Author Topic: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!  (Read 508857 times)

chasesfish

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #100 on: September 22, 2013, 07:50:37 AM »
I used to sell tickets on the side and am thinking about getting back into it.  It was for a different business purpose than simply scalping, but it ended up bitter sweet.  I couldn't prove my hypothesis so the business kinda sank, but I ended up making a couple hundred a month in the process plus some decent credit card rebates from all the churn. 

I think I churned about $50k in tickets lol.

As a hobby I flip phones and tablets on ebay but the market is pretty tight so I'm usually happy to break even feeding my dark consumerism based interest.  I don't seek out low priced electronics, but I do seek out ones I want to try and attempt to add enough value on the resale to make up the ebay fees.  ex:  My SO wants to try an HTC One, so i'll probably buy one on ebay used for around $450, let her play with it for a month or two, then mod it and try to get 500 out of it to cover the fees.
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Did the 50k/year in ticket moving also let you end up with some really nice credit card rewards?

mindaugas

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #101 on: September 22, 2013, 08:51:11 AM »
Thanks for the info Hybrid. It sounds a lot like what I did when I began with A+ type work. Throwing something up in a HOA newsletter or even the local paper sounds like a great idea.

djulian529

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #102 on: September 22, 2013, 10:17:51 AM »
I have 3 side jobs:
1. Seasonal Police Dispatcher (April - October)
2. Per Diem Fire Dispatcher (On call Only)
3. Per Diem Parent Educator (Drug Education and Intervention Presentations)

Between all 3, I usually bring in about an additional $7K a year

SisterX

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #103 on: October 07, 2013, 03:29:15 PM »
I'm not really sure if it counts as a "side hustle" since I mostly do it for fun, but I get paid about $1000/year to play my instrument.  It could be a lot more if I gathered a few friends into a group and we rented ourselves out for weddings (am considering that, actually, but really enjoy my free time....), but what I do now is fun.  Just a few community musicals/operas per year.  I'm bummed this year, though, because the fall show for one of the groups I play for opens 4 days after my baby's due date, so it won't really work out this time.
Where are you located? What do you play? I'm looking for pro level string players to join me to play wedding gigs again here in the Denver area.

Sorry for the delay in reply, worldstrad!  I'm located in Alaska, so just a bit too far away to be of use to you.  :)  Good luck finding quality musicians!  One recommendation: if you know any school music/band/orchestra teachers, ask them.  They have summers (mostly) free for weddings and are often really happy to not only have the extra money but also to keep up with their own skills.  I know quite a few in my area now and when one of them knows about a job and needs specific instruments or needs extra people they'll often contact people directly or put out a plea on Facebook.  It works out really well for everyone.

Argyle

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #104 on: October 07, 2013, 06:15:56 PM »
I write tests for a company that administers tests to high-school students.  I also review textbooks for publishers.  I got both of these gigs by being contacted directly by the companies.  The textbook reviews pay around $700 and the testing work varies according to exactly what is required (writing multiple-choice questions, writing essay questions, reviewing other writers, etc.), but I'd say it pays around $20 an hour.  It requires being very, very precise and detail-oriented, though.  However, clearly not everyone who does it is precise and detail-oriented, as I know from reviewing other people's tests.  Oh, I should add that I also judge literary contests.  I got this great gig by being referred by friends in the business.

SavingMon(k)ey

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #105 on: October 07, 2013, 06:59:25 PM »
I'm not really sure if it counts as a "side hustle" since I mostly do it for fun, but I get paid about $1000/year to play my instrument.  It could be a lot more if I gathered a few friends into a group and we rented ourselves out for weddings (am considering that, actually, but really enjoy my free time....), but what I do now is fun.  Just a few community musicals/operas per year.  I'm bummed this year, though, because the fall show for one of the groups I play for opens 4 days after my baby's due date, so it won't really work out this time.
Where are you located? What do you play? I'm looking for pro level string players to join me to play wedding gigs again here in the Denver area.

