Funny Story Where I earned $4.63

The other day at work I went to get a snack at the vending machine and dropped at dime.  I bent down to pick it up and noticed more change under there.  I had the bright idea to check all the floors (I can get to 4 of them) and I came up with $4.63 in change!!!

Hey, it's free money people!  I think of it as the same as when you find change on the ground of a parking lot.  I can just imagine how much change is just sitting under vending machines just begging to be picked up.  So, the next time you are at a hospital or somewhere else with vending machines, be sure to look underneath it!

Be sure to bring a ruler though because some are way back in there and we couldn't reach them without one.  Also, be sure you aren't wearing black pants because they will get dirty from the floor fuzz.

Extra Cash for Christmas

As of this post writing, there is only 66 days left until Christmas!  Crazy!  Is it just me or has this year flown by?

Anyway, are you going to pay CASH for Christmas or are you going to put it on credit cards?  I am so hoping that you said cash!  I don't know your personal finance situation so I will just show you a few places to get some cash for Christmas.

These are some survey sites and mystery shop sites that you can earn extra cash to spend for the holidays.  Even though these don't pay "that much" money, they can add up over time.  What if you were to do them for 6-10 months leading up to Christmas?  When you are mindlessly watching TV, just login and complete some.  They don't take very long.


These are legit companies that I have personally used and have personally gotten checks from.  (note:  these are accounts where I may get referral fees, some of them I don't).

Surveys from Inbox Dollars:  I have personally earned around $100.  There are lots of ways to earn money on IBD, like surveys, paid emails (just click the button), grocery coupons (I haven't done this), games, apps, etc. 


Mystery Shop companies

TrendSource
Intelli-Shop.com
MarketForce.com
Sinclair Customer Metrics



Garage Sales or Consignment Stores-Clean out your garage and/or closet to make extra $$.  If you have some "nicer" stuff then I would take it to a local consignment shop to get money.  If you have random stuff, maybe have a garage sale instead.   Take a few days to make a pile of stuff and sort it out by garage sale (ask friends if they want to join you) and by consignment store. There are a ton of shops that take children's clothes too.  I personally like going to consignment stores that the stores portion of the proceeds goes towards charities that I support, but that is a personal thing.

YOU CAN DO IT!!  Even if you only earn $20-50, that is $20-50 that doesn't have to go on a credit card.  Hustle out there to be debt free. :)

Side Hustle: Surveys

In the past few weeks, I have been reading personal finance blogs and you might have noticed some increase on financial type posts.  They have inspired me to write a few on my blog and do a bit more savings/budgeting than I used to.

I realized that while I make a lot of money (*a lot is a relative term), I don't know where it all goes!  I know I (try) send about $600 a month to student loans, the rest seems to leave without me noticing.  I do spend a lot on going out to eat though. :/  I am working on that.

In order to increase my savings and have a way to save for birthdays/holidays, I started to do surveys online.  I signed up for a few companies and have made about $40 in a few weeks!  It isn't too much, but my budget for gifts is about $30/month or $360 per year.  I figure if I make about $30 every two weeks, that pays for holidays and birthdays for the year.  The companies either pay you in gift cards (to places like Amazon or Visa gift cards) or they can send the $$ to your PayPal account.

Here are a few if you want to try it yourself.
Inbox Dollars-you can make money off of searches (like google), paid emails (click on the link), surveys, referells, watch short videos, spin and win, purchases (I got $5 for purchasing through them a Groupon), etc.  Super easy! I have made the most $$ off of this one.  Sign up and get $5 automatically in your account.  They also have monthly sweepstakes you can enter.

Swag Bucks-pretty much the same as Inbox Dollars, but you get points instead of cash.  The points equal a certain $ amount that you redeem for points.  I haven't used this one too much, but I already have enough points for about $5.

Let me know how it works out for you!  If you have any other ideas how to make easy money online (not scams! LOL), post below. I have another post soon about mystery shopping.

Homemade Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte

How to make Starbucks Lattes at Home!

I don't think it is a secret that I love Starbucks.  Usually, I get a "grade iced cinnamon dolce non fat latte."  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!  But then I decided to calculate the cost of my 'occasional' drink that was really 1-2 times a week, at $4.50 each. Over the course of a year, that is $234 for once a week or $468 for twice a week.  Sometimes I even went more than twice a week and/or I got breakfast too!  That is just wasteful!

