Modern day finance is something not many of us "young people" understand completely. Handling our hard-earned cash is something we are not always prepared for. It is challenging to budget and not just buy all the luxury items we want so badly! Don't let yourself go through life penny-pinching and living paycheck to paycheck. I am here to talk about how you can become an expert on handling your money.

I was not much of a saver; I like to spend my money like there is no tomorrow. I always seemed to have just enough to buy what I wanted, but my shopping caught up with me. It was fun for a little while to shop until I dropped until I found myself having to borrow money form my friends and family to be able to pay for all my needs. Needless to say, I became a saver. I am 18 years old, I pay my monthly bills, and I am still able to buy what I want and have fun too! How do I do it? Here is where it all began....

I got home for the summer with $200 in my bank account. To a teenager, that seems like a fortune...it is not. After paying my insurance and phone bill, that $200 became nothing. How was I supposed to have the summer of my dreams with no money? It was time to clear out the useless items from my house. I took a week to get organized and pack up things I did not need in my life. I had years of clothing that I had done nothing with; I took them to a used clothing store and after several trips, I made an impressive $400. I was shocked; I expected to get around $80. That extra money gave me a kick start to the most savings I have ever had.

Next, I started my own business. I became an independent marketer. I found work at an insurance branch where I make $15 an hour. Yes, $15 an hour. Way more money then I am qualified to make. I do have to take my own taxes out and handle all those not so fun things that our employers typically handle for us, but getting $12 an hour after taxes in incredible. My hours are great, because I am independently managed, so I make my own hours. I work around 20 hours a week (Monday-Thursday 8:30-1:30), which gives me many hours of free time. I gave myself a goal of getting $1,000 into my savings account, and I exceeded that goal which six months ago seemed impossible.

My third money-making tactic was to make my hobby into income. I love to crochet and knit, so I hit the craft store with coupons, coupons, and more coupons. I have probably spent $250 on $500 worth of yarn. It was an investment in a product I know will make me an additional income. I knit and crochet for fun, so I enjoy what I do, and it does not even feel like I'm working. I am part of rewards programs, so I earn gift cards every month at the craft store for ten dollars. That ten dollars will buy me enough to make two or three projects (projected sales price at $20 a piece). I have not sold any of my products yet, but I am scheduled to be at a few craft fairs this fall. I turned something I would do anyway into a business investment. I even got ahead and made Christmas gifts for all my friends and family, which saves me probably around $200 already!

These are just little tips I wanted to share with everybody on how you can make money easily without stressing yourself out. Just have fun with your natural gifts and talents, take little bits of money out of your check each week and watch that savings account grow. Coming from a shopaholic like myself, I hope I encouraged at least one person to put down that magical piece of plastic money and start working harder to create a better future.