Make Extra Cash Through Your Internet Searches

Is it just me or does a little bit of research yield ridiculous numbers of opportunities to make money online? I know there are loads of sales letters out there offering to make you rich (most of which are absolute rubbish by the way) but I cannot believe that people will give you money for all sorts of things. I seem to be on a bit of a quest at the moment to find ways to make money online and have turned up one of the best ones yet - making money via your Internet searches.

Many of you will use Google or Yahoo to search for something you want, whether that is a little information or a specific item you wish to buy. We probably all do it without thinking about it when we surf the Internet... just tap in the search engine and find the result we want. However, changing your homepage could actually make you a lot of money!

Homepages Friends is a fantastic search engine that will pay you for searching. Yes, you can get paid and make money online for your searches! The search engine is powered by Yahoo so the results are just as good as they would be if you used that site directly. All you haveto do is set it as your homepage or bookmark it and use it to perform the searches that you normally would. Abuse of it will get you kicked off the program but if you use it correctly then you will get paid for your normal online behaviour without you even realising it!

You would be surprised at just how much money you could make doing this. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that you will make money online to the tune of £50 every year. It is completely free so you do not have to pay a penny to use it but the people behind the facility split their earnings from searches with you! Furthermore, you can sign up no matter where you are as long as you have a Paypal account or the IBAN of your bank so they can transfer the money! As such, it is a worldwide chance to make money!

Just go to Homepages Friends and complete the quick set up today and you can start to make money online right away!

Save A Fortune: Frugal Christmas And Holidays Tip #2!

Has anyone noticed that the cost of Christmas seems to go up every single year without fail? We all know why it is going to do just that this year with food prices having gone up and the cost of living being generally higher. However, you can make a little money on that if you play your cards right... your credit cards right. Cash rebate cards, or cashback cards, can come in rather useful around Christmas time, especially if you begin to start gettng clothing and presents now.

Cahback cards are exactly what the name suggests - they give you a percentage of your spending back. Now this cash rebate is only normally minimal but you could still make money. If you have a cash rebate card already then simply use it to make as many purchases as you can on it before paying the balance off in full when your bill comes. Doing this will ensure that you do not overstretch your budget and will not have to pay interest.

It is important not to overspend and to keep track of your purchases to ensure that you can pay it back immediately so plan well ahead in advance. If you do not trust yourself to do this or think you may overstretch yourself then do not do it... but if you can control your spending and pay the bill off in full then this is a great Christmas tip for saving money! Every little helps!

Trade Your Stuff Link Fixed

I recently wrote a post on various ways to make money in time for Christmas but, unbeknownst to me, one of the links was not working.

The Trade Your Stuff links are now fixed, as is the banner above, so if you do want to check it out and sell old DVDs and games for an upfront price then it is a great site to choose.

Sorry about the inconvenience!

The post itself can be found here if you missed it.

A US Selling Alternative To Amazon Marketplace

Just a quick one today... I seem to be writing more and more on how to make extra money these days. Sign of the times I guess, but I'm having an amazing reaction to it all with people emailing me with suggestions on where to sell belongings, survey sites and trade in sites. Keep them coming because the best ones will be featured here for everyone to take advantage of.

It seems there are many sites on which you can sell your stuff today. One of those out there to rival Amazon books is Buy.com. Although it is only open to American citizens at the moment, the marketplace is a great way to sell if you want to set up your own business. Much like eBay stores, it gives you the chance to market your stock on a high ranking site. Check it out!

Save A Fortune: Frugal Christmas And Holidays Tip #1!

Before I start writing this post, I will apologise in advance! I know we're only in October but with so many families in financial crisis I figure that planning for Christmas, or rather affording it, should start early this year;. The earlier you start to plan, the better equipped you will be to deal with the expense so apologies if I scare you by discussing the holidays so far in advance but it has to be done!

I've decided that, in the run up to Christmas, I'm going to offer at least one tip a week in addition to my usual posts. The tips published here are designed to help you to save a lot of money that we usually waste over the holiday season but would be best spent elsewhere this year. So here goes...

