An Odd Job by any Other Name would Smell Just as Sweet: Thirty Odd Jobs

Saving is one half of an equation, but to save, you have to make money. Many like to supplement their regular jobs, many are retired and would like to work — but not too much. Many are teens and can’t get a regular job yet. What, oh, what can you do? So you can hit the pavement running, I did a little footwork for you. Here are thirty jobs you just might be able to do.

• If you frequent a website and are tech savvy, maybe they’ll hire you to iron out bugs or moderate.
• Freelance for newspapers, magazines, online journals.
• Run Errands. Especially if you have a conservative gas machine, you can combine your errands with your neighbors’ for a small fee.
• Make things for sale. Especially if you have a hobby making things anyway, and have a pile of supplies, you can get returns by pitching in on craft booths during farmer’s market festivals.
  Rent out something you own. If you’re the only one in your apartment with a dryer, you can charge your neighbors who want to use it, on certain days.
• Throw a sober-party with a band and a cover charge.
• Aluminum has pretty good returns, and if you live in a state with deposits, you can volunteer your services for adopt-a-highway and get returns in the process. Try to pick roads near college campuses or party sites.
• Take your neighbor’s yard waste or old Christmas trees to the your area’s compost for them, again, for a fee.
• Put your sewing machine to work and make alterations and repairs. Some people would pay to have someone else sew on their buttons.
• House or pet sit. Many aren’t close with their neighbors or to their family anymore. When people go out of town, they need someone trustworthy to grab their newspapers or mail, water their plants and gardens, feed their pets, mow and water their lawns, pick up debris or shovel after a storm, and generally make sure no one breaks in or vandalizes the place.
• Give blood or plasma.
• Mystery Shop.
• Do online surveys.
• Gather golf balls at the golf course, or caddy.
• Child/Baby-sit.
• Be a Handy Man or Woman.
• Tutor or be homework help.
• Set up a reminder service. With a good calendar program, you can offer to call your friends, family, and neighbors to remind them to do certain tasks, like feed the dog a heartworm pill, or that this is free Family Museum weekend, or that the movie that they want to see is coming out.
• Run your own E-Bay service, selling for others.
• Sell or Promote Products: Mary Kay, PartyLite, Avon, Melaleuca, Pampered Chef, Cutco, Filter Queen, UndercoverWear. Some grocery stores or food distributors need people to offer samples to shoppers.
• Tend bar, either at a local bar or for special events like weddings or friends’ parties.
• Buy real estate to rent out. If you pay a manager, you can be hands free. If you want to keep all the money, it’ll be a handyman or general contractor job for you, too.
• Like to tinker? Be an auto mechanic on the side.
• Join the Army Reserves.
• Raise food products. Beekeeping, vegetable gardening, grow some fruit trees.
• Raising wool producing animals. There are several who comb and spin their own yarn who’d love some lovely alpaca, llama, Angora goat, Kasmir goat, Camel, Angora rabbit.
• Teach English as a Second Language.
• Grade standardized tests. See the College Board Website.
• Write Search Pages. Check out Mahalo Greenhouse.
• Deliver Pizza. Jonathan at MyMoneyBlog said so.

More? Really? You want more? Try these two blogs entries:Easy Side Jobs and Additional Income Possibilities.

And, really, before you take any side job, take some good advice: Don’t let it interfere with your day job. (Unless, of course, your side job turns out to be a great career!) For more in depth advice, see CK Tan’s article. While you’re enjoying the fruits of your labor, I’ll take another gander and see if anything else interesting pops up.

Image courtesy of Steve Roe

James Hendrickson

James Hendrickson is the founder and CEO of District Media, Inc., the company behind SavingAdvice.com. He holds an MA degree and has nearly 20 years of experience writing and publishing authoritative personal finance content. His substantive expertise spans quantitative research, risk analysis, and practical wealth-building strategies developed through extensive work in data-driven decision making and digital publishing.