12 Ways to Make Extra Money

Given the current economic downturn we could all use a little more cash these days. Here are 12 ways you might be able to earn some extra money and pad your savings.

1. Have a Garage Sale - Sure, people are buying less these days, but more and more people are looking for great deals. As people's incomes dwindle folks are turning to discount stores, consignment shops, and garage sales to find items they need at lower prices. Having a garage sale is a great way to sell all those items that are gathering dust in your home and earn some extra money.

2. Sell Items on eBay - If you don't have enough items to justify a garage sale, eBay is a great place to sell one-off items that you no longer use. A lot of folks also make money doing something known as eBay arbitrage where they scour for deals on popular products, buy them, and turn around and sell those products on eBay for a profit. For example, Office Deport may offer an unbelievable deal on a popular brand of laptop computer and limit it to only 5 per store. A person gets up early and purchases the computer and then turns around and sells it on eBay. You can find these types of opportunities on Slickdeals and FatWallet. I also knew one lady who went to garage sales and thrift stores looking for brand name clothes to re-sell on eBay for a decent profit.

Related Searches

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3. Put clothes on consignment - During recessions people tend to shop more at consignment stores to save money on clothing. If you have a closet filled with clothes you haven't worn in over or two years you might gather them up and take them down to the nearest consignment store.

4. Babysit - Babysitting is a great way to make a few extra bucks. You can post fliers at your local church, or throughout your neighborhood. There are also some websites out there where you can list home services.

5. Rent out a Room - If you have an extra room in your home consider renting it out to make a little extra cash. With foreclosures on the rise, more and more people will be looking for places to rent.

6. Bake/Craft Sales - Do you make a wonderful Zucchini bread, or beautiful bead necklaces. You might consider selling your bake goods at a local farmers market. For craft items you could sell them at local arts & crafts fairs, on eBay, or sites like etsy.com.

7. Medical research - More than a few people have made some extra money by participating in clinical trials and medical research. Some medical research is pretty harmless such as answering questions in an MRI machine. Heres an account from GetRichSlowly.

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8. Marketing Focus Groups - For a while I was making several hundred dollars a year participating in marketing focus groups. I'm not sure how my name got on the call sheet of a local marketing research firm but it was wonderful getting paid $70-$100 an hour just to answer questions about products and services. You might look-up local marketing research firms in your area and call them to see if you can be placed on their calling list for upcoming focus groups. The way it works is when they have an upcoming focus group they will call people on their list to find people who qualify based on certain characteristics such as age, sex, products used in the past year, etc.

9. A part-time Job - Consider taking on a part-time job. Some common part-time jobs include catering staff, ushers at sports events, and other types of temp and seasonal work.

10. Start a Blog or Niche Site - Do you have a hobby or subject you are passionately interested in. You might consider starting a blog or niche website. A word of caution, everyone thinks they are going to make a ton of money doing this and it is very rarely the case. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and time before a site starts to cover the full cost of your time. But if you are passionate about a subject, and are already spending time on it, why not earn a little extra money running a blog about it and connecting with others who share the same passion.

11. Offer Your Services on Craigslist - Craigslist has several categories where you can offer up your services. Common ones include domestic service, man with a van, catering and other types of service related work.

12. Bank Promos - Be on the lookout for bank promo offers as they can be a great way to earn a couple hundred bucks per year. Just last week I was offered $100 to open a checking account with Washington Mutual. You can often find these on SlickDeals and FatWallet. You could also setup a Google Alert for "Bank Promo" or other related keywords.

Have I left anything out? Curious to hear what others have done to make a little extra cash.

