What do you guys do for extra income? (Vanity)

Here | Now | Me

[fatnotlazy]

“I haven’t done it but I always thought it would be a good idea to set up electronics for the electronically challenged and show them how to use them.”

***

I like that. I’d probably be a repeat customer. :)

[slapshot]

officiate more hockey and soccer. They pay you to exercise

[mainevet]

Make my wife get a third job. :- ) don't tell her i said that. i'll be in big trouble.

[Joe 6-pack]

"I’m an artist, I sell my paintings"

Same here...

[bellfleur]

We bought lake shore a property years ago thinking we would fix it and flip. The real estate values started to crash so we decided to do weekly rentals for vacationers instead of selling at the market price. Since my husband lost his job we have acquired one more building and in the process of purchasing another and doing the same thing. We are doing well. Actually when this first happened we entrusted the business to God. We’re hoping that once all the buildings are paid off...years from now...we will be at retirement age and able to live off that income.Right now we are both working hard but enjoying the self-employment.And enjoying meeting great people. Thought the economy would effect us but it hasn’t yet.

[b4its2late]

It is! LOL....

[ExGeeEye]

Nothing. I reduce outgo.

[ASOC]

Interesting question.

Build sheds 'on occasion' - no business license or insurance/bond/etc makes it possible to fly under the radar of the money grubbing parasites local muni tax types. The down side is considerable if the authorities decide you are a business - so travel at your own risk.

So we 'assist' the local homeowner (sorry, no renters) with the planning and labor - they buy materials.

With a set of nail guns and a chop saw, you would be amazed how many folks are looking for our 'help' And how appreciative they can be - sorry, no checks.

YMMV, but this kind of activity is far more pervasive than most folks realize. And sheds are something most homeowners would like, if they could figure out how....

[DCBryan1]

I do a few things:

Beekeeping (LOW money, lots of work, very enjoyable)
Concealed Handgun Licensing
Various self-defense consulting
Manufacturing firearms (07/02SOT)

Full time job = financial advisor.

[GenXteacher]

Second job- I teach at a community college part-time, whenever the class makes.

[Born Conservative]

a skill-set that adapts, improvises and overcomes

Clint Eastwood in the movie "Heartbreak Ridge".

[Ellendra]

I started a sewing business. So far my best (and only) customer is a time traveler's supply store in a nearby mall.

Here are some of my creations:

A wedding dress in search of a wedding


A genuine leather bodice. According to Raven, the owner of that store I mentioned, this sold less than an hour after I brought it in!


Me, in one of the costumes I made for myself, in front of a sword shop I used to work at, at the Bristol Country Renaissance Faire.

(Hopefully those images come through, sometimes they vanish a few minutes after I post, not sure why)

On the advice of another FReeper I'm also working on making doll clothes, but I'm modifying the patterns to better suit the ren-faire-going market.

[JennysCool]

I’m guessing you two have met. If not, you should! :-)

[fatnotlazy]

I know a couple — the husband was laid off (again!). His wife already has a full-time job, but she now works weekends at the local supermarket demonstrating new products and giving out samples. Not much pay, but it’s something.

Another friend works as a nurse’s aide during the week, but on certain weekends, she shills for a local home remodeler. She travels around to a shopping mall or a home show where she set up a booth and makes her pitch. I believe she gets a commission for any customers she lines up. Again, probably not huge money, but it supplements her paycheck.

[Ellendra]

Garage sales and thrift stores can be good for raw materials, too. Last weekend I scored 5 floor-length, 100% silk dresses, along with a couple velvet ones, to be taken apart and used for my sewing :)

I even like the colors!

[Charles Martel]

I maintain a notary commission, even though I'm not using it much in my current job. In the past, I offered notary services for a token fee to nursing home residents. More often than not, they get offended if you won't take some measure of payment. I'd coordinate my visits with the facility manager, so everyone who needed my services would be ready when I arrived.

If I put my business card on the bulletin boards in all such facilities in my area, I'd have a full-time job - and the majority of the payments would be in cash. The downside is that you often get called to notarize things in the hospital, too. Such is life, though.

[WOBBLY BOB]

That makes sense. I see no point in a 2nd or 3rd job that just puts me in a higher tax bracket and funds the lunatics in DC.

As a longtime Ebay member, I’m tired of Paypal and their leftist policies so I’ve been using Craigslist and posting ads at the grocery store ad board to get rid of stuff.

[reformedliberal]

We are both still earning, but margins are very tight and business is way down.

My husband is a sailor and had an industrial sewing machine to make his own sails. He spread the word when he sails and has made sails, repaired sails and trampolines and made boat deck curtains, so far. He is also a skilled wood worker and makes laminated replacement tillers for other sailors.

I sell my antiques on eBay. So far, I am averaging about a 30% profit and I have only sold duplicates or the less valuable items.

The best small eBay biz I know of is a woman who buys up vintage costume jewelry and resells it on eBay. She taught herself how to recognize valuable collectibles. She lists 100-200 items/day for $2-$5 each. She turns around $100k/year and keeps around $35k of it. She scours auctions and buys wholesale lots on eBay. It is a full-time job.

Otherwise, we do nearly everything ourselves, buy bulk, buy whole muscle cuts and portion them ourselves, grow a garden, cut extra firewood so we have a year’s supply ahead or purchase a huge truckload and do the stacking ourselves, which saves over 50%. I also grow lettuce and tomatoes hydroponically indoors in the Fall, Winter and Spring. We shop selectively at thrift stores. If we need to know how to do something ourselves, we look online for tutorials. We watch prices carefully and stock up on sales. If we need help, we have unemployed friends who need a few dollars.

Tell everyone you know that you need work. There is a lot of need for day labor out there. Ask for referrals to elderly or widowed ladies, so they can be confident in hiring you. Washing windows is always appreciated.

[ottbmare]

...Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace U. He suggests getting a second job, pt, delivering pizzas ...

Dave is a wonder and I admire him to death, but he speaks so casually about "getting a second job" that I think he doesn't really have a connection to what's going on out in the real world now. A lot of us can't even find a first job, much less a second one.

[valkyry1]

How do you decide which parts are necessary?