Having Fun Saving and Making Extra Money

I'm a preschool teacher, but just started a month off of work without pay (we close in August for maintenance and teacher training). To top that off, we just received a large and unexpected bill in the mail! To try and get through this period, I've started a little "contest" with myself to see if I can go at least a week without spending any unnecessary money, or if I can even make some extra money.

For example, yesterday I didn't spend any money all day (though I was home almost all day, to be fair!), and even "saved" some money by returning a couple of overlooked, overdue items to the library that were racking up late fees. Today I have to go out, but when I do, I'll take back some items that I've been meaning to return. I won't buy anything new at the store while I'm there, so I'll actually "make" money from the refunds.

I also started some auctions on eBay last night, so if that goes well, there's a little extra there too. Making this into a fun challenge for myself takes some of the sting out of having to "do without" right now, and it'll actually be kind of fun to see how much money I can earn in one way or another!

By Lisa from Kenosha, WI