During this time of year, everyone has to report how much income they made last year. You will probably receive a tax refund of a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars. Hopefully, you are not one of those people that blow the money on useless things, worst yet on things that will not make you any money for the rest of the year.

The top 5 things tax refunds are used on are:

• Vacations
• Furniture
• Debt/Bills
• Electronics
• Savings

The ways financial experts say you should spend it include:

• Save it
• Invest it
• Splurge
• Fund College Education

In the past, I’ve used my tax refunds to pay down bills, go on vacation, buy computers and televisions, and give away to family or friends. I still have some of the things I bought including the computer I am using to type this article and the television my son is watching right now. I still have the vacation memories and pictures.

The money I gave away? Well, I’ll never see it again. Even the little portion I saved is gone because I had to use it for some “emergency”. I regret that I did not use the money more wisely. I enjoyed the things I spent the refund on for the moment, but it did not have a lasting benefit.

Now that tax season is here again I thought I’d share one of the smartest ways you can use your tax refund for the longest term benefit possible. Using this method will solve the number one problem single mothers have. That problem is not having enough money.

To solve that problem the “experts” say you should reduce your spending and cut cost on as many things as possible. It’s likely you are already doing that but not enough or absolutely no extra money is in your bank account.

So I propose you use a small portion of the tax refund windfall for a more solid investment. To make extra money you should start a part-time business. Now before you get all nervous because you don’t know the first thing about business, let me assure you that you don’t have to know about business to make extra money. When you buy a business in a box or business kit you will have a step-by-step guide from start to finish.

Now your heart is probably beating double time because the thought of buying a business in a box or any other kind of business probably brings up images of spending thousands of dollars like you would in a franchise. That is not what I’m talking about at all.

What I’m suggesting costs less than $50 for a complete business system. Here are seven business ideas to consider even if you don’t feel you have the talent or ability to do anything special.

Part-Time Cleaning Business

Everybody can clean, right? We all learn this skill at a very young age. A cleaning business is pretty much a no-brainer. You do what you would do at home, only 10 times better because you are getting paid. Speaking of getting paid you can make hundreds of extra money a week doing part-time work.

If you are thinking about the economy and that the cleaning business is taking a hit, you are partially right. Residential cleaning has slowed a bit because of layoffs but an office cleaning business is another story. There will always be doctors, dentists, car dealers, and many other offices that need cleaning. You might as well get a piece of the pie and you can get started for less than $50 dollars.

The great thing is you can start almost immediately because you will get the step-by-step instructions as well as all the forms you need to get started.

Tutoring Business

Like the cleaning business, you probably know a lot about one or two academic or career topics. If your favorite subject was history or math you can probably teach it to a student. You can make anywhere from $30-$50 an hour. If you have a degree you can teach your subject for a lot more money.

Starting a tutoring service is simple when you have an expert to show you how. Normally you’d have to pay a lot of money to have someone coach you through the process, but with a business kit, that outlines all the steps and includes forms as well as secrets to getting all the clients you can handle, the process is much easier.

As a bonus, you will be able to build a website from a template as well as interact with other tutors in other parts of the country. You’d have a built-in support system. And since it’s less than $50 you know your tax refund will go much further in benefiting your life than if you spend it on frivolous items.

Bookkeeping Business

If you are one of those people who are good with accounting and bookkeeping you can start your own bookkeeping business. For a few years, I worked as a bookkeeper and had other people asking me if I would help them with their books. It is an in-demand service, especially around tax time. People and businesses are scrambling to get a year’s worth of paperwork in order so they can get their taxes done.

Like the cleaning and tutoring service, you can do this part-time and still make great money in the process. All the instructions are included in the business kit and support is available for you all for less than $50.

T-Shirts, Childcare, Catering, Face Painting Businesses

These are just a few ways to make good use of your tax refund using the skills you have. If you just don’t feel cut out for any of those businesses consider starting a T-shirt business if you are feeling artistic or witty. T-shirts are still very popular and you can make great money designing and selling them.

If you love to cook and entertain you might think about putting your talents and tax refund to good use in a Catering Business. Food never goes out of style and neither does the need for a general or specialty caterer.

Love kids and have space and time because of unemployment? Why not start a home-based daycare? It doesn’t have to be the standard daycare set up for age 0-5 kids. You could do overnight, weekend, or special occasion child care. If you are feeling adventurous you could tutor kids in an after-school program.

Lastly, for a little fun, why not try being a face painter at all the events that cater to kids. Face Painting is one of the most popular attractions at local fairs and events. You could learn how to paint faces and turn it into a thriving part-time face painting business, all with a business-in-a-box to show you how.

I’ve given you many good ideas and reasons why you absolutely must use part of your tax refund to start a business. I’ve shown you how to do it with a business-in-a-box and I’ve explained how it can be done for less than $50. The benefits far outweigh the risk.

So many people, especially moms, have asked me how they can start making extra money and how they can start a business with no money. The reality is any good business requires an investment. But I’ve shown you how you can take what is essentially free money and use it to make the extra money you need for as long as you like with a business of your own.

Taking the initiative to learn how to make extra money is entirely up to you. I can’t imagine you would want to go another year feeling frustrated because you need extra money for bills, tires or repairs for the car, clothes for the kids, or other emergencies that come up. Unfortunately, the tax refund doesn’t last that long if it is not used properly and it is often not enough to cover all the extras that come up during the year.

You have the solution right at your fingertips. Now it’s up to you to take advantage of it and work the business that feels right for you and will help ease the financial burden you experience month after month. Here are the business kits I recommend you invest in. I’ve also included two free ebooks to show you how to start a business and how to market a business. Use them both to enhance the business kit you decide to purchase for under $50 with a small portion of your tax refund this year.

Part -time Cleaning Business

Be a high paid tutor

Bookkeeping Business

T-shirt Business

Home Daycare Business

Catering Business

Face Painting

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Basic Business

Marketing Basics

P.S. I make a small commission on the business kit you purchase. Please consider it a love gift to me for bringing you such great content for the last three years!

Samantha Gregory

Samantha A. Gregory is an author, consultant, and speaker. She’s a single-mom lifestyle, money, and parenting expert featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Essence Magazine, HuffPost, ABC News, and Mint.com.

Samantha founded the award-winning RichSingleMomma.com™, the first online magazine featuring personal finance, parenting, and personal development content and courses for single moms.

She aims to inspire women who are ready to thrive and not just survive in their single motherhood journey. Connect with her on Instagram @richsinglemomma.