You may have a full-time job, or perhaps a part-time gig, but most of us could use some extra money. Unless you have a super-high-paying career (or a trust fund), the struggle to pay the bills and afford the extras is real.
Have you considered further padding your wallet and bulking up your bank account by taking on an additional job from the comfort of your own home? We're not talking scams and schemes, but real deal jobs that bring in much-needed cash.
Here are six that may just fit the bill when you're anxious about paying your next bill.
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Your Opinion Matters
Get paid to take surveys. Yes, it's as simple as filling out questionnaires and clicking thoughtfully about your preferences. As per The Penny Hoarder, "Surveys are a great way to cash in on your down time. Fill them out while you're watching TV, riding the bus or waiting in line. One survey site we love is calledInboxDollars. It offers several short, daily surveys. If you take all of them each day, you could earn an extra $730 a year."
Another legit survey site to check out is MySurvey. You'll get paid up to $5 per survey, get free stuff to test out, and be an influencer on what consumers buy in the future. MySurvey rewarded more than $30 million to their members, so it's worth a shot.
Keep the Books
Are you good with numbers, management, and organization? If you like helping others keep their matters in order and you have some extra time on your hands in the evenings and on weekends, consider becoming a virtual bookkeeper.
According to Accounting Tools, "(A bookkeeper) creates financial transactions and creates financial reports from that information. The creation of financial transactions includes posting information to accounting journals or accounting software from such source documents as invoices to customers, cash receipts, and supplier invoices. The bookkeeper also reconciles accounts to ensure their accuracy."
As per The Penny Hoarder, "You can earn up to $60 per hour as a part-time bookkeeper. You don't have to have a CPA to be successful in this business. All you really need are decent computer skills and a passion for helping business owners tackle real-world problems."
These days, there's not much need to be there in person when nearly everything is at your fingertips online. Keep the books and keep that cash flow coming in.
Help Others Earn an A+
Are you skilled and well-versed in a particular field or area of education? Tutoring from home is a great way to help others make the grade and you can set your own hours when you've got the time to teach. Virtual tutoring is the way to go these days, something that is efficient for both parties.
As per Work at Home Adventures, "The best part about online tutoring jobs is that you can find a job that perfectly matches your skills."
Try virtual tutoring via Skype or video-conferencing and you'll feel like your right there with the student.
Work at Home Adventures lists 27 of the best online tutoring jobs for making extra money from home. Some require more experience and education than others, but there is something for everyone who has the patience and talent to teach.
The "Write" Stuff
Do you have a knack for writing? If you are eloquent, efficient, and expressive, freelance writing can be a great way to make extra money doing something you enjoy.
As per The Balance, "Freelance writing is the practice of writing for money, in its simplest state. Freelance writers produce whatever written text is needed by their clientele, generally at home in their own office, for money. They write for many different clients, often at one time."
This is the sort of job that can be done as little or as often as you have the time for. To get started, peruse Elna Cain's 20 ways to find freelance writing jobs (as a beginner). From cold pitching to guest posting to networking to joining social media groups, these tips will get you going and making money by being creative.
Critical Thinking
If you already watch YouTube videos and movie previews on your smartphone, why not make a few bucks in the process?
According to Scott Alan Turner, "You can get paid for watching videos including movie previews, news, celebrity videos, and all kinds of other videos. Sites like Swagbucks ask you to watch certain videos and like them. You have to watch for a certain number of minutes which you'll be told ahead of time. You could earn over $200 a month."
Swagbucks states that they give out 7,000 free gift cards every day. You ought to reap the rewards for some at-home entertainment too!
Set Your Sights on Websites
Scott Alan Turner notes another way to make some extra cash is by testing websites. You can earn up to $30 per hour. "Just open a website, click around, and get paid. New or updated website owners compensate you to test their sites."
Sign up withUserTestingand get paid to test. "UserTesting pays you to visit websites or apps, complete a set of tasks, and speak your thoughts aloud." Companies like Microsoft, eBay, Yahoo!, Orbitz, and Facebook use this service, so your opinion matters.
If you're willing to put in some time at home, making extra money is something you can bank on!
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Every time payday rolls around, I’m on top of the world. Jeff Bezos-level rich - even though I’m anything but. And then somehow the very next day, rent is due.
The cycle continues. The next payday, bills for my apartment. I find myself without a surplus of savings since I just moved and newly-furnished my apartment completely.
Even more terrifying is the looming presence of the holiday season. Halloween’s officially over and before we know it, hello Thanksgiving…and then there’s Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s. It’s insane.
I’ve been feeling very British lately. Not in a Union-Jack-obsessed, “Keep Calm and Carry-On” way. I went through that phase in 2012 with everyone else… no thank you. And it’s not even a surge of patriotism catalyzed by the Queen dying — I’m firmly team Diana and team Meghan.
Now that fall is officially here, the holidays will sweep in and I’ll have to contend with the fact that I won’t be spending them with my family in the UK. I went home to London earlier this year, so there’s not much left in my travel budget for another trip across the pond. A few domestic jaunts might be in my future, but the closest I’ll get to England this winter is watching Love Island and Love, Actually.
