If you are looking to earn more money, perhaps to help to make ends meet, pay some expenses, pay off a loan or buy some treats, then you will need to find the time to do so. There are a lot of things that you can try, but you need to commit time to all of them. Whether you decide that you would like to work more hours, find a second job, start a business or do anything else they will all take time and so you will need to think about where you will get that time from.

We all lead busy lives these days and so snatching spare time can be really difficult. It can seem hard enough to find the time to cook meals, exercise and even sleep properly and so imagining that we can find some time to earn more money could be beyond our comprehension. However, it is not impossible by any means. It is worth doing a few things to find out/

• Note down how we spend our time – it can be really good to start by noting down how we spend our time. Note down, for a week or so, what you do with all parts of your day. You will spend some time working, travelling to work, eating, sleeping, looking after family and doing chores. However, we will also spend time relaxing, doing hobbies, on social media, socialising, going out to places and things like this. Note down exactly what you do and how long for and then you will have a pile of data to analyse. Make sure that you choose a typical week to note down the times that you do things as otherwise it will not be an accurate set of data to analyse.
• Consider where we might be able to fit in extra work– once you have your data then you need to start thinking where you have the time to earn more. Look at your leisure time and whether you can change some of that to work time. Obviously, it will depend on what you do in your leisure time and how much of it you have. We all need to be given an opportunity to wind down and have some fun in between bouts of work and so it could be quite a squeeze but it all depends on the individual. Many of us may find that we waste a lot of time without realising it. It might that we spend a very long time on social media, that we waste time on our commute or that we spend too long in the bath! It is worth thinking about whether you think that this time is wasted or whether it is really important to you.
• Consider what work might be most suitable to do in that time
  Once you have identified the time that you have available then you need to consider what you will be doing with that time. You need to think about whether you have time to travel to a job or whether you will need to do extra hours in your current job or work from home. All of these could be possibilities and it is just a case of finding something which will suit you. It is wise to think about the types of things that you would like to do. It might be that you want to do something that is fun and feels more like a hobby so that you keep it casual. You will also need to think about whether you need something that will give you a regular income or whether it is okay to do freelance work or something like that where you will be able to earn on an ad hoc basis.

This decision can take some time. However, by working through these steps you will be in a better position to be able to make decisions. You will know how much spare time you really have and what you will have to change if you want to free up more time. It is likely that you will have to reduce your down time so that you can work extra. This can be harder for some people than others. It can depend on whether you need to spend time with family or winding down from a stressful job and whether you still have lots of energy that you can apply to working when you have already been working. If you do not already work, it does not mean that you will have any more time or energy as you may be looking after family or busy with other commitments. However, even if you can just do a few more hours a week, you should be able to start to get a bit more money which should help you.

It often seems to be the case that prices are increasing. It can feel that whatever we buy, we need to pay more for it and if we are not seeing an increase in our income then that can mean that we are worse off. However, there are things that you can do to cope when prices go up and it is worth considering whether you want to have a go at any of them.

• Compare prices – it is a really good idea to start by comparing prices on everything that you buy. You may find that you are paying a lot more than necessary and this could make a big difference. Look at everything you buy not just when you go to the store but those regular payments such as for payday loans, cell phones, utilities and insurance. The larger the payment, the more money you can potentially save. If you can spend less on even half of the things that you are buying then you will spend significantly less money even considering any increase in prices that has happened recently. If you can put the money that you are saving into a savings account then this could help you to afford any rises in prices that happen in the future. It is important to keep comparing prices though as you may find that the item that is the cheapest now, may not be the cheapest in the future and so you may need to change where you buy things every so often. This might feel like a big effort, but it can be really well worth it. You can soon get into a habit of comparing prices whenever you shop and this will get easier.

It can often feel like you should look for bargains or sales in order to save money. However, this can be a mistake sometimes as we can be tempted to buy a lot of things because they seem cheap but we do not consider whether we really need them.

• Reduce what you buy – you may also need to reduce the amount of things that you buy so that you will not need to spend so much money. This can be tricky but we probably all buy more items than we actually need and so it could be a good idea to think about whether we really need to buy it all. It is wise to ask yourself before you buy anything as to whether you really need it. Consider whether there are alternatives to buying that specific thing or whether you can wait to buy it at another time.

Sometimes we buy things out of habit or we buy lots of things for the same reason. Think about whether everything you buy is really needed. It is worth remembering that if you do not buy a certain item it does not mean that it will not be available at a later date. Take some time to think about whether you really want it and if you need it and whether you think it is good value for money based on how much pleasure you will get from it.

• Earn more money – another way to get around the price increases is to earn more money so that you can afford it. This is a way to reduce any stress caused by increases in prices without having to go without things or to search for cheaper things. Many people will prefer this as they will not like to go without or to have to go through the hassle of having to keep checking prices all of the time.  Earning more is easier for some people than others. Some people might be able to get regular pay rises in their job and therefore manage any increase in prices anyway, however others may have to apply for a pay rise and go through a process in order to do this. It may be that there will not be a pay rise available without a promotion and these may or may not be available or they may not be something that you are interested in trying for as there may be an increased responsibility associated with it. It may be easier to just work some extra hours or to think about doing a second job or some freelance work to get some extra money. There are many options, especially with online work growing so it could be something that will be a good option for you.

It is great that there is a selection of options that you can consider. It should allow you to come up with a plan on moving forward and making sure that you are capable of coping with any increase in prices. You can use a combination of ideas or just stick to one, but hopefully there will be something that you can do to help.