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Bored? Here Are 4 Ways You Can Make And Save Money Right Now!

Boredom is unavoidable. It can happen to anyone at some period of time. With this period, you can either waste your time on non-sense facades or get your creative juices flowing! I would rather choose the latter.

Do something productive with your time while earning and saving money with these 4 simple ways:

1. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PERSONAL FINANCES

Having a good amount of time to spare can be efficient if you utilize it to organize your personal finances. Start by tracking your bi-weekly and monthly income and expenses. Then, review your monthly budget. Contemplate if the budget is enough or overboard.

Image Credit: 401 (K) 2012 via Flikr

Afterwards, you must review different strategies to improve your budget. These strategies may include cutting down expense categories, limiting your shopping trips, or using coupons.

2. INEXPENSIVE INTERACTIONS

If you are trying to defeat boredom while living frugally, you must practice inexpensive ways to socialize or interact with the people who are important to you.

For instance, you can save more money while having the equal amount of fun when you are having your friends over at your house.

Image Credits: Alex Bellink via Flickr with CC License

You can also score free and delicious home cooked meals at your parents’ house. Of course, that comes with having a quality time with them.

3. ANSWER ONLINE SURVEYS

Bring your boredom to your advantage by answering online surveys while making decent money out of it. Answering online surveys is a type of freelance work done during your own convenience. However, it is important to highlight that several companies pay a couple of dollars while others compensate you with gift cards or rewards (e.g., iTunes or Amazon gift card).

Image Credits: 401(K) 2012 via Flickr with CC License Attribution-ShareAlike

Suggested online companies that conduct surveys are: SurveyMonkey, Opinion Outpost, and SurveySpot.

4. BUILD A BLOG

Share your thoughts and the things you are passionate about while making loyal followers and extra money through a blog. In order to get started, your blog must have a thematic niche such as fashion, finance, or parenting. Preoccupy your time by improving the blog’s design and content. Then, start earning by placing advertisements or becoming an affiliate partner.

Curious on how much a successful blogger can make? Well, they can earn as much as S$5,000 a day. Not bad for something that might have been a by-product of boredom! 🙂

Image Credits: Mike Licht via Flickr with CC License

Sources: 1, 2 , & 3

Budget-Friendly Ways To Build Your Dream Home Office

If you are waving goodbye to the office life and venturing to the exciting world of freelance or self-employment, you will find yourself in need of a home office. Luckily, due to modern technology, building a home office is easier than ever before. Here are some budget-friendly ways you can start with…

1. DO IT YOURSELF

Instead of hiring an interior designer or other professionals, decorate your office by yourself. You have the freedom to choose your working space. Be creative, as your imagination knows no bounds. For example, you may hang inspiring posters or family photos to motivate you everyday.

2. USE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE

Recycle and repurpose your old furniture or decorative materials. Buried in your attic or closets are useful yet forgotten things such as lamps, chairs, or notebooks. Seek for these things. Then, reinvent these forgotten treasures by fixing and painting on them. Not only did you save more money but you also saved Mother Earth. 🙂

If purchasing for other items is necessary, consider to…

3. PURCHASE FURNITURE ONLINE

Looking for stylish yet inexpensive furniture? Then, GROUPON.sg is the website for you! They currently offer a wide selection of discounted furniture but, here are some of my top picks:

a. The classically beautiful Funika 3-Tier 2-Tone Reversible Bookcase priced at S$25.90 (38% off). Available here.

b. The assorted colors of Bolton Swivel Chair with Armrest priced at S$79 (47% off). Available here.

c. The space-saving Set of 2 Folding Chairs priced at $29.90 (30% off). Available here.

d. The maple colored 2-Tier Desk priced at S$59 (54% off). Available here.

4. BARGAIN AT THE FLEA MARKETS

It is possible to buy unique yet affordable pieces of electronics, rags, stationery, paintings, and furniture at Singapore’s flea markets and thrift shops. Some of the known fleas include MAAD (Market of Artists and Designers), Zouk Flea & Easy, and China Square Central Sunday Flea Market.

5. LASTLY, SHOP DURING SALES

To save more money, list down everything that you need for your home office. Then, buy these items one by one once the sale comes up. It is okay to take your time in building up your ideal haven since you are the master of your own time. One of the large-scale brand that offer quality products at low prices is IKEA Singapore. And, they occasionally have special product offers. For example, you may add a tampered glass VITTSJÖ laptop support to your home office for only S$19.90 (U.P. S$39.90).

Image Credits: Jeremy Levine via Flickr

Building your own home office may take time, money, and effort but, once you found something you truly love (whether it be blogging or web designing), all of these will be well worth it. 🙂

Real Ways To Make Money Online

Some online businesses and websites are prevalent of scams or are filled with annoying ads that give a bad impression. But, do not let that stop you. The Internet is full of realistic opportunities to make a couple of quick cash. All you have to do is be creative and patient in finding credible ones. Here are 6 ideas you can start with…

1. 99 DESIGNS

Originally from Australia, 99 Designs became one of the world’s largest online graphic design marketplaces. They have been connecting designers to customers who are in need of quality yet affordable designs. If you have always been good and passionate at Photoshop or any graphic design tools then 99 Designs is perfect for your skills. Simply enter t-shirt, logo, website, and print design contests to win and earn money.

