9 Ways To Make Your Money Grow in 6 Months

Think about where you’d like to be financially six months from now. Enough money for a down payment for a car? Credit card balance paid off? Maybe you want to finally have an emergency fund?

Explore: 50 Ways You’re Throwing Money Away
Find: 22 Side Gigs That Can Make You Richer Than a Full-Time Job

With some changes to your lifestyle and some innovation, it’s possible to make your money grow in six months. Put the cash you’ve saved, or money you’ve earned, in an account, and in half a year, you’ll be surprised by the balance.

Get started with these nine ideas to set yourself on a new financial course.

The easiest way to make money? Eliminating unnecessary things from your life. That could mean moving to a smaller place if you have an extra bedroom you don’t need, but a simpler solution is to sell what you don’t use.

If you have a designer handbag that hasn’t been out of the closet in a year, turn to an online site that resells luxury goods such as The RealReal. Or, advertise everything from the video game system you never play to the toys your kids have outgrown on local sites such as Facebook Marketplace. You’ll clear out space and bring in cash.

Check Out: 6 Alternative Investments To Consider for Diversification in 2022

Remember the old saying, a penny saved is a penny earned? Pick the one thing that could be considered a luxury in your life and reduce its frequency. Maybe that’s a weekly massage or round of golf. Or your daily stop at the coffee shop.

If that’s your thing, stop every other day instead. According to the Perfect Brew, American women who are coffee drinkers spend an average of $2,327 per year, with men spending $1,934. Cut your consumption in half, and at the end of six months, you’ll have saved — and earned — $500 or more.

If your neighbors rave about your flower beds and your bounty of tomatoes, why not share your green thumb and plant gardens for them? This job could be as simple as picking the plants that you know thrive in your area and your soil and placing them in a small area alongside a home, or designing an entire garden — complete with having garden beds and such built.

Or, expand your services as a garden coach or consultant by putting together a system that works in your community and selling your garden designs, plans and product suggestions to your clients. Before starting, inquire to see if a license is needed for your landscape business.

The need for event planners was expected to grow by 18% from 2020 to 2030, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projected. While many event planners hold degrees or special certificates in the subject, take your experience planning corporate events in your workplace or parties for your charity to a local level.

You probably already know the best venues, caterers and party-supply shops in the area, so offer to help plan a friend’s wedding or retirement festivities. Impressed attendees likely will seek out your services.

If you have photographic skills, plenty of people want your work. Website designers scour photo hubs such as Shutterstock and Alamy — which will pay you for your pictures — looking for the perfect image of food or landscapes or people at work. Or, if you have a niche, consider opening a shop on a site such as Etsy, which allows you to set your own price.

If you excel at photographing the sea, for example, owners of beach houses probably might be searching for high-resolution photos to turn into wall decor. Sell the downloadable image alone, print posters or ship fully framed works of art to your customers.

There just aren’t enough hours in the day for many of us to accomplish what needs to be done, and some of your community members could use your assistance. Offer personal, door-to-door service that includes tasks such as running errands, dropping off and picking up a family pet at the groomer, or organizing the areas of a home that have gotten out of control. Advertise your services through your social groups or the local senior citizens’ center to start.

Some clients, including small businesses, might need assistance with work-from-home tasks instead of errands, and that’s where virtual assistants come in. Virtual assistants handle a variety of administrative tasks, such as responding to emails, booking travel arrangements, scheduling appointments and handling correspondence.

Job site FlexJobs says it is one of the fastest-growing remote career fields. You can sign up with a company that offers virtual assistant services, go into business for yourself or register for a freelance site, such as Upwork or Fiverr.

Pare your gift budget and put the savings away by making your own gifts. Wouldn’t you rather receive something useful, tasteful and from the heart than just another gift card?

Some creative ideas: hollow out the inside of an old book and create a book safe for a friend to store valuables; have a mousepad made at the drug store — check for frequent deals — from a favorite photo; or make coasters from the photos your brother shared from his travels.

You might have been a teenager the last time you babysat, and the rate undoubtedly has gone up. With quality child care a priority, parents pay above minimum wage for a good sitter. According to Sittercity, the typical hourly rate for a sitter is $17.50 an hour, though the cost is dependent on cost of living in your location. In San Antonio, the going rate is $15 an hour. In Los Angeles, it’s $21, according to the site.

These are just some of the ways you can bolster your bank account in six months, and maybe they’ll trigger some new money-saving and cash-creating ideas. Once you pick your niche, set a dollar figure as your target to hit in the next 180 days.

More From GOBankingRates

• 9 Costco Brand Items That Aren't Worth the Money
• 9 Safest Places To Retire Abroad for Less Than $2,000 a Month
• 5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000
• 10 Credit Score Myths You Should Stop Believing