. Set a ceiling for your vices (gambling, drinking smoking)
I’m not going to play dad, counselor or nurse here, but if you have a vice, cap it. Set yourself an allowance that is reasonable and stick to it. The same goes for gambling. If you enjoy the odd hand of poker, set a ceiling on your spending. If you win, then play with profits but don’t dip into any more of your own cash than the limit you have set. If you gamble online you can set a ceiling with most reputable companies where they will not allow you to spend over an agreed amount.
10. Make tourism work for you (teach a sport)
There are swarms of tourist in New Zealand for all seasons, and a lot of these come to enjoy some sport too. Be it surfing, kayaking, abseiling and rappelling or skiing and snowboarding. If you are a keen participant in any of these activities, why not put your skill to good use and do some tutoring or instructing in your spare time.
11. Help out on a farm for some extra cash
There are lots of farms that are always looking for good seasonal help, especially when it comes to harvest and picking season. You won’t find much out there in the way of sheep shearing or calf birthing, but you could earn a fair extra buck working in the fields and vineyards fruit and veg picking. A lot of these jobs go to tourists but you can find positions for locals too.
12. Part-Time Tutoring
If you have a good knowledge in a particular subject, perhaps a language or if you’re skilled at an instrument or craft, you could do some tutoring in your spare time. School pupils and even university students frequently look for some extra help and you can make a good side income out of it if you have the time.
13. Medical Testing or Product Testing
Ok this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and you might need to be a little desperate to give yourself as a guinea pig to a pharmaceutical company, considering there could be a range of unknown side effect. However, you can get a decent payment for taking part in medical trials. The same applies for product testing, particularly with cosmetic products, you often get free samples when testing products as well as a few bucks.
14. Paid Surveys
I don’t often encourage spending more time in front of a computer, but if you are going to be there anyway, might as well make a few extra bucks while you’re at it. There are lots of companies out there just begging for your feedback and reviews to help give them valuable market research and consumer understanding. As a result, there are lots of sites that will pay you to carry out short surveys on your opinion and experience of products. The payments are small, but then so are the surveys, and over time they all add up.
15. Trade your stuff online.
There are lots of online auction sites such as Ebay, and Trademe that have opened up the global community as your catchment area for selling your goods. If you have the odd item that you think is too valuable to sell at a local market, why not try and reach a more selective and appropriate audience online. You want to get the best price you can for your old gear, and if it is a collector’s piece, the right buyer for the right price might be half the world away. But what is geographical distance when you have the internet at your fingertips. Finding the right buyer could be the difference between getting a fair price for a quality item than giving your stuff away at a snip.
16. Rent your parking space.
Do you live in an area with high demand for parking? Yes.
Do you have a car? No.
Then why not rent out your space to someone that could use it for some extra cash.
17. Online deals and promotions
If you’re going to treat yourself and a partner or date to a night out, a weekend away or if you’re planning on buying a new gadget or toy, make sure you check out online discount sites before you get stung for the full price.
Sites like Groupon and GrabOne are full to the brim of local promotions and savings in your area, and if you are not particularly fussy about where you head out to for the entertainment at short notice, you could save a ridiculous amount on the value of your night out.
18. Do the housework at night
This sounds a bit silly right? What if I tell you that by simply running your appliances at night - washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher – you could cut your energy bill by up to 40%. Not so silly now right? The reason is that these are high demand items, they use a lot of power when they run, so running them in off-peak hours when energy costs less can save you money.
19. Start Early in small amounts
If you really want to save more money, the key is to start as soon as you possibly can. There is no time like the present and tomorrow never comes. When starting, remember that savings take time to develop; they are not going to be substantial for quite some time. Start small, build the behaviour and over time you will find the behaviours you inherit allow you to save more. Set realistic goals and expectations and watch your nest egg grow. Don’t be competitive against others with your savings, stick to your own path and your own goals, we all have our own financial ability and set our own paths. Trying to compete with someone that has a different income, life and plan is counterproductive.
There you have it, that’s our list of 19 things to help you save or make money. The next time you finish work, sit down to your evening meal with a beer and think ‘I wish I earned more money’ or ‘why am I so skint’, remember this list and remember that you have it in your own power to make or save more money. It’s all up to what you do with your spare time and with the money you have, use it wisely and you might just realise, that you have the potential to be far better off than you thought.
