There are times when it seems like our earnings will not stretch to the next payday. Whether you are on a fixed income or have hit a few bumps in the road, adding some extra income on the side can always be a blessing. If you are looking for ways that you can make more money each month, using your favorite hobby can be a great way to do that. It all comes down to going with what you know and love.
Tips to Make More Money Using Your Hobby
* House Sit, Watch Pets or do Yard Work – Offer to house sit, walk and care for pets or even do some baby sitting on the side. If you love to garden and have a great looking yard, start a local yard work business or consulting business to help others set up their yards or beds.
* Mystery Shop – If you love to shop and enjoy eating out, why not sign up to do mystery shops. There are many companies that perform mystery shops on restaurants and businesses. You do need a reliable vehicle and a computer. By the way, you should not have to pay a fee to sign up and receive leads for mystery shop companies.
* Sell Handcrafted Products – If you are a crafter or love to work with your hands, you can start to sell your products at local fairs, farmers markets, church bazaars, festivals and even online. Open a store and sell your product on sites like Etsy for a small fee. Then use the power of the internet and advertise on free sites like Craigslist, Facebook and other social media sites too.
* Offer Personal Services – Do you love to decorate your home and often get compliments from others? Consider offering decorating services to others for a smart way to add extra income to your budget. Maybe you are great at organizing a home. Offer organizing help for the home – pantry’s, garages, closets, offices. Perhaps you a love to scrapbook or have a creative hobby like that. Do custom books for others or take special orders for artistic work. Take what you know and offer a service to others.
* Teach Others – Adult schools, private schools, and community colleges often look for experts to share their skills. Create an idea for a specialty class and teach your skill to others. Are you great with others and have good tutoring skills? Start a tutoring business.
* Write How-To eBooks – If you are a great storyteller and love to write, share your knowledge with others by writing an eBook. You can build a website and sell your book online plus sell through sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others.
* Do Freelance Work – Do you enjoy your work in an office setting? Administrative skills, web and internet work, customer service or any business skills can be turned into a money making side job.
There are many ways that people can add some extra income into their budgets and bank accounts with a little creativity and some personal marketing. Take what you know and create something you will love.
The mystery shopper sounds interesting. This is the first time I have heard of it. I have tried to use EBay to sell items. I enjoy making jewelry but I am not sure if I want to have to collect sales tax.
I’ve looked into selling handcrafted items (mainly jewelry), but I’ve been stopped by the requirement to collect sales tax. It’s a shame, but the expense and hassle of getting a tax number and dealing with the state tax department is just not worth it, and the risk of not doing isn’t worth it, either. I’ve actually stopped making jewelry because I don’t have anything to do with it all!
I don’t know that I have any skills to earn money, but the mystery shopper sure sounds awesome. I didn’t know that they did that still. Shopping is one thing that I could do for sure…and to make money at it? Heaven!
Good advice and what a great thought….money from something you enjoy. I just read an article on mystery shopping, and there are some legitimate sites out there. Love of kids can be used for babysitting. Love of sports try your hand at coaching or reffing. I admit I’ve done some Etsy shopping. Lots of fun, useful, and unique products. I am going to pass this on to my daughter. Thanks.