Are you short on cash lately? Here are some ways you can make some extra cash, all from the comfort of your own home. Sent in by a reader.
Everything seems like it is getting tougher all the time. Inflation rises, prices of everyday goods and food keeps increasing and unemployment grows. In 2020 the world saw the global pandemic from Covid-19 that destroyed business, put millions out of work and vastly reduced household incomes.
Being a single unemployed person is hard enough but being a single parent or a couple with a family is especially tough during these uncertain times. As new restrictions emerge due to surges in virus infections and non essential businesses continue to be closed or heavily restricted can mean many people have lost some of their main source of income or are completely unemployed.
Before Covid came people often dreamt about working from home and choosing their own hours and now many people really are stuck at home and finding making money is not so easy. Is there anything you can do to improve your situation? Is there really a viable way to make money from home and make life a little more comfortable? Here are some options you may be able to look at.
Becoming a driver
Although this isn’t technically working from home you will still be able to pick your own hours in many cases. Due to the pandemic there is a high demand for delivery drivers. Supermarkets deliver food and need drivers, so do other companies like UberEats. Alternatively you could offer your own services as a freelance driver. Advertise in your local area to collect orders and deliver for your neighbours and local community. You may be able to offer your services to local restaurants who don’t have a delivery service and are now struggling to stay afloat.
If you want to think bigger then start your own localised version of UberEats. Talk to all the takeaways and restaurants in your vicinity and make a small website offering food and drinks from these places. You will have to check local restrictions and practise safe social distancing with your deliveries though.
Writing a blog
Not all blogs make money so if you decide to start writing a blog then you should treat it as a hobby at first and not with the expectation of earning a living from it. Given time though and with quality content you could end up with a popular website and with that may come other benefits. Read more about that here.
Depending on what you are writing about it is not unheard of to receive free goods from companies hoping that you will write a piece about their products. If you become a hit you can start taking on Google advertising and click through ads to bring in revenue. Use social media to promote your blog and get friends to like you on Facebook to see your site grow.
YouTube channels
If you have an outgoing personality and a skill you want to showcase then make a YouTube channel. Perhaps you are a native speaker from abroad and could do online lessons in your language. You could make your own comedy channel or teach people to cook.Like blogs most YouTube channels will not make vast revenues but if you make it popular enough you will bring in advertising money and possibly receive free sample products.
Gambling online
Does gambling sound a bit risky when you are looking to make money? That’s because it is. However you don’t need to risk your own money or at least not very much.
If you already have a liking for slot games like book of dead or enjoy playing traditional casino games such as roulette or poker then you might make some extra cash here. Most online casinos, bingo sites and sports betting websites offer incentives to join. If you search on Google you will find thousands of online gambling sites and many offer free bets or cash deposits in your account when you join. You can use this free money or free plays to win real cash without staking your own. Make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions as some casinos will require a deposit to be made before you can withdraw your winnings. You can sign up to as many of these sites as you like, play your favourite casino games and then move on to the next website when the bonus has been used up.
Remote working
Remote working is basically doing a job that would normally be fulfilled in an office as part of a team but is now performed from a location elsewhere. These jobs vary a lot as do the potential earnings. It may take a lot of searching before you can find the right job as there are many people looking for this type of work but perseverance should pay off in the end. The work you can look for could typically be transcribing, proofreading and data entry to name a few.
Open an online shop
If you have an area of expertise you may be able to run a shop online. You will have to take into account some logistics including packaging and delivering your goods and such but most of the work will be done in your own home.
For instance, say you are a video games aficionado. Perhaps you have been playing games since you were young and your father passed on all his vintage games to you. Use that knowledge to search auction sites such as eBay for bargains that you can sell on. Look at large boxes of games that contain one or two games that the seller doesn’t realise are worth money and buy the job lot. Break it up into cheap items for quick sales and list the better games at realistic prices. Often you will find one game is worth 2 or 3 times the price of the entire job lot you purchase.
Alternatively sell off any unwanted items that are still in good condition. Over the years we accumulate vast amounts of things that very often just sit in cupboards or attics gathering dust. Have a hunt around and organise a clear out. This can be a fun way to spend time with the family and raise some extra funds.
Release Equity or Get A Hard Loan
If you don't have the time to actively pursue an additional job from the comfort of your home yet still need ready access to cash for all of your familial emergencies, then do not fret. You can still consider the option of either releasing equity from your property, or getting a hard loan against your home so that you can benefit from fast cash. Understanding if you can qualify for equity release or researching hard money loan requirements can be a bit overwhelming, so it's always best to get in touch with a certified financial advisor if you're ever planning on making such a big decision surrounding your property. You could end your financial issues by cashing in on the value of your home, so be sure to bear this option in mind if you're struggling with money. Always investigate the risks of such a decision before you sign on the dotted line, as you don't want to forfeit your future financial health just to gain a few extra dollars now.