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Comments:

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Tutoring is a great way to make extra cash - I'm an English major so I help high school seniors with college essays; I'm computer literate so I help computer-phobes (who only know email) learn Word and maybe a little Excel. Anything you're even reasonably good at is something someone wants to learn: art, dancing, singing, organization, etc. Post notices (w/ pull off phone number slips) at neighborhood stores, libraries, etc. and also on craigslist. I charge by the hour, based on the client's ability to pay.
My other money-maker is hosting fancy tea party-birthday celebrations for little girls, ages 5-8 at my home. Their food is quite plain (picky-eaters), but I serve hot/cold tea and teach little etiquette tips on how to be a good hostess/gues, drink tea, politely decline a serving, etc. I sometimes use a theme (provide crowns, little capes, wands, etc.) and ALWAYS ask that they dress up. I also put out a gourmet spread for the parents who stay. I charge from $15-25/head.

Posted by ladylaughs on December 18, 2008 12:14 PM

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I have also started tutoring to help pay for my college tuition. I am getting my BA in physics. I saw an advertisement for certified high school tutors for $50/hour and figured I could do that. I posted an ad on craigslist for science tutoring at $20/hour and already have 3 clients. Great way to get a little extra cash and help young people.

Posted by ElizabethN on December 18, 2008 1:09 PM

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My roommates and I used to hold a garage sale about once a month and would make about $200 each time. Living on a busy street in Washington DC definitely helped. We would sell stuff that we no longer needed or that people had given us to sell. Was a nice little money maker and kept the house clutter free.

Posted by chickenhouse on December 18, 2008 1:22 PM

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Still time to make some Christmas money by making Santa home vists. The most often booked will be Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. At $35 to $50 for a 15 minute visit might make you interested.

Regardless of the economy, the kids will only be small once. Everyone makes sacrifices for their children.

I did this for about 15 season. An ad in the local paper works well as does a few posters in the grocery store.

Take the phone calls and get a time window for your visit and PROMISE NOTHING other than a call back to confirm. A few days before, line up your visits so that you can make as many as possible one after another. Try to get a driver.

Then call to confirm the ones you can make and inform the others that you cannot make them.

When you arrive, use you cell phone in this modern age. The parent meets you at one door to load your sack with gifts to pass out and you later walk through another. Or,have the parents give you a written information so Santa can tell the boys and girls who has been naughty or nice. Upon leaving, have the host give you a Christmas card with the money inside. I used to gross about $700 in one evening.

Posted by james77777 on December 18, 2008 7:47 PM

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Editor's Note: We felt this comment was deserving of its own tip page. To read more on how to take advantage of tax breaks on charitable donations, click here: http://www.tiphero.com/tips_769_maximizing-tax-breaks-on-charitable-donations.ht ml

Posted by poorprincess28 on December 19, 2008 3:10 PM

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Editor's Note: We liked this comment on how to capitalize on coupons so much we moved it to its own tip page. To read this tip in full click on the following link:
http://www.tiphero.com/tips_683_get-more-out-of-your-coupons.html

Posted by Neicie on December 19, 2008 10:55 PM

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I did Santa for home visitations and did home birthday parties as a clown for about 25 years through the last recession. When my regular job paid me $18,000 gross in 1979 the entertainment thing paid $8,000 cash.

First, a regular job is better because of the perks like insurance, sick days and possibly a pension. But the cash helped a LOT.

How to get started. Look in the phone book to find a not for profit clown group and learn. Clowns of America has a clown site. Find a clown in a parade and ask him/her how he learned. Clowns of America mainly do charity work as a group for a hobby. But learn from them and read up and do your own thing. People feel that their kids will only be small once, so they spend.

Posted by james77777 on December 19, 2008 11:30 PM

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Editor's Note: We were so impressed with this comment on how to accelerate the pay down on your mortgage, we moved it to its own tip page. To read this tip in full click on the following link: http://www.tiphero.com/tips_767_mortgage-back-rewards-credit-cards.html

Posted by Tamara From Michigan on December 20, 2008 6:45 AM

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Has anyone ever participated in on-line surveys? I have done focus group work as mentioned above (paid well, but not consistant). Interested if anyone has had experiences with any companies (to recommend or to stay away from!)

