Your home needs constant care and regular updates so that it can stay in great shape. This may call for a lot of money, something that’s difficult if you have a debt to deal with. The good news is that there are a number of low-cost updates that you can make to your home this summer so that you keep it in an amazing state without getting even deeper into debt than you already are.

1. Upgrade Your Bedding

One of the best and most affordable upgrades that you can make to your home is to upgrade the bedding. While at it, you can get a new mattress, especially if you’ve had your current one for a long time. If you want to go shopping for a new mattress, keep in mind that spring mattresses have been around since 1857 and they’re still one of the most popular types of mattresses. This means that you should look into getting a spring mattress that’s good quality. When you do this, and pair this purchase with a few good bed sheets and bed covers, you may make your bedroom a lot more comfortable.

2. Clean Your Home’s Exterior

Next, it’s surprising what a thorough cleaning can help you achieve for your home. This is the case for both your home’s interior and the exterior. If you don’t have any experience working with a pressure washer, you may want to look into exactly how to do it. Alternatively, you could hire a professional to come and pressure-wash your home’s siding. This will take away all the dirt and grime that’s accumulated over the past seasons, leaving your home looking as good as new. Keep in mind that the average cost of installing vinyl siding comes up to anywhere from about $4.15 to $15.25 per square foot, according to This Old House. This is a tidy sum that you’ll have to pay for damaging your home’s siding if it’s not already in a state that needs repairs. That said, it’s best to try and avoid this from becoming an eventuality.

3. Declutter Thoroughly

Another low-cost upgrade that you could make to your home this summer is to do a thorough decluttering of your home. This only needs time and able hands, so you can set aside a free afternoon or a weekend, depending on the size of your house and how much clutter you have in the house. You can collect items, appliances, and other things that you no longer use in your home and either give them away or sell them. By selling them, you can take a proactive step towards getting money that will help you manage your debt and finances. While you may be a long way away from a bankruptcy filing, keep in mind that one of these remains on your credit report for up to 10 years. It’s therefore good to do all that you can do to avoid this from becoming an eventuality in any way.

4. Paint The Interior

The final low-cost upgrade that you can make to your home in summer is to paint the interior. While it’s generally possible to negotiate and get a fair price for your painting job, you can save even more money by doing it yourself. If you’re in good physical shape and can find a few people to help, all you need to do is to look for instructions online. These can help you get the job done well and teach you a thing or two that you might benefit from in the future.

Consider making any or all of these upgrades to your home this summer. They don’t have to break the bank and add on to the debt that you have to deal with. They can help you save some money while keeping your home in amazing shape.

People are constantly looking for ways to supplement their income without leaving the workforce, so side hustles are on the rise. In addition to your main job, you can supplement your income and professional development with a side hustle. In this article, we’ll go over some of the benefits of starting one.

1. Learn New Skills

A side hustle can help you earn extra cash, but sometimes it’s even more valuable than that. You can learn new skills that will make you more marketable in your current job or help you transition into another one.

For example, you can learn to build websites. HubSpot estimates that there are currently more than 1.8 billion online websites, and that number will only grow in the coming years. If you’re in marketing or sales, knowing how to build websites could be an invaluable skill for your career and one that might not be taught in school or at work.

2. Make Extra Money

Personal finance is one of the most crucial aspects of your life. It can help you save money, invest wisely, and make smart financial decisions. Another benefit of starting a side hustle is that it can make you money. The ability to supplement your income is priceless, whether your goals are to reduce your debt load, build an emergency fund, or simply live comfortably.

You may be surprised at how quickly your side hustle can start paying off. You can easily start making money by the end of the week if you’re willing to put in the time and effort.

3. Get Experience in Your Field

Launching a side business can be a great way to gain experience in a new industry and pave the way to a full-time job. You’ll get experience working in a new area and can show potential employers that you’re serious about making it in the industry.

In addition to building up your resume, you’ll also gain valuable skills by doing something independently. When you’re working on your side hustle, you’ll learn new techniques and processes that may help improve your performance at work.

4. Establish a Network

When you start a side hustle, you establish yourself as a professional. You are showing your ability to work on multiple projects and meet deadlines, which is an invaluable skill. You also have the opportunity to build relationships with people who can help you in your future career. Having more contacts opens up more doors for you socially and professionally.

Ask a new acquaintance about their work, how it operates, and what they enjoy about it. This will help you find out what jobs are out there, what skills are needed, and which ones you might be interested in pursuing yourself.

5. Expand and Grow

When you start a side business, you have the potential to earn more than your full-time job. A new business’s potential earnings are infinite. You can work on your start-up as much or as little as you want, and it’s up to you how quickly you grow and scale.

If you have a successful side hustle, you can leverage it into a full-time job or use it to expand your current business. Profitable businesses in the $100,000 per year range should be valued at $200,000 to $300,000 because they have more potential for growth than most other types of businesses.

Starting a side hustle can be an excellent way to get ahead with your personal finance, but it’s important to ensure you’re not leaving yourself open to lawsuits. Business tort lawsuits accounted for less than 5% of civil filings in state courts in 2017, which means you should still be aware of the risks. As long as you stay informed about your rights and responsibilities as an entrepreneur and follow best practices for self-employment, it’s easy to protect yourself from liability and other legal issues.

Bonus Hustle: Selling Vintage Comic Books

Collectors pay top dollar for valuable vintage comic books. You can sell old comic books online to collectors via auction sites whenever new comic book films are announced. The collectors’ market experiences surges and spikes whenever a new comic book film or streaming show is announced. If you can find the source material comics or comics created in the same era, you might be able to sell it to interested collectors.

It helps to be a comic book fan, but you don’t need to be one. After all, the people who buy your comics will mostly be comic book fans.  Try to make connections. Go to comic book stores.  Connect with comic book fans. Learn something about comic book fandom.

You can find free comic books, or cheap ones, at yard sales or through family and friends. Many people give their comics away on social media and classified sites. To understand the value of the comics you’re selling, there are many online comic book price guides that you can use to check the current market value of the comic.

Keep in mind that you won’t become financially secure overnight doing this. But if you keep sourcing comic books to sell, you could make it a regular side gig to make a few bucks every now and then.