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Saturday, June 30, 2018

10 Ways to Earn Money Online

Wealth gotten by vanity (fraud) shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour (hard work) shall increase. ~Proverbs 13:11



Dad was the master planner; amazing with his finances. He planned well, making sure that we would be taken care of when his life here on Earth was over. Sadly, he doesn't remember any of the details of those plans, or that he made them, so when he says, "I can't pay you back for taking care of me," I remind him that it's paid in full. 

It's now up to me to be a good steward of his estate. In the meantime, as every caregiver knows, besides all the normal bills to keep the household running we're accumulating doctors' bills, hospital bills, and the rising gas prices doesn't help either.

For some caregivers it's necessary to work. That means paying someone to take care of loved ones till the clock strikes 5 or thereabouts. Not a cheap endeavor, and could be part of the reason why so many caregivers suffer from anxiety. Others are retired and living on social security themselves. 

For me, I've clicked away on my computer researching fun ways to make some extra cash online. Literally hundreds of gurus say you can ... and get rich doing so. Don't you believe it. However, here's what has worked for me. And by work, I mean $30 here and there with an extra $200 earned for Christmas shopping.


This is not an extensive list, and like most things I write about on this blog, it comes from experience. Some of these money-making projects are simply great ways to do something for yourself and perhaps give you fuel to start something new. Grab your laptop, a cup of coffee, and a batch of red velvet cookies and check out ...

Ten Ways to Make Some Extra Cash Online 

1. YouTube was my go-to for extra income. Nothing spectacular like the professional YouTubers but I earned a little over $100, come Christmas, by uploading short videos. Unfortunately the YouTube powers-to-be decided they were no longer paying out unless you had 1000 followersother rules applied as well. So forget YouTube? No, you'll just have to work a little harder and get the required followers. Or do it for the satisfaction of helping yourself and others. Did I mention it's very therapeutic. There's something about uploading that finished project, a sense of accomplishment I guess. 

My favorite videos to create are book trailers and devotional videos. Lumen5 has free video clips, images, and music to help create your project. They'll show you how. My YouTube channel can be found here, btw. 




2. Inbox Dollars: This is one of those sites who pay you to read emails, complete surveys, watch videos, and a ton more. They're nice enough to show you how to make your first $30, too. It's not bad, but of course, making pennies here (with a chance to win cash prizes up to $100) will take a while. Be careful what you sign up for or you'll wind up with a lot of newsletters in your email. All in all, it's extra cash in your pocket. I like it, wish I had more time to become a pro at it.

3. Rev: Can you transcribe, add subtitles to a video, or translate? This is definitely the job for you. The faster you work the more money you can earn. Sometimes you have to be quick in grabbing the jobs available. But usually new jobs pop up all day. I say $200 to $500 a month is possible to make. Your work is rated, of course, and there are deadlines.

4. Blogging: Find your niche, feed your passion. The blogging link will send you to my personal writing blog. That's where I publish a lot of my poetry and flash fiction. Who knew that I would receive over 104,000 visits. The numbers are a little fishy but I'll take it.



Blog your life story, it's better than a diary. Mommy bloggers are the most successful with lots of sponsors jumping on that wagon. But there's room for others, lots of room. Learn how to monetize your blog. 

5. Publish a Book on Kindle: There are other sites to publish your e-book but I'm most familiar with Kindle. I think how-to books sell well for newbies so what's your expertise? My friend, the Late Pat Johnston was an expert Chrysanthemum grower and wrote a book on how to grow them and win awards. What's your passion?

I've published a few novellas on Kindle, one how-to write book, two collections of flash fiction, and a cookbook that might need a do-over. You can sell your book for 99 cents or whatever you think it's worth.

Here's a few of my Kindle projects: 

The Watcher King (Book 1 of the Pa'raGhon Chronicles)
Short Tales of Secret Worlds (a collection of flash fiction stories)
Mrs. Shackles (My second collection of flash fiction stories following the life of the lovable judge, jury, and executioner, Mrs. Shackles.)