Sorry for the delay in reply, worldstrad!  I'm located in Alaska, so just a bit too far away to be of use to you.  :)  Good luck finding quality musicians!  One recommendation: if you know any school music/band/orchestra teachers, ask them.  They have summers (mostly) free for weddings and are often really happy to not only have the extra money but also to keep up with their own skills.  I know quite a few in my area now and when one of them knows about a job and needs specific instruments or needs extra people they'll often contact people directly or put out a plea on Facebook.  It works out really well for everyone.
Well, my main gig is music/orchestra teacher. There aren't that many string players in those jobs, but I actually did just meet one the other day who I think may be a good start.

greenmimama

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #106 on: October 07, 2013, 07:00:03 PM »
This has been so interesting to read, In the past my DH and I have had a lot of side hustles, wedding DJ, wedding band, babysitting, house sitting, reselling stuff on ebay that I found at garage sales or thrift stores, selling Norwex, and now Wildtree.

My dad was a referee for a little more than 10 years for Basketball, he was in high demand, even my high school friends liked him a lot :)

Bank

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #107 on: October 07, 2013, 07:50:16 PM »
I started a green building company with two friends of mine.  They are the brawn AND the brains, to be honest.  I provide the business management and finance skills.  We're not doing to badly, and my duties don't interfere with my day job.

I also find myself giving a lot of tax and finance advice to small business owners.  Occasionally that leads to nice presents, but I don't charge for it.  Partly because I like it, partly because I don't want the liability headaches that come with a formal engagement.  It's something I probably will pursue more actively when I retire.

So, basically I spend my free time nerding it up.  That's my side hustle.

Freckles

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #108 on: October 07, 2013, 08:07:10 PM »
I write tests for a company that administers tests to high-school students.  I also review textbooks for publishers.  I got both of these gigs by being contacted directly by the companies.  The textbook reviews pay around $700 and the testing work varies according to exactly what is required (writing multiple-choice questions, writing essay questions, reviewing other writers, etc.), but I'd say it pays around $20 an hour.  It requires being very, very precise and detail-oriented, though.  However, clearly not everyone who does it is precise and detail-oriented, as I know from reviewing other people's tests.  Oh, I should add that I also judge literary contests.  I got this great gig by being referred by friends in the business.

Argyle- Do they look for teachers or writers or both (or neither?) for textbook reviews and test writing?  Both my husband and I are teachers, and he's a writer as well so I was wondering if this is something we could get into.  Any advice on how to find these kinds of jobs?  Thanks in advance.

Argyle

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #109 on: October 08, 2013, 12:16:15 PM »
Freckles, they look for teachers.  Sometimes the jobs are posted on the websites of the companies.  So you might look for jobs on the College Board site.  Or I guess you could just call them up.

For college and some high-school teachers, there are also intensive week-long stints grading exams like the SAT.  You have to travel to where they do the grading -- sometimes the Midwest, but sometimes Florida -- but they pay airfare, meals, hotel, etc.  I have a friend who used to do this.  As I remember, the salary is around $2000 for a week in June.  She said it's hard work but there's a nice sense of camaraderie.  I can't find the link right now but it's somewhere on their website.

Fletch

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #110 on: October 08, 2013, 03:18:41 PM »
I am very slowly working on building a portfolio to start doing custom pet portraits. No money yet, still just making samples. But I like drawing/painting (and I'm good at it), I like pets, and it's the kind of yuppie handmade thing people love to give as gifts. People are too difficult to draw accurately, but I might work up to that point eventually. For me it's also easier to online than in person, because pictures don't squirm around.

JPinDC

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #111 on: October 09, 2013, 08:38:59 AM »
Through college, and occasionally now, I work(ed) as a "brand ambassador" or "promotional spokesperson" (which sounds more exclusive than it is, because they're just looking for normal people). They're the people who demo/sample items in stores, and it generally pays $15-$25/hour depending on the client. It's super flexible once you get on the lists because you can sign up according to your schedule for openings (mostly weekends), and they pay out in 6-8 weeks (you're an independent contractor though, so you'll pay taxes later on it if you make enough).

I think I found the first few jobs in the "gigs" section on Craig's List, but I've worked for and can vouch that they're legitimate companies and actually pay you.

basd

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #112 on: October 09, 2013, 08:42:08 AM »
So far I've managed to get a couple of decent paying side gigs through Elance, mostly blog post writing (on subjects related to my career) and writing software training manuals (which seems to be a skill I possess).

sneeds

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #113 on: November 01, 2013, 12:20:45 PM »
Has anyone used their vegetable garden as a source of extra income? In previous years we built a hydroponic garden that grew really fantastic tomatoes and peppers. It required little space, minimal water and almost no effort. I’m thinking about maybe starting that back up and looking into selling the extra produce. I’m also thinking about possibly going the aquaponics route and raising/selling Tilapia in addition to vegetable produce. I’m not sure how much money it could bring in, but gardening is something I would be doing anyway to help feed my family, so I’m thinking that if I increase the scale of it a little I could make some income selling the extras.

