No matter what you want to do in life sadly it often times requires money. In my case I need money to backpack around the world. If you are like me you live on a set income provided by your employer. No matter what you are saving for in order to reach that goal you have to make sacrifices and cut backs on things you used to splurge on. I made a lot of cut backs and have done pretty good on maintaining them. Well except for the time I got home drunk and splurged on Amazon.
Their comes a time though when you get addicted & want to save/make more money but its not like you can go up to your boss and demand a raise. So instead get creative and make money other ways. These are a few ways that I was able to make an extra $1568.00 aside from my job.
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BABYSIT – $220.00
If you are serious about saving you are probably already spending the weekends at home doing nothing. Why not let your friends & family that have kids know that if they need a babysitter you are free. While you babysit you can work on your laptop and tweet the whole time like I do. Oh & if the person you are babysitting follows you on twitter expect a tweet saying to get off twitter and watch the kid (Yvette, I love you).
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CUT GRASS (YARDS) – $65.00
I don’t think I had done this much work outside since well I can’t remember. I started as summer was coming to an end so only got to cut my neighbors yard twice. I don’t own a lawnmower so I borrowed my dads. If you have access to one and it is summer go around asking your neighbors if they need there yard cut.
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SELL YOUR STUFF – $1283.00
This is the easiest way to make some cash fast. It seems like planning a RTW (round the world) trip automatically makes you a minimalist. I know it has made me one. Look around and get rid of everything you don’t need. Once you do that you will realize that half the stuff you own is junk and you aren’t even using it. I am going to breakdown the contents that make up the total of $1283.00.
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DVDS – $478.00
What is left of my DVD collection. It used to be 4 times this big.
I had an extensive DVD collection. I got rid of over 300 DVDs and I know I spent at least $10-$20 for each of them. Don’t do the math because you will cry (I almost did) at how much I spent on them. List them on Craigslist (just be VERY carful) or let your friends/coworkers know. If you are going to have a place to keep your stuff while you are gone, only keep your favorite ones.
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CLOTHES – $100.00
This is how much clothes I got rid of... SO FAR!
Go through your closet and get rid of all the clothes you have not used in the past 6 months or in my case that also doesn’t fit you anymore. Chances are if you haven’t used it in the past 6 months you are never going to use it again. MAJOR TIP: before selling them in a garage sale take them to thrift stores that buy clothes (BLACKBIRD, TAXI TAXI, BUFFALO EXCHANGE). They will give you more money for the clothes than you will get in a garage sale.
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GARAGE SALE – $305.00
Most of my crap at a Garage Sale.
After you gather everything you want to get rid of, get with other friends and have a garage sale. I was lucky enough to meet Jenny from Where is Jenny through twitter and we were on the same mission to get rid of junk and travel the world. She was getting rid of all her stuff so she made more money then I did. I just got rid the stuff I no longer needed. I sold a lot of clothes & DVDs in the garage sale and it is included in this total.
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LAPTOP – $400
I loved it but it was too bulky for me to take with me.
I loved my DELL but I had been convinced by a few people to upgrade to an Apple Macbook PRO. On Black Friday Apple had $100 off so I went ahead and bought it. I am glad I did because I LOVE it. Since I got my new laptop I would no longer need my old one so I sold it.
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That is how I was able to make an extra $1568.00. That is a lot of money that can be spent on travel or even your pre travel expenses (I will be writing about that soon). I hope this will help you make some extra money for whatever it is you are saving for. What are ways you have gotten creative to make extra money?
That’s two months in Nicaragua – woo hoo!
ayngelina recently posted..The 10 little things that mean so much to me
Ayngelina that is sooo good to know!!!
Cool, with that little nest egg I could stop drinking nettle tea and eating worm omelette on my travels 😉
Thanks for the share
Iain, I hope it last for a while.
when you bought the macbook did you lose money? am impressed you cut grass to make money
Zablon, I did loose money but it was worth it in the end. I love my MacBook PRO!!!
OMG, that’s a lot of DVD’s!! You ended up making a significant chunk of change though, so good on you!
Jill – Jack and Jill Travel The World recently posted..11 Reasons We’re Going on A RTW Trip
Jill, yeah I had way to many DVDs funny thing is I don’t miss them at all.
I hear ya there. Money wise, wife and I have made $4k+ in selling 2 ATVs, my old truck, few other things. Been nice little bit to help pay off credit cards, etc.
Congrats on the progress you are making!
Justin Hamlin recently posted..5 Reasons Why I Will Not Miss My Job
Justin, yeah its a nice chunk of change that will help a lot. Every little bit helps.
