So summer is upon us. For me, that means a couple of things. The kids are out of school, vacations are coming up, and back to school is right around the corner (lol). As a single mom I immediately begin to calculate all of those costs. Summer camp + increased electric bill + extra groceries + additional entertainment + school clothes + school supplies = I need some extra money.
Like literally. I expect my spending to increase about 30% over the next 3 months. So increase spending means I need an increase in income. Because ain’t nobody got time to be creating debt for leisure.
So I will be doing a few things to get some extra money flowing through here.
I did have some prerequisites for these side gigs. They needed to be flexible options that fit into my schedule. I did not want to get another job and be away from my kids for another type of “shift” job. These are the first 3 I thought of doing.
Babysit
I taught PreK for 2 years and I still consider myself an early childhood education professional. I am licensed by the state to care for children. Most of my friends and family know this and it works for me. I let all my neighbors and friends know that I will be providing care for the summer. So when they need someone to babysit they call me.
Honestly, I think this is one of the easiest ways to make some extra money especially since a lot of kids are out of school for the summer and parents need somewhere to take them besides the camp that wants an arm and a leg to bring them. And this is a great way to help another single mom out.
How you can do this. Decide how much you want to charge. Are you going to charge hourly? Will you charge a flat rate? Then create a schedule for when you will provide care.
Example:
Monday: 6pm – midnight
Tuesday: 6pm – midnight
Wednesday: 6pm – midnight
Thursday: 6pm – midnight
Friday: 6pm – 3am
Saturday: 3pm – 3am
Sunday: 3pm – midnight
Tell your friends, family members, and neighbors that you are available to babysit over the summer if they need it. Ask them to refer you to anyone they know that may be looking for care too. To make yourself look all organized and professional you can create a calendar in Google and fill it in with your availability.
This allows you to be able to keep track of your schedule and update your availability on a whim. Also, a digital calendar is more easily shared. Share the newly created calendar with your family members via text then do a Facebook post about your availability and share it there too. Tip: Go into the “Who should see this” dropdown and create a customized list of people to only share this status with. This will make it easy for people to see you’re availability compared to when they need care.
So when they contact you they already know what your availability is. Additionally, you can sign up for Care.com. They are a caregivers service that connects families with babysitters. Signing up will allow you to market your services to a wider range of people.
Rideshare
So by now we have all heard about the rideshare company Uber, right? If you don’t, where have you been? Nah just kidding…Uber is a rideshare company that allows everyday people like you and I to use our vehicle to make money.
And the service is amazing. Having used it myself, it’s more convenient than the bus or a cab. The bus takes forever to come and a cab cost way too much money. Uber is a solution to both those issues. Because people can get a ride more conveniently and more economical than ever before. Which works out amazing for drivers.
When you decide to drive for Uber to make extra money, the process is pretty easy. You download the app and submit the necessary items and you are on your way. Driving for Uber would allow you to drive when it’s convenient for you. So, you can do it after work or on the weekends only.
Personally, I love it because you can make same day money with their Instant pay. Trust me when you are in pinch that cash in hand can be a lifesaver. New drivers can also qualify for $150 bonus too.
If you do not have Uber in your area yet or you just want to have options, you can drive for Lyft. Lyft is a rideshare company as well and you will be doing the exact same thing. Although I have not driven for Lyft, I hear that the riders are more business oriented than Uber. I’ve heard, the riders are just trying to get to the airport or to work and get going. New drivers may also be elgible for $100 bonus
Sell Your Unwanted Items
During the summer, a lot of people are moving. College students headed back home for the summer, or first timers headed up to college. As we get closer to the end of summer tons of people will be looking for items to fill those new homes. People will even begin to prepare for back to school for their kids and themselves.
Why not take the summer months and go through all of your items and decided what things you can get rid of. You will probably have a few hundred dollars worth of stuff you didn’t realize. Look through your home for appliances your not using, extra artwork, CD’s, DVD’s, etc. You can then sell these items on popular apps like Letgo.
On LetGo you are able to take a picture of the item and post it for sale right from your phone. Also if you or your kids have any clothes you will no longer be wearing, you can sell them on Poshmark. It’s an app where people buy and sell gently used clothing.
This will be very popular during back to school time. No matter what you do, just know you CAN do something instead of sitting around leaving your finances to be destroyed by the summer strain. 
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