Editor’s note: This article was first published in October 2010, during the economic crisis. Its per-article rates for online writing (€0.50 to €6.00) and the remark that pet sitting was not yet established in most Spanish-speaking countries reflect that moment, and eBay has since moved to its own managed payments system.
As you know, I’m not a fan of quick money, because it sometimes keeps us from building real businesses. But here are a few ideas.
1. Selling second-hand items
Most of us accumulate things we no longer use: clothes we’ll never wear again, toys our children or nephews and nieces will never play with, a crib, a baby stroller, jewelry, cutlery sets, and so on.
Well, these days everything sells and everything gets bought, however strange it may seem. It’s a matter of setting a low price and forgetting about sentimental value. If we want to make some quick money, that’s the price we’ll have to pay.
You can sell all this “old junk” either the way they do in the United States, with a small sale in your garage, or, if that feels a bit embarrassing, on eBay, where things I would never buy are sold every day. On eBay you can also put up whole lots. You’ll need to register, set up a PayPal account or similar, and that’s it.
2. Pet sitting
I know this kind of business isn’t fully established in most Spanish-speaking countries, but there is already demand for pet sitters, especially during the holidays and the occasional weekend, because owners want to get away and don’t like the idea of leaving their pet in a kennel.
It’s a small business where you get paid when the job is done, and if you also like animals, it won’t take much effort.
3. Cleaning and maintenance for homes and businesses
A great business opportunity and a quick way to earn money. If you’re handy, you can offer to fix minor breakdowns in people’s homes or for small businesses that don’t have their own maintenance service.
There has also always been the hourly cleaner, a job that covers different tasks: occasional house cleaning, a full clean when a property is sold, or getting a house or business premises ready to be lived or worked in.
4. Tutoring or private lessons
If you understand and have mastered particular subjects, or you’re an unemployed university graduate, there have always been students who struggle with one subject or another. This is a very common way to earn extra money, with the advantage that you can be paid weekly.
5. Writing
Nowadays, with new technologies, it’s very easy to find outlets that need writers on all kinds of topics. News websites, blogs and local newspapers are constantly looking for people to write articles for them.
This is a way to earn extra money part-time, or even a decent salary if you decide to put in the hours and work with more than one outlet. Online, the rate per article ranges from €0.50 to €6.00. The more articles you write and the more outlets you work with, the more you’ll earn.
There are other ways to make money online that I don’t support, such as reading emails, filling out surveys and that sort of thing, because I consider them a way of deceiving the companies being advertised.
See also: Making money online: reality or fiction?
So there you have five ideas for making money more or less quickly and getting out of today’s financial bind. Let me tell you that even when the situation seems to overwhelm you, there are always other ways out; it’s a matter of knowing them.
But above all, I’d like you to see these methods as temporary ways of earning money, because if you settle into them, you’ll miss out on other incredible business opportunities.
Further reading
- How to make money online: internet business ideas
- Business ideas: home services
- Business ideas: services for companies
- 10 business ideas with no investment
- 3 online business ideas with little money
Featured image: S. Clyde, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
