The Passive Dad » Alternative Income

7 Ways to Earn Extra Cash

Traci K. — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:00:21 +0000

We’ve all been there. Sometimes you just need extra cash in a hurry. Maybe you have a present you forgot to buy, it’s Christmas time, you need more groceries before your next pay check next week, or there’s a new gadget you just want now. There are a number of things you can do to get cash pretty quickly.

Craigslist: Most of us are familiar with Craigslist by now, whether we’ve listed something, bought something or looked for free stuff. If you have something to sell, put it on Craigslist. Not everything goes, but a lot of stuff does. Especially if it’s a popular gadget at the time. Best of all, it’s cash in hand.
Amazon and Ebay: Listing things to sell on Amazon and Ebay can be great! (Textbooks at back to school time do well, also.) You do need to have your payment stuff set up before you start for no delays, and it can take more time than selling to someone local for you to receive payment. It’s still a great option for short term extra cash needs.
Do an odd job: You can always try to mow extra lawns, do yard work, baby sit, house clean, dog walk, plant sit or help someone move. You can ask your neighbors, put out flyers or advertisements, ask around at church and ask people you know. It won’t make you rich, but you can make $20-$50 pretty quickly in a weekend.
Donate Plasma: If you aren’t afraid of needles, you can make $30-$50 a week by donating plasma 1-2 times per week. There are regulations on what will disqualify you from being eligible to donate and how often you can donate. DonatingPlasma.org gives more information on the process along with a list of plasma banks in the U.S.
Medical Procedures: Other options for relatively quick cash in a rather unusual way can include volunteering for a clinical trial, donating eggs or donating sperm. While donating sperm is a rigorous screening process with minimal risk, donating eggs is a very intense and potentially risky process that has a very high pay. Clinical trials vary in terms of potential risk and subsequent pay. All of these options can take several months to complete or get any type of compensation.
Sell your Hair: There are a number of places online that you can sell your hair if you have a minimum of 10” of hair length and your hair is not bleached or overly chemically treated. Some women who have sold their hair (unbleached, not dyed, not processed, non-smokers) of 34” in length for almost $3,000! That is a lot of money for some healthy hair.
Street Performer: This won’t make you rich by any means, but if you have any type of talent (musical, comedy, miming) and you aren’t shy try performing in the street for tips. If can be a great way to have fun for an afternoon- and might lead to a gig or two. Be sure to check for any applicable laws that might indicate you need a permit or any other legal paperwork.

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Google Affiliate Program Review

Traci K. — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:00:21 +0000

The Google Affiliate program is one of many affiliate programs available online. Although it is but one of many, it is backed by the well known Google. For that reason alone, it may be one of the more popular affiliate programs available today. Setting up an initial Google Affiliate program is very easy, all you need is a Gmail account. Once you complete the initial registration, you can browse through a very extensive list of affiliates to choose from (for example Barnes & Noble, Fossil, Llewellyn, Borders, Crabtree & Evelyn and more). Each individual affiliate has the option to allow you to use their affiliate links or to decline you access. If you are approved, you can scroll through the available ads and links and get the code to paste into your website. You can track any commissions made on the very first page you see when you log in. It displays the current month in a graph form, and it’s very easy to navigate.

Pros: The program is very easy to sign up for. They also have a large number of affiliates in a lot of areas, so there are a lot of choices. You have the option of html code or a regular link for most of the affiliates, so it’s very easy to add to your website. Tracking the number of clicks and number of commissions is very easy and intuitive.

Cons: My experiences with Google Affiliates ended with three major down sides. The first is that the affiliates I used (Barnes and Noble and Amazon) had only banner ads available in html version. I find the banner ads tend to look gaudy on most sites, and these were no exception. The second down side is that the banner ads are almost exclusively -not- product specific, so your ad says only Barnes & Noble or advertises a “20% off Barnes & Noble purchases” sale. Barnes & Noble had one specifically for the Nook as well. The third down side is that if you choose to put up a banner ad with a current sale, special, or holiday pricing you then have to change it when that special is over. It requires moderate upkeep to keep all your links up to date with their currently available links as participating affiliates do update their available ads semi-regularly.

