Today I want to talk about a simply way to pocket a little extra cash.  We’ve all thought about turning in our empty soda cans to the local scrap metal facility for cash.  But then we think about the fact that you really don’t earn that much and is it worth our time. After all, it’s much easier to just throw stuff away right?

We’ve All Thought About This

I had the same viewpoint for a long time, until my husband and I started setting aside our soda/beer cans and saving old wire from his job.  Any metal we can across, we would set aside and wait for a day when we could load it all up in his truck and take it to the scrap yard.  We are lucky because part of his job is to take out all the old wire from buildings when they are being remodeled.  Most companies just throw them away, but he started coiling them up and saving them.

We also invested in a $10 soda can crusher and every weekend, he crushes our stash of cans and bags them up.  Before too long, we’ve got a huge load to take.  Yesterday, he took in our most recent load of scrap metal and got $340 for it.  Considering that we could have just thrown these items away, $340 is not bad at all.  It is a electricity bill payment or a simple way to start saving money.  The point is, look beyond the box and realize that making money is not always just your particular job.  Take a little extra time to save those cans and even ask your neighbors or family members to save them for you.  You may not have access to wire the way my husband does, but do a quick search on craigslist and you’ll see people listing “free” items like broken appliances or scrap metal that they just want you to come pick up and get out of their space.  This is a great opportunity to grab some scrap metal for free and make a few dollars.

Take it to the Next Level – Create Your Own Business

Some people have even made businesses out of this idea.  They offer their “pick up services” to people/businesses who need to get rid of scrap metal.  It’s easy to implement… just build a quick website, post some advertising, or seek out these businesses and start making money.