My intention in writing this article about how to make extra money from home is to help folks that may be faced with a need for extra cash. From time to time in my own life, situations have occurred where I needed extra money and getting a part time job wasn’t always the answer—hence, the idea for this special report.
The self-motivation and business guru, Zig Ziglar, is quoted as saying “You can have anything that you want in life, if you can help enough other people get what they want out of life.” While the first part of that statement (monetary reward) is part of the goal, the second part (helping others) is important also.
I want to help people similar to myself that are trying to be decent people, raise their kids to be decent people (or have already done so) and just do the best they can. Hopefully, these ideas will help you or get your own creativity going so that you can come up with ideas of your own. It seems that there is a lot of opportunity out there if you know where to find it or are observant. Sometimes ideas can come to you in the strangest places or in the most unlikely of circumstances!
With some perseverance and determination any one of these ideas can become a profitable temporary venture, or if desired, a part or full time vocation. Most of these ideas require little or no cash outlay and can be started quickly and bringing in cash within a few days. So get started and good luck! Just make sure to use common sense and keep safety first.
If you enlist younger members of the family to help always be sure to keep their well-being in mind and make these experiences joyful occasion and the “stuff” that great memories are made of.
How To Make Extra Money From Home:
1. CRAFTS
Crafts can be sold for a decent profit—if you have an eye for what’s hot—and are relatively inexpensive to make. How do you find out what is hot? Go to your local store and check out the magazine rack. Look for crafts, parenting and women’s (homemaker) publications. These magazines usually have ideas for knick-knacks, children’s favorites and gifts.
Parenting magazines will have ideas for children’s room and nursery decorations. Wall décor such as thermometers, outlet covers and nameplates are popular as are mobiles for over the crib. Themes can include land animals, sea creatures, stars and planets, cartoon characters and more. Go to craft stores or home interior parties for other ideas and to find out what is currently popular.
Ceramics can sometimes be profitable if they have a theme rather than just generic dogs or cats. For example, what’s popular at the movies? Dinosaurs were hot recently as were superheroes. What about witches and wizards? (Harry Potter) See if you can relate the product to a popular subject.
Don’t forget seasonal items: Christmas—Santa, reindeer, snowmen etc. Easter—rabbits, eggs. Halloween—pumpkins, witches, bats, anything scary. Thanksgiving—turkeys, pilgrims, horn of plenty, etc. You get the picture!
2. RESALE
This can apply to almost anything. Cars, appliances, clothes and more can all be bought and resold for a small profit. The secret here is to know what people are looking for. Keep your eyes on the local newspapers, classifieds and bulletin boards, especially the “wanted” section in the paper.
If you know that John Smith is looking for a kerosene heater, for instance, be diligent and find one for him. If Bob Jones ran an add in the classified “Wanted” section about a table saw, find him one. His phone number will be there in the paper, so call him up and let him know that you have what he’s looking for.
3. FILLERS & CLIPPINGS
Do you have any funny stories, jokes, interesting facts or trivia from sports, celebrities or even your own life? Jot them down and keep a record of funny things that happen to you (especially with your kids.) many publications such as Reader’s Digest, the New Yorker, local periodicals and other major magazines buy such stories and pay modest amounts (usually between twenty and fifty dollars) for them.
Obtain old issues of these magazines and contact the editor to find out if they use them. If you don’t mind spending around thirty dollars, purchase a Writer’s Market from your local bookstore. This large volume contains listings of publications that accept this kind of material.
4. CAKES, PIES AND MORE
If you like to bake, this could possibly be a profitable venture. Cakes and/or pies can be made for birthdays, social and church functions, or almost any occasion. On birthday cakes especially, the more creative you are with decorations, the more successful you will be. If there is a church nearby, call and see if they need cakes and pies for meetings, dinners or banquets. The trick is to let people know that you are available.
