Don't know if this will fly but it can't hurt. Times are tough all over with the economy in the crapper and unemployment at an all time high. College degrees are applying at Walmart and more people lose their home through foreclosure today than ever before. I wanted to create a thread of ideas on how to make some extra money most of us badly need today. I personally do a few things on the side that bring in respectable extra income and I'm hoping more people can chime in with their ideas/ventures. I'm not talking about pyramid schemes or work from home scams. I'm talking about real legit opportunities that are around most of us all the time but don't realize. No special skills or training, just common sense. I'll start with a few that I do.
1). Knife business. Obviously this takes capital to get started but any product bought in bulk will do. Even $1 store items can be bought from wholesalers at $.25/each. A good day at a yard sale or farmer's mart bring in respectable extra $$. The key is product placement. One man at the mart sells nothing but blank recordable CDs. All day he sells them. Look for pallet deals and you can get a boat load of merchandise you can quadruple your investment on.
2). Tent business. I started renting out my 10 X 20 pole tents last year and it took off like a rocket. You can buy the parts online and the poles at your local Home Depot for about $150-$200 per tent. 20 minutes to set up and you're done. I charge $50/day and have to turn some away because I'm only one man. I'm also less than half what party stores charge. A simple free ad on Craigslist and within 1 day you'll have responses. I had 3 just this last weekend. Be smart though and generate a liability waiver they MUST sign.
3). While you're on Craigslist take some time to sift through the for sale section. You'd be amazed at what some people are selling just to get rid of it. Many don't know or care of its' value either. It could be a china set, grandfather clock, trampoline or any of 1000 other items you can make a small fortune on. I recently bought a solar panel for $150 and resold it for $450. How much easier can it get? Just keep your eyes open.
4). Have a truck? Many don't and often need one. Again post your services in the paper or again on CL. Maybe you'll help someone move a bedroom set one day or washer/dryer the next. An extra $20 in your pocket for 30 minutes of your time and a cup of gas is a very fair trade no?
5). Have some hand tools and are pretty good with your hands? SWING SETS!!!! Many professional outdoor play system installers charge $200 or more a day to erect a wooden playset. Also there are many people buying these sets who don't want or care to try to get their hands dirty. Single Moms or the Dad who is never home, the Grandma who wants it to be a surprise, ect. As long as you're punctual and polite (and don't miss any screws lol) you'll get word of mouth advertising. Some do nothing but this for a living.
6). Freelance WHATEVER you do! Mechanic, lawn services, roofer/sider, plumber/electrician, butcher, auto detailer, piano lessons, childcare (huge one), ect, ect, ect. Were you good in school in a particular subject? Tutor someone! I new a guy who played college baseball. He was decent but never made it to the majors. He started private pitching lessons at $100/hr for little league kids. He was booked too. Bottom line is whatever you're good at (and everyone is good at at least one thing) help someone and make some $$ doing it.
7). Scrappers and hauling. There's a member here (well respected one too) who started hauling away scrap metal and bulk trash on the side. It got profitable enough to invest more time and equipment. Last I heard he has guys working for him and he already passed the $1,000,000 mark. Scrap hauling is a big business and something that is always in need. Now he enjoys his wife and kids and days on his boat. Ahh the life.
I'll stop it here and hope some more add to the list. It's really only a start too. Bottom line you can't sit at home waiting for it. You have to go get it. Exposure is important. Post your flyers on the billboard at church or at the supermarket, take advantage of the net as more people use it anyway. There really are honest ways of making $$ without buying a kit online or some book you'll read a chapter of. And please don't fall victim to those get rich quick schemes you see online. They prey off your desperation. What you get is $.27 worth of BS text on recycled paper followed by a disclaimer stating there is no guarantee of any profit. Leave them where they belong, in your spam folder.
Well if you have some capital you can find some Marshall Auctions and buy cars for real cheap.
I have started doing this. I go to police auctions with about $2000 and find the best vehicle I can find. I usually spend around 1400-1500 on the purchase and the rest on the keys etc. Spend about another 400-700 on fixing up the car and making it look good etc. I usually make an easy $1500 profit like this. However, it can take some time as I have to wait for the title. I plan to get my dealers license and start doing this a lot more on the side. There is a lot of money that can be made in this if you know how to do it right.
2- Male escort Can advertise on craigslist as well
Ive been doing it for a few years myself also i buy and sell quads tru craigslist all the time most of the time its just something simple to fix spend a few hours fixing them and i make a 300+ profit off each quad....
A friend of mine also buys and sells boats and he sells them like hot cakes all the time.....
Julian - If you ever have any extra parts for quads or motorcycles lying around let me know. My brother went to MMI out there in Phoenix so we get projects in our shop all the time. Sometimes I either can't find the parts, or they're too expensive. For example, I need a carb for a '89 Harley 1200 Sportster real bad. I saw one on eBay a month or so ago and they still wanted like $600 for it. We've had this guy's bike for almost a year and a half and he's getting pissed that we haven't fixed it yet. Not our fault though. I just can't find a carb for under $400.
I don't really work on harleys and street bikes. I only work on quads, dirt bikes, go karts etc... But you know theres a few motorcylce junkyards around here that have parts for those types of bikes if yuo are interested ill find the numbers for a few of them.
Computer hardware/software is my field, and what my degree is, so I do PC repair jobs for $20/hr on the side. Virus/spyware cleanup, installing wireless networks, total back-up and re-install OS and user files in really bad cases.
^^^Big field and future sitting right there. Like pharmaceuticals and medical practice computer techs always have to stay ahead of the curve. Probably why they are so lucrative and needed. With every new software add on or new OS comes a wave of helpless ppl. I love computers, I just don't have the knack to tackle DOS commands or partition drives. I want it to turn on and work, that's it lol.
Another couple of ideas to throw at some of you:
Have a lot of music? Have some decent pa speaks or even average mobile ones? Ever consider becoming a DJ? You don't have to work weddings or executive events but what about backyard parties and such? Start off working the B-day events and grad parties. Heck most of the time they bring their on CDs anyway so all you gotta do is play it. At the least you'll get free eats and 1st hand looks at all the tail lol and if the gear is lying in your garage anyway................
Speaking of gear.....take a few moments and walk around your house. See anything you spent good money on that you don't use often? RENT IT!!! I own a 3000w Coleman generator and have used about 3 times since I've owned it. It sits in my shed. One day while putting my lawn mower away I said to myself "Why is this sitting and not making me money?". $45/day I can get for it now. Flea mart vendors, tailgaters, campers, cabin owners, ect. It could be anything you own that isn't worth buying to someone in need of it that is willing to rent it from you. Be smart and require a deposit and record identification though. Rental outfits require it for a reason.
If you're goofy enough and have a gorilla or clown costume you'd be a hit at kids' B-day parties. If you know how to make balloon animals even better. No license required. Just show up and act their age lol. Bring some silly string and you'll be the hero and make their day. Even if you only get $40 for the gig so what? It would break down to $20/hr tax free $$ for being the life of the party. That's a win/win situation right there.