Six Moves That Saved Me Thousands

While everyone manages his money differently, there's value in trying strategies that have been successful for other people.

Here are some moves that helped me:

Trash your TV: The average American watches more than 30 hours of TV a week. Getting rid of my TV helped me find the time to become a freelance writer. The same idea applies to video games and Web surfing.

There are also the upfront costs for the TV itself, cable service and all the extras. The financial impact of TV can be significant.

Get organized: I had far too much junk in my house a few years back. The closets and storage areas were full of stuff I hadn't used for years. I needed more space and buying a bigger house wasn't an option.

I made a simple rule: For every new item I bought, five had to go. Eventually, I lowered the number to two. Some went to charity or in the trash. I sold others on eBay(EBAY Quote) and Craigslist. In the process, I became more selective about my purchases and made a decent amount of money selling stuff I didn't need.

Start a part-time business: Many people aspire to be part of a profession that's outside of their current field. For most people, the only way to get that job is to create it yourself. I started writing on the side while working full-time in a different job. Eventually, my writing became the primary source of my income. If there's something you enjoy doing that could be turned into a business, there's no harm in giving it a try.