Your best secret for 'finding' money?

[la79al]

I need to come up with as much money as I can to pay for our vacation next year. I refuse to try to take it out of the budget we already have because that just won't work. I am already planning on using money we get for birthdays/Christmas and I am planning on selling stuff at a nearby consignment sale. I am already watching a baby right now and that money is worked into paying current bills. I have off the summer and plan to pick up odd babysitting jobs or return to my old job for a few hours a week (if hubbys schedule lets him watch the kids) and half of that will go to bills, with the other half going to vacation. Found (as in, on the ground, etc) money goes into a jar. DH is refusing to let me use my Disney Visa right now so getting points on there is out for now. So where else should I be looking to 'find' money?

 

[kdkbrebel]

joining in looking for tips also

 

[marmalade]

We throw all our change into a jar and I also save all $1 bills. I save about $400-$500/yr doing this. And it's money that isn't really missed. I am very protective of my jar to, NO ONE is allowed to take anything out of it. My DH gets in trouble if I hear change in his pocket.

 

[mrsklamc]

look at missingmoney.com or the state treasurer's office of every state you have lived in and under every name you have used. Sell stuff on craigslist.

I hope "refusing to let you" is not literal as I assume you are a grown woman.

 

[Sagginit]

giftcards can be found money. if you have any of those lying around don't use them just for the sake of using them. try to put them towards something you would need to buy anyway.

change jars do not work well for me as i use very little cash and need quarters for laundry. i just cashed out a years worth of pennies, nickles, and dimes and the grand total was about $10.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I paid for my last 2 WDW trips with money I made doing on-line surveys....a dollar or two per survey can really add up fast.

 

[deezeealum]

Dlo you have any old gold lying around? My sister sold hers and got about $300 for hers. Mine is all in a bag just have to get over to our local jewelers!

 

[disneyofcourse]

I remember a poster who got cash back every time she shopped for groceries and stashed that money. Her husband was controlling with anything to do with money so I guess she felt that was ok to do.

Didn't someone else buy a small giftcard every time she shopped?

Every time you used a coupon the saved money could go in a jar. (When paying cash)


All I know is that someone told me I couldn't use my own credit card...... That would be an issue. Unless I was some crazy spender who couldn't control myself. I'm not into the whole being told how to use money I earn as long as the bills are being paid.

 

[worm761]

DH gives me $100 a month towards vacation. I put any and all spare money I have into my ING account where it can earn me some interest. Interest is free money.
After that, I have to "find" money for vacation. I do this in several ways. First, I work ChaCha. It is a home based job. I work on the computer when I want to. There are no time requirements. It does not pay a lot but it does pay the majority of my part of the trip. I am home with the kids and work as often as I can. DD is only 2 so I work when she is happy to entertain herself, when DH comes home from work, and when DS is done with school he "babysits" his sister and I pay him to do it so I can work. Many people on here don't like ChaCha. I have been doing it for 3 years and love it.
Second, we donate blood fairly regularly. Once in a while they offer gift cards for donating. Those go towards my fund. If it is a gas or Walmart/grocery card then the value gets transferred to my ING and I just use the card to pay for whatever. This last time they gave us Dunkin Donuts GC so that will pay for a breakfast on the way down.
Third, I work some rewards programs. They are pain the butt but I like getting the money and I can do them whenever. My favorites are MyPoints, SwagBucks, and ClixSense. Those are the three that I make the most with.
Any other "found" money goes into my ING too.

 

[lizabu]

I found out I was throwing away a lot of money by being on the wrong cell phone plan and having the wrong bank account type and being on the wrong cable TV plan. With the bank account I was paying for a lot of transactions and found that even if I signed up for their most expensive plan which covered unlimited transactions I was saving $30-50 per month. The cable was bundled with internet and phone and I started off on a good plan but I guess it was only 1 year and after that I was paying way too much. I called the competetor and got a quote and then called my provider and told them what I was being offered by the competition they matched it. The cell phone my DH was going over his minutes and paying through the nose for it.

Groceries are the easiest thing to play with. We don't eat meat every day. One I don't think it's all that healthy. Two it's expensive. Rice and pasta are your friends. If you can cut your grocery bill in half that will save you quite a bit.

 

[Four*Peas]

We sell stuff on craigslist, we are now selling books and DVDs on half.com. I sell most of my children's clothes and try to buy of theirs on consignment or at second handshops. I try to coupon, save change, if I return something and get cash, I'll save that cash.

 

[bushdianee]

Collect and redeem pop cans. Where I live theyare paying $.40 a pound. Not much but it adds up. Plus if you go for a walk and pick them up you are 1. getting excercise, 2. cleaning you neighborhood, 3 earning some $!

