Hi <<First Name>>! We all strive for extra money whether it's for bills or fun, so I've been thinking of some real ways to bring in some extra cash (mostly, things I have actually done). You may not be able to do all of these, but I'm hoping there's at least something for everyone:
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Renting out a spare bedroom. We rent out two spare bedrooms now and it's awesome. ;-)
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Babysitting. I made $40-$100 per job on weekends a few years ago.
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Petsitting. I brought in $20-$30 a night per dog.
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Blogging. This takes time but very little start-up money. And if you love it, you can bring in at least a few thousand a year.
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Writing. Depending on the niche, you can make $15 to multiple thousands per work. I staff wrote for $20-$30 per post for 11 jobs a week in mid-2011.
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Social media management. Bloggers like me (well, not now, but maybe in the future) will pay you to run their Twitter and Facebook accounts because we don't like it.
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Sell stuff. Ebay, Craigslist, or yard sales...pick a method and sale stuff you don't use anymore. We made about $500 during our move and haven't missed a thing.
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Part-time job. My husband like finding part-time jobs because they are usually some type of fun for him. Like working as a bowling alley mechanic.
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Sports officiating. You will have to invest a few hundred in the proper attire and equipment for each sport, but you can make $2000-$4000 a season in football, softball, basketball, etc. My hubby officiates varsity football and softball now.
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Poop Pickup - Yep, you can get paid to pick up dog poop. Some people make a VERY solid living off of it.
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Handyman services - List your services on Craigslist and people like me will outsource to you when we have a problem we can't or don't want to handle. :-)
The general point is that if you can do it, someone will probably pay to have it done. Just think outside of the box and you can make a little side money too!
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Ask Crystal
If you have any specific questions for me, just reply to this email and ask away! I highlight one or two questions every week. If you wish to be anonymous, please just let me know in your email.
Amanda asked, "What have been your biggest surprises in your first year of self-employment?"
The biggest surprise was that I like flexibility, but I need to have set work hours or I don't accomplish as much. With that in mind, 80% of the time, I will work 10am-4pm and 10pm-2am on weekdays. Then throw in about 8 hours on the weekends as needed. That seems to be when I have the most emails to answer anyway. The busier the week, the longer I stay up or the more I work on the weekends, but that's my general schedule. Another surprise was that I could successfully stay self-employed without constantly worrying about money. I worry a lot, but I quickly got into a routine and it started feeling like a "real" job.
Thanks for being the best readers ever!
Crystal
newsletter@budgetinginthefunstuff.com
P.S. Dining Out Challenge is still for sale as well as 6 static insurance and tax sites. Please email me if you are interested!
