Six Ways to Invest $5

Many people want to invest their money, but don't because they don't think they have a large enough investment. Investing is a state of mind as much as an actual activity. It means seeing money as a tool, not a means to a new HD flat screen TV. In an investing frame of mind, even five dollars is enough money to invest. Here's six basic ways you can invest when all you have is one five-dollar bill.

1. Interest-Bearing Checking Account

   Find an interest-bearing checking account that has no minimum balance, such as the Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking at Schwabb.
   

2. Plant Seeds

   Prove mom wrong and show her that money does grow on trees-or tomato plants at least. Use your five bucks to buy garden seeds that need to be started indoors, such as tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries. Buy the cheap plastic start containers and screen the dirt in your own backyard. You can also start indoor flower plants and herbs. The seeds cost very little, but the plants can be sold for several dollars.

3. Buy Materials

   Buy beads and thread to make necklaces or bracelets, fabric remnants to make doll cloths, yarn to make hats or mittens, etc. Sell the items you make for a profit.

4. Foreign Exchange

   You can spend big bucks learning how to exchange American dollars for foreign currency, or you could listen to the news and check the paper to find those that are gaining in value faster than the American dollar. Take your Abraham Lincoln to the bank and exchange it for one of these currencies. Make sure you get paper money in exchange or you won't be able to exchange it back again.

5. Fixer-Uppers

   Find articles in your house that could be sold with a little repair work. Buy paint or glue, make the repair, then clean up the article you want to sell so it looks as new as possible. You can advertise your item on craigslist.org or other free internet classified listings.

6. Advertise Services

   Use your dollar to copy fliers advertising services you are willing to perform, such as child care, home repairs, pet grooming, and so forth. Put two to four fliers on a page and include a coupon to add appeal. Color copies are expensive, so make your fliers stand out by printing black on brightly-colored paper.