I don’t really want to put in the time to manage a stand at the farmer's market in order to sell the produce, but I’d be interested in possibly selling the produce to someone who already has a stand at a market, or maybe selling directly to local restaurants. I don’t know how one goes about establishing those relationships, though. Anybody have experience doing this sort of thing for a side gig? I saw the previous poster’s side gig selling lavender cuttings in New Zealand for a few thousand a year - that sounds pretty appealing!

farmstache

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #114 on: November 02, 2013, 04:48:46 PM »
Guys, not trying to push my agenda too much, but I give this speech at least once a week for work, so why not turn it to our mustachian friends?

If you're on the artist side (photographer, videomaker, designer, illustrator, musician, voice artist, etc), you can very well make some extra bucks a month by selling work with royalty-free licenses through stock banks. I once read at our forums that for photos, after you get from 300 to 500 images on your portfolio, you're making about a dollar per month in average per image (that's $500 just there). Some people eventually make it their full time gig, withdrowing pretty good incomes, but if you're a weekend photographer and can sign the release of your own kids, or have friends who don't mind participating, it's pretty good. Even better if your hobby is drawing or building 3D models, or playing music, making crazy sounds, etc. If anyone wants better explanation about how this works, I can give it anytime. Plus, I don't get any extra comission from this. :)

Regarding the garden, I know a few people who sell their produce through Facebook, or simply word of mouth (when it's not a lot). They either delivery for a price, or allow people a determined day for pickup (this works better for word-of-mouth, since you know everyone).

Lans Holman

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #115 on: November 02, 2013, 05:06:06 PM »
Guys, not trying to push my agenda too much, but I give this speech at least once a week for work, so why not turn it to our mustachian friends?

If you're on the artist side (photographer, videomaker, designer, illustrator, musician, voice artist, etc), you can very well make some extra bucks a month by selling work with royalty-free licenses through stock banks. I once read at our forums that for photos, after you get from 300 to 500 images on your portfolio, you're making about a dollar per month in average per image (that's $500 just there). Some people eventually make it their full time gig, withdrowing pretty good incomes, but if you're a weekend photographer and can sign the release of your own kids, or have friends who don't mind participating, it's pretty good. Even better if your hobby is drawing or building 3D models, or playing music, making crazy sounds, etc. If anyone wants better explanation about how this works, I can give it anytime. Plus, I don't get any extra comission from this. :)

Regarding the garden, I know a few people who sell their produce through Facebook, or simply word of mouth (when it's not a lot). They either delivery for a price, or allow people a determined day for pickup (this works better for word-of-mouth, since you know everyone).

This sounds fantastic.  Do you have a company you recommend for selling music?

On a related note, made an easy $250 this weekend djing a Halloween party that was so much fun I would have done it for free.

umterp1999

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #116 on: November 03, 2013, 05:00:56 AM »
I also used to do market research.  Companies would pay to test out products, watch commercials etc.  Two memorable ones, Coors Light paid me to sample a new type of beer they were considering.  Another one, a company walked us through a mock trial about their product.  I'm guessing there was a potential court case, and they wanted to gauge public opinion?  I would make any where from 35-100 and up depending on the time required.  Now I moved too far away to make it worth while.  But it was always fun.

onFIRE

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #117 on: November 03, 2013, 08:39:25 AM »
I cook lunch every Friday during the growing season for the crew on my friend's organic farm in trade for all the produce I could ever want.  I cater the farm party, too, in exchange for pork she raises.  Mmmm.... DH just got a very part-time gig at a local microbrewery for free beer and some spending money.
« Last Edit: November 04, 2013, 05:36:40 AM by onFIRE »

farmstache

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #118 on: November 03, 2013, 09:10:29 PM »
This sounds fantastic.  Do you have a company you recommend for selling music?

On a related note, made an easy $250 this weekend djing a Halloween party that was so much fun I would have done it for free.

Well, I haven't really looked deeply into music, at least not deep enough to study the competition to advise you the best place to work with. I think first of all you could go here, give it a look, read the articles, do some searches related to the kind of thing you do, look up keywords, and then visit the forums. People there are very receptive and quick to give advice. They can easily give you tips on how to work with our audio bank, or to point you to external forums that might open up new possibilities.

