I love deals and great coupons but I am a writer first and foremost. In order to keep the primary blog content consistent I'll be creating a new page. This will be my last blog post on this page about deals, coupons, or codes. After
this all of these will be updated on the "Check It Out" page and you
can all ready find printable coupons on the "Get Coupons" page. These pages will be updated regularly!
Coupons and Codes:
$1.50 off any 2 one quart or larger Silk milk products
$2.49 Valentine’s Day Cards at Cardstore! Use code: CCA4312, Valid through 2/7/14*
Free Shipping with no minimum purchase at Gymboree! *
Use Code 0130DEAL at Tiny Prints for 50% off. Valid until January 31 at 10am CST.*
Check it out:
Ace & Ivy, the new daily deal website for boutique and handmade goods*
InnovaToys, Specialist in physics, science, and education toys*
Discovery Toys, Learning products for kids of all ages. Click to see the catalog!*
*Affiliate links
Showing posts with label deals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deals. Show all posts
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Doing Cartwheels
I'd probably die if I tried doing a cartwheel right now.
Actual physical cartwheels aren't the point of this post. The new Target Cartwheel app very much is in a "so speaking of coupons" kind of way . . . .
Like I said in the post before last I figured I'd probably need to run out before the two weeks between big grocery trips were up for a few more things. Shocker. I was right. I was doing my normal browsing for coupons on Target's website and saw a link for something called Cartwheel. OK. Creative name? I guess. I went about browsing other things until I finally let my curiosity get me.
(Note: all of this will be based on the regular browser site not the phone apps.)
It's a quick, simple sign up if you have facebook (which I do so that was that). There's a lot going on at first it seems. Observe this lovely screenshot:
You may able to see on this screenshot that it shows a little ticker for total saved: $1.38. That was yesterday. That's pretty quick.
So here's how it works:
#1 Sign up - It's simple enough if you are all ready on facebook. If not, I'm not seeing many other options. Someone can let me know if it works with Google+ or just a regular email account. I didn't need any invite or code to get on. I just clicked the sign up with facebook button and it did that little creepy info-grabbing thing apps do and I was done.
#2 Take a second to get acclimated - There is quite a bit going on. Collections, badges, notifications, facebook settings, invitations, and all these clickable, shiny ad buttons that remind me of that brand guessing game that was popular for a bit.
#3 Settings - By clicking over your name at the top right of the screen you can get to settings. This is something you'll want to change first. Decide if you want your cumulative savings to be public and whether or not you want in-app notifications. There's another link on the bottom of this page to change facebook settings.
#4 Browse through Collections - These are just categories for all the products Target carries that have an available discount. That is what you're seeing in the screenshot above. Here's an example of what you'll see when you click on a collection:
Discounts range from 10-30% off all sorts of products. They even have discounts on mundane things that almost never have coupons like milk, cheese, fruit, and eggs. Yes. It's true.
Note: You're not limited to browsing through tons of collections. There's a search bar. You can type in brand names, generic items (cereal, cookies), specific items, or broad categories (baby, toys).
#5 See that fancy bar on top of the screen between browse and total saved. - This is your total available discounts. You do have a limit. You start with 10 just for joining and there are ways to earn more as you use the app. I'm up to 17 now and I just opened this for the first time yesterday.
#6 Look at your badges. - This is your gateway to increasing the limited number of discounts you can choose. Anything from inviting people (as long as they join in) to having your first cartwheel scanned adds up to more discounts.
#7 Notifications - The word pretty much sums it up. This just just a heads up of the latest goings on within your cartwheel. You can see the badges you've earned, friends who've started using the app, and all that boring stuff.
Here's essentially how it works:
You browse through the site. You're scrolling down and find a discount you want. Just click on the box and it'll flip itself around. (nifty!) On the back of the "card" you can choose to add, share (via facebook), or get details on that specific discount. Once you click add it's on your "my Cartwheel" list. That bar at the top keeps track of how many you've used so far. To see your compiled list click on the my Cartwheel tab. A discount "card" all ready in your cartwheel will have a white on red check in the upper right corner and one that is still available to be added will show a white on red star.
Like this:
Actual physical cartwheels aren't the point of this post. The new Target Cartwheel app very much is in a "so speaking of coupons" kind of way . . . .
