How to Make $1000 in a Weekend
Experts say every smart woman needs a side hustle right now. Try these to bring in the cash fas
Photo Credit: PM Im
When I told my husband last summer that I wanted to throw a big weekend yard sale, he took in the news with his usual stoic resolve. He's seen my cockamamy moneymaking schemes before: the eBay store that quickly fizzled, the "resellable" cupcake stands from our wedding that are still moldering in the garage, previous yard sales where I mostly chatted with neighbors before lugging our stuff back inside. Expectations were not high. So this time, I really worked it. I advertised ahead of time on Craigslist and in local papers, put a sign in my yard days ahead, and prepriced everything so people wouldn't have to ask. We made $700 in two days.
"Done right, yard sales can bring in good money," says Chris Heiska, founder of the website yardsalequeen.com, where I gleaned many of my tips. Another yard-saler, Carrie Grindle, a mom in Oregon, OH, regularly clears $500a day at her sales. Her strategy: Any time one of her kids outgrows a piece of clothing or tires of a toy, she prices it before tossing it in a box to await the next sale.
"Everyone needs a side hustle," says Jason White, who started the personal finance blog frugaldad.com as a hobby that now brings in cash from ads. "In this economy, it's risky to depend on one source of income. And for most of us, it's the best way to pay down debt." The secret, White says, "is to cultivate a business around something you're already good at." Learn from these five smart-cookie readers, who found ways to make bank without a lot of extra time.
Tonya Bice, 38, Geneva, IL
BIGGEST WEEKEND HAUL: $1,831
When Tonya, a former stock trader turned stay-at-home mom of four, saw a glorious wreath at Pottery Barn eight years ago, she was bummed that it was out of her price range. "I decided if I couldn't buy it, I'd learn how to make it," she says. Now the craft project is her full-fledged business, Twoinspireyou, which she started two years ago when she joined etsy.com, the online marketplace for handmade goods. "I had done craft shows before, but I wasn't great at pitching the products in person," she says. "Etsy really catapulted me to the next level. Thousands of people saw my work, and it spoke for itself." Tonya had her biggest weekend this past spring — making $1,831 — after offering repeat customers free shipping. For newbies looking to cash in, Danielle Maveal, Etsy's manager of seller education, suggests joining one of the site's "sale teams," where like-minded crafters can connect online to get advice from successful designers. "They'll offer tips, such as how to tag your product so it pops up more often when people search on the site. It's all about making it easier for shoppers to find you. Once they do, it's like sparks flying."
Susan Jumonville, 42, Syracuse, UT
BIGGEST WEEKEND HAUL: $1,400
When Susan heard from a neighbor that Once Upon a Child, a child-oriented consignment chain, was opening up in her town, she decided it was time to sell all her daughter's outgrown but carefully stored clothing and toys. Over three days, she dropped off five SUV-filling loads. Susan credits her success to the state of her goods. "Take the time to wash and iron old clothes," she suggests. "They should look like things you'd buy yourself." Susan was surprised when the store rejected brand-name items by Ralph Lauren and Laura Ashley, only to accept stuff from Target. But according to longtime consignment-shop owner Kate Holmes, whose site, howtoconsign.com, offers tips for resalers, "Store owners know their customers and what sells." So before you lug bags and bags of stuff to your neighborhood thrift shop, stop in to see what the place usually stocks, and edit your giveaways to meet their needs.
"Done right, yard sales can bring in good money," says Chris Heiska, founder of the website yardsalequeen.com, where I gleaned many of my tips. Another yard-saler, Carrie Grindle, a mom in Oregon, OH, regularly clears $500a day at her sales. Her strategy: Any time one of her kids outgrows a piece of clothing or tires of a toy, she prices it before tossing it in a box to await the next sale.
"Everyone needs a side hustle," says Jason White, who started the personal finance blog frugaldad.com as a hobby that now brings in cash from ads. "In this economy, it's risky to depend on one source of income. And for most of us, it's the best way to pay down debt." The secret, White says, "is to cultivate a business around something you're already good at." Learn from these five smart-cookie readers, who found ways to make bank without a lot of extra time.
Tonya Bice, 38, Geneva, IL
BIGGEST WEEKEND HAUL: $1,831
When Tonya, a former stock trader turned stay-at-home mom of four, saw a glorious wreath at Pottery Barn eight years ago, she was bummed that it was out of her price range. "I decided if I couldn't buy it, I'd learn how to make it," she says. Now the craft project is her full-fledged business, Twoinspireyou, which she started two years ago when she joined etsy.com, the online marketplace for handmade goods. "I had done craft shows before, but I wasn't great at pitching the products in person," she says. "Etsy really catapulted me to the next level. Thousands of people saw my work, and it spoke for itself." Tonya had her biggest weekend this past spring — making $1,831 — after offering repeat customers free shipping. For newbies looking to cash in, Danielle Maveal, Etsy's manager of seller education, suggests joining one of the site's "sale teams," where like-minded crafters can connect online to get advice from successful designers. "They'll offer tips, such as how to tag your product so it pops up more often when people search on the site. It's all about making it easier for shoppers to find you. Once they do, it's like sparks flying."
Susan Jumonville, 42, Syracuse, UT
BIGGEST WEEKEND HAUL: $1,400
When Susan heard from a neighbor that Once Upon a Child, a child-oriented consignment chain, was opening up in her town, she decided it was time to sell all her daughter's outgrown but carefully stored clothing and toys. Over three days, she dropped off five SUV-filling loads. Susan credits her success to the state of her goods. "Take the time to wash and iron old clothes," she suggests. "They should look like things you'd buy yourself." Susan was surprised when the store rejected brand-name items by Ralph Lauren and Laura Ashley, only to accept stuff from Target. But according to longtime consignment-shop owner Kate Holmes, whose site, howtoconsign.com, offers tips for resalers, "Store owners know their customers and what sells." So before you lug bags and bags of stuff to your neighborhood thrift shop, stop in to see what the place usually stocks, and edit your giveaways to meet their needs.
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