In an effort to save money, I decided to make my own at home.  There are some upfront costs to buy a coffee machine, the coffee, and the syrup, but in the long run it is worth it.

The Coffee
I buy the bags of Starbucks brand espresso (ground) from the grocery store for $7.99 each and add it to an air tight container.  I don't have am latte everyday (they are a calorie bomb, honestly) so it lasts me awhile.

The Machine
About a year ago, I bought a Mr. Coffee espresso maker on Amazon for $40 (I think it was closer to $30 when I bought it, but whatever).  It makes small batches of coffee, enough for one cup to add to your container and go!  I am not a fan of hot drinks (I occasionally drink hot chocolate), but this machine makes the coffee hot and also steams the milk for you.  Perhaps you can make it in a regular coffee pot or a Keurig using expresso coffee.  Use what you have, don't go out spending $$ when you are trying to save it.

The Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
You can buy the syrup at a local Starbucks store.  Yep, for $12.95 (in my area that is) you can buy a HUGE bottle (don't forget to ask for the pump) and add the flavor to your own coffee (or buy it on Amazon).  I use four pumps for a grande size drink.  OR if you are into the whole cooking thing, here is a link to make your own syrup! O

The Cup
You can always buy a cup on Amazon to put it in, but most people (I would think) have some insulated, reusable cups at home.  (If not, hang around a trade show or convention, they are always giving them away).  The cool thing about the Starbucks brand cups are, they have these nifty lines that tell you what measurements to pour your ingredients at.  See the picture below?  The lines tell you where to add the ingredients, so you won't have to measure them out!

The Recipe
I found this recipe online at Starbucks Food Service.  I don't use whipped cream on mine though.

*This post contains affiliate links.  

Garage Sale

I have been wanting to have a garage sale for a while now.  I am trying to de-clutter my life and get rid of tons of stuff.  It's really silly how much crap I have accumulated in a few short years.  In addition to wanting to simplify my life, it doesn't hurt to get extra $$ too! :)

I went through my house with a fine tooth comb and had no mercy.  I was getting rid of everything!  I got rid of all but two pictures that were hanging on my walls.  My walls still have the nails in them.  Old purses, scarfs, sconces, holiday items, bags, books, and more are all gone now!

I got rid of about 20 DVD's at the local DVD retailer.  I sold them for $10.10 total.  They were DVD's that I didn't ever watch anymore, so I didn't mind getting rid of them.  A new family can watch them.  A few DVD's they wouldn't take because they had too many or were too scratched up. I just threw them back in the garage sale pile.

My friend Tracie, who lives in Pearland, let me borrow her house for a garage sale.  My apartment doesn't have an annual garage sale and no one in my family would let me have one at their house. Off to Pearland I went!

Jabba loves sitting on top of boxes and he was sad when I took this one with me.

I got to her house around 7 and started to unpack my car.  Everything I wanted to bring didn't fit in my car. :/

I put everything on two old sheets (the blue one is hers and the red snowflake one is mine).  This side was DVD's, holiday items, kitchen stuff, office stuff, a few scarves, a few decorative items, etc.

This side was mainly books and bags.  Tracie and her daughter Kayla had a few other things they brought with them outside to sell. It looks kind of bare, but we really had a lot of stuff!

I sold a lot of my stuff for really cheap.  I think the highest thing was $5 (maybe $10 for one item, I can't remember), but most stuff was between $.25 and $1.  My goal was to get rid of it and make a small amount of $$ in the process.  What I don't sell, I will give away.  I made right at $100 though!!!  It isn't a ton of money, but it is $100 I didn't have.  The stuff was just lying around, collecting dust, and I didn't need it anymore.

We are having another garage sale this weekend too.  Hopefully I sell more stuff!  If I don't sell it, I will donate it to the local pet shelter resale shop that supports BARC.


Next up:  My couch!  I have been wanting to get rid of it for awhile now and I think the time has come.  It is HUGE and I am ready for it to be gone.  It takes up too much space and is a pain in the booty to move.  I just want a regular couch.  I will have to save up for a regular couch, so I might be couch-less for awhile, but honestly, that is ok. I don't need to sit on the couch for hours and watch TV, I need to be up and about doing something with my life.   I will probably sell it on Craigslist or something.