How to Save Money on Birthday Parties
This last weekend I threw a birthday party for my daughter. She turned 13 and I was very nervous for her party because I know several parents of similar aged kids and they spent hundreds of dollars celebrating their kids’ birthdays. That being said, she was turning into a teenager and I wanted to make sure she celebrated as she wanted to.
If you are looking for a fun birthday plan, here are a couple of ways to celebrate without the expense:
Don’t go crazy with the details. Seriously, kids like to hang out and visit. They don’t need each and every detail of the party overly planned. Bring cake and candles and food if you want and you are all set!
Party away from home. If the weather permits, plan it at a park so that you don’t have to worry about major cleanup. We planned a park party and bought a frisbee, a Nerf type football and a $5 volleyball for the girls to bump around.
Be flexible. So, we had a fun park party planned. No decor, no games, just kids hanging out. As it turns out though, the weather was not on our side. Thunderstorms came rolling in and wow was it rainy! We decided that the park trip was not going to work, but what could we do last minute? We called a local pizza parlor and found that they had enough room to seat us (15+ teen girls!), but since I was expecting a park party, I wasn’t prepared to buy pizza, drinks and food for all of the kids. After chatting with the restaurant employees they recommended that I buy 2 large pizzas and some jojo potatoes and provide them with ice water. Guess what? That entire thing cost us less than $50. I can handle a $50 party for 15+ girls!
Do you have any great inexpensive party tips?
Things to Avoid Buying at Yard Sales
The weather is getting warmer and people are starting to get their Spring cleaning done and you know what that means? Yard sale season!
That’s right, those yard signs have started popping up! If you are planning to head on out and go deal shopping, make sure you know what to stay away from. Here are some things that you need to avoid buying at yard sales.
Car Seats / Cribs
Never ever buy used car seats or cribs from a yard sale. The fact is that these often have recalls on them and you wouldn’t be aware of those. In addition, car seats are never supposed to be used if they have been in an accident even if they look perfectly fine.
Baby Bottles
You really should just spring for new bottles. There could be small cracks in the bottle that you can’t see. Plus, with new bottles you are able to determine whether they are BPA free, etc.
Mattresses
Bed bugs. Need I say more? Seriously though, you are far better off saving up to buy a mattress new.
Shoes
Too many foot fungus stories out there for me to recommend buying used shoes. Many people get away with it just fine and more power to ya, but be careful!
Swimsuits / Underwear, etc
I feel like this shouldn’t even need an explanation. I will give you a little heads up though. Many Goodwill stores sell brand new overstock from Target and you can find a brand new swimsuit for like $5.
Damaged cookware
Cookware is not that expensive, but when you buy used nonstick cookware, chances are that the non-stick is peeling off and that is very dangerous when consumed.
What are some items that you avoid when shopping at yard sales.
Family Friendly Hikes in Arches National Park
National Parks are super busy this time of year. Because it’s awesome weather! When you’re out hiking and exploring you usually want it to be on the cooler side instead of HOT. One super popular National Park located in Utah, is Arches National Park. They have a good variety of kid friendly hikes and more advanced hikes. If you are traveling with your family, here are a few hikes you won’t want to miss:
Balanced Rock: 0.3 Miles
This is a super easy walk around the base of Balanced Rock. This could be a good warm up walk for the kids to get going!
Sand Dune Arch: 0.3 Miles
Easy trail that takes you to a heavenly sand area for kids. It’s a short enough hike you could bring a few sand toys for your kids to play with once you are at the arch. Be aware most of this area is in the shade so it’s a great one for the afternoon when it’s getting warm outside.
Skyline Arch: 0.4 Miles
Easy trail that brings you closer to see the Skyline Arch.
Double Arch: 0.5 Miles
Easy trial with some loose sand that ends at the double arch. Fun to climb up the rocks and see the view.
Windows Trail: 1.0 Mile
This is an easy hike to see the North and South Windows. Another fun one to climb up the rocks and see the view.
Landscape Arch 1.6 Miles
Moderately Easy hike with gravel surface. Beautiful, long arch to see at the end.
Delicate Arch: 3.0 Miles
This is a more difficult trail that has you climbing rocks and elevation. It’s also in the sun for the majority of the hike. However, this is a classic and one that you won’t want to miss. Even my young kids of 7,5 and 2 made it the whole way. We did have a carrier for the 2 year old. I would recommend bringing snacks/treats for stopping points and to keep the kids motivated. Bring lots of water too! Definitely a hike that is worth it at the end.
