photo by squeakymarmot

Sometimes, frugality isn’t enough. There are times when you need a few extra bucks to supplement your income, but an additional full-time job isn’t necessary. It can be a challenge to find ways to make extra money with constraints such as childcare and scheduling. The part-time jobs with mom’s hours are filled quickly, and work-from-home options sometimes require an investment or specialized knowledge.

While selling items online, bartering, delivery service and cleaning are popular, there are alternative ways to make ends meet so you’re not living on the edge or competing with the college crowd.

MYSTERY SHOPPING: Companies pay people to shop secretly to observe and assess their products and services. It’s a great way to make extra money and try out establishments such as restaurants and department stores for free. It’s a good option for moms because they can often take their kids. Don’t ever send money to anyone for secret-shopping information. For more information, visit Web sites such as Volition (www.volition.com) and Corporate Research International (www.mysteryshops.com).

ONLINE SURVEYS: While you won’t get rich, doing a few paid surveys can help you make money with little effort. Some people don’t like them because of the time involved for low pay, but if you have a little free time, it’s not a bad option. Try companies such as Pinecone Research (www.pineconeresearch.com), My Survey (www.mysurvey.com), Global Test Market (www.globaltestmarket.com) and Survey Savvy (www.surveysavvy.com).

PERSONAL SHOPPER: If you have a good eye, are well organized, creative or always seem to buy the perfect gift, personal shopping might be a great way for you to moonlight. Services can include apparel, grocery or gift shopping, home furnishings or errands.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZER: If you’ve always had a knack for keeping things tidy and in their place, consider being paid for organizing. You can set your hours, and start-up costs are low. You can do hands-on organizing, consulting or a combination of both. For more information, visit Get Organized Now (www.getorganizednow.com).

TUTORING AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION: If you’re a teacher, play an instrument, excel at a sport or hobby/craft or know a foreign language, tutoring or teaching a community class can be the perfect way to make money.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: If you’re able to set up a quiet, professional atmosphere at home with a phone and computer and you are a people person, look into home-based customer-service jobs. You have the flexibility to create your own hours. For more information, visit Liveops (www.liveops.com), Alpine Access (www.alpineaccess.com), VIPDesk (www.vipdesk.com), Arise (www.arise.com) and West at Home (www.westathome.com).

WRITING/BLOGGING: Setting up a blog is as easy as one, two, three. You can sign up for a free blog at Web sites such as Blogger (www.blogger.com) or Wordpress (www.wordpress.com). Once established, you can add advertising such as Google Adsense (www.google.com) to make money. There are also Web sites such as Helium (www.helium.com), Associated Content (www.associatedcontent.com), HubPages (www.hubpages.com) and Constant Content (www.constant-content.com) where you can make money for writing articles. If that’s more writing than you care to undertake, you could create custom letters for kids. For example, try writing personalized letters from the tooth fairy. To expand upon this idea, you can assemble fun activity kits to mail for kids. The kits can include things such as recipes, crafts, stickers and toys.

MEAL PREPPING/COOKING: Whether for a busy family, someone sick or for the elderly, once word gets out you’ll prep or cook a meal for a reasonable amount of money, you’ll be thrilled with your new cash flow. You can consider broadening your service to include additional mother’s-helper tasks such as laundry and light errands.

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