You hold down a job, take care of your share of the household chores and spend time with the kids. Your life is full, and sometimes there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.
However, you have made a commitment to yourself to reduce your debt. Maybe you have a plan in writing, or perhaps you have made yourself a silent promise. Now you need to come up with a way to make money for debt relief. You do not need advanced skills or a college degree to supplement your income. All you need is commitment, enthusiasm and creativity to add to your income and work yourself out of debt.
Get A Part-Time Job
This is an obvious choice, but going out and doing it is harder than it sounds. Competition for part-time work is strong in today’s economy. Students, retirees and low-paid workers are all vying for supplemental jobs.
Determine what your skills are, what are your personal strong points and the hours that you are willing to work. Prepare a resume based on your past work history, tailoring it to complement the role you would take in the potential business and be prepared to sell yourself
Sell Your Services
Make a list of your skills. Not everyone has your ability, and many are in need of the service you can provide. What you consider just another normal task, someone else may find an unendurable drudge or impossibility
Yard work, landscaping and snow removal are naturals for an area where senior citizens need help in keeping their lawns and driveways neat and tidy. Handy-man chores such as painting, updating and remodeling are in high demand for both seniors and busy families.
Computer repair and virus removal are big niche services. On-site work is in demand for those who cannot take their machines to a store for repair.
Housecleaning and babysitting are tried and true classics that remain needed services. Prompt, reliable and conscientious help is in demand and word of mouth is often all that is need to get the ball rolling for this type of work.
Selling – Sell What You Make Or What You Buy
Start with a garage sale. Sell all those unused, unwanted or outgrown items you have stashed about your house. This is a great initiation in the art of selling, but it is not something one can generally do on a continuing basis. Most communities have limits as to the number of garage sales an address can have annually. An alternative is to set up shop at a local flea market. However, this entails acquiring additional stock as your goods are depleted. If you enjoy this, research items that you can buy inexpensively and resell.
There are many online venues for selling handcrafted, used and new items. These selling sites can be profitable and do not have regular, set hours of operation.
Whether you make custom aprons, wooden bookends or handcrafted soap, there is a worldwide market available to you on the Internet. Each venue has its own rules, fees and limitations. This style of selling takes research and a learning curve to maximize your sales and minimize your costs.
Teach A Class
If you have a talent and enjoy talking to people, you may be able to teach your skill to others. Community recreation centers, continuing adult education programs, libraries, DIY and craft stores are all possible teaching locations for your particular talent. These programs do not require licensed teachers and are typically beginning how-to classes.
Provide Paid Help
Providing local help can take many forms. Elderly need rides for doctor appointments and shopping trips or someone to shop for them. Sometimes an adult child needs a part-time caregiver for an aging parent who is unable to remain alone.
Busy people sometimes need a professional shopper. If you enjoy shopping, there may be potential clients who are looking for someone to take care of all their errands.
Catering is another service that many good cooks have developed to add to their income. A baker who is known for her great strudel or cream pies might take special orders for holidays or special events. Conversely, she may have an agreement to provide her special cheesecakes or pies to local restaurants on a weekly basis.
Catering small private or corporate events is another option. However, this requires an inventory of goods needed to serve the function, as well as an agreement with a rental service that can provide all the necessary tables, chairs, linens and table service.
If you have not been able to make enough money for debt relief, consider the services of a debt consolidation service. Contact one of our professional credit counselors today for a free analysis of your debt. Together, we can build a program that will have you on the road to financial independence in no time.