Like I said in the post before last I figured I'd probably need to run out before the two weeks between big grocery trips were up for a few more things. Shocker. I was right. I was doing my normal browsing for coupons on Target's website and saw a link for something called Cartwheel. OK. Creative name? I guess. I went about browsing other things until I finally let my curiosity get me.
(Note: all of this will be based on the regular browser site not the phone apps.)
It's a quick, simple sign up if you have facebook (which I do so that was that). There's a lot going on at first it seems. Observe this lovely screenshot:
So here's how it works:
#1 Sign up - It's simple enough if you are all ready on facebook. If not, I'm not seeing many other options. Someone can let me know if it works with Google+ or just a regular email account. I didn't need any invite or code to get on. I just clicked the sign up with facebook button and it did that little creepy info-grabbing thing apps do and I was done.
#2 Take a second to get acclimated - There is quite a bit going on. Collections, badges, notifications, facebook settings, invitations, and all these clickable, shiny ad buttons that remind me of that brand guessing game that was popular for a bit.
#3 Settings - By clicking over your name at the top right of the screen you can get to settings. This is something you'll want to change first. Decide if you want your cumulative savings to be public and whether or not you want in-app notifications. There's another link on the bottom of this page to change facebook settings.
#4 Browse through Collections - These are just categories for all the products Target carries that have an available discount. That is what you're seeing in the screenshot above. Here's an example of what you'll see when you click on a collection:
Note: You're not limited to browsing through tons of collections. There's a search bar. You can type in brand names, generic items (cereal, cookies), specific items, or broad categories (baby, toys).
#5 See that fancy bar on top of the screen between browse and total saved. - This is your total available discounts. You do have a limit. You start with 10 just for joining and there are ways to earn more as you use the app. I'm up to 17 now and I just opened this for the first time yesterday.
#6 Look at your badges. - This is your gateway to increasing the limited number of discounts you can choose. Anything from inviting people (as long as they join in) to having your first cartwheel scanned adds up to more discounts.
#7 Notifications - The word pretty much sums it up. This just just a heads up of the latest goings on within your cartwheel. You can see the badges you've earned, friends who've started using the app, and all that boring stuff.
Here's essentially how it works:
You browse through the site. You're scrolling down and find a discount you want. Just click on the box and it'll flip itself around. (nifty!) On the back of the "card" you can choose to add, share (via facebook), or get details on that specific discount. Once you click add it's on your "my Cartwheel" list. That bar at the top keeps track of how many you've used so far. To see your compiled list click on the my Cartwheel tab. A discount "card" all ready in your cartwheel will have a white on red check in the upper right corner and one that is still available to be added will show a white on red star.
Like this:
The hose nozzle is in your cartwheel and the gardening accessories are NOT.
As you browse, you can add or replace things as you see fit. If you're all ready at 10/10 (or 17/17 or whatever the case may be) items then you'll have to remove something from your list before adding another.
You could probably keep at this, browsing, choosing, comparing and searching for a while. Once you are done go back to the my Cartwheel page. Click on "redeem in store" to print out your list. There will be one barcode at the top for the Target team member to scan.
JUST LIKE A REGULAR COUPON! It's so simple!
But wait, there's more! (imagining this statement in George Takei's voice would be optimal)
This is not an either-or situation. These discounts DO stack with target coupons and manufacturer coupons. They also work with the redcard discount. I'm told that you could potentially have a quintuple whammy: cartwheel + target coupon + manufacturer coupon + redcard discount + reusable bag discount.
Your printed list will also show the number of times a discount can be applied. For instance, I had the Market Pantry milk 5% discount on my list yesterday. The list noted up to four purchases with the discount. I got two gallons so I got 5% off EACH one.
If you don't buy something on your list or if you've used up some of them it's not a big deal. You can either get your list back from the team member after they scan it or have them toss it and you can print a new one. If you don't get the correct item, the discount is expired (the deals do expire like normal coupons), or you've all ready reached your purchase limit it simply won't take it off your total.
It's a brilliant app! I was hesitant about it at first wondering if it would be worthwhile. The team member that helped me was all ready up to speed and HAPPY to see I'd brought it along with my coupons (yeah, not put off or annoyed). It was just as easy as using regular coupons but she only had to scan the single code one time to apply multiple discounts.