How does it stack up against the competition? The commission rates are fairly competitive, although if the company offers their own separate affiliate program you may fare better going directly through the specific company. It’s worth double checking!

Is it worth it? Google Affiliate program was not effective for my specific niche website I tried the program for. The ads were too generic for my purposes, although embedding the link into the text if discussing a product had some results. As my website didn’t deal much with products, I found it ineffective. If your website focuses more on products or lends its self to banner ads for specific stores, then it may be a great fit for you! The program its self isn’t something I had any issues with except that it didn’t work well for my specific website.

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5 Ways to Earn Passive Income

Traci K. — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:00:58 +0000

Everyone is familiar with active income: income made directly from your day-to-day job whether it’s hourly, salary, or contracted pay which comprises most peoples’ primary income source. But there is another strategy to supplement primary income, with little or no upfront work. Earn passive income with a primary investment of time or money, then sit back and collect your additional income streams with minimal upkeep. Here are five passive income ideas to help get you started:

1. Real Estate: Real estate is a traditional way to earn passive income. The best passive income opportunity through real estate is one of the most recognized: the rental property. Whether the property is already owned or bought for use as a rental, this one time, up front investment generates a monthly stream of income with little maintenance. But there are other forms to earn passive income through real estate, such as lumber sales from wooded property. This option does usually involve a large up front investment.

2.Investing: Interest and dividends make up another traditional avenue to earn passive income. Dividends are paid from investments such as stock exchange (high risk) and mutual funds (medium risk). The higher possible return usually involves more risk. Interest is from low risk investments with lower yields, but there is still a way to maximize your return. You can utilize everything from high interest checking and savings accounts, Cd’s, money market savings or investing in the stock market. There are a wealth of options depending on how much you have to invest up front and how much risk you are willing to take.

3. Information: Information products provide the best passive income for those with little money to invest up front. The products are a one time investment of effort to create an e-book, booklet or newsletter with market appeal. The e-book can be sold through a personal website and will require additional marketing. You could also use self-publishing companies that help promote e-content or try for places that publish to mobile devices. Both require that some form of need is addressed for the audience. Traditional paper publishing and self publishing also generate passive income, requiring different start up costs for any budget.

4. Advertising: Websites or blogs earn passive income online through advertising and affiliate programs. Advertising such as Google’s AdWords pays the website or blog owner as web surfers click on ads embedded in the page. Affiliate programs allow linking to products for sale. The website owner makes a small commission for purchases made by following the link to make the purchase. Website content draws people to the site, so unique or specialized content is important.

5. Sales: Content Selling/Reselling is a strategy for generating passive income online. Successful sales require original content that can be sold repeatedly, such as photographs and image licenses or sewing patterns. Other passive income ideas for content require upfront creation such as website or blog templates, desktop themes, and even mobile device applications. Reselling content can be as simple as setting up a web page for purchased content, using a domain reseller program or even selling domain hosting for other companies.

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Google Ad sense Review

Traci K. — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:00:26 +0000

Google Adwords AdSense program is one source of passive income that has become increasingly popular in recent years. As Google has gained visibility and credibility during this time as a search engine, their ad and affiliate programs have also become some of the most widely used and most profitable options out there. Google was the first to market the text ad with high profitability versus the standard banner ads that most consumers had become blind to. Although some of their per click payout rates are anticipated to drop as competition for this niche marketing and advertising becomes more popular, Google has shown it is the leader in this area and will probably stay competitive in the future.

Pros: Google ad sense is very easy to use with a simple registration and copy/paste code to set up your ads. You can customize keywords and the look and feel of your ads. You don’t need any major upkeep for this program, just keep your website content updated on a specific topic with good keywords. Google automatically rotates the ads based on click rates and per click pricing.

