Turn Your Hobby into a Money-Making Source

Want to earn money by doing something you enjoy? Consider turning your hobby into extra income. If this sounds like a good idea but you don't know where to start, just think about what you like to do in your spare time. Do you like arts and crafts? Do you enjoy cooking? Do you love animals? No matter what hobby you enjoy, there is usually some way to earn cash from it. Consider the following:

For the Animal Lover:

Pet sit for traveling pet owners
Start a doggy daycare for owners who have to work long hours
Walk dogs
Offer grooming services
Train dogs
Chauffeur pets to veterinary/grooming appointments
Sell personalized animal supplies such as collars, food bowls, etc.

For the Artist:

Teach art classes
Sell your work (paintings, photographs, jewelry, candles, crafts, etc.) at local craft fairs or online (ebay, craigslist, etsy.com)
Showcase and sell your work via personal websites such as your blog or your myspace page
Enter your work in school and community contests that offer cash prizes
Sell stock photos online at iStockphoto, Dreamstime, Stockxpert, Clustershot, etc.
Do wedding and event photography

For the Fashion Addict:

Work as a personal shopper
Shop for cheap yet valuable yard sale items and resell them on ebay for profit
Become a mystery shopper
Become an independent sales rep for beauty companies such as Mark or Mary Kay
Sell handmade clothes or beaded jewelry at craft fairs or online

For the Food Connoisseur:

Cater for events around campus
Be a personal chef for the elderly in your community
Teach cooking classes
Take orders for your specialty whether it be desserts, casseroles, etc.
Enter your recipes in contests that offer cash prizes

For the Logophile:

Start a blog and earn advertising revenue (hint: combine your love of words with another favorite hobby to get a niche for your blog)
Sell articles to magazines
Submit content online to agencies such as Associated Content or eHow
Offer reading/writing tutorial services

For the Sports Fanatic:

Be an umpire or referee for a little league team
Be a scorekeeper
Caddy for golfers
Collect baseball/basketball cards and sell for profit
Become a personal trainer
Teach exercise classes
Teach a sport to interested participants

For the Techie:

Repair computers
Build and sell computers
Design websites
Teach basic computer skills to senior citizens

These are just a few examples of how you could be making money from your hobby. Think about what you enjoy doing and get creative on ways to bring in extra income from it. It's a win-win.

Posted: 6/9/2009