Take Back Your Finances

This week we continue on our venture exploring side hustles. This one can be a great fit for many as there are so many ways to make becoming a Virtual Assistant (VA) work for you. Today we interview someone that today makes a six-figure income in being a VA. We start off with a lot of fun with the normal banter between Cassie and Alex – you’ve just got to listen in to join the fun! PLUS, Alex (our guest – not your lovable host) was expecting during the recording of our podcast, not knowing whether at any moment she would need to be rushed to the hospital to have her baby. The next morning she had her beautiful baby girl. Coming on our show helps get the delivery going and in this case just a few short hours after recording. We don’t expect that record to be beat any time soon.

We shared a post a while ago that shares the 16 ways you can earn money through Amazon. These side hustles are perfect whether you have just a few hours a week or more to invest in yourself. Today we give a quick summary of all sixteen and share some examples for each. Please make sure to comment on our site on which of the following you would love for us to focus on in a future episode! A lot of times people think that we, as The Thrifty Couple, just have an easy time working side hustles. It’s true we have a lot of experience making money on the side (racking up six figures of income just from the tips we share in this article over our years of side hustlin’) but we also have a lot of friends that don’t work side hustles all the time that have made thousands – and some even seven figures – as they have made these work for them! In sum, yes – everyone can do something (and more). In the words of Nike, “Just Do It!” Be a customer service representative – Get your feet wet as this doesn’t require a lot of extra skillset but just a bit of training. Sell t-shirt designs with Merch by Amazon – We have a great friend that does this exact thing. You make the design (Amazon gifts you the parameters) and upload it to Amazon. You can also use Fiverr to make designs as well. What’s great is you don’t have to invest thousands into stock, but instead Amazon prints the t-shirt on demand and ships it to the customer, all for a fee. Be an Amazon affiliate – If you do have a website or blog, post links to Amazon and if anyone clicks on your link to order that product (or anything else from Amazon within the next 24 hours) you will earn a percentage for that order. Become an Amazon influencers – Don’t worry if you don’t have a blog or website. If you’re on social media, you are an influencer. With the trust you have established with your followers, you can post links to products that mean a lot to you and similar to the affiliate program above, you will earn a percentage of that order! Sell products on Amazon through the “Fulfilled by Amazon” option – The next two tips (#5 and #6) are the ones that have made a few of our friends the seven-figure earners on Amazon. We will direct you to the information in our article to get all the details. Sell Products Directly on Amazon – This is the second tip where our friends have made a lot of money. Again, this is a huge topic. Trade-ins with Amazon – Whether you have a lot of items around your house you are looking at getting rid of or if you like to go to your local garage sales, the right products can be traded into Amazon for Amazon credit. And yes, we count that credit as income as we buy so much through Amazon and this cuts down the money we need for those items! Don’t miss the story of Cassie’s dad and what he specifically does in the episode. Earning Amazon gift cards – These are not directly with Amazon, but methods to earn Amazon gift cards. We share links to our articles on Swagbucks (we just shared in a post how we paid for Christmas just a couple of years ago with over $1,000 in Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks). Have your book published by Amazon – Similar to #2 with the Amazon Merch program, you can upload your digital books to Amazon and when a customer orders the book, they will print the book, bind it, and ship it to the customer for a fee. We did this and in our first three months made $512 after their fees. Sell your professional services on Amazon – If you offer professional services like a handyman, willing to clean, or any other type of service repairs, Amazon will allow you to post your offer to their customers. There are no fees other than a revenue share when you complete the job. This is also great as well if you are looking for a professional service as you can see reviews and know whether this is someone you want in your home. Amazon actually lists that as one of their benefits, stating that by offering your services on their site, you are leveraging the trust of Amazon. Publish a book through Kindle Publishing – Similar to what we mentioned in #9, you can publish your book to the Kindle store! You simply upload your book and work through the steps to get your book added to their store. Do random tasks through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk – Amazon boasts that there are some tasks that a human can do better than a computer. As a worker, you provide these services. Check out the links for Mechanical Turk – this doesn’t seem to be as popular as it once was but is something to still check out. Make $18-25 per hour Delivering Through Amazon Flex – As Amazon just keeps being the #1 company in the world and exceeding their record breaking sales each year, they need people to deliver those products. Through Amazon Flex you use your own vehicle to make those deliveries for a nice commission. Own Your Own Amazon Delivery Business – This one does require an investment (the only one on the list). But with that $10,000 investment, they will provide the vehicle and everything you need to have your own delivery business. Business owners are paying themselves a $300,000 but this also includes more serious work. Selling Your Own Items Through Amazon Handmade – We don’t know a lot about this but link to it. This is much like an Etsy where you can see your own handmade products on Amazon – good for hobbyist or crafter that wants to sell your products for a profit. Create Audiobooks on Amazon – Create your own audiobooks and get your books heard! Plus for their authors, they get special links for referrals that sign up for Amazon at an outstanding amount (like $75) that is much higher than you can find elsewhere. This was a very fast summary for all sixteen, but we encourage you that pretty much everyone should be able to find at least one of these money-saving idea to help them in their own money-making journey. The 2% Money Saving Tip We shared this tip a number of years ago in a popular magazine – and the tip is Dinner by 10! We adopted this in our home many years ago and it helped us save so much money. Whether you are someone that stays at home during the day (you have until 10 am that day) or someone that works outside the home (you have until 10 pm the night before), you need to decide and get everything prepared to ensure dinner is on the table and keep you from going out to eat. We also through in an extra tip, the No Food Waste Menu Planner that we use to creatively use food in our food pantry and refrigerator to ensure we are not throwing out food but instead using it. You really need to check out this planner as we have had tens of thousands that have downloaded and used this throughout our years sharing it! Resources Mentioned In This Podcast: We encourage you to check out the article that inspired this episode, 16 Ways You Can Earn Money on Amazon Don’t miss out our tip we shared on Dinner by 10 – a simple way we save hundreds of dollars each month! And you really don’t want to miss our No Food Waste Menu Planner to help you save even more! Finally make sure to check out this week's show notes where we break these tips down and give you exactly what you need to get started.  Plus you'll want to check those show notes as they give you links to all the resources we discussed on this show. :)

