Income Streams

So, income streams are a topic I like to think about often.

I do not like to be solely and completely reliant on any one source of income. It makes us slaves to the jobs we hold, and it creates an identity that is job-based instead of person-based. We are way moe than just the title we hold.

So, how do we expand our income streams when most of us work full time and have little time for anything else?

Here are my top suggestions:

1. Have more than one job.

But how??? I currently have three jobs. I balance these carefully. Two of my jobs are security guard jobs. I got my guard card and applied. One of them is a part time seasonal weekend kind of job. One of them only requires one shift in 6 months to stay employed, but will happily schedule me as often as I want to work. The third is full time 8 hours a day but flexible enough to accommodate my other jobs as needed. If one is lost, I can expand the others as necessary until I find a new job.
If you need help finding a job, I recommend the Indeed.com app. You can fill out your information, add your resume, and then apply to almost any job listed from your phone in ten seconds.  You can do it  anywhere, at anytime, and this way you never miss amazing job opportunities.

2. Invest in Dividend paying stocks.

Stocks that pay me money quarterly? Yes please. I reinvest my dividends, and I don't think about them, but they are there. .69 a share four times a year... not much at first, but keep buying with $25 here and $25 there and reinvesting that money, and pretty soon you have more than you thought you would.

3. Sell stuff on E-Bay or Etsy.

Many members of family have done this at some point or another. My sister buys and sells electronic gadgets, my dad used to do the same. I buy and sell purses and perfume, and dishes... scarves, Christmas ornaments, stuff that I know and love. It doesn't matter what you buy and sell, it just matters that you buy for a lot less than you sell for. I buy a lot of stuff at Savers and Goodwill. They have sales and if you know what you are doing it is easy to find some money just waiting to be made.

4. Write a book. Write an e-book.

I have not done this one yet. I want to!

5. Rebate.

Buy something, mail in the rebate, and wait for the check. I deposit my rebate checks and move that money to my investment account. When I have enough, I buy a share or two. I will include rebates here on my blog as I find them. It has been a while since I have done that, so bear with me!

6. Make Money Online

My friend Rachelle is the queen of this, and this is a link to her site:

Make Money Online Guide