Five Ways To Make Money When You Can't Find a Job
89If you've been fired and can't find a new job, or are a recent graduate who's never had a job in the first place, you may be feeling increasingly desperate the longer your job search drags on. Even if you're lucky enough to still have a job, you may be worried that it won't exist much longer, or that your pay's been cut and you can't cover the bills anymore.
This hub offers a few ideas for ways to stay active and keep your mind off the rising unemployment rates in the country, while hopefully earning a little extra money to help your family survive the recession.
Please feel free to share your own stories and ideas in the comments at the bottom of the page.
1. Sell Your Stuff
For many people, the most difficult part of holding a garage sale is finding the time to plan and set one up. If you're unemployed, planning and running a garage sale is a great way to keep busy and make a little extra cash in the process.
You can also sell stuff online at websites such as eBay, Amazon Marketplace, Craigslist, and more.
eBay Secrets of Success
 | Amazon Price: $11.94 List Price: $18.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $13.41 List Price: $24.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $2.99 |
2. Sell Other People's Stuff
There are two ways to do this.
The first way is to go bargain hunting at garage sales, thrift stores, library book sales, flea markets, and similar places. When you find a bargain, buy it and resell it for a higher price from your home or on any of the websites listed above.
Legitimate Internet Marketers
- The Keyword Academy
Easy-to-follow lessons that teach you how to make money online. Perfect for beginners.
The second way is through affiliate marketing. Use extreme caution if you're thinking about trying to get into affiliate marketing, as there are many, many scammers in this business and plenty of good reasons to be wary even of some of the most established affiliate marketing companies, such as Mary Kay, Avon, and Tupperware.
For
beginners, a good rule of thumb is, don't pay money to make money. Test
your skills on a free service such as HubPages or Squidoo
first, then graduate to hosting your own websites. For example, this excellent guide to making money with the eBay affiliate program explains how to set up an easy website to promote ebay affiliate products.
3. Rent Out Your Stuff
If you have extra space in your house, a finished mother-in-law's apartment above your garage, or similar spaces, you may be able to take in one or more tenants. Many families who are reluctant to take in strangers have even opened up their homes to adult children, siblings, cousins, family friends, and others. The tenants help pay the mortgage and perhaps food or utility bills, depending on the nature of the arrangement. In return, they get a place to stay, perhaps at slightly below market rates.
Rooms aren't the only things you can rent. Cars, bicycles, electronics, yard and garden tools, jewelry, artwork... the list is nearly endless.
 | Amazon Price: $23.99 List Price: $24.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $8.99 List Price: $18.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $6.45 List Price: $16.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $4.49 List Price: $17.00 |
4. Use Your Skills
Everybody has skills, some related to former jobs, some not. With a little creativity, you can turn your skills into a source of extra cash, or even a whole new job.
Some skills are service related. If you can mow lawns, sharpen knives, balance a budget, repair cars, walk dogs, braid hair, translate business letters, or water plants, you have serviceable skills. Spread the word around your neighborhood that you're willing to do these things for a reasonable fee, advertise in local papers and bulletin boards at grocery stores, and put an ad up on your local Craigslist to start looking for people looking for people with your skills. Websites such as odesk and elance also connect skilled people with people who need their skills.
Some skills are product related. If you grow the biggest, juiciest tomatoes or the prettiest, most colorful dahlias on the block, if you bake a killer apple pie or mix the best marinades, if you can make furniture by hand or refurbish a classic car, if you sew your own clothes or knit your own socks, if you paint or throw pots, then you have production skills. Start selling your work at farmers markets, craft shows, and through the classifieds or on websites such as eBay, Cafepress, Etsy, or Foodzie.
Sit down and write a list of everything you do really, really well. Then make a list of everything you do pretty well. Look it over and see if there are any skills you can turn into money, or even simply barter for services you yourself need.
Turn Your Hobby Into a Career With These Small Business Ideas
- List of Small Business Ideas For Crafters
Many crafters dream of turning their hobby into a business. Craft businesses generally have low start up costs and are easy to run from home. They are a perfect choice for work at home moms and dads. If you are interested in starting a crafts... - 18 months ago
- List of Small Business Ideas for Auto Enthusiasts, Bikers, Boaters, and Other Vehicle Lovers
If you love cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, ATVs, bikes, carriages, or other vehicles, there are many small business opportunities you can start to make money doing something you love. Whether you've always... - 18 months ago
- List of Small Business Ideas for Farmers and Gardeners
Small farmers, homesteaders, acreage owners, and even suburban gardeners can make extra money at home with small businesses raising vegetables, fruits, flowers, small livestock, and other specialty products in their own backyards! List of Small... - 23 months ago
5. Learn New Skills
If nothing jumped out at you on your first two lists, sit down and write down one more. This time, list all the skills you want to learn, but have never had the time or money to sit down and actually do.
Some of these skills may be unrealistic, even now, but others may offer genuine opportunities. Maybe you've always kept a nice vegetable garden and have dreamed of having a few hens scratching around eating bugs and weeds among the rows. Even many urban and suburban areas allow hens - get a few, see if you like it, and if you do, get a few more and start selling the eggs.