Frugal Christmas tip #1 concerns Christmas cards. They are usually the first thing people buy so it seemed like the best possible place to start! If you are traditional over Christmas then you may want to buy cards, in which case start looking around now. There are plenty of sales on at the moment, most of which would offer you good value for money. However, if you have some left over from last year then dig them out. Recycling cards that you bought for previous holidays is worth it when you thinkabout how much they are now. Alternatively, send e-cards to your friends and family. There are many free e-card providers around s you do not have to invest anything in them aside from a little time. However, avoid sending them to traditional members of your family as they may not appreciate it... and avoid sending them to technophobes as well for obvious reasons!

There is an exception to this though, aside from those family members that are technophobes or traditionalists. If you have your own business then investing in corporate holiday cards is a wise business move. It sends good wishes to your clients or customers but also serves as a reminder that you are there. As such, it may just bring in business after the Christmas period. Look for those in sales or offered by personalised business printers because they will be more likely to offer you a discount.

Which Credit Card Deals Are Worth It?

are all around us at the moment. I am sure you will agree that you cannot switch on the TV or open a newspaper without seeing at least one advertisement. Although the credit crunch is upon us and the whole world seems to be heading into a recession, there are still credit card providers offering all sorts of deals, but NOT all of them are value for money.

In fact, the vast majority of credit card deals are poor value for money no matter what they are offering. There is always that handful worth considering, but you need to know which ones fall into the good and bad categories before you start. The quick guide below should help you:

Reward Or Cashback Credit Cards - reward or cashback credit cards are often poor value for money. This is because they tend to offer a poor rate of cashback but a high rate of interest. This ultimately means that the money you get back does not even dent the interest charged to your account. However, these cards are good, whether they offer vouchers or cashback, if you pay off your balance in full every month.

Store Cards - Stay away from these! As Christmas is fast approaching, they will be pushed in stores, offering between 10% and 10% discount off your first purchase. However, the interest rates are the highest around so do not be tempted, no matter how tempting the offer!

Introductory Rates - Some credit cards have great introductory rates available, with some being as low as 0% and others as high as 10%. However, bear in mind that these credit card deals will come to an end so take a look at the regular interest rate before making a decision. Anything below 20% is generally not too bad at the moment, but anything above that would cancel out the deal.

0 Credit Cards - If you are transferring a balance to a 0 credit card or want to take advantage of 0 credit card deals for purchases, bear in mind that you will have to pay interest if your card is not clear before the end of the 0% period. If you are sure that you can pay it off or are just looking for Christmas purchases without paying interest then these cards may be for you but if you are not sure if you can then check out the APR after the period is up.

Hope that helps! The sheer choice is indeed confusing but if you follow the above then you may help your debt instead of hindering it by making the wrong choices.

If you do need money for Christmas and are thinking about taking a 0 credit card out to cover the cost of purchases then see how much you can earn beforehand. My previous post on making money online will give you a few sites to look at. You can then assess where you stand with credit afterwards.

Make Extra Cash For Christmas!

***UPDATED 18/10***

I don't know about you but I have a feeling that this Christmas isn't going to be a lot of fun given the distinct lack of funds in the house. My husband lost his job, like millions of other people around the world, and our budget is incredibly tight. As a result of that, I've been scouring the house for stuff we can sell in order to get a little money behind us for presents, food and all of the other festive delights that I look forward to all year round (I absolutely love Christmas!).

I have found a load of stuff to put on eBay and Amazon, some of which can actually be used for presents for people that buy it but is useless to us. However, both require you to sell your stuff to other people with the site not directly buying it. As such, I decided to take a look around to see if I could find a site that would buy your stuff directly.

Envirofone is one of those that does. I have covered Envirofone before on here because they recycle your old mobiles and pay you cash for your old handsets. I have used Envirofone extensively and can highly recommend them. Trading your mobile is quick and easy with their system and you will end up with a cheque in your hand in less than two weeks for the most part. Even the oldest of handsets could give you a few pounds for Christmas.

