Collect Driftwood: Ways to make money

[jeffrey]

I have a good friend that makes extra money by collecting driftwood on the beach and then selling it to artists. She started this by listening to the need of a friend . her friend knew that she took morning walks along the beach and asked if she could pick up interesting pieces of driftwood for her on the walks. When she let others know she was doing this, she got more and more requests to the point that she makes several hundred dollars a month now providing driftwood to artists that want/need it.

This goes to show that if you listen to what other want or need, there may be an opportunity for you to make some extra money out of it.

[LILYJINKS]

i live in ga so there is no beach. but i am very interested in a way to earn extra money (if there is such a thing) i work as a clerk and i am on my feet alot plus it's a cement floor. i'm not getting any younger. i would love to go part time but have not found any true "work at home jobs" or something similar to your friend. let me know if you hear something

[sgfinancialfreedom]

Pardon my ignorance but what is driftwood? Just wood that happen to drift onto shore?

[zakity]

Yep, but it is usually sanded down by the water and the surf.

[buildmybudget]

This is really interesting! I have seen lots of ways to make extra money but haven't seen this one yet. I wonder if you could even start a website if you found enough to act like a distributor.

[mikesaver]

You can also sell scrap metal if you know where to sell it. I see guys in trucks driving around looking for metal scrap every garbage night. I threw old aluminum screen door over the summer and it was gone in less than 10 minutes!

[GREENBACK]

When I was about 15 I collected a piece of driftwood and a couple of mussel shells down by the river. I glued the shells to the grooves in the wood to make an ashtray and gave them to my Mom for xmas. It was a free present and she loved it. She still has this almost 30 yrs. later.

[sgfinancialfreedom]

Wish I could collect driftwood. But don't think much driftwood washes ashore in where I am staying.

[cognition]

Hi im new but i had join after reading this post, Another place to unload the Driftwood is to Aquarium hobbiest(i am one myself) you might need to "cure" it to get a higher value and know that it is hardwood variety, but an intracate peice can call for a high price.

JUST A THOUGHT

[junosama]

Thats a great idea. I just saw an add on craigslist for a carpenter who finds old wood and then makes furniture out of it. People love recycled eco friendly furniture nowadays so thats another option.

Figure out what days people throw out big items like furniture for the garbage collector and drive by local streets or rich areas to find great stuff.

[turtletrot]

Originally Posted by LILYJINKS

i live in ga so there is no beach. but i am very interested in a way to earn extra money (if there is such a thing) i work as a clerk and i am on my feet alot plus it's a cement floor. i'm not getting any younger. i would love to go part time but have not found any true "work at home jobs" or something similar to your friend. let me know if you hear something

I live in Ga. too!
Which Ga. do you live in where there is no beach?
My Ga is on the east coast of the USA.

[PennyPrincess]

that reminds me of a show where the man collected a certain kind of rare wood for artisans. Burl I think it was called. apparently it is very beautiful when finished into furniture or artwork.

[GrimJack]

The west coast states have some pretty strict laws against removing driftwood from beaches so it would be worthwhile to check out the rules locally. It has to do with protecting local marine life and intertidal resources. The bans could be size related (ie logs definitely banned but small pieces okay). As a side note, taking anything out of a desert is banned - people keep stealing cacti and cacti skeletons (saguaro skeletons were/are in great demand because of the net-like structure).

[Saving_spree]

Nice way of making money.. I got a gift made out of driftwood for X-mas by my sister, it was amazing.

[shultice24]

Originally Posted by LILYJINKS

i live in ga so there is no beach. but i am very interested in a way to earn extra money (if there is such a thing) i work as a clerk and i am on my feet alot plus it's a cement floor. i'm not getting any younger. i would love to go part time but have not found any true "work at home jobs" or something similar to your friend. let me know if you hear something

Check out this post from I Will Teach You to Be Rich- New in 2010: Do you want to earn more money? | I Will Teach You To Be Rich

In my mind, Ramit is hands down the best financial blogger out there, and he loves to focus on "big wins" vs. little things like saving $.20 on toilet paper. He considers earning a side income off of your skills to be a big win worth pursuing, and it's going to be a huge focus on his blog going forward.

BTW, saving_spree- I love your avatar, though I'd probably have to go with Samwise the Brave instead.