Cons: If your website gets very little traffic or you don’t want to clutter every single page on your site with google adsense, your adsense revenue may be abysmal. The ads can also look clunky and interfere with your site design if you aren’t careful. You may need to redesign your site layout to accommodate a more natural looking integration of Google Ad sense. Also, the ads displayed on my site by google adsense were often irrelevant or had content I found offensive. These issues led me to remove my Adsense from one of my sites, although I haven’t heard of this happening very often.

How much can you really expect to earn? I have a website that pulls in about two thousand visitors per month. Google adsense is on my 5 main pages only. I get an average of 500 ad views per month with less than a one percent click rate at a five cents per click average payout. Since November 2009 I’ve made less than one dollar. To be completely fair, this site is a very niche area of content, and I’ve seen other sites on more popular topics do incredibly well with an extra $100 a month being average.

Is it worth it? If the integration doesn’t make your site look overly gaudy or full of irrelevant ads, the passive income is great. Even if the adsense revenue generated is minuscule, you aren’t spending energy to maintain it. And if you do keep up with your website and spend time to drive more page views, your adsense revenue can certainly be increased. There are a large number of websites and books that tell you how to maximize your website for maximum google adsense earning potential.

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Residual Income-nice work if you can get it!

Jessie — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:10:43 +0000

Did you know that one family continues to receive royalties for quite possibly the most popular song in the world – the ‘Happy Birthday’ song? Ever wish you wrote an annoyingly overplayed ancient children’s jingle that doesn’t seem to get old? Residual income is ongoing income for the production of an initial work and has many benefits over the linear income (or ongoing payment for ongoing work – the stuff we’re used to).

Did you know that the second richest man in the world owes much of his success to residual income received from the original purchasing of three pinball machines? Warren Buffet set up the machines in various shops and collected a regular monthly income, with little, if any exertion apart from the horrendous task of manually collecting the profits.

Residual income is like an apple tree. You originally sow the seeds and the benefits (or fruits) are perpetual. You don’t have to be overly creative or talented to receive some form of residual income, although it is often associated with actors, composers, writers and royalties. Investment property purchasing is another common way of creating residual income by allowing tenants to contribute rent, paying off the purchased property and eventually providing another stream of income. This kind of income is a wonderful way of making money with little direct involvement after the initial contribution or work is completed.

While residual income is often coined ‘smart’ money – it involves determination and drive and often involves a risk component. It is not always easily achieved. However, the globe is getting increasingly smaller due to technologies such as the Internet and it has been found to be a wonderful place to establish a residual income. An increasingly popular way of attaining a residual income online has emerged recently and it stems from Affiliate marketing. This process essentially involves creating a website pre-selling products on behalf of a manufacturer. While they retain complete control over the products and the sales, the company provides commission incentives to you based on the heavy traffic flows and purchases made via your website. There are many companies that offer ‘pillars of sale’ that track the sale ladders and maximize the profits you are able to receive. Furthermore, referrals and advertising campaigns such as ‘pay per click’ can secure an alternative method of passive income, requiring merely initial effort but continuing to bear rewards.

Maintaining a residual income requires ‘smart’ thinking, which is why it is aptly known as ‘smart’ money. While marketing can sometimes be shrouded in convoluted terms and even understanding Affiliate and Referral programs is enough to make many gasp – persistence and dedication in the initial stages is the only security of discovering and reaping in this kind of enduring income.

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Buy A Foreclosure For Under $1,000. A Little Sweat Equity Needed

Scott — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 13:00:37 +0000

photo credit: James Jordan

Here in my California neighborhood we have our share of foreclosures, but none are as cheap as $1,000 yet. I say yet, because it is still a roller coaster ride that has yet to find a bottom. A yahoo article caught my attention that lists several cities where you can purchase a home foreclosure property for under $1,000. If you live near these cities I would be interested to hear what you think about this opportunity. Is this a great way to entire the rental income market or gain an amazing deal for a first time home buyer?

