Money Making Ideas

With the current economy, incomes are shrinking, or even worse - gone. But the bills keep coming. Many people are searching for money making ideas.

If your regular job isn't earning you enough cash or you've lost your job altogether, here are:

1. Offer to mow lawns, rake leaves, and/or shovel snow for those living in your neighborhood (and in surrounding neighborhoods). Distribute flyers or post at local businesses (where permitted) to advertise your services.

2. Contact your local newspaper to see if they pay for freelance reporting. Offer to cover local events, such as sporting or cultural events, for a fee.

3. Start a blog where you can earn a little cash from advertising or even sell your hobbies or other things you are passionate about.

4. Telecommute, car pool, or walk as ways to save money on gas.

5. Advertise and offer your services in auctioning stuff people want to sell on eBay. Some people don’t have any idea how to sell things online and aren’t comfortable with auction sites like eBay. You could offer to do it for them for a portion of the profits.

6. Or, sell your junk and other assets of your own. Did you know that billions of dollars is earned every year on eBay?! This could be a very profitable money making idea.

7. If eBay sounds too technical for you, yard sales can reap a chunk of money!

8. Offer to baby sit, elder sit, or house sit for your neighborhood or acquaintances. Again, distribute flyers to advertise your availability.

9. Bake cookies and/or pastries and sell at area office buildings.

10. Join Craig’s List (http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites) and watch for free or cheap stuff in your area that you could refinish or repaint and sell.

11. Become a dog walker. (I’ve heard of people making $100 a week doing this money making idea.) Or, get some training and become a dog groomer.

12. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to be your own boss starting your own business. Turn your hobby, skills or expertise into a part-time or full-time income, depending on your goals. This can be a very lucrative money making idea. The best part is, you can work from home.

13. Can you teach? If you know something that other people want to know, then maybe you could teach at a local community college or offer public seminars, or even teleconferences.

I have been teaching piano lessons in my home for many years. Could you teach guitar, flute, or voice lessons?

14. Are you willing or able to be a clown, balloon artist, juggler, or performer (singing, accompanying or play a musical instrument)? If so, you could entertain at kids' birthday parties, church events, clubs or other social gatherings.

15. Make money by donating blood plasma. Help save lives and make up to $300 per month! (Depending on your area.) If you calculate it out, you can be making almost $30 per hour by just laying there.

16. Do writing and editing freelance work. Check out sites like Sologig to learn about contract, consulting, freelance, temp-to-hire, and part-time work in your field.

76. Sell books – could be from college or your personal library. Check local listings for places who buy used books.

18. Search circulating coinage. Go to About.com to learn how Susan Headley made about $2,500 in 2008 by searching through circulating coinage.

19. Enter local and online sweepstakes. Here’s a website to help you get started – Sweeties Sweeps

20. Give your opinion and get paid. Contributing an hour of your time could earn you up to $100, sometimes more. But, I have found that you have to subscribe to many of them and be able to complete many of them to earn any substantial amount of money. I have subscribed to some of the free paid survey's on this website and found them to be legitimate: http://www.getpaidsurveys.com/

Also, check WorkAtHomeMoms.com at wahm.com. There's lots of good information there.

One of the best sources in looking for legitimate work from home jobs are in the work from home forums. Another great resource is IM Report Card. I love this site. Just type in any business opportunity you're researching and they will most likely have reviews for you.

Always, always do your research before joining or paying any money for work at home jobs.

21. Join a direct selling company. Direct selling is a great money making idea and is one of the easiest ways to earn some extra cash, especially if you sell products you love. For example, Avon allows you start your own business for $10 – your take home depends on your efforts, of course.

22. Be a secret shopper. All you really need to succeed is having an eye for detail, as well as a good memory. After registering with a secret shopping company, you are paid to basically go undercover and report on a company's operation from the customer’s point of view.

23. Like photography? Sell your photos to stock agencies. Whether it’s just a hobby, if you’re an amateur, or an experienced photographer, anyone can submit their photos to stock photo agencies like Shutterstock.com. If your images are accepted, they will be available for download by subscribers. Each time someone downloads your photos, you earn 25 cents.

24. Create personal websites for friends and neighbors. Better yet - create a website for yourself! Earn money writing about something you are passionate about from the comfort of your home.



Hopefully these money making ideas got your creative juices flowing with even more ideas for making or freeing up extra cash for you and your family.

If you have lost your job altogether and haven’t sufficiently prepared for a loss of income, you are not alone. Many Americans are in debt, without a clear plan to solve their financial problems.

For families unprepared for a sudden loss of income, you can download a free publication, "Adjusting to Suddenly Reduced Income," that takes into account both the emotional and financial aspects.

Take action quickly to avoid excess spending and begin your search for money making ideas that will best fit your needs.

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