So in that spirit, I’ve been filling my days with content from my favorite Brits. I’m listening to all the old British rock bands I grew up listening to, patiently awaiting the new Arctic Monkeys album, and rewatching anything with Michaela Coel in it. I even shipped myself an order of British Baked Beans, so you know it’s dire.
I’ve also been watching British YouTubers like Grace Beverley — my favorite. Generally, I only go on YouTube to watch Vogue Beauty Secrets and AD Open Door videos. But I’m so glad I stumbled on Grace. Her content is a mix of London lifestyle (what lured me in), relatable entrepreneurship, and mindful productivity. I’m not a hustle-and-grind-girlboss, but as a creative person in a 9-to-5, I need all the help I can get to stay plugged in. So, the video “how to be really really really productive without getting overwhelmed” changed my approach to WFH.
Grace outlines her own productivity method: the to-do table. Instead of making a simple to-do list, she divides her tasks into a table that anyone can follow. As someone who’s survived with to-do lists for years, I recently implemented Grace’s method, and it’s revolutionized my workdays.
how to be really really really productive without getting overwhelmedwww.youtube.com
I follow her routine to a tee. Here’s how it works:
Essentially, she divides her daily responsibilities into four categories: quick ticks, tasks, projects, and non-negotiables.
- Quick Ticks: Actions that take less than 5-minutes
- Tasks: To-do’s that take up to 30-minutes. Probably don’t take too much brain energy.
- Projects: Long-term list items. These help guide your priorities, even if you’re not crossing them off in one day.
- Non-negotiables: Pick 3 things each day that you must get done. This is how you’ll truly measure success.
With everything written down and sorted, next address your schedule. Meetings, deadlines, and time blocks — whatever works best for you. Write it down. Then make a pact with yourself to stick to them.
This way of categorization provides a roadmap for prioritizing your day — making you far more productive. Have you ever spent the entire day on small tasks and then suddenly realized you hadn’t moved the needle on any task? Or do you spend way too much time on tasks that aren’t a priority? No more. With your non-negotiables laid out, you know what to laser-focus on and what to dedicate energy towards.
Also, it pays to know your working style. I’m not a morning person. Yet, I have to be up and at ‘em super early. So, first thing in the morning, I march through my Quick Ticks to warm me up. I set a time limit, so I can knock out some easy wins which is totally inspiring. Then I move on to bigger things without lingering on emails or admin. For others, it might be more helpful to tackle the big things with all that early-in-the-day brain power earlier.
Grace has great tips on avoiding overwhelm and burnout. My favorite is taking more intentional breaks rather than scrolling through social media. I call this scrolling “productive” because I’m “coming up with pitches.” Oh, the lies we tell ourselves. It’s more productive in the long run to giving my brain a break with non-screen related stimuli.
Grace’s solution? Set a timer to read a real, an actual book. I’ve never thought of this. It’s a genius way to check off some books on my TBR and kickstart my creativity. After reading a good book, I’m completely inspired to write. So having books near my desk helps me step away from the computer during my lunch break for an actual reset. (And yes, the current books I’m reading are by British authors: Assembly by Natasha Brown, and Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalolu.)
In my pursuit of switching out my WFH set-up and getting my life together, I’ve engineered my workstation for success. With my new WFH essentials and Grace’s productivity technique, I’m revitalized for work — despite the fall blues and my melancholy about the pending holidays.
Here are the things getting me hyped for work and helping me crush my Grace Beverley-inspired to-do tables — no lists in sight:
Southwest Airlines Sale 2022
Pack your bags — Southwest Airlines is having a major sale! Fares are as low as $59 one-way if you book by October 3rd.
This end-of-summer super sale is a game-changer for your travel plans through the end of the year. Summertime travel gets all the glory. But why not take advantage of your long weekends, holidays, and PTO this fall. You’ll be surprised at how much travel you can fit in. Keep the fall/winter season exciting with domestic trips that give you all the excitement without breaking the bank. All thanks to Southwest.
Here’s the breakdown:
Where can you go?
You’ll find discounted tickets to and from most airports. Sale fares apply to cross country travel, and even Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean! Whether you’re visiting a new city or revisiting your last beach vacation, this sale has fares to make your travel dreams come true.
What do the fares cover?
Southwest Airlines has multiple fare tiers, each with various benefits. Wanna Get Away fares start at $59, while Wanna Get Away Plus fares start at $89. You can also find great deals on Anytime fares, which offer priority boarding and express lanes. Then there’s Business Select tickets for a luxe experience at an affordable price point.
Do you have to be a Southwest Rapid Rewards member?
You may think these sale fares are too good to be true. Is there a catch? Do you have to be a Southwest Rapid Rewards member to access them? You’re in luck — anyone can attain these fares for a limited time.
But, insider tip, you should consider signing up for Southwest Rapid Rewards. With a free sign up, you earn points and miles with each trip you take. And with this sale, each dollar you spend on these discounted tix can stretch super far until you eventually earn free travel. The only thing better than a sale is free stuff.
So pack your bags and brace yourself for those chaotic airport lines. Everyone’s hopping on this deal so get on it. Don’t miss out — grab your sale tickets by October 3rd!
I’ve been browsing the Southwest Airlines site, checking out flights and dreaming.