Clever ways to make extra money on the side

[xchen]

I work a 9-5 but I'd like to explore ways to make a little money on the side. I've considered freelancing and will probably look down that road in the future, but I'm looking for something fairly creative to do with my spare time that I can make a little money on and tuck away in savings.

I recently got a dining room set at a thrift store that I am in the process of restoring. While I am intending to keep this one, I was thinking that restoring and flipping thrift store furniture might be something I could do. The set I got was $70 and I was thinking fully restored I might be able to sell it on CL for $200-300.

Any other feasible ways to make some cash on the side?

 

[GQgeek]

Unless you've got the skills for poker or have some unique set of skills that are conducive towards making money, i'd just focus that free time on improving the skills that are relevant to your career so that you get promoted/higher salary, etc. Maybe that means some sort project management course or something else entirely...

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by xchen

I work a 9-5 but I'd like to explore ways to make a little money on the side. I've considered freelancing and will probably look down that road in the future, but I'm looking for something fairly creative to do with my spare time that I can make a little money on and tuck away in savings.

I recently got a dining room set at a thrift store that I am in the process of restoring. While I am intending to keep this one, I was thinking that restoring and flipping thrift store furniture might be something I could do. The set I got was $70 and I was thinking fully restored I might be able to sell it on CL for $200-300.

Any other feasible ways to make some cash on the side?

How many hours will it take you to do that and how much in materials? Say even $30 in materials, so $100 in costs. Say you take 10 hours to refinish it, takes a two hours to shop and buy the table you want (gas but getting to detailed probably) and take two hours to sell it. Any advertising or going to a flea market or something? So say $20 for gas to shop and flea market, or gas to shop and advertisement in penny saver or something. So $120 cost plus say 14 hours into it. Sell for $250 and that leaves net of $130 for 14 hours worth of time, or about $9.28 an hour.

Every time I used to think about a side line, that's how I would examine it.

I would do something that either takes in more or costs less in both input materials and time.

 

[Hombre Secreto]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

How many hours will it take you to do that and how much in materials? Say even $30 in materials, so $100 in costs. Say you take 10 hours to refinish it, takes a two hours to shop and buy the table you want (gas but getting to detailed probably) and take two hours to sell it. Any advertising or going to a flea market or something? So say $20 for gas to shop and flea market, or gas to shop and advertisement in penny saver or something. So $120 cost plus say 14 hours into it. Sell for $250 and that leaves net of $130 for 14 hours worth of time, or about $9.28 an hour.

Every time I used to think about a side line, that's how I would examine it.

I would do something that either takes in more or costs less in both input materials and time.

How old were you when you discovered that?

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Hombre Secreto

How old were you when you discovered that?

Early 20s, when someone wanted to sell me beer making equipment so I could re-sell it.

 

[Hombre Secreto]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Early 20s, when someone wanted to sell me beer making equipment so I could re-sell it.

Some people don't realize that until their 40's... or even never. It was late 20's for me.

 

[xchen]

I understand your post Piobare and have considered that. If it was something I enjoyed doing for fun I wouldn't mind spending my free time on it. This was just an example I had thought of. I might look at taking a part time job to make a little extra money. I'll be going back to school in the fall, so that will probably keep me busy too.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by xchen

I understand your post Piobare and have considered that. If it was something I enjoyed doing for fun I wouldn't mind spending my free time on it. This was just an example I had thought of. I might look at taking a part time job to make a little extra money. I'll be going back to school in the fall, so that will probably keep me busy too.

If you can make any money off doing something you enjoy, you're ahead of the game.

 

[Master-Classter]

Making money - look at: Skills you have that others don't. Essentially someone will pay you because you can do something they don't know how to do, EXPERTISE. Think about some sort of package deal. Ie, you know about clothes, be a wardrobe consultant. I have a 10 step process, the cost is X, etc You are willing to do something others aren't, ie CONVENIENCE. Is there some task you like and are good at that others find difficult and could do but just don't want to. Let's say you love gardening/lanscaping. The average joe could dig a hole and plant a tree but they just don't want to. SUPPLY - Take an inventory of what resources you have available that other don't. Maybe something that had a high capital expenditure that others would jsut want to use once. Say you have a flatbed truck. CL people might want you to move stuff for them. Or Pio has a smoker machine. approach some charter fishing boat company and offer their customers the option to use your smoker on weekends DEMAND - see if you can pinpoint a concentration point of people with similar characteristics. so say you're a respected member of an online fashion board with men who like to buy clothes. Approach your friends and tell them you'll sell their stuff for them for a commission fee. Compare the "free" or "for sale " list at Craigs and then the "Wanted" list. your job is making the connection, buy one, move it to the other. pure arbitrage. line up 2+ buyers for every seller just incase. hope that's a start. i'm curious to hear what others have

 

[Hombre Secreto]

Originally Posted by xchen

I understand your post Piobare and have considered that. If it was something I enjoyed doing for fun I wouldn't mind spending my free time on it. This was just an example I had thought of. I might look at taking a part time job to make a little extra money. I'll be going back to school in the fall, so that will probably keep me busy too.

Do catering gigs as a server. You get free food and you meet plenty of drunk sluts.

 

[sfaith]

If you are interested in finance, you can learn and get into Forex. It might not be for you if you hate numbers and going technical.

 

[Davidko19]

Originally Posted by Hombre Secreto

Do catering gigs as a server. You get free food and you meet plenty of drunk sluts.

This. Easy as hell and they usually pay relatively well for the lack of work and skill you need. Try high end country clubs. I would do womens lunches and all you had to do was refill tea.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

If you can make any money off doing something you enjoy, you're ahead of the game.

True. I always look at the time vs. money thing. At this point I have more free time than I do expendable income, but if there was something I could get paid to do that I like then I do it. Unfortuantely I don't really have any hobbies, skills or education, so Im stuck.

 

[VKK3450]

Originally Posted by Hombre Secreto

Do catering gigs as a server. You get free food and you meet plenty of drunk sluts.

+1. I did this in Atlanta and usual pay was min wage plus a minimum $200 cash "tip" for the night. Bartending would add upwards of $100 in cash tips from drinkers, more if it was open bar.

Drunk sluts rarely pan out though, by the time you clean and pack up they have run off with some immediately available dude.

K

 

[joel_954]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

How many hours will it take you to do that and how much in materials? Say even $30 in materials, so $100 in costs. Say you take 10 hours to refinish it, takes a two hours to shop and buy the table you want (gas but getting to detailed probably) and take two hours to sell it. Any advertising or going to a flea market or something? So say $20 for gas to shop and flea market, or gas to shop and advertisement in penny saver or something. So $120 cost plus say 14 hours into it. Sell for $250 and that leaves net of $130 for 14 hours worth of time, or about $9.28 an hour.

Every time I used to think about a side line, that's how I would examine it.

I would do something that either takes in more or costs less in both input materials and time.

I just learned a life's lesson. Thank you Piobaire!

 

[Douglas]

Maybe I'm just too much of a troll these days, but it stupefies me that nobody has yet suggested, or posted pictures of, ****** prostitution.