I’m going to be honest with you guys and say that this summer was difficult for me. The transition of having to graduate from college, look for a job, and get ready to move out of my apartment took quite a load of emotional energy.
That being said, one of the things I struggled with most was my financial stability. I really underestimated the amount of time it would take to get a job and before I knew it my bank account didn’t even have a mere $10 in it. Even worse, I still didn’t have a job. The struggle got real, really quick. Desperate times call for nearly desperate measures and I actually ended up picking up some humorous but also resourceful methods of making money on the side.
I wanted to share them with you guys because each cent eventually adds up! The best part is that for some of these apps, you don’t have to put ANY effort other than a simple click.
1. Qmee
- What you have to do: download the application, click on suggested sites that show up on the Qmee sidebar based on what YOU search on a daily basis, get paid
- Benefits: It improves your internet browsing experience by introducing you to sites that exactly match your interests
- Estimated effort: Not more than 5 minutes to download. Click to accumulate payments.
- My experience: So far I’ve made $2.16. Keep in mind this was made with absolutely no effort other than downloading the app.
2. Baby-sit/Nanny
- What you have to do: set up a profile on Care.com or Sittercity
- Benefits: If you adore babies, you get paid for playing with them. It’s a win-win
- Estimated effort: 30 minutes setting up your profile, 2-3 hrs messaging potential families who might be interested in having you babysit for them, and hours put in babysitting
- My experience: I’ve been able to catch babysitting sessions for $12-15/hr. Even better is that they usually pay through check/cash and it’s an extremely easy way to make some money.
- My advice: Spend the time on making your profile appealing and have a good reference on hand. Making sure your communication is quick with your potential clients will guarantee you a temporary babysitting job!
3. Pick Up Freelance Work
- What you have to do: set a profile on upwork.com or search freelancing jobs in your location and area of expertise
- Benefits: You have the opportunity to work on skills your future employers are looking for. Upwork is a perfect place to do this and make some money.
- Estimated effort: create a profile on Upwork and send in a paragraph to people who are looking for someone with your expertise (1 hr), send out cover letters/resumes (however long it takes you)
- My experience: I’m currently “interviewing” with people who are looking for social media managers so that I can get some money doing something that I enjoy on the side!
4. Sell Your Books
- What you have to do: input your book’s ISBN numbers into bookscouter.com and ship them off. More details can be found here: “Get Rid of Your Books“
5. Sell Your Clothes
- What you have to do: set up a Poshmark account, take pictures, and sell. More details can be found here: “Get Rid of Your Clothes”
- Estimated effort: 2-3 hours to take pictures of all the clothes and upload with details
- My advice: make sure your pictures are taken in good lighting and display your clothes in an appealing way. Respond to people who are interested quickly. Whenever Poshmark throws theme parties, share the clothes you have in your closet to grow your number of potential customers.
As always, feel free to comment and ask me questions at jadoregrace@gmail.com!
