6 Easy Ways to Make Money with Things You Don't Need

I have a saving problem. Yes, sometimes it can be as bad as a spending problem. I've actually loosened up lately - but only for travel. My heart still sinks when money is taken from our bank account. I completely believe in spending money on quality food, supplements, and travel. Those are the things I believe are worth spending money on but each person has to determine that for themselves.

Ever since I left my corporate job I have been organizing our life and simplifying even more! We wanted to get rid of as much as possible so that we could do some updates around the house without using money in our savings account.

6 Easy Ways to Make Money with Things You Don't Need

1. Sell old DVDs to a movie trade store. We took almost 300 DVDs and received a little over $150. We could have received a store credit for $300 but we do not really buy movies anymore so we took the cash instead. Selling 300 DVDs for $150 doesn't sound like much but we didn't pay much for them either. We usually bought movies when they were less than $5. I even had to dust them off before we took them in so it's just an extra $150 in our bank account!

2. Trade in old video games. Another thing that we have always done is when Scott wants to buy a new video game (he only buys 3 per year: Tiger Woods, NFL, and MLB) he trades in an old game so we don't ever pay full price for the new video game. I remember one of my sister's boyfriends would laugh at me for having Scott do this - but I don't care! What's worse than paying full price for a video game is having old ones sit around and collect dust! I HATE "stuff"!

3. Sell clothes to a local consignment shop. I have always done this but I have just now been able to get Scott to go through his clothes. The hardest part of this is finding a good consignment shop in your area. I take mine to the same place every time, which is also where I buy a lot of my clothes. If you haven't worn the clothes, shoes, or accessories in over a year you probably won't wear them again - get rid of them! At the consignment store I use, you can either get cash or store credit. I usually leave it as credit that way I can go shopping without actually spending money. At any given moment I will have $100-$300 credit and this is coming from someone who doesn't even like to shop in the first place! If you have a lot of designer clothing or accessories you can make a decent amount of money. I just went by and picked up a check for over $200 before we went on our last vacation! Talk about easy money!

4. List items you no longer use on Craigslist or eBay. Really think about what you need in your house. Do you need a TV in every room? We listed a TV, DVD player, and TV stand which resulted in an extra $400 in our pocket and we haven't missed it once!

5. Get rid of your cable or lower your package. This might sound crazy to some people but you CAN live without TV. When we first got married we didn't have cable but then we had to get it so Scott could watch the Cubs games (very important, right?). I called to cancel it again at the beginning of the year. They tried to talk me out of it, of course. They ended up offering us the lowest package for under $5 per month. We did take that offer so we do have local channels in case we need them (I'm not sure what for!). We don't really watch a lot of TV or movies at all anymore but if you are a fan try Amazon Prime (you get a lot of free rentals there) or Netflix.

6. Have a yard sale. I'm not a fan of these actually. Too much work to organize, haggle, and actually work at the garage sale. I've had a few but I guess I just don't have enough stuff to begin with to have a good return. Some people have great success though - if you have a lot of stuff to get rid of...go for it! Advertise it in your local newspaper, put up easy-to-read signs, and post about it in your local Facebook yard sale group. What doesn't sale - DONATE!

We choose to skip the expensive restaurants and designer handbags or shoes but we do travel and buy the best hiking gear. We all have random things we are willing to spend money on...you just need to find a balance (just like with fitness) that works for you and your BUDGET! Unfortunately in life we can't eat everything we want and we can't buy everything we want! ;-)

- Whitney

Budget-Friendly Protein Sources

Here's the first post in our Clean Eating on a Budget "series"! We are SO EXCITED to bring our money saving tips to you! (P.S. If you still haven't started our 12 Month Money Challenge, you have time to join!) We all know protein can be one of the most expensive components of clean eating.  And with so many options to choose from, how do we know which protein source gets us the most "bang for the buck"?  Or should I say "pump for the penny"? ;-)

When comparing the cost of protein sources, it's easier to compare meats based on actual cost per pound (beef vs. chicken or turkey vs. bison), but it gets very confusing when you start adding in other options like fish, dairy, eggs, peanut butter and so on.  So, what we've done is analyzed the cost per 20 grams of protein for individual sources.  Why compare the cost per 20 grams, you ask?  Well, 20 grams should be an average serving size of protein of an active individual.  A chicken breast will have about 20 grams of protein and a cup of Greek yogurt has about 20 grams as well.  So, check out the chart below to see how your favorite protein source stacks up.

