5 Ways to Get Extra Money for Christmas Shopping

Christmas shopping is getting more and more expensive each year. With over 70% of Americans reported to be living paycheck to paycheck, where does the money come from for Christmas shopping? Here are 5 tips to getting some extra money for holiday shopping:

1 Sell items on Ebay

Everyone is buying right now. Why not have them buy what you have for sale? All different types of items sell on ebay the clothes your kids never even wore that still have the tags on them, DVDs, collectible items sitting around just collecting, and any other hot items you may have lying around.

2 Garage Sale

Do a little Winter Cleaning and make room for those Christmas decorations and presents. A Saturday morning garage sale can make you $50-$500, or more.

One person's junk is another's treasure!

3 Collect your Unclaimed Money

There is an estimated $25 billion dollars of unclaimed money in the U.S. On the Oprah Winfrey TV Show it was announced 8 out of 9 Americans have unclaimed money.This money comes from many places. For example it could be an old checking or savings account your forgot about, an inheritance, savings bonds, uncashed checks or money orders, the list goes on and on. This money is yours and just sitting there waiting for you to claim it. A simple search in a quality database that includes all states and federal unclaimed money could mean a check in your mailbox!

A simple search in a quality database that includes all states and federal unclaimed money could mean a check in your mailbox! www.cashunclaimed.com is the largest unclaimed money site and is a great place to conduct your unclaimed money search.

4 Holiday Job or Overtime

Companies are hiring for the Christmas shopping rush. Usually they are simple retail positions that dont require specialized training or experience. A couple nights or days a week could be $1000 by Christmas!

If you are paid hourly at your job, and have enough work and flexibility with your schedule, you can put in some extra hours.

Workers who have restaurant jobs can pick up extra shifts.

Special Note: Many people claim 0 exemptions on their W4. If you have children, own a home, etc. increase your exemptions to the correct number. Your employer can assist you in filling out a new W4. This can mean an extra $50-$400 per paycheck!

5 Reduce Expenses

You can reduce simple monthly expenses to keep more of the money you already have. Here are a couple money saving ideas:

- Eat in instead of dinning out

A family of 4 that eats out twice a week spends about $100 per week.

- Pay minimum payments this month on credit cards

Dont make this a habit, but for December it will give you a little extra rather than racking up more credit card debt

- Leave your ATM card at home, carry a little cash for what you need

- Make coffee at home and skip your morning latte
(youll live, really you will)

Now that you have the extra money Merry Christmas Shopping!

Nicole Anderson offers a free search for your portion of the $25+ BILLION in unclaimed money in the United States. Millions of Americans are unaware they are owed money. It could come from old savings bonds, uncashed checks, checking and savings accounts, the list goes on and on. Click on to http://www.cashunclaimed.com for your free search and see how much money is owed to you and your family.

Your Guide to Feeding an Adult Dog

Under normal circumstances your dog will be able to eat and profit from almost anything you give him, including almost all of the food items forbidden by rumor and fear. Milk, for example, will not cause worms in dogs, any more than it does in you. Raw meat will not cause worms any more than cooked, (which is not at all), nor will it make him vicious.

If you feed your dog nothing but raw meat he will thereby suffer from an unbalanced diet, malnutrition, and may get irritable and touchy. One item that is not recommended is pork in any large amount. Pork and particularly pork fat, is an extremely rich meat and can easily overburden a dogs system.

One superstition concerns raw eggs and the dog's coat. People will go to considerable expense to feed a pup or the adult dog raw eggs, sometimes two or three a day, in the hope that a shiny coat will result. There is, unfortunately nothing to it. It just does not work. Neither will garlic or onions have any effect on intestinal worms; they can only be stopped by medication. In short, what you feed him nourishes him. If he needs medical treatment, give him medicines.

On the positive side, beef and more fresh beef can do him nothing but good. Beef is the best source of protein, and good beef muscle cuts can be bought relatively cheap. Beef bones are almost without exception good for dogs, especially the heavy long and knuckle bones. The only exception being to smaller breeds that may become choked due to their smaller throats.

Bones will also provide mouth exercise and aid in removing plaque build-up on teeth. Once in the stomach, bones are rapidly dissolved and digested. The dog's stomach acids work things over rapidly reducing almost anything to digestibility. This, incidentally, is why you should not worry if your dog wolfs his food without seeming to chew it all. All the digestion goes on in his highly durable and efficient stomach.

Randy Jones and his partner Brent Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed Joncopets.com. On the site, customers can read articles about anything pets as well as shop for the latest dog collars and more for their best friend. Feel free to check out the site at http://www.joncopets.com

eBay: Can You Really Make Money Here?

