By Sheryl Smolkin

If you are having trouble making ends meet you can spend less, get a job that pays more money or work more hours. Spending less will only take you so far in your quest for a balanced budget and better paying jobs are not always easy to find, particularly in the short-term.

However, there are lots of options available if you want to put in more time. Where overtime is readily available in your primary job, taking on a few extra shifts could be the answer. Otherwise, you may consider taking on a part-time job, or to use a newer expression in the workplace lexicon — find yourself “a side hustle.”

Before you commit to a regular part-time gig it’s probably a good idea to think about any potential conflicts with your primary position. First of all, if you have the kind of job that doesn’t end promptly at 5 PM, you can’t plan to start work somewhere else across town an hour later. Also, if your day job is at Apple, it’s a safe bet that part-time work at Microsoft will be viewed as an untenable conflict of interest.

Potentially lucrative side hustles are more available than you think, and many can be done from the comfort of your own home. For example:

1. Seasonal work: Retail establishments frequently hire extra staff for the Christmas holiday season. A party store in my neighborhood is looking for staff for their busiest time of the year, which is Halloween. You can bet that after the first big snowfall lots of people would be thrilled if you offer to shovel their driveways.
2. Blogging: I’ll be the first to admit that making money via personal blogging about a subject of interest is not a slam dunk. The major advantage for me has been the exposure which has led to regular well-paid writing jobs. But there are lots of bloggers out there who have thousands of readers and generate revenue from goggle ads and industry players.
3. Complete surveys online: Big brands need consumer opinions on their products, advertisements and identity. Your feedback will help them to improve and grow. To show their appreciation they will reward you for your time on reputable market research panels. Companies typically pay through PayPal or in the form of gift cards. You won’t make a fortune but every little bit helps.
4. Sell your photos online: Do you take amazing photos? You can actually sell your photos online at places like iStockPhoto, Shutterstock, Fotolia, and Bigstockphoto. Photos can be sold over and over again, allowing you to earn a residual income.
5. Transcriptionist: If you have excellent keyboard skills you can get piecework transcribing everything from audio interviews to meetings to legal proceedings. This can be done on your own time, but make sure you understand the minimum weekly quotas and how much you can reasonably expect to earn.
6. Customer Service Agent: One position I saw advertised online is for fundraising agents who make outbound calls to existing and past supporters of some of the largest charities across Canada. Each day, representatives speak with donors to help raise funds, respond to emergencies, renew support, sponsor children, and provide other worthwhile opportunities for charitable giving.
7. Airbnb: Are you an empty nester with one or more empty bedrooms in your home or a currently unused basement apartment? Consider sprucing them up and renting them on Airbnb. However, before you start, check the zoning in your area to ensure short-term rentals are permitted.
8. Driving: The future of Uber in many parts of Canada including Saskatchewan is up in the air. But if you are available evenings and weekends you may be able to make money using your own car to transport other people around as Lyft or Uber drivers. If this option appeals to you, make sure to check with your insurer to see if you have the proper coverage.
9. Baking: Does everyone love your banana bread? Is your cheesecake to die for? How many free wedding or shower cakes have you baked for friends? If you love baking, why not start a home-based business? You can set up a Facebook page with lots of pictures of your work and before you know it you will have more business than you can handle.
10. Caregiving: Most daycares close by six PM, but not all jobs are 9-5. People who work shifts are always looking for experienced caregivers to cover evenings and weekends. Similarly, many elderly people have regular caregivers but their families need occasional respite care.

These are only a few of the dozens of possible side hustles that can earn you extra money to pay the bills. Any hobby has the potential to be turned into a business. However, it is important to realistically assess how much time and energy you have and the possible impact working more will have on your family and your performance in your day job, before you take on extra work.

Here are some additional articles with lots of other ideas you may be interested in:

99 Side Hustle Business Ideas You Can Start Today
50+ Ways To Make Money Fast By Side Hustling
The Top 68 Side Hustles: Add Some More Money to Your Life
29 Smart Ways to Make Money on the Side in 2016

By Sheryl Smolkin

I can never get too excited about the make and model of the car I drive. All I expect it to do is to reliably get me from A to B and cost as little as possible to run. But there has been a lot of press about the pros and cons of electric cars lately, including the latest luxury Tesla.