Maybe you've always wanted to write a novel. Sit down and pursue your goal seriously. Set yourself a good, achievable goal - two pages every day, rain or shine, holiday or weekend, even if your two yesterday was actually ten.
Unemployment can also be a good opportunity to go back to school. Talk to your school of choice's financial aid office to learn about scholarships and grants offered by the school, the government and other organizations.
More Ideas
 | Amazon Price: $2.45 List Price: $16.00 |
Bonus: Become Self-Sufficient
Another option is to stop worrying about making enough money to survive and start thinking about how to survive without money.
There is a growing movement towards urban self-sufficiency in the United States, and if you live in a suburban or rural area, you will have even better chances of reducing your need for outside income by growing your own food, generating your own energy, and more.
If you are interested in going this route, you can not only reduce your need for money, you can also open up dozens of new money-making ideas with surplus crops or livestock.
 | Amazon Price: $17.77 List Price: $16.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $11.02 List Price: $18.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $16.99 List Price: $34.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $11.45 List Price: $19.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $10.40 List Price: $18.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $14.74 List Price: $24.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $19.21 List Price: $35.00 |
vote upvote downshareprintflag
- Useful (16)
- Funny (1)
- Awesome (5)
- Beautiful
- Interesting (4)
CommentsLoading...
Well written artilce. Great links. Thanks.
Selling unused items is a good idea, as long as eBay isn't already flooded with what you're trying to sell. Recently, I sold my husband's collection of Xbox games as a lot of 5 or so items for less than $10 each! It's definitely a buyer's market for games. You might make more money by having a garage sale for stuff like that. By the way, check out my article on finding a job: http://hubpages.com/hub/finding-a-job-is-hard. Thx!
thanks for sharing. Your hub has some very fundamental survival info on time on depression.
Great ideas kerry! I especially like your last lines about learning to live without money. I do think that is where things are headed, and I've been having those kinds of thoughts myself. I notice it's harder and harder to get freelance work, and everyone and their cousin seems to be online trying to scrabble a buck. At some point we're all going to have to take several deep breaths and just accept that things have changed radically and for a long, long time. It's not all bad, but it will be a big adjustment I think. :)
Great hub. I got made redundant so Im playing music in a little band & made a CD.
Craigslist craigslist craigslist! After I was a student for four years and graduated, the thought of getting a real full time job made me cringe. I found odd jobs all over craigslist and was more or less able to travel around the world for close to a year supporting myself with money I made doing odd jobs. This sometimes involved spending ten hours a day for three days putting posters up around big cities, but the pay is good and there's no commitment.
Now I'm trying to make money at hubpages and adsense...and failing miserably. It's driving me crazy because I can't figure out why.
But this is a great short list and wil definitely come in handy.
Cheers,
Ker
Good list. Would add sites like cash4books have been very reliable and hassle free for me.
Some very useful suggestions...
thanks a lot
Timely hub and great general tips for the weary who are out there trying to make do. I like the emphasis on looking for personal strengths and on self-sufficiency. I've believed for quite a while that we need to simplify life again and become less dependent as consumers. With the way the economy is developing, outsourcing isn't financially viable anymore -- self-sufficiency might be. Thanks so much.
Wonderful hub.....full of great info.....Thanks.
filled with uncommon sense. Everyone has something to sell and if you can talk you can sell. If you can type and link --you can sell. Trading is cool too. Through you aren't exchanging $$ you can get goods and vital services.
Very informative Hub, it brings up some good points to getting you back on your feet.
nice info will try to use in my business
Great article. Keep it up
Nice work, great article
good hub, I was making good money buying stuff at yard sales and reselling on ebay until the ecomomy fell. It has really slowwed down.
yes good ideas...
Moefry47,
very true, So if A or B does not work try C. I think there is always someone or a group still making good money in tough times.
Auctions are an Idea,but a lottery to me is better ,more people could afford it and you might make more with it.Of course I'm talking about giving a desirable piece of merchandise away as a prize. I need to look into it some more to see if it's allowed where I live.
Nice information.
Good information. I like the ways you talked about making money and then resulted to saying that bartering and trading without money is just as good. Though I like the former better. Tell Kblog that writing more content and offering helpful information may help to make more money on hubpages.
Thanks for the advice
Nice Hub, especially since everyone is looking for a means to make some ends in this economic fall.
So true, everyone has skills or streams as some pastors would say. Things we do everday for free, baked goods, making baskets or whatever your steam may be - put it to good use.
Rob a Rethuglikkan.
Great hub!
You should check out my blog, MyMochaMoney.com (http://www.mymochamoney.com) because I started this blog to record ALL the things I have done to make money to afford my specialty coffee habit, as well as my hubs, "Quick Cash Machines For Extra Income From Home" (http://hubpages.com/hub/Quick-Cash-Machines-To-Fun "Now You Can Freelance As A House Sitter For Extra Cash" (http://hubpages.com/hub/Now-You-Can-Freelance-As-A and "Selling Used Books On Amazon For Profit-Great Home Business!"(http://hubpages.com/hub/Selling-Used-Books-On-Amaz
ay ok
I think the hardest part would be rent your stuff, not so much the selling, mostly out of sight out of mind type thing.