Summary
There are many more ways you can make money from home so do some research on the net and whether you write a blog, play slots online or run your own auction site try and find something that you enjoy so that you can benefit from the extra time at home and work doesn’t seem so much of a chore.
Being a single unemployed person is hard enough but being a single parent or a couple with a family is especially tough during these uncertain times. As new restrictions emerge due to surges in virus infections and non essential businesses continue to be closed or heavily restricted can mean many people have lost some of their main source of income or are completely unemployed.
Before Covid came people often dreamt about working from home and choosing their own hours and now many people really are stuck at home and finding making money is not so easy. Is there anything you can do to improve your situation? Is there really a viable way to make money from home and make life a little more comfortable? Here are some options you may be able to look at.
Becoming a driver
Although this isn’t technically working from home you will still be able to pick your own hours in many cases. Due to the pandemic there is a high demand for delivery drivers. Supermarkets deliver food and need drivers, so do other companies like UberEats. Alternatively you could offer your own services as a freelance driver. Advertise in your local area to collect orders and deliver for your neighbours and local community. You may be able to offer your services to local restaurants who don’t have a delivery service and are now struggling to stay afloat.
If you want to think bigger then start your own localised version of UberEats. Talk to all the takeaways and restaurants in your vicinity and make a small website offering food and drinks from these places. You will have to check local restrictions and practise safe social distancing with your deliveries though.
Writing a blog
Not all blogs make money so if you decide to start writing a blog then you should treat it as a hobby at first and not with the expectation of earning a living from it. Given time though and with quality content you could end up with a popular website and with that may come other benefits. Read more about that here.
Depending on what you are writing about it is not unheard of to receive free goods from companies hoping that you will write a piece about their products. If you become a hit you can start taking on Google advertising and click through ads to bring in revenue. Use social media to promote your blog and get friends to like you on Facebook to see your site grow.
YouTube channels
If you have an outgoing personality and a skill you want to showcase then make a YouTube channel. Perhaps you are a native speaker from abroad and could do online lessons in your language. You could make your own comedy channel or teach people to cook.Like blogs most YouTube channels will not make vast revenues but if you make it popular enough you will bring in advertising money and possibly receive free sample products.
Gambling online
Does gambling sound a bit risky when you are looking to make money? That’s because it is. However you don’t need to risk your own money or at least not very much.
If you already have a liking for slot games like book of dead or enjoy playing traditional casino games such as roulette or poker then you might make some extra cash here. Most online casinos, bingo sites and sports betting websites offer incentives to join. If you search on Google you will find thousands of online gambling sites and many offer free bets or cash deposits in your account when you join. You can use this free money or free plays to win real cash without staking your own. Make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions as some casinos will require a deposit to be made before you can withdraw your winnings. You can sign up to as many of these sites as you like, play your favourite casino games and then move on to the next website when the bonus has been used up.
Remote working
Remote working is basically doing a job that would normally be fulfilled in an office as part of a team but is now performed from a location elsewhere. These jobs vary a lot as do the potential earnings. It may take a lot of searching before you can find the right job as there are many people looking for this type of work but perseverance should pay off in the end. The work you can look for could typically be transcribing, proofreading and data entry to name a few.
Open an online shop
If you have an area of expertise you may be able to run a shop online. You will have to take into account some logistics including packaging and delivering your goods and such but most of the work will be done in your own home.
For instance, say you are a video games aficionado. Perhaps you have been playing games since you were young and your father passed on all his vintage games to you. Use that knowledge to search auction sites such as eBay for bargains that you can sell on. Look at large boxes of games that contain one or two games that the seller doesn’t realise are worth money and buy the job lot. Break it up into cheap items for quick sales and list the better games at realistic prices. Often you will find one game is worth 2 or 3 times the price of the entire job lot you purchase.
Alternatively sell off any unwanted items that are still in good condition. Over the years we accumulate vast amounts of things that very often just sit in cupboards or attics gathering dust. Have a hunt around and organise a clear out. This can be a fun way to spend time with the family and raise some extra funds.
Release Equity or Get A Hard Loan
If you don't have the time to actively pursue an additional job from the comfort of your home yet still need ready access to cash for all of your familial emergencies, then do not fret. You can still consider the option of either releasing equity from your property, or getting a hard loan against your home so that you can benefit from fast cash. Understanding if you can qualify for equity release or researching hard money loan requirements can be a bit overwhelming, so it's always best to get in touch with a certified financial advisor if you're ever planning on making such a big decision surrounding your property. You could end your financial issues by cashing in on the value of your home, so be sure to bear this option in mind if you're struggling with money. Always investigate the risks of such a decision before you sign on the dotted line, as you don't want to forfeit your future financial health just to gain a few extra dollars now.
Summary
There are many more ways you can make money from home so do some research on the net and whether you write a blog, play slots online or run your own auction site try and find something that you enjoy so that you can benefit from the extra time at home and work doesn’t seem so much of a chore.