Today I’m proud to introduce a new guest writer on the blog – my brother, Charles “Chuck D!” He is here to talk about a subject he is an expert in – making extra money on the side! Take it away, Charles!

My sister wrote previously about the 7 Ways You Can Make an Extra $500 to $1000 per Month, and I would like to elaborate on some simple, but non-conventional ways that anyone, I mean ANYONE, can make a extra few dollars.

If you have a full time or a part time job you already do during the week, then sometimes you just want to add another side gig you can do on the weekends to bring in extra income.

I like jobs you can do on your own time that allow you to set your schedule – that’s what these are – flexible jobs where you work on your own time and the actual earnings are up to you! 😀

Ideas for Making $500+ Extra Each Month

All of these money making ideas are essentially outdoor adventures. These weekend job ideas are quite simple but effective. It’s the different ways to attack it, that will make these jobs basically stress-free. In such a male dominated field, these weekend jobs would be perfect for females as well. Anyoneeeeeeee one can do these! Lets begin….

Weekend Job Idea #1: Leaf Removal

This to me is a no brainer. It is very easy to do. Most people, don’t either have the time or patience to do this type of work. What guy on the weekends wants to spend a full day doing this, rather than watching the game on tv? Almost everyone will pay to have this done. YOU can do it as a little side business, that in return will turn into a pile of extra cash.

The single most important tip to know, is to think beyond the simple job of just raking and bagging up the leaves. In most cities, the city itself will offer free leaf pick up, if you just get them to the curb. Your biggest buddy will be a blower (preferably a backpack blower).

A blower will save you 3/4 the time compared to raking. The best way to do this is to blow leaves into small piles. By doing this, it will make it easy for you to transport the leaves from yard to curb. A tarp or old sturdy blanket really comes in handy for this. If you have to bag them, then do the same procedure for making small piles. Grab a trash can, place a bag in it, then stuff leaves down, and repeat. You will need a rake for hard to get to places (use common sense), and rake them up. You can also coordinate with your local city to see what days they will be picking up, so the piles won’t be sitting on the curb for a long period of time.

So, you might be thinking how to charge for this. You can charge $25-$30 an hour for this type of work. Example, if you put in 7 hours in day and charge $30 an hour, you will have (7 x $30.00) = $210.00 extra cash each week. I say the best way is to do a couple jobs like this. Figure out a flat rate, and charge that way. I suggest that because the $210 job can be a flat rate of $250 the next time and keep it at that. Most people like the flat fee! And, lets do some math again. If you did this just 1 day a week, you would double your goal and actually earn $1,000.00 in a month!

You might be thinking, “Wow, this is good, but how do I get started?” Good question. Going door to door works, and putting up flyers work great. Facebook, Craiglist and social media are the best for this. Don’t get discouraged. I know it seems like a lot, but it really is only a little bit of leg work to get your first customers in the beginning, then it should be smooth sailing if you do a good job.

If you do a good job, that the word will spread. What can be more perfect? Getting some sun rays, burning calories and making cash!!! I say give it a try and you will see amazing results. I would invest into a good backpack blower, rake, and a tarp if you don’t have one so this work isn’t any harder than it has to be.

Read More:

WhatMommyDoes Income Reports

How I Make $5,000+ per Month from My Blog Every Month

Weekend Job Idea #2: Cleaning Gutters

This one might scare you. I know, heights, they make alot of us get on the edge, but trust me – the money that you will make will make you forget about those worries. This is a very simple and self-explanatory job. A lot of people do not like doing this at all, and they will gladly pay someone else to do it for them!

Some of the easiest money I’ve ever made is cleaning gutters for my lawn mowing customers. For example, a 2000-square for home on two levels, I will usually bring in about $200 per house to clean the gutters.

A few tips on doing this will come in handy:

• When using a ladder, never put the ladder directly on the gutter. This will prevent you from bending the guttering. You can use a tarp to drop the debris down onto and then use a trash can do bag them up. This a very easy to do. A healthy person could probably do two houses a day. One day per week would help you earn an extra $1,600 per month ($400 x 4)! Even at just one home per week, you’re looking at making $800 more per month.
• Cleaning gutters will usually lead to more work, like cleaning up leaves (see above)! I would do the gutters first if you get both jobs to cut down on clean up times.

