Another one of my friends was laid off today, making him yet another casualty of the nose-diving economy. Almost everyone I know, whether employed or between jobs, is struggling to pay bills on time, put food on the table, and stave off homelessness while maintaining some semblance of a social life.
Since asking for a raise is out of the question for most of us, and finding new jobs is becoming increasingly difficult, it would be helpful to know what alternatives there are to help us afford the bare necessities of life. Aside from asking for different job perks or giving blood for profit, there are many inventive ways to supplement our incomes and avoid a destitute future.
Throw a Gold Party
Forget candle and Tupperware parties—the trend right now is to sell your gold in style. Gold parties involve appraisers pricing and purchasing gold (or other metals, though gold demands a high price right now) jewelry from party-goers. It seems like a great way to entertain and get rid of a few old and forgotten pieces of jewelry while making some extra cash. Find a legitimate jewelry appraiser in your area who will come to your house, invite a few friends over (you could even make it a potluck to save more money), and pick out the jewelry pieces you’re ready to part with. Do some research and take the pieces to a few appraisers in your city before the party to ensure that you don’t get ripped off.
Have a Yard Sale
For those with more than just gold jewelry collecting dust around the house, yard sales are a perfect way to eliminate clutter and earn some spending money. Pick a Saturday or Sunday, gather up clothes, books, CDs, and other valuables that you’re done with, and put it all on the front of your street. Make signs advertising the sale and place them around your neighborhood, or just post your sale on a Web site like Craigslist. One benefit of the plummeting economy is that people are willing to buy used things to save money, which benefits our wallets and the environment, too.
Try Virtual Yard-Selling
If planning a yard sale seems like too much work, or if your weekends get filled up quickly, another option is to put all of the stuff online instead. For example, Craigslist is a hugely popular virtual market where people sell everything from collectible tin cans to high-quality electronics.
Another way to make money is by using the popularity of Web sites like Ebay (and the increasing proof that people will buy almost anything) to your advantage. Sometimes people are unaware that what they’re selling at their yard sales is actually valuable. Sometimes it’s really not all that valuable, but there’s still an interest in it online. The public really does collect anything and everything, as my family member learned when he turned his hobby of garage sale shopping into a profitable business. He studies what sells well on Ebay (old comics, collectible toys, cool lunch boxes, etc.—recognize the nostalgia pattern?) and hunts for them at garage and estate sales. He has made a steady profit on almost everything he’s put up on the Web site.
Write Reviews Online
A little bit of free time and some basic knowledge about various products could yield a modest profit. Web sites such as SharedReviews and ReviewMe pay writers a small sum for a certain amount of reviews. Before he found a new job, one of my friends wrote reviews for Amazon.com to fund his movie habit. This is a good way to work from home and make some extra money in your down time. Do some research online to see what companies work best for you, and be mindful of scams, which run aplenty on the Internet.
Become a Blogger
If you’re passionate about a certain topic, why not start a blog about it and join a blogging community? Bloggers, especially those who get a good amount of traffic, can make an impressive amount of money through advertisements on their Web sites. However, making a profit from blogging requires time and a great deal of effort. That’s why those who blog need to choose a subject that will keep them interested, such as cooking, politics, or parenting. Becoming a part of a blogging community is important, too; advertising your site on other blogs will increase traffic. Starting a Web site seems overwhelming, but using a site like BlogHer or Word Press can break it down into simple steps.
