This summer, our schedule is pretty chaotic, and I find it hard to find large chunks of time to do large projects. Thankfully, the ways that I earn extra income to contribute to my family budget are easy to squeeze in here and there. I find that the small amount of time I put into each of these strategies are worth the payout that I get. Small amounts can add up each month to holiday shopping money, extra splurges for the month, or just to help snowflake our debt. Every little bit helps!

Click on each link below to be taken to the post with more information: 

Earn Free Gift Cards with My Points
MyPoints is one of the ways I earn FREE gift cards. In this post, I share a tutorial on how I earn $75-100 in gas station gift cards every year.

Start Earning with Swagbucks
Using the Swagbucks search engine is now a habit, and I earn over $1,000 in FREE gift cards (mostly to Amazon) each year by doing it. This is one of the easiest way to add extra income to your daily routine.

Money Back with Rebates
I love finding cash back rebates for products that I purchase anyway. I often only send away for rebates worth $5 or more, since I find it worth my time.

Making Money with Ebates
I never shop online without going through a cashback portal like Ebates. Since 2008, I’ve earned over $1,300 on my own online purchases and referrals to others. They are running a referral bonus right now to make it easier for you to earn, too!

Monetize Your Blog
If you’re currently writing a blog, you might consider whether or not to monetize. I earn money each month through affiliate networks and through Amazon Associates, and I share my best practices with you on those posts.

Photo courtesy of doctorwonder at Flickr

As I’m planning the year out for the blog, I really want to focus on more “How To’s” this year to help you with your savings and earnings goals.

As I look back at 2010 and ahead to 2011, I want to share various ways you can bring in income to pay down debt or achieve your financial goals. Here are 10 ways I made money last year, the same ways I share often here at MoneywiseMoms:

1. I used Swagbucks as my search engine, and along with the many other ways to earn, had enough Swagbucks to cash in for $1300 of Amazon GCs, which I spent on everything from gluten-free groceries to carseats to Christmas gifts. If you haven’t tried it yet, read my tips for earning with Swagbucks, and sign yourself up (you’ll start with 30 Swagbucks).
2. I resell my children’s clothing, gear, and toys at consignment sales. While it can take me a few hours’ work, I usually make hundreds of dollars each time I participate, plus I am able to shop at a great discount for gently used children’s items.
3. I earn cashback on every online purchase through Ebates, plus an extra $5 cash for each referral who signs up under my link. My last quarterly check was for over $114, and I’ll have even more coming in February after my holiday online shopping and their special holiday bonus. 
4. I get FREE Gift Cards anywhere I can–from pharmacy gift cards, from points programs through my bank and newspaper subscription, and from MyPoints–and use them on regular monthly expenses to reduce my out-of-pocket expenses so I can put the money towards debt.
5. Not as much as I used to, but I mailed in rebates on products I was buying anyway, like that $10 on snack foods rebate from early in 2010. I love that Northern Cheapskate has been keeping an updated rebate list each month.
6. I look for offers that give me FREE money, like December’s grocery gift card deal. I did this twice, buying gift cards for my gas station and Target, and since I shop there and Safeway anyway, it was a no-brainer and netted me $30 towards groceries. I find out about these programs from blogs and Slickdeals, then share the best ones with you here at MoneywiseMoms.
7. I enter (and win!) giveaways on other blogs. I love the low entry numbers and good odds; I just won a bicycle for my son which means I can spend that money elsewhere. Find a big giveaway linky and see what looks enticing to you.
8. I earned over $625 from my credit card this year, $25 from a special promo they ran, and the rest in cash back from regular purchases. I realize credit card use differs for everyone, but we use ours for everything and pay it off each month, earning 1-5% cash back.
9. Sell, sell sell! I sold household goods at a spring yard sale, offered other items to my social groups and on Craigslist, and even sold electronics on Ebay for my neighbor (keeping a small percentage as my “fee”).
10. As a blogger, I utilized affiliate programs like MySavings Media, Escalate Media, Amazon Associates and others to earn income. I don’t have the largest readership, but it still earns me thousands of dollars a year. Read how to monetize your blog with affiliate networks.

I want YOU to earn extra income in 2011 to help your family and reach your financial goals. I have a series planned for the spring where I get deep into topics like direct sales, selling on Craigslist and Ebay, etc., but I’d love to hear from you about how you bring in income or what methods you’d like to learn more about. Personally, I’m interested in learning about seasonal (holiday) employment since I’ll have all three kids in school all day by then.

This week, I’m focusing on ways to make money before the holidays. If you don’t want to spend money to make money, here are some suggestions to bring in real cash in these next few weeks:

Put Yourself to Work

1) Babysit: Let your neighbors know that you’re available to babysit for holiday parties and other events in the coming weeks. If you want to concentrate your time, create a special “Shopping Day,” such as a 4-hour block where friends/neighbors can drop their kids off at your home for babysitting. Plan a holiday craft, and some fun snacks, and let the kids play while you earn extra income.

