Money Matters, Simplified.
Simple Ways to Augment Your Income
There are heaps of ways to supplement your regular income. Find the one that suits you the best and be richer.
Mon, 04/05/2009 - 12:35 by Daisy Sarma
It is always a good feeling to see a comforting amount in your bank statements each month. However, not many of us may be holding jobs that pay out the kind of money that you could call A-one. Does that mean you cannot earn more than what your job pays you? No, because you always have the option of taking up extra jobs that pay you well without making you break into too much of a sweat.
Especially in today’s tough times, having an extra job to boost your regular income is almost a necessity, for you never know when that extra job becomes the sole money-earner for you. So what are the things you can do to augment your money? That really depends on what you are good at; there are at least five different things you can do to increase your earnings.
In these technology-enabled times of today, the obvious place to look for extra work, if you are computer-savvy, is the Internet. You will have to be careful though; the Internet has genuine employers and scamsters in equal measure. Do your research before opting for any job online.
Internet-based Jobs to Boost Your Income
Freelance Work
There are ample opportunities online to work as a freelancer. Working as a freelancer gives you the freedom to work on your terms and your time, and the money is usually good too. There are scores of sites offering freelance opportunities to people looking for work. You need to figure out what you are good at and look for work in that field. All such freelance sites require registration, which is free in some but not in others.
The freelance sites that have free registration may not usually be the ideal places to look for job, as the quality of workers varies across the spectrum and therefore draws prospective employers that are looking to make a killing by offering jobs at ridiculously low prices. Paid registration ensures serious competition, and you will usually find projects that offer decent returns at these sites.
Selling at Online Auction Sites
A very good opportunity at making good money is by conducting sales at online auction sites, the most popular being eBay. There are scores of people who manage online businesses that exclusively sell products on eBay. This can be a little tricky in the beginning, because the products you offer should be matched by requirements. But if you get it right a couple of times, you are on your way to having for yourself a very profitable business where you do not invest too much time and effort but see very good returns.
You will, of course, have to ensure your products are high on quality because that is what will add to your reliability quotient and ensure you get good ratings. Good ratings effectively mean more trust from prospective buyers and more business for you.
Online Surveys
Another good way of making decent money online is by taking part in online surveys. There are a lot of companies that pay you for giving them your time to create surveys or participate in already existing surveys. Again, these companies require registration, and it makes good sense to work with companies that already have a name for fairness and reliability.
If you are a newbie at this, it will mean spending some time initially researching the different options available and then deciding which one works best for you. Online surveys are a very good option because they do not take too much of your time and yet ensure you get decent money.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing has been a rage online in recent times, and it is something that can be a very viable alternative source of income for you. It is quite simple, actually – you promote products online by writing about them, blogging about them, and make money when people buy those products that you promote.
You would need to read extensively about it, though, before you decide to get started on it, and also take a call on which companies’ programs are worth following up on.
Non-Internet Jobs to Boost Your Income
Just because you are not computer literate or Internet savvy does not mean the opportunity of earning extra money is closed to you. There are a number of things you can do in real time, in the real world, that can help you earn some extra money. There are two sides to such jobs.
On the plus side, these jobs are usually localized, meaning you do them for people or organizations in your town or city, which means the familiarity quotient is there, and that can be a big factor in terms of confidence-building. Some of these also have the potential of spinning into full-time revenue sources. On the flip side, these jobs may take more of your time and not pay as high as jobs online would, but that is not necessarily the rule.
So what are the things that you can do to augment your income without getting on the Internet? There are a lot of them: Some based on certain additional skills you possess apart from those that you use at work, and others based on your willingness to do that little bit extra to make some extra money.
Skill-based activities that you can do to augment your income include embroidery, knitting, craftsmanship, making candles and such items, pottery, and so on. Painting can be a very paying source if you are good at it.
Activities that do not require specific skillsets, but can be done to supplement your regular income include lawn-mowing, clearing the snow in the winter, helping out at the neighborhood deli or drugstore, and so on.
