One question military spouses often have is how to make some extra money. Sometimes that military paycheck just isn’t big enough, or something the spouse is in-between careers, or unable to work a full-time job.
If you ask this question in a military spouse Facebook group you are bound to get plenty of MLM/Direct Sales ideas. While these can work for some people, I don’t want to talk about those money-making opportunities in this post.
I wanted to bring up a few ideas I have either personal experience with or have friends who have used these methods to make some money. They won’t all work for everyone. For example, you will never catch me wanting to drive for Uber. Nope. I hate driving and would not be able to do that job, but I do know about freelance writing.
So, if you are looking for ways to make some extra money, here are 5 ideas that might just work for you:
Uber/Lyft
Do you like to drive? Don’t mind taking people places? If so, you might want to check out driving for Uber or Lyft. While both companies are a rideshare service, they can be a little different in how they work.
Basically, you would apply to drive for them, some drivers do both. Then, when you are approved and up and running, you would turn the app on when you wanted to work and pick up people using the service and take them where they want to go. You would need to have a reliable vehicle and keep it clean and in good shape.
If you don’t mind driving but don’t want to take people places, Door Dash can be a good option. You would pick up people’s food and restaurant orders and deliver them. Some orders would already be called in and you would just pick them up and others you would need to place the order yourself. Grubhub, BitSquad, and UberEats are similar companies.
Substitute Teaching
Do you have a degree? Do you love children? Always wanted to be a teacher but don’t want to do so full-time? You might consider becoming a substitute teacher.
How much you make will depend on where you live and your educational background. Check with your local school district to see what your options are. The best part is, if you have school-age children, you would work when they are in school too.
Freelance Writing
I accepted my first freelance writing job about 7 years ago and been moving forward ever since. I love the flexibility of my job. There are so many options out there too.
Want to get started with freelance writing yourself? Your first step would be to make sure you have your own blog or website to show your own work. You want people to be able to see what you have written.
You can find jobs by pitching to websites that pay writers, finding jobs through networking, or applying for jobs on websites and jobs boards such as Problogger, All Freelance Writing, or even LinkedIn Jobs.
Babysitting
So many military spouses are looking for babysitters. Some may just want someone so they can run to the Commissary by themselves during a deployment. Others might need someone more long term.
You can also look into becoming an FCC provider through your military installation. If you go this route you will be vetted and will need to comply with the regulations. Keep in mind that if you live on a military installation you will be limited in the number of hours you can babysit without becoming an FCC provider.
Have you used anything of these methods to make extra money? What has worked for you?