We loved this episode so much that we recorded it twice! Well, more honestly, we didn't record it the first time but did the second. Thankfully Lynda, our featured guest, was a great sport, rolled with the punches, and recorded a beautiful second episode. Thank you!! But we are so excited for our FIRST! Yes, this is our first interview on our podcast. And what a fun and transformative interview - finding out how she was able to take something many of us struggle with and find a way to earn money in a fun and competitive way. What is it?! Lynda initially lost over 70 lb (can you believe it?!) using Healthy Wage - a website that allows you to bet on yourself to lose a goal weight in a specified amount of time. And if you are successful like she was - you can earn a lot of money! Yes, this is a side hustle as there is so much money that can be made. Lynda dives into the details on how easy and simple this wonderful plan is: There are media giants that give validity to this program - We were wondering when we heard about this over a year ago whether this is hokey. But sites like CNN, NY Times, and more have reported on Healthy Wage. Lynda found that the Keto diet worked best for her - It doesn't matter what diet you use to lose the weight so choose the one that is best for you! You complete with yourself - You don't have to worry about what someone else does but it's all based on your own performance. We all need motivators - Let's face it. We all want to lose weight for our health, to be there for our grandchildren and more, but having that additional motivation that when you lose the weight you pocket the cash gives you that much more motivation! In many ways you can look at this as one more additional layer of motivation to improve your chance of success! You can buy more time - If you get to the end of the time your projected, you can buy six more months of time and still make a ton of money The system is so flexible as you choose the weight you want to lose and the time you want to lose it in - She shares how easy it was when she signed up to find the perfect amount of time and weight she wanted to lose. She was impressed that a more realistic timeframe to lose the weight meant she would win even more money! Think of the monthly payments as investments into yourself or betting on yourself - Seriously, there is so much in weight loss that depends on your mindset. And when you see this process as investing in you or betting on you, that can help give you a leg up. You know what your winnings will be when you begin - When you select the amount of weight you want to lose and time to lose it in, you will see exactly how much you will put in your pocket when you are successful. The weigh ins are simple - You use the app on your phone and it can be done in just a few minutes. What's great is you only officially weigh in on the first day and at the end. This system is flexible - Since you choose the diet and the time, you are the one that dictates how you will lose the weight. It's really all about YOU! YOU are your own high-yield savings account - We've talked about high-yield savings accounts in prior articles, but this is the best account - where not only do you make a lot (more than you can make with any account we know about) but you get so many health benefits too! And Lynda made it to Onederland! You really need to hear her story how she found the best combination of weight she wanted to lose and time she wanted to lose it in that worked for here. And for her, she was able to win $1,600 her first time she did it. And now she's on her second round weighing even 30 lb lighter than what you see above! She has made quite the transformation - how far could you go?! The 2% Money Saving Tip For this tip we share one of our favorite homemade recipes. We have been using this for over 10 years now - this is definitely a time-tested recipe and tip! You can print the recipe to make it even easier to make. And unless you wrap it in that thick silicone wrap (you know, the one that is usually still halfway stuck in your detergent slot), you won't experience that fun either! Check out the link in the resources below. Finally make sure to check out this week's show notes where we break these tips down and give you exactly what you need to get started.  Plus you'll want to check those show notes as they give you links to all the resources we discussed on this show from losing weight to massive gains in yours pockets. :)

