How to make money without selling yourself

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: CANDIS BROSS
Whether you're a freshman here at Fanshawe or heading out the door for the final time this summer, we could all use a little advice on making extra cash without serving happy meals all evening.

We all need money to live. It’s a difficult reality for anyone, but it’s perhaps the most difficult for post-secondary students and recent graduates. In a world where having a job means sacrificing your grades, it’s difficult to keep yourself afloat and out of debt.

Whether you’re a freshman here at Fanshawe or heading out the door for the final time this summer, we could all use a little advice on making extra cash without serving happy meals all evening.

Etsy

If you’ve got a hobby or a crafty talent, then Etsy might be a good outlet for you. It’s a peer-to-peer website that focuses on everything handmade from knitted scarves and unique jewelry, to paintings and refurbished oddities. The best part of Etsy is that you can get paid for a hobby you already have. You get all the enjoyment of a hobby, with all the benefits of a job, how cool is that?

Fiverr

This is another peer-to-peer website that lets people advertise services on a commission-based system. If you have a gift for poetry or music, a knack for advertising or blogging, or maybe you’re just looking to benefit from those five years of French classes, why not get paid for it? The benefit of Fiverr isn’t only its extensive audience, but the fact that each service must be listed in five-dollar increments. It’s a healthy way to beef up your value without worrying about getting severely undercut by the competition.

Airbnb

Most of us are living in a house with a couple of roommates. It’s cheaper than living on campus, and the freedom is nice. Everything is fine and dandy until one roommate leaves the house, which forces everyone to pay a higher rent. Instead of letting the extra bedroom collect dust, why not turn it into a bed and breakfast? Airbnb is a service that lets you rent out a room or a house as you see fit. Most of the rooms in London are renting between $40 and $100. It may not cover the entire month’s rent, but it will sure make things easier on everyone’s wallet.

Uber

Uber has been running in Toronto for quite a while now, and by the end of the year it’s set to launch in London as well. This new service lets just about anyone with a decent car and a clean driving record work as pseudo taxi driver. The upsides of Uber include making your own schedule, and not having to rent out a car from a company, which already takes the lion’s share of ride fares. Even if you’re just looking for an easier way of financing your car, Uber is a great way to make extra cash when your plans fall through for the evening.

Walking dogs

Although walking dogs can be a little more time consuming, the money from it isn’t bad.  In fact, if you’re already a dog person, the money is a nice bonus. Dog walkers can make anywhere from $5 to $20 for a walk, and if you find a number of dogs in the same neighbourhood this wage quickly adds up. The addition of getting paid to stay fit isn’t bad either, as long as you don’t mind picking up doggy poop.

So before you drop off a resume at Wendy’s or Walmart, take a look at some more enjoyable sources of income that won’t eat into your schoolwork. It may not be traditional, but in the information age nothing’s really conventional anymore.