4 Side Gigs To Help You Earn Extra Cash
Sometimes you need to make a little extra cash. There are practical, achievable ways to make a little extra money each month. As you gain more savings, you may eventually be able to try some money-making activities that require up-front capital, but chances are you aren’t ready to start flipping houses straight out of the gate. Start by trying some of these first.
Bust out the paints or the camera
If all that paint you bought for your art elective in college is still sitting at the back of your closet, it’s time to dust it off and make it pay rent. Look for local markets or vendor areas that would allow you to sell your work on weekends. This also applies to photography. Order a bulk package of black 3×5 mats, pick up some black and white film, and go shoot. You can spend some time in the local library looking at books on the photography greats to give you tips and inspiration. You can even sell your pictures to stock photo sites. Also, your paintings, drawings or photographs make great presents. Don’t forget to sign the back!
Newsletters
Plenty of companies and businesses are looking for people to create a newsletter for them, and they don’t always hire from within. It can be tedious, but you can use that experience on your resume in almost any field. Being able to write well, knowing good layout and design, and keeping to deadline are always an asset. If you can do graphic design work, offer your services to bloggers who need banners or other work for their websites. You’ll also most likely be able to work remotely for these sorts of jobs (helloooo, pajamas).
Mold some minds
Not in front of a class (unless you’re qualified and that’s your thing). Think tutoring, proofreading college students’ research papers, or giving music lessons to beginners. Music lessons can actually be an insane money maker, if you are talented in that direction. The general rate for a 30-minute private lesson is anywhere between $15 and $40.
Maybe you’re already doing it?
Sites like Ebates or SwagBucks help you earn money when you do things you’d normally do. Ebates gives you a percentage back if you click through to sites like Amazon from the Ebates page, so if you’re already going to use Amazon, click Ebates first. The amount will vary almost daily, but clicking through to our example, Amazon, from Ebates generally gives you about five percent back. SwagBucks requires just a touch more work. You earn points for things like watching video clips, or using their search bar instead of Google. After a certain stage is reached, points become gift cards. You can even install the SwagBucks toolbar so you can search from it easier. If you run a blog, you may also want to consider using affiliate links.
