One of the basic tenants of personal finance is to spend less than you earn, which is really what being frugal is all about: managing your money wisely. The flip side however, is just as important: earn more than you spend. I would even go so far as to say that for those of us who really are only (or barely) earning enough to meet our basic needs, earning more than you spend is crucial.
My income dropped by more than half when I started school in September. We were never exactly rolling in it, but we’ve been really struggling for the past few months. In order to make up for the loss in income, I had to find ways of earning extra money. Here are the ways I do it.
- This blog. I didn’t earn any money for blogging for almost a year, but things have slowly been picking up.I’ve always considered blogging to be a job (one that I love dearly) but I’ve only recently started earning money.
- Blog consulting. I have been starting to work as a blog and marketing consultant, and I’ve been earning some money (and getting jobs) for work I’ve been doing.
- My Etsy shop. This is the smallest of my income streams, mostly because I devote the least amount of time to it. But for those talented crafters who spend a lot of time producing work for and marketing their Etsy shop, this can be quite profitable.
There are many ways of alternative streams of income. They can be more or less profitable according to your situation, but are still always worth considering!
Do you work outside of your normal daily activities (school, job, SAHM)? What do you do? What ways of earning extra money have been the most and least profitable for you?
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{ 18 comments }
i agree with this one “There are many ways of alternative streams of income. They can be more or less profitable according to your situation, but are still always worth considering!”
i make money online such as become a member of paid survey site, this is the web, is appreciate anybody that use my info, thx 🙂
I just recently stopped selling homemade bread. I did it for over a year though and it was a great side gig.
I also babysit.
I’m still in the “not-making-money-yet” phase of blogging, but I have hopes for it in the future 🙂
Nicki at Domestic Cents´s last blog post..Benefits Of Outdoor Grilling
tell me more about making money blogging!
How about secret shopper…do you know more about this?’
I’d love to know more
natalie´s last blog post..Spring floral inspiration
Were you a web-designer or something similar in your previous life? I’m hoping my blog will someday payoff – thanks for giving me an anticipated timeline. My friend who is a successful blogger has told me to just keep writing. So, I am and hoping to find my voice and focus of the blog int the interim.
Miko’s Girl´s last blog post..The Never-Ending Saga of Decluttering the Home
I’m wondering if you know of any good resources for opening up and running a successful Etsy shop. I’ve been thinking about it for awhile now, and am just scared to commit.
Alana @ Gray Matters´s last blog post..Easter Pillowcase
Ok.. maybe i’m just dense here, but how do you make money blogging?
Well, I’m making “pennies” blogging. Does that count? 🙂 Like Nicki, I also have hopes that my blog will become more profitable in the future.
Amanda´s last blog post..10 Steps to Make Shopping with Kids Easier
My husband and I just bought a house and are trying to pinch pennies. We recently came across his old CD collection and decided to sell them on Amazon. We’ve made about 100 dollars – and it’s a lot easier on amazon.com than it is on eBay, we found. We also house and dogsit. A lot of people wouldn’t be willing to leave their own homes, which is understandable. However, there are a lot of people who would much rather pay a human to stay with their dog than to pay the fee to kennel or board their dog.
Audrey´s last blog post..Kitchen "During" Photos
@Nicki- selling bread? really? That’s quite interesting! If you’ve ever written a post on that, send your link- I’d like to hear more about it.
@Audrey- I know that my mom much prefers somebody to stay at her house with her dogs than kennel them- I’m the same way with my cats.
As to how I make money blogging- when I say that I make money, it’s still not much! But basically all the ads you see in the sidebars and RSS feed are paid ads. Most of my blog related money comes from consulting work, however. And no, I wasn’t a web designer in the past! I do use Thesis, which helps enormously.
So tell us your Etsy shop name so we can go visit 🙂
I garden, hunt, fish, clam…. while that isn’t making money, it
is providing food for next to nothing… and in my book that counts!
In addition to part-time marketing work, I do freelance writing (magazine and web-based). I also sell a few things here and there on eBay. I wish I had an Etsy shop, but I’ve only learned to harness my creativity through writing.
Alana@GrayMatters: Here’s a helpful post about starting an Etsy shop –
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/02/starting-your-own-etsy-business-part-3.html
Good luck!
Erin {PlinkPlink}´s last blog post..Fabulous Finds for Mom: Spring Jackets!
Since you asked… my etsy shop is kllycat.etsy.com. 😉
I’m actually an ebayer – I’m a Masters student (and work two part time jobs, one in admin and one in retail), but do ebaying on the side.
Basically, I decided to combine two passions – shopping, and the internet to turn a profit. I shop for items on sale either in normal retail stores, or in second-hand charity stores – and then list them on eBay.
I’ve been doing it since October last year, and have already turned over $2300 in NET profits. It’s ideal because it’s something I love and enjoy (shopping and ebaying!), it takes up hardly any of my time (maximum ten hours a week), and it turns over a great side profit!
Hi, Kelly, I had to stop by and see what the latest was. You’re doing great work and have wonderful, useful ideas. I need to stop by more often and learn something! Keep up the good work. See you at the wedding in 3 weeks. Cynthia
Cynthia in France´s last blog post..Decorating – the Balance Between French and American, Part II
I stay at home with my girls, but devote every extra minute of my time to my Ebay store. Ebay has provided me a way to stay at home with my kids and I hope to continue to be at home with them until they are all school age. Since I have young kids I primarily focus on selling children’s clothing and toys. I love the flexibility that it gives me.
Jenny´s last blog post..~ Mercy Me 5K & Easter Egg Hunt ~
i work part time as a fitness instructor at a gym.
This allows me the flexibility to decide how many classes I want to teach and I get about $20 per hour long class. Everything I make from that goes into my vacation fund.
Hi,
For about 8 years now, since I became a full-time SAHM, I’ve had a jewelry business in which I purchase inventory from a wholesale source and then retail it at festivals and the occasional home party. In the midwest, there are festivals (sometimes called craft shows, tho there are few actual “crafts”) in small towns every weekend. I set up a tent in a rented booth space and peddle my wares. For me, this is very seasonal and I’ve become very selective over the years as to which shows I will do and I only travel within 100 miles or less radius from home. My family goes with me for the day and we’ve met lots and lots of people and actually made some money. Through this experience, I’ve met other business owners and “crafters” who sell everything from candles to home made glass beads to purses and food items.
Best regards!
This is a great thread. I have found a great way to sell books that I don't want or need any longer. On http://www.bookjingle.com you enter the ISBN numbers on the back of the book and a price comes up for the books they will accept. It is really easy and they even give you a prepaid label to ship the books to them for free. It only took two days after they received my books to get paid by Paypal. I think they pay by check as well. It is much better than Ebay because you no exactly how much you are getting for each book, you don't have to wait for bids to see if your item will even sell. My friends and family give me their books too when they are done with them. 🙂