Side Hustle Series – Rent out your space

by | Nov 26, 2008

We live in an age where people accumulate stuff and refuse to let it go. That is why there are so many storage rental places popping up all over the place. Depending on the size the space the rental fee can range from $25 to $125 a month to store all the, ummmm, stuff that can’t fit in the house. Sometime though, people, other single moms, students, or people in transit need a temporary place to store their goods. That’s where you come in. (more…)

Side Hustle Series – Deliver Newspapers

by | Nov 24, 2008

As hard as it is to believe, there are people who still subscribe to the local newspaper. The internet has taken quite a few former newspaper readers online, but there are some who are die-hard real newspaper fans. They expect their newspaper at their door step every morning like clock work. The postal service is not in the business of delivering papers so somebody has to do it so why not you.

Delivering newspapers is a great way to earn extra money on the side while working your regular job. Most of the time newspapers are delivered early in the morning, usually before sunrise between the hours of 4am-6am. Those early hours are great because you are making money early and easily.

This is one job that you can take your kids on. You can put them in your car and let them sleep while you drive. Take a small snack, a pillow, and blankets and do your rounds. You will fall into a great routine over time so your mornings will go buy effortlessly. Since you are already up you won’t have to struggle to get ready for work.

There is a downside to delivering newspapers though as with all things. You may encounter late delivery at your pick up station which will make you late delivering. Some customers may blame you for that. You have to pay for the wear and tear on your car and pay for your own gas.

The popularity of newspapers is going down because of Internet access to the news. So this may limit the number of newspaper delivery jobs right now. There are other types of delivery that can be done such as phonebook, community newspapers, free newspapers, and free magazine delivery to storefronts and other public gathering places.

Side Hustle Series – Bake Up Some Profits

by | Nov 19, 2008

With the holiday season ramping it now is the time to use your baking skills to earn some extra Christmas money. If you make exceptional cakes, cookies, and/or pies you are one of the few people that will be in demand. Not everyone can bake and the thousands of people around you with a sweet tooth will beat down your door once they find out that you can bake.

How do you get started? Make some samples and place them in the employee, teacher, or nurses’ lounge. Put your baked goods where people gather and leave a note letting people know how to get more. You could give out samples as an early holiday gift, sort of a holiday kickoff things. Attach your business card (make some up), brochure, or mini-flier to the package.

You will have to come up with a system to take orders and deliver your product. Another option is to bake up a batch of cookies, brownies, or other easy to bake and take item and sell them from you office desk or locker.

If you are daring place a classified ad on Craigslist.org, Backpage.com, or Kijiji.com. You can also sell your goodies (the baked ones) on eBay. They have a classified ad option for $10 that will remain on the site and searchable for 30 days. That’s not a bad value at all!

So there you have it. Another side hustle idea that you can run away with. Tweak it and make it yours. Let me know how it works out for you.

Single Mom Side Hustle Series – The Change Jar

by | Oct 8, 2008

Benefits: Easy to start, easy to remember, quick result

Material: Jelly jar, piggy bank, beer mug, aquarium, 5-gallon water jug, accessories to personalize

How To:

There are several ways to save money using a change jar. You can dump all your coins at the end of the day, week, or month. Your jar will fill up quickly with this method; however you may not get as much saved in comparison to saving only certain coins. If you go with saving only nickel, dimes, and/or quarters your savings amount will be larger. You may decide to save only pennies in one jar and silver coins in another. To take it further you may save all your half dollars in one place as well. It’s completely up to you to decide how you will save.

Your savings goal is important to decide. What are you saving your money for; a trip, a new pair of shoes, a new bedroom suite, a down payment on a house? The choice is completely yours. How long will it take to save for your targeted goal? You will have to find out how much it cost and estimate how long it will take based on the average amount of change deposited each day or week. To stay motivated, find a picture of your desired target and attach it to your container.

Saving your change not only benefits you but it also benefits your children. When they see the change jar they are going to ask you why you are keeping all that money. That is a great time to explain your project and teach them the importance of saving for the things you want versus using a credit card, getting into debt, and paying more in the long run. It is also a good lesson in learning patience and delayed gratification. They may want to set up their own change jar and save for they toy, video game, or clothing they’ve been wanting for a while.

So where are you going to find all this change? The bottom of your purse is the first answer that comes to mind. I am always accumulating change in my purse from where I have dumped the change after a purchase. Other places may be in your sofa and chair cushions, in your car under and between the seats as well as the little cubbies in the car. On the ground, at the beach, in parking lots, or anywhere that people spend money. You might even invest in a metal detector.

When your change jar fills up you can take it to either a local grocery store that has a coin exchange machine and get cash for your coins or go to your local bank and exchange the coins there. At your bank you may want to simply deposit your coins into a savings account. After you’ve accumulated the minimum amount, open a money market account and earn more interest on your saving. Once you’ve reached your goal you can withdraw your money from your regular savings account and purchase your long awaited product.
Rich Single Momma