The thing with royalty-free stuff is that you can be very authoral and creative, but you're not selling your music for yourself, your fans, etc. You're selling it to become someone's tool. You'll see it in Youtube video tutorials, website backgrounds (eeek), advertising (some people are experts in making jingles that the client just need to add a set amount of words to), maybe in an online game, or a corporate presentation. I think mostly YouTube, Vimeo and TV ads, though. :) Oh, yes, sometimes radio podcasts as well. :)

What we usually say to musicians is: if you have a studio hour hired, you can use 55 minutes to record your songs and then 5 minutes to record a short track or two to sell RF. It could even be just the sounds of the band dismounting after recording, some people laughing, or a short generic conversation. (I get lots of stares of the "but each single minute is sooo precious!" kind) - Most people just use they own devices at home, though.

Edit: Oh, yes, and I recommend audio because there's still so little content available for customers, in all of the stock market. If you're really interested I could see if I can find the contact of someone working in the audio section to ask more pointed questions about what's selling well, trends and tips.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2013, 09:15:21 PM by farmstache »

elincolnp

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #119 on: November 04, 2013, 01:43:31 PM »
I work as a resume writer (through a resume writing company) at $150 a pop (takes me about 3 hours), so I generally make about $500-$1000 a month extra by doing that one to two evenings a week.

luke

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #120 on: November 04, 2013, 03:52:27 PM »
Although I don't do it anymore, at one time I sold vintage clothes on Ebay and made decent money.  First got into this by getting a few whole racks of clothes for free from a garage sell.  The lady told me I could have them if I took them all.  Found out quick that a lot of people are into vintage clothing, especially old hats.

aglassman

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #121 on: November 14, 2013, 10:30:50 AM »
Playing in a band!

I play in a cover band around town, about every 2 months.  We get paid about 80-100$ each depending on the venue, and how many people are in the band that night.  Usually we practice about 8 total hours before a gig, and the gig usually takes about 8 hours of time.

$80/16 = 5$ / hr

Not a lot, but it's usually tax free cash, and it's also a my hobby!  Not to mention you sometimes get a free meal from the bar + free drinks!

Debbie M

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #122 on: November 14, 2013, 11:38:57 AM »
I have transcribed interviews for social worker researchers (they even provided the transcription machine).

I have tutored college students in elementary statistics.

And I have scored math teacher certification tests.  (I've done history tests, but didn't feel qualified enough, and I've done social science tests but the scores were so low that it was just too depressing.)

lysistrata

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #123 on: November 14, 2013, 11:41:02 AM »
I am a writer for a tech company in my day job. But as for side hustles, I do lots of things!

I am a wedding celebrant. I am paid about $300 per wedding to marry couples all sexual orientations in my country. It is pretty much the best job ever. I end up doing a lot of friend and family weddings for free. - $2000-3000 a year.

I do some freelance writing as well, for a few select clients. I run a blog (not a writing blog) where I get some money in exchange for advertising and such. I'm just starting to work on self-pubbing some novels and business ebooks I've written, and I hope to see this becoming more of a revenue stream in the future. Maybe $10k a year.

I also teach writing classes at the local community college, which is SO MUCH FUN. I would probably do this even if I didn't get paid. $2000 a year, probably more next year.

And together with a friend, I run an ecommerce store selling socks. Socks in all colours of the rainbow. That's not a huge earner yet, but is definitely on the rise. Mostly I just enjoy the challenge of starting things and seeing where they end up. Maybe $500 a year right now?

Le0

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #124 on: November 14, 2013, 11:53:37 AM »
My side hustle won't be for everyone, but it's been great fun for me with much less risk than other jobs in the sex industry: I'm a webcam model! This means that people can tip me during public webcam shows or pay for private shows. I also sell erotic videos and photos online.

This side hustle is much more accessible to and lucrative for women, but men are able to do this kind of work as well. And the good news is that you don't have to be a "traditionally beautiful" person to arouse others--there are so many tastes and interests out there :)

I have to ask, since I have been seeing a lot of new about this kind of thing lately. Is this a safe thing to be doing? Are you not worried about future employment etc? What about knowing that those images and videos are 'out there'?

