About a year ago, Tom and I started to have some serious conversations about our future. We talked about kids, in-laws, and of course finances. As we talked about our future it became clear to me that the more financial freedom we have the more freedom we would have to do what we wanted. Neither Tom or I have a car payment or credit card debt and we both have 10 years history saving for retirement, but still this conversation spurred interest in ways we could diversify our revenue streams.
Instead of being solely reliant on income from our 9-5 job, I started exploring other ways to generate income. I thought “We have this real world experience. How can we use that to make some additional income?” What came out of that exercise is this blog post where I’ll share with you 9 ways you can make some additional income from your home.
We have this real world experience. How can we use that to make additional income?
9 Ways to make income from home
- Become a website tester – There are a variety of companies who will pay you to be an independent tester. The process and pay per assignment can vary by company but recently I’ve been testing for UserTest.IO. So far I’ve completed 2 assignments, each paid $10 via PayPal and took about 20 minutes. If this something you might consider, here’s a great blog that lists the companies who will pay you to be a website tester.
- Sell goods on e-bay – We have a good friend who sold model planes and luggage on e-bay and was able to make side income this way. The beauty of e-bay is you have a platform that reaches millions of people worldwide. As long as there is a demand for your product you can sell it on e-bay.
- Freelance your services – If you’re an engineer, marketer, website designer, bookkeeper there is a need for your services. There are many websites you can check out to offer your freelance services. A few of these sites are TaskRabbit, Thumbtack or Fiverr. Typically you will need to bid on available jobs so it does take time to get a job but could be worthwhile especially if the job provides you with subsequent work.
- Contracting – Many companies look for short term or contract employees. Here in the bay area I’ve found that companies like Instacart, Doordash, or Uber are always looking for additional help. Instacart and Uber are also really good examples where you can work on your own schedule. Contracting work can even include teaching Zumba or a bootcamp class on the side.
- Socialize – If you are good at makeup, singing, art or another skill YouTube or Instagram may be great options. Although this isn’t official, YouTubers have shared that they get paid approximately $.003 for every view. So this one is certainly a longer term, more risky option; but one to consider if this is something you’re doing to build up your personal brand or business. Socializing could also include creating your own blog and showing ads on that blog or creating content for others.
- Call Centers – Technology has made it possible to do many jobs remotely – including call centers. I found a great article about part time work at home call center jobs that is worth checking out if you like working with people. Approach this one with caution if you aren’t a people person 🙂
- Person to Person sales – There are so many companies that allow you to be self employed, making money by selling their products person to person or through home parties. These include multi-level marketing companies like LulaRoe or Amway or home party companies like Pampered Chef or Paparazzi. One thing to remember about these options is they often require some type of upfront investment – so consider these options like you’re running your own small business.
- Etsy – If you are love crafting, sewing, or making anything handmade; opening an Etsy store could be worth looking in to. I knew of an acquaintance who sold hand drawn pictures on an Etsy store and made some extra income this way.
- Seasonal work – Seasonal work could certainly include working with Santa at the mall but certainly doesn’t have to. There were a few summers I sold hawaiian print re-usable bags at the local farmers market. It was a really great way to earn some extra income and I meet lots of people, including one of my closest friends.
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