The Big Sand Hill
This is NOT in Arches National Park. It’s actually located directly across the street from the entrance to the park and is FREE. You can’t miss it. It’s a HUGE sand hill that is super fun for the kids to hike up and slide down. Grab your sand toys and you could be there awhile!
A few Tips for Arches National Park:
– Grab a Map from the Visitors Center and talk with a ranger about ideas and suggestions for your family.
-Do the Junior Ranger program. Just grab a Junior Ranger booklet from the visitors center and do those things it says while you are exploring the park. Then when you are done you can go back to the visitors center and take the pledge and get your official badge.
-Bring plenty of food and water. There are no food or lodging facilities in Arches. So be sure you have lunch packed and plenty of food for your family the whole day. We tend to stay longer than we think, so plan wisely!
-Keep applying sunscreen. This may sound like a no brainer. But every time we go to Arches we get sunburned. Whether it’s in the morning or afternoon. Even if it’s chilly, put in some sunscreen so you won’t be hurting later.
How Will You Celebrate Earth Day This Weekend?!?
Did you know Earth day is coming up on the 22nd of this month? That’s Saturday and although I’ve been thinking about what to do since I took down Easter I have yet to put anything together – until now! I’ve come up with some fun ways you can celebrate Earth day with your family that are easy and pretty quick to pull together.
- Plant a Tree – not only are trees great for shade and can help reduce air-conditioning cost but they also help reduce ozone levels in urban areas. And trees help to remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the air which cools the earth. So you could add a tree to your own yard or volunteer with your local community!
- Make a Bird Feeder – there are so many different bird feeder ideas you can find out there on the internet. From simple toilet paper rolls and peanut butter to wooded nailed together designs.
- Craft – come up with a fun globe craft you can do with your kids as you talk about the world we live on and ways we can take care of it. Or find a way to upscale something from recycled materials. You could easier make a wind chimes with old cans, spoons, keys, rocks and more.
- Recycle – Gather up your recycling items and take them to the recycling center. Not only are you then teaching your children about recycling but you’re cleaning up your home as well. Or if you don’t have a recycling system in your home put one together.
- Make a Fun Treat – I love the idea of Earth Day dirt in cups with chocolate pudding and crushed up oreos. You could even add a fun gummy worm on top. Or bake some cupcakes together that look like the world.
- Earth Day Scavenger Hunt – I love this idea because it’s getting the kids out and active. This is probably one of my favorite scavenger hunt list as my kids are still young. We’ll probably get some stickers so they can mark it off as we go.
- Read About It – there are TONS of books at the library that you can checkout and read with your kids this Saturday. They even have Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious and more. I just did a quick search on the library’s computers and found all of these:
- Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel
- Biscuit’s Earth Day Celebration by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
- Earth Day (Robin Hill School) by Margaret McNamara
- Fancy Nancy Every Day is Earth Day by Jane O’Connor
- Emeraldalicious by Victoria Kann
Earth day can be a great time to slow down and admire the beauty that is around us. Hopefully these activities will help you and your children enjoy the day!
The Best Thrift Store Flipping Items
Have you found yourself curious about the flipping craze? You know. Where you buy something at a low price only to sell it and make a profit? I have done a little bit of flipping and let me tell you, it is fun!! I love the game of it and who doesn’t love extra money, am I right?
When it comes to flipping, I like to buy and then sell on websites such as Ebay, Craigslist, Amazon (for books), Offer Up and Facebook for sale groups.
If you want to start small on your flipping game, it’s usually best to start shopping at thrift shops and yard sales. If you don’t yet know where to start, here are the best thrift store flipping items.
Books. Books are almost always a great seller. While strolling through the book section of your favorite thrift store, grab your smartphone and do a little bit of research. You can use Amazon to scan the average selling price of the same book to help you decide if this is the right flipping item. Make sure that you pay special attention to textbooks as well. Textbooks can be flipped for a huge profit, but make sure that they are current and valid.
Baby Items. Some baby items shouldn’t be resold (such as cribs and carseats), but diaper bags and bedding sets and clothes can be great reselling items provided that they are in great shape of course.
Furniture. Small furniture is great for flipping locally. Once you add shipping to the costs, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to sell it on Ebay, etc. Keep a special eye out for possible antique tables and chairs.
