I have been thinking about ways to earn extra income outside
regular employment. None of these are quick fixes, but they’re
ways to generate cash in your spare time. And if you start up now,
get good at it, the day your boss goes broke from the recession, you have
a golden parachute!
Do Get a second job
A second job can be an excellent way to earn extra money if you have
the time and energy. Why have a second job?
* In case you lose the main job.
* To pay off your debt
* To build up your savings
* To get more experience
* To ease into a career transition
Real-life example: In 2000, I (whomever wrote this article that I found online, not me, Anita Sands Hernandez,) took a second job programming computers. For several months, I was working forty hours at one job, twenty at another, sixty hours a week. I’ve never been so flush with money in all my life. Too bad I was a spendthrift back then — it was all wasted on computer games, comic books, and Magic cards. (Whatever THOSE are! but me, Anita, when I scored money? I bought velvet and tie-dyes, spent the whole amt. I could have bought VIETNAM OIL STOCKS! Am I crazy or what? Those flared pants I made ended up too small for my senior body!)
Become a consultant
“Consulting” may sound intimidating. It’s really
just a fancy word for someone who trades their knowledge and expertise
for pay. Every time you make a suggestion, recommend a process, draw up
a plan or manage a process, you’re using consulting skills. To get into
consulting, you just need to find someone who can use your expertise.
Real-life example: After I decided that computer programming was not for me, I set up a small computer consulting business. I designed web pages, maintained networks, and repaired computers. Though I didn’t have much work (I never pursued the business as much as I could have), my hourly pay was the highest it’s ever been in my life.
Earn money from your hobbies
If you’re like most people, your hobbies cost money. They may cost lots of money. For example, I used to spend hundreds of dollars for new camera lenses just so I could take better photos of my cats. Is there a way to turn your hobby into a money-making proposition? Even if you make just a little cash, you can help offset your costs. Get Rich Slowly readers have been sharing their stories about money-making hobbies in an ongoing (though irregular) Sunday series:
* Selling digital photos (more
here)
* Binding books and printing buttons
* Antique
or used book shopping
Here are some more ways that you can use your hobbies to bring you wealth.
Real-life example: After spending a fortune on lenses and camera equipment, I’ve actually been able to make a little money on my hobby. The $750 I’ve generated from prizes and sales is peanuts compared to what I’ve spend on the hobby, but it’s a start.
Make money online
Wait. Didn’t I just write that blogging is no way to get rich quick?
Absolutely. But blogging can be a way to supplement your income. If you
have subject that you’re passionate about, and if you like to write, a
blog can let you earn extra money from your expertise. And people
pay you to put ads on your website.
But blogs aren’t the only way to make money online. You could open an online store. You could sell things on eBay. Here’s a list of 10 ways to make money online from Web Worker Daily.
Real-life example: This blog. Well, mine are more like SEMINARS I call it PRO BONO REALITY COLLEGE. Do the same. Put your lessons online. Students come, some stay to become clients! Throw in some graphics they can learn anything, BOOK selling online & book SHELF BUILDING, brick laying, barbecue/ smoker building. ANYTHING.
Sell stuff
A final way to earn some extra cash is to sell things. Look in your
closets. Check your bookshelves. Walk out to the garage. See all that junk?
How much of it do you actually use? Couldn’t you borrow books from the
library when you need them? When was the last time you played Mario Kart
64? Wouldn’t you feel better if your house were less cluttered?
As long as you don’t try to sell it all at once, it doesn’t take much time and effort to sell your used stuff to generate some extra cash.
* Sell your most valuable items on eBay. Google up
E BAY TIPS. My grandpa left me musical scores from Leipzig Opera which
he conducted. WHO KNEW these dusty old books were worth so much money?
* Consider selling certain specialty items to specific
stores: sell your used CDs to a music store, your used Nintendo stuff to
a game store, etc.
* Use Craigslist to sell bulky items, or to get
rid of stuff that just won’t sell. (Google up Craigslist tips.)
* Hold a garage sale to purge everything else. (Our
annual garage sale is just a month away — I can’t wait! I make lemonade
do it on the first warm days of Spring, put out cookies, Sit out in the
garden, the kids selling lemonade or giving it away.)
Real-life example: Once or twice a year, I sell extra stuff I’ve accumulated. Each year at our garage sale, I make about $300. Every couple years, I sell more valuable items on eBay. Last year I made $1500 for a few hours of work.
* Ask for a raise -- Your job is your most important financial asset and using it to make more money represents the low-lying fruit of all money making opportunities. Of course you simply can't demand a raise for showing up. You have to ask for a raise in a way that maximizes your likelihood of getting one. Fortunately it's rather simple: do a great job, make sure others know about your success (especially your boss), then pitch the proper person on why you deserve a raise. If you do these things better than most, you can secure a 5-7% raise while the others are stuck with a cost-of-living adjustment. Also note, it's just as important to NOT do certain things when asking for a raise. Otherwise, you might torpedo your chances for the extra loot.
* Get a promotion -- Ok, let's say you're squeamish about asking for a raise -- how about earning a raise by getting a promotion? It's generally accepted that if you have more responsibility you get paid more. But how do you go about getting a promotion? Basically it's the same way you go about building your case to get a raise -- perform well and make sure everyone knows about it. (Plus you can go "above and beyond" most others by doing things like taking professional classes to enhance your marketability.) Since this tip is dependent on the fact that a position actually opens up in your company, it's not quite as good as asking for a raise in my opinion.