Hopefully this helps someone out. Go here and sign up online! It's totally worth the discounts just on the unusually discounted items in my opinion. Worst case, if you hate it then don't use it again!
Here is the app for Mac.
Here is the app for Android
<3
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Couponing
Well, first off, I want to say I'm super thrilled with my grocery shopping trip(s) this past Wednesday (one week ago yesterday). It wasn't anything near what you see on those crazy reality TV episodes but I managed to stay under $250 for our two weeks of buying.
Caveats/
We obviously all ready had some ingredients for meals in the house.
We're also in the process of potty training BOTH kids now so we don't go through nearly as many disposables as we normally would. It's not very consistent day to day . . . I'll say that.
It took me three hours of the afternoon to find and clip coupons and create my list. So, honestly, the reduction in spending feels more like I'm spending time instead of spending the money, if that makes sense. Thankfully, my time was worth a decent "wage" this time. ;)
I always find out afterwards that I could've done better. This deal here. That coupon there. Oh well. Better luck next time.
And, of course, it's nearly inevitable that sometime in the next two weeks I'll be out buying more milk, bread, eggs, and/or some forgotten ingredient.
/end caveats
Like I said, the afternoon of my shopping trip I spent a good three hours googling for coupons, scouring the Krazy Coupon Lady website. I do NOT do the kind of couponing you hear about on these reality TV shows. I have no spare space for a super pantry and we don't even have a deep freezer (although I have my eye on a small one because I'd love to buy some meat on the cheap and pre-make some healthier "freezer meals"). I make my list of what we want or need FIRST then do all my searching and clipping based on that. I usually have to rack my brain and check the cabinets because occasionally I do "over buy" things like peanut butter, oatmeal, and pasta. You know, the sustenance staples that you really can't have too much of (unless your home is starting to look like the inside of a walmart, that's a bit much).
I also try with all my might to avoid walmart. It's another post for another day but the low price place is not that great and I'd rather my $$$ make noise elsewhere in the economy if you get my drift. I don't have a lot of choices up here in walmartville. What I'd give for a good Publix, Trader Joe's, Kroger, Earth Fare or Whole Foods.
Oh well.
I try very hard to keep our household a healthy one. I buy a lot of frozen vegetables and avoid canne although I prefer fresh from the farmer's market. (One day I'll have my own garden, dang it!)
Here are a few of the awesome couponing sites I've found:
coupons (but even better: join swagbucks and get the SAME coupons + swagbucks a few weeks after the coupons have been processed)
krazycouponlady (she even lays out the best deals for you on her site. hover over "find my store" and select the location of your choice for the latest.)
lozo (if you just like the occasional good clip you'll like this. it's customizable and coupons are emailed to you.)
smartsource (these are going to be similar to the coupons that are in many Sunday papers.)
You can also find some really good coupons on retail websites or facebook. Usually a good $1-2 coupon is as simple as liking a brand page. Most retailers have their own listing of coupons on their website. Some even have store coupon cards that you can download coupons onto and swipe at the store (making it ridiculously easy).
We also have a Walgreens Balance Rewards card. We've only had it for a couple months. We use them for our prescriptions but they will also occasionally have some great deals on things we'd buy anyway (like diapers, sunscreen, medicine, or even food) so we'll make a trip there (and it's not out of our way at all). You get points for what you spend and for buying certain items. We're almost to 5000 points which translates to $5. (10,000 is $10, 18,000 is $20, and so on). I've seen a new program advertised where you can earn more points for running, doing weigh-ins, or participating in community projects.
In the end:
$37 at walgreens for 3 packages of pull ups and swim diapers.
-3t/4t huggies pull ups (50 count)
-size 4 huggies little movers slip-on diapers (23 count)
- size medium huggies little swimmers (11 count)
I saved $7 with coupons and we earned 390 points as well.
Darn the 9% sales tax applying to diapers.
$44 at Aldi
We filled our buggy. This included 2 bacon wrapped filet mignon, cow milk, kefir, eggs, cheese, plenty of fruit (nectarines, kiwi, bananas), a few veggies (bell pepper, carrots), cereal, two loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls (totally unnecessary!), nut butters, syrup, and snacks (graham crackers, peanut butter crackers, etc).
If we'd bought these things at walmart it would've been no less than $60. If I had the funds I'd go do a same day duplicate trip sometime to show the difference.
