So in 6 months time we will be smack bang in the middle of Christmas, which for most of us brings financial worries, now I know we’ve not even had summer yet but with the business i am in i’m always being asked for advice on how to save money for birthdays and special occasions so i thought id pass on some of my tried and tested ideas to you.
I’m no expert, i’m definitely no financial adviser and this is simply what i do to help me make some extra cash to ease the stresses of the more expensive times of the year.
Top of my money making list is eBay.
The kids hate it when I declare i’m off to the loft to get stuff to sell on eBay. They hide all their toys and beg me not to sell it. I’m brutal, if its not being used or has never been used or they have outgrown it then its sold. Simple. Everything goes on here twice a year, once in time for summer holidays so i make enough for some extra spending money or holiday clothes and then again a couple of months later to save for Christmas presents.
I’ve made hundreds doing this over the past few years and I only advertise when its free listing days. eBay has become more expensive of late and I may venture into Gumtree or Facebook selling pages in the future but on the whole i’m happy and feel safe using eBay.
I will also order off of eBay too if i see a bargain pop up and use the money i have made from selling on eBay to pay for it through my PayPal account. This way this doesn’t come out of my wages and its like getting something for free!
Money Saving Challenge – A pound a day £££££
Did you hear about those weekly or daily savings schemes all over Facebook throughout January? Well, last January 2015 I sceptically decided to follow one of them. I bought a money box that couldn’t be opened and every day i popped a £1 coin in, or some days id put in more if I had extra change, I did miss a few too. Reason being by the end of the year in time for Christmas id have about £350 saved up. This year I have carried this on, so this December I will have about £350 to go on treats, drinks and my Christmas Dinner. Google it, loads will come up and you can base it on your budget and even print off a template to help you along. Its not too late to start now.
Secret Stash
Not everyone has the will power for this i know but i seem to have it, although not when it comes to chocolate i loose it completely then!!
Anyway , I have a secret stash, all birthday money goes in it after i have bought what i want of course, extra money i might get e.g from a night out i’l budget £50 and if i only spend £40 then the £10 i didn’t spend on wine goes into the secret stash 😉 any extra money i might get goes in, its not a lot but its something. I like to see this money add up, I DO NOT TOUCH IT. Even when i really needed the money i left it alone, pretended it didn’t exist, means i went without but i’m still hear to tell the tale. But this is how i managed to save for my husbands 40th this year. My secret stash was added to for two years and i saved enough to buy his presents and treat him without it affecting my income at all. See told you I have will power. I’m now secret stashing again for my 40th to treat myself. No one knew about this stash until now so this is exclusive haha, please don’t tell my husband.
Boot Sale Bootie
Yeah this is not one for the heavy sleepers among you, you need to get up with the lark to set up and be ready for the boot sale regulars and you must be prepared to sell your unwanted stuff to rude people, people that rummage and mess your display or people who will barter over 50p but this can also be quite fun, especially when you see the cash start to add up, yes you can make a lot of cash. Be a girl guide and be prepared in advance, get your tables and tablecloths (if your posh) ready, price up your items, get your change bag sorted with coins and don’t forget you need to pay to sell here so keep that in mind too. Another good tip is to check the weather, rain means less buyers. Don’t bring the kids they will moan, trust me!. Also the kids will find items on other stalls and spend any profits you may make… yep made that mistake too. Anything unsold can go on eBay.
Sell your wares
Are you crafty ? make your craft and sell it at Christmas fayre or free on Facebook selling pages.
So last year i took a gamble, with a friend we bought some jewellery well in advance so a few new bits each month so we didn’t notice the loss of income. We made cute jewellery bags and little price tags. By December we had a nice lot of sparkly items we then sold at our school Christmas fayre. We made all our money back and a small profit, we also had requests for more items which we later sold for more profit. This is a risk but if you have a craft, have access to something you know will sell then this could be an option for you. I will be doing it again this year, may even set up a Facebook page with the items on too for more potential sales, this is free after all so cant go wrong with this.
I also have a friend that paints and draws focal points in her local area, Eastbourne, these are good for the tourist market, maybe you can make your money at a different time of the year, summer, seasonal whatever works for you, you can always “secret stash” the money til Christmas or when its needed.
Another option could be Upselling, if you like to do up furniture for example then sell it make your money back and then some. Ive a few projects on the go that i am intending to do this with if i ever get the time, unwanted treasures left on the side of the road that i will do up and sell, money for nothing! If this is your bag then give it a go, sell on eBay or specific sites for shabby chic items etc.
So there you have my little money making schemes, there are plenty of others out there but i think the risks or the amount of hard work involved are not suited to me but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work for you, for example door to door selling like Avon. After all don’t forget Homestyle started out selling door to door and it worked out ok for us 🙂
Back to Avon, this is not something I’ve done myself but my friend has made a lot of money doing this, she puts her books around the local area door to door, the school mums and the clubs her children attend and the sales tot up, i cant advise on how good this is for making money but shes been doing it for some years so it cant be bad, same applies for the juice companies that seem to be everywhere now, if there is a gap in the market then grab your chance and fill it. This is great for the chatty and motivated person, if that’s you give it a go and let me know how you get on.
Good luck, hope this gives you some ideas or a kick to do something you’ve been thinking of doing. I’m in the middle of selling my bits for my summer holiday next month, my target was to pay for the car hire and I’ve already made it, so now its extra shopping money when i get there so its all good.
Set your goals, be realistic, don’t give up. What doesn’t work today may work in a few months time, maybe team up with a mate or come up with your own ideas and share it with us.
Message me if you want to speak in more details im always in the personal shopper group on facebook or you can contact me via our website www.homestyle247.com Richard Branson WATCH OUT HERE WE COME