When it comes to beating debt once and for all to become financially independent, there are really only two options:
1 – Lower your spending habits as drastically as you can
2 – Earn more money
While there is A LOT most people can do to lower their spending habits (Especially true in the United States, where spending is literally a fun hobby some people seem to have), you will get out of debt way quicker if you combine #1 with #2.
I am going provide a small list of what we call “side hustles”. These are just various things you can do on top of your current job that you have. Some of these will not work in your situation, but similar to our 4 methods of frugality, these strategies or side hustles will work for almost everyone out there trying to curb their bad (and sometimes addictive) debt habits.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Side Hustles to Overcome Debt
1 – Second Part Time Job
This is the easiest strategy for most people. Even a minimum wage job can significantly increase your ability to pay off debt quicker and faster. For instance, a minimum wage job at Mcdonalds in Alaska (where I am) pays $10 an hour.
20 hours a week that is $200, or $600 a month that can all be paid towards debt. An extra $600 to paying off debt can go a long, long ways.
2 – Sell Old Stuff
Common wisdom. Hold a garage sale with all of your old valuables you no longer need. You will lift a great mental weight off your head and you will also earn some extra money you can pocket towards paying down your debt.
Even better than a garage sale is to list them on ebay, that way it takes less time and you will often get better deals from people bidding on the items. Also, craigslist is a good alternative for selling old stuff that you no longer need.
3 – Become a Freelancer on a Freelancer Website
Freelancing is a fantastic way to make money on the side. It is basically a telecommute, work wherever you want, kind of position. Unlike a second job or selling old stuff, you can make some serious money with freelancing.
What could you do as a freelancer? Well, what are your skills?
Are you a good writer? If so, there are worlds of opportunity open to you in the fields of content creation and copywriting. What about photoshop? Graphic design?
A good website to check out to browse different skills that people are buying online to see if you have any is Upwork.com.
4 – Create a Website
While it takes more effort than the other items listed above, this is perhaps the greatest route to clearing out your debt. Create a “niche” website about something and monetize the website using something like Amazon’s affiliate program.
I have literally seen websites about blenders making $3,000 a month. Learn this skill successfully, and an entire new lucrative profession will open up for you as you kill off your debt once and for all.
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