Ways to Make Extra Money Without a Job, Part One

• barrieabalard
• February 4th, 2010

I spent a fair amount of time in the past week researching ways to make money when you don’t have, or don’t want, a permanent, full-time job. You might be retired (forcibly or not); you might be a stay-at-home parent looking to fill in the gaps around the main breadwinner’s income; or you might live a fair distance from places that offer part-time or moonlighting jobs, which often involve working in some aspect of the retail industry or fast food. The time involved in traveling to and from a part-time job, plus car expenses, could dampen your expected wages.

Having your own business gives you flexibility. It’s something you can do while you work a full-time job or take care of your kids. You can grow it slowly if you’re pressed for time or money to reinvest in the business. Plus, having more than one source of revenue comes in handy if you or someone in your family loses their full-time job. And you are your own boss—who doesn’t like that?

Starting your own business isn’t easy. You will have to tend to your business on days/nights you just want to vegg out in front of the television. Getting a new business off the ground can be discouraging, too. The process can force you to learn new skills you don’t especially want to learn (for me, this involves any form of cold-calling prospects). Not only that, but it will likely be months, or even years, before you start to see significant profits and income. In the beginning, your “hourly wage” (i.e., profits divided by time spent working) for all your efforts could be only a buck or two, but if you keep at it, your hourly wage will probably rise.

Spend some time thinking about your skills and talents, because doing so may lead you to a great idea. Do you have a lot of experience working with pets? You could start a pet-sitting or dog-walking service. Are you handy? Try creating a “honey-do” business. Can you sew really well? You could do alterations in your home. Are you technically-inclined? Begin a “Geek Squad” type of business, create web sites, or sell web hosting services. Remember, it’s likely a lot of folks in your area are already offering such services, so make your services fit an area that’s not well-covered—put a fresh spin on your idea if necessary. And, of course, check to make sure you are following all local regulations regarding small businesses, and carry liability insurance if needed.

The ideas I’ve listed are not “one size fits all.” Few of them may interest you or suit your situation. But if you are willing to work, you’ll probably find at least one idea that intrigues you. If you do come up with an idea, spend time brainstorming your new business before you start spending money. And have a business plan, even if it’s a bit rudimentary. Here are the best ideas I found.

Businesses requiring virtually no, or less than, $100 capital

Costs: little to nothing except for advertising, needed permits, website costs, and business cards (use Vistaprint.com or similar for low-cost cards)

Most of these businesses are ultra flexible but steady income might take a while to accumulate.

Mow lawns/yardwork/shovel snow/etc.
These are your typical teen jobs, but if you like demanding physical work and are in shape, you can make a decent second income. Snow shoveling, though the income from it is irregular, might work if you live in an area that receives only occasional snow—many folks haven’t invested in snowblowers, trucks with plow blades on the front, etc., in such an area. Set a decent price and offer your services around the neighborhood after a hard snowfall. Or, you could start before winter and advertise on the bulletin board of your local grocery store, coffee shop, library, and so on.

Lawn mowing is steadier income because grass grows no matter what. If you have a powerful mower, or a riding mower that makes short work of the average lawn in your area, consider rounding up a few customers that want their lawns mowed every week or every other week. You could spend one of your days off taking care of lawns. In my area, lawn mowing starts at $25 a week for bare-bones service. Four weekly customers would mean you’d gross a hundred bucks a week before expenses while spending your day off mowing instead of watching sitcom reruns on cable.

Babysit/Before-and-after school care
If you enjoy children, consider this option. Babysitters can make some pretty decent money these days. In my area, sitters charge four to eight dollars an hour, and once the kids go to bed, you can watch the TV shows you were going to watch anyway. Or, if you have kids at home and don’t want to leave them, start a before-and-after school day care program. However, day care of any kind is regulated and requires permits—sometimes, home inspection by government officials. Do your homework on this matter.

Sell your old stuff online (or at a garage sale)
Got a lot of books? Try selling them on Amazon. Have a lot of higher-priced items? Check out eBay. Most people are familiar with this idea, so I’ll leave it at that.

Start a blog or web site
To have a successful, money-making blog requires that you A, write about something that can be monetized, and B, know how to drive traffic to your site. You can start a blog on free sites like Blogger and WordPress, but to have complete design autonomy you usually have to pay. Spend lots of time tossing around ideas in subjects that play to your strong suits. It’s even better if you blog about something technical enough for a lot of people to need the information, but not so arcane that your audience is severely limited. One exception, however, is if you have an unusual hobby that requires a great deal of knowledge or expertise. This is one area in which you have the potential for a successful, money-making blog.

Work temp or seasonal jobs, or non-office part-time jobs
In the past, I have worked as a food demonstrator in grocery stores and as a registration desk person for conventions. Both these kinds of jobs are often found through temporary employment agencies. If you only want occasional extra money, this can be one place to start. You usually have to live in a highly populated area to find such jobs. Register with a few temp agencies and tell them what you’re looking for. Sometimes these one-day-only jobs go begging (I once worked at a temp agency as a long-term temp a few years back.) You can also make contacts while doing these jobs that might help you find more work on your own.

Don’t forget holiday jobs, from the more traditional part-time gigs in retail, to opportunities to deliver flowers, food, and other items. The shipping companies (like UPS and FedEx) hire extra workers to process packages, but you usually have to be able to lift at least forty to fifty pounds to do the work.

For steady , non-office part-time jobs, try delivering pizza or other food, deliver newspapers (unpleasant hours but money’s not bad), or deliver medication for a local pharmacy.

Drive for dollars
Apply to a company that places ads on cars, such as myfreecar.com. You can make $700 to $900 a month if they pick you. The ads are non-permanent, you must leave them on for the entire length of your contract, and they remove the ad when the contract is up. To be picked, usually you need to have a long, regular commute, or drive many miles.

There are sites that claim to help you get work driving vehicles that need delivery. I found one, though, that seems only to exist to sell you materials that they claim will “help you find a driving job.” Perhaps they’re telling the truth, but in general, I avoid any organization that forces me to lay out money to find work. This particular site (and I am very disappointed with www.bankrate.com that they listed the site in one of their articles) is http://www.travelforpay.org/ Again, I would not pay for information that supposedly leads to work.

Phone book companies often need people to deliver phone books once or twice a year. Search your area to see if any are near you, and when they need drivers.

Next week, we’ll tackle businesses you can start that take more than $100 in capital.

Tickers: business ideas requring less than $100, make money without a job, non-office temp or part-time jobs, start a home business

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