Most people these days complain that they don’t have enough money. I even include myself in this. I have enough but I could always do with more.

The problem is that most people leave it at that. They complain and then continue as usual.

If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.

So, they stay where they are — without enough money.

Do this instead

If you want to earn or save more money, you have to do things differently. 

I often run little experiments or challenges to earn extra money in a certain timescale. Sometimes I’ll set a challenge to earn an extra $2,000 in a month. It’s not as hard as it seems.

Some things that have worked for me and that might also work for you are listed below.

#1 Writing

I put this first because you’re reading this on Medium. We’re all capable of writing, so challenging ourselves to write 1, 2, or 3 stories a day for the next 30 days should bring in extra cash. Last month I earned $35 on Medium. I only wrote 6 stories. What if I write 30 or 60 this month?

I wrote about how I’ve earned $7,648 on Medium in 16 months.

#2 Blogging

This is similar to writing. At the moment I’m publishing on both Medium and on this site. That means I have the chance to earn twice for the same stories. This blog isn’t monetized yet, so it’s more of a longer-term project. But I hope to get $495 for it when I sell it. Someone already offered $200 for it. 

I also have a travel blog that earned $17 last month. I could sell that blog for around 50 times the monthly earnings. That means the blog is already worth $850. I started it in February.

#3 Selling Stuff

I’ve done this multiple times in the past. We all have possessions that we no longer use or need. These can be sold for cash. EBay is a great place to sell these items. Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Groups can also work well. 

I’ve even seen people get free stuff from Craigslist and resell them.

Selling stuff is easy for beginners as well.

#4 Get a second job

I have a friend that worked a Monday to Friday regular job. He decided to get a Saturday job that earned $20 an hour. He earned $200 each Saturday. He did this for 2 years and saved it all. He ended up with $20,000.

Do this for 10 years and you could easily earn an extra $100,000. 

It might not suit everyone, but if you really want to build wealth quickly it’s definitely an option. 

And don’t forget to also keep your 9-5 job if you want to build wealth fast.

#5 Side hustles

You could also start a side hustle. It’s a great way to earn extra money and can sometimes lead to a real business. I started selling stuff as an experiment and ended up with an ecommerce store that made me over $500,000 in 3 years. That was my best success ever. 

My previous travel blog made me $60,000 over 3 years.

Other side hustles have made less, but all those hundreds and thousands of dollars add up.

#5 Moving your savings

If you have savings in a bank, just taking a few minutes to move them can make you extra money. In the UK, many savings accounts earn 1–2% interest. But some savings accounts earn 5% or more.

If you have $100,000 earning 1% and move it to an account that earns 5%, you just made an extra $4,000 for a few minutes of work.

#6 Remortgage your property

This is similar to the point above. Look for a mortgage that has a lower interest rate than you’re currently paying. It doesn’t take long but can pay big dividends. Most people are too lazy to save money this way.

I could go on and on, as there are so many ways to make and save money.

And what if you did all the above at the same time for a few years. Imagine how quickly you could build your wealth.

Let me know what you’ve tried.

And let me know if you plan any specific money-making challenges.