I am sure that most of us have had a time in our life where we needed to make some extra money. This has definitely been the case for our family. Our financial situation is different today than it was years ago. We had a period where a company my husband used to work for, wasn’t doing well, we went months without receiving a steady paycheck. This can be very stressful!
I have always been a stay at home mom (17 years now), but I have also tried to bring in some extra money for our family. I am going to share with you the different things I have done, to bring in extra money for our family. Some worked great, and others not so well. Hopefully, if you are in need of a little extra money, either to supplement your income, or to pay for things you want, this will give you a starting point for some ideas. I will be sharing the things that I am familiar with and have experience in, but I would love to hear from all of you too.
So, here are the things that I have done to earn extra money for our family:
Ebay – Ebay is what saved our family during those lean times. I will be sharing in detail the items that I have sold that have been great moneymakers for me, particularly Gymboree clothing and Target clearance toys. You can see $740 in profit I made at Christmastime last year by selling items on Ebay.
Blogging – This one is a surprise for me! When I started my blog I had no idea that it would be a way to make money. The great part is, it is something that I enjoy, I am able to share my love for coupons, deals and frugal living. I get to help others, and our family is blessed in return.
At Home Parties – I have been a consultant for several of the at-home party companies, like Pampered Chef, Stampin’ Up! and Discovery Toys. If you are disciplined and outgoing, this can be a great way to make a little extra money. I usually just spent my earnings on new product, so it didn’t always work out to be a money maker for me. The starter kits are usually a great deal, so it is something to think about.
Promos – If you look around for promos that companies are offering, you can actually make a little money. Examples of this are the banking deals: Key Bank is offering a FREE iPod iTouch for opening a checking account, and Chase was offering $100 for opening a checking account (Chase deal is expired now). I know the iPod isn’t cash, but you can sell it on Ebay to earn money.
Reward Sites – Sites like Swagbucks, Mypoints and Ebates, can help to supplment your income. You can redeem your points for gift cards and then you can use those to buy groceries or other items you need. You may not make a ton of money, but the potential is there! I have done really well with Swagbucks and Mypoints, I have earned hundreds of dollars in gift cards from both of those sites.
Hobbies – My mom and I used to do craft shows. I would make floral arrangements and to decorative painting, my mom would sell sewn items. We had a ton of fun together. We actually had some really good shows a couple of times. We also had some really lame ones too. I also had the opportunity to make some money being on a design team for a scrapbook company, I was paid cash for the layouts that I had published. It really is possible to make some extra money with your hobby.
Seasonal or Temporary Work – I started working at a flower shop in high school. I now have to opportunity to help out at the flower shop on holidays and during school dances, this brings in a little extra money at times. I have also delivered phone books to earn some extra money.
Talents – I mentioned above that I used to work at a flower shop. In the past I had the chance to do quite a few wedding flowers. I was able to do this out of my own home, so it didn’t effect my family. If you play the piano, you could teach lessons out of your home. There are lots of ways to make money with the talents you have.
Over the next couple of weeks I will be explaining more about all of these items in detail, hopefully, you can get some ideas of things that may work for you. I am no expert at making money, but I can share what has and hasn’t worked for me. If you have something that you do that brings in some extra money, please share! If you would be interested in writing a guest post, that would be great too, just shoot me an email at thriftyandthriving@gmail.com.
Leave me a comment if there is one of these particular categories you want me to explain in detail first.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
HI Christy, the Chase $100 deal is back
I just opened an a/c with them today
your target / ebay profit is amazing! i just pick things up for myself and friends. please share, if you care to, what you pick up with intent to re-sell in the future…i don’t have a clue what is popular (maybe i will when my kids start school!).
I did mystery shopping for a while. Some were decent, you could at least get a free meal out of them. It just depends on the area you live in. For me most of my shops were at fast food places or wireless stores. You could do up to 4 shops a day, but I didn’t have that much time. You normally can’t bring your kids with you, and there are set times you have to be available so if you aren’t flexible it won’t work.
Just make sure the company you use doesn’t charge anything. I submitted all my receipts online and was paid within a few days after the shop. I looked at shops in other areas and they had oil change places and other stores in there. The shops are constantly changing so you can always find something to do.