What do you do to make a little extra cash - Page 3

[earthgirl]

I babysit and have been doing that for about two years now. I was kind of nervous about starting because I thought it would be way too much to be around my kid, then other people's kids. But it's actually turned out to be great. It is so easy to take care of other people's children! They tell you what they want you to do, and I just do it. And more often than not, I am doing evening jobs and will read or watch TV while the children are asleep and I am making money for that! I do occasionally consider looking into getting a part time job with more set hours- that's a real draw back in being the occasional sitter, no set hours. But it's also the best part about it for me. I can take or turn down as many jobs as I like. 

[mamarhu]

I am just getting started tutoring English as a Second Language to adult immigrants. I got great response to my Craigslist ad, and will be meeting my first students this week! I am already planning the next stage: directed English conversation group. The idea is an English-only social group, where I can charge much lower rates to include people who can't afford individual tutoring. I have also been looking into online (using Skype) tutoring, to include international students.

Over the past 30 years or so, I have had home businesses doing various things - sewing custom motorcycle racing leathers, raising and training baby parrots, designing baby clothes, errand service for elderly and disabled neighbors, to name a few. Some times, these were our primary income, other times hobby or supplemental level. I treasure the freedom to make my own schedule, include my kids in our family work, and do what I love, not to mention getting paid for it!

[Casha'sMommy]

Originally Posted by mamarhu 

I am just getting started tutoring English as a Second Language to adult immigrants. I got great response to my Craigslist ad, and will be meeting my first students this week! I am already planning the next stage: directed English conversation group. The idea is an English-only social group, where I can charge much lower rates to include people who can't afford individual tutoring. I have also been looking into online (using Skype) tutoring, to include international students.

Over the past 30 years or so, I have had home businesses doing various things - sewing custom motorcycle racing leathers, raising and training baby parrots, designing baby clothes, errand service for elderly and disabled neighbors, to name a few. Some times, these were our primary income, other times hobby or supplemental level. I treasure the freedom to make my own schedule, include my kids in our family work, and do what I love, not to mention getting paid for it!

Teaching English, that's super! Many natural born citizens don't have a well enough grasp of the English language to teach it to anyone.

[mamayogibear]

Just to let everyone know signature gathering is an awesome job! I get $2 per signature and I was spending most of my day hanging out with my kids on college campuses, parks, plazas, fairs and farmers markets. I just started summer school this week and am swamped so I'll only be working at fairs and markets on the weekends now. If anyone is interested in doing this just let me know where you live and I will try to look up the contact person in your area if the campaign is still going on in your state (there done in 25 states all ready) and send you a PM. Oh and this can be more than a 'little extra cash' I'm a single mom and have been supporting my family doing this for a couple of months and no longer qualify for state assistance and have money in the bank, yet I've only been doing this about 20 hours a week....

[Mama Florentyne]

For "extra cash" - certainly not "income replacement" 

- I do virtual work (proofreading, editing, bookkeeping)

- Sell used books and clothes and household items

- Make and sell handcrafts on Etsy

- Occasionally take a survey or open a bank account with incentives

[Pariah]

Originally Posted by Gracecody 

Wow, great thread. Thanks for starting this.

I resigned from my full-time job last year after having my third child, and since then have wanted to have a little pocket change of my own. It's hard for me personally to rely on my husband for everything. I have had an Etsy shop for a few years now where I sell handknits, and I get out of that what I put into it. The main way that I make money though is buy buying things on the cheap and reselling them for more money. Mostly buying things at thrift stores/garage sales and reselling on ebay. I just started doing this in earnest and have cleared about $300/month. And making more as I learn what sells well. It's not a ton of money but it's sure nice to have a little fun money AND pay a few bills. I can bring my two youngest thrifting with me once a week while my oldest is in school, and do the listing/shipping when they are sleeping. Has worked out really well and hasn't compromised the time I spend with them. Also a few times a year I do some bigger events - craft fairs and consignment sales in the fall and spring. I will bring in $500 or more from those and they just require a bunch of time for a few weeks prior, not too bad and my DH is very supportive.

Is it still worth it to sell like that on eBay? I did in 2007/2008 then got sidetracked after a big move. After eBay made lots of changes it seems that most people abandoned this method of sales on there...said sales were low, it was too easy for sellers to get scammed/left negative feedback for no reason, etc. I'd love to go back to it if it is worth the time...

[greenmamato2]

One of the crafty things I did was dye fiber and sell it to a local yarn shop.  I need to do that again. As far as time vs. profit, it was probably the best thing I've done on my own. I bought fiber in bulk wholesale.  You need a little start up $ for this (about $200-300 if you really want to do it and get the most for your money).  I ordered mine from R.H. Lindsay by the bump and got bamboo and merino top.  Then I dyed them in 4oz rovings with things I had on hand like Kool-Aid or Vinegar & Wilton's Frosting Dye.  I put them in braids (lots of tutorials on youtube for how to do this), and took them all to a yarn shop.  I sold them for $10-11 per braid, which is wholesale price for them. They would then mark them up to $20/braid.  If I wanted to be patient and put them on Etsy I could have made double the money, but even still I was making close to $10-15/hour after costs for my work and I could do it in my free time. Plus I didn't have to ship anything. 