2) Offer Pet-sitting/Other Services: Through email or a small flier, let neighbors and friends know that you can help them while they travel by caring for their pets. Alternately, you or hubby can help neighbors with their outdoor decorating or leftover yard work for a small fee.

3) Take on Extra Work: Look into taking on a seasonal position at a retail or other store during the holiday shopping and returns phase. This can be especially difficult to manage schedule-wise with a day job and small children, but it is temporary, and it can help you put extra money towards debt and send you into 2011 in better shape financially. Check your local newspaper for terms like “seasonal employee” and “temp” in the part-time classifieds section.

4) Sell Crafts or Gourmet Foods to moms through your real-life networks (church groups, MOMS Club, etc.) or at work if you’re allowed to do so. Several moms in my clubs send an email out reminding us that they make caramels, tamales, etc. that we can order for holiday gifts. There’s still time to sign up for holiday craft fairs where you can host a table and sell your wares. Back when I was a teacher, I handmade ornaments and sold them at work for a little pocket money.

Tomorrow Friday, I’ll share another BIG way to bring cash in and share what I’m doing this week to bring in the money for myself.

Avoiding the hype and swirling chaos that is holiday time (our gas station was draped in lights and inflated Santas this morning), I’m staying in this week and not shopping. Instead, I’m taking this week to focus on making money. It can’t hurt to put a little cash in your pocket or set yourself up for a little income in early 2011, so if you’re already feeling the crunch of holiday spending, join me! This week, I’ll share a few tips on bringing in some future income, plus I’ll share ideas on how you can get some cash right away.

Spending Money to Make Money
There are several promotions running right now where you get some extra $$ when you spend money, but I consider this making money as long as you were going to make the purchase anyway:

1) At many grocery stores, there’s a Catalina promo running where you buy $150 in gift cards and you earn a $15 coupon for your next grocery trip. If you haven’t done your holiday shopping yet, you can buy cards to Target, Toys R Us, or wherever you plan to shop. Or, if you planned to give gift cards as gifts, purchase those. Here are the stores and details:

• At Safeway and partner stores (Vons, etc.), buy $150 in gift cards by December 4th, and you’ll receive a Catalina coupon at checkout for $15 off your next grocery purchase of $50 or more. Safeway GCs are not eligible for the promotion.
• At Superfresh and A&P stores, buy up to $150 in gift cards by December 9th to get the Catalina coupon at checkout. You get a $5 coupon with $50 of GCs, a $10 coupon with $100 GCs, and a $15 coupon with $150 worth of GCs. Visa, Amex, and Superfresh GCs are not eligible (read the sign in-store for fine print).
• At Meijer, when you purchase $100 of selected GCs by December 4th, you’ll receive a $10 Catalina coupon for your next purchase. Be sure and check the in-store signs to see which cards qualify.

I went to Safeway and bought $150 in GCs for the gas station near my house, and I got a $15 coupon that I’ll spend on my next grocery trip.  Since I normally use that gas station AND I usually shop at Safeway, this was the same as earning $15 for me.

2) Many restaurants are offering holiday promotion on gift cards, such as buy a $25 Gift Card, get an extra $5 FREE. If it’s a restaurant that you use often, so you know you’ll use the gift card, it may be worth the purchase. Just be careful about tying up your money in gift cards that will sit around too long (or get lost!), and some of the offers have specific dates for redemption. Check out The Thrifty Mama’s Roundup of Restaurant GC Holiday Deals for a complete list.

3) You hear me talk about Ebates all the time, but if you’re doing any shopping online, you can be earning cash back every time–from 2% to 30%–just from shopping through Ebates. Any purchases you make through the end of the year will be paid out February 15th, plus any bonuses you earn from referring your friends and family to Ebates. You get a $5 bonus in your account whenever someone you refer places their first cashback order, and now there’s a special holiday promotion where you get a $50 bonus just for referring 5 new members (who then place a cashback order). You can do this! With everyone talking about their online holiday shopping, and looking for coupon codes and free shipping, just mention Ebates. You’ll find all those codes and discounts right there, and earn money back in the process.

4) Rite Aid is running their Gift of Savings Promotion from November 26- December 26th. You enter your receipts at RiteAid.com, and when your purchases total $25-100 during the promotion period, you earn a Rite Aid certificate for $5-20 back. Receipts must be submitted online by January 24th, and you’ll have until April 24th to use your certificate, which will be sent to you by email. See the details at RiteAid.com. While the cumulative purchases are calculated after coupons and Up! coupon savings, you can still earn money back if you normally do your Drugstore Game shopping at Rite Aid.

Stop by tomorrow to get ideas for earning real cash over the next week to help with the holidays.