Video Games. The awesome thing about video games is that it doesn’t even matter when they are from. You will find collectors from every era of video games that are willing to buy. I’m talking Atari games, Nintendo Games, etc.
Brand Name Clothing. I routinely find name brand jeans in the $5-$10 range and I can almost always sell them for 3x what I have paid. Definitely keep your eyes out for brand such as Miss Me, Silver, Lucky Brand, and more!
8 Unique Easter Egg Hunt Ideas
Easter is this weekend. Are you ready? I have to admit, when I was little I was never super fond of Easter Eggs hunts. It seemed like I was always the one at the end who couldn’t find those last few eggs. It was only months down the road that those eggs would show up! So that’s where they were! However, being a mom of little kids, I have to give in and do egg hunts every year. Most years it seems like we end up doing one with each side of the family so MORE egg hunts for us! I will admit it is pretty fun to see the kids eyes light up with excitement as they find those eggs. So, if they are happy, I’m happy. Here are 10 unique Easter Egg hunt ideas that just may have you (and me!) a little more excited for egg hunts this year.
- Scavenger Egg Hunt: Write a clue in the first egg that will direct them to the next egg. Continue with this for however long you want until they get to the last clue with the prize/presents at the end. You could even make a scavenger hunt for each kid if they are old enough to do them on their own.
- Color Code Eggs: This is a tradition in my family. Every Easter morning we are given a color that is our color for the egg hunt. That means we can only find those eggs that have stickers with our color on it. If we see an egg with a different color sticker on it, then we leave it and don’t tell anyone. We have a number of how many eggs/prizes we get to find. This helps with those little kids that may need some “easy” hiding places. Put those out in the open and hide the older kids a little harder. This way you can also get the same amount of eggs/prizes for every kid. No fighting!
- Gold Easter Egg: Tell the kids that during their hunt they each get to find one Gold Easter Egg. Inside put something special and personal. Like “Date night with mom & dad” or “Late Night with Friends” or “Let’s go to the Movies!” Something that would help you spend more time with them. This gives a little more excitement to the hunt as well.
- Tag Team Easter Egg Hunt: If you are having an egg hunt with a big family, this is super fun! Split the group into even teams. Then you say “Go!” the first person from each team runs and finds an egg and brings it back. They tag the next person on the team and then they go find an egg. The first team to get through their whole team either once or twice (depending on how many eggs you have) wins.
- The REAL Egg Hunt: Does anyone ever use REAL eggs anymore? I feel like they are mostly plastic now days. But with this hunt you need to make and dye Easter Eggs. Which is half the fun, right?? Once they are dyed and decorated then hide them in designated location. Have each person try to find a certain number of eggs and none of them can be ones that they made. This is super fun at the end to see the designs of other people.
- In the Dark Egg Hunt: This is super fun for those older kids that may think they are done with eggs hunts. Put small pieces of glow sticks in Easter eggs and hide them around the yard when it’s dark outside. You can then let them outside and see who can get the most or just let them go for it. It makes it pretty cool looking too.
- Let’s Move! Egg Hunt: In each egg have an action or exercise that they need to accomplish before going on to the next egg. It’s funny to watch them go find the eggs. You’ll suddenly see them start doing jumping jacks, somersaults, cartwheels, jumping and running. If you need to get energy out, this is a great way to do it!
- Puzzle Egg Hunt: Buy a puzzle that is appropriate for your age group. When you buy it you need to put it together first and then write your secret message on the back. It could be a rhyme or poem describing where they can find their end treasure. Then put 1 piece of the puzzle in each egg. The kids have to work together to find all of the eggs and then put the puzzle together. They then need to solve the question on the back of the puzzle and go find their prize. So fun!
Any other great Easter Egg hunt ideas that your family loves?
Easter Basket Fillers For Babies to Teen!
Easter is quickly approaching and you’re running out of time to get everything you need from the store! I thought it might be a good deal to give you some cheap and simple ideas of things you could put in your child’s Easter basket this year.
