How Would an Extra $3,200 in a Month Help you?

I started the year a bit rough, having overspent by nearly $3k over the Christmas/New Year break (read about that here). I had a goal to save an extra $3,000 this month and managed $3,200.17.
Here’s how I did it:

This post contains affiliate links to some services I use.

Made Extra Money

A big focus for me is increasing income this year. I have done a variety of things over the years, but 2018 I am honing in on a few specifics I enjoy. That said, January was a mixed bag of things and in this ‘extra’ money, I don’t include my business/blog income.

1. Airbnb – $150

Even though I had some issues with an Airbnb guest, I got it sorted and this month had an extra $150 through Airbnb. You can find my tips on renting your home through Airbnb here. I don’t do it regularly and when I do, my kids and I aren’t in the home. It’s usually $150 to $250 a night I get paid, plus a cleaning fee because I only really do it over busy periods and I live in Melbourne CBD.

2. Medical Testing – $1,500

Neutropenia is a blood condition I have which currently has a new medication being tested to help. Each stage of the testing you get a payment. Personally, I did it more for self-interest (seeing if it works for me which it does), as well as knowing it will help people with cancer and other severe illnesses. Neutropenia is low white blood cells which makes it hard to fight infections, something common and dangerous when people go through chemo. Some people, such as myself, live with the condition constantly. Find out more about doing medical testing here.

3. Bank Bonuses – $200

2 friends joined a bank through my referral link scoring us $100 each.

4. Sold Things – $1,350.17

I didn’t have time (or desire) to buy and resell much this month. I was in the hospital for a few days in the middle which makes it difficult. My main selling has still been rockabilly clothing and due to my lack of desire to deal with people because of the haggling and no shows on Facebook, I’ll be selling off what I have and not doing it anymore.

I have made over $10,000 a month when focused on buying and reselling but I don’t want to do it anymore. If you want to do it, you can find all my tips on what to sell, where to find it, where to sell it, how to post and more here.

5. Online Surveys

I don’t do these regularly anymore, but every now and then I test the ones I have listed here to make sure they still work and are paying out. I made $115 this month from them and got screened out of a few more.

Saved Money

All money that came in, I committed to putting into savings. Previously, I would save 10% of all income. Now, I do that separately to my goals this year. I still save 10% of all income, but on top of that, all extra income I am saving in a specific account.

I didn’t have a chance to review much of my budget this month, but I will be for February. Usually, I check my net worth on the first Wednesday of each month. My goal is to double it in 2018, so it’s a big ask and I need to keep on top of it.

How I Will Make More in February

My goal for February is to save an extra $4,500 in this account PLUS book a holiday for my birthday in April (by the way, if you want to celebrate your birthday with freebies, check out this amazing list). I like to push myself and want to share ways anyone can make or save money. My plans for February include:

1. Selling Off Everything

Anything I don’t need or want needs to go this month. I don’t have a lot so don’t expect to make much from it. I won’t be buying extra things to sell. Anything that doesn’t sell will be getting donated anyway.

2. Sell The Coins

This is separate to selling off everything because it is a specific collection and I have a few coins I may keep. The collection was given to me at Christmas and I was told I could sell it. Earlier this month I looked up the value of many of the coins and made enquiries about selling some. In February, I am following through on it.

3. Medical Testing

I have my final few blood tests for the medical testing then the last payment will be made and I can throw it into the savings account. I have hated some elements of this but am elated to know this medication works for me, it raised my neutrophils (white blood cells) and helped, plus it will help others.

I have no desire to go through this process again. However, many people I was doing it with have done multiple medical tests and enjoyed what they viewed as ‘easy money’. I disliked the side effect of pain while my body quickly produced extra white blood cells and felt it required more time (and blood tests – 40!) than I would like.

4. 21 Day Money Challenge

It has been a few months since I reviewed all the services I have, my bills and what I pay for. As such, I’ll spend a few days in February reviewing it all as per my 21 Day Money Challenge.

5. Extreme Savings Challenge

If you follow me on Instagram, February is not going to look like I am saving money. I have some prebooked events including Luna Park, Whittlesea Funfields and one of my kids has their birthday. However, outside of these events, I have banned myself from spending anything and am getting creative with the food we have in the pantry to reduce costs everywhere. I enjoy these sort of challenges and it’ll be interesting to see what we can do with what we have. ‘We’ being my kids and I since they get involved in cooking with me too.