I'm a saver, a money hoarder, the kind of girl who can extend Christmas for ten extra days by opening presents in a one-a-day fashion. However, despite my efforts, I always feel broke. Therefore, I have become very good at finding ways to make that pocket money that I always feel short on, so that I can use my Summer vacation time for fun, without having a 9-5 job to fund it.
1. Babysitting
You can do this via friends or family, or use sites such as Care.com to find jobs. WARNING: be careful with websites, as sometimes they can be unsafe. Always have someone accompany you to the location of a new job to make sure that the client is not a conman trying to meet a young student.
2. Dogwalking/Dogsitting/Dogboarding
Good apps and sites: Rover.com and Wag.com are great ways to find cute pets to take care of. The pay isn't amazing, but all you have to do is cuddle and play with puppies or go to the owner's house to feed them. Super easy and fun way to make some extra cash.
3. Catering
I have done this in all shapes and forms - as a busser, a dishwasher, a chef, a waitress, a tray passer. I love catering jobs because you work with a team and meet great people while working. There are many online agencies for this kind of work.
4. Sell your stuff
Use Ebay, LetGo, or your local Facebook Free and For Sale page to sell stuff that you no longer need. I have done this with furniture and kitchen appliances that I don't use. I would suggest starting the selling price at half price if the product is in good condition, and only stooping lower if your ad gets little to no attention. I have also gone to Crossroads (second hand clothing store) to sell the clothes I no longer wear. This is a great way to clear out your wardrobes if you're moving houses and need a good spring-clean.
5. Sell your body
I haven't personally done this, but many people sell their blood plasma or partake in medical studies. I would try and steer clear of this one where possible - kind of a desperate-times kind of deal...
6. Sell your essays
I have made a couple of hundred dollars from GradeSaver selling literary essays. These must be of good quality and they tend to only accept writing on classic books. They offer about $15-25 per essay depending on length!
7. Take your printers/old batteries to electronic recyclers
You kind find these kinds of shops in most cities. Just google your local electronic recyclers. They use these for revamps or take them apart to use the materials inside your old printers or batteries for other things.
8. Tutor
You can do this online or in person via many reliable and safe agencies. Sites such as Frogtutoring and Tutorful are good sources for jobs like this.
9. Go through Craigslist for "odd-jobs"
Many people search for laborers on Craigslist (e.g. cleaning out a garage, moving house, event staff). Again, make sure that you do this in a safe and secure manner by scoping out the customer and area before you accept a job.
10. Uber/Lyft
If you are lucky enough to have a car, sign up for Uber and/or Lyft. This is a job in which you have flexible hours and the freedom to lie in on lazy days.