Posted by Julie on December 30, 2008 11:31 AM

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have done online surveys for banana republic and am entered in a drawing each time. but did not you could do online surveys for payment. would also be interested in information on online surveys.thnx

Posted by anonymous on January 05, 2009 3:45 PM

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Another great way to earn extra money is run errands such as grocery shopping, laundry services for people who are unable to do these things or just do not have the time. Oh bv the way you can make extra by offering your services detailing (cleaning) there car. Hope this was helpful. Thank you ! Have a good day!

Posted by anonymous on January 06, 2009 9:11 AM

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I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal that profiled a few different families in Boise, Idaho. I already posted one tip that came from this article under 'Dairy' in the 'Food & Dining Out' category.

But here are a few ideas for ways to make money -- at least a few ways one family has made extra cash;

"She also sells hand-crocheted hats and scarves on Craigslist and at local bazaars, bringing in $85 on a recent weekend. Her husband, meanwhile, charges $20 an hour for guitar lessons on Wednesday nights, and takes trips into the Rockies with friends to cut firewood for the family's wood-burning stove. The couple also recently split the $600 cost of a yearling calf with Mrs. Muir's parents, who are raising it on their land in Caldwell. They plan to butcher it and eat the meat."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123120525879656021.html

Posted by anonymous on January 06, 2009 10:13 AM

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Some one asked about online surveys.
To answer your question I did it for two years for money. I'd get paid $2 a survey or earn points toward gift cards. In the beginning the surveys were fun and each one was quick. after a few months the surveys were longer and longer but the the reward stayed the same. Toward the end They would send me these screener surveys to see if I qualified to take a survey. The screener surveys went from being 5 minutes long to 45 minutes long(you don't get paid for screeners)I noticed I was getting like 10 screeners a day but no actual surveys, then I realized that the screeners were probably surveys in disguise so they wouldn't have to pay me. When I figured them out I stoped taking them. I still take surveys just not online ones. I participate in paid focus groups that are in person and pay like $50-300 each..sometimes those in person focus groups feed you to. Look in the phone book under market research and ask to be put into their data base to participate in focus groups because you enjoy them. Also check all the reciepts from stores/restaurarants etc and do those surveys because often you'll earn a free burger or drink or something...THose I always do(nothing beats free)

Posted by poorprincess28 on February 20, 2009 3:13 PM

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another way to make money is yard work. There is a family on our block that have put their kids through college by starting a lawn/rotatiller biz. The dad and kids does the work for cash only and the mom returns calls and does the accounting.

We have another family who does pet cleanup(poop cleanup) and another one that does house cleaning. When my husband messed up his back they did our yard work,now we do our own,but for $25 to cut the back and front,$35 for rotatilling and $40 for pet poop clean up its pretty convienant if your sick for awhile..not the most glamourous work and I doubt you'll get rich,but the family put three kids through college and still is!

Posted by poorprincess28 on February 20, 2009 3:19 PM

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Online surveys: It takes a long time to accumulate enough points/dollars to withdraw your award. I have been taking surveys from multiple different places and so far have only made $10.

The money maker for me is Mystery Shopping! Email me if you want sites that are actually real. No don't worry you'll never ever pay me or these sites for information. I would love to be a referral though. mvpoints@gmail.com

Word o caution (I found this out the hard way):
All the mystery shopping sites say 'We will send a 1099 form out to you once you have made more that $600 with us'. I didn't make $600 a year with a single company but made over $600 with the 5 companies that I am with.

It's a darn good thing I did my own research. The IRS tells me if you make more than $400 as an independent contractor or if you were self employed you still have to pay taxes on that income.

It was still worth it. I paid only $90 worth of taxes for $637 worth of income.

My point is...the fine print won't tell you everything.

Posted by besbud on February 24, 2009 4:34 PM

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Regarding the paid surveys - yes, it takes time to accumulate points and sometimes the on-line surveys (and trying to qualify) takes time. Check out MySurvey123.com for a LOT of valuable information. Who's legit, who's not, how each site works etc.