Babies:
- Teether
- Pacifier
- Board Book
- Stuffed Animal
- Blanket
- Egg Shaker
- Onesie
- Finger Puppets
- Swimsuit
- Summer Hat
Toddlers
- Sensory Balls
- Umbrella
- Board Books
- Bubbles
- Music Shaker
- Bath Toys
- Finger Paint
- Whistle
- Glow Sticks
- Fake Bugs
- Stickers
- Sippy Cup
Children 3-5
- Playdough
- Magnifying Glass
- Hair Bows
- Sidewalk Chalk
- Watercolors
- Crayons and Coloring Books
- Chapstick
- Coin Purse
- Bubble Bath
- Stick on Earrings
- Mini Flashlight
- Kids movie
Children 5-7
- Toy Figures
- Slime
- Doll
- Craft Kits
- Microscope
- Soccer Ball
- Gum
- Temporary Tattoos
- Small Toy Cars
- Bath Bombs
- Wikki Stix
- Twist Pencils
- Puzzles
Children 7-10
- Putty
- Art Set
- Books
- Sunglasses
- Chapstick
- LEGO’s
- Butterfly Growing Kit
- Finger Nail Polish
- Card Games
- Beads
- Gift Certificate
- Movie Tickets
Pre-Teen
- Earbuds
- Makeup
- Earrings
- Gift Cards
- Keychains
- Posters
- Blanket
- Brain Games
- Books
- Phone case
I want to hear what you plan on putting in your kids Easter’s Baskets! Do you have a tradition you do for them or just kind of whatever they’re into that year?!?
5 Ways to Save Money on Gas This Summer
Do you have road trip plans this Summer? You should plan in advance to save money on gas so you are not overwhelmed with the costs associated with your adventures.
Here are 5 ways to save money on gas this Summer:
- Clean out your car. Did you know that extra weight in your car costs you fuel mileage? Make sure that you stay on top of your cleaning out your car. I used to have a habit of driving around for days with the back of my car full of old stuff that was taking to the Salvation Army. I never made it a habit to make sure I got there right away. I have since changed my tune and if I have a basket full of stuff in my car, I head straight to the donation center so I’m not wasting precious fuel.
- Drive less often. Okay, this one is a given, but seriously. Combine your trips so that you are not wasting gas when you could have done that same trip yesterday.
- Use GasBuddy. Download Gasbuddy onto your phone and use it to find the cheapest gas near you. I used it yesterday and discovered that within a short distance, there was more than a $0.30 difference in gas prices.
- Consider downsizing your vehicle. Do you drive a large SUV or car? Do you really need a car that size? Why not downsize your car to one that gets better fuel mileage? Many of us get too wrapped up in what we are driving and the status of it to really think about whether it cost effective and beneficial to our families.
- Avoid Rush Hour. The stop and go traffic that many of us are stuck in during rush hour costs a lot of money worth of fuel mileage. Constantly hitting the brakes and then having to hit the throttle heavy to go again can cause you to lose about 20% of your fuel mileage.
5 Things You Can Do Online to Make Money
Twenty dollar bills isolated against white background.
Are you looking for extra money? (Who isn’t, am I right?) If you are in need of some money, whether it’s a temporary need or a constant need, it’s doable! If you need to find work from home, don’t get sucked into scams, because it can work, sometimes it is a matter of thinking outside of the box.
Here are 5 things you can do online to make money:
- Sell on Ebay – With the growth of Amazon and other online retailers, some folks have started to forget about Ebay. That is a mistake! Ebay is still there and it is as strong as ever! Start this money making journey by doing a sweep of your house and seeing if you can find any items that you no longer need. Take these items and do a little search online to look for the value. Place them up for auction at Ebay and watch the money roll in.
- Sell on Amazon – Do you have a nice collection of books at home? Grab them and post them up for sale on Amazon. Book sales are huge at this mega online retailer and you can make a significant income by simply posting the books that you already own.
- Surveys – If you are needing only a small amount of money, surveys are the way to do it. You can make $10 or more per week just by answering questions and reviewing items. It’s not a lot, but it is some extra spending money.
- Yard Sale Sites – Craigslist, Facebook, OfferUp and more sites just like them offer you the option to sell items in an online yard sale type of format. These sites will connect you with local people so you will need to meet with them to sell the item, but it all starts online!
- Freelance work – Sites such as Odesk, Fiverr and Textbroker offer small jobs (writing, graphic design, proofreading, etc) for pay! This is a really easy way to break into working online!
Have you made money online before? We would love to hear your story.
5 Tips for Being More Productive
Most of us struggle with productivity to some degree. Many of us want to do what we can to become more productive. So what do you do to help increase your productivity? If you are looking for more tips, look no further! Here are 5 tips that you will help you become more productive.