Keep the positive attitude and keep killin it. Just think of how much fun its going to be spending all of that money!
Justin Hamlin recently posted..5 Reasons Why I Will Not Miss My Job
Congratulations! It feels good to purge, doesn’t it? 🙂
Jasmine recently posted..The Silence Between Waves
Jasmine, yes it feels great. I don’t miss any of the stuff I have got rid of.
You’re headed to Central America next, right? That will go a long way there!
Tran recently posted..Potosi Mines- A Brief Encounter with the Underworld
My closet looks like yours now too, just a line of empty hangers. Thanks for the tip on the thrift shops that are out there. Three cheers for minimalism and extra cash! Hip hip!
Patricia GW recently posted..To Dance Under the Water
Patricia, I ended giving them away to friends and family. Cheers to minimalism!!!
Well done – looks like you had a huge purge! Have you seen the macbook air? It is the absolute answer to the problem of bulky laptops. What will you do with the dvds you did not sell while you’re travelling? ;o)
Liv, luckily my sister is allowing me to keep my furniture and some of my belongings at her place. About the laptop yes I did see it but I went with the 13″ macbook pro instead.
Ahhhh – a fellow Mac fan! superb!
Your closet gives me hope! Mine is such a hot mess, I don’t even know where to start!
Sheryll recently posted..What NOT To Do Your First Night Abroad
Sheryll, start small and you will eventually get the cleaning bug and wanna continue to get rid of more.
Wow, love this post bro! Amazing how much money you can get out of your closet alone!
Shawn Brandow recently posted..How to travel the USA for cheap
Shawn, I know its crazy right!!!
You forgot to put how you save on lunch when you work! lol Just teasing. You inspire me. I hope to get rid of my junk and make money for more Coach stuff! lol
xoxo
QueenB
QB, I didn’t include that cus its not income I got. I did save on that though. You have started and are doing well, just keep it up!!!
Diamnnnn! You ROCK man!
I really need to do this! I’m already used to no stuff as I just moved down to FL for the winter and could bring only 1 large suitcase, 1 small suitcase, and a backpack. I brought necessities and a few keepsakes that mean a lot to me.
But all my other CRAP…dun dun dun… is in a huge pile in my Mom’s basement waiting for me! Dreading it haha.
I must say, not having it here with me and just having only what I need, it’s been refreshing. In a way it’s like a minimalist trial haha.
Anyway, you ROCK man! That $1568 will take you a LONG way especially when you’re in SEA and other countries with awesome exchange rates 🙂
Also, Thanks for the Thrift Store tip with the clothes! Good idea!
Cheers to a thicker wallet!
LAUREN 🙂
Lauren Rains | The Mad to Live recently posted..I Have No Special Talents I Am Only Passionately Curious
Lauren, if you are used to not having most of your stuff I say go back when you get a chance and get rid of anything & everything you no longer need. Its a great feeling when you realize you can manage fine with out having most of the stuff you own with you. In the end more than half of it is stuff you don’t need. I am hoping this money takes me a long way.
Yea but how will I ever manage to live without my collection of VHS tapes?!?!?! haha. Can I even sell those!?
Just kidding. You are so right. It’s a double whammy of goodness – a load off the shoulders in terms of just having less STUFF, as well as a thicker wallet to buy more cocktails at the bar and coffees at the hostel while you’re away! 🙂
Lauren Rains | The Mad to Live recently posted..I Have No Special Talents I Am Only Passionately Curious
That’s awesome. I get so impatient trying to sell my shit, I’ve donated most of it. Just consider it a lesson, don’t buy stuff. And I never really considered babysitting, even though I used to all the time as a teenager.
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Alouise, oh I got impatient on selling somethings too and ended up taking them to Half Price Book Store and got less than what I would have from others but oh well. About babysitting you should give it a try. Parents like to have fun on the weekend and if you are staying in why not make money while doing so.
Good job on selling your stuff Jaime, but i got a doubt: when your RTW trip ends, what plans do you have for yor life?
regards
Ovidio, the question you ask is a question I get often. To answer it honestly I have NO CLUE what I am going to do when I get back. Hell I don’t even know when its going to end or what type of person this trip is going to make me. I am sure I will be a changed person and for now am not worried about what I will do once I get back. I will worry about that when it does end.
Certainly you have brass balls to don’t care about that hehehe, but I’m my case i don’t know if i can travel without thinking on my post-travel life. I would love to hear comments from other users on this topic.