2. EBAY OR CAROUSELL

Explore through your pile of books, clothes, and other items. Look for anything of value and good condition that you do not want or need anymore. Then, sell it on eBay or Carousell. eBay is a website that serves as a marketplace for people worldwide while Carousell is pretty much a Smartphone version of eBay. You can also sell your bargain items to your friends and family by posting an ad on Facebook.

3. CONTENT-BASED SITES

Content websites are always in the lookout for quality and sensible content. Know your expertise then get paid for each article at eHow or Constant-Content.

4. AMAZON MECHANICAL TURK

Amazon Mechanical Turk is a market place for workers, businesses, and developers. It gives you an opportunity to work from home and to hold your own working hours. Just find and complete simple tasks such as testing sites or answering surveys, to make money.

5. MICROWORKERS

Crowd source your Micro Jobs to more than 600,000 Workers worldwide through Microworkers. Make money by completing small tasks online such as signing up for websites, searching articles, or linking url to websites.

Image Credits: Tax Credits via Flickr

These are such easy ways to make few bucks online! Try ’em now.

How to Make Money Without Working Too Much

Do you find yourself short of cash but too lazy to find a day job? Well, here are fast and fabulous ways to earn money without working too much…

1. SELL YOUR PHOTOS

Just got home from an overseas vacation? You can still live up the holiday vibe by going through your camera and scanning through your gallery. Pick the ones that you could sell to photo agencies and libraries. Once you find them, go to Fotolia and sell them online.

Image Credits: Mac Qin via Flickr

Fotolia houses more than 20 million cheap or free images, vectors, and videos. It is targeted for publishing and marketing projects.

2. HOUSE-SITTING

Get paid by watching over someone else’s house. It is literally sitting in their house watching YouTube on your handphone instead of doing it on your own home without getting paid for it. You can find house-sitting ads in Gumtree.sg.

3. EARN BY SHOPPING

Sign up for credit cards that have a rebate scheme that fits your needs. For instance, UOB SingTel Card has up to 4% rebate on your SingTell bills while HSBC Visa Platinum Credit Card can earn you up to 5% rebate on petrol. Get a list of Singapore Credit Card and its rebate here.

4. OFFER TO PURCHASE FOR OTHERS AND REIMBURSE IT

Once you get the rewards or rebate card, offer to pay for others then reimburse the money. For instance, if you are going to Hawaii with your friends, offer to book their flights too. This way you’ll earn more rewards or rebates than you could on your own, without spending extra cash.

5. JOIN FOCUS GROUPS

Tired of everyone else ignoring your opinion? Then join a focus group and earn cash or gift cards.

Image Credits: Michael Coghlan via Flickr

This is just sitting in a room full of a small number of people talking about the stuff you like and do not like. Submit a resume or a profile with a marketing company and they will reach out to you personally. You may join an online or local situated focus group. Try Inspired Opinions or Gumtree.

How To Earn Decent Money While You Travel

Tired of spending money while you travel? Then, do the opposite instead. To help you survive on the road or to give your travel fund a boost, explore creative ways to earn money while traveling. Here are 5 Ways to help you start…

Image Credits: Moyan Brenn via Flickr

1. TEACH ENGLISH

Hundreds of job opportunities that cater to TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) certified individuals, native English speakers or people who are fluent in the said language. A simple way to make a buck is to check out Dave Sperling’s ESL Cafe.

ESL Cafe is a website that is open for people who teach English and provides them students from around the world. You may send your resume or C.V. to schools and individuals in South Korea, China, Japan, and other locations.

You can also teach English online abroad while you travel.

2. ONLINE FREELANCE WORK

Whether you have a talent in writing, marketing, administrative work, advertising, legal work, engineering, illustrating, and web design among others…there are websites that provide opportunities for online freelance work. You can do your job anywhere even if you’re inside your Bali hotel’s balcony enjoying seaside view.

You can be an Odesk.com online freelancer. Payment is painless because Credit Cards, PayPal accounts, and Bank Accounts are accepted. There are work diaries that capture your work-in-progress and snapshots your screen so don’t try to cheat.

3. GET A WORKING HOLIDAY VISA OR WORK HOLIDAY PASS

By getting a working holiday visa or a work holiday pass you may legally work in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, France, Ireland, and Canada while you travel. The general age of qualification is aged 18 to 30. Aside from working, one sweet deal is that you may stay for up to a year in some cases.

Singapore also offers the same pass to people who studied or graduated in universities from nine countries namely: New Zealand, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, and United States.

4. HOSTEL, RESTAURANT, AND RESORT JOBS

In exchange for free bedroom accommodation, why don’t you work in either the hostel’s front desk or the cleaning services? Hostels are usually looking for new staff and the same goes for resorts.

For resorts, you make take on jobs on the front desk, restaurant, and entertainment department.

Lying on the country’s classified ads are cafe or restaurant job opportunities. Flip it open and apply. Explore your options to choose the best working hour that fits your travel itineraries.

5. BE CREATIVE

There are tons of ways to earn and all you have to do is get creative.

Image Credits: martinak15 via Flickr

What valuable talent or goods can you offer in exchange of money or free accommodation? You may teach Yoga or musical instruments, sell your photographs or timeshares, and housesit a property overseas. Your imagination is the limit!

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