How Can I Make Extra Money When Things Are Tight?

What I do, is sell Avon. It's $10 to start up and you don't have to have any product or parties to do it. This is what I do. I only sell it to coworkers. I get my orders from people at work, bring my orders when they arrive to work and it honestly isn't much extra effort for me doing it that way. I don't make any additional deliveries outside of work. So it makes it really easy for me. There are more Avon-aholics than I thought! :)

O. quick way is to take a tour of your house and gather up every non-essential item and have a weekend garage sale. Isn't it amazing the stuff we accumulate? Sell it for some quick cash!

Recently, I started gathering up items that I have been holding on to for no apparent reason, other than I hate to get rid of things, and selling them on ebay. I'm sure you've thought of this, but might think it's not worth the effort. When I first tried it, it was a little daunting at first, but after the first or second posting, it becomes extremely easy, as the process is the same for each item you sell. I sold 5 items, and made over $500. My goal was to sell/save enough to buy a new, more expensive camera that I would never have just gone out and dropped $500 on, but having sold items until I got that amount of money, I didn't feel so bad getting the camera! I keep looking through my house for things I can part with that are basically just collecting dust, as I am now selling to save for a jungle gym for my son. That's my next goal. I have sold things like designer purses, a camera I got a year or so ago and never liked, my son's barely used nursery ensemble, his collection of Sesame Street plush toys used as decoration in his toddler room, his Leapster/games/backpack that he picked up once and never looked at again, that kind of stuff. When you get in the mindset of getting rid of the things you don't use or can part with, you'd be surprised what you can think of to sell.

Good luck to you! I'm a single mom too, so I know it isn't easy to make ends meet, but you sound like you're doing a terrific job!!!

I have been a single mom myself in the past and I know it isn't easy!! I like lots of other moms who have given you suggestions, have a home based business. There are ways to save small amounts of money here and there which is great, but long term you need something you can count on for supplemental income. Look for a business where: you like the products or services, you don't have a lot of money invested up front that you can't re-coup, you aren't tied up with lots of parties (as a single mom it is hard enough juggling time!), and that has potential to grow and add to your income. I love my business and would be glad to give you info if you'd like.

Another thing that struck me was to ask if you had a flexible spending account through employer. That may help with the medical bills........

Best of luck to you!!

N., Shop your home and auto insurance. I have saved some clients at least $100 per month, if not more. Good luck to you!!!!

I am a marketing consultant / recruiter for a company and I am currently looking for to add to my team. Looking for people interested in full or part time opportunities and work from home. I am based in Texas, but have great webcasts that you could check us out. Send me a private message if interested.

Congratulations on doing so well! There are many things you can do. I do Melaleuca now which is a wellness company who has excellent high quality products that are safer for your home. You don't sell the products but tell people about the company and sign them up. It's not an MLM. I'm a member but I'm not doing it as a business right now. I enjoy the products and have a few people interested which help pay for my products...

If there is a hobby that you like you could turn that into a little business. Like scrapbooking, teaching, baking etc. You can either make things to sell or teach things in your home. I taught ballet in my home for a little extra money. You can also sell things on eBay or sell things like Avon, which I also did for two years.

You can also check my profile to find another person who asked the same question. There were other people who had some excellent ideas. You can probably find the question from my profile because I answered the question. Good luck to you!

Since your money/savings is running out fast... then you may just have to forgo summer camp and extras like that, if possible. Its just a matter of going broke or doing without certain things. Pragmatically.
Just explain to your daughter.... you want to but can't because you don't have the money.

Your daughter is 9?
Maybe together... with her over the summer, you can both do something to earn some extra money. Like dog walking... house cleaning etc.
It will teach her some responsibility and being a "team" with Mommy and how to be a great girl.

Do you have joint custody? Is the Dad paying child support? Does the courts stipulate that he helps pay for extra child related things? Does your daughter have visitations with her Dad.... and over the summer? Then what does he expect your daughter to do? She can't just stay home by herself all summer... while you are at work. Then, who will baby-sit her and watch her? Does HE think of that? It should not be just your financial burden....
Or, does your job have a program where the kids can come to "work" with you?

Other ideas:
garage sale
tutoring
dog walking
baby sitting
house cleaning

Great question, N.. I would really consider doing something you love and enjoy, since you're only doing it PT and it will take away a bit of your free time, it's worth pursuing something you love/ enjoy!
I sell children's books called Barefoot Books. I found them when my son was 6 months old and have been selling them for 2 years now. I like the flexibility it offers my family, and I love the extra income. I use it for paying off bills, paying for classes for my son, etc., so I understand where you are coming from. They are offering a special starter kit until 3/31 that is on sale. You don't need one to get started, really, but it helps to have books on hand that people can see in order to sell them. If you'd like more info, I'd be happy to email it to you. You can contact me at ____@____.com, and you can find out more on my website at www.ReadandGrow.com.
What I really love is having beautiful, unique books around that my son loves to read. He's 2.5 and already starting to learn the phonics of letters- it's pretty amazing.

Good luck to you, with whatever you choose to explore!
T.
Barefoot Books Ambassador
www.ReadandGrow.com

Do you like learning about health and nutrition? How about the environment? Interested in non-toxic and natural products? If that interests you then I can tell you about what I do. You could go at your own pace, but I would recommend putting in 5-10 hours per week. I work from home.

I became a partylite consultant a little it over year ago and let me tell you what, it's easy money!! I love candles so it was very easy. I average $125 a show which is about 3 hrs of my time. if you would like more information let me know. I'm a stay at home mom and we just upgraded to a bigger house so I totally get how your feeling. It's nice because you work when you have time to! Good Luck :) R.

Have you thought about working from home? I am currently working full-time, but just started with another company part-time to bring in extra money. Right now, it’s helping us save money on some of our monthly purchases and bring in some extra income. And some day I will probably be able to work from home exclusively. That is what this company does. It helps moms work from home to have more time with their families. Send me a private message if you want more information.

Check out my website at www.makemoneyonline.tonoftips.net for ways to make extra cash online.

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