Trade Your Stuff is a fantastic website that I only discovered last week and am highly impressed with. They trade your video games and DVDs for cold hard cash. You simply go onto the site, select the games you want to sell, they will give you a price then and there and a postage credit as well so you can send them in, and then all you have to do is wait until they are received for your money. You will literally have the cash for the games within a week. Even better though, you can choose to be paid via Paypal, cheque or spend the cash on the site itself, which may help with Christmas presents.

Music Magpie is also a good site for selling old CDs. You are likely to get between 20p and £3 for a CD on there, but that is often more than you would get from Amazon after posting the CD. They send you packaging to send your CDs off so you do not have to pay for it and then you get a cheque back. I've gotten rid of a lot of old CDs this way, including compilations that nobody else would have bought. After all, would you want Smooth Grooves '98? They did!

Another way to make extra cash is to do online surveys, but this may not get you a cash injection by Christmas. Even so, it could get you a little extra cash to help supplement your income at the moment. My previous post on the best survey sites around can be found here and all of the relevant links can be found under the useful links section, along with the Envirofone and Trade Your Stuff links.

Another Great Online Survey Site And Cashback For Christmas

I have yet to update the list of useful online survey sites that I have found in the past few weeks but thought I'd take the chance to do so whilst I have five minutes. I have been incredibly busy in recent weeks as a result of the credit crunch and my absolute determination not to let it take the roof from over our heads! As such, I have not had the chance to do so. However, outlined below are some more of the online survey sites and cashback sites that I have discovered in recent weeks that give you a chance to earn a little extra cash in these incredibly tough times.

Vindale - This is an incredibly new online survey site but it gives you the chance to earn between $5 and $75 per survey. They do not take long at all and are open to all UK and US residents. With the added bonus of a sign up payout of $2 followed by a guaranteed survey of at least $5, this is a good site to join.

Voice in a Crowd - This is a UK survey site that offers you plenty of chances to win cash. It's free to join and good fun, as well as offering a new survey experience. It comes highly recommended!

I have also found a new cashback site that offer some of the best cashback rates around at the moment. Considering Christmas is well and truly on its way, you can save money by doing your shopping online and get a little back too. You can find the site here: Pay Me Cashback. You get £5 for joining and a payout at £25 so you can easily earn enough for a cheque before Christmas and treat yourself

Saving Money On Winter Essentials

It has been well publicised in the media that energy prices have skyrocketed over the last six months or so. Gas prices have risen by up to 49% and that is the main energy source for heating in the majority of homes today. Unfortunately, it does mean that many homes will be cooler than usual this winter, especially in light of the forecasts from both the UK and US national weather offices that this winter will be significantly colder than last year's. Whilst there is not much we can do about our heating bills aside from switch povider, there is away to save money and keep warm this winter - your clothing!

We all like to buy new winter clothes during the colder season but this year think about saving money where you can. Some of the tips below may help you to save money and keep warm when out and about this winter:

* Look to see whether there are freecycle groups in your area. Indviduals that are members of these groups often give items away for free or swap their belongings for things they need. With winter coming up, people may well be giving away coats and sweaters so take a look.

* Take advantage of discount stores and supermarket clothes ranges. They often offer cheap coats, scarves, hats and shoes for sale. Take the Ugg boot wannabes that are currently in stores. For just £10 you can get your hands on some to keep your feet warm this winter.

* If you have a talent or knitting then take advantage of it. For example, knit yourself a hat or a scarf to keep you warm. The woll will cost you a lot less than a new item would. Even better, unravel any old jumpers you may have and make one from recycled wool!

* Check out your local dry cleaner for repair costs. I have an old coat that has a broken zip but it costs less to replace the zip than buy a new coat! Don't throw things out that can be used again.

* Check out bargains on eBay and other similar sites. You never know how much you could save!

* If you do have an old coat that is not as warm as it used to be but is still in good condition otherwise then simply supplement it with a vest top or t-shirt. An extra layer costs nothing but a new coat will cost you a good deal more!

Hope the tips helped!

