Make Extra Money Without Added Stress
Our previous issue discussed ways to save money to pay off holiday debt. Now it's time to start making extra money not only to manage debt but to put some away for the future you want!

There are so many different things that you want to do in your life - buy a bigger house, get a new car, go on vacation or save for retirement - and, unfortunately, all of these things require extra money that you may not yet have. The good news is that there are ways for you to pick up extra money in your free time without a great deal of commitment or stress.

The most important thing that you can do is to plan and organize so that you know how much you will need to make for your goal.

The following ideas are tried and true, and are sure to bring you the extra money you're looking for.

- Go back to the basics and offer baby-sitting services. If you're home in the evening there are incredible numbers of parents out there who will be more than happy to take advantage of the opportunity to get some chores done or have an evening out without the children. Do a bit of self-marketing with friends, family and at the office. This type of money-making plan is especially profitable around the holidays when people need to get out and shop as well as prepare for the festivities.

- Start your own little eBay side business. Head to garage sales, flea markets, second-hand stores, and other types of places to collect lots of antiques, deals, and bargains that you can later sell for a much higher price online. Some items just need to be cleaned up and their value can more than double. Treasures to be bought and sold are all around you as long as you take the time to look.

- Begin today at your best craft and start building up your goods to sell at holiday bazaars and other similar events throughout the year. You can make a surprisingly decent seasonal income by selling craft items and artistic pieces at craft sales and bazaars.

- If you have a knack for cooking, begin a small catering business for your immediate area. Holiday time is especially great for bringing in extra money with a catering business. You don't need to offer anything fancy as long as you do it well and save your clients the effort of having to cook themselves while they entertain.

- Begin a kids carpool service. You can drive kids to and from school, and even to their music lessons and sports events. Many parents will jump at the opportunity to have someone else take care of this chore, as they may have more than one child that needs to be at different place at the same time.

Of course, this is far from a complete list but it gives you a good idea of the many opportunities that are open to earn some extra money so that you can achieve the things in life that may have been out of your financial reach until now.