Shaking the Money Tree

Making a little extra money can help

Sometimes being careful and frugal with the money we have just isn't enough. Try as we might, there aren't enough dollars to go around. Although this topic is not technically 'frugal', it seems to come up regularly when people discuss ways to save money, stay at home, or live a simpler lifestyle.

What can you do to make a little extra now and then? Recycling, babysitting, selling crafts or homebaked goods are some options.

Another thought: Online surveys.

They don't take much time; you can usually take them at your convenience; and they provide a small, but interesting array of incentives and checks and cash, anywhere from two to thirty dollars. The key to making money on surveys is taking a lot of them.

Go to any search engine and type in "surveys for cash" or something similar and you'll soon find more surveys than you ever want to do!

This is the ideal situation for many people, and it's a valid option for anyone. Being at home saves money by allowing you to do things you couldn't otherwise, such as cooking from scratch, caring for your own children, mending and so on. For the frugal person, it's usually a very good choice.

Independent Homeworkers Alliance - This will cost you money to get into the database. I haven't joined, but they have been there for well over a year; and have offices in US and Canada. They belong to the Ypsilanti, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, offer a phone number, etc, so I would feel confident of their trustworthiness.

Home-Based Working Moms - Another place where you have to 'join up' for the benefits. This is mostly support as far as I can tell, with boards and information.

Biz Opportunities - Here is a page full of ideas and stories from people who have actually done it. If you need inspiration or encouragement, take a look. This is part of a bigger site you might want to look at, at Bizy Moms

Besides these, there are job search sites which list online (telcommuting) jobs in greater numbers than ever. Many of these jobs have no location requirement, since all the work is done on the internet.

There are no get-rich-quick schemes here, and as far as I know, all these are legitimate offers. If you know anything different about any of them, please let me know.

Working, whether to save resources, or create them, is an inevitable part of life. To be able to choose the work you do is a great privilege, so take your time and think about it carefully.