Copyright (c) 2010 Tony Mase

There are about as many ways to make extra money out there as there are folks looking to make it. Some of them work. Some of them don't. Here are seven surefire ways to increase your income...

Surefire Way #1 - Get a Higher Paying Job

If you don't like your present job and/or it offers you little, if any, opportunity to advance, now, while you're employed and not "under the gun", so to speak, is a great time to look for a better paying job. Think about it. Same amount of time. Same amount of effort. More money. Sure sounds like a no-brainer to me. :-)

Surefire Way #2 - Secure a Second Job

I'm certainly not one to advocate working more hours, especially when it's working more hours for someone else. However, there are times in your life when taking on a second or even a third, part-time or full-time, job makes sense to fill a temporary, short-term financial "gap".

Surefire Way #3 - Hold a Tag Sale

Tag sales, garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, or whatever they're called in your neck of the woods, are a fun way to make some extra money, get rid of all the "stuff" you no longer need, use, and/or want, and, by recycling said "stuff", help the environment as well. If you find it's something you like to do, it might interest you to know, I know someone who makes a full-time living doing just that.

Surefire Way #4 - Become an Affiliate Marketer

In case you don't know, affiliate marketing is essentially an Internet-based marketing practice in which an online merchant pays an "affiliate", in one way or another, for his or her referrals to their product or service. Though, quite frankly, not exactly the easiest way to make money, it can be *highly* profitable for those who are willing to take the time and put in the effort to learn how to do it right.

Surefire Way #5 - Eliminate Your Debts

Now, I'll be the first to admit this isn't exactly the easiest thing on earth to do, especially if you're head over heels in debt, but it's certainly one of the most rewarding, financially and otherwise. Did you ever stop to think how many hours you work every month just to pay off the principal and interest for "stuff", odds are, you don't even have or enjoy anymore? I know a gal who recently finished paying off *all* her debts, who now has the equivalent of an extra week or two's pay every month to spend as she pleases. Need I say more?

Surefire Way #6 - Sell "Stuff" on eBay

I personally know several people who make *serious* part-time or full-time incomes selling "stuff" on eBay. There's a vast worldwide market out there for practically anything you could possibly ever think of to sell and eBay is one of the best ways there is to profitably reach those markets.

Surefire Way #7 - Start Your Own Home-Based Business

My personal favorite, a home business or home-based business, conducted online or offline, is not only a great way to earn extra money but, done properly, a full-time income. The secret? Find something you really like to do and/or have a keen interest in and turn it into a business you can run from your home. It's that simple. :-)

Getting a higher paying job, securing a second job, holding a tag sale, becoming an affiliate marketer, eliminating your debts, selling "stuff" on eBay, and starting your own home-based business are but a few of the many ways to make extra money there are out there. Fortunately, if one of these isn't your "cup of tea", as they say, there are others.