There are a few things to consider when looking at this chart...first of all, finding budget-friendly vegan sources isn't all that hard, but it does come with a nutritional cost.  In order to get a decent amount of protein, you have to consume well beyond the recommended serving size and consume additional calories from either fat (additional 15 grams of fat for peanut butter) or carbohydrates.  So, while dry red lentils seem to be the most budget-friendly vegan protein, it probably makes more sense to consume the raw shelled hemp seeds due to the balanced amount of fat, carbs (mostly fiber) and, not to mention, it's a perfect protein.  Hemp seeds also provide an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids and GLA (gamma linolenic acid).  Read more about all the excellent benefits of hemp seeds here.

Our favorite sources of proteins are organic eggs (the whole egg, don't worry about the cholesterol unless your LDL is already high), liquid egg whites (we use them in protein shakes, oats or cooked with veggies), and canned, wild-caught albacore tuna.  Tuna is a great option, because it's somewhat affordable ($1.84 per 20 grams) and it provides a TON of Omega-3s, it's loaded with selenium and provides a great amount of B vitamins (B3, B6 and B12).  One interesting thing to note is that our Costco has the brand tuna we buy (Wild Planet) which costs 50% more on amazon ($4.60 per can) and at least 100% more at our local grocery stores ($6.00 per can) than it does at our local Costco ($3.00 per can).  

All protein sources listed in the chart are of very high quality and are similar to what we would purchase on a regular basis (except salmon).  This chart is meant to show the extremes in costs per servings between types of proteins.

We hope this chart helps guide your decision-making when it comes to filling your pantry (or fridge) with budget-friendly protein sources!

-Scott

12 Month Money Challenge

You might be thinking, wait a 12 Month Money Challenge?! Yep, that's right! You've probably heard us talk about creating a new website for all of our finance tips and travel posts but in order to keep my sanity, we've decided to update this website to include those instead. You will find finance tips and trip/hike reviews in the coming weeks. We've also added a "money" page and "travel" page to the navigation. All of this will be continually updated as I move posts here from other websites.

You can read more here but we decided to add this section to our existing website to help individuals live an enjoyable life through health and wealth.  We share a strong passion for helping our community get better at budgeting, saving and investing, and general personal finance along with living a healthier lifestyle in regards to moving more and eating healthy.

>>>>> The Ultimate List of Ways to Save: 18 Ways to Save $15,000 in 2018!

Finance is just like Fitness - you have to STICK WITH IT to see results, sometimes they don't come as quickly as you would like but if you stick with it a year from now you will be amazed at what you accomplished!

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Interested in more money saving challenges? Try one of these:

• Save $1,000 in 3 Months
• 3 Month Money Saving Challenge
• Beginner 6 Month Money Saving Challenge
• 52-Week Money Saving Challenge
• 12 Month Money Challenge
• $300 12-Week Christmas Money Saving Challenge

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Looking for a printable version of this challenge? We've got you covered! Join our newsletter and you will be taken to a black and white printable version right away! Grab the printable challenge here.

If you have been "following" me you know that I love to save money.  My entire life I have worked and saved everything I made - it's in my blood.  I even ironed my money before putting it into my "cash box" when I was little.  You can read more about that here but I've received multiple requests to help share with you what I do to save money.  It's natural for me to save and I've actually had to work on letting loose of some of it.  I've realized that it's okay to spend money in order to create memories (for example, all the traveling we do).  I still have a hard time spending money on "things" though.  We choose to spend our money on organic food and quality supplements since those are things that really matter!

I've shared a few posts on how to save/make money but I wanted to end this year with a "12 Month Money Challenge" that you can start in the new year! If you follow my savings plan listed you will save $1,050 in one year!  The monthly amount may sound like a lot at first but there are ways that everyone can cut back!

Below are a few examples to look over when you do your budget:

• Prepare dinner at home instead of going out to eat
• Do your own nails instead of getting them done
• Watch a movie at home instead of going to the theater
• Make your own coffee at home, skip Starbucks
• Cancel your cable
• Sell things you don't use/need
• Or, find a way to make some extra money and put it away!

I challenge you, if you have more money to put away - double this.  If you REALLY can't make it work (I mean REALLY, not just that you don't want to give up your Starbucks or nails) then half the amount listed.