While news reports boast that the economy is finally on the upswing recent reports indicate a 9.6% unemployment rate in August 2009 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Those who are unemployed have had to rethink their lifestyle and goals. Life as they knew it is a thing of the past. Even people that are employed realize that there their jobs are in jeopardy and can be taken away at any moment. In order to make ends meet, many people have sought out easy ways to make money online and opportunities that offer immediate payment.
Simple Self-Employment Ideas:
- Join research panels and complete surveys online. Typical pay is $.50 to $1.00 a survey, or entry into sweepstakes.
- Have some great vacation photos? Get paid by sites like shutterstock.com each time someone downloads one.
- Become a direct sales rep for kitchen, food, home goods or jewelry items. Companies such as Pampered Chef and Tastefully Simple offer innovative products that can be sold through home parties.
- Advertise for free on Craigslist.org to be a dog walker, babysitter, house cleaner, errand runner, or handy man. This is a great way to earn quick, tax-free cash.
- Sell items of Craigslist.org for free, or list on Ebay for a small fee. Jeans hold a great resale value on Ebay. Craigslist is a great local tool without the hassles of shipping.
- Use half.com to sell books, dvds and cds. Half.com is not an auction site so there is not a listing fee and the item remains listed until it is sold.
Keep Those Hard Earned Dollars in Your Pocket
Coupon savings are all over the internet. Go to sites such as afullcup.com to save money with a variety of coupons. Target has a link on their site for coupons exclusive to their store. Many manufacturers will send coupons in the mail or via email. If signing up with several different companies for offers is a concern, simply set up a separate email account.
Invest in Yourself
An additional challenge an unemployed person is suddenly faced with is a lot of free time. It can be overwhelming, depressing and frustrating to go from being busy in an office eight hours a day to sitting on the sofa watching bad Jerry Springer reruns. Creating a new schedule is critical for someone who finds themselves suddenly without an office to go to every day.
Keys to Successful Unemployment:
- Maintain your morning and evening routines. Go ahead and stay up an hour later and sleep in a little, but keep consistent times.
- Go to the gym or take a walk, it is important to get out of the house each day. Plus, staying healthy will keep the endorphins flowing!
- Shower and get dressed, this includes putting on shoes. Lingering in pajamas all day is fun at first, but will eventually get old and depressing.
- Only watch a limited amount of television during the day. Having the tv on all day promotes procrastination.
- Do not keep a lot of snack food in the house. Eating out of boredom will pack on pounds.
- Set aside a certain time of day to dedicate to searching for a job. Do not keep additional pages or tabs open for email, Facebook, Twitter, or any other site not related to the task at hand . These distractions will cause your job search to take twice as long.
The most important thing one can do when they are unemployed is know that this too shall pass. It is in adverse times such as this we discover what we are truly made of and how we can make a lot out of a little. Use the time to enjoy time with your family, relax and rethink your priorities. Remember – work to live, don’t live just to work.
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