Ask the Readers: How Do You Earn Extra Income?
Editor's Note: Congratulations to KF, Jillian, and Lynda for winning this week's contest!
Nowadays, it seems like most people have an alternate source of income. Whether they sell their artwork, teach their hobby to people who want to learn it, or hold down a part time job, having an extra source of income helps people get out of debt, stay out of debt, and save more money!
How do you earn extra income? A part time job? Teaching your favorite hobby to others? Selling your crafts? If you don't earn extra income, what are some ways you could make a little extra money?
Tell us how you earn extra income and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!
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I babysit a few days a week, clean a ginormous house on occasion, and do Swagbucks online. I can earn about $75 a month from different online sites. Every little bit helps! (Especially if I win a Wisebread giveaway!) :)
I earn extra money by doing work on mturk.com.
I took free tax preparation classes so I can work pt time as a certified tax preparer. Yes, it takes studying and effort, but you can work lots of hours between Jan-April. I also learned enough tax rules to reduce my own income taxes.
I do freelance web design on the side.
I've done social media campaigns for businesses I believe in.
Sometimes when I need some extra cash, I sell a few books (even though it's hard to part with them). Every once in awhile, my family and I have a garage sale to make a little extra income. My best way, though, to ensure extra income is to SAVE money by going without things I don't really need.
I play in a band and I work as a cater-waiter casually on top of my regular job. Lately I've been starting to pursue freelance contracts in my field as well.
I earn extra income through my blog. I actually just posted an update to this in a post today.
I took a second job!
I made political calls the past few weeks to help with extra cash. not glorious but still money.
I work OT when ever it is available. I play Swagbucks for Amazon money. I also do surveys with Pinecone Research. And enter these contests. :)
I happen to know several people who travel quite a bit, so I care for their pets (dogs, cats, fish, birds) and maintain their homes while they are away.
I take online surveys to earn a small side income. I also do some buying and selling of books and old electronics through ebay.
Survey sites, search-engine sites (Swagbucks, Bing, Inbox Dollars), manufacturers rebates (i.e., if I get an item I actually need for free then I have just made money), and the occasional online focus group or product test.
Five or six years ago I babysat and did medical testing to earn extra money. Now I'm too busy to do that. (And, thankfully, the need isn't as great as it was then.)
I occasionally work as an in-home coach for people who need assistance tackling their hoarding/clutter problems.
I collect cans and other recyclable items. Sometimes I do landscaping, house cleaning, sewing, etc. Whenever I see opportunity to earn a few bucks, I do it.
I asked a former employer to consider me for any projects that arise that they think I might be able to accomplish for them from home. Occasionally such work pops up and I am given a call. It is wonderful to have occasional part-time work in my field to supplement the income from my full-time job.
Ha! I've been trying for years to get extra cash flowing. I occasionally manage to sell some of my artwork, but that money goes back into more art so it's not 'extra' money. Right now I am trying to sell a herbal healing salve that I've made. So far I've sold 4....
I have been doing mystery shopping for the last 13 months and have made decent additional income (enough to cover my groceries for the month). I am now planning to swap that for a second job at a supermarket after my main job.
Blogging!
I make extra income from my blog right now. I could prepare taxes, but think I'm going to stick with the blog for another year or two and see how it goes.
I am retired but make extra income writing ad copy, newsletters, and books, both nonfiction and fiction. I also have written one screenplay, an interesting but rather mysterious market. My wife says I should write greeting cards because so many of them aren't funny. I also regularly write op-ed or opinion pieces for daily newspapers, but there's no money in it.
i do online surveys and microworkers!
I do online surveys with different internet companies, I use Swagbucks so I can get Amazon gift cards and I enter contests at different websites to try to win free books. The surveys usually cover my gift giving expenses throughout the year (luckily I have a small family to buy for).
i've been selling old books on amazon
I wish I did earn extra income! I can always get a second job, but I'm so burnt out with the one I've got, so it's hard!
I work full-time and bartend on the weekends to make extra money. I can make anywhere from $800-$2000 a month bartending! The extra money is helping me pay down my student loan debts and finally starting an e-fund.
I do ghostwriting for three online clients. I've earned $11k this year doing so. Not bad for an otherwise SAHM. My clients require specific expertise. I have a Masters degree and 10 years of experience in my field.
I actually wrote an article on this very subject recently over on my blog, She Think's I'm Cheap. Home owners can rent out a room in their home or the entire thing on AirBnB to generate additional income. Single home owners could even move back with their parents for a short period of time so they can generate a little extra cash from someone renting their property.
I sell unwanted items on CL and occasionally I babysit.
I earn extra money by creating decoratively, one of a kind care packages for families and loved ones that are home away from home. It's a special way of saying how much you care.
I've sold things on-line to earn extra money and have done on-line surveys as well. When I had more free time I used to do hair not dying or perming hair but mainly braiding or accessorizing hair like with hair clips, ponytail holders beads etc.
Consulting for small business in addition to my full time banking job.
I bake cookies and sell them at the holidays.
I sell things on craigslist or ebay to make a little cash.
MTurk and Fiverr are great and I do both.