$120 at Target.
This included a few more food items that I had specific coupons for that made it even CHEAPER than Aldi like yogurt, apple sauce pouches, frozen veggies, frozen pizza, and pudding. I got really good deals (I think) on almond milk, frozen chicken, and the glade plug-in refills. I even splurged on a few clothes for the kids (less than $2 a piece), got E a new toothbrush, and household misc (handsoap, paper towels, toilet paper, all-purpose cleaner).
I spent another $25 at Target two days ago to get some more bread, milk, cookies, and junk food for the girls and myself. They even had lalaloopsy coloring books in the $1 bin so I let the kiddos get those and pick a $0.99 pack of crayons.
37 + 44 + 120 + 25 = 226
We'll need (want?) more milk, cereal, and eggs for sure right before the second week is up but that shouldn't be a big deal.
Hopefully I can do even better for the next trip!
Caveats/
We obviously all ready had some ingredients for meals in the house.
We're also in the process of potty training BOTH kids now so we don't go through nearly as many disposables as we normally would. It's not very consistent day to day . . . I'll say that.
It took me three hours of the afternoon to find and clip coupons and create my list. So, honestly, the reduction in spending feels more like I'm spending time instead of spending the money, if that makes sense. Thankfully, my time was worth a decent "wage" this time. ;)
I always find out afterwards that I could've done better. This deal here. That coupon there. Oh well. Better luck next time.
And, of course, it's nearly inevitable that sometime in the next two weeks I'll be out buying more milk, bread, eggs, and/or some forgotten ingredient.
/end caveats
Like I said, the afternoon of my shopping trip I spent a good three hours googling for coupons, scouring the Krazy Coupon Lady website. I do NOT do the kind of couponing you hear about on these reality TV shows. I have no spare space for a super pantry and we don't even have a deep freezer (although I have my eye on a small one because I'd love to buy some meat on the cheap and pre-make some healthier "freezer meals"). I make my list of what we want or need FIRST then do all my searching and clipping based on that. I usually have to rack my brain and check the cabinets because occasionally I do "over buy" things like peanut butter, oatmeal, and pasta. You know, the sustenance staples that you really can't have too much of (unless your home is starting to look like the inside of a walmart, that's a bit much).
I also try with all my might to avoid walmart. It's another post for another day but the low price place is not that great and I'd rather my $$$ make noise elsewhere in the economy if you get my drift. I don't have a lot of choices up here in walmartville. What I'd give for a good Publix, Trader Joe's, Kroger, Earth Fare or Whole Foods.
Oh well.
I try very hard to keep our household a healthy one. I buy a lot of frozen vegetables and avoid canne although I prefer fresh from the farmer's market. (One day I'll have my own garden, dang it!)
Here are a few of the awesome couponing sites I've found:
coupons (but even better: join swagbucks and get the SAME coupons + swagbucks a few weeks after the coupons have been processed)
krazycouponlady (she even lays out the best deals for you on her site. hover over "find my store" and select the location of your choice for the latest.)
lozo (if you just like the occasional good clip you'll like this. it's customizable and coupons are emailed to you.)
smartsource (these are going to be similar to the coupons that are in many Sunday papers.)
You can also find some really good coupons on retail websites or facebook. Usually a good $1-2 coupon is as simple as liking a brand page. Most retailers have their own listing of coupons on their website. Some even have store coupon cards that you can download coupons onto and swipe at the store (making it ridiculously easy).
We also have a Walgreens Balance Rewards card. We've only had it for a couple months. We use them for our prescriptions but they will also occasionally have some great deals on things we'd buy anyway (like diapers, sunscreen, medicine, or even food) so we'll make a trip there (and it's not out of our way at all). You get points for what you spend and for buying certain items. We're almost to 5000 points which translates to $5. (10,000 is $10, 18,000 is $20, and so on). I've seen a new program advertised where you can earn more points for running, doing weigh-ins, or participating in community projects.
In the end:
$37 at walgreens for 3 packages of pull ups and swim diapers.
-3t/4t huggies pull ups (50 count)
-size 4 huggies little movers slip-on diapers (23 count)
- size medium huggies little swimmers (11 count)
I saved $7 with coupons and we earned 390 points as well.
Darn the 9% sales tax applying to diapers.
