Want to pay down debt, build an emergency fund, save for a home? Hustle up some extra income. Capitalize on an unusual skill or on a simple willingness to do jobs other people don't like or don't have time to do. For instance:
- John Cloonan, who owns a marketing company, fixes and resells yard equipment he gets from The Freecycle Network.
- Howard University student Sharlia Lee runs a personal-concierge service in Washington, D.C.
- Information technology worker Theresa Sheridan freelances as a graphic and Web site designer -- and cowgirl.
- Electrical engineer Richard Savoie plays in a rock band, DJs at weddings, reviews concerts, writes humor pieces and does voice-over work.
The most successful moonlighters tend to be always on, constantly on the lookout for additional chances and frequently coming up with new ways to promote themselves.
For a time I did a lot of odd jobs, and I have one piece of advice: Know your limits. Entrepreneurship can fragment sleep and family time.
Pick your spots in the short term, though (I still take on the occasional baby-sitting or mystery-shopping gig), and you can bring in enough folding green for a long-term goal. Here's how others have done it.
1. 'Definitely worth it'
Lee, a chemistry major, works 22 hours a week as an aesthetician. She also operates Presto Pink, helping busy people in Washington with shopping, house-sitting, general errands and other chores.Her husband, who works in information technology, does private computer work in his spare time. Some of their additional money goes toward $50,000 worth of student loans and credit card debt. The rest helps pay living expenses for the couple and their 2-year-old daughter.
"Extra money on the side helps us pay with cash and not create any more debt. Definitely worth it," says Lee, 23.
Her advice: Find a niche and fill it. Notice what people have trouble fitting into their lives. You can get paid for something as simple as picking up dry cleaning.
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2. 'I've learned so much'
In less than three years, frugal hustles helped Susan Vernicek to pay down $12,000 worth of student loans and consumer debt. She's also founded and funded Identity, an online women's health and wellness magazine.The Wharton, N.J., resident works 30 to 35 hours a week as a graphic designer; a few times a month she takes freelance design jobs. She's an assistant high school soccer coach. She's a fill-in bartender and works many weekends on a catering crew or at private dinner parties.
"I'm not a sit-in-front-of-the-TV person," says Vernicek, 28.
She hopes the magazine will soon become a full-time career. But she's grateful for the chance to have worked so many other jobs: "I've learned so much about people."
Vernicek's advice: Be ready to say yes. She carries her appointment book at all times. "Work your butt off," she says, and you'll get hired again.
3. 'Enough to survive'
The Wynn family of Overland Park, Kan., hustled nonstop for the two years that Robert Wynn was unemployed. He delivered pizza, operated a poop-scooping business, took occasional handyman gigs and delivered a monthly magazine. His wife, Laura, a freelance writer, also mystery-shopped, pet-sat, marketed items on eBay, sold cosmetics and recycled cans."We could make at least enough to survive," Laura Wynn says.
Now Robert has a retail management job -- and the Wynns are still doing all the extra jobs, to pay down debt incurred during those two years. Once the credit cards are zeroed out, they may slack off somewhat -- not looking for scooping clients or giving up the magazine delivery. But it's unlikely they'll drop everything.
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"Since we have the opportunity to do these things, we see no reason not to," Laura Wynn says, adding that their four children are learning the value of honest work.
Her advice: Spin off from what you already do. A pet-sitting client offered Laura extra to clean up the yard -- and the scooping business was born.
4. A sense of satisfaction
John Schulte, the president of the National Mail Order Association, was the kind of guy who'd show you how to replace a faucet. A "dramatic" drop in business for the association, likely due to increased online marketing, led him to create his own handyman business."I'd say it's 70(%) handyman work now," says Schulte, 53. "I'm loving this. You get a feeling of satisfaction from a job well-done."
It's not Schulte's only sideline. He rescues discarded furniture, fixtures and appliances from remodels and sells them on Craigslist and eBay, and takes old plumbing to a metal recycler.
He scavenges "stuff people are throwing out" or offers to buy items rusting in yards. Two old cement mixers that cost him $15 fetched more than $700 once he got them running.
Schulte teaches basic home repair. He's designing a couple of handyman items. In his spare time, he organizes monthly firearms training sessions for his Minneapolis neighbors.
His advice: Ask satisfied customers for testimonials. Schulte posts them on his Web site.
Also: Get business cards. You meet potential clients just about everywhere, so be ready. (Do an online search for "free business cards.")
Continued: For love, not money
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