Cities hit hard by foreclosures and selling homes near $1,000

1. Flint, Michigan
2. Indianapolis, Indiana
3. Cleveland, Ohio
4. Detroit, Michigan

Banks are so inundated with inventory that they are marking down properties in an effort to clear inventory. If you lived in these cities, would you be tempted to purchase a foreclosed home like these? I think about the neighborhoods, schools, maintenance, upkeep, and rental market, but still at $1,000 can a deal be had? Buying a distressed property and making some upgrades can be a wonderful income building opportunity for residual income. Rental real estate can be a fantastic passive income opportunity for your family and future generations. It has been tempting to invest in the condo market here as many properties are starting to list for under $100,000. We are still a long way from a $1,000 home in our area, but our current prices have got to start getting enticing for investors.

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Renting Garage or Driveway For Passive Alternative Income

Scott — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:38:57 +0000

photo credit: Dawn Endico

Can you help drivers turn a frustrating situations into a profitable one by renting garage or driveway parking? Parking in San Francisco can be frustrating at times, whether you are a tourist looking to park for the day near Ghirardelli Square or a business person looking for a 2 hour spot near SOMA. Larger parking lots can be full during rush hours and you can get frustrated circling the same block for 30 minutes looking for street parking. Maybe you have a two hour business meeting in downtown San Francisco but hate paying the daily rate of $18 or $24. What can you do?

Do you live in San Francisco and have an extra cement parking spot next to your house? Maybe you have a driveway or parking spot you don’t utilize during the day. Would you like to earn some passive alternative income while you’re at work? Maybe your planning a vacation for several weeks and won’t need driveway access. Renting out your driveway could give you some extra cash and the security that a visible car is in the driveway.

Currently if you wanted to rent your driveway, garage, or extra space you would place an ad in the paper or on craigslist advertising the parking spot. Craigslist is a good option but requires you to be active looking through dozens or hundreds of ads looking for a match. Then you need to negotiate a parking fee and collect the fee. A new alternative that takes much of the work out of renting your parking space is GottaPark.

GottaPark is a parking broker and provides a web based tool to automate the parking process. Setting up an account is free and homeowners and business owners enter the available parking spot and determine the price. You can charge as little or as much as you want. When a customer selects to purchase your spot for one day or 1 week, you are notified and you are paid through paypal. No negotiating or collecting rents as you would with Craigslist.

Some ideas for utilizing GottaPark would be for raising funds for churches or schools. If your school or church is located downtown you could set aside a few spots for rental income. Earning extra income could help boost your school or church fundraising efforts.

What can you expect to make from renting your driveway or parking spot?

Here are some sample rates I found through GottaPark.
My sample search for parking on near Clay and Van Ness found a $3.00 rate and $7.50. The $3.00 seems to be a much better deal as it’s also closer to my destination. Rates closer to downtown can range from $7.50-$20. If you have a sporting event, parade, or special event near your neighborhood you could list your driveway or parking spot for extra income. Fleet Week is coming to San Francisco and will be drawing thousands of visitors and cars to the city. If you live in the Marina district, Embarcadero, or near Van Ness you could make some extra income from your available parking spot.

Currently GottaPark only services the San Francisco area, but another company called ParkWhiz offers more cities. A review of the ParkWhiz website shows parking availability for airports and even sporting events. You might find a cheaper parking alternative at a local home or business for Wrigley Field.

Do you live in San Francisco or another city and have utilized a parking service like GottaPark or ParkWhiz? Are you making passive alternative income from your parking spot? I’d like to know. If you’re looking for additional passive income ideas you can start here.

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10 Ways To Make Your Stuff Feel New Again

Scott — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:00:56 +0000

photo credit: ILoveButter

I would like to thank everyone who has left a comment on this post, as your ideas are fantastic! It would be wonderful to see the list grow to 25. If you have a unique idea to make your stuff feel new again, just leave a comment.