We can’t believe it’s been two years since we recorded and released our last episode! They say time flies when you’re having fun, and we’re here to tell you that time really does fly no matter if you’re having fun – or not. We have experienced a lot of highs and lows but wanted to take the time to fill you in on both where we have been in addition to where we are headed with this podcast in upcoming episodes. But as Cassie says this is all part of the journey of becoming financially free and learning lessons along the way. But we are BACK and are so excited to be in the recording studio again!

If you've ever heard about David Bach's book, The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich, then you know how simple, small, yet effective tricks you implement today in investing can transform your life years later!  We love his book and loved meeting him just a few months ago.  We were inspired by that and apply it to even more areas in your finances to encourage you set up those simple and effective tips for automatic financial success later! You will love these ideas as many of them will make your life more simple and even relieve some of your financial stress (aka, the rest of your life stress as well).  Seriously. We cover tips and ideas in the following areas: Automate Your Bills - We share a few cautions along the way Automate Savings With Your Taxes - We know this is controversial but address it head on Automate Your Retirement - Hide your money from yourself and get started today Automate Your Mortgage - This one simple tip can take 4-6 years off your repayment schedule and saves the average home owner an average of $50,000. Automate Your Refunds - Get back your money without blinking an eye Automate Your Child's Education - Save money without knowing for your child's education Automate Investing - Learn how to invest with small amounts and start earning your nest egg.  Plus get $5 just for signing up! Automate Your Savings Accounts - Earn 1.16% (or more) in an automated, high-yield savings account.  Even better, setup multiple accounts and invest in longer savings goals.  Plus get a free $5 for signing up. Each of these tips can really set you up for automatic financial success!  No matter when you listen to this episode, setting these up today will set you up for success later! Plus, don't miss our 2% Tip where we explore how you can use a no-cost method to start earning by being creative and expressing yourself.  We just started this and share a story how another friend is making decent money even without any prior experience. Finally make sure to check out this week's show notes where we break these tips down and give you exactly what you need to get started.  Plus you'll want to check those show notes as they give you the special links to get your free cash on siginup for the savings and investing too!  Let's automate our year and make it the best yet!