SEE ALSO: How To Make Money Online Fast: 15 Legit Ways To Start Earning Money
5. PICTURES
Do you have some good original pictures of your kids, grandkids or your spouse at the beach, or Disney World? How about the Grand Canyon? If they are of good quality, 35mm or larger, and have an exciting subject you may be able to sell them for a substantial amount. Some magazines and software companies buy good photos for stock collections. For more information, check out photography magazines, some writer’s magazines, or go to a camera store and ask around.
The internet should be helpful too.
6. GROW PRODUCE
This won’t apply to everyone, but it will to some. If you have a large piece of ground why not grow produce—but not just any kind—try and grow all natural, no-chemical produce. There seems to be a growing market for this with the increase in health consciousness. Certain areas of the country will be more receptive than others to this. If you live in one of these “more conscious” areas take advantage of this.
To keep your cost down try a “pick your own all-natural strawberries” concept or a “dig your own all-natural potatoes” approach or something like that.
Another alternative would be to grow pumpkins. Around the first of October you could decorate for Halloween and have people come out (provided you have room for parking) and bring their kids to see displays and other seasonal lures.
7. CATERING
This can be done for churches and organizations such as the Lions club that have meetings on a regular basis as well as weddings or parties. One consideration is that this has the potential to become time consuming and hard work (while I am not opposed to hard work, that is not the focus of this material). Use your imagination—perhaps you could just cater pastries and coffee, for example.
8. RECYCLE
This isn’t the cleanest or most desirable of ways to make extra cash but if you are in a bind it is something to consider. Most recycling stations offer from twenty to forty cents (sometimes more) for a pound of cans. They also pay for copper and scrap metal and sometimes old car batteries.
Find a well-traveled road, enlist the help of your kids or grandkids (if they are older and responsible enough to walk close to a road—just be careful) and go for it. A half-dozen garbage bags filled with crushed cans could bring around twenty-five to thirty dollars.
9. HOME BUSINESS
Almost all of these ideas can, with a little bit of persistence and creativity, be developed into a home business. If you do decide to start a home-based business, be careful to find one that offers products that people NEED rather than just want.
In today’s economy companies offering gadgets or non-necessities will be a hard sell. One company specializes in saving money on everyday purchases. This is a great service because in today’s economy, everyone needs to save more cash.
The thing to remember about home businesses—even part time ones—is that they create a lot of additional tax deductions which can save you quite a bit of money in the long run. Be sure to find out all that you can about the tax laws and procedures for keeping track of your deductions (you should seek the help of a competent tax professional to get started.)
10. SERVICES
This can be anything from mowing lawns or snow removal, to an in-house companion for the elderly or disabled. Many have their own lawn mowers, which works out fine for you—you only have to furnish gas and oil—so give them a little rebate. You could also trim trees or shrubs, take care of flower gardens, vegetable gardens, etc. Shovel sidewalks and/or driveways in the winter since many elderly people suffer from over-exertion while doing these tasks.
11. BABYSIT
If you are a dependable person with patience, there is a big demand for this service (at a reasonable rate.) You can make some excellent money doing this if you don’t have a busy or conflicting routine. If you just want to baby-sit occasionally, a lot of churches have functions where young families need babysitters for meetings, hayrides, sports, etc.
Call the church and talk to the pastor. Also, couples who just want to go out to dinner sometimes need good babysitters. This could lead to substantial income on a part-time basis.
12. SEWING AND ALTERATIONS
If you like to sew, or are pretty good at it, then you have another possibility at making some extra money. If you happen to live close to a military base or a reserve center then you should have no shortage of prospective customers. Service members are constantly requiring alterations or patches and name tags sewn on. If you are retired military or the spouse of a military retiree, then so much the better. Just make sure that you get explicit instructions as to the placement of the items.
If you like to knit or crochet then you can possibly make this profitable. Afghans, baby booties, blankets and other items tend to sell pretty well. If you are a little creative you could make a lot of small “knick-knack” type articles such as coasters, toilet paper or tank covers and other items. If you can make them themed, such as cartoons or games, or seasonal this may increase their salability.