Posted by anonymous on March 13, 2009 1:57 PM

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we deliver pizza on weekends. tips are good if you have good manners and good hygiene, clean up your auto. $65 a day isn't bad.

Posted by anonymous on May 07, 2009 4:13 PM

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I really need help with a peach tree!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you help?

Posted by jenevive on May 18, 2009 7:00 PM

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My mom takes care of dogs at her home. She has a 3 bedroom home and an average sized fenced backyard. She had her back patio covered, and puts lots of dog beds and blankets out there. The dogs often spend the entire day playing in the backyard, then having treats and napping on the patio.

She charges $20 for the day, depending on the size of the dog and if it has special needs (such as meds, etc). She can have up to 6 dogs at a time. She accepts cash or check only, and clears $800 a month easily in addition to her other part time work (which she also does from home).

There are lots of people who work every day, and would like their dogs to be able to have some playtime. Even without advertising, and even during this slow economy, my mom stays steadily busy every month.

Posted by deb on May 27, 2009 10:44 PM

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I would like to know if anyone has any ideas or knows of a site or organization that helps hire retired people. When you have your health sixty isn't old.. Yet they wont hire us and we're the most dependable group out there.

My hubby is a year older then me and wants to go back to work but the age thing seems to keep him from being hired but its hard to prove. He has his masters and managed for the city health department for 27 yrs. He wants to still work and we dont even need the benefits..
Any ideas?

Editor's Note: We moved this question to the questions category. To read more or to submit your ideas on how to get hired after retirement go to: http://www.tiphero.com/tips_1590_any-ideas-for-jobs-post-retirement.html

Posted by anonymous on May 29, 2009 7:04 AM

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In regards to companies that are senior friendly for employment, check the AARP web site. AARP.COM, click on money, then click on find a job. Lots of good information.

Posted by anonymous on May 31, 2009 10:13 PM

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I made alot of extra money while attending f/t Program in College. I checked out a few nanny sites and applied for a position that I was not qualified for (*didnt have first aid/cpr or education school education on early learnign for children) and I was accepted, I wasnt afraid to apply to several as I didnt mind the word no, as I knew one would be a yes..

It ended up being the dream job..I made $20/hr and the family was flexible to my school and worked for them for 2 straight years till they moved and made $15,000 over two years. I knew it would be difficult finding a job that would be flexible but took chances..

Some of my friends said I was lucky, spoilt ect. But I applied, I searched for it..They didn't apply?

So my advice is nanny. With nannying, love the child, love that they give you their trust in their priceless, most valuable posession (sp wrong). Take lots of pics for the parents, be kind, be open and have fun...

Posted by Evans on June 22, 2009 2:28 AM

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Pet sitting. Client goes on vacation, you drop in and play with/feed, clean litter box, what ever, and charge per trip. Make sure you're charging enough to clear a profit after car expense. Lots of people do this, but there is room for more.

Posted by anonymous on July 07, 2009 11:32 PM

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Be careful if you decided to use your personal car for pizza delivery or another delivery-type job. You could lose your insurance!

If you use your personal auto to deliver pizza, you risk losing your auto insurance � and your coverage for an accident while making deliveries � as passenger auto insurance policies DO NOT permit the use of a personal vehicle for delivery service. You must carry a COMMERCIAL auto insurance policy, which is more expensive. Read your auto insurance policy carefully and consult your insurance agent before using your personal car to deliver pizza or anything else!

Posted by anonymous on July 13, 2009 11:43 AM

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The internet is filled with cash earning possibilities. I started a blog dedicated to FREE online money making opportunities. You can check it out by clicking my name "bestmommy"

A recent cash generating site I found is called YouData. They pay you for viewing websites and I've been getting a weekly paypal payment from them.