Regards 😀
You can do it. At 1st I kept thinking about it but as I planned more I realized that I couldn’t live my life like that. I want to just enjoy it and go with the wind.
Way to go Jamie! These are great ways to make money and free yourself from your possessions. That money could last you 2 or 3 months if you’re really careful. Seems like a good trade for crap you don’t need any more :).
Ross Roams recently posted..Day 70- Be a Good Guest – Be a Good Human
Ross would have to agree it was a great trade for crap I didn’t need anymore.
Wow – that’s A LOT of $ from DVDs.
We have a history of putting anything we want to get rid of up on Craigslist. We usually have good (and very fast) luck on there. Since we now have more of a minimalist attitude, we make quick decisions about what we aren’t using. No need to keep it.
PS – Stay away from Amazon when drinking.
The NVR Guys recently posted..Why It Pays To Be Elite
Canaan & Kent, yeah a good chunk of the money I made was from DVDs. I really had a huge collection. I am glad I got over that addiction a long time ago. I now have a very minimilist attitude and really dont buy anything anymore unless I need it.
PS – I will never let my self get on Amazon while or after drinking.
Selling unwanted items is the best way to make some side money! Before my cross country trek to California I sold a lot of my junk which in turn paid for my gas! Also, it always feels great to get rid of things it makes life simple and easier to travel!
Yay to your upcoming backpacking trip! So much fun 🙂
Ashley recently posted..Final Destination- Restaurant Chasing in San Diego!
Ashley, yes it does feel great to get rid of things. It really has made my life so much simpler. I don’t have stuff or things holding me back or down.
Congrats!!! That’s a lot of extra money to play with, yay! 🙂
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Thanks Andi!
Great job Jaime 🙂 I also sold many things before going to the States in 2009, I got more than €1000! And it felt so good to get rid of stuff I would never need again. It’s incredible that there actually are people looking for what we don’t want anymore! Great way to get some extra money 🙂
Giulia recently posted..Jan 25- 2011- Egypt’s “Revolution day”
Giulla, it is strange to watch people buy thing you no longer need. In my head I kept thinking why yall are by my useless crap and are probably going to end up not needing it either. Oh well it was money I needed & stuff I didn’t.
Great tip about Buffalo exchange. Now that I think about it, I’m going to go there to try to sell off unwanted clothes before trying to get rid of them in a garage sale.
Kim, YES take your clothes to B-EX they may not buy all of it or most of it but whatever they do end up buying you will get more from them than you would from a garage sale. Whatever they don’t buy then sale it in a garage sale.
wow great tips and alot $ for ur DVDs too. nice little income back for ur trip.
Sarah, yeah if you got stuff to sell you can make some serious money!
Jaime recently posted..How to make an extra 1-56800!!!
good job man 🙂 im also in the process of selling my stuff 🙂
flip recently posted..Lessons from Strangers
Flip, thanks man! Good luck with selling your stuff.
Great tips- Can’t wait for you to hit the road! Bob had a bad habit for awhile of buying DVD’s… thank god that hulu/ netflix came out and now we just stream everything! No more DVD’s and junk laying around. haha
Jade yeah I cut my DVD habits a few years ago when we got cable & DVR. I ended up just DVR’ing everything. I am going to be hitting the road very soon!!!
OMG Jaime! I LOVE IT! This is awesome! I love the tips, although I will one day secretly tell you how I made money myself, lol, secretly. But yes, I love the tips, and the blog! Jaime, I wish you the best while you’re on your trip. Take tons of pictures and keep us updated. And thanks for the thrift shop tips. I didn’t know. 😀
Thanks Rubi for stopping by & commenting. I am so excited its crazy. I will be sure to take tons of pictures and keep yall posted. Oh & yes girl go down to Westhiemer and sell your clothes to those thrift stores you will make more money that way.
Great money saving tips!! Good idea about selling the old lap top, I should look into that myself, as I have one back home just sitting there.
Sofia, yeah if you have a laptop laying around you should reset it to manufactured settings so everything is erased and then just sell it.
Jaime recently posted..How to make an extra 1-56800!!!
Great job Jaime! That’s a great idea about the clothes as well. I have a ton i need to get rid of. 🙂
Bethany recently posted..The Eiffel Tower in HDR- Paris- France – Somewhere In Time Weekly Travel Photo
Bethany, yeah if you have clothes to get rid of take it to some thrift stores they may give ya more then you will get in garage sales.
Great :)) I’m gonna do the same now, sell everything I do not need and go to Mexico 🙂
crazy sexy fun traveler recently posted..THE SKY IN ALICANTE AND ARENALES DEL SOL