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

I need to come up with as much money as I can to pay for our vacation next year. I refuse to try to take it out of the budget we already have because that just won't work. I am already planning on using money we get for birthdays/Christmas and I am planning on selling stuff at a nearby consignment sale. I am already watching a baby right now and that money is worked into paying current bills. I have off the summer and plan to pick up odd babysitting jobs or return to my old job for a few hours a week (if hubbys schedule lets him watch the kids) and half of that will go to bills, with the other half going to vacation. Found (as in, on the ground, etc) money goes into a jar. DH is refusing to let me use my Disney Visa right now so getting points on there is out for now. So where else should I be looking to 'find' money?

Have you thought of waiting until you can afford to go on vacation?

 

[Disney Addicted]

Here's a good one if you can - newspapers!

My DD12 delivers papers 3 days a week, and collects an average of $300 every 3 weeks. $300 x 17 collection periods (51 weeks) = $5,100!

If I had realized just how much she would collect, I would have signed up for a route 3-4 years ago and made it a family event! (So many kids don't stick with the route that they let adults deliver as well). There's easy vacation money every year for only 6 hours a week!

 

[2girls4me]

I sell old books on half.com. I don't get back a lot, but it gets rid of stuff, and it doesn't take long. If I win any $$$ on lotto scratch offs, I put it in a Disney fund. I buy two or three a week, if that many. I throw change In a jar, and so does dh.

I also found a. Savings plan on pintrest. Basically anytime you get a 5 dollar bill, you throw it in a jar. I only plan on doing this for a month or so, just to see what I get.

 

[monorailsilver]

I do survey's too & the daily clicks. I am hoping to get $500 if not more just from there. I am half way there. I really want $1000 but I don't think I will get that in the next year uniless I qualify for lots of surveys.

We also put any change we find in our 'bank'. My kids even look for money. Every penny counts.

My husband is into recycling metals. So every few months he takes in his stash & he has a few hundrend dollars. Some goes to bills some goes to groceries but he puts some in the Disney fund.

Oh & the Disney visa.

We have $1000 or a little more saved up for our trip next summer. I need about $4000 more to have it fully paid for. I hope I/we can do it.

 

[Gigi22]

We collect and recycle our wine, beer and liquor bottles. We get $0.20 for each full- sized wine or liquor bottle (forget what the amount for beer bottles). We take 10 bottles in at once, and put the money into a vacation piggy bank.

 

[allison443]

I need to come up with as much money as I can to pay for our vacation next year. I refuse to try to take it out of the budget we already have because that just won't work. I am already planning on using money we get for birthdays/Christmas and I am planning on selling stuff at a nearby consignment sale. I am already watching a baby right now and that money is worked into paying current bills. I have off the summer and plan to pick up odd babysitting jobs or return to my old job for a few hours a week (if hubbys schedule lets him watch the kids) and half of that will go to bills, with the other half going to vacation. Found (as in, on the ground, etc) money goes into a jar. DH is refusing to let me use my Disney Visa right now so getting points on there is out for now. So where else should I be looking to 'find' money?

Instead of picking up odd babysitting jobs in the summer, maybe you could find a regular babysitting situation? Maybe someone whose kids are normally in school/aftercare during the school year, and needs to find a summer arrangement. Also, I know around here there are usually 1 or 2 weeks gap between the end of school and start of day camps--people are always looking for babysitting arrangements during that time.
This would probably give you a good amount towards your goal. Good luck to you!

 

[melliej]

I love using ebates.com for my online shopping. You start at the site first and get a percentage back on your purchases. You can also get more $ by referring friends. My cash back has racked up quickly since I try to do most of my shopping online. I find that I buy less when I can see the total purchase price and have time to really debate whether or not I need an item. No children are begging me for special purchases either. No more walking out of Target wondering how I spent $100 when all I needed was toilet paper. For those online purchases, I also am receiving my credit card rewards, which we use for our trips.

I have also found some websites where you can buy discounted gift cards (some of them are even through ebates ). If you are going to be shopping somewhere anyway, you can buy the gift card and then you put aside the money you save into your trip fund.

Lastly, my husband and I have an "allowance" built into our monthly budget. This is cash that we are allowed to spend on whatever we want without judgement from the other. If I want a new purse, it comes out of this allowance. If my husband goes out for dinner with friends, he uses his allowance. When we have a trip in the works, I will put some of that money aside. I find that I don't miss the few extra dollars and that it feels good to have the money ready to go before the trip instead of wondering how we are going to pay for things when we get home.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I do couponing and the money I save under the weekly grocery budget goes into our vacation fund.
This week I was under by 28 dollars.

I also save any change we get and cash it in once a month.

I have budgeted 25.00 a week for vacation funding. And I opened a savings account that whenever you use your debit card, puts 1.00 into the account.

It all works pretty well for us.