- Plan your goals each day. Set aside a few minutes each morning to plan out your goals for each day. This can also be done in a few minutes the night before. If you go into the day with a plan, you are more likely to accomplish the things that you have in your plan.
- Work with your most productive times. Do you know what time of day is your strong times? If you don’t, make sure you start paying attention each day to when you are able to best work and accomplish your goals. I, for example, tend to be very productive in the morning. It doesn’t matter when I woke up or even when I went to bed the night before, but my productive hours to stop around noon. Some people do their best work late at night, etc. If you know when these times are for you, make sure you schedule your to-do list around these times, making sure to put the most time sensitive and important tasks in your schedule during those times.
- Exercise. You may try to convince yourself that you don’t have time to exercise, but the reality is that you will be far more productive when you do exercise. Exercise gets your blood pumping which increases your energy, plus it helps keep you healthy overall which means less time fighting illness and more time getting stuff done.
- Wake up earlier. Yep, it’s as easy as that. Simply setting your alarm 10 minutes earlier will give you an added 10 minutes to accomplish stuff that needs to be done. I use those 10 minutes to open and answer emails, etc.
- Turn off distractions. Distractions throughout our day make it way too easy to procrastinate and wait to accomplish our tasks. Turn off those distractions. That means sign out of Facebook/Twitter/Instagram for a bit. If you find yourself staring at the TV, turn it off too. Don’t allow your focus to go anywhere but on your to-do list.
Start Planning a Great Summer Yard Sale
A great Summertime (or anytime) yard sale need to planned in advance. The thing is, you can put together a yard sale in a day or so, but if you want to be successful and make some serious money, you need to start planning well before your sale.
So, how do you start planning? What are the steps that you can take in advance? Well, we are going to talk about that here:
- Sort and Separate – Go through your stuff and sort through it into three sections; trash, donate and sell.
- Do the laundry. No one wants to buy your dirty clothes. Make sure everything is freshly cleaned and laundered before you stick them up for sale.
- Be real with yourself. Some of your stuff is trash, that’s just what it is. Some other stuff is better for donation and the stuff that you are going to want to sell is going to be higher priced and quality items. The clothes that you bought at Walmart? Donate them to a shelter or put them in a box for $0.25 each. Brand name stuff is a different story.
- Buy some labels and get busy. Yard sale shoppers like to know how much each and every item is selling for. Don’t make them question it.
- Have a bottom dollar in mind. One of the best things that you can do at your yard sale is be negotiable, you will find that you will sell a lot more items. With this in mind, be prepared at the start of your sale what the bottom dollar you are willing to accept will be for each item.
- Organize. Once it is time to start your sale, make sure everything is properly organized. Clothes with clothes, kitchen stuff with kitchen stuff, etc.
Have you ever held a yard sale? Was it successful? We would love to hear any tips or tricks that have worked for you!
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How to Save Money on Food While on Vacation
If you’re like me then you always have a vacation planned. It would be in 2 months or year but you are working on all of the plans and it’s something to look forward to. You could be looking for good airfare, cheap hotels and transportation. Those are usually the big expenses. However, once you are at your destination you may suddenly realize those food receipts are adding up quickly. Sometimes we don’t realize how much we spend on food until we get home and see our credit card statement or you add up all of the receipts at the end. Yikes! I could be a ton of money! Here are some ways to save money on food while you are on vacation.
Use Apps. We use Yelp all of the time when we are on vacations and visiting new cities and towns. We don’t know what restaurants are available so we search on Yelp for a place to eat. The reason I love Yelp is because you can choose filters to help you find a place to eat that fits your needs. You can choose the dollar amount you want to pay, whether it’s kid friendly, and their location with menu options and reviews. If you are on a tight budget you can choose the one dollar sign and find those options in your budget. If you had one night where you want a nicer dinner you can do that as well.
Use Coupons. Once you decide where you will be eating, check their website and app for coupons and deals. There is a good chance there will be one on their site. Sometimes you need to register, but it’s totally worth the few minutes it takes to then save money at the restaurant. You can always unsubscribe later. With smartphones, it’s so much easier to use coupons that can be directly on your phone! One other great place to find coupons is in the lobby of the hotel you are staying. Check for those flyers and brochures that are there and see if you find a restaurant coupon there.
Use Groupon. I know I’ve mentioned this before time and time again, but it’s seriously the BEST! Groupon is nationwide. So before you go on your trip, head to Groupon and search for your destination city. You can search for food and see what deals they have going on. You could do this for every meal and save a TON of money.