My 2002 Toyota Prius is starting to look worn and tired inside and out and it’s only 6 years old. The carpets are dirty with several coffee stains from sudden turns, the paint is a little faded and several french fries are still lodged between the seats. I’ll be honest, the temptation to take it to the Toyota dealership and trade it in for a new 2009 Prius does exist. Does it make financial sense to trade-in a perfectly good 2002 Toyota Prius with low miles and HOV stickers for carpool lane for a brand spanking new $25,000 2009 Prius? Nope.

My front lawn never looked lush and green this summer as it never recovered from my daughters 4th birthday party bouncy house. Back in February we rented a princess jumpy house with our neighbors and celebrated two birthday parties on our front lawn. It was rainy and wet and the weight of the bouncy house was too much for my front lawn to handle. It’s a small lawn and I wondered if now is the time to rip it out and put in new sod? It would only cost $400 to have new sod put down. Did I do it? No way!

It’s tempting to buy new cars or replace items around the house, but how can you make your older car or house shine like new again. For some items on this list it will take a few dollars to make your stuff shine like new. In the end I think it might be worth it and save you from new sticker shock or buyers remorse.

1. Professional car detail. This is not a frugal option, but still thousands cheaper from buying a new car. Check craigslist or your local yellow pages for a professional car detail center or private individual that has a mobile car detail business. Prices can range from $100-$300+ Sounds like a lot of money, but your car will look and smell new. All those french fries will be removed from between the seats and your carpets will look new again.

2. New diamond ring for your wife. I’m not talking about a new diamond from Harry Winston or Tiffany, but a newer shinny diamond ring. If you’ve been married a few years, your wife’s diamond ring may have some soap scum or scratches in the setting. Make an appointment and take your wife’s ring to your local jewelry store. They will clean and even replace smaller diamonds for very little money. My wife has a very small diamond ring with two small baggetts on the side. For under $100, I had the ring cleaned and one missing baggett replaced. My wife was thrilled to have her ring look new again.

3. 1 hour massage. Want to feel relaxed and energized? My wife and I bough each other a 1 hour massage several years ago, and it was amazing. I’d never had a massage and it was more relaxing than 1 week in Hawaii and a lot cheaper. $50-$100 and you’ll feel like a new person. Extra bonus points if you buy one for your spouse and surprise her/him.

Money Grubbing Lawyer tip: Check your health plan to see if your massage is covered under insurance policy. He also suggests signing up for a couples massage class and learn how to give a massage. Great idea!

4. Paint your front door and trim. Tired of looking at your same house and want a cheap way to make it look new again. Our friends bought one can of Benjamin Moore mocha paint ($45) and painted door and front trim around windows. They left the existing house color the same, but now the house looks like it belongs in another zip code.

5. Curb appeal. Another way to make your house look newer, pressure wash your driveway and front entry. My neighbors replaced the driveway and walkway and spent $10,000. Sure, it looks nice but for $50-100 I bought a pressure washer and made my cement look new again.

6. New dining room table. Replace table chair seats and change the look of your dining room with new fabric. Visit your local fabric store and buy a few yards of cloth, remove the old and use a staple gun to fasten the new fabric. Total cost $40-$100.

You can do the same for an older couch. Buy a slip cover and change the look of your outdated or old stained couch. If you have kids, you know the look I’m talking about. A new slip cover can range from $50-$150 depending on brands.

7. Paint a wall. Want to make some brownie points with your wife and update the look inside? Have your wife pick out a color and paint one wall with this new color. She may just love the new accent wall color and you don’t have to paint the entire room. Maybe she likes red or mocha, whatever it is will change the look of the room and make it look new. Cost $25-50

8. New toys for your kids. This one is easy, fun, and it works. If your child has several favorite toys and they are younger, put one of them away in storage for a few weeks or months. You can introduce the toy back to them and they will get just as excited as the day they opened it. We have done this with a train set for my son. He received another smaller set and we put a bigger one up in storage. One day we brought the train set down and he jumped up and down and ran around the house in excitement.

9. Fertilize your lawn. Don’t buy new sod or seed, try a good fertilizer first. You can buy name brand like Scott’s turf builder or you can buy generic ammonium nitrate for $10. Follow instructions and you will have a front lawn that rivals those on Sunset magazine.

