One of the biggest factors in how fast you can pay off debt, is your income. If you have $30,000 in debt, $5,000 extra dollars can shave off a couple months off your debt snowball. If you’re really serious about getting out of debt fast, your best bet is to get a side hustle or two!

My husband works retail, so right now with the holidays, he’s getting extra hours. I work from home as a remote assistant, it’s contract based, so I choose when and how much I work.

I have a couple other things I do to bring in the green. I sell makeup and skincare with Younique. It’s a great company to work for with 20-25% commission. They gave me a great starter kit of products to use for myself and I don’t have to keep any inventory on hand. There’s no subscription fees or anything, so for a small one time investment, I have amazing earning potential! Network marketing gigs are usually pretty lucrative if you’re willing to work for it! You can see more here.

I have also gone through all my clothes and fashionable items, decided what I wanted to keep and would actually use. With everything that was still in good/new condition, I listed it for sale on Facebook, EBay and Mercari. Some people do yard sales to get rid of a lot in a short go, but with it being winter, we couldn’t do that. I’ll probably have one early next summer to get rid of anything that hasn’t sold online.

When I started budgeting, I was using multiple notebooks and planners. I hate having to use separate items. So I designed and published my own budgeting planner! I made it with a monthly and weekly budget page with notes sections. That way you can keep all your noes, goals, plans and budgets in one place! You can find them here: Katherine Springer Budget Planners.

Of course I already sold my car to bring in some extra money and eliminate a bill. But if you have any larger items with wheels, they usually sell well and can free up some money to put towards debt.

Since we have 2 kids, it would be counterproductive for me to go get a regular job. The cost of childcare would pretty much eliminate any income I would bring. And I don’t want anyone else to raise my kids. It may take us a little longer to get debt free because of that, but it’s a sacrifice we are willing to make.

Some other things to consider when looking for extra income, what are your talents or passions? Do you have a good eye? You could take pictures. Are you good with computers? Can you do coding? If you’re good at something, see if you can offer a service relating to it. Tutor, coach, pet sit, all of these can be done in your time off your 9-5. If you have the ability to get extra hours at work, go for that!

Many people get second, part time jobs to supplement their income while working on paying off debt. If you’re interested in other careers, this is a great way to explore your interests to see if you actually want to make a job change. Sometimes your second job becomes your full time job because it’s just a better fit!