Recently there has been a lot of news about hackers and people online blackmailing young girls into doing sexual favors because they managed to get a naked picture of them and threaten to post it online.

jeanjo87

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #125 on: November 15, 2013, 09:54:34 AM »
Hi folks -

Long time lurker, first time poster.  I officiate high school sporting events, particularly swimming/diving, but will be branching into track/field this spring as well.  It pays about 35/hr, and reimburses .55/mile to drive to the event.  I clear around $1100-1200/year just doing the two swimming seasons.  I highly recommend - most meets last about 2 hours, so it's easy money that pays more per hour than what I make at my real job.

I also coach master's swimming at our local YMCA - the pay sucks, but I get a free membership out of the deal, which to me is totally worth it.  This brings in about $500-600/year, with unmeasured happiness in being social while exercising. 

mustachejd

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #126 on: November 15, 2013, 02:58:23 PM »
I tutor and charge roughly $75 - $125 per hour, depending on the subject.  I teach about four to six hours a week and earn about $1600 per month.  I actually make more money per hour teaching than I do at my "real" job.  But I love my real job, so teaching will always be a side gig for me.

If you live in a relatively metropolitan area with lots of schools, it is unbelievably easy to find tutoring jobs.  So many worried parents are way too concerned that their little Jacob or Sophia is not performing to the best of his or her abilities.  Most of the time I am vastly overqualified - I would estimate that 75% of my teaching gigs were glorified babysitting jobs.  Case in point, a few weeks ago, I was asked to tutor a six year old in reading and writing.  As she was already attending an after school program for the very same subjects, I candidly told the parents that I wasn't sure if my services were really needed.  Turns out that they wanted to pay me to sit with their child and read to her.  $60 an hour to *read* to a six year old.  Uh, no thanks. 

kkbmustang

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #127 on: November 15, 2013, 10:37:02 PM »
I tutor and charge roughly $75 - $125 per hour, depending on the subject.  I teach about four to six hours a week and earn about $1600 per month.  I actually make more money per hour teaching than I do at my "real" job.  But I love my real job, so teaching will always be a side gig for me.

If you live in a relatively metropolitan area with lots of schools, it is unbelievably easy to find tutoring jobs.  So many worried parents are way too concerned that their little Jacob or Sophia is not performing to the best of his or her abilities.  Most of the time I am vastly overqualified - I would estimate that 75% of my teaching gigs were glorified babysitting jobs.  Case in point, a few weeks ago, I was asked to tutor a six year old in reading and writing.  As she was already attending an after school program for the very same subjects, I candidly told the parents that I wasn't sure if my services were really needed.  Turns out that they wanted to pay me to sit with their child and read to her.  $60 an hour to *read* to a six year old.  Uh, no thanks.

Mustachejd - I find this very intriguing. What topics are you tutoring? What age level of kids?

KC

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #128 on: November 16, 2013, 06:25:41 AM »
I have done translation and transcription in the past but have recently found a more lucrative side gig. Anyone with an ESL or TESOL background can become an at-home language assessor. The company sends you recordings of ESL students and you rate them. I make about 40$/h 10hours per week. Very happy I found this!

fidgiegirl

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« Reply #129 on: November 16, 2013, 08:07:46 AM »
KC, that sounds fab . . . are you willing to share details?  I am a licensed ESL teacher.

KC

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #130 on: November 16, 2013, 08:40:56 AM »
I can send you the details, Fidgiegirl.

Freckles

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #131 on: November 16, 2013, 12:12:23 PM »
Ooh, ooh!  Me too, KC, pretty please?  Both my husband and I are licensed ESL teachers as well.  And therefore, need more money.  Hahaha.

And hi, fellow teachers!  :)

aspiring mustachian

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #132 on: November 16, 2013, 08:48:34 PM »
This is a side gig that's helped when I've gotten fewer hours or have been in between jobs.

I sell cell phone accessories on eBay and occasionally on Craigslist. My parents got me into this, as they sell high-end appliances and home goods via eBay and Amazon. I used to sell on Amazon, but it's harder for me to turn a profit and a higher percentage of my selling price goes to them in the form of fees. Plus, I have to stay on top of competitors' prices and adjust accordingly. Selling on eBay covers my student loan payments and those little emergencies that come up. Once I start working 40+ hours a week at the job I just got, I'm going to scale back or put it on hiatus.  It's good to fall back on and I enjoy profiting from other people's consumerism. I wish I could do this as a business full-time, but with eBay's constant rule changes, fee increases, and their courting of large retailers and large-scale Chinese sellers*, it's increasingly harder for small and medium sellers to survive.

