Searching for financial freedom?  Here are some great tips to earn money:

1. Purchasing a short sale.  A short sale means that a property is sold for less than is owed on it, and is typically used when a lendee cannot repay the debt and wants to avoid a foreclosure or repossession.  If you are interested in purchasing a home, a short sale can be an attractive option as you can typically purchase a property at less than its value.  However, any purchase will not only need to be approved by the seller, but also by their lender, which can create large delays and may even cause an offer to not be accepted.

2. Sell items through eBay.  This is a business that you can start small.  While there are many millions of potential buyers on eBay, you are also facing thousands of competitors.  As such, you will want to establish credibility by making a small number of sales to generate positive feedback.  For example, try selling used clothes or items from around the house.

3. Develop a website to earn pay-per-click advertising revenue through a program such as Google Adwords.  This can generate revenue each and every week.  There are other ways to generate revenue through website traffic as well, such as through affiliate marketing programs.  Use search optimization techniques to get your pages to the top of Google searches and increase the stream of visitors.

4. Be wary of get-rich-quick programs.  Any program that promises instant success or unrealistic returns is likely a waste of time.  Do not join programs that require upfront payments, as they are typically scams.

If you're already struggling to make ends meet, don't give up hope.   Here are some tips:

1. Bank consolidation.  If you are struggling under the burden of debt and do not see a way to pay all of your commitments, consolidating into a single loan can not only make things simpler, it can also save money.  For example, if you have hundreds of dollars in credit card debt at 19% interest, an auto loan at 15% interest, and a retail line of credit at 18% interest, you may be able to consolidate all of these debts into a single loan that is at 9% interest.  This is particularly useful if you have good credit.  One downside is that if you are already missing payments or having late payments, your credit may be too poor for a bank to consider your loan an acceptable risk.

2. Credit counseling bureaus are to be avoided.  These organizations are non-profits that claim to be available to help you out of doubt, but in reality, the industry has been funded in large part by creditors and lenders who are interested only in receiving the maximum amount of repayment.