This week you are in for a special treat.  As we share in this week's episode, Cassie had a terrible case of laryngitis the morning we were attempting to record it.  As such, we throw back to an informative and fun interview with none other than Dave Ramsey's daughter, Rachel Cruze!  She digs into the tips and habits she shares in her then new book, Love Your Life, Not Theirs.  We really do love how she addresses the issues we likely all struggle with in the "comparison struggle", or rather that struggle when reviewing social media and wishing we had the lives of those going on trips, buying those new vehicles, or whatever else their friends share.  How often do we see their struggles on social media?  How often do we share our own?  This comparison battle is real and is one that needs to be beaten.  Rachel shares in this book those habits needed to do just that! I mention that we "throw back" because we recorded this over a year ago when we only dreamed of the day we would have a podcast.  Timely enough, that editing occurred on January 1st, a day we make new goals and resolutions for the year.  Don't miss a few minutes of the chat where we share from the school of hard knocks (waiting over a year to start our podcast and not realizing our goal sooner) and what we learned from the process.  It just might help encourage you to actually meet your goals this year. Don't miss the show notes for this week as we share a couple of additional resources mentioned in this episode.  Plus if you miss anything you can likely find it all documented there for later reference. Have an amazing year and let's make this the year to Take Back Your Finances!

This next topic covers one of the most asked questions we receive from our readers.  The question goes something like this: "I really want to pay off our debt but I'm having issues getting my spouse on board.  Do you have any ideas?" This is such an important topic because not having a spouse on board will thwart your efforts.  If you've ever tried to pay off debt without the support of your spouse then you know exactly what we are talking about. In this episode we learn the time-proven tips and techniques to help get your spouse on board with paying off your debt.  Each of these are geared towards making that discussion a little less painful while giving you both the tools needed to start your journey united.  Throughout this episode we share some of our back story as well to show you that we both share from our positive experiences and even those failures in our past as well.  Our goal is to share those struggles to prevent you from needing to learn from the school of hard knocks. Finally don't miss our 2% Tip this week as we share some real ways to save on everything water!  Don't worry, we're not sharing to shower once per week.  Rather we share low-cost methods that you can implement this week to get started immediately! Don't miss this week's show notes where we break down everything discussed in this episode.  We even share a link to a tool that we have found critical to help you and your spouse start communicating better and get you moving forward quickly and effectively!

We have received so many emails and questions asking for more ideas on how to generate extra income from home.  One such listener wanted to know specifically how she could earn money as a stay-at-home mom and help supplement her family's income.  To answer her question (and many of yours!) we interview one such mom that has done exactly that and brought in over $3,500 per month for her family. She shares her back story and then start working through the steps she uses to bring in the income.  The show details the exact tools she uses.  Plus the show notes for this week will give you the full list of tools with little (and big) bonuses just for signing up through those links! We promise there are ideas for every personality type and every level of expertise.  Each of us is a work in progress and we all have so much we can offer with our talents, skills and expertise we have developed over the years. Finally we share a fun tool we have come to love as part of our 2% Tip this week.  Our kids have joined in on the fun and we share how they grew their money by 49.6% in one single week! We had so much fun in this interview this week.  We promise there will be many more to come!

We all know there's a prominent author that gives a "one-size fits all" answer when it comes to the emergency fund.  We dare to differ with him!  Families are in all different financial situations, amounts of income, with differing levels of emergencies.  Telling a family that makes over $100K each year they need $1,000 is one thing.  Telling that to a family that makes $35K each year is something totally different.  We don't want you to feel defeated out the gate.  Thus, we have a different plan. We share our time-proven strategy for selecting the right emergency fund for your family then walk you through it step-by-step to help you determine the right amount.  It's so simple and easy! Then we break down everything you need to know about the fund.  Where do you store it?  What qualifies as an emergency to use it?  How long should it take to build up your fund?  We even break down ideas to help your family come up with the funds fast. We hope you love our discussion as we walk through this potentially boring topic.  Instead of "boring" we hope you love the discussion and the banter as we get through it. Finally we break down an important step you need to consider when starting and running your side hustle.  If you don't follow this step you just might miss out on hundreds - even thousands - of dollars when the tax bill comes! Don't miss our episode's show notes as we give you all the resources provided in the show with everything we discussed broken down point by point to help you review it later.

