My wife and I are trying to find extra ways to bring in income to pay for my 2 children’s college next year. I sometimes work later so things like retail and grocery are out because I can’t commit to a certain start time unless it’s very late or I get a very understanding boss.
I am obviously not looking for scams or phony get rich quicks or something another poster would make money off of- just suggestions to help bring in spare cash each month- ideally $400 or more each month.
Any ideas? My wife is considering Avon but that takes a while to build a base under you from what I understand.
Have you looked at cutting costs like getting rid of cable,bug service,lawn/weed service,newspapers,phone plans ect… It might be easier to cut back than get extra jobs…
Call center work can often be done from home, and they are usually eager to hire folks who want to work late nights and weekends because it’s harder to recruit people then.
Do you have any areas of expertise you might be able to use? I have a friend with a physical disability who is able to work from home using her social work degree. She takes calls from those Life Alert-type senior alarm systems. She makes a much higher wage than ordinary call center workers. If you have a technology degree, nursing degree, etc. you may be able to find this kind of skilled remote work.
Depends on your skills/interests. A few things I’ve done to make extra $ include:
child care in a church nursery on Sunday mornings (this can be a regular paid position)
computer consulting to senior citizens
worked for a catering company in the evenings/weekends
My S has musical skills, so he has sung/played a musical instrument for funerals
S & D have both done dog walking and pet sitting. S did house sitting for a family on vacation and took care of their 4 elderly dogs, who all needed medication.
Babysitting in some areas is quite lucrative, especially if you develop a loyal clientele. Dog walking can also be another way to work part time and bring in extra cash.
I agree that reviewing and trimming expenses can be a great way of stretching your funds further. Also, have your kids do very well academically (and on standardized tests) and try to get merit aid–this will give them more options on school choices.
I work from home part time for a company that does search engine testing. I work as an independent contractor. Depending on your tax situation you should be able to work about 10 hours per week and make your goal.
No coding is involved. You need to be fairly familiar with popular culture and be internet savvy. In order to get offered a job you will need to study manuals and pass a series of tests.
The good - you can log on to work at any time. Occasionally work is not available but that doesn’t happen too often. The work is interesting and diverse.
The bad - the search algorithms are often tweaked so you do need to spend time off the clock learning new guidelines. The actual work is timed and you only get paid for the allotted time. If it takes you longer to finish the work you won’t get paid for the extra time. Your work is checked monthly and you are sent a detailed review. It can be nerve wracking.
There are three companies that I know about but I think there are others as well.
Thanks everyone! I have already looked at cost-cutting and my son will hopefully win a full tuition scholarship he has applied for. My daughter’s college will cost us more.
I thought of this thread as I just started another decent work from home job. I will be scoring SAT essays. The pay is decent and the hours are flexible. There is paid, self directed, online training. You will have to pass a certification test which, for me, was scoring 20 essays.
@deega123, are you an educator? I’m a journalist and tutor, but from looking at the jobs on the site, it seems they are really looking for people who teach at the high school or college level.
@Barbalot I have taught adult ed classes but I am not a certified teacher. The essay rater job only requires a bachelor’s degree…
Actually, as I was filling out the app it asked me for my teaching certificate info. I don’t have one so I abandoned the app. Someone contacted me from ETS and asked me to complete the application I told them about my lack of teaching certificate and I was told that it wasn’t a necessary requirement.
In all honesty, I think they must be desperate for people based on the multiple emails I received from the recruiter. My stay at home Mom resume is not the stellar I do have another job where I work online from home so that experience may have helped.
Ha! I abandoned the app halfway through, too, thinking they weren’t looking for someone whose only teaching experience was as a grad assistant many years ago. I may have to revisit this. Do you know how the pay works and how much it is?
I used to score essays for ETS, although it has been 5 years. Back then pay rate was $10-$15 an hour, depending on what you were scoring. Harder to score essays paid more, high school exit exam essays paid the least. You had to work in 4 hour shifts, and it was erratic. So there would be 3 weeks worth of work, then nothing for months until the next batch of tests came in. It is easy to do at home though, as long as the scheduled shifts work for you.
I work for Leapforce and it’s a great company - everything Deega123 said was true. You need to take it seriously but it’s a legit job. Two years ago I started working 10 hours a week and now I try for 35-40. Mostly because D starts college in the fall!
I do have another job where I work online from home so that experience may have helped.