Pack a Lunch. When we are on vacation we like to go out to eat only once a day. We find a hotel that has a free breakfast, then we pack a lunch, and head to our dinner (using those ideas above). This way we are not spending a ton of money everyday, and we don’t get sick of going out. You could either head to the store before hand and buy those essentials or stop at a store when you reach your destination. Packing a lunch and snacks will save you a lot of money. This way you don’t have to stop at vendors for a quick snack because you are starving. Use your snacks and be on your way.
Shop Wisely. If you are shopping for food at your destination city try to find those chains of stores you are familiar with or have a store card. I love Kroger so I would try and find one of those stores and use my savings card. It works in a variety of states. This way I get the deals and can save just by having my card. Try not going overboard on your shopping. You don’t want to waste food. Try calculating what you need for the days you are there.
How else do you save on food while on vacations? I would love to hear your ideas!
50 Inexpensive Meal Ideas!
Your food category when it comes to budgeting seems to be the one that can fluctuate the most. So planning cheap meals for the family to eat is sometimes a must. I’ve put together a list of 50 different meals you could choose from when you’re trying to cut back on expenses.
- Sloppy Joes
- Chicken Roll Ups
- Classic Beef Stew
- Spaghetti
- Soup & Grilled Cheese
- Homemade Pizza (this is my absolute favorite pizza dough recipe!)
- Chicken Enchilada Rice Casserole
- Butter Noodles – spaghetti with butter and parmesan cheese
- Goulash
- Cheeseburgers
- German pancakes
- Macaroni and Cheese with Hotdogs
- Pancakes
- Veggie Stir Fry over Rice
- Waffles
- Bake Potatoes
- English Muffins
- Mashed Potatoes over hotdogs topped with canned chili
- Tacos (Chicken, Beef or Bean)
- French Bread Pizza
- Split Pea Soup
- Oatmeal
- Meatloaf
- Shepherd Pie
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Tuna Casserole
- Chicken and Rice
- Jumbalaya (box of Jumbalaya box mix and smoked sausage)
- Omelets
- Nachos
- Tater Tot Casserole
- Lasagna
- Corn Chowder
- Enchiladas (Cheese, Bean, Chicken or Beef)
- Breakfast Casserole
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- French Toast
- Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Steak or Chicken Kabobs
- Baking Ziti
- Chili
- Cheeseburger Pasta
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Pepperoni Pizza Pasta
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Stuffed Peppers
- Million Dollar Spaghetti
- Oven Bake Meatball Sandwiches
- Cornbread Chili Waffles
- Potato Soup
What meals do you cook for your family when you’re tight on money? Does your family have a favorite that’s easy on the budget?
4 Side Jobs that You Can Do to Earn Extra Money
Do you want to take a vacation this Summer? Are you needing to pay off some bills? Are you feeling crunched on your budget? Not to fret, there are things that you can do to earn some extra money to take care of your responsibilities or just to go have fun!
Here are 4 side jobs that you can do to earn extra money:
Housesitter – This is a side job that is typically best left to those without children, but you can make several hundred dollars per weekend house and pet sitting for people. For example, whenever we go out of town I pay my cousin (she is in her early 20s) $100 to hang out at our house and watch the dog. I don’t have to worry about my home or pooch while I am away and she is able to get a break from her roommates and earn some easy cash. It works out great for both parties. I’m sure I would need to pay her more if she wasn’t family though.
Tutor – If you are good at a particular subject, you might consider tutoring middle and high school students. You can occasionally do this online as well as in person. Many tutors charge $20+ or more per hour so if you do this for even 10 hours per week, you are looking at an extra $200 per week! We still have 10+ weeks til Summer…that means that you could have another $2k to use for your Summer vacation fund.
Baking – Are you good in the kitchen? Why not consider using your skills to bake cakes for special occasions. I recently bought a cake from a girl who is trying to get her feet off the ground in the baking industry. She charged $2 per serving ($20 for the cake I bought). Not much more than the cakes you can buy in store and way tastier, plus I know I am helping her, so I was very happy with the purchase.
Yard sale – Okay, this is not exactly a side job per say, but it is a great way to bring in some extra cash. Best part? You are clearing out some major clutter while you are earning money! I had a 1 day yard sale last Summer and made $150. Not too bad for 6 hours of work. I live in a small town though, a friend of mine also had a yard sale last Summer and she and her family made over $800!