So you don’t want to give up your day job in this difficult economy, but you want to make some extra money. It’s a common situation, and many people are looking for creative ways to turn their free time into a fun and profitable second job. Whether you need a quick influx of cash for a short term goal, or you’re interested in starting a side business that has the potential to grow into something more, there’s tons of opportunities to fill a need in your community while putting a little extra in the bank. Here’s a few creative ways to earn extra money on your days off.
Monetize your shopping passion.
Perhaps you’re the sort of person that can think of no better way to spend a weekend than hitting the town center and doing some serious shopping. Well believe it or not, there are tons of folks who see that as an absolute nightmare. Many successful professionals are completely lost when it comes to shopping, whether it’s for clothing, home goods, or kitchen staples. Just print out some fliers and business cards, and you could very easily start a small business as a personal shopper.
Run errands like a pro.
Aside from standard shopping, you may come across people that are simply too busy to take care of the basic errands necessary to run their home. You can fill a need while also getting to spend time hitting the town on a gorgeous day. Promote yourself online, research what other people are charging, and develop a following as a personal errand-runner. You could be specific about the sorts of errands you’ll run, or keep it general. But if you don’t mind picking up visitors at the airport, grabbing dry cleaning, or shuttling children to their weekend activities, this could be a great way to make a bit of extra cash.
Teaching creativity.
Almost every town has continuing education classes, or weekend programs for children. So if you have a creative skill, you could make some extra money teaching in one of these programs. Painting, sculpture, cooking, photography, and fashion design are all creative skills that people are looking to learn, so if you have experience in those areas, it’s a fairly simple feat to find a program that will pay you to teach.
Sales for the common man.
If you love finding the best deal, or haggling to make a sale, you could find opportunities as a professional sales person. With the popularity of the internet, loads of people are making significant money running small shops on Ebay or Craigslist. If you’d rather work directly with people, check out some of the yard sales and garage sales in your community. You could help them organize, or run garage sales for busy neighborhoods. If you’ve got a knack for it, you could take a cut of the profits while spending your weekend relaxing on a sun-kissed lawn. Remember your time spent running lemonade stands as a child? This is just taking it to the next level. You’ll have a chance to interact more closely with folks in your community, and make a little extra money as an added bonus.