* Change jobs -- Just like it's usually the case that you'll earn more when you get a promotion, most people earn more money when they change jobs (either a lateral change that earns you more or a promotion via job change.) The key here is to market yourself correctly in the job hunt process so you can actually land a job that pays significantly more than your current position. Some job-hunting success tips: make the most of your cover letters, stick with a classic resume that highlights significant job accomplishments, and make the most of your interviews (which includes not asking stupid questions). I've applied these principles several times and I've averaged roughly 13% increases when I've made a move.
A couple other tips that are important when it comes to changing jobs:
* Don't quit your job before you get another one. Quitting without another job is not a good idea and by doing so you're risking your most important financial asset. Believe me, I've seen the disaster. If you're stuck in a job you hate, take specific steps to get out of it, but don't quit without another position lined up.
* Once you do get a job offer, ask for more money before you accept the position. Doing so can pay off big, netting you $1,000 a minute. Not a bad return, huh?
* Start a side business -- Ok, let's say you have a hobby like growing roses or playing video games -- something that may not lend itself easily to making extra money. Instead, you could start a side business (here are some additional tips) of something totally different. Not something you love doing, but not something you hate either. A few examples of what you could do:
o Take a job
no one else wants to do (can you say "pooper scooper?")
o Become a lifestyle
manager
o Advise college-bound
students
o Stage homes
o Start a sign-in-the-yard
business
o Take pictures
or play music
o There are
literally all sorts of things you could do (including selling your blood
-- admittedly it's not a "business", but I just had to throw in this idea
to show how some people are so creative when it comes to making money)
MORE IDEAS are at my COTTAGE
INDUSTRY WEBSITE
Or, if you don't feel like you're able to start your own business, maybe you could buy an existing business.
* Maximize your investments -- At first blush, it may not seem like there's a lot of extra income potential in earning an additional percentage or two on your investments. Over the short-term, there isn't. However, when time and compounding are considered, eeking out even an extra 1% could mean thousands of extra dollars for you. Personally, I like index funds because they beat most investments in the long term and take a minimal amount of time to manage. Combine them with the proper asset allocation and regular rebalancing of your portfolio and you're on your way to earning a good bit more from your investments.
* Trade/barter skills -- This is a new one for me, but one that I've had a bit of success with. For instance, I've exchanged marketing advice for some legal counsel. Maybe you're a carpenter who can build something for a plumber who can fix your clogged sink. Or maybe you're a dentist who can offer free cleanings to a veterinarian in exchange for free pet visits. Or perhaps you could design a website for a chiropractor who could give you free adjustments. Or maybe you can offer dance lessons in exchange for someone tutoring your child. The possibilities are almost endless. One of my friends is a pet groomer, walker, sitter. She went to the puiblisher of local PET magazine and got a FREE AD. Four hours a week, she has to carry stacks of free magazines to pet stores, vets. Great trade!
Yeah, this option doesn't put cash into your pocket, but it does save you money on something you need to have done. And it could serve as a launching point for your own new business -- you get some experience providing services for others and maybe you'll be able to sell some of those services to people who can't trade but would be willing to buy what you have to offer.
* Use your current job skills -- Take what you do in your current job and consider selling those skills to others at night. If you don't like this option, consider teaching what you know to others. Simply take what you do 40-plus hours a week and extend it into a new business/side income.
* Sell stuff you own and don't need -- If you're like the rest of America, you've got a boatload of stuff in your home that you don't need/use. So why not sell it and create some extra cash for yourself? With the popularity of EBay, doing this is often a cinch. And let's say you're in the 1% of people who don't have anything useful to sell -- maybe you could find some items at auctions and then sell them for a profit.
* Use credit cards strategically -- In 2007 I earned almost $500 simply by charging purchases on a cash back credit card. My 2008 results aren't in yet, but I'll be way over this amount. Why? Because I picked the right card for my spending habits (which is THE key to making the most with credit cards) and charged as much as I could on it (including creative ideas like buying gift cards strategically.) In 2008, I'm planning on earning even more by using a hybrid cash back credit card method to earn upwards of 2.6% on my charges by combining uses of the Blue Cash from American Express card and the Chase Freedom Cash Visa Card. Eventually I hope to earn in the high three figures simply for doing what I'd normally do -- buying what I'd normally buy. You can do the same.
* Get money owed to you -- As I've noted before, there are billions of dollars in abandoned and lost checking accounts, pensions, and so forth collected by governments. You should see if any of it is yours I'm a pretty good money watcher, but when I went to Missing Money I found that I had a claim (for "under $100") from a past job. Sure, it's not a ton of money, but someone out there is likely due a significant sum. Since it takes about one minute to check and see if it's you, what's the harm?
* Read the biographies of billionaires, especially 'self-made' http://www.masterjules.net/oligarchbooks.htm
You can search on ABEBOOKS.com , buy them for a buck each. Use
my method.
As they charge a buck a book, rarely can you profit unless it's a find.
Say a used copy of COLIN WILSON first edition for a buck? That you can
turn around and sell for l0$ Read the books of JOHN DUNNING, mystery writer.
His hero a rare book collector. Fab stuff.
Do you have any other money making ideas to add? Takes me a minute to add text here!
PS! Use your extra money wisely! What should you do with the extra money you earn using these techniques? Establish an emergency fund, pay off debt, and then save for retirement! Then create a safe secure vacation home in a rural area for the clan, and assure that wealth will reach the grandkids ESTATE PLAN!
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