tips to make $50-200 more a month

[Sara Noel]

What are some tips for supplementing your current household income? Let's say a person needed to make approximately $50-200 more a month on a consistent basis, what types of things are available that could fit into a life that has constraints such as family or even a full time job already?

It seems quite common that people on the forums are pretty frugal and have made cutbacks. Many need additional income too.

Ebay seems to be suggested often, but how about other ways for additional income? If you do something that makes a little extra money, share it with us.

For instance, my husband used to do a lot of freelance translation work. It paid very well and supplemented our income during a time we really needed it.

If what you do took extra knowledge, share what was needed. If it took a small investment, share how much you've invested to make it work.

Hoping this helps people find a way to make extra money.

To clarify, this isn't ways to cut back. These are legitimate ways to work to bring in more income.

For those that do surveys or mystery shopping, where?
As for plasma, how much did that give you? What are the policies for that?

[JustJoy]

For me it's internet surveys. I'm signed up with alot and can usually bring in at least $50 a month.

[FrugalWitch]

If you smoke, quit. It will improve your health and your wallet.

[stinkbug]

Donate plasma

[Izzy0906]

If you smoke, quit. It will improve your health and your wallet.

I COMPLETELY agree with this. I just quit (1/1/08) along with my bf and it's saving us $14/day. That's $98/week or $5,096/year. No wonder I can now afford to pay off debt and save for large home items that I need and vacations.

[justpeachy92]

I have always offered my services to the elderly(started when I was about 10) in the neighborhood, mowing the yard, weeding gardens, shoveling snow, taking their garbage to the curb, picking up stuff at the store. I don't charge for these services, I just hate to see a 70 year old woman struggling to push or mower. Though everyone I have ever done this for has given me something in return, sometimes it has been money, other times it was fresh produce or other nonmonetary items. I would imagine most of us have a person within the neighborhood that perhaps pays someone to mow their yard, and if one is willing to do it for less then the current person that would put some extra money in the wallet. Here most landscaping businesses charge around $80 each time they mow.

[Cricket1]

Do a parents night out (babysitting).

[sunshine]

Sell plasma -- $20 - $25 each time, up to twice a week.

Take in mending -- lots of people will pay someone to repair hems, sew on buttons, etc.

I take in sick kids - I'm an RN, and have let people know that I'll sit their sick kids on my days off work. I'll only take them if they are mildly sick -- fever, nausea,vomiting, diarrhea are ok . . chicken pox are ok -- nebulizers are ok for me. . My kids are mostly gone from home. . youngest is 18 and comes home to sleep , so infecting my kids isn't a concern for me.

I've also offered to drive the elderly to doctor appointments, shopping, etc. I don't charge much for this, as they can't afford much -- but I get enough to cover my gas, and many times I do my shopping while we're there.

[Sara Noel]

Do a parents night out (babysitting).

How did you go about doing this?

[amykhar]

I've done freelance web development from time to time.

But another big one was stringing for my local newspaper. I covered everything from school board meetings to parades, beauty pageants and spelling bees at $40 a pop plus mileage.

Amy

[momishem]

I work in a school and by chance a teacher asked me about grading papers at home for him. He pays me $10.00 hour and I only do it a couple of times a month. I can make $50-60 dollars extra that way. Now other teachers are asking me about it, too. The real kicker is that I work a second job anyway doing home care for mentally disabled adults and they always go to bed really early, so I do my grading on those nights! Works out well for me!

I do have a garage sale each summer. That helps with spending money for me and the girls since I am off all summer.

[MVS0122]

I have a good friend who works in Job Service (Workforce Development Ctr) and she was in charge of hiring for spot jobs. Lots of times she would call me when she got a fun job in and I'd go do it - I would bartend or serve food for a private party, mystery shop, help someone with yard work, general cleaning or painting etc. It might be worth a call to your local office to see if they have anything like that and get your name put on a list.

[Frugal Girl]

The Arts Council in my town started an after school program. I was able to teach drama and dance. That's an extra $100 a week for 3 hours of teaching. They hired me in to teach an after school tutoring class (started Jan 4) making $10 an hour. That's an extra $50 a week.

I also work at Blockbuster on weekends. Only minimum wage but it's an easy job and brings about $100 every two weeks plus gets me out of the house. Oh yeah, I get free movie rentals.

[danni]

I'm babysitting a friends 2 kids for her, I only have them for about 60 hrs/mth and she is living off student loans, so she onlypays me $200/mth but it helps me and her out.

I also took a flyer delivery route and it takes me a1/2 hr 2x/week and I make $130/mth.

We also walk alot and collect pop bottles and change we find we make about $25/mth doing this.

I do online surveys too but only make aout $10/mth doing these. I find I don't qualify for alot of them.

[bclements514]

What surveycompanies do you guys work for?