Here's the link to YouData---very easy and fun to do. http://www.youdata.com

Posted by bestmommy on August 13, 2009 2:38 PM

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Pizza delivery is a GREAT part time job (18+ in most states), but it does put the wear and tear on the car. You can walk out on a five hour Friday shift with $70-100 cash in your pocket, not to mention the hourly paycheck!

Some tips on getting good tips:

Make sure you are well-groomed. No one wants a bum on their doorstep.

If you smoke, do it on the way BACK from the delivery, not on the way there. No one wants an ashtray on their doorstep, and some people will be offended!

Only park in their driveway if you must. It's respectful to their property, and if they say that you could have, explain that you don't want to block someone's entry or possibly leak in their driveway!

Always have a pen.

Always go expecting that you're going to get a $10 tip because of your outstanding service, but never be rude if you don't get a tip. You never know who's going to be generous, and you never know who's going to remember at the last second to tip you!

If you are late, acknowledge it and apologize sincerely. Carry coupons for your business and hand them out in these cases.

RE personal car insurance on pizza delivery:
It's not honest, but it's what we've always done in the pizza delivery biz (I did it for ten years):
If you are in an accident while delivering pizza (or doing some other work-related stuff in your own vehicle) and don't have commercial insurance, NEVER let it be known that you are working! If you have a company's sign on your car, you must remove it as soon as it happens! Throw it in the trunk or whatever, get it out of sight before the police show up!

Tell the other person involved in the accident that if it comes out in the report that you were on a delivery that it's entirely possible that your insurance will drop you and NOT pay fully for the accident!

Posted by Been there, done that. on August 13, 2009 4:21 PM

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Online surveys can go either way. You can find some sites that pay a little more, and find sites that don't pay very well. To me time sitting on my butt, not doing anything is being wasteful. So even though some sites don't pay as well I still am earning something.

I have been paid $30 from one site, and $20 from another, and a couple bucks here and there, the year I have been at this. It is not taxed, so if you're bored and not doing anything anyways you might as well. The trick is not let points/rewards expire, and work with as my companies as time allows.

Mystery shopping can also go either way. Again time sitting on my butt...etc. A person can make $200 a week part time, if you live in a robust city, and there are lots of opportunities. I went from a robust city, to a no bust city, so ... I'm not making $200 a week. I also work full time and go to school, so I might not even hit the $400 IRS Independent Contractor yearly limit.

Posted by anonymous on September 17, 2009 3:19 PM

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my friend and i deliver flowers for a local florist during holidays-shops often need extra help during these busy seasons, and pay per delivery

Posted by anonymous on September 18, 2009 10:56 PM

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Do you have office skills? If yes, consider the following ideas:

1. Design and update a company monthly newsletter
2. Type and mail out holiday letters
3. Offer resume writing
4. Create a company brochure
5. Take on virtual assistant assignment (http://www.virtualassistantjobs.com/jobs.html)

Do you write well?
Recently I have been working on a freelance writing assignment from a prepaid debit card company. In addition to getting paid, using the debit card and writing about my experiences is a lot of fun! I'm discovering all kinds of ways to better budget my money.

If you are a decent writer, here are some companies looking for content:
www.DemandStudios.com
www.TextBroker.com
www.Mahalo.com

Posted by Kimberly A. Griffiths on October 04, 2009 5:05 PM

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This is soooo unbelievable!!! I have been scamed soooo may times by fake online companies��. It would be great to find some honest companies to work for!!! Thank you everyone for making me feel there is a chance out there for a single person to make a living!!! God bless you all

Posted by anonymous on October 08, 2009 1:43 AM

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I am a stay at home mom and am signed up with several survey companys, I make a little from each one and they add up quick! I also use Swagbucks and iRazoo to earn digital bucks that I cash in for Amazon.com gift cards, I use them to buy Birthday gifts, Christmas presents and Homeschool books/supplies! It is so easy you just use their search bars to do your regular internet searches and thats it! For me anything "extra" is AWESOME! I have all the info on my blog for several of the places that I am signed up with, Check it out!

www.windsweptbaby.blogspot.com

Posted by www.Windsweptbaby.blogspot.com on November 19, 2009 3:16 PM

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Keep receipts for EVERYTHING that you may possibly need to return later. Items that I buy are often defective or don't work as advertized. Clothing may not fit, reception might be poor on that radio you loved, or maybe the trashcan warped so that you could never get the top on again after that first trash pick-up!

