9 ideas for making money

So, if you read yesterday’s post, you’ll be determined to develop your positive mental attitude and make inroads into some debt repayment and income generation. What opportunities can we think of to make money in the Spring?

1. Spring Cleaning. If you are time-rich but cash-poor, why not offer a spring-cleaning service in your local community? If you don’t feel like cleaning an entire house top-to-bottom, then think about offering a specific cleaning service? If I had the money, I’d love for someone to come and wash all my window coverings and clean my glass…
2. Easter Crafts. Spring has sprung and people are enjoying going to craft fairs again – if you create crafts, have a think about building up a stock of your speciality and taking a stall at a nearby craft fair. There seems to be something about seasonal festivals which mean that people really enjoy properly hand-crafted items.
3. Car Boot Sales/Garage Sales. The weather is improving and people are getting back out of the house at weekends. If you’ve got a lot of stuff, then consider spending some time pricing and packing it for a car boot sale (or equivalent). Nobody likes to buy or sell when the weather is miserable, but it’s a proven fact that people are willing to spend more when the season starts up again.
4. Grass Cutting and general garden tidying. The grass is growing, but people have become accustomed to not cutting it over the winter. Offer a general tidying service, including a lawn cut and trimming of bushes. If you have access to a van or car/trailer, you can charge a premium for taking away material to landfill. *OR* offer to build them a cheap compost heap (4 pallets wired together and topped with a bit of old carpet) to put it all in.
5. Home Repair Consultancy. How many times have you heard that you should only employ workmen on personal recommendation? Why not act as a gathering place for that kind of information? There have been a lot of storms (and in my area, an earthquake!) recently, and lots of people need fences put back up, roof tiles replaced and chimney pots secured. Act as a “one stop shop” for workmen who can do all of that, as well as keeping records of who is available at any one time (workmen will usually tell you, “I’ve got three weeks of work lined up”, so you aren’t asking for confidential information!)
6. School pickups. This one takes a little more preparation, and is only applicable to those who like children. If you have a Criminal Records Bureau check (or don’t mind getting one), you could apply to pick up children from school and either escort them home, or look after them in your own home until their parents arrive. Bear in mind that a LOT of children start a new school after Easter, and if they haven’t got something lined up, parents will realise the value of this service and be prepared to pay well for it.
7. House staging. There’s a recession on. Houses aren’t selling well, and many people have problems seeing the potential in a house if it’s cluttered. If you have a good eye for design, then consider offering a house staging service (also known as “House Doctoring”) to people looking to sell. Spring is a great time to sell a house, and this service would be in great demand.
8. De-cluttering and home organisation. If you are a good organiser, and get on well with people, think about perhaps setting up a de-cluttering service. Talk to a local storage service about negotiating preferential rates for your customers too…
9. Pet-sitting/house visiting. Lots of people go away for Easter. Who will feed the cat , walk the dog, clean out the hamster and water the houseplants? You, of course! For a fee….

I’m sure that you can probably think of some more ideas – why not post them in comments?