$44 at Aldi
We filled our buggy. This included 2 bacon wrapped filet mignon, cow milk, kefir, eggs, cheese, plenty of fruit (nectarines, kiwi, bananas), a few veggies (bell pepper, carrots), cereal, two loaves of bread, cinnamon rolls (totally unnecessary!), nut butters, syrup, and snacks (graham crackers, peanut butter crackers, etc).
If we'd bought these things at walmart it would've been no less than $60. If I had the funds I'd go do a same day duplicate trip sometime to show the difference.
$120 at Target.
This included a few more food items that I had specific coupons for that made it even CHEAPER than Aldi like yogurt, apple sauce pouches, frozen veggies, frozen pizza, and pudding. I got really good deals (I think) on almond milk, frozen chicken, and the glade plug-in refills. I even splurged on a few clothes for the kids (less than $2 a piece), got E a new toothbrush, and household misc (handsoap, paper towels, toilet paper, all-purpose cleaner).
I spent another $25 at Target two days ago to get some more bread, milk, cookies, and junk food for the girls and myself. They even had lalaloopsy coloring books in the $1 bin so I let the kiddos get those and pick a $0.99 pack of crayons.
37 + 44 + 120 + 25 = 226
We'll need (want?) more milk, cereal, and eggs for sure right before the second week is up but that shouldn't be a big deal.
Hopefully I can do even better for the next trip!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Save Money or Make Money (Quickly?)
There are lots of people looking for ways to make a quick buck (without tossing their integrity out the window) for unexpected expenses, to save for a rainy day, or to pay extra on some overhanging debt. Maybe you just want some easy ways to get some spending money. I've heard lots of different ideas doing my own searches and getting through our days of scraping. I wanted to share my own tips for once! We've done most of these ourselves over the past few years.
The great but not-so-helpful or not-so-quick ideas:
Start selling on eBay or Half.com
Open your own shop on Etsy
Get into a direct sales business (e.g., Avon)
Find a part-time job
These are all superb ideas. However, most take some beginning capital. All of them take time and patience and some element of risk. It may be only as much as the 0.20c listing fee per item on Etsy or more than $100 to get your initial product and supplies for direct sales. eBay and Half.com may be iffy. You may get less than you'd like for your stuff. Shipping may cost more than you anticipate. It may takes days to actually get your money as well. Once the buyer's payment comes through you may only be payed after the item has shipped. If you don't accept credit or debit payments or use paypal tack on the time it takes for someone to mail a check or money order. Even the transfer times from the buyer to paypal or your bank account can take days. Half.com pays your total sales (less shipping) to you twice a month. How quickly you can be paid for direct sales totally depends on your propensity to get parties and sales. There are additional costs for using paypal, adding additional information to listings, and things like packaging. If you have a month or two and some money to get you off the ground then you're likely to have the opportunity to make a good bit of cash. There are no guarantees though.
As for the part-time job, finding them can be easy if you keep your mind open. Pizza delivery, newspaper routes, fast food, retail jobs, and things like babysitting are almost always available. There's usually some period of time before you can start a new job, plus time for training, and the typical 1-2 week wait for that first paycheck. Start applying but look for other money-making ideas in the mean time.
The relatively quick but sometimes unreliable ideas:
Hold a garage sale
Visit the pawn shop
Create listings on Craigslist
These methods for making money can be a lot faster and simpler. Unless your city requires a permit with a fee it won't take much more than your valuable time to spend a weekend selling your extra junk out on your lawn. Pawn shops can be iffy. They are in business to make a profit so DO NOT expect to get anywhere near the true value of whatever you sell. If you have some valuable items that you don't care about this might be a great route. Just know the value. I would never recommend actually pawning because that's just one more thing hanging over your head. Sell it or skip the pawn shop. Craigslist can be risky for more than one reason. Most people have heard the horror stories. However, there's also the chance a buyer skips out on you or tries to get one over on you. If you overprice or underprice your stuff you can lose a sale or lose potential earnings.
Do yourself a favor if you want to host a garage sale and don't calculate your income on an hourly basis.