While looking for "Five Ways To Make Money When You Can't Find a Job", read your earn money hubpage. Good article on self-employment!
Great hub. You really know how to advice people with what to do to live.
Your info on affiliate marketing was just what I had been looking for. That's one part of "hubbing" that I haven't mastered yet.
Great job kerry. Just when I'm thinking my life is over, as I once knew it, here I find you.
Thanks.
Anita
I'm not unemployed right now, but I do have some extra time so I'm always looking for things to make a little more money. Great ideas - thanks for the info!
Good Hub for motivation and getting out of the depression of unemployment. There really are things you can do to take charge of your situation.
Good to know I am not the only one in this situation! Doesnt make me any richer but hey money is only paper and metal after all....
Great advice. we should be aware of this situation of no work. you have nicely explained that what should we do if there is no work. thanks anyway.
Good hub...
Very good hub, might have to start trying a few of these (hubpages isn't paying the bills lol)
Great Hub, although some of us have nothing worth resale...
I was thinking about selling my bass guitar, but the pawn shop will only give me 10 bux for it and its worth more than that in memories alone...
People might want to try out something called amazon turk...it makes you enmough money to at least but some bread or milk for the house.
Good info and great presentation!!!
...ok think positive! ^.^... thank you for this energy lifting hub, great ways! ^.^
That's really interesting, thanks for sharing.
Great Hub, self-sufficiency is a great tip employed or not..thanks
Thanks for writing this - it oiled my idea machine quite nicely!
Very good article!
The self-sufficiency thing sounds good, though I live in an apartment. Gonna look into it.
This has some good tips. The one which I think is very important, is, do not pay money to earn money. Sites which say you can get rich quick and ask for money are a scam. If you make any money it will be less than the amount you put in to start. So steer clear.
You have a lot of good tips, thank you! In this economy, it's important to know how to survive, even if you can't find a job.
Trouble with trying to be self sufficient is that the governments still want to levy taxes on you and charge you for something.... you need some money whatever you do...
Some good ideas for making money..
Very informative and workable ideas.....great job done.Have a nice day.
Great information. We should all grow our own food if possible, and unclutter by selling whatever we have outgrown.
These are really good tips, it does sometimes come down to looking at what skills one can offer to others or the one about selling your stuff always works too.
Great tips.
Great money jogger, thanks!
VERY USEFUL AND INFORMATIVE! THANK YOU
Too Chez! Very well written!
Very simple and easy tips that almost anybody can do. It's amazing to see what methods are available to make money. The 9 to 5 job is not the only path that people must take.
Thanks.
I bake with my kids and they go around the neighbour hood and sell each cake cookie or biscuit for 25p each.... not only is it good to bring the money in when your skint but the kids get to know the locals and how to earn money
I like this article. I often think about how people "in the old days" had to fend for themselves when they were broke rather than relying on welfare (not that I'm saying welfare is bad; just making a point).
SOme programs, like some options in Tupperware and Avon, allow for quick and easy and cheap - -even sometimes free - starting out, if you sell online. So something worth checking into.
Though my comment is coming rather belatedly, this hub has really fantastic and practical down to earth (pardon the pun) ideas and information here. I love this hub and plan to take some of your ideas to heart, especially suggestions on growing certain plants to sell. Excellent advice. I shall follow your hubs from now on. Thanks
Wow, KerryG, my head is adrift in all of the useful advice provided in your article. I will start by making the lists that you suggest. Happy Christmas.
This article was very interesting and insightful, and it is definitely relevant -- in the current economy, we all need to be more resourceful and frugal. Thanks for the great tips and ideas.
Great hub - love the info.
Very interesting hub. I'll definitely be putting some of your ideas into practice.
Very good hub covers alot of information, I'm looking to try to make some extra money. Thank you for the ideas
Thank you Home...you made me feel at home now...lol...thumbs up!
Great ideas! Selling your stuff is definitely a winner.
I know a couple guys who had a successful barter business over 20 years ago. One of the guys just couldn't keep it together, so it went under after several years.
Great article
Great information and ideas!
Great hub.
we tried to have a garage sale but it was to much work, and we don't know how to work Ebay!
So this hasn't really helped me.
sorry
Thank You!!!
thats asome
positive thinking..!!!
nice c(:
Thanks for your kind Informetion. I'm really fill happy to know about it.
great article.
There is no any ideas to starts own business for engineers, i am looking for great ideas for electronics and communication engineer. if there is plz.........
I'd have to say that this article, though mildly useful, is absolutely useless for practical assistance for someone in a real unemployment predicament and low on funds. But that may simply be due to the lack of any real solutions to unemployment except for real employment.
BristolBoy Level 1 Commenter 2 years ago
This is a useful hub. I think the option of selling unused items is a very good way of making money with often very minimal effort. Plus it is reusing resources, so good for the environment.