Kindly Deeds Done (Not) for Free!

Saving potential: ~ $100 per week, $400 per month, $4,800 per year

Time investment: Walking to the local plasma donation center, filling out paperwork

Useful for: the unemployed, students, do-gooders

A lot of ways to make money in this world revolve around screwing over someone else in one way or another. Are you uncomfortable with that? Don't worry, there are a few ways to make a quick buck that don't require ripping off people. Plasma donation is one of them.  

Plasma donation is a great way to earn quick cash. Your payments are usually on the spot, and there are no questions asked. Better yet, the effects from donating plasma are relatively minimal, with the only noticeable side affects including drowsiness. Of course, check with your doctor beforehand to make sure that you can safely donate. 

Here are some tips for you if you intend to start donating plasma for money. 

• Drink plenty of water before and after donating
• Eat a nice big meal before and after donating
• Restrain from heavy lifting for 24 hours (we're looking at you, muscle heads!) 
• Don't smoke before or after donating. You shouldn't be wasting your money on this anyway.

Donating plasma won't just make you money - it will save you money! That's right. Going to the plasma center will save you money on physical check-ups, as you will receive free health screenings. This will alert you of any health issues you have not been aware of, as well as bring attention to the onset of any diseases that may have gone unnoticed.  It's also healthy! Your body will begin to renew part of its blood supply after your donation. 

Donating plasma is also a way to build up "social credit". You are helping those who are in dire need. Cancer patients, burn victims, and more. Who knows? Maybe you will also be in need of plasma donations one day. 

Do a good deed...and get out and earn! 

-Freddy

Sharing is Caring

Savings potential: ~ $300-1000 per month, $3600-12000 per year

Time investment: lots of time saved through shared responsibilities, help and synergies 

Useful for: people new in town, people who want to build their social network (that should be everyone!)

This would be obvious if we lived in Japan where disposable space is a luxury and close to the most expensive status symbol you can pull off, especially in a city like Tokyo. But even in the vast US where space is abundant, rent can eat up a significant amount of your disposable funds (unless daddy handed you the keys to your condo - in that case, what are you doing here you lucky SOB?!) 

When strained for money you'd be crazy to live by yourself. It's the biggest money sink next to a car and food expenses. Instead of blowing away $600-2000 (depending on where you live it may be significantly more) each month, consider the advantages of having roommates:

• Rent gets split by the number of cohabitants
• Utilities, internet etc. get split
• Shared appliances mean you don’t need to tie down too much of your capital
• Due to the overall savings you can afford a bigger flat in a better neighborhood than you would alone
• Roommates can be friends and jumpstart your social network
• Roommates provide a variety of experiences thanks to different personalities and social circles
• You grow and become more social, even if you consider yourself to be an introverted person
• You learn how to deal with difficult situations, how to be a team player, and how to assert yourself
• You still have your own room and all the privacy you need

Overall I estimate the savings by living with roommates to be as high as 50% of what you would pay living by yourself, with a whole lot of additional benefits that are hard to put a number on. 

Sharing your flat is extremely common among young people and is becoming more normal for older adults, too. If you don't think so, you might want to consider moving in with your partner or significant other. But that's a different animal, and I wouldn’t jump the gun on that one. 

Also, moving back in with your parents can be a life saver - however, don't settle there for good. You need to harness outside energy to push you to new frontiers, and concerned parents who just want you to be happy might not give you the same stimulation as roomates-turned-friends could. 

If you really can't stand the thought of having someone else around your living quarters for most of the time, look into renting out your spare room, couch or camping spot on the internet on a day to day basis. 

If you don’t think you want to be a paid host, just invite couchsurfers to stay for free. Sound stupid? It's not, see my article on the benefits of couch surfing!

Sharing is caring and totally worth it. 

-Jimmy

Ride Your Bike, Fatty!

Saving potential: ~ $550 per month, $6650 per year

Time investment: depending on distances, you might save time or add a few hours on top

Useful for: city dwellers, sports enthusiasts

While driving your car certainly can be a useful and fun asset (as long as you're not driving in a big metropolis), it's actually a grossly underestimated money sink. A car incurs costs both while you're using it and while it's parked: you have to pay tax and insurance even if it's just sitting in the garage, slowly rusting away and depreciating in cost.When you do drive, you have to worry about gas, repairs and even getting into an accident that your cheap-ass insurance doesn't cover. 

As the rundown shows, these costs average around $6650 every year!

Imagine you stop driving for five years (at least not in your own car!) - that will set you up with a nice sum of $30,000 ready to be invested in something that actually earns you a revenue. 

Granted, a car might be necessary for your work, but think about whether you can move in closer, or can get into carpooling. Better yet, make a habit out of biking, lose some pounds, and gain some muscle while your piggy bank is growing steadily. 

You can get a used bike for less than $100 on Amazon, Craigslist or eBay. There really is no excuse for not riding a bike in times where obesity is rampant and people are suffocating in exhaust fumes. In cities, a bike oftentimes is faster and more flexible. Once you know how to take care of your bike, you can teach others or help them with their bikes for some street cred!

If you decide on having a car, have a look into our rundown on driving for Uber to make some money.

