1. Get a Side Hustle

If you really look at your weekly schedule, you probably have extra hours in there somewhere. Trade that time for more income doing another service and making a product. It doesn’t have to be the next tech startup, but it should be something that you can sell or can get paid to do. Wash cars, mow neighboring yards, work as a handyman, etc… Think about what skill you can readily use without much additional education and dig into that. You will be surprised the little bit you can make doing a side hustle that comes naturally and doesn’t really take much time out of your week.

2. Get a Second Job

Why start your own thing when you can go down to your local Walmart or Target and pick up a stocking job on your off hours. Or go see if a coffee shop will let you work specifically mornings or evenings. You are a little more limited with your options here, but if you swallow a little bit of pride and find something that suites your schedule, you can quickly find a little bit of extra cash.

3. Ask for a Raise

Sometimes what you are looking for is right in front of you — you just have to look. When is the last time you got a raise? Have you been hitting key objectives and performance indicators to have earned a raise? Are you worth more to your employer than you were six months or a year ago? Evaluate where you stand and think about what you can point to when asking for a raise. Then, gather all those thoughts and approach your employer, or supervising manager, and respectfully layout why you believe you deserve a raise. If this request is rejected, you can then ask what you can do to get that raise. Get a list of objectives to hit, go after those goals, keep track of your progress, and when you have met those agreed upon objectives, return with the objectives and your progress when you ask for the raise again. Asking for a raise takes courage, but you can do it! Just go at it respectfully and gracefully, and you will likely get good results or at least good feedback.