How single mum boosted her income by $1,416 inside a month (2024)

A single mum and financial adviser has revealed the eight things she did to boost her income by more than $1,400 in March - and how you can too.

Canna Campbell, from Sydney, conducts two financial challenges each year - dubbed Frugal February and Manifesting March - where she saves and hustles as much extra cash as she can to invest for the future.

After accumulating $750 from savings this February, Canna managed to make $1,416 outside of her salary in March.

'Manifesting March is all about looking for the opportunity to grow, earn, create and manifest extra money inside 31 days,' Canna said in a YouTube video.

So how did she do it?

1. Sell some clothes

The first thing Canna did was go through her wardrobe and sell any old clothes she no longer wore or needed.

'I used the excuse of March to sell all my old clothes I no longer needed and put them up for sale on my Instagram account, Gumtree and eBay,' Canna said.

Often, you'd be surprised how much other people are willing to pay for items that you no longer deem wearable.

2. Conduct market research

The second thing the financial adviser did was sign up to as many market research companies as possible.

Canna said conducting market research never takes much time out of your day, and often the studies are conducted online or over Zoom - which means you don't even have to change location.

Studies can pay around $100 and upwards if you are quick and flexible with them. This is all good cash that can be saved and invested for later.

3. Used her Dine and Discover vouchers

Thirdly, Canna said she used her vouchers from the New South Wales government, which allow people in the state $100 free cash to spend on eating out and experiences.

'I jumped online and downloaded my Service New South Wales app,' Canna said.

'Then I was able to eat out and do things like go to the movies almost for free.'

4. Received some dividends

Canna was lucky to receive some dividends throughout the month of March from two dimensional assets, all of which she quickly saved and invested immediately.

'I didn't do any work to earn those dividends; that was my money working for me,' she said.

'I try to think of money and passive income as like a waterfall. It's a continuous flow of money into your life.'

5. Made random savings

Canna was able to make some 'random savings' during March, such as $50 when she needed new sneakers and a $25 voucher she didn't know she had from The Iconic.

Every time she saved or made extra money, rather than just spend it, Canna invested it into her Manifesting March fund - contributing to the $1,416.

6. Embraced frugal habits

Some of the habits she tried in February were continued in March according to Canna.

These included having coffees at home, taking lunch to work and doing her own pedicures and facials.

'All of these things add up and they are good to try all year round to make major savings,' she said.

7. Invested her tax return

Canna was lucky to get her tax return in March, as it was overdue and she had been told she wouldn't get much this year due to her investments being cash flow positive.

'My tax refund ended up being double what the accountant said it would be,' Canna said.

This cash was directly put into the Manifesting March fund.

8. Embraced cash rewards

Shopping through certain websites or apps like Cash Rewards or Shopback is free money that will come back to you 'tax-free'.

Canna said by changing her life just slightly, she was able to generate some extra money.