I’m stealing this idea from My Pretty Pennies, so I better give her credit. You rock my face off girl!
I’m addicted to making money. There is something about being productive that is rewarding, especially when you get paid for it. When I’m not working, I’m figuring out ways I can do something I enjoy and get paid for it. I’ve been tracking my “extra” income over the course of the last year and thought I would share it with you all.
I have a couple different sources of extra income…
1) Yes, this is still embarrassing, but sometimes Momma Ninja hooks her baby boy up with some cash so he can pay down his student loan. I guess this can’t really be counted as income, since I didn’t do anything to earn it, so we will call this “gift” money instead. This article explains why I am comfortable accepting donations from the bank of Mom and Dad (no people this is not an actual bank). Wanna know how much Mom Ninja has thrown my way? $2,000!!! Holy guacamole. I don’t think I realized I got this much help. I’m totally taking Mom Ninja out for ice cream when I visit over Xmas time. That’s right mom, anything you’d like….as long as it’s less than $5 🙂
2) Interest income. Year to date, I have banked $78 from my online savings account. I pretty much forget this money exists cause it just get’s totaled in with my savings balance. I really wish I was getting a 5% APY, like a couple years ago.
3) Blogging. Boo to the Ya. I wasn’t really planning on monetizing my blog, or at least I wasn’t actively pursuing making blog money. In the 8 months I’ve been around, I’ve managed to bring in $800. That averages out to $100/month. That means you all are totally paying for my gas/water/electricity each month. I need you to keep stopping by so I don’t have to take cold showers and sit in the dark. That would not be fun.
4) Tutoring. I took a huge hit in tutoring income this year. Most of my ‘my kids’ have reached their senior year of high school and are no longer required to take a math class. In 2008, I was tutoring about 8-10 hours a week. I brought home $11,000 in extra income from tutoring last year. 2009 was not so bueno. I definitely can’t complain though because any money is good, and I’m definitely not worth the $40 an hour I charge for Algebra and Geometry. This year I made $5,000 tutoring. It’s the easiest and most fun way to make a quick buck.
All totaled, I supplemented my base salary with about $6,000 of earned income and $2,000 in gift money. 2009 has been good to me and I’m hoping 2010 will be even better. As my tutoring kids get older, I’m beginning to think of new ways to make money. What are some means you all have used to bring home some extra bacon? Do you know how much supplemental income you made in 2009? What’s the easiest way to make some moolah (that doesn’t involve anything illegal)?
Thanks for the shoutout! You also reminded me about interest! I completely forgot to calculate that, although I'm already certain you probably have me beat on that one.
Great extra income this year! Here's wishing 2010 is just as sweet. 🙂
yeehaw, count those pennies! But I am SO NOSY. For your tutoring income, are you paid directly by the parents in cash/check or do you work through a Kaplan or other business as a contractor? Since you work for the man, I'm assuming you claim this $$, right?
to clarify, as coffee hasn't kicked in yet: work for the man (uncle Sam) = keep yr nose clean, IRS-wise. One of my co-workers (now former co-worked) lost her clearance because of cheating on her taxes…
The “high-yield” interest rates are low but they are still ridiculously higher than what I earn at my local bank. I think we went from earning like $10 a year in interest to over $100. Pretty big difference.
.-= Kyle´s most recent blog ..Christmas is December 25th – EVERY YEAR! =-.
Why don’t you tutor the younger kids in the school? (the ones in 9th or 10th grade now)
.-= Duddes02´s most recent blog ..The Biggest Loser =-.
I do tutor a few younger kids, but I just haven't been as lucky this year. I can't force kids to want tutoring unfortunately 🙁
You also realize they have algebra and geometry in college, right? You can tutor those folks as well. =)
5 bucks on Mom Ninja for ice cream…hmmmm that is not a very good return on investment for me…but I will gladly take you up on it and another 5 for Dad Ninja you can swing that!
Whoa mom, don't push it. When I get home we can consider bringing Dad Ninja along.
Ninja, can you fix the link to the "tutoring" comment? You have it linked to the savings post for a second time. Thanks!
Link has been fixed. Good catch.
Nice!!! 🙂 I love extra money & the freelancing/blogging I do. Putting it away for grad school.
I most do freelance writing to earn extra income. Usually nets me anywhere from $300-$500 a month, but I have a stack of debt that it usually goes towards. Or just supplementing my life because I live in NYC and my day job income usually isn't enough to cover anything. sigh. I'm working on it… Blogs like yours are great though! I like reading day-to-day PF bloggers and not just "big insights" PF bloggers because it's easier to see how to apply tactics. But good job being recognized by the big guys. that means they are reading you!
Nice job! And no, we wouldn't want ninja to take cold showers.
I don't know how much in extra income. Can't count for much *calculating in brain*, because we've been focused on just maintaining budget and paying down. Now that I have started my selling everything… I hope to have a good year in 2010.
BTW: like Mom Ninja's answer. LOL
I started a mobile notary service (I was already a notary public) expecting to bring in a few hundred dollars a month. It's far exceeded my expectations and at part time work I'm making between $1,000-$3,000 a month (which is seriously cutting into my blogging and writing time, but far more reliable in terms of pay). It requires a lot of flexibility and insurance, bond, training but all of that I already had. I just had to buy a laser printer and keep an inventory of printer and toner on hand. I have annual expenses for association memberships, licensing, etc but it really isn't very much. Needless to say, this is taking a SERIOUS whack out of our debt and will soon be funding our kids' college savings account, plus it's really fun work which fits perfectly with my schedule. I have all proper business licenses, etc and do pay taxes on this also, but I'm thrilled to see my "side hustle" project turning out to be so successful.
I substitute teach for my synagogue. They pay $20ish an hour… not too shabby! I've also started working with a catering company which pays $17 an hour. Working extra had better be worth my while… I'm not working extra for minimum wage!
What about the five bucks I gave you?
Nice work, I'll post my alternative income stats for 2009 early in the new year. Who knows how much more I'm going to make in the next 2 weeks.
I wanna apply for the the job of time-travelling sidekick to earn a few extra $$, that's awesome… funniest thing I've seen all day 🙂
I like the part 'You'll get paid once we get back', LoL
About a year ago I wanted to start making an extra $100 a month. I was selling things we didn't want on ebay and craigslist. Some months I would make it and some months weren't even close to $100. Recently I've taken up secret shopping and the money is definitely more. My first month I made an extra $300. Of course not all of it is straight money, a lot of it is just reimbursement for a meal, but many times we would have eaten out anyway. Another issue with it is that you don't get paid for a month or two so you have money out, but especially when you've just started, nothing is coming back in. Ok, that's enough of my ramblings for one post.