10. Hire a gourmet chef. My wife received a gift certificate for 10 meals to a company called Sous kitchen where you prepare fresh family meals. They were recipes that we would never cook ourselves including some meats we have never even tried. I recall having a shepherds pie that was amazing. These can range in price considerably $50-$200, but are cheaper than eating out and will also help inspire your next grocery store list. You can freeze the meals and break one out when you have nothing else to eat, or you crave going out to eat.

11. Free From Broke tip: This one is free and only requires some elbow grease. Spend the weekend removing clutter from garage, office, and house. This would be a great spring cleaning project that would make your house feel larger.

12. Anthony’s tip: Have your old leather shoes polished and make them shine like new again. Great idea! I used to go to Nordstrom and have them shined for a couple dollars.

13. Miranda’s tip: Another way to relax. Get a pedicure. This is probably a cheaper alternative to a massage. I’ve never had a pedicure or a manicure. Has your husband?

14. Tyler @ Building Camelot suggested: Hiring a maid service to help clean your house. A cheaper alternative would be to have a maid service come every few months to do a spring cleaning special. It would be a nice treat to have someone give some extra shine to the floors and cabinets.

15. Asithi’s tip: This is another free idea. Wash curtains, tennis shoes, bath mats and make them shine like new. I used to wash my tennis shoes, but since I play a lot of tennis I usually wear out the soles first. This would be a great idea for shoes that still have lots of life left in them.

16. Mrs. Micah suggests polishing items in your house. If you have collectibles or even a coffee table lamp. A good dusting and polishing can make them look new again.

17. Laurel Plum’s tip: Take a workshop or seminar to acquire new trade skills. Base and crown molding come to mind and this can really make a room look fresh and new. Once you learn the basic miter angles, you’re all set and can replicate most cuts in a standard size room.

18. Virilitas has a great tip that will be a sure way to give you the extra jolt you need to clean your house or finish a project. Exercise.

19. LoriAngel suggested working with your existing clothes to create a new look. Lori recommends tailoring your favorite skirt, layer shirts for a different look, and work with existing accessories like belts and scarves. This sounds like a very creative way to stretch your wardrobe budget and give your clothes a fresh new look.

20. Prime Time Money suggests cleaning out your wallet or purse and organize your receipts. I’m guilty of keeping receipts and even expired insurance cards in my wallet. I also found a home depot card worth $50 that I forgot I had.

21. Laurel Plum had another great idea to move furniture around and trade small accessory items to change your color scheme. You might be able to trade smaller items at a consignment store and it would introduce a new item to your room.

22. RetiredAt47 suggests buying a slip cover for your older couch. Refresh the look of your living room or family room couch. Also, another idea to repaint to freshen a room.

23. Sasha at Debt Free Saver has a very frugal and cheap idea to buy new dish towels for your kitchen or bathroom. The new color will make your room look fresh and clean.

Do you have a tip you’d like to share that has given new life to your old stuff?

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Fast Quick Money Links To Help In An Emergency

Scott — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:00:14 +0000

Maybe you are experiencing slow sales at work, lost your job, or you just need some extra money to carry you through the end of the month. I’ve scoured through websites and blogs that I enjoy reading looking for great resources for fast quick money help that will give you some extra cash in your wallet. Whether you are facing a home foreclosure or just looking to earn a little extra for a family vacation, these suggestions will get you thinking about creative ways to make money now. Not 90 days or even 30 days, but today. Stay away from the loan sharks or payday loan centers that will charge you 200-300% interest. Looking for some money paying ideas or spending money ideas that can give you a little extra cash? Start with the list below first and if you have an idea to make some extra money and would like to share it, please leave a comment below.

1. My Investing Blog writes about Donating blood or Plasma and earning between $20-$40.

2. Borrow From No One writes 45 Ways to Earn Some Extra Money Have a garage sale, tag sale, or sidewalk sale and get rid of your old items. Get cash for that old bike, exercise equipment or kids toys.