If owning a Tesla is on your bucket list, you may be interested in a blog from the self-proclaimed tightwad Mr. Money Mustache describing his 1400 miles of non-driving in a Tesla with a friend who recently acquired one for over $75,000 USD. He says the autopilot actually works, and the company has lined U.S. interstates and major cities with high-speed electric charging stations fueled with free solar electricity available 24 hours a day.

However for the rest of us, the more realistic option when we are looking for a family car is to purchase or lease a new or used vehicle from a car dealer in our community. Automobiles – Buying and Selling, an interesting post from Saskatchewan’s Public Legal Association discusses the pros and cons of these alternatives and your legal rights and responsibilities in each situation to help you make the decision that is best for you.

If a used car is in your future, take a look at What You Need to Know Before Buying a Used Car. When it comes to inspecting a car you are interested in, TrueCar.Advisor says be a “DIY detective.” For example, he suggests bringing along a little fridge magnet and placing it all over the car (lower door, front fender, etc). If there is any plastic body filler present, the magnet won’t stay in place, indicating the vehicle has been in an accident. If you want a more in-depth list of possible DIY Detective skills, visit the DMV guide.

Andrew Wendler acknowledges on caranddriver.com that vehicle listings on Craigslist are always free of oversight and may include half-truths and incomplete vehicle histories. However, this classified advertisements website can be a highly effective tool for locating the car of your dreams, so he provides 10 Tips for a Successful Car-Buying Experience on Craigslist that should help you separate fact from fiction and make a satisfactory purchase.

And finally, in a guest post on the Canadian Finance Blog, Retire Happy’s Jim Yih warns readers Don’t Fall for This Amazon Payments Car Scam. Unfortunately there are phishing scams out there that make you think you’re paying through services like Amazon Payments or PayPal, but you’re really sending your funds to a fake site and are unlikely to ever see that money again. He recounts how he almost got taken in by an Amazon Payments scam when he was looking for a used car a few years ago and includes screen shots, illustrating how you can identify signs of a bogus offer

*****

Do you follow blogs with terrific ideas for saving money that haven’t been mentioned in our weekly “Best from the blogosphere?” Share the information with us on http://wp.me/P1YR2T-JR and your name will be entered in a quarterly draw for a gift card.

 

By Sheryl Smolkin

After two weeks away in the sun at a resort with flakey WIFI, I have lots of catching up to do! However, I managed to download the replica edition of several newspapers every day, so I wasn’t completely out of touch.

I was particularly interested in a series of editorials in the Globe and Mail articulating the newspaper’s vision as to how the retirement savings system should be reformed. The editorial team views higher TFSA contributions as an unwarranted future drain on the economy and advocates increasing RRSP contribution limits instead.

They also support ramping up CPP and eliminating RRIF withdrawal rules. You can read the whole series by clicking on the links below.

Reforming Retirement (1): How the TFSA turned into Godzilla
Reforming Retirement (2): Getting Ottawa’s mitts off your RRIF
Reforming Retirement (3): More RRSP, not more TFSA, please
Reforming Retirement (4): Canada needs to ramp up CPP, ASAP

Cait Flanders who writes Blonde on a Budget is in the 8th month of a year-long shopping ban. She says she has never been happier and shares 3 truths she discovered about her minimalist lifestyle plus information about her next minimalist challenge for 2015.

On Money We Have, Barry Choi writes about 10 Signs You’re Living Beyond Your Means. Several of my favourites are: when you have zero savings; low monthly payments are your only option; and, you buy only name brands.

Banking on Your Mobile Phone by Tom Drake on Balance Junkie reminds us that there are smart phone apps for business finance, budgeting, bank accounts and mobile payments. Paypal and Google Wallet are probably the most popular mobile payment apps. Most banks also allow to you pay by mobile with their own apps as well.

And finally, on Canadian Dream: Free at 45 Tim Stobbs writes about how a job in customer service that he was overqualified for in 2002 was a valuable experience because he had great co-workers, the company promoted from within and it had a defined benefit pension plan.

Do you follow blogs with terrific ideas for saving money that haven’t been mentioned in our weekly “Best from the blogosphere?” Share the information with us on http://wp.me/P1YR2T-JR and your name will be entered in a quarterly draw for a gift card.