13. LAUNDRY
At first this may sound like a dirty job but it doesn’t have to be. There is no reason why you couldn’t stipulate “I do not fold underwear” or “Must be presorted” or something to that effect. Or perhaps you could invest a few dollars in surgical gloves or the old rubber dishwashing gloves and charge more to sort.
Remember YOU set your own working conditions. Think about it for a moment—especially if you live near a college or a military base. How many bachelors (especially males) hate to do laundry? You could wash, dry or iron if needed, charging differing prices for each task. Again, the secret is to let it be known that you provide this service. Consider want ads or bulletin boards in the area.
SEE ALSO: How To Manage Your Money Better: Top 23 Tips And Strategies
14. HOUSE CLEANING
Although this can be a temporary arrangement, many people have turned this into a profitable part-time job. These days, there are increasingly more multiple-job families, and guess what—the house still needs to be cleaned! Be honest, dependable and do a good job and you will be successful.
If you can get several houses in the same area (like in a subdivision) this will increase your profit without increasing your cost. This is the perfect situation and one that you should always seek. Also remember those four magic words: “Let it be known”.
15. SHUTTLE SERVICE
Lots of folks need transportation for their children to or from school, day care or sporting events— especially if they are one of those multi-job families. Even if they are single parents with only one job, sometimes work and sports schedules conflict.
From time to time, senior citizens also need transportation to doctor’s appointments, to shop or some other function. Shopping for elderly folks that can’t get out as much could be an idea in itself (that one was free!) Contact school offices and retirement complexes to see if they will help you get the word out. If not, advertise in local newspapers.
16. PERSONAL CHEF
If you don’t mind cooking you could consider becoming a personal chef for one or more busy families or old folks. Lots of moms that must work in and outside of the home don’t feel like cooking nutritional meals at the end of the day. This could be a service that you provide. Meals could be prepared in advance or nightly, depending on mutual preference and feasibility. When you let it be known to the public, stress the nutrition factor.
17. TUTORING
How many children today need help with reading, math, spelling or just about any subject? If there is a particular subject that you like, consider tutoring in that field. Important subjects like Phonics are almost unheard of today. Try and make subjects interesting and maybe consider serving a nutritious snack and drink also. Rather than contacting the school office to make this service known, contact the parents directly.
Some school officials may not be agreeable to this service but it is still a free country (for the time being, at least). Set up a payment schedule with the parents rather than the school.
18. ANIMAL SITTING
Lots of people need help with their pets when going on vacation or at other times such as hospital stays or military deployments. Animals constantly have to be fed and cared for. Think about limits (small dogs or a certain breed or outside pets only) if this is a concern for you. Set your own guidelines and rules.
Keep in mind that animals can create a lot of wear and tear in your house if you do not have outdoor facilities. Be sure to “meet” the animal before agreeing to sit with it for several days to make sure that your personalities are a match or to prevent problems in advance. If a person needs to go away for a long “day” then ease their minds concerning their animals by taking care of them.
19. HELP FARMERS
If you live in a rural area with lots of farms or ranches this could be a source of extra money for you. Most farmers and ranchers need help bailing hay, cutting and stripping tobacco, caring for livestock and other tasks. Generally, they pay a minimum of seven to ten dollars an hour, cash.
If you are older, see if you can do some of the easier errands. Today, it seems that young people don’t want to work for spending money, so finding a farmer or rancher that needs help shouldn’t be a problem.
20. READ BOOKS
Many publishing companies pay “freelancers” to review manuscripts for them before they spend a lot of money on a project that may be a total flop. If you like reading why not get paid for doing it? You can obtain information in writing publications or sometimes newspaper classifieds. The pay is usually quite good for doing something that you already enjoy.
This also applies to “secret shopper” and “secret” evaluation programs. I personally made a fair amount of money a few years ago by secretly evaluating a national “car repair” company. I just happened to have a car that needed a muffler or brakes and that is what the requirement was. I evaluated the service and filled out paperwork to get paid—pretty easy!
I want to thank you for taking the time to read my article about how to make extra money from home. I sincerely hope its contents have been a good help to you.