Sometimes timing really is everything.  That's no less true for the content we share in this episode with the end of the year just a few weeks away.  We walk through some deadlines you really need to consider and tips on how to maximize your time before they pass.  In fact, you just might wind up saving a lot more money.  Who wouldn't want that?! Are you listening to this episode with many months left instead of weeks?  What a perfect time to prepare your family's finances and understand what you can to make the most of this information. In this week's 2% Tip we address a simple upgrade you can make in your home for less than $50 to save up to 10% off your utilities.  Now THAT is a great Return on Investment! Finally, don't miss the show notes for this week as we share the tips step by step and provide the resources you need to succeed.

It's time to talk about one of our favorite subjects: Christmas!  And whether you're listening to this episode a few weeks from Christmas or with many months to go, this episode is for you.  We hit it all from decorations to saving tons on presents with everything in between.  We promise you won't want to miss this week's 2% Tip where Cassie breaks down the exact steps she uses today to get the ROCK BOTTOM prices on anything.  Alex sums it up well when he quips, "This section is pure gold!" We know that none of the tips above will work if you're short on cash.  We share 12 different ideas to help you come up with the money fast and even share a resource to help you make $1,000 quickly for Christmas! Each step of the way we break down both those short-term wins and the long-term strategies to get you setup for many Christmases to come. We encourage you to listen along and see how much fun you can have attacking all the money issues for Christmas!  Finally, don't you worry as we have all the info in this week's show notes on our site to help you each and every step along the way.

As we continue working through a number of the top reasons why people get in debt, we focus on another six reasons including the extremely popular reason - medical debt.  Don't forget that as paying down debt is already an uphill battle, it's important to understand the reasons why people get in debt in the first place.  Filled throughout this episode are a number of vulnerable moments in our own history of debt with many tips along the way.  We love to address these hard-hitting topics in a light-hearted manner while still addressing heart of the issue.  As just mentioned we dive a bit deeper into medical debt as part of our 2% tip and share actionable steps you can take to decrease that balance.  Finally we share a very personal tidbit of why we chose the specific selfie for our thumbnail; the painful memories in that exact spot still bring back horrible memories today.

An intriguing look at the habits and motivations behind why people get into debt.  The list was shaved down to a mere top 33 reasons, making you realize this subject is not a joke.  Alex and Cassie attack this subject head-on while keeping the tone light-hearted and share tips with actionable steps to address a number of these reasons head-on. Because paying down debt is already an uphill battle, it's important to understand the reasons why people get in debt in the first place.  This episode will help families understand some of the reasons that caused them to build that much debt, know what temptations they need to overcome, and then know how to prevent themselves from going back into debt again after finally paying off their debt!

Alex and Cassie are now known as The Thrifty Couple but readily admit they haven't always been.  In fact, they start off sharing their scary deep dive into debt - finding themselves in over $108K of consumer debt. They share their story because they want to share that they understand the emotional side of debt, knowing what it's like to not see a light at the end of the tunnel.  But they found a way out - paying off all the full amount in just seven years.  Even better, they paid off over $90K of that debt in a short time after they discovered an innovative way to pay off their debt using a gradual debt-payoff strategy that they share in their new book The 2% Rule to Get Debt Free Fast: An Innovate to Pay Off Your Loans for Good. All of this is to serve the purpose of sharing hope and encouragement to other families that understand that side of debt.  And don't worry, if you're not that deep in debt but are still looking for a unique method to pay off your debt other than those crash diet approaches then you're in the right place. They start at the beginning and set the stage for this all-encompassing podcast that will cover tips from getting out of debt to saving for retirement and everything in between - including making money using side hustles, saving for college and much more. Finally, listen up for the place to start cutting back the budget that very first month.  It's likely not what you think!