Ways to Earn Extra Income
Making enough money to pay your bills, and still be able to stash some away into your savings account can be difficult no matter your situation. Plus sometimes unplanned stuff happens, and you just need a little extra cash. Maybe you had to dip into your emergency fund. Maybe your trying to make an emergency fund for the first time #nojudgement. Well, you came to the right place. In today's Frugal Friday post, I'm sharing some things you can do on evenings, weekends, or during nap time to make a little extra cash.
Clean Out Your Closets
Take Old Clothes to Resale Shops: This is a great way to get rid of old clothes quickly, and walk out with a little spare cash. Take your gently used items to a store like Plato's Closet or Once Upon a Child and see what they'll pay you for some, if not all, of them. If you do have a few items left over, you can either donate them to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army, or try to sell them on your own.
Have a Sale: This one definitely takes a lot more time and effort on your part, but it's a great way to make some cash while clearing out stuff you aren't using anymore. If the weather's nice, you could have your own garage sale. Check around locally before you hold your sale, because some areas have annual garage sale weekends (where I grew up it was call the Treasure Hunt). Or maybe you're looking to pass the torch and unload some of your old baby items. I would highly suggest looking into having a booth at a mom-to-mom sale in your community. These sales are going to attract your ideal target market, and they'll know exactly where and when to find you.
Online: Maybe you don't have any clothes to sell, or you just don't have time to do the other two things. Then, you could always post your items online to websites like eBay, Craigslist, and the new Facebook Marketplace. These are great places to sell those larger or pricer items like electronics, appliances, vehicles, and furniture. Just be safe! I hope I'm not the first one telling you this, but if you do meet someone to exchange items, do it in a well-lit public place (if they have security cameras, that's a huge bonus).
Sell Your Skills
Start a Small Business: This one is definitely a commitment, but it could really pay off if you do it right. Along with my blog and working a full-time job, I also have a photography business. It's in the very early stages with very sporadic bookings, but I still earn an income from it. If you have a service or a skill you're willing to market, I would definitely suggest starting a business plan to see if it's a viable option.
Freelance: This is a great way to make some extra cash, and work however many hours you have available. You can do quite a few things online, like writing, graphic design, and website design. I'll link an entrepreneur.com article that shares 15 sites to find freelance jobs here for you to check out if you're interested.
Sell Your Crafts: I have so many friends and family members who are uber crafty. They create some beautiful things, that I look at and have no idea how they did it. If you're one of those people, I would suggest trying to sell them on an online store (like Etsy), or at craft shows.
Blogging: Do you have a topic you're very passionate about and have a lot of insight? Well maybe blogging is for you... This is definitely a long-term commitment to make extra cash, but I thought I'd stick it on here anyway. You'll need to have a pretty loyal reader base, and consistently high viewership numbers before companies will start looking at you for sponsored posts, and/or before you'll get enough purchases on your affiliate marketing links to make money. So you'll have to put in a lot of leg work and long hours before you'll even get one paycheck from your blog. Once you get to that point, and you remain dedicated and consistent, you should be able to bring in some cash from there on out. I've heard those stories about people who have quit their day jobs because their blogs became so successful. Maybe that'll be you! If you're interested in starting a blog, I wrote a post on how to do that here!
Help Out Your Neighbor
Watch Their Kids, Pets, or House: Sometimes your neighbors, friends or family are going somewhere (date nights, appointments, vacations, etc.) and need someone to watch their kids, pets or home. You might be able to make a little cash by helping them out with this. Now keep in mind, if this someone you're very close with, you might not get paid cash to do this. However, you might be able to exchange the service. For example, maybe you and a friend alternate Fridays when you take your date nights, and watch each others kids for free. In the end you might not be earning extra income, but you are saving yourself some money. I see that as being a win :)
Clean Houses: Are you that friend who everyone asks for cleaning advice, because you know every trick in the book? Maybe you don't understand how it can take some people so long to clean their house, or why they haven't dusted in what seems like months. Well, you would most likely be able to make some money cleaning other peoples' houses. Talk to your friends and family, because, if we're being honest, everyone knows someone who needs a little help in this department #guilty
Let me know in the comments if there is anything specific you'd like me to cover in a Frugal Friday post. See you next Friday! :)