Best Ways to Generate Extra Income (No sales/MLM!)

A lot of grocery stores and flower shops are probably hiring for temporary Valentine's Day help right now. Something to consider?

Dave Ramsey suggests in order to get your $1000 emergency fund money to have a garage sale and/or to sell your unwanted jewlery. I'm not big on garage sales, I hate the haggling, but I did sell some gold and made a quick $1400. I know other people who have taken the time to gather things they no longer need or want and make a lot during a garage sale. Good luck.

I work as a classroom instructor and private tutor for a national test prep company. Starting pay is $25 and hour and goes up quickly to $35-$40 an hour if you're good. The company pays practice exam proctors $15 per hour, so $60 for a 4-hour practice test. Hours are flexible - classes are usually on a week night from 6-9 once a week and practice exams are on a week night (5-9 or 6-10) or Saturday (9-1). Private tutoring is per the student's schedule so evenings and weekends. We also do on-line tutoring via Skype. If you have a college degree and did well on standardized testing (ACT/SAT) this can be a great second job. I started 4 years ago when we were really in a financial bind and needed more income and really love this work and feel that I am compensated well. This income keeps my kids in hockey and martial arts and pays for all of our holiday spending.

When I stayed home and we were really hard up, I sold items on craigslist & ebay. I made more money on ebay but craigslist is more hassle-free. Kid & baby items sell very well. Some people go to garage sales looking for name brand kid & baby items, clean them up, and then turn around & sell them on ebay/craigslist. I talked to a guy when I had my garage sale that did that for a living, but he stuck with baby & kids shoes. He wanted to buy all of my daughter's shoes (probably 20 pairs or so, all in great condition) and I asked him why, and he told me that's how he earns his living. He re-sells baby & kids shoes. I asked him if he made enough on that to make up for working and he said he makes more doing that than he ever did at his construction job.

Anyway... hope that helps and good luck!

I make my own laundry detergent (you can google it for the recipie). saves a little money at my house!

If you are in non-profit you are probably good at fundraising, etc because they are a lot of work.

Back when my daughter started K in 2000 I was volunteering so much at the school, the principal asked me to apply to be a substitute because they had a shortage of subs. I did and here it is 2012 and I am still subbing at the same school which could well be 3-4 days a week but I limit it greatly due to my own work.

It comes in handy, all jobs are pre-arranged. I schedule them around my regular work schedule. For me, it is easy because hubby and I own our company (NON MLM) in the raw materials/manufacturing industry and we work from home. So on a day like today which is wrapping up the end of the month and wrapping up final numbers for 2011, I am not subbing this week. I do all the financials for our company and it is a huge responsibility. I only accept sub jobs which are about once a week or so and it brings in a teeny tiny check but it is multiple income streams which is a good thing.

There is always retail, Starbucks, etc that you can do as long as you don't have to spend $ on childcare, etc.

What are you good at? Think outside the box? Are you qualified to tutor children or teach them something... music lessons, etc. Teach a class at a gym or yoga center? Be the sample person at the grocery store on weekends? Babysitting/petsitting/house sitting services?

I pay my house/pet sitter $20 for each visit she makes to my house if my dogs are alone more then 4 hours. I pay her $50 to spend the night if I am out of town. Just a thought.

I have done focus groups and they can pay well, usually about $200 for a couple hours around here but they are not something you can count on.

There are tons of schemes out there so beware. People word them so cleverly to suck the unsuspecting into the trap.

I second Amanda L's first suggestion. You can apply to score tests for NCS Pearson at http://www.flexiblescoring-reg.pearson.com/ (their at-home scoring main page). Click on "Apply Here" on the left hand side. Then you will need to click on "here" to get to the online application. You do need to have a BA or BS to be hired to score tests for NCS Pearson.

Do you have an undergraduate degree? I have a girlfriend who makes extra money grading test papers for standardized tests - think SAT, ACT, that sort of thing. She answered an ad in the paper. Also, In our area it just ended - I'm not sure when it is for you? - but my dad is retired, and picked up some "play" money spending a weekend delivering phone books.

Also, it's just a little boost, but have you taken defensive driving lately? Geico has one on there website - it's $20 to take it, it's a 4-hour on-line course, and it's good for 3 years worth of discount on your car insurance. (It is NOT good for a ticket - this one is for discount purposes only.) I have Geico, though - I'm not sure if it's good for other companies, too, but it might be worth checking out.

My husband did "drug test" studies to help him work his way through college. A big problem there, though, is that the studies often have overnight requirements. They also often have particular categories they are looking for - smoker/non; age requirements; weight requirements, that sort of thing. It also pops up in the paper, and since college students often take them up on this, they advertise in student newspapers. Head to your local college and pick up a free student paper - if nothing else, it will give you the website for the local research subject center, and you can check it for categories that you fit.

Would you be opposed to a seasonal, part time retail position? Back when I worked full time I would get a job during the holidays to help pay for gifts and other expenses. I worked at various places including Macy's, a bed and bath boutique and a high end gift store. Of course that was before I had kids, but I would imagine you could find something super part time, like 10 hours a week, maybe work 6 hours on a Saturday and 4 hours on a weeknight (that's pretty much what I did.)
Of course this only makes sense if your husband can be at home to watch the kids so you don't have to pay a sitter.
It's something to think about. A lot of stores start hiring again in February/March. Good luck, I hope you find something!

Do you have any skills you could sell - could you teach an instrument ( piano, clarinet, guitar lessons), tutor kids in school work, are you crafty, knowing how to crochet ( I make and sell crocheted hats and baby items, as well as other stuff - hats get me $25 a piece), knit, or sew, home decorating, painting, you could clean houses on the side, or do "handyman" work, have garage sales, take your kids outgrown clothes to a consignment store. Dog walking, pet sitting, house sitting, babysitting, when spring comes back, mowing yards, planting flowers, etc.

If you have a Bachelor's degree, you can take a test and become a substitute teacher for k-12th grade.

To save some money, don't buy any more cleaning supplies - Dish detergent and laundry detergent get the cheapest generics, then do all your household cleaning with white vinegar and baking soda. Buy your and your kids clothes at Consignment Stores and Goodwill and Salvation Army. Pack lunches, make coffee at home rather than buying it somewhere.

Good Luck!

Jessie