If your credit card bills keep rising and you’re spending more money than you have been in a long time, you are in good company. Inflation is making everything from gasoline to groceries much more expensive, and it is putting a strain on many people’s budgets.
In the meantime, you may generally be spending more money this summer. The weather is warm, the pandemic situation doesn’t seem too bad, and maybe you are ready to socialize after spending the last 16 months locked up at home. Or you are traveling for the first time since the pandemic began.
Either way, the last thing you want to do this summer is end it with a pile of debt on your behalf. If your expenses keep going up, here are a few things you can do to make extra cash.
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1. Get a part-time job
Nobody wants to spend all summer doing a job, and if you’re already working full-time, getting a side job can seem difficult. But remember that any secondary job you get can be as flexible as you need it to be.
You don’t want to commit to a given evening schedule? You do not have to. You can sign up as you see fit to ride for a rideshare company and drive passengers around town. Likewise, you can find other gigs that can be done remotely and at your own pace, such as content writing, web design, or even data entry. It’s worth exploring the possibilities, because making a little extra money on the side could make it easier to enjoy the summer instead of stressing yourself out from it.
2. Sell items you don’t need
We all have items lying around that take up space in our closets. Instead of letting these things gather dust, try to dump them to the highest bidder.
Have a few friends hold a flea market selling your unwanted goods or listing higher priced items like electronics online to reach more buyers. You can use sites like eBay to do this, although eBay will charge you a fee when your items are sold. Therefore, it may be better to promote the things you have for sale on social media instead, where you will not be billed.
3. Use the correct credit cards
The great thing about credit cards is that they reward you for the purchases you have already made. By upgrading your go-to credit card to a new one that offers more generous cashback on things like gasoline, groceries, restaurants, and travel, you can potentially squeeze enough cash to cover your rising costs.
Some people are spending more this summer because they are going out more. For others, their bills are rising not because they have changed their habits, but because everyday necessities have simply become more expensive. Whichever camp you end up in, do your best to make a little extra cash so you don’t get into debt. So you can end the summer 2021 in an atmospheric way.
