Save $1000 in 90 Days, even if you make Minimum Wage

Finance by Sarah | Diamonds N’ Denim

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I love saving money! Ask my husband, he thinks I’m crazy- I’d much rather put money into savings than go shopping. I just love finding new ways to make and then put back cash for a rainy (or a sunny) day. What irritates me though, is when I try finding new ways to save up, and I get really lazy advice.

You know the type, advice such as “cut the cable“, “skip your morning latte“, and “walk to work“. This method implies that I haven’t already combed over my budget for holes, which I thoroughly have!
Better yet, I just *love* it when someone suggests taking surveys, or just starting a blog. Surveys don’t pay well, and until you get heavily invested in it, neither do blogs.

I know I can’t be the only one who is already frugal yet looking for new ways to make money to save. And I know that there lots of totally awesome people who 100% financially rely on their minimum wage income, who want/need to build a savings- so regardless of your situation, I hope this helps you!

 

Why a thousand dollars?

It’s a realistic, (relatively) easy-to-save amount; at the same time, it’s also a lot of money! $1000 can handle most vehicle breakdowns, home repairs, or day to day living if you take few sick days. If someone special’s birthday sneaks up on you, it’s no big deal. And if you live in the Midwest, that money can most likely cover your rent.
How to do it

Now if you’re doing your math, you’ll see that you need to save approximately $11.11 a day to reach your goal. It may seem like a lot (especially if you have to work 2-3 hours to earn that) but I assure you, you can do it.

 

Day One:

Open a savings account. If you don’t already have a good bank, try Aspiration.

  •  It has a 1% APY (annual percentage yield) once you hit $2,500 in savings, and a .25% APY until that point.
  • There is no required minimum balance, no service fees, and no required minimum monthly deposit. You only need $10 to open your account.
  • No ATM fees + you can use any ATM, regardless of if it’s in the USA or not.
  • You can pay your bills with this account, and you can get a debit card too.
  • There are no hidden fees. Here’s their really simply fee list:
  • 10% of their revenue goes to places like Accion U.S. Network, where that money is loaned out as micro loans to small businesses in the US.
  • Backed by the FDIC

 

Days 2-7

Purge your house. This is pretty easy, and you can make quite a bit of money doing this. Try the 30 day minimalism challenge if your house is a total chaotic mess. For the items you can’t find a buyer for, donate and keep your receipt, that’s a tax write off.

  • For every 20 shirts, get rid of 5. For every 10 pairs of (non work or hobby necessity) shoes, get rid of at least 1 pair. For every 5 pairs of pants, get rid of at least 1 pair.
  • Find three ugly decorative accessories in your home to sell. That creepy clown figurine sitting on your mantle is a good start.
  • Look in your cupboard. How many dishes do you have? If you’ve got more dishes than you’ll ever serve people, sell a set (or three). Purge your handtowels too, if you’re like me you’ve got more than you have room for.
  • Sell all of your CDs, DVDs, Books, and unplayed games. It’s 2017, you don’t need it or use it, but someone online definitely thinks they do.
  • Sell your backpacks, handbags, and tote bags. For a girl who doesn’t like to carry bags, I sure had a lot- 17 to be exact! If you haven’t used it in the past year, get rid of it.
  • Look under your kitchen cabinets. I can almost guarantee you’ve got at least one small appliance that you never use. Maybe you upgraded from a Mr. Coffee to a Keurig. Or your aunt got you a pizza oven you never use. Or a snow one machine. Maybe you’ve got a panini maker, an electric skillet, or a George Foreman- but you just prefer your stovetop instead.
  • Exercise equipment. I don’t know what it is, but the older I get, the harder those darn mountain bikes get to ride. If you’ve got a yoga ball, treadmill, a weight set, kayaks, canoes, or even accessory items like paddles and high quality life jackets, let those go, especially on eBay where they’re in great demand.
  • If you have a storage unit, clear that puppy out and cancel your subscription!
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Where to sell these items?

Don’t stop until you’ve made $100. Add that to your brand new savings account!

 

Week 2:

You know how your mom made you eat those awful Brussel sprouts? This week might kinda be like that (sorry). Pick at least one of these options:

 

Option 1: AirBnB.