-Jimmy 

Tutor

Minimum Earnings Potential: ~ $20 - $30 per hour, $7800 pear year (CASH) 
Maximum Earnings Potential: Practically unlimited

Time investment: other than finding one or two clients, none

Useful for: college students, academics 

Tutoring is an easy way for struggling students, academics, and teachers to pocket cold hard cash on a daily basis with minimal effort.  Furthermore, it's a great review of all the things that you were taught at a young age, but forgot. Quadratic equations? The history of the constitution? Basic chemistry? These are all basic building blocks that you can brush up on. They can also help you further your own education if you plan on going back to school for a degree or your masters.

Where should you look for tutoring gigs? As with many things, people tend to forget that sometimes the old fashioned way works best. Hanging up signs in your neighborhood, posting adverts near schools and playgrounds, and asking local parents is usually the easiest way to secure a tutoring gig. If they know you, it's even better - they would feel guilty about firing you. CraigsList is also a good option. However, when it comes to finding tutoring gigs online, be wary of services that do not pay immediately. Also be wary of services, such as WyzAnt, that pocket part of your earnings. There is zero need for a middleman in tutoring, so stay away from these so-called "services"!

A great thing about tutoring is the almost limitless potential. Yes, you heard that right. See, kids tend to have friends (I'm sorry if you were one that didn't). Furthermore, birds of a feather flock together. If a kid you are tutoring struggles in school, chances are that his friends also struggle in school. Network among his friends, and especially his parents, to get a steady customer base of around 4-6 clients. At this point, you can make your services more efficient by tutoring more than one kid at once in "tutoring groups".

Assuming that you somehow get tired of raking in cash all week with minimal effort, another advantage of being a tutor is the resume material. Having an extended tutoring gig signals to an employer that you are knowledgeable, well-read, and patient.  Most importantly, it shows them that you have the skills to market yourself. So what are you waiting for? Get out and earn!

-Freddy 

Get out and earn!

 Let's state the obvious. You're not going to get rich siting around and doing nothing. OK, maybe if you're a trust fund kid, but if you're reading this, you're probably not. Get out and earn!

 Let's lay down some ground rules. 

• You will NOT get rich through being lazy.
• You will NOT get rich through taking surveys online.
• You WILL need to spend money to make money.
• You WILL have costs.
• It will NOT be easy. 

A big problem with people is the lack of ability to prioritize. While we are going to show you 100 ways to make it to your first million, bear in mind that you should focus on a few methods, Select the ones that appeal to you, your talents, and seem most realistic to your situation.  Don't stretch out your plans too much and always remember - slow and steady wins the race. What does this mean? If you're working on a Youtube channel, stay focused on that channel. Do not try to simultaneously create a new blog, create your own website, get through college, work a job, learn a new language, and save the world. Overloading yourself will lead to failure in every one of these catagories.

Another problem is being a "shut-in". Some people out there may be genius programmers or the best online poker players, but the reality is that most jobs, hustles, gigs, and ways to make money out there require you to be a sociable person. Get people to like you! That's why part of it is GET OUT and earn money. Get out! Have a little fun and meet new people. You might say - "Well, I'm just not a people person". Too bad! Become a people person. Or at least find people that you like to be around. Trust me, you will become a better person for it and learn to enjoy life more fully.

-Freddy

The Golden Rule

So you want to be a millionaire…

Robbing a bank goes against your code? The chance of winning the lottery strikes you as unlikely? You're just too damn lazy for hard work? I feel you.

Luckily there's more, and we will be getting into a hundred unusual and unique ways of making your fun pasttimes earn you your first million. However, before letting you in on the greatest secrets of modern mankind, I want to make the case for an approach from the other direction that is tried and true:

Have more money by spending less money!

You most likely have some amount of resources at your disposal (which we will increase soon), be it pocket money, an actual salary, or just a few hours worth of hustlin' every month. That's your starting point. You most likely live somewhere and that place needs upkeep. You need to eat and want to watch a movie every once in a while. It's alright to make a living and spending it to survive. 

But don't be fooled by the media and people around you: You don't need anywhere near the amount they advocate spending to survive - or even to live comfortably. It only takes a small amount of money. The rest of your time and finances can in turn be invested into becoming independent. Would you rather be a slave to someone else or a free man?

What a lot of Average Joes spend on travelling for a week lasts me for a month full of fun adventures and gained wisdom. A lot of what you think you need is actually a waste of time, health and sanity. In this world nothing worth having can be bought only with money. There's always a way around two corners that gets you exactly what you want and need, as long as you're willing to look for it and be open minded. Don't be a sucker.

Ask successful people, like Warren Buffet or Ingvar Kamprad (the founder of Ikea), two of the most frugal billionaires: Saving money is essential if you eventually want to be free to spend it (which by the time you have it you won't even need anymore, trust me!).

The saying goes 'You've got to spend money to make money' and that’s entirely true. At the same time, you gotta have money to spend money, which is why we will get you to save up comfortably so that you can invest your precious time and money into what will become your first million and ultimately, a life of freedom and extravaganza that you love living!

Be smart and you will succeed!  


-Jimmy