Are you looking for creative ways to spend extra money?  Well, look no further. During those rare and precious times when you have a little extra money on hand, it’s good to have a plan on how to spend it. Here are a few creative ways to spend money, save time and enhance your life.

10 Creative Ways to Spend Extra Money

1. Update Your Skills

You can update your computer skills or learn something new like nutrition, computer science, finance, and personal development. There are a variety of resources that you can use at a relatively low cost. You can even take college courses online, and be taught by professors from some of the top universities across the country. Check out www.coursera.org and edx.org, some of the courses are free or for a certificate of completion you can pay between $49 to $89.

2. Hire a Private Chef

Take this time and splurge a little on a private chef. For instance, you can have an elegant meal made by a private chef in the comfort of your own home or take a cooking class. If you are in the Chicago area, check out Chef Alia at www.aliadalal.com, she’s great! I recently enlisted Alia and took a clean eating “jumpstart” course with her. She gave me a grocery store tour, weekly assignments, meal planning techniques, and accountability calls. It was a great experience!

3. Get a Career Coach

Enlist the services of a career coach, they can help you find your dream career, become an entrepreneur, or move up the ladder. I have had a career coach at several different times in my life, last year I found Anna Runyan at www.classycareergirl.com. Besides career coaching, she also has an awesome blog, supportive community online, accountability partners, and informative videos. Gaining extra knowledge is valuable for anyone at any level!

4. Take a Healthy Lifestyle Challenge

Use your extra money and join a healthy lifestyle community online or check your local gym for specials. This is a great way to switch up your routine, learn some new techniques and find a supportive community. In the beginning of the year, health and wellness opportunities are abundant and usual offered at a discounted price. Take advantage of the deal and embark on a healthy lifestyle.

5. Splurge on a Housekeeper

This is a great opportunity to delegate and hire someone else. Put your feet up and let someone else do the dirty work! When you free up your time, you can spend more time with loved ones and/or work on your dream career. Check out Groupon.com or livingsocal.com for local specials.

6. Attend a Dream Conference

You can search online for conferences or workshops with your hobbies or interests in mind. For instance, you can find something focused on women issues, writing, wealth building, or relationships. This is a great opportunity to learn something new and expand your network. Check Eventbrite.com for events in your area or across the country.

7. Be a Fashionista

Take this opportunity to update your wardrobe or get a new style. Do you need a new pair of shoes or new suit for an interview? Check out your Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, or Target for affordable shoes and clothing. Try out a new hair salon and get a consultation. Everyone feels good and confident when they have new threads or a new hair style.

8. Professional Organizer

If you feel overwhelmed with clutter and do not know where to start, enlist the help of a professional organizer. They can get you organized for relocating, downsizing, or rearranging your office space. Sometimes it takes an outsider with organizing skills to help you purge, rearrange and see things differently. Most of them offer a free consultation and then you can find the best option for you.

9. Makeover your Home

With a few extra funds, you can do a mini home makeover. This can range from new dining room chairs, fresh coat of paint, new sofa, carpet or windows. The makeover project can extend to new appliances such as a new stove or washing machine. During the winter and spring month’s retailers will have huge sales and deep discounts. Remember to keep your receipts for tax purposes, if your upgrades are energy efficient.

10. Become a Budgetnista

When you get to spend extra money, give your finances some attention. You can build up your emergency fund, contribute to your retirement plan, or pay off some credit card debt. Setup automatic deposits and add a few extra dollars to your savings account. Another idea could be contributing extra dollars to your retirement plan based on the IRS guidelines. Lastly, pay off the balance of your smaller credit card accounts. After you pay off the smaller balances you can add more dollars to the larger credit card balances. Once you pay off the credit card balance, take the card out of your wallet so that you won’t be tempted to use it again.

These are just a few tips on how to creatively spend extra money. Taking advantage of any of these tips is sure to enhance you personally and professionally. Being able to spend extra money with a plan is contagious and makes us feel good and motivated to accomplish more!