Do any of you in the U.S. do things "on the side" for money?

[mjr]

Legally, of course.

If you do, I've got some questions. Please PM me. I'm looking for ways to get some additional income streams going, and I have read a few articles, but I'm a bit skeptical about what I've been reading.

I do have some ideas, but getting them started may be the issue.

[Kittish]

Boyfriend has considerable "on the side" income from his writing. Enough that he's hired a bookkeeper to sort out his taxes (his tax bill this year is likely to equal or exceed the income from his "regular job"). I can pass questions on to him, if you'd like.

[mjr]

Boyfriend has considerable "on the side" income from his writing. Enough that he's hired a bookkeeper to sort out his taxes (his tax bill this year is likely to equal or exceed the income from his "regular job"). I can pass questions on to him, if you'd like.

What's he write? Novels? Short stories? Blogs?

If it's short stories or novels, I'm not very good at writing those.

[Nashida]

The boyfriend and I have started an online Etsy store and we make things such as candles, soap, potpourri, incense, bath bombs, bath salts, body splash and room spray. We have started selling at conventions and shows in the area, have applied to make our business an LLC as well. I also have a decent side hustle as a digital artist and take commissions for artwork online and at cons.

Something a little more offbeat we both do is thrift store flip. We'll go to places like Savers or Goodwill (mostly me because I'm a book fiend and love picking up novels I'm missing in a series for cheap) and on occasion we'll get really lucky and find something in good or new shape, turn around and sell it on eBay or Amazon. Most famously we found a purple Duffy bear (one of Disney's Build a Bear-like stuffed bears) at a Savers with all its tags still attached, paid $5 for it and found they were going for $300-500 on eBay. It sold for just shy of $400 plus shipping to Japan, lol.

[mjr]

The boyfriend and I have started an online Etsy store and we make things such as candles, soap, potpourri, incense, bath bombs, bath salts, body splash and room spray. We have started selling at conventions and shows in the area, have applied to make our business an LLC as well. I also have a decent side hustle as a digital artist and take commissions for artwork online and at cons.

If I had room in my garage for a "workshop", I would consider woodworking and leathercrafting. I also want a 3D printer.

[Kittish]

What's he write? Novels? Short stories? Blogs?

If it's short stories or novels, I'm not very good at writing those.

He writes novels and he's done a few related short stories on commission. Not everyone has the talent or ability to do that, true. I don't, that's for sure! It's all I can do to edit what he writes, and I'll be really kind of glad when he finally finds an actual professional editor.

The boyfriend and I have started an online Etsy store and we make things such as candles, soap, potpourri, incense, bath bombs, bath salts, body splash and room spray. We have started selling at conventions and shows in the area, have applied to make our business an LLC as well. I also have a decent side hustle as a digital artist and take commissions for artwork online and at cons.

Something a little more offbeat we both do is thrift store flip. We'll go to places like Savers or Goodwill (mostly me because I'm a book fiend and love picking up novels I'm missing in a series for cheap) and on occasion we'll get really lucky and find something in good or new shape, turn around and sell it on eBay or Amazon. Most famously we found a purple Duffy bear (one of Disney's Build a Bear-like stuffed bears) at a Savers with all its tags still attached, paid $5 for it and found they were going for $300-500 on eBay. It sold for just shy of $400 plus shipping to Japan, lol.

Oooh, another soap maker? Do you do cold process or MP that you add color and fragrance to?

If I had room in my garage for a "workshop", I would consider woodworking and leathercrafting. I also want a 3D printer.

3d printers are awesome! I am still utterly in love with mine, and it hardly ever sits idle more than an hour or two at a time. Be careful, though, it's really easy to go overboard with filament, there are SO MANY colors and types. I use PLA, and have just about completely taken over a bookshelf near my printer with all my different colors.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Try mystery shopping-it's a nice way to get a little extra money without any costs or particular effort-as long as you pass yourself off as a regular, inconspicuous customer and write a coherent,objective report ('dis place is a disgrace. staff are f***ing rude and meal slo as ****' does not qualify).

Just beware of anywhere that asks you to pay money upfront-there are many scammers about
For instance,if you are asked to take a cheque to a Western Union for more than it's worth, and once you've completed the survey,you can keep the remainder,then you should be hearing a parade of alarm bells going off*.

But there are a lot of legit companies who supply shoppers to big high street companies and chains to monitor their service and you can get a fairly steady income-not huge amounts,but enough to save away-and you get to eat out fancy places maybe once or twice a week for free-you send the receipts in to them and they reimburse you the cost of the meal and pay a little extra.








*If you don't see anything wrong with this,then I have some excellent business propositions to discuss with you and my Nigerian banking friend.

[Nashida]

If I had room in my garage for a "workshop", I would consider woodworking and leathercrafting. I also want a 3D printer.

That's what I thought too. We both just use my kitchen. I love it because then the house smells great for a week after between the both of us.

When we move in together I plan on making sure the new place has a second bedroom that we can repurpose as a studio of sorts.

Oooh, another soap maker? Do you do cold process or MP that you add color and fragrance to?

Mine are MP, I thought about trying cold process but didn't think I'd have the appropriate space (I'm still renting) and if it was a longer process than MP> the way I do it I can knock off a couple orders right after work.

[notalwaysright]

I don't, but several of my coworkers do. One waitresses at a local casino on the weekend, during the late/overnight shift. She's very tired on Monday's because she doesn't get off work until like 1 AM or something, then is at work at 5:30 AM. Crazy!

Another coworker drives for Uber eats. I think that's the better choice, since she can choose if she wants to work or not.

[TheWolfEmperor]

*starts writing a lengthy list.*

Legally, of course.

*Quickly deletes list*

I've been writing up a storm. I self-published some works but have made a whopping forty bucks from the projects that came nowhere close to breaking even.

Still I'm at it.

[mjr]

Thanks, everyone!

Definitely stuff to consider here.

What I'd ideally like to do is get something going where I'm getting a steady amount coming in, then increase it, then work toward the ever-popular "financial independence"...

I'd like to start something where either I can eventually get some large "passive" income, and/or eventually sell off what I create for lots of money...

;-)

[Food Lady]

I write my aunt. She has a tendency to slip cash into envelopes as if I'm 10, not 44. I would sell stuff on Etsy but I don't seem to find time to make the stuff I need for myself....

[Kristev]

I simply read cards. Don't knock it. It kept me alive when I was homeless in Portland.

[Mental_Mouse]

I write my aunt. She has a tendency to slip cash into envelopes as if I'm 10, not 44. I would sell stuff on Etsy but I don't seem to find time to make the stuff I need for myself....

Heh. My aunt writes checks, but she's added a digit and then some since I was young. Not knocking her, generous relatives are a good thing.

The thing about "doing stuff on the side", is you really need to have something to do on the side, that will bring in money that's worth the time you put into it. (Forget about knitting or suchlike. )

[Android Kaeli]

I sometimes sell the jewelry I make to my coworkers, usually around Christmas time, but its not enough to really do much of anything with nor is it enough to really make a big deal of. Typically I'll be about $70 richer by Christmas.