45 Ways to Earn Some Extra Money

In the personal finance basics series that I’m currently doing, the first step was to earn some money (pretty obvious, eh?). While thinking about going into more detail on this step, I realized that there are numerous directions I can go with this post. I’ve decided to start with a list of ways to earn some "extra" money – outside of your current career/job. I’m going to periodically add to this list and, over time, create a large list of such ideas.

The point of the list is to be comprehensive but not detailed. I will go into more detail on some of the ideas in the future as needed. You can search other blogs or the web to find out more information on the ones that strike your fancy. My hope is that reading through the list will pique your interest in one or more of these ideas or it will get your creative juices flowing and trigger some great ideas of your own (if you have any, leave a comment for others to see too and I’ll put it in a future list).

1. Make Money online

There are numerous opportunities online to make some money as well. Some (like creating an affiliate marketing site) require some skill, time, and/or money but others (like filling our surveys) require none of that. If you decide to pursue some of these opportunities, I would strongly suggest that you do some searches and find reviews from bloggers that have actually done them. You’re trying to make money so you definitely don’t want to fall into a scam – and there seem to be a number of those out there so please be careful. Here are some links to get reviews and information onCashCrate here . at biblemoneymatters , at ChristianPF , and a bunch of stuff at SpillingBuckets.

1. Fill out surveys – look into cashcrate.com and opinionoutpost.com
2. Use Scour.com for your internet searches
3. Review products – check out vindale.com
4. Create an affiliate marketing site (or put links on your blog – for instance, the cashcrate, opinion outpost, and scour links above are affiliate links)
5. Fashion design at cafepress.com
6. Self-publish and sell books at lulu.com
7. Write and sell an e-book
8. Create and post videos to Revver.com
9. Put ads on a website or blog (I’ve made more than 2 whole dollars doing this – ok, so maybe not the best example but rumor has it that some people actually make money blogging)

2. Sell some of your stuff

What could be better than de-cluttering your home and making money at the same time? It’s a win-win-win! (the third "win" is for the person who gets your stuff for a good price)

1. Have a garage sale
2. Sell stuff on ebay.com
3. Sell stuff on craigslist.org
4. Sell stuff to a consignment shop or a used kids clothing shop (well, sell your kids’s clothes there)
5. Sell DVDs, CDs, and games locally or to secondspin.com

3. Become a "chicken" entrepreneur

Undoubtedly, you have skills that someone else needs. So tap your network and see who will pay you a few dollars to help them out. The list here could go on and on – limited only by your imagination. Most of these you can start part-time (hence the "chicken" adjective as in "too chicken to leave your job and be a full-time entrepreneur") and you never know – it just might lead to a new career. And if you fill a big need or invent a new market, it might become a huge income source.

1. Install software
2. Troubleshoot computers or networks
3. Design websites
4. Graphic design
5. Internet marketing consulting
6. Search engine optimization consulting
7. Copy-editing
8. Organize closets
9. Organize garages
10. Interior decorating
11. Power wash houses or decks
12. Mow lawns/yard-work
13. Become a handy-person
14. Become a personal assistant or virtual personal assistant
15. Become a personal shopper
16. Become a personal chef
17. Walk dogs
18. Clean up after dogs
19. Clean houses
20. House-sitting
21. Baby-sitting
22. Photography
23. Convert home movies to DVDs

4. Get a part-time job in the evenings and/or weekends

A part-time job is typically fairly easy to get and the hours can be quite flexible. This is a good opportunity to earn some money while getting involved with something you find interesting (all the better if you then get an employee discount)

1. Deliver pizzas (you need a car for this)
2. Work at Fed-Ex/UPS late at night (money & exercise at the same time!)
3. Work as a waiter or waitress
4. Work in retail at any local store or the local mall (these jobs are exceptionally plentiful around Christmas)

5. Other

I’m not really sure into which category these fall, so I’ve grouped them here under this incredibly imaginative section name.

1. Participate in medical research – surveys and actual research (my wife and I once made $475 in one afternoon by donating a little bone marrow to a research effort)
2. Sell plasma
3. Participate in marketing research/focus groups (I once made $125 for 3 hours that included some snacks and driving around checking out Home Depot stores)
4. Mystery shopping – check out ICCDS.com and checkmarkinc.com

So, I’m stopping here for this first post. The list is fairly extensive but I’m sure I haven’t even scratched the surface. Hopefully you’ve found some ideas you’re interested in pursuing or, even better, reading the list has triggered some great ideas of your own. If you have any other ideas you’d like to share, please leave a comment or send an email and I’ll include it in the next post. If you’ve tried any of these, please let us know how well it worked out.