Keeping My Head Above Water

After graduating The George Washington University in May 1998, I thought I could conquer the world. With a degree in Dramatic Literature, I figured I would be a dramaturg on Broadway or something. Jobless, I headed back home to NY to figure out exactly what I was going to do.

I started as a substitute teacher in my old school district on Long Island, and temped on the side for Lloyd Stafing. i worked throughout the summer at Cablevision, then went back to subbing. It was most definitely not the life I had planned.

When dramaturgy didn't pan out, I started acting a lot for regional theatre. The pay wasn't good, which meant I had to supplement with other jobs. I was a waitress, substitute teacher, secretary, receptionist, bartender, model, babysitter... You name it, and I did it. I even worked retail.

That is basically my life story when it comes to jobs. I hate authority, and have a real problem when people who don't know what they are talking about challenge me on things that I know back and front. I've mouthed off to quite a few bosses, not to mention walked out of jobs. not the most professional thing to do, but I didn't care at the time.

I learned how to survive on my own. When I moved out to Los Angeles to try to become an actress, people warned me not to do background work. I didn't listen to them, and started with Central Casting. After three months, I was able to join the Screen Actor's Guild because I had so many featured roled. I landed a regular role on ER, then on The Drew Carey Show and finally on Deadwood. I didn't become rich and famous, but I certainly didn't starve.

I moved back to NY in early 2004, after things in my personal live in LA went awry. I regrouped, met my husband, got married a year later, had my twins in 2008, and here I am now. During this time, I never had a regular, 9-5, full-time job. My husband, on the other hand, has been a police officer since 1995. he's the epitome of stable. he make s a salary, so he knows exactly how much is coming in before any overtime, and he can plan accordingly.

I, on the other hand, know how to earn money without committing myself to any contracts or what-have-you. The internet is a wonderful thing, and I can make money sitting at home any time of the day or night. So, it absolutely boggles my mind when people complain that they don't have any extra cash or need to make some more money, but don't know how. My ways are tried and true by yours truly. And I'm happy to tell my secrets...

EBAY
One man's trash is another man's treasure. I fell in love with eBay back in 2001, when I was living in Los Angeles. I had a bunch of stuf to get rid of, so I figured I would give eBay a try. I was shocked that people were buying my old shoes and clothes! Talk about a potential gold mine. I've sold clothes, shoes, cosmetics I've never used, jewelry, books, collectibles, toys, baby stuff... You name it, and I've probably listed it. Last week, my mom's best friend asked me if I thought I could sell some of her clothes. I made a deal where she would take the pictures and I would do the listings. I've only sold 2 items for her, and she has made over $150. She is really doing a happy dance, and is even more motivated to give me more items to sell. Clean out your closet, garage, basement, whatever, and list it on eBay.

FREELANCE WRITING
It is absolutely amazing how much a person could make writing online. Sincerely, if I had more time, I would be making over $100,000 per year just because of the writing opportunities available. AssociatedContent.com, Demand Studios, Helium, Epinions, WCities... The list goes on and on. You can earn as much or as little as you want. There is no one breathing down your neck about what you can and can't write about. Payments usually come via PayPal, which is fantastic. Most assignments have a dollar amount that you will earn for writing, so you know exactly what to expect. There are tons of jobs available, including jobs that you can create yourself. There isn't any reason why someone shouldn't make money writing from home.

CRAIG'S LIST
Just like eBay, I've sold plenty of stuff on Craig's List. I usually list the really big items on it, or items that I'm not allowed to list on eBay (like some computer software). While I don't exactly like dealing with people in person, and I totally hate haggling over prices, I do my fair share of selling on Craig's List and am pretty successful with it. For example, I made over $2500 in one sale last month just based on stuff I didn't want or need any more.

SELLING TRAVEL
Back in 2004, I signed up with a "card mill" company to start selling travel. Little did I know that this company only sold the card for people to take advantage of travel deals. Like an idiot, I booked over $40,000 worth of travel. The company sent me $15. That's FIFTEEN DOLLARS. I was really upset. So, I headed down to the county clerk and started my own travel company. I've taken advantage of many courses available to me and even became an Accredited Cruise Consultant with CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association). Not only that, I now have close to 50 people registered with my own company to book travel and earn money from home. My business has blossomed so much that I had to incorporate, and now I have a television show in development about the destination wedding aspect of my company.

It drives me nuts when people complain about not being able to earn money. Opportunities surround us all. It is just a matter of finding them and taking advantage of them. I hav eshown many, many people how to earn money from home. Unfortunately, only a few have actually take advantage of it. As the old saying goes, "You can take a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." Good luck!