3 Easy Money Making Ideas – Clever Ways to Earn a Side Income

Under the shadow of an economic recession where money is tight and jobs are scarce, many people are trying to find ways to earn a little extra cash. These days even part time jobs are difficult to come by. The internet is a great resource to find side jobs, some you can even do from home. There are a number of reliable websites that regularly generate freelance positions and some even offer more permanent employment. Here are three easy money making ideas to get you started adding something to your income.

Writing Articles

If you have a little time, an interest and a flair for writing, articles are a great way to make money while improving your writing skills. Websites like oDesk, eLance or Associated Content offer many writing positions by reputable employers. You can work from home in your spare time. Payment for articles varies greatly. At first you may only receive a couple of dollars per article, but as you build your reputation meeting deadlines with quality work, you can charge more for your time. If you know a lot about a particular subject, eventually you can obtain significant earnings as an expert on sites like About.com. There are many websites and companies that need write ups on topics like fashion, beauty products, technology, travel, and practically any other topic you can think of. Some sites like HubPages even offer opportunities for passive income from the number of views your page gets. For some, this is a huge percentage of their online earnings.

I personally think that HubPages is a great site that offers you the opportunity to earn a little site income and have a lot of fun. So if you're looking for a great money making idea that is fun and creative and you like writing, you can stop reading here. HubPages is exactly what you were looking for. But feel free to read on and take a look at the other ideas.

You can start right away by signing up to HubPages and start writing your own articles. Click here to sign up for HubPages: Click!

Mystery Shopper

A mystery shopper is someone who shares their customer experience with the concerned company or business. This is the perfect job if you enjoy shopping or fine dining or even watching movies at a theater. Being paid to shop may sound to good to be true, but there are many businesses out there that want to ensure good customer service and will pay you to measure employee integrity and the customer experience. Usually you will be asked to go to a particular establishment and rate your satisfaction by filling out a questionnaire or writing a report describing your experience. Some companies even ask for an audio/video recording. In addition to receiving payment for your time, companies will also reimburse you for any purchases.

But you should be aware of scams, as there are many illegitimate websites online. Be suspicious of any website that asks you to pay for some kind of certification, an application fee or access to a directory of positions. Legitimate sites will never ask you to pay for anything. This job doesn't require any certification. Make sure you check out the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) orwww.mysteryshop.org for a list of reputable resources.

Focus Group Participant

Though participating in a focus group will not provide a steady income, this is an easy way to make a little money on the side. Generally, focus groups (sometimes referred to as market research studies) are used by companies to test new products and ideas before releasing them to the public, in which participants will be asked their opinions and thoughts. Many businesses pay big bucks to know what potential consumers think. Usually the session lasts from 30 minutes to 2 hours and payment ranges from $50-$200.

There are many websites devoted to focus group placement and can alert you to studies being conducted in your area. Some popular ones are Consumer Opinion Services, Yahoo! User Research Panel and Matrix Research. Other good sources are your local community bulletin board, often found in grocery stores, libraries and offices. If you're a student, college campuses often open their doors to companies doing market research and may post in student centers, dorm rooms and via email.

The internet is an invaluable resource to finding extra work if your a student who wants some extra money or are suffering from this recent economic downturn. Evaluate your skills and interests and do a little research on what your options are. There are no quick money making ideas out there, and if there were some, everyone would do it. But as you have seen, there are some clever ways to earn a decent side income if you are willing to put in some work. With all the opportunities out there you are bound to discover a means to supplement your income.