Being Laid Off, 5 Ways to Make Money Until Your Next Job

You've lost your job. If you're one of the lucky ones who received a severance package upon termination then you may be in good shape for a few months. However, if you're one of the ones who didn't, then you're probably thinking I need money. How can I supplement or generate some income until my next job.

While these 5 ways to make money won't make you rich or replace your salary, they will allow you to generate some income.

1. Take Surveys. There are a plethora of online companies that will pay you to take surveys both online or offline. The surveys range from $1-$150. Sign up for enough of them and you can easily make $200-$400 a month. For a list of the best survey companies check out my article Making An Income Streaming Out Of Taking Surveys.

2. Mystery Shopping. Sometimes also known as secret shopping, companies will pay you to evaluate their businesses and the customer service skills of their employees. Some shops are very simple that pay $5 and $10, all the way up to more complex shops that pay out up to $200. Some shops will also compensate you for meals. Usually with mystery shopping you get paid very quickly and I have never had any problems with any of the sites I've used. But you should never also pay for a list of mystery shopping companies. They are easily available online by googling mystery or secret shopping. Some of the companies I've mystery shopped include the following:

Mystery Shoppers Provider Association
ICCDS
Beyond Hello
Kern Scheduling
Market Force
Shop N' Chek
National Shopping Service
Trend Source

3. Sell Used Books. Pull out your old books and resell them online at Amazon.com and set your own price. You can also bypass having other people decide to purchase your used books and sell them directly to Cash4Books . They will give you an instant online price quote and even pay to have your books shipped to them.

4. Start a Blog and Monetize It. Do you have a hobby or is there something that interests you? If so, start blogging about it or create a blog about it. Sign up for a blog either through Blogger, Wordpress or Typepad. Then monetize your blog through affiliate marketing of products through various affiliate companies such as Commission Junction, Link Share or Logical Media.

5. Start a business. Got a hobby or a skill, then start a business. This is the best way to ensure that you stay in charge of your career and exercise control over your destiny.

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