As a mother of two, Sarah was always busy. But, this did not stop her from finding her niche in the world. She had been designing beautiful jewelry for her friends for years. She gave them as gifts. She presented them to others who wished to buy them to give to their friends. She made each piece by hand and loved every minute of it. She knew, though, if she wanted to make any real money on this little business that she got going that she needed to find individuals that would pay for them. Her circle of friends was wearing them, of course, but she knew if they loved them so much that others would too.

Sarah took her search online and found eBay. This online auction house allowed her to easily place pictures of her products on their site and soon enough people were bidding on them. She was selling her own products. Later, she would open an eBay store that would promote more than just one product for her. She soon found herself spending more time at the post office than ever delivering her jewelry to her newfound audience.

eBay is by far one of the most sought after internet businesses to dip your hands into. But, if you don't have a lot of 'junk' lying around your home, you may find it hard to understand how you'll make any money in this business. Don't want to spend your days at garage sales and picking up other people's trash so that you have something to sell? Here are some numbers that will make you think twice about these things.

a. eBay has more than 1.2 million registered users. That is your customer based presented to you.

b. Of those, about 25,000 of them are making five figure incomes from their eBay businesses.

c. Not looking for full time? Consider part time eBayers can supplement their income by several thousand dollars a year.

If you aren't like Sarah and can't make a product to sell, as many of us wish we could, you'll find hundreds of other options too.

How Does eBay Work?

eBay is an online auction website. The website is designed to connect those that wish to sell products and those that want to find a great deal on products. The company is built on the fact that people want to get a better deal and love finding one. Just think about how you feel when you do go to that garage sale and find something that you want and can use in good shape for much less than what the retail stores sell it for. You know the shy smile that you get when you realize you are getting something for much less than what others have paid? You can think of eBay as a way to get those deals all the time.

From The Salesmanship Side

So, how do you sell and make an income on eBay? Most individuals start by cleaning house literally. They start by getting rid of things throughout their home that they simply do not need. When you can take stuff you don't use and make a few dollars off of it, you'll want to do it more. Cleaning just got profitable!

But, besides just selling things from around the home, those that are true eBay sellers realize that they need more to sell. Some will have their own products or services to offer. For example, some will sell crafts and such. Others will purchase products for next to nothing and sell them at a slight markup. This is where most eBayers make their money.

Wholesale Options Too

To find products to sell for low costs, many eBay sellers tap into the world of wholesale. Don't worry, there are plenty of companies offering services online for wholesale prices if you by in quantity. Let's say that you find out that XYZ Retailer has 10 refurbished MP3 players that you can purchase for $50 each. The new cost would be well over $100. Now, you can list them on eBay and make a solid profit on these, right?

Don't Make Less Than It's Worth

One problem that many mistakenly run into is not getting their money's worth out of the products. But, eBay has protection here too. If you don't want to lose any money on your MP3 purchases, you simply use a reserve on your auction. This term means simply that until the reserve is met, the product will not be sold. So, if Jane Doe is the only bidder and only bids a mere penny, she won't win the bid unless she raises her bid to meet your reserve or beyond.

Keys To Being A Successful Auctioneer

eBay is not the only company that you can auction with but with over 2.6 million users each day, it is definitely the one to go to in order to make that five figure income. Here are some tips to be successful.

a. Provide excellent, crisp and clear pictures. Make them as professional as possible by making them large enough to see detail. Offer several views. Along with the picture, provide an easy to read description. It needs to be detailed and can often be borrowed from the manufacturer's website. List the quality of the product and be clear about the condition it is in.

b. Drive feedback up. One of the risks of eBay is that people are leery about providing their information to you. Will you deliver? The way to know if a seller is worth the risk is through their feedback rating. Keep yours high. Do this by delivering fast, answering questions quickly and clearly and being courteous. Also, make sure that you make your deliveries as safely as possible. Provide a guarantee of the product's quality and deliverables.

So, can you make Sarah's story your story? Do you have a hidden ability to make a product? Or, perhaps you are able to help friends get rid of their products too. In fact some individuals actually pay people for things that they know will sell well on eBay and make a killing on it! It could be a good thing to start a business just by selling what's lying on your desk right now. Hmmm, what could you sell?

eBay may be the place for you to make a solid income. Consider taking a course to make sure you get all the tips and tricks out there.

Keith Lee is a motivational speaker, a life coach and a fitness instructor for the past 10 yeras. He study and did research on the Internet Marketing Industry for years. Go to his webiste http://www.MyInternetMarketingSuccess.com for some superb tips.