3. The Green Routine writes How to Make Money Recycling Aluminum Cans and has some great suggestions to work with local businesses. These are some great ideas besides looking at your local park trash bins. I would also suggest if you are going through a hard time, consider asking neighbors, friends, and even ask a manager at a bar if you can recycle the aluminum.

4. Look for tennis balls and sell them on ebay. Yes, a market does exist for used tennis balls. Great for dog toys, elderly walker sliders, kids crafts, change holder (cut a small slit for coins). Get a box from your local store and fill it with 25, 50, or even 100 used tennis balls and list them on ebay. Earn $20+

5. Find Titleist Pro V1 and other golf balls at your local golf course. Sell them back to the clubhouse or on ebay. Check with your local pro shop and you might even be able to do some snorkeling in the local pond for some extra white gold.

6. Offer to mow a neighbors lawn for the week. You could make $20 or more.

7. Babysitting or childcare for extra income. If you already have children this could be a great opportunity to help a friend and make some quick cash.

8. If you have an extra bedroom in your house, find a roommate. Lot’s of listings on Craigslist for people seeking roommates. This could bring is some much needed cash quickly and help cover your rent or mortgage payment.

9. Offer to wash a car.

10. Drive someone to the airport. Again, check Craigslist for people needing rides to the airport.

11. Drive someone’s car across the country. If you have lost a job or have a free week, check Craigslist for offers to drive a car from a nearby city to NY or LA. Lot’s of opportunities to help a person or family who are relocating for a job.

12. Drive an RV across the country. Yep, how do you think Rv’s get to dealerships? They don’t fit on trailers like cars and trucks can. Call you local RV park or RV dealership and see if they need help with a delivery.

13. Similar to 9 above. Place an ad on Craigslist to wash an RV. Lot’s of opportunities to help out an elderly person or anyone that needs to wash up the RV.

14. This is seasonal, but hang Christmas lights. Lot’s of people are now outsourcing the family tradition. People are busy and don’t have time to hang lights. Place Craigslist ad to hang Christmas lights.

15. If you don’t mind heights and you are hanging Christmas lights, offer to clean out rain gutters. I’ve received quotes from $100-$150 for a one hour job.

16. Do you own a pick-up truck? Place an ad on Craigslist and you can compete with 1-800-Got-Junk Lot’s of opportunities to haul trash or clean out a garage full of junk for cash.

17. Money Grubbing Lawyer made $50 participating in a marketing focus group. He even received free cookies.

18. Do you know of some other great ways to earn cash quickly?

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Alternative Income Idea: Stringing Tennis Rackets

Scott — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:00:58 +0000

photo credit: The Passive Dad
If you play tennis weekly or enjoy hitting hard top spin shots, you have probably had to have your rackets restrung several times. Tired of paying a club or someone else for a tennis restring? Instead of paying $20-40 to have someone string your tennis racket next time, now you can do it yourself. Wondering what type of tennis jobs are available in your city or town? Want to learn how to string tennis racquets and earn some income too? It’s much easier than you realize and you can teach yourself in a few hours time. Stringing tennis rackets can be a fantastic alternative income idea for tennis fans. How much can you make an hour? $20 and more. If you are looking for local tennis openings or tennis jobs near your home, you might want to consider stringing rackets for extra income.

I started playing tennis when I was 8 and it took me 5 years to break my first string. Once I started high school and began hitting the ball harder and with more topspin, the strings started to pop frequently. My high school racket was a Pro Kennex that cost $49.99 in 1990. The cost of a tennis restring with 16 gauge synthetic gut was $35. The true cost of the synthetic gut was actually closer to $3 or $4 and the rest was labor.