As I said before in the last section, social media and word of mouth will go a long way. Cleaning gutters is one of my favorite ways to bring in a lot of extra cash without having to market to new customers…your other customers will gladly pay you to do this in addition to other yard work. I guarantee someone who doesn’t like to trim their own hedges or rake their own leaves DEFINITELY doesn’t want to clean out their own gutters! 🙂

Weekend Job Idea #3: Trimming Hedges & Bushes

Last but not least, we have another very simple way to make some money in the yard! When it comes down to it, this is a very simple task. You will need the items from the previous ways to make money. A tarp, blower, rake, etc. The other peice of equipment will be a hedge trimmer. You can get a good hedger trimmer on Amazon from around $250-$450 dollars. This might seem like a lot, but trust me, they will come in handy.

Trimming is simple. To make clean up easy, place a old blanket or tarp at the base of the bush/hedge. Looking at the bush, you can usually tell the pattern of the work you need to do. For instance, if it is round, then you can just follow the same round flow to make it match the original job done before. Ask the the customer where to dispose the debris from the job. Alot of the times, it is good to bag the waste. If they have a wooded area, then you can probably just place them in the woods – just ask about this.

You should price this job by the bush/hedge. You can get between $20-$30 a hedge. If customers have multiple ones (I mean a lot) then you can use your judgement to price. Bigger hedges naturally take longer to do. So be cautious on how and why you price a job. I would give a price of $15 after the first 15 hedges. This will allow you to give a person some wiggle room!

Tips for Starting Weekend Jobs to Create $500+ Extra Each Month

Now, since you have read some easy ways to make a extra $500 or more in a given month just by working on the weekends, let’s go over what you’ll need to get these jobs done.

You might have to put some money up if you don’t have any tools, but the results will pay off. You may wonder how you can do this. What has worked for me is just asking around. You’d be surprised how many people will give you a try!

The key is to do great work once you land the job. I would come to a customer prepared. Don’t look like a random person trying to make a easy dollar. Look professional. Make sure to have the right fuel mixes for you equipment. The key to longevity is to service your equipment right. Usually, the owner’s guide will tell you how use the equipment properly. I believe alot of you all are like me. The anxety will wear off the first job you do!

Combining Side Jobs for $1,000+ Extra per Month

Like I said, if you can land that first trimming job, it will lead to a lead to a gutter job, and then to a leaf job. You will likely have so much work available to you that you will either have to work MORE or hire someone! How nice would that be to have so much work you can’t possibly do it? Having too much extra money is a nice problem to have, if I do say so myself! 🙂

If you can get a 3 for 1, you will probably will make the $1,000 off of one person! What else can be more perfect? Go out there and give it a try, I know you will be amazed. Thank you for ready my first guest blog.

May GOD bless you!

Tools You Need for These Side Jobs

My sister says I need to add some recommended equipment for you to check out since I mentioned that’s such an important part of these jobs. Below I’ve listed some of my favorite blowers and trimmers.

For the most part, I always go with brands for two reasons:

1. Parts – because there is a dealer or a local store (Lowes, Home depot) that carries these items.
2. Repairs – The more often than none is a dealer or local shop that can work on this equipment. Parts are usually available for these brand name items.

Top 3 Recommended Blowers

Husqvarna 965877502 350BT 2-Cycle Gas Backpack Blower

Husqvarna 965102208 130BT Back pack Blower

Toro 51618 Super Blower/Vacuum, 225 mph Vac

Recommended Hedge Trimmers

Husqvarna 966532302 122HD45 Gas Hedge Trimmer

Echo 20 in. 21.2 cc Gas 2-Stroke Cycle Hedge Trimmer

Husqvarna 122HD60 21.7cc Gas 23.7-in Dual Action Hedge Trimmer

Do You Know Any Ways to Make $500 on the Side?

Hey, it’s Lena – I’m back! I thin know brother did a great job on his guest post, don’t you? He’s a busy guy…I’ll see if I can get him to come back soon for another post!

Now, it’s your turn! Share some of your best ideas for making a little extra money on the side below! I know these money making ideas are for those who love being outdoors and are physically capable of performing the duties. I have another post that goes over several more ideas that don’t necessarily require physical labor. You can read all about them here:

How to Make $500 a Month: More Money Making Ideas

There are so many more ways to earn extra cash…..here are some of the other posts on WhatMommyDoes related to making extra money. I hope you get some ideas from these posts!

• 7 Ways to Make Money Helping Out Your Elderly Neighbors
• 50 Crafts You Can Make and Sell for Extra Money
• 13 Mason Jar Crafts You Can Make and Sell for Extra Money
• 15 Household Items You Can Sell for Extra Cash Fast
• How to Make Side Income as a Virtual Assistant to Bloggers