6. Publish a Physical book on CreateSpace: (Update: CreateSpace is now KDP--Kindle Direct Publishing) Amazon owns this print on demand, and it's FREE. Your book will automatically be available on Amazon. Go figure. Nonetheless if you've written any short stories, poetry, memoirs, complete novels or novellas this is the place to get published. It can be as easy as using all their tools like pre-made covers, or retain a professional, or use Fiverr (everyone is for hire at $5). I'm sometimes available to get you started on CreateSpace. 

Books I've Published On CreateSpace

The Self-ish Writer: A How-To Guide for Budding Writers
The Happy, Sappy, Simply Cheerful Coloring Book
Color!

Grab all those old photographs and start your memoirs today. 


7.  ShareASale
Find a sponsor for your web site. Get paid for your great content. shareasale.com.


8. Amazon Affiliate or Amazon Influencers Program: This is one of my favorite programs. I think they call it passive income. You don't really have to work hard on it, and upkeep is pretty easy. You can start your own store and add anything to that store available on Amazon. I have a book store, but maybe I'll add bookmarks, mugs, and stuff like that. Take a look.

To become an affiliate or influencer go to Amazon.com and scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Become an Affiliate."

9. Etsy: For all you crafty, artsy, and most awesome creative people this might just be the place for you. I'm sure you've heard about it. I tried, but my crochet items sell better at a craft fair. And I'm just not organized enough for this, but it could be a perfect fit for you. Always look for what works for you.

10. Virtual Yard Sales: Yard sales are the best, aren't they? I love how our junk can be someone else's treasure. Among others, Facebook has local virtual yard sale groups. I know there are a ton of other places to sell your I-have-way-too-much-stuff-in-my-garage items, but I was able to earn over $200 in a couple of days on FB. Keep it local so people can come by and pick up what you're selling.

I hope this helps your journey toward making a little extra cash. It's something to do to break up your day and maybe give you a sense of accomplishment along the way. Feed your brain, get creative and have fun.

And as always pray about these things and remember "God will supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:19

A Caregiver's Prayer

Dear Lord, teach me to live in your strength. Take away my anxieties of the future and its fear of financial woes. Keep me always depending on you. You are my provider. I will trust in you and your endless resources. My finances are in your hands. Teach me to be content with what I have and to always bless others. Amen.



My Beloved Caregiver


There is nothing you need
That I cannot provide
The daffodil knows
And the sparrow won't hide

I hold wealth and health
In the palm of my hand
I have blessings unending 
like grains of sand

They are new every morning
I know you'll be fine
I'll take care of today
Tomorrow is mine

(copyright, 2018 by Deborah L. Alten)



8 comments:

  1. You packed this post full of great information! I wish I'd known about these options back when I was a caregiver or faced with the need to make extra mon. Love how you took the initiative to find ways to work rather than do nothing or complain. Good work ethic Debby.

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  2. Awww, thanks my friend. I hope it will inspire others. I hope it will work for others.

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  3. This is good useful info. Thanks. Amen,I love the prayer

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  4. I love the prompting to publish. Maybe I will someday. I need to figure how to illustrate. Others in the family got the artistic genes. Other things similar to Inbox Dollars are Swagbucks and MyPoints. Wonderful connecting place that incentivises a little is myLot.

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  5. Hi Garden Gery. Thank you for the comments. I hope you do publish someday, sooner than later, you'll be blessed I'm sure. I love Swagbucks and I'm just starting out on MyPoints. Sometimes you just run out of time. I do have an account on MyLot but haven't been there since they stopped paying. Are you doing something again? Will have to check it out. Thanks again.

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    1. MyLot was bought back by some of the former owners, about three years ago now. It is set up a little differently, but some of the wonderful long time people are there now. Please come back and visit.

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  6. Tim here (from Bethel Church). Read this and praying for all of you and thanks for finding joy in enduring and stewarding well!

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