*Thanks to ePacket, a partnership between eBay, USPS, and China Post, it's often cheaper for Chinese sellers to ship to the US than it is for US sellers to ship within the US. But that is another topic altogether.

I also do market research studies. I often have to lie to get into them since we don't have cable and I don't consume any of the stuff they're getting consumer input about, with the exception of allergy medication, but the money is pretty good when I can get an interview or onto a panel. Hell, I have no problem pretending to like Velveeta Shells and Cheese if you're paying me $200.

I've also wanted to start selling things like bottle lamps and bottle incense burners via Etsy, but I'm a wuss and am afraid that it won't go anywhere. It's crazy and I know I need to get over it.

captainron

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #133 on: November 16, 2013, 09:23:00 PM »
I have a background in software development, product management, marketing and corporate M&A.  I do some combination those things at my day job...

Several years ago I stared buying/selling/building web sites and web applications.  I outsource what I am not good at to mostly overseas designers and programmers. 

The first year two years I lost a few $/year.  Year 3 I made about $40k.  Year 4, this year I set up an S-corp and I should net around $100k.
Now, if I can only figure out how to keep that pattern going...


bwill09

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #134 on: November 17, 2013, 10:44:49 AM »
I have a background in software development, product management, marketing and corporate M&A.  I do some combination those things at my day job...

Several years ago I stared buying/selling/building web sites and web applications.  I outsource what I am not good at to mostly overseas designers and programmers. 

The first year two years I lost a few $/year.  Year 3 I made about $40k.  Year 4, this year I set up an S-corp and I should net around $100k.
Now, if I can only figure out how to keep that pattern going...

Way to leverage your skills captainiron! I am not in your field, but I find it very inspiring that you were able to leverage your on-the-job skills for your side hustle. How did you first get started with your side gig? Was the scaling up just a natural process or something you were very intentional about?

mustachejd

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #135 on: November 18, 2013, 09:58:38 AM »
kkbmustang: Could you send my PM to Mom to 5? Apparently, I did not set up my profile so that it automatically saves my outgoing messages.  Oops!  Or, you could just post it on this thread.


ArcticaMT6

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #136 on: November 18, 2013, 11:50:56 AM »
I do woodworking projects for extra money. For instance, I'm currently working on a project for some friends that will net me about $750-800 after buying materials. This will be about a week's worth of work. The extra money typically goes towards buying new tools, though. For instance, I will likely buy a nice bandsaw and probably a scrollsaw, but the bandsaws are typically $400+ used for the size I need. It also goes to pay for expensive wood for my personal projects. Between making some side money off of building things and scouring craigslist, I can get normally expensive Walnut (which my entire main floor of the house's furniture will all be made out of) for little to no out of pocket costs.

Keep in mind, that this is typically a lot of hours spent in the shop, however. So, the hourly cost usually isn't super nice, but it's a hobby that I enjoy doing and I'm making some money off of it so I don't mind too much.

fmzip

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #137 on: November 18, 2013, 07:12:56 PM »
First post here!

I have a side gig, I buy and sell stuff on Ebay/Craigslist. ANYONE can have a nice little part time business with a little effort.

All I do is look for things that I can buy and resell for 50-100% profit to make it worthwhile.  My hobby/passion is BMW's and I look for certain used car parts that I know sell on Ebay/Craigslist. I may buy a part for $50, hold it for a month or two, sell it for $100.

I also look for deals. For example, a few years back I was at a Sony Outlet store and saw these pretty cool looking PC's on close out. Looked them up on Ebay, saw them selling for $750 and I could buy them for $300. Made $6K one summer just selling these.

Last year I was at home depot looking to buy some LED lights. Found that I could buy them $20 each and same lights on Ebay were selling for $40 each. I ended up selling like $12K worth of these lights, it was crazy!

To me, this is a very safe ROI. Having quite a bit of disposable income helps for sure. The beauty of Ebay/Paypal, they only report income and ask for your SS if you meet 200 sales transactions and $20K sales in the same calendar year.

Before MMM, all my profits were simply spent. Starting last month, this income too will be going to savings!

