Moonlighting

[garrettwc]

Money's tight right now so I need to bring in some extra cash.

Wondering what the folks around here do in addition to the day job to bring in extra money. Hoping it will give me some ideas.

[charby]

Before my current job my take home pay was $1400 a month. So to make extra money I worked 3 nights a week at a filing station, all three nights being 8 hour shifts. One night was mid week and the other were Friday-Sat or Sat-Sun rotated every other week. I also would bar tend every free Friday night I had. The nights I didn't work at the station or was bar tending I did in home computer support for folks in the small town I worked in.  

This brought me an extra $300-$500 a month but I was tired all the time and frustrated that I didn't have any time to myself and after six months of this I aggressively sought out a new job for more money.

Moonlighting is good for the short term, I'll still do it once in a while for an opportunity to make a couple hundred bucks (such as spring or fall farm work) but long term it will take a toll on you. I quit doing in home computer support when I took my current job just because I knew that if I said yes to anyone that I would soon be consumed by it.

I am also a part time student and an very active participant in a civic group, so that consumes a lot of my free time.

Charby

[Dave Markowitz]

I do a little freelance IT consulting which brings in some extra money.  Small stuff: PC support and setup, LAN management, etc.  I've also submitted my first article to an IT website that actually pays.  Not sure when it'll run but hopefully sometime in the next month.

[Art Eatman]

Home mechanic, which helped support my hot-rodding and sporty-car racing.

Learned how to do all my home repairs, which meant I didn't have to pay anybody else to do stuff I could do better.

Harder now to make any money doing gunshows and coinshows.

Art

[zahc]

Highly dependending on your area, you can make pretty decent cash delivering pizza.

[TarpleyG]

Highly dependending on your area, you can make pretty decent cash delivering pizza.

What you make you'll burn up in wear and tear and gas.  Learned this the hard way...never again.

Greg

[Ex-MA Hole]

Where are you?

[K Frame]

I did data entry for awhile for a bill payment service. This was before all of the banks got in on it.

I've done typing, as well. I'm a good, fast, typist.

Luckily, though, for the past couple of years I've not needed to work a second job. I've thought about it, just to fund some pet projects and bring down the debt, but it's not a pressing issue.

[garrettwc]

Where are you?

Indiana.

The IT suggestions are appreciated, but beyond the scope of my abilities.

[thebaldguy]

I've thought about this recently myself. My girlfriend got a part time job at a department store for a while. It also gave us some discounts. Check out something practical that may save you some cash as well; grocery, building/hardware store, department store, etc. Avoid potentially bad/dangerous situations; food/pizza delivery, bartending/waiting tables, stores that get robbed. Don't do anything that will screw up the day job. Like someone said, maybe find a better paying day job.

[Standing Wolf]

I used to do marketing and advertising and publishing all day, then come home and do marketing and advertising and publishing. I worked at home for considerably more than I earned at work.

I still do a little spare time work for old customers; most, however, went bust shortly after the dot.com boom.

[garrettwc]

Like someone said, maybe find a better paying day job.

Thought about that one and may still try it. Problem is this finding one that pays more. Most of the jobs in this town have gone blue collar or service. The median income for an average household (single or married couple) is only slightly more than I make as an individual.

[Moondoggie]

Ditto on the pizza delivery.

Helpful hints....choose the store you apply to based on the demographic$ of the surrounding neighborhoods.

No slamming please, I'm not a racist, but my experience shows that lower income neighborhoods complain more and tip less.  Often, complaints are oriented towards an additional pizza for free.  Asians typically don't tip at all...they want every cent of their change.  Tipping is not part of their culture.

Neighborhoods with higher priced homes = less problems and less chance of getting robbed.

Domino's is my preference because of their strict cash control policy.  BG's know if you stick-up the Domino's guy you're only gonna get the food plus maybe $40 max IF you happen to rob him after two other deliveries on this trip.

I delivered Domino's in San Diego County for 3 yrs.  My favorite store was Rancho Bernardo.  I averaged $12 - $18 per hour 4 hrs per night.

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

I delivered for Domino's while in college. Bought a $1000 POS dodge D50 mini-truck and considered it 100% written off as 'cost of doing business'.  Sipped gas and ran like a top.

I made somewhere approaching $10/hour consistently in the mid 1980's.  In addition, I made friends with the Mgr. and Asst. Mgr, both of whom wound up becoming franchisees.  It was tempting, at that time (early '80's)...

But I did it for a year and a half, kept gas in the truck, lots of free pizzas to take home, and a little $ to keep life & limb together.

Sold the Dodge D50 for $1200 one week before graduating.  LOL
Kinda nice, DEFINITELY a short-term fix for most, but it could mean having the cashflow you need.

[zahc]

I did say highly dependent on area and clientele. I have worked places where I would take home $50/night on weekdays and pushing $100 on friday. 300+/week will buy a lot of gas. And it's a very free job. I basically stole a 99 corolla for $500 and it gets close to 30mpg and is still capable of getting out of its own way.

I don't have such a good deal going now, but I happen to still be doing it mostly because my boss and I are buddies, and it works around school.

[atek3]

could I deliver pizza's on the back of my motorcycle?

[garrettwc]

The trouble with the pizza deliveries is

A: there are only two joints in town total, so there isn't anything available and if there was you could be delivering to the nice subdivision or the projects.

B: my car is in the shop, possibly for major repairs, maybe DOA. Hence the need to make extra cash I need to fix or replace my car.