The MyMoneyBlog is my favorite personal finance blog. Here’s a popular entry:
1) Earn interest on your idle cash.
Open up a high-yield savings account that links up directly with your existing checking account and pumps up that piddly interest rate you’re getting now. At around 5% APY, with every $2,000 in cash you can make $100 more in interest a year. Banks with local branches like Washington Mutual and Citibank are even in the game.
2) Earn some quick bucks for signing up for accounts.
You can get up to $250 upfront just for signing up and making a purchase with several credit cards. Just put them away afterwards, there’s no need to pay a penny of interest. I’ve certainly made thousands of dollar this way.
3) Get cash back whenever you make a purchase.
If you are responsible with credit cards, you should really use a credit card that gives you cash back or other perks when buying everyday purchases like groceries, gas, and everything else. Here’s a list of my favorite rewards credit cards. You can easily get back $100 a year without changing your spending patterns.
4) Save on monthly expenses
- Haggle your cable bill down by over $100 a year by simply asking or by using their competitor’s deals,
- Use an internet phone service that only costs $40 per year,
- Switch to a new $30 cell phone plan with all the perks,
- or keep your current plan and save 10-30% off with a corporate or student discount by using just your e-mail address.
5) Make your credit card pay YOU interest!
For something more risky but potentially more profitable as well, read up on how you can make thousands of dollars off the credit card companies. If you borrow just $2,000 of the credit card company’s money from a 0% APR offer and sock it away at 5% interest (see above), that’s a quick $100 a year! Do it with $40,000 or more like I’ve done, and make over $2,000 in one year!
