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Dropping the financial ball is something that may happen inadvertently when we allow debt to go farther than we can run with it. Staying away from debt is sometimes hard because countless expenses sum up through the month and control can easily slip out of our hands. However, you can prevent this from happening and yet stay away from debt by simply analyzing your actual financial situation and the way that your organize your expenses.

Planning is the Key

You cannot anticipate unexpected expenses coming your way, but you can plan those that occur regularly to find out how much money you have to work with for something else. Creating a monthly budget is a great aid, because you cannot only plan the payment of bills, food, gas and daily living expenses, but also serves to determine how much money you can save, and make that money a cash fund to be used for unexpected expenses rather that borrowing money when an emergency takes place.

Avoid Loans Above All Else

No matter, if you are considering taking out an “inoffensive” payday loan, a personal loan, car loan, business loan, mortgage or home loan. Loans are usually the starting point for major financial problems even if you have the certainty that you can repay your debt. People often forget that if they are borrowing $100 will not have to repay $100 but a considerable amount after interest rate, finance fees and particularly with payday loans, very high interest rates.

Plastic Money is Dangerous

Another source of debt can be found in your credit cards. The more credit cards you have, the easier it is that you can become trapped in debt sooner or later. Be wise to use your credit cards only when you need them, even if you have only one, but if this not your case, determine which one charges the least in interest rates and make this your main credit card, but only to be used when you need are forced to pay with a credit card.

Cash is Still the Leader

No matter if people turn their heads back to you when paying with cash in a restaurant, do it anyway and you will be far from dropping the financial ball, as they probably have done sometimes. Cash is worth more than plastic money because it has immediate acquisitive power, can be use to buy almost anything, and does not generate interests.

If you stick to these simple principles, you will be on the right pathway to stay away from debt, and you can learn many other tips that will enhance your household economy.

So, you were fortunate enough to get into a great college. Now, however, you’re bogged down with constant demands on your time and there always seems to be a test to study for or a paper to write. Somewhere in all of the hassle, you’re still expected to make ends meet.

The good news is that making money while you’re in college is not impossible, not if you’re willing to try out some new, different, and interesting types of work that are flexible enough to fit in with the schedule at your military friendly college.

Write a Match Blog!

Are you a skilled writer? If so, then know that you could make money by writing a match blog. While that term can refer to a few different things, what’s being referenced here are blogs that are matched with brands or companies.

These blogs advertise for the brand or company, which earns the blogger money and also gets more visitors to his or her site. If you’ve got a blog with a decent following (or if you can come up with one), then you can make money; it’s that simple. Check out Blog-Match or another company that matches blogs and brands.

Make Your Opinion Count

Would you like to earn money just for answering simple questions about yourself? Believe it or not, it’s more than possible to bring in cash by taking surveys online. A quick Google search will reveal plenty of options for earning money by taking surveys, and you can sign up for as many of these sites if you want. Your opinion helps to fuel market research and also puts money in your wallet!

Get Sponsored

Not everyone who blogs away or posts countless Youtube videos is doing it for the attention. Some people’s blogs, Youtube channels, and even Facebook accounts are sponsored, meaning someone is paying them to run those accounts.

Oftentimes, the person gives back something in return, such as mentioning the sponsor or even advertising for a particular brand, and almost all sponsored individuals have a wide following. If you’ve got the following, start looking around for sponsorship opportunities and let things take off!

Put That Money Away

When you use one or more of these ideas to start making money, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how quickly the cash starts to pile up! While it can be tempting to spend it all at once, make sure that you save at least a little something; a good rule of thumb is to save about 10% from every paycheck that you receive. Don’t opt for a savings account that comes with hefty administrative charges. Look for a bank, like BB&T, that gives free checking and savings accounts to college students.

Adrienne Erin is a blogger and aspiring author. When she’s not blogging about tech and social media, you might find her practicing her French, whipping up some recipes she found on Pinterest, or obsessing over vintage postcards and stamps.

In the week before pay day, many people start praying for their next cheque to clear, as finances start to get dangerously low. Living from one pay cheque to the next can be dangerous, and before you know it, you’ve borrowed yourself into debt. 61% of people admit that they live from pay cheque to pay cheque. So how can you avoid this trend?

Budgeting

With a budget, you’ll have a clearer idea of how much disposable income you have, and this will hopefully stop you from overspending. It may become clear that you are living above your means and that it is time for you to cut down on expenditures; particularly luxuries.

Be a Tracker

Tracking your spending means you have a better idea of where your money is going. Save your receipts and organise them into categories so they are easy to manage. Tallying up the total will give you an overview of total spending. Using Excel can help you analyse the data and make decisions on where you need to cut down.

