What are some easy ways to find money when you need it?
No, you don’t have to rob a bank.
You don’t need to deliver pizzas.
You don’t even have to be so cheap that your friends and family don’t want to be around you because they’re afraid you’ll make you pay for them.
On the Chris Miles Money Show this week, I gave 7 of the biggest ways my clients have freed up an average of $33,000 in the first year alone! Let me briefly illustrate for you those points below.
- Track Your Money Weekly – Although simple, most fail to do this on a consistent basis. If you ever feel like you’re not sure what’s happening with your money, or why you don’t feel like you’re getting ahead, this could be the reason. Using great tools, like Mint, can help you get organized much easier.
- Earn More – This might also sound obvious, but most will focus on cutting expenses before finding ways to earn more money. They do this because it’s easier to cut spending than to find creative ways to create value in such a way that money comes back to you. DOLLARS FOLLOW VALUE! Look for ways to give people what they want, increase your means, and make it easier to live within your means.
- Save Taxes – A few good tips are given on the show. You will save much more in taxes if you have at least a part-time business. Business owners and investors save on taxes, while the working class pays them. As a business owner, I prefer paying my taxes AFTER I pay all of my expenses, not being taxed BEFORE I spend money.
- Refinance – Sometimes, people get so caught up in paying things off faster that they forget that refinancing to lower your payments increases your financial health. As a warning, this is only true if you are a good steward with your money and you use that savings to be used more productively, even if reapplied to the same loans.
- Stop Retirement Contributions – Same warning applies here too. This money is not meant to be blown. It’s meant to increase peace of mind, financial stability, and to increase your stewardship. I find it fascinating that people will still have credit card loans while funding their lackluster retirement plans. Would you keep funding your retirement plan if their returns have a hard time competing with guaranteed cash flow of paying off loans, or reinvesting into your business/outside investments for potentially greater returns faster?
- Pay Minimums on Your Loans – Why pay off your loans faster than it’s wise to do? For example, would you want to pay off that car loan so fast that you need to use your high interest credit card because you didn’t have enough emergency savings? Pay off inefficient loans fast, but do it with wisdom, not anger or guilt.
- Sell Assets – A great way to get more cash on hand now is selling off things you no longer use or clutter your space. If you’re not going to use it, lose it! Sell it, donate it for a tax write-off, or just give it away to someone who needs it. Don’t keep things that you may not use in the next few years, if at all. You can always buy things back, but you can’t buy back the time that was wasted in financial bondage.
I hope these 7 points gave you some great ideas. As I said before, be sure to listen to this 28-minute show to further learn how to apply these points.