Easy Income from Home

We all know a penny saved is a penny earned but what do we do when those pennies saved are just not enough to make ends meet? We look for creative ways to earn extra money!

I have long been a proponent of earning a little extra money to help with current expenses and to save for special things, like a vacation, car, or down payment on a house. The entrepreneurial spirit was in me since birth, my parents did a lot to cultivate it because they could see it was a natural God-given talent. I will share with you about my earliest money making ventures up through what my husband and I are doing today to broaden our income streams.

Poultry & Egg Production

My first formal foray into the business world was when I was 8 years old. I had long helped to take care of the chickens, and as a greedy, money grubbing 8 year old I took over the family egg business thinking of all the money I could begin rolling in. What can I say? There was MUCH to learn about business and about money in general.

If you live on a farm and already raise a few chickens for family needs then you are in the best possible position to produce meat & eggs for profit. However, if you have never seen a chicken other than at a petting zoo or on the rotisserie rack at the grocery store, that is another story! Please, please do not go out and spend a fortune on chicks, brand new housing facilities and food. There are many sad stories of people doing this. It is best to be well prepared; you could use the Internet and library to do lots of research first, then try some hands on learning by helping others that raise chickens. Start small and pay close attention to the finances to see that the expenses do not eat up the profits.

Fruit & Vegetable Marketing

In addition to the chicken venture, I was put in charge of the money part our fruit and vegetable stand. My mother controlled the production. My siblings and I were the chief "non-union weed laborers". Considering the cost of a few packages of seeds and the time it takes you to win the war on weeds, the return on investment for this type of business is very high. Tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cucumbers and sweet corn, pumpkins and watermelons were some of our best sellers. Even if you live in a city or small town, it is very easy to have a small plot to grow pumpkins or tomatoes for sale. Your neighbors will be your best customers!

Distributing Phone Books

Each year all of those new phone books get distributed by somebody. For two years I did this in the late summer. I found out about the job from an ad in the local paper; you may be able to contact your telephone company or search the web. There are a few tricks to this; get to the distribution place early to pick up your books and select a route close you your home. Each route pays a little differently. The key is to not drive very far and pick a route with lots of apartment buildings. Many times the office people will prefer you to leave all of the books for the whole building or complex in the office area. A route usually took a couple of hours and paid $20 to $30.

Mystery Shopping

I've been a Mystery Shopper for three years and recently did a post on it. You can read about it here.

Selling things on EBay

I've done very well by selling items on EBay. Many of the items I list are things from my own home and all the extras from combining two households. Now, this is akin to having a yard sale, but at least you are getting some money for stuff you never used and know you are never going to! You will de-clutter your home in the process and can sit down in your nice clean clutter free living room and enjoy the satisfaction of a clean house and earning the extra money.

Selling Out Front

Needless to say, this depends a lot on where you live. We live out in the country. It is very common to see a riding mower, tractor, rototiller, or picnic table out in front with a for sale sign. My husband is quite skilled in fixing up what most others consider junk. We have done very well selling items out in front that we have acquired for little or no cost.
A word of caution: Make sure you don't put so much stuff out that you are a candidate for Redneck Yard of the week. One or two items at a time are plenty.

Prepare Income Taxes
For years I've prepared income taxes professionally. It does require training, continuing education, close attention to detail and knowledge of current tax law. It pays very well.

Write an E Book

If you enjoy writing and have a topic you are passionate about, you stand a good chance of being able to write a very interesting, well received e-book. It is not as hard as you think; just get started. The book does not have to be the Great American Novel or anything close. Write very much like you speak. It will come across as very personable. It is not at all like writing in high school and college!