Last Updated on May 11, 2021 by Kristen
Numerous headlines and studies have confirmed what women already knew: the pandemic has decimated our careers and ability to make income.
Now that kids are going back to school little by little, you may find a few hours here and there when you could be earning money. Applying for jobs can be time consuming and take months, but what if you could start working from home and make money relatively quickly?
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]COVID-19 is hard on women because the U.S. economy is hard on women, and this virus excels at taking existing tensions and ratcheting them up. —Brookings [/perfectpullquote]What if you could make money doing something that’s a no brainer because you’ve already gotten good at it by just living your life? It may not relaunch your dream career, but money is important. And having a little financial cushion can ease stress and brain space to make room for pondering what will take you to the next level.
Keep reading for a few easy money ideas.
Photo by Lindzi Vagary on Unsplash
Stock Photography
Getting pretty darn good at photography thanks to your Instagram or Pinterest obsession? And do you once in a while think your photographs rival (or are much better) than the stock photography you encounter around the internet? If you answered yes, you should probably try getting paid for your photos. Check out the links below for guidelines on how to submit your photography to some of the most popular stock photo services.
Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels
Transcription Services
With all the time we spend writing and answering emails (not to mention posting on social media), many of us have become expert typists, organically, sans professional training. If you’re finding you have a few hours free but want to keep it light, offering transcription services might be great way to make some extra income. Someone else feeds you the content and you type it. All you need are decent headphones and a computer. Check out websites like Indeed and for job leads, or list yourself at a freelance marketplace like Upwork or Thumbtack. According to Ziprecruiter, the average salary is $30/hour, and you could earn up to $126,000 per year.
Photo via ExactCraft
Essential Oil Biz
This one takes perhaps a little more effort, but you may have perfected your at-home spa skills during the pandemic when personal care services were closed. If you were really missing your spa visits, you may have discovered that an at-home ethanol recovery device can help you create essential oils using botanicals from your garden. And it could very well be the beginning of your own essential-oil-making operation.
Photo by Benjamin Combs on Unsplash
Gardening
Home has become more important than ever, as evidenced by the past year’s surge in real estate prices, remodels, and furniture purchases. If your once lackluster landscaping is currently thriving after a year of extra care, you may want to consider offering your services to your community. You can create a listing on Craigslist or Thumbtack advertising your specialties, whether it’s fruit tree care or succulents. Or, if you’ve propagated so many succulents that they’re threatening to take over your yard, you can plant them in cute terra cotta pots and sell them on Facebook Marketplace or Nextdoor.