Maximise Your Income

If you can get a raise, flutter your eyelashes at your boss, but a higher salary isn’t the only way to increase your income. Consider working part-time on a Saturday or turn your hobby into a cash cow. However, making more money doesn’t necessarily mean you will cure your tendency to spend all of it before pay day. 30% of workers earning six figure salaries also admit to living from pay cheque to pay cheque.

A Financial Paradigm Shift

If you are in this overspending position, it’s likely that you aren’t the most responsible person with your money. You may spend more than you really make by overestimating your income. You may just have few organisational skills when it comes to money and you have no idea where it is all going. In this case, hopefully your budget will do all the hard work and get you back into a good financial position.

Set yourself goals and visualise yourself as master of your bank account – the days of borrowing from family and banks are over. Keep that in mind and stick to your budget, rewarding yourself every now and then with a treat. Try to focus on only spending what you need to for 99% of the time: bills, rent, and travel to work.

Uncertainty

In an uncertain climate, who knows when you will need disposable money to prop you up? You may lose your job or get into an accident. In these situations it always helps to have an emergency savings fund, but how are you going to protect yourself if you can’t even make it to pay day, let alone put money aside? Guard yourself and your loved ones through responsible financial practices and cut down on all the luxuries which are putting you further into debt. It’s time to stop worrying.

Even though the UK appears to have left the worst depths of the recession, all of us have been looking for ways to save up to make sure we’re prepared in case we hit another financial rough patch. Preparing for an economic downturn may be tricky, but we’ve listed the three most straightforward ways you can ready your saving accounts for the worst.

1. Establish a cash ISA. Save over £5,000 every year (and rising, as the deposit limits increase with inflation each fiscal year)without paying tax on your money. With so many ISA products on the market, be sure to compare cash ISA rates online and select the one with the best interest rates from a reputable bank that offers the accessibility you need.

2. Switchinternet savings accounts. It’s easy to compare online savings accounts to find the ones with the highest interest. While some will require your funds to remain in place for a certain period of time (at the risk of a harsh penalty if you access or transfer them), once that period is up, you should always look for the best offers.

3. Set up automatic monthly deposits. Willpower often ends up derailing our best savings goals – it is hard to plan for the future when you see something you want right at that time. But if you automatically siphon some of your wages to go into a savings account, you can avoid accessing the funds for more frivolous purchases. This means you’ll have a guaranteed income in that account every month, allowing you to more easily plan for the future.

Actually getting hold of the spare cash to put in your savings accounts may still be tricky, but knowing how to handle the money you’ve got is the most effective way to ensure that your nest egg is thoroughly protected.

The current economic climate means that even if you have a very secure job, you are bound to be looking at ways to save money and make extra money. Follow our 8 money-making tips for making money in your spare time and you will not regret it.

• Clearing out your clutter

Most people have a loft, garage or house that is full of things they no longer have use for. There is bound to be someone out there who can make use of your unwanted clutter and would even be willing to pay you for it. Internet auction sites are a great way of selling high price items, but car boot sales can be a good way of selling lots of smaller items in one go.

• Using the internet

Uploading videos onto sites such as You Tube may result in the website owners paying you a share of the advertising revenue they receive on the page where your video is viewed. If you have a small business, advertising on Facebook and other social networking sites is a cheap and easy way to generate extra revenue. In addition, if you are a good photographer, some websites will pay you to use your images and if you have a successful blog, advertisers may pay to place adverts on it.

• Generate your own energy

Everyone is aware that using price comparison sites can help you save money on your energy bills, but few people are aware that if you generate your own energy using solar panels or wind turbines, you can sell any excess energy back to the National Grid.

• Extra work

Doing extra work at evenings and weekends is not something most of us would relish, but if your salary from your regular job only really covers your essentials, a few shifts a week working in a restaurant or bar could provide you with that little bit extra.

• Make money from hobbies

If you are a keen crafter or baker, it is possible to make money from these hobbies. Making and baking for friends and family could lead to paying customers as word spreads. Attending craft fairs, bake sales and advertising your business on social networking sites such as Facebook will also help to generate income.

• Competitions and Market Research

Entering competitions may be worth doing. Depending on what you win, it may be possible to sell the prize and keep the proceeds. Market research is also a good way of making extra money and you can now do paid online surveys from home. Additionally, you could apply to be a product tester or a mystery shopper, which means you can eat for free in restaurants and stay for free in hotels or even have your shopping paid for.

• Writing

If you enjoy writing, why not try making money from it. Set up an online blog and make money from advertising or write for the local paper or newsletter.

• Using your home

Rent out your spare room to a lodger or if you don’t feel comfortable with that, rent out your garage as storage space. In areas where parking is at a premium, people with driveways can even rent these out as parking spaces.

There are many ways to make some extra money, some of which are easier than others and none of which are guaranteed to make you a millionaire. It is worth choosing the right one for you and then you will already be halfway to making that little bit extra you need.