The fastest but sometimes not-so-very profitable ideas:
Swagbucks (or similar points and rewards sites)
Google Adsense (and other advertising sites)
Dig for change
I'm a big fan of Swagbucks and Adsense. They are brilliant ideas in and of themselves. I use both. Unless you all ready have a very high traffic website or blog ads aren't going to help you much. If you have a popular video on youtube perchance then you can put adds on it and make a teensy bit of money that way but that's unlikely. (Also, people who intentionally TRY to make "viral videos" get a nice cushy spot in the obnoxious category FYI.) Swagbucks is simple and some people enjoy it but it's not very profitable right away. We can get 10-25 dollar giftcards for lots of retailers (including Target, Walmart, and Amazon) by using this site for searching and doing the daily things but it takes a few weeks to a few months to accumulate enough for those. I'm not gonna say not to go for it but don't expect to get very much right away.
Just today I gathered up ALL of the random coins from the car, the junk box in the kitchen, and whatever other random spots in our house. I came up with $20.62. Not bad! We're pretty terrible at using change and we just let it gather. You may only be able to find all of $0.78. Here's a tip though: skip the coin machines and take it directly to your bank. The banks we've done business with have always counted it all up the same way as those machines before depositing it into our account(s) but without the cost per dollar.
The gross, awkward, or inconvenient ideas:
"Donating" Plasma
Participating in medical studies or drug trials
Pooper-scooping
The Unmentionables
From what I hear donating plasma is totally legit if you go through the right sources. The idea is you or donating the plasma while being compensated for your time. Participating in drug or other medical trials obviously carries some risk, if nothing other than the potential side effects that come with the majority of medications. Pooper-scooping speaks for itself. It's gross. Ew. (It's not so bad AFTER you have some green in the palm of your hand, of course.) And then there's the unmentionables . . . all the things the most desperate or least squeamish do for dollars. You know what I'm talking about. Anything having to do with body parts or fluids that IS NOT illegal.
Sometimes you can't donate plasma or participate in trials even if you wanted to because of prior health issues or pregnancy. Even so, maybe you're just not ready to get over your fear of needles.
Saving but not really making ideas:
Grocery Coupons
Shopping cheap, on-sale, and off-brand
Deals Websites (e.g., Living Social)
I love a good deal. Love. Just recently we got a great deal for a froyo shop not far from us. We got huge servings of some tasty frozen yogurt with all our favorite toppings for just $6 (two adults, two kids). I use coupons frequently. However, unless you're a crazy couponer or have space for a mini-mart in your home this will only save you a few good dollars at the store. If you're going to use coupons ONLY use them for what you need to buy anyway and make sure it's actually bringing the price lower than the off-brands. Oreos are not cheese and wine. You're not getting anything more for your pennies. I love oreos but the cheap ones are just as nasty-bad-for-you and tasty delicious as the regular brand. (P.S. Swagbucks HAS printable coupons, once they've been used and run through you'll get bucks for using the coupons in a few weeks!)
In the end your best bet is to list your junk on ebay in-between job applications; make a stop at the pawn shop or meet with a buyer via craiglist after a morning putting in some job applications; and (if you have one) spend time earning money online via points & rewards sites while they take your plasma. Good luck and don't be stupid!
The great but not-so-helpful or not-so-quick ideas:
Start selling on eBay or Half.com
Open your own shop on Etsy
Get into a direct sales business (e.g., Avon)
Find a part-time job
These are all superb ideas. However, most take some beginning capital. All of them take time and patience and some element of risk. It may be only as much as the 0.20c listing fee per item on Etsy or more than $100 to get your initial product and supplies for direct sales. eBay and Half.com may be iffy. You may get less than you'd like for your stuff. Shipping may cost more than you anticipate. It may takes days to actually get your money as well. Once the buyer's payment comes through you may only be payed after the item has shipped. If you don't accept credit or debit payments or use paypal tack on the time it takes for someone to mail a check or money order. Even the transfer times from the buyer to paypal or your bank account can take days. Half.com pays your total sales (less shipping) to you twice a month. How quickly you can be paid for direct sales totally depends on your propensity to get parties and sales. There are additional costs for using paypal, adding additional information to listings, and things like packaging. If you have a month or two and some money to get you off the ground then you're likely to have the opportunity to make a good bit of cash. There are no guarantees though.
