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Maybe you’re a stay-at-home mom looking for a new career, or a college student hoping to make money on a flexible schedule. No matter your situation, the web is the perfect place to explore money-making possibilities. There are plenty of options out there — which you choose will depend on your interests, skills, time availability, and willingness to put in the work.

Here are five legitimate ways that you can make money online in this coming year, and beyond.

Virtual Work

As more and more businesses are created online, there is a much bigger demand for virtual help. If you have a computer and a reliable internet connection, you can make money doing work over the web.

Student loan consolidation is often touted as one of the big perks of using federal student loans. Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths out there about consolidating your student loans. This leads many graduates to assume that consolidating their loans is a great option—or even the only option if they want to get out of making umpteen separate payments each month.

This isn’t to say, though, that consolidation is always a bad thing. In fact, in some instances, it can be a helpful move with your student loans. But before you jump on the bandwagon, make sure you understand all the angles and options.

Myths about student loan consolidation

First, let’s clear up some myths about federal student loan consolidation. These will help you be more educated before you make a decision on how to proceed.

Savings is a huge part of personal finance. In general, you can always do two things to improve your financial situation: save more and earn more. Although earning more is a lofty goal, income is never guaranteed. But if you have solid savings and have established good spending habits, you can pretty much live on any income.

To understand where you currently are in terms of savings, it’s best to know your personal savings rate. Read further to learn how to calculate your personal savings rate.

What’s Your Personal Savings Rate?

Your personal savings rate is how much money you set aside for savings goals compared to how much money you bring home. In mathematical terms, it’s your total personal savings divided by your total income after tax.

Personal Savings Rate = Total Personal Savings / Total Income After Tax

Expensive hobbies can really wreak havoc on your budget. Fortunately, there are frugal hobbies out there that are enjoyable and offer money-saving opportunities. Here’s a list of ten hobbies that save you money plus how you can save money on each one of them:

Gardening

Fruits and vegetables are great for your diet, but not so nice on your wallet. Produce can easily be the largest category on your grocery bill. Picking up a gardening hobby can help you save money on fruits and vegetables. You can grow your own for a fraction of the price that grocery stores sell them for. What’s more is that most fruits and vegetables have seeds for you to regrow them at no cost!

How to save money on a gardening hobby: Opt for good soil when you shop. It may cost a little more upfront, but it will ensure that your fruits and vegetables grow properly nourished. You can also make your own compost from kitchen scraps rather than buying fertilizer.