RETURN RETURN RETURN! Let those retailers know that you won't keep junk that doesn't work and get your money back in hand!

Posted by tori on February 06, 2010 7:07 PM

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I have been laid off now for four months and needed to find ways to save money. 2 of the biggest things i have done to cut one of my biggest utilities (light bill) is 1) I put my electric water heater on a timer and had a friend put the timer right next to the kitchen light switch to make it convenient. Now if I need hot water for dishes, laundry or shower...etc., I just turn the dial to how ever long i will need the hot water. usually an hour. so on the average day i only may heat the water for 2 hours...vs 24/7! I also put all the electronics (tv, stereo,etc.) on power strips. I watched a tv show that stated that tv's use 70% of the energy while they are "off!"

Along with using those florescent light bulbs, putting my lights (indoor and out) on motion sensing switches, turning the fridge down one notch, and being aware of my usage...i have cut my light bill in half!

Posted by Charmaine on July 27, 2010 9:02 AM

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Ebates.com is a great site to pay you in cash for online purchases at major retailers.

Posted by steffi johnson on January 27, 2011 3:32 PM

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I tried being in a Medical study and it was a big mistake - I got hives and had to pay my own doctor to treat it because the study doctor was not available. Also the lab tech could not draw blood at all well and I had to get struck 2 or 3 times each visit. I started to realize that letting someone experiment on you - when you don't even know what drug you are taking or what effects it could have is in my opinion a bad idea - the risks out way the small monetary gain. I made about $300 but had to miss work and see a doctor for hives and they were very uncomfortable

Posted by Not that broke on January 31, 2011 1:45 AM

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On February 20,2009, Poorprincess28 wrote about online surveys that used "screening surveys" to find out about qualifying to take a survey. I ran into the same thing on one survey site. I would need to answer 15 to 20 questions to see if I could even qualify to take a survey. After taking about a half-dozen of the screening surveys and not even qualifying for one actual survey it was obvious that it was just a scam. One type of site that I did have some luck with is Mypoints.com which worked out okay, and they just email you links to click on ads for other websites. The one thing to remember with this is that you usually do not get many points (money) for just looking at the ad or website, but rather you need to buy stuff from the websites that you visit to really make it pay off. Also, I know people who volunteer a couple of Saturday mornings each month at the local food shelf and although they don't actually get paid money, they do each get to take home a bag of food each time they show up. Not bad considering how the price of food is going up.

Posted by Rich W. on February 26, 2011 3:58 PM

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I still dont know which online surveys are safe or pay the best so am still skeptical I am open for comments from anyone who can tell me more about this

Posted by tom pedigo on July 09, 2011 2:58 AM

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People always say "to an errand service or poop scoop service etc. (both I'm interested in) but what about all the details? Business insurance, commercial insurance for your car if you're delivering something, a license, registering a businees name, etc. It's overwhelming and expensive! But I wouldn't want to do an errand service without insurance. You could get sued if you picked up the wrong medication etc. Any thoughts?

Posted by dawn193 on September 18, 2011 11:11 PM

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I am an avid animal lover looking for money making ideas. Any suggstions besides the usual "pooper scooper" and dog sitting / walking biz stuff? Thanks!

Posted by dean on April 22, 2013 11:35 AM

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If you are crafty at all, make some pet-related items - either from recycled things (which make them unique), or new things. If you know how to sew/knit/crochet, make pet clothes. People love their pets and love to spend money on them...personalized / monogrammed / embroidered items are good for pets too!

Posted by heather w on May 10, 2013 1:06 PM

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