P.S> My career.....I'm in sales ;)

Richard3

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #138 on: January 02, 2014, 11:34:17 PM »
I write articles on Seeking Alpha. I'm too lazy for it to be a really lucrative side hustle (I made about $600 on about 15 articles over 9 months) but I sometimes get a good investment out of it, so it's indirectly brought me several thousand :) One of my new years resolutions is to write 50 articles there this year - they're a few hours each so it should be do-able. If you're a decent writer and can analyse a financial statement you can make 1c per pageview.

Clever Name

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #139 on: January 03, 2014, 01:38:43 PM »
I am an iOS/Android developer in my day job, so recently I have started developing some of my own ideas as well.  I released the first of my own apps about 6 weeks ago and so far I've made about $350 ($500 before Apple took their cut) with no marketing at all.  Not fantastic, but it was a fun project and it will also hopefully be a good thing to show to potential future employers.  Plus it looks like sales are accelerating a bit lately.

amyable

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #140 on: January 03, 2014, 01:45:33 PM »
I've just starting making and selling soap (Fight Club reference intended).  Haven't made much yet, but it's low overhead and fun.

Also, KC, could you send me the link , too?  Thanks!

Freckles

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #141 on: January 03, 2014, 05:56:11 PM »
Amyable, KC was nice enough to send me the company's information, but they only offered jobs to Canadian citizens.  I tried to find a similar company that employs Statesers but have been unsuccessful so far.  If I ever find something, I'll let you know!

Daughter_of_Hybrid

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #142 on: January 03, 2014, 06:51:25 PM »
It's not really a side job, but I found a way to make more money on the side at my full time job.

I'm an admin at a consulting company for financial services firms.  Occasionally we are hired for a large scale project where anywhere from 4 to 7 consultants will work on one project in which they produce one final, cohesive written report to the client (and sometimes the government).  Now while these consultants are all GREAT and what they do, they're not always great at writing about what they do.

That's where I come in.  I have a talent for writing and editing, and after proving myself quite useful for this task a number of times, my company decided to start writing me into the projects to get the client to pay for the time I spent cleaning up the documents.

So while I get my normal hourly rate, when one of these projects comes along, I make more than double for any hours I spend working on it.

So the take away:  freelance editing if it's your skill.  I should really look into this outside of work...
« Last Edit: January 03, 2014, 06:57:56 PM by Daughter_of_Hybrid »

lizfish

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #143 on: January 04, 2014, 06:22:05 AM »
This is a really inspiring thread. I am already self-employed and so slotting in some time to do a new thing should be relatively easy. It's just getting up the confidence to try something outside my usual work. Tutoring or teaching has always appealed to me, especially to adults. It's something I really need to get out of my system even if only to find out it's not for me. I did an introductory course in adult education but was put off from going further because I'd have had to basically get a degree to earn less than I earn now in my profession.

My ideas so far have been basic maths and English (especially to parents worried about helping their kids with homework) budgeting and financial education, basic PC and Internet skills, Excel and knitting. It's something that I could do for free to get experience and work on my planning and materials and then offer it out for money. I have the desire to teach *something* so it would be shame if I never tried it.

iwasjustwondering

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #144 on: January 05, 2014, 02:53:03 PM »
Teaching a university course two nights per week - $10K per semester. 

navystache

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #145 on: January 05, 2014, 04:07:14 PM »
I just started an "ebay business" thrifting clothes from Goodwill, Salvation Army and flipping them on ebay.  Just started so nothing has sold, but start up is low so risk is low.  Numbers look good if I stay with it. 

Kira

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #146 on: January 06, 2014, 12:27:31 PM »
Teaching a university course two nights per week - $10K per semester.

What field are you in? I have a number of friends who teach humanities and get $3k per course.

Exflyboy

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #147 on: January 07, 2014, 12:59:19 PM »
Teaching a university course two nights per week - $10K per semester.

How do you get into this?.. I am a professional engineer about to retire with 30 years experience. Thinking I should be able to teach something at the local University.

Frank

flowrider

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #148 on: January 07, 2014, 03:52:01 PM »
I live on a main road so there is lots of traffic going past. I got a small sign made up offering advertising space on my fence. Currently I have two signs up bringing in $400/mth and after putting the sign up all I do is invoice once a month so the hourly rate is pretty healthy.

fidgiegirl

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Re: Who has a side gig/job that brings in extra cash?? Share with us!
« Reply #149 on: January 07, 2014, 04:07:05 PM »
Sweet, flowrider!!