In 1990 I was not fortunate to have the internet or tools to research tennis string machines. The local pro shop at the country club was my only alternative for our high school team. In prior years, they had a student who would string rackets and offer a substantial savings for the team. Here’s where the business idea started. I subscribed to Tennis magazine and saw ads for several expensive string machines that would cost in excess of $1,000. At 14 years old, I was not about to have the $1,000 needed for a state of the art pro shop quality machine like a gamma stringer or prince stringer. I did see an ad for a Klippermate that cost less than $200 and was advertised as an easy to use, drop weight machine. A few days later I opened my package from Klipper and got to work stringing rackets for our high school team.

In 1990 I was not able to utilize YouTube videos teaching tennis stringing techniques, so I had to rely on the manual that came with the Klippermate. It took me 2 hours to string my first racket, as I had to learn about the string pattern and knot tie off points, tension, and the art of tying a knot. Tying knots is really not difficult, it just appears to be a little intimidating at first. My second racket took 45 minutes, and my fastest time is around 25 minutes using the Klippermate. I used to travel with my stringer in my car and take it down to the tennis courts to work on my friends rackets. What did I charge them? I was a nice guy, and covered my expense for the string and some of my time and charged $5. I know, the local pro shop charged $35, but these were my buddies.

Today I still have a Klippermate and love it. Tennis stringers like the Klippermate can be easy to use, doesn’t require a stand, it’s portable, inexpensive, and fun. Don’t feel overwhelmed by string tension or knots as they are easy to learn and you will quickly get the hang of it. After just a couple restrings you will know what tension you enjoy in your racket. It’s a blast saving money, and you can actually make a business out of your tennis stringer. I currently still string for friends and only charge for the string. Current rates for stringing are still $20+ at your local pro shop or retail store, so the opportunity to build a tennis stringing business is huge.

Where would I advertise if I wanted to create alternative income from stringing tennis rackets?

1. Craigslist You can advertise for your local area or if you commute to work, like San Francisco, you can offer to pickup rackets.

2. Business cards Create a business card and hand it out next time you play tennis. Leave some at you local park tennis courts or even Starbucks. Vista Print is a great resource for inexpensive business cards. Be creative and add some graphics to make your business stand out.

3. Word of mouth Offer to string some rackets at your local high school for free. This could be a great community outreach opportunity and gain some business from parents. Offer each student a free tennis stringing and show off your new talent.

Stringing tennis rackets might sound interesting, but are you still unsure of your ability? Don’t worry, it’s not rocket science. I have friends that come over and look at me stringing tennis rackets like I’m undergoing brain surgery. Yes, you do have a few parts like clamps, stringer awl, and pliers, but they are really easy to use. The hardest part about stringing tennis rackets can be reading the directions. You get so excited that you want to dive in and start stringing right away. Just take a few minutes to read the directions and you will save a lot of time.

Stringing tennis rackets can be a wonderful alternative income for yourself and your family. You can make $20+ an hour and your income potential is unlimited. If you attend college, you could string rackets in your dorm room for extra income. High school students can bring the stringer to the tennis courts and string after school for money. My favorite multitasking tip for tennis stringers is to watch tv and string at the same time. You can watch your favorite tv program and make money stringing tennis rackets. Lot’s of people are looking for the perfect work at home business and this could certainly allow you to start one for very little money. My total cost for the Klippermate and string was under $200. Add some business cards from Vista Print and a listing on Craigslist and you’re set. Remember to hand out those cards the next time you play singles or doubles tennis. If you currently string rackets, I would love to hear what your fastest time is and how much you charge your customers? Do you have a tennis business or stringing business already? How are you doing?

Do you have an extra income idea you would like to share? Maybe you sew, woodwork, or have a handy service you provide neighbors for extra income? Turning tennis basics into a lucrative tennis stringing business can provide you with some great spending money and pay for your tennis hobby, or it can provide some wonderful extra income for your savings account.

Some helpful videos on Youtube showing how to string tennis racquets:

Preparing the tennis string
Mounting the tennis racket
Stringing the mains

Racket stringing machines and tennis sports equipment:

Klipper USA
Tennis Gamma stringers
Prince tennis stringers
Eagnas stringing machines
Tennis liquidmetal Head string
Gut tennis string

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