Rent out your camper in your backyard, a spare room, your couch, or even your entire house (perhaps when you’re visiting friends out of town?). This option is viable for everyone, except those who are under a strict rental agreement.

 

Option 2: Lyft or Uber.

Make your personal vehicle into its own little taxi service. This option is only available for those who have a four door vehicle under the age of 10.

 

Option 3: AirBnB experience

If you live in a major city, you can really make some cash showing people your passion.

 

Option 4: Zilok.

Rent out just about anything: boats, RVs, tools, kayaks, bikes, skis, snowboards, musical instruments, tents, ATVs, or even just some DVDs. This app is new buts really picking up steam, list your items before it gets huge!

 

Option 5: Turo.

Rent out your car for cash. Don’t worry, Turo covers your car for up to 1 million in liability and physical damages. Most people can completely cover their car’s monthly payments by renting it out 9 days a month.

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Option 6: Spot Hero.

While your car is being rented, why not rent out a spot in your driveway as well? This works best if you live in a major city, but there may still be a need even in your smaller town.

Make $50. You can do it!

 

Week 3:

Craigslist is for so much more than just buying and selling, use it to land you a one time (or even ongoing) side gig. There’s a lot of good stuff on there from babysitting, to housekeeping, to moving furniture (if you have a pickup truck you’ve got some serious money making potential!), to website startups, to handy man gigs, to simply driving people to doctor’s appointments.

Not really into working for someone? Then head on over to the free section of Craigslist! Remember how you purged your house in week one? Now you get to do that with other people’s stuff. Find items that are still in good shape (it’s amazing how much good stuff there is in the free section) and flip them on facebook BST, eBay or even back on craigslist.

It’s so easy to make money from Craigslist, whether you’re doing gigs or flipping items, that I strongly believe you can earn $200 this week.

 

Week 4:

By now you’re probably tired of doing all these out of the house side gigs, not to mention your full time job and maybe even schooling! This week, let’s focus on jobs that you can do from home. I’m talking about babysitting, pet sitting, laundry work, UpWork, Fiverr, & IZEA.

  • If you want to babysit or pet sit, check out Care.com
  • If you want to make money doing laundry for others, post an add on your local facebook BST pages, and on Craigslist. Have nearby people drop off their laundry on their way to work. You wash, dry, fold, (and iron it, if necessary), and have it ready for them to pick up on their way home. Check out this super cool guide for more information on that.
  • If you want to make money at home online, UpWork is for you. Basically, you offer services online for businesses and individuals alike. I’m pretty good at reaching out to an audience on Twitter (I gained 10,000 followers in less than 1000 days), so I help boost other people’s twitter accounts. I review, code, and edit websites. I set up websites for $100 (that includes the hosting and domain costs too!). I also write the occasional article for growing blogs. If you can think of it, you can probably monetize it.
  • Fiverr is pretty similar to UpWork, but a little more casual, and the prices are typically lower (usually $5, but not always). The tasks are usually smaller and easier, and the demand for a college degree isn’t as great as it is on UpWork (don’t worry, I don’t have a degree either, and I still do just fine!).
  • IZEA is great if you have a highly engaged social media. Basically, you post ads on your social profiles (facebook, twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or even your blog) and you get paid either once (maybe $5 to $200 for the post) or you get paid for the engagement (3¢-$1 per click on web links).
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Between these awesome available opportunities, you should definitely be able to make at least $50 this week.

 

Week 5:

Fix & Flip! Peruse your local facebook BST pages, the local pawnshop, Goodwill, flea markets, and Craigslist (especially the free section!) for items that you can improve and resell. eBay is a great resale website to make some money from. Perhaps you find a hardwood table and chairs that just need some sanding and revarnishing. Or maybe you find a free dryer and you’re mechanically inclined to fix and flip it. Perhaps find a saggy but clean couch, and reupholster it. The possibilities are endless!
This week, I urge you to make $100. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s totally possible. This guy made over $4,000 in flipping profits in one month! 

 

Weeks 6-13

You’re at day 35 out of 90, and you’ve already got $500 in your savings account! By now you’ve got a broad range of money making possibilities, and you’ve definitely got some preferences. Knowing what you know now, you can pick how you want to make your remaining $500. You only need to make $9.09 a day ($63.63 a week) now to hit your 90 day, $1000 in savings goal.