It does look like they upped the price of the merino to $15/lb (it was somewhere closer to $11/lb before).  I would always buy mine by the bump so I could get free shipping, but the price for the product is the same either way. If you bought a bump of merino it would cost you $435, and you would get 29 lbs.  If you broke that up into 4oz rovings, that would come out to 116 rovings that you could sell at $10 each to yarn shops or for $20 each on Etsy.  For bamboo, it is $10/lb and a bump is 25 lbs, so that would cost $250.  You'd get a total of 100 4 oz rovings to sell to yarn shops for $10 or on etsy for $20.  There is money to be made there, but it takes time and investment.

[Casha'sMommy]

This thread has morphed into something amazing! I love this thread!

greenmamato2-I like the wool idea. I'd have to make friends with a shop near me first but still.

One of our goals is to simply subsidize the cost of homeschooling so we're not dipping into current funds to pay for things. The wool might just do it if I can unload it all at once.

Thanks for the suggestion!

[philomom]

I do focus groups and surveys for marketing companies. Once, I got 250 dollars for three hours of "work". Mostly tasting and discussing.

I have substituted for preschools and regular schools off and on.

I do some studies at the hospital when I qualify for certain things. I got 45 dollars one day to play a video game while I was wired up to a EEG. I don't do drug testing or vaccine tests but sometimes they just need to "measure" folk's response to stimuli of various sorts.

I've gotten paid a couple of times to help with word choice on ads and flyers. I am known in my community for being well read and smart. Folks trust my grammar choices for print media.

[youngspiritmom]

Originally Posted by philomom 

I do focus groups and surveys for marketing companies. Once, I got 250 dollars for three hours of "work". Mostly tasting and discussing.
I have substituted for preschools and regular schools off and on.
I do some studies at the hospital when I qualify for certain things. I got 45 dollars one day to play a video game while I was wired up to a EEG. I don't do drug testing or vaccine tests but sometimes they just need to "measure" folk's response to stimuli of various sorts.
I've gotten paid a couple of times to help with word choice on ads and flyers. I am known in my community for being well read and smart. Folks trust my grammar choices for printtmedia.

 Philomom, how do you find out about focus groups etc. and hospital studies? Is there a website?

Also, how do you get jobs for reviewing fliers/advertising? Do you sell yourself (i.e. on Craigslist) or seek out jobs?

[philomom]

Originally Posted by youngspiritmom 

 Philomom, how do you find out about focus groups etc. and hospital studies? Is there a website?
Also, how do you get jobs for reviewing fliers/advertising? Do you sell yourself (i.e. on Craigslist) or seek out jobs?

My local teaching hospital posts all their studies online. I just check whenever the mood strikes me.

The focus groups I found the first time on Craiglist, but now since I know which companies in my area do those, I just go to the website of those specific companies to check their needs.

The flyer stuff came easily to me... I tend to "adopt" certain shopkeepers in my area and they come to know me. Sometimes, I'm paid but other times I get "trade" like goods or services for my short amount of work time.

[trekkingirl]

I once got paid $100 to go on MDC for about a half an hour in front of a guy who is from the company that redesigned this website. I found the job offer in the tribal section. I just happened to live in the area. This was awesome because I was on disability at the time and we really needed groceries.

[SunRise]

In my college days, I delivered flyers (one time gigs), raked yards, babysat, school political stuff -voting stations, ballot counting, runner for bands (a days work of getting coffee, doing laundry, running to airport to pick up sound equipment, etc, taxied artist from hotel to venue (Sarah Mclachlan) 

Similar ideas, I have seen advertised on craigslist: weekly paper route, census collecting (in a few years), telephone book delivery, standing on corner waving political signs, crossing guard, ump for major league (as in 9,10,11 year olds),

For seasonal or weekend work and if you like gardening and being outdoors, look for part time work at a landscaper or Herb Garden center.

[abbylotus]

I donate my plasma for compensation. 

[phathui5]

I got a $5 amazon GC today from swagbucks.

Today, I gathered up my maternity clothes and new ds' newborn-sized clothes. Tomorrow, I'm going to see if the consignment store in town will take them.

[trekkingirl]

where can you donate plasma? How much does it pay?

[sweet]

Have you tried selling your stuff on Etsy ?
 

[esg]

I throw newspapers. Depends on your area as to how much they pay and how big the routes are but when I was doing just one, I was bringing in around $800 a month and only working a few hours a night. I'm doing it as more full time work right now but you can do it part time and make a god extra amount.

[A&A]

If any of you live near an elementary (or even middle) school, you could advertise to watch people's children before and after school.  (Perhaps the school would let you put up a flyer.)  Sometimes there is a time gap before/after school for employed parents that is hard to fill.   And that's not as much work as doing full-time daycare.

[mamarhu]

If you have an extra furnished bedroom, you might consider offering a homestay to international exchange students. In my area, it pays much better than just renting out a room. Also offers potential great intercultural experience for your own kids.I am just looking into the idea; will get back with details if it looks doable.