As for the part-time job, finding them can be easy if you keep your mind open. Pizza delivery, newspaper routes, fast food, retail jobs, and things like babysitting are almost always available. There's usually some period of time before you can start a new job, plus time for training, and the typical 1-2 week wait for that first paycheck. Start applying but look for other money-making ideas in the mean time.
The relatively quick but sometimes unreliable ideas:
Hold a garage sale
Visit the pawn shop
Create listings on Craigslist
These methods for making money can be a lot faster and simpler. Unless your city requires a permit with a fee it won't take much more than your valuable time to spend a weekend selling your extra junk out on your lawn. Pawn shops can be iffy. They are in business to make a profit so DO NOT expect to get anywhere near the true value of whatever you sell. If you have some valuable items that you don't care about this might be a great route. Just know the value. I would never recommend actually pawning because that's just one more thing hanging over your head. Sell it or skip the pawn shop. Craigslist can be risky for more than one reason. Most people have heard the horror stories. However, there's also the chance a buyer skips out on you or tries to get one over on you. If you overprice or underprice your stuff you can lose a sale or lose potential earnings.
Do yourself a favor if you want to host a garage sale and don't calculate your income on an hourly basis.
The fastest but sometimes not-so-very profitable ideas:
Swagbucks (or similar points and rewards sites)
Google Adsense (and other advertising sites)
Dig for change
I'm a big fan of Swagbucks and Adsense. They are brilliant ideas in and of themselves. I use both. Unless you all ready have a very high traffic website or blog ads aren't going to help you much. If you have a popular video on youtube perchance then you can put adds on it and make a teensy bit of money that way but that's unlikely. (Also, people who intentionally TRY to make "viral videos" get a nice cushy spot in the obnoxious category FYI.) Swagbucks is simple and some people enjoy it but it's not very profitable right away. We can get 10-25 dollar giftcards for lots of retailers (including Target, Walmart, and Amazon) by using this site for searching and doing the daily things but it takes a few weeks to a few months to accumulate enough for those. I'm not gonna say not to go for it but don't expect to get very much right away.
Just today I gathered up ALL of the random coins from the car, the junk box in the kitchen, and whatever other random spots in our house. I came up with $20.62. Not bad! We're pretty terrible at using change and we just let it gather. You may only be able to find all of $0.78. Here's a tip though: skip the coin machines and take it directly to your bank. The banks we've done business with have always counted it all up the same way as those machines before depositing it into our account(s) but without the cost per dollar.
The gross, awkward, or inconvenient ideas:
"Donating" Plasma
Participating in medical studies or drug trials
Pooper-scooping
The Unmentionables
From what I hear donating plasma is totally legit if you go through the right sources. The idea is you or donating the plasma while being compensated for your time. Participating in drug or other medical trials obviously carries some risk, if nothing other than the potential side effects that come with the majority of medications. Pooper-scooping speaks for itself. It's gross. Ew. (It's not so bad AFTER you have some green in the palm of your hand, of course.) And then there's the unmentionables . . . all the things the most desperate or least squeamish do for dollars. You know what I'm talking about. Anything having to do with body parts or fluids that IS NOT illegal.
Sometimes you can't donate plasma or participate in trials even if you wanted to because of prior health issues or pregnancy. Even so, maybe you're just not ready to get over your fear of needles.
Saving but not really making ideas:
Grocery Coupons
Shopping cheap, on-sale, and off-brand
Deals Websites (e.g., Living Social)
I love a good deal. Love. Just recently we got a great deal for a froyo shop not far from us. We got huge servings of some tasty frozen yogurt with all our favorite toppings for just $6 (two adults, two kids). I use coupons frequently. However, unless you're a crazy couponer or have space for a mini-mart in your home this will only save you a few good dollars at the store. If you're going to use coupons ONLY use them for what you need to buy anyway and make sure it's actually bringing the price lower than the off-brands. Oreos are not cheese and wine. You're not getting anything more for your pennies. I love oreos but the cheap ones are just as nasty-bad-for-you and tasty delicious as the regular brand. (P.S. Swagbucks HAS printable coupons, once they've been used and run through you'll get bucks for using the coupons in a few weeks!)
In the end your best bet is to list your junk on ebay in-between job applications; make a stop at the pawn shop or meet with a buyer via craiglist after a morning putting in some job applications; and (if you have one) spend time earning money online via points & rewards sites while they take your plasma. Good luck and don't be stupid!
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