I like to knit and crochet. This is a wonderful way to sell your homemade wears. Hats and scarfs are very popular in the winter. If you can find a local store to let you display for free that is really helpful too. Thanks for letting me post. Leslie
i use mypoints, swagbucks and some other sites like inbox dollars or harris polls... then i use the rewards to do my shopping and i shop early for christmas sites... a lot of websites give promotions that basically make what you buy free and no one will know but you
I photograph and post our unused items for sale either on Ebay or on Craig's List.
I sell stuff I don't need on craigslist. I use swagbucks to earn Amazon gift cards for the holidays. I am currently doing some errand work for an elderly woman. It isn't much but it pays for my groceries.
I take online surveys, sell things on ebay, craigslist, or consignment shops, and bartend at a local restaurant.
I tutor professionals in English as a second language.
I mystery shop, take surveys, do points programs, participate in medical research trials, rent out an extra room in my home for short term roommates or travelers, and sell second hand items such as electronics and books.
I'm doing a dual degree program so I can graduate with my PharmD and my MBA at the same time, so working at a retail pharmacy part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer still doesn't cover all of my expenses. I take online surveys using opinionoutpost.com and valuedopinions.com to get amazon.com gift cards so that I can pay for my crazy expensive textbooks. Pharmacy books are NOT cheap at all, so after the semester is over, I sell them back to the class below me or on amazon.com and then I keep the buying/selling cycle going so that I never have to pay out of pocket for my textbooks. It took a year to get a hang of it, but it was well worth it!
I do online surveys and occasionally surveys and focus groups in person, recycling aluminum cans, selling old books, mags, CDs, DVDs, etc. to used book stores, and selling old clothing to consignment shops.
Surveys, rebates, and cash-back credit cards. I also take on extra small projects related to my work as they become available.
I make beaded jewelry and have teaching beaded jewelry classes. We also sell things on ebay and craigslist.
To earn a little extra cash every month, I sell belongings I no longer use on eBay. It can be as small as a skirt I no longer wear or as large as an iPad I rarely turn on. After sellers fees, I earn an extra $50-$200 a month. Selling on eBay also allows me to reduce clutter in my home and the item gets used by someone who will benefit from it.
I have a "To Sell" box in the spare bedroom and I put items in it as I decide to sell them. Every Sunday I take photos of the item and then list it on eBay. I keep starting bids low but reasonable and so far everything has sold.
An extra $50 a month is small, but last month it covered my family's electric bill.
I take surveys online
I make extra cash by being a Pampered Chef Consultant, and I'm helping my husband start a photography business!
I made an extra $10,000 this year by renting out my apartment on AirBnB. I stayed with friends or family or was out of town on vacation while my apartment was occupied. My apartment goes for about $150-$175 a night in my expensive west coast city, but I've heard of people doing this all over the world. It's the easiest money I've ever made, and it's paid for several vacations and luxuries I wouldn't be able to afford otherwise.
We earn extra income by having yard sales & selling some items on Craigslist. I used to earn extra income by grooming dogs at home. Some other ideas include providing pet sitting services for neighbors going out of town or babysitting.
eBay
I haven't found a good way to earn extra income - I'm so tired after my primary job there's no way I could do another.
Not that I make much from it, hahaha, but I have an etsy where I offer prints of my drawings. I've only made two sales so far, but that's $20 I didn't have! I also pick up all money I see on the ground-- even pennies. One day I found almost a buck just in coins. Hardly makes a difference but feels pretty cool.
Mostly, I sell arts and crafts on my Etsy shop, but I also do freelance illustrations, photography, etc. Occasionally, I'll land a piano-playing gig, too.
I do not earn extra income but try to get a lot of "free" stuff like samples and sell things I no longer use.
I'm a designer now but have a background in photography. Recently I've earned extra money freelancing my photography skills taking and/or toning images of homes for my realtor. On top of good money, it's fun to get to see into people's homes and how they decorate.
I proofread and edit manuscripts, dissertations, etc.
I do Swagbucks, MyPoints for gift cards, ShopAtHome for the rebates/discounts for things I already buy, and sell vinyl and other unneeded items on Ebay. We also host exchange students when we can.
I write press releases, web content and occasionally manage social media or PR campaigns. I have also started doing some web/social media training for companies. I write for a blog that pays me small amounts for posts. I get occasional writing jobs on sites like Elance, but that hasn't been very profitable of late.
Referee local high school sports
Right now I don't do much except Swagbucks. I have babysat on occasion, but nothing regularly.
I am a promotional model part-time. I will represent brands like Axe, L'Oreal, Maybelline, Kraft, and Degree. I also merchandise, which is setting up and tearing down store displays. Last week I was paid $25/hr to tear down a purse display at Sam's Club. If these companies cannot find an independent contractor for the usual $8-10/hr rate, they get desperate and will pay much more.
Housesitting & petsitting.
Every so often I will go through my clothes, books, accessories, etc and sell them online on Ebay to make some extra cash
I do swagbucks and mypoints for amazon giftcards. It helps at the holidays.
I do website work on the side once in awhile. I also do swag bucks for amazon gift cards.
The stock market isnt the best but it can make you a handsome chunk of change if you invest enough in the right stocks
I do accounting work for a small pest control business.
I used to volunteer at a cat adoption center; I made friends and contacts Now I do cat sitting on weekends and holidays. It is a really fun part-time job since I love cats, it pays well (and in cash!). I used to get more appointments, but things have slowed down quite a bit. I am looking forward to it picking up during the holidays.
I tutor!