Are Your Financial Products Credit Crunch Proof?

We've seen more financial changes in the last week than we have probably seen in the past year and all of them have been incredibly scary. Share prices have been dropping, bank have been declaring insolvency and governments have been making shock announcements that have sent the common man reeling. So what next? Surely it couldn't get any worse? Well it can unless you take a proactive approach. Look at the fall of Icesave today. The bank that ran the UK online savings account has stopped taking deposits or withdrawal requests and so millions may have lost whatever money they had in there. I actually wrote a blog abot Icesave previously as I found it to be such good value. I applied for an account there a couple of weeks ago but never got around to sending off my ID. I am so glad I didn't now!

The point to my ramblings above is that you never know whether your financial products are credit crunch proof or not. However, you can take measures to sure them up a little and the best place to start is with your credit cards. You may not have noticed because a lot of credit card companies have a slippery little way of raising the interest rates you are paying back and slipping it into a statement or letter so you will not notice. As a result, you should check your APR every month. The APR is the percentage of interest you will pay on your credit card every year and can be found on your statement. The general rule is the lower the better. A lower APR will save you a lot of money every month and over the duration of your debt. As such you should always look for the Lowest Apr Card possible. Every little helps, especially right now!


Check back a little later for another blog about making extra cash with all new hints, tips and websites...

Whoops, Missed The Life Insurance!

After re-reading my last post on here regarding insurances and their usefulness, or lack of as the case maybe for many of them, I realise that I left off my opinions about one more form of insurance - life insurance. Apologies for my oversight. I thought I'd make up for it right now!

Life insurance is undoubtedly important. I think it is one of the most important insurances out there at the moment and one of the most underestimated. It is also one that is essential during this credit crunch. Life insurance is effectively designed to pay out should you or your partner die and it can be absolutely vital in saving your financial day. After all, how else would you pay the mortgage if one of the breadwinners was to pass away? Would you be able to survive? And what about your children? How would you feed and clothe them? So it may never happen, but if it does then life insurance will cover it.

Despite the above, life insurance is not necessary for some people in my opinion. For example, if you own your house outright and have a well paid job then you probably do not need it. If you are financially secure then you probably do not need it. The need goes on individual circumstances but I would recommend getting life insurance quotes and assessments so that you can work out whether or not having it at the moment would be good for you.

5 Ways To Save Money And Survive The Credit Crunch

With a certain recession on the horizon, it is a fact that many households will be looking to save the money in the near future. Over the past few years, many have ad the luxury of not having to adhere to a low budget and watch every penny. Much of this was a result of the availability of credit, but it is that same principle that will undoubtedly leave many households unable to pay the bills over the coming months. As such, it is essential to be frugal as far as possible if you want to save money, pay the bills and even put some to one side for a rainy day. The following 5 tips should help you:

1 - Take Care Of Your Debts - Chck your APR rates on the credit cards you have balances on and pay those with higher interest rates off first. You could also check which of your credit cards have transfer balance offers on at the moment and switch balances to save money.
2 - Use Rather Than Replace Equipment - If you need furniture, equipment or goods and cannot afford to buy new ones, try to give your old stuff a facelift. For example, you may think you need a new computer but try recovering its factory settings and adding computer memory or external hard drives to give it a new lease of life.
3 - Recycle Old Clothes - Sort out your wardrobe and find clothes that you have not worn for years. Try customising them with accessories or changing thir appearence. For example, an old pair of jeans can be made into a denim skirt with a little time and effort. All you pay is the cost for the cotton! Alternatively, go to swap parties!
4 - Sell Old Stuff - Find out anything you do not want and cannot use at home. Once you have a few boxes full, go to a car boot sale and see how much money you can make. Alternatively, sell your stuff online. One man's junk... This could bring you quite a lot of money for old goods, which you could use to get a savings fund started or pay some debts off with.
5 - Shop Efficiently And Effectively - Write a list before you go shopping and stick to it! You should also have a budget. If you have both then you will buy enough food but not too much (no waste!) and will remain under your spending limit (extra pennies!). You win either way!