Extra Money With MTurk

So I've given Amazon Mechanical Turk a shot at making extra money on nights I'm not working, and it's not doing bad. In just a few hours I've made $34.79, and I've read in several forums for work at home moms that they really do pay out.

In a nutshell, the Amazon Mechanical Turk (or MTurk) service is a series of short jobs, or HITS (Human Intelligence Tasks) that just cannot be done by a computer, but need a human touch. They don't pay a lot per HIT, but, most are so easy and short it adds up quick, perfect for a stay at home mom.

I try to find jobs on the MTurk site that pay pretty low, but are fast, and have several HITS in the group. Then, I click "accept next hit automatically" and just go to town with it. I've made about 90% of my money that way so far. The thing I like the best is that you can choose to accept the job, or not, it's up to you. It's generally very enjoyable work, and you can stop and start as you wish. No boss, no schedule! Always a plus for a stay at home mom!

I think the MTurk job is going to add up to a nice little amount of extra money each month. I don't think I'll be able to become a stay at home mom just yet, but the extra money will come in handy!

Making money on the side

Given the hours I work, taking a second job or making money on the side can be a little challenging. Which seems ironic since being a bartender is often touted as a side job to supplement the income of a 9-5 job. I've already cut my hours so I am almost a stay at home mom, and focusing on earning some residual income and other ways to make money as a SAHM.

One way I've found to make extra money while being a stay at home mom is to do freelance writing on the internet. eHow.com is a great site to get your feet wet in the freelance writing community and earn some extra money. You won't get rich overnight, but building up a nice sized library of eHow articles brings in a decent amount of residual income, perfect for a stay at home mom. Plus it allows you to tweak your writing skills and earn as you learn. What could be better than that?

Of course, there's always yard sales to make extra money. Kid stuff sells really well in yard sales, as well as other mom stuff and household items. After a big yard sale, consider listing the remaining items as a yard sale lot on eBay, Craigslist, or other bulletin board type advertisement. I've seen small lots go for a hundred dollars or more. Getting rid of clutter and making a few bucks at the same time is always good!

Here's another thing I've done to save up for vacations or other expenses throughout the years. It's probably the easiest way for a bartender to save money, given all the change and one dollar bills we bring home. It's fun to watch the fund grow, too! Grab a big jar, and throw all your change into it at the end of every day. If you're feeling especially lucky, throw a few one dollar bills in there, too. You'd be surprised at how much money can add up over the year doing this!

One last thing is Plasma Donation to earn extra money. It helps save a life, too. The process is better described here, but can add upwards of $150 to your monthly income. It's really quite painless, and after the first appointment, it generally takes about a half hour or so, and you can go twice a week. Not bad!

I'm exploring other venues for freelance writing, but haven't gotten enough of a start to blog about just yet. I will keep you updated as I progress through those sites.