When I was in my late teens and early twenties I had so much fun coming up with ways to make money! I would often times have 3-4 side jobs in my rotation and was able to create the schedule I wanted and earn enough income to pay my rent, car payment and all the Happy Hour food and drinks I wanted 🙂 I would find jobs on CraigsList in the “gigs” section or through word of mouth. I would also get creative with ways to make money through my own efforts of selling things online.
Here's my 10 favorite ways to make money with side jobs:
1. Clean Houses
My best friend growing up used to own her own cleaning business and when she needed help I'd jump in and give her a hand. Cleaning can be hard work, but if you put on some great tunes and your most comfortable workout clothes, it can actually be great exercise and a great way to make extra money. I would get cleaning jobs from her 1-3 times per month and would usually get paid about $20 per hour and work about 6 hours scrubbing kitchen sinks, vacuuming carpets and mopping floors. That's about $360 in extra income each month!
2. Sell Baked Goods
I really love baking, especially Vegan Baking! Other people seemed to really love my baking as well so one day I had the great idea of baking up some vegan muffins, wrapping them in plastic wrap and placing them into a wicker basket with a sign “$2 Vegan Muffins”. I then walked around town and offered them to people on the street. Thankfully I have a cute smile because I sold out in the first hour! After that first day, anytime I needed or wanted extra money, I'd whip up a batch of something yummy and hit the streets. I'm not sure if this was technically by the rules, but you can can be creative and find local bookstores, coffee shops, or boutiques who might be interested in selling your baked items. Now, in the US, states are passing laws allowing people to start their own food businesses in their owns homes called “Cottage Food Laws” so contact your local Health Department for guidelines and get started!
3. Promote Other Products as a Brand Ambassador
Being a Brand Ambassador (also sometimes known as a Product Demonstrator or Promotional Model) is a great way to make extra money for part-time work on the weekends or even week days. I used to work as a Promotional Model for alcoholic beverage companies when I was younger and was paid $25-$30 per hour to hand out samples for at local bars and nightclubs. I also have been a Brand Ambassador for food companies where I would hand out samples of products at local grocery stores and was paid $20-$25 per hour. I would generally do promotions on the weekends for 2-4 hours, depending on the promotion. I was easily able to find side jobs like this on CraigsList.
4. Blogging
Blogging has been a really great way for me to earn extra income from home as a Mompreneur! I started blogging in 2008 and have learned so much along the way. Now, I'm able to earn extra income from writing articles (like this one!) through Google Adsense and Affiliate Links.
How to Start a Blog in 4 Easy Steps
5. Pour Wine at Cocktail Parties
This is another fun way to make extra money! Have a friend who's throwing a party? Why not offer to be their bartender! If it's a wine party you don't have to know how to mix cocktails, just how to open a wine bottle and pour it into a glass. You can also find gigs for parties on CraigsList which is what I used to do. It's a great way to make extra money on the weekends (tips galore!) and attend a lot of really fun and interesting parties. You can also take it one step further and start your own personal bartending business!
6. Write Articles
Lots of people are earning extra income by writing articles for online publications as a side job. I've written for several sites and also have been an eHow Expert.
7. Taught Cooking Classes
In my early twenties, after attending Culinary School, I started a monthly cooking class called the Vegetarian Cooking Club. I hosted it at my house and asked for a $25 donation. It was a hit and a great way to earn extra money! You don't have to teach cooking classes either. If you're a really great artist or know a lot about computers, for example, why not invite some people from your community over for an evening workshop? Here's a great article about setting up and teaching art classes in your home.
8. Odd Jobs from CraigsList Gigs
Another way of making money was just to check out CraigsList on a regular basis and see what people in the community were needing help with. You can find people interested in paying you to run errands, help with housework, organizing or watching their kids.
9. Sold Items on CraigsList
This was one of my favorite ways to earn extra income as a side job. I really love going to garage sales on the weekends because I usually find some really interesting things at very discounted prices. And, after going to enough garage sales I found that at the end of the garage sale, say 11am, people are ready to just get rid of all the leftovers for often times basically nothing. This is a great time to go if you are looking for items to re-sell on CraigsList, Ebay or Etsy. If you make going to garage sales a regular weekly event you can find a pretty steady supply of things to sell online!
10. Sold Books on Amazon
This is another great side job! I would find books at very great prices (brand new books for .50, hello!) at garage sales and bring them home to resell on Amazon. I was generally able to profit about $2-$10 per book. This really adds up! Check out the Amazon Seller Program to get started.
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Do you have a fun way of earning extra money? Share your tips in the comments below!
