Over the course of the past two years, my health has been less than 100% which has led unfortunately to the bank account running a little bit dry. As an independent person the thought of having to rely on someone else for money again was a less than appealing prospect so, I started coming up with ideas about how I could make some dollar without straining my body in the process. I want to share some of the jobs and things that I have done during this time because I know even in good health it can be difficult to find the time to work with a busy college week.
Gumtree
The first thing I did as a little push towards making some money was putting up a Gumtree add for Dog Sitting. This mainly started as a joke and for curiosity sake if I was being honest. In any case, I put the add up describing what I would do (walk, feed and care for the dog) and the price that I was looking for i.e. 11euro/hr. Not expecting to receive any replies I left the add there but to my surprise after two days I had received an email from someone who was interested in the add! (Bear in mind this was very surprising as my sisters experience on Gumtree only brought numerous dog walking locations outside Dublin to fruition).
I had this job for about two months and walked the dog twice weekly. If you have no qualms about putting an add up on Gumtree, maybe just chance your arm like I did, and it could pay off!
Indeed
The second thing I did as a money earning was the more mainstream trolling through pages and pages of job advertisements on Indeed. Eventually I was able to find something that I was able to comfortably and that was within my capabilities at that time. The hours and days available suited college and allowed me to keep my social life which is always a plus.
Indeed, is definitely a website I would recommend if you are looking for a job! There is every style of jobs available and jobs with a range of hours that will most likely suit everyone. Trust me I have seen adds for jobs only looking for someone to cover one day per week.
Become an Artist
As an enthusiastic illustrator, I was spending a lot of time drawing which meant that I had a fine collection of art gathered. I decided that selling some pieces could be a very lucrative way of earning a few euro whilst having fun doing it!
For this I advertised my pieces on Instagram and did some commission pieces for friends. I made enquiries I cafes and exhibitions about displaying my work and surprisingly everywhere I asked were very accepting and obliging. I managed to sell a few pieces over the Christmas season which was a huge boost to the confidence too. If you are in any way creative or have a skill that is unique and saleable definitely try selling your products. It may surprise you how many people are looking for unique pieces of art!
Online Surveys and Book-reviews
The last option I’m going to give is one that I have not yet gotten around to undertaking but if you have spare time and would like some extra cash I’ll spills the beans.. You can literally get paid online for writing book reviews and for taking online surveys for companies!! If times are rough and spare time is plentiful maybe try taking a few surveys and writing reviews on books you have read in the past.