Welcome back! Last week I introduced you to multiple streams of income, how they work and why they are so important. If you missed that post you can read it here.
Now that you understand how important those side income streams can be, let’s take a look at the income streams that my husband and I have ACTUALLY done over the last 15 years.
My goal for sharing the ways we make money is to inspire you! I want you to begin thinking about what income streams YOU could start so you can make a difference in your financial life.
Never underestimate small beginnings. Starting small gives you a place to grow and helps you figure out what streams you like best.
The big thing here is this – I want you to begin to believe that you CAN earn money from home and in different ways! Anything is possible with belief and a willingness to learn – then work hard to make it happen.
Just a few things before we start – keep in mind that it took us a long time to get all of these up and going. It didn’t happen overnight. Our first “extra” income stream began over 16 years ago! And we have added to that over time. We are currently adding to these streams and I will go into that at the end of this post.
Below I will go into the different income streams we have created and how we got started with each one.
Keep in mind – the income streams below are OUTSIDE of my husband’s university job (he is a college professor). So, if you add his salary from his day job – I guess we have SIX income streams!
Let’s dive in…
Income stream #1:
Ebay sales
I have sold items on eBay for at least 5 years. I am always on the lookout for anything that would sell for a good price on this platform. I make anywhere from $150 to up over $1,000 a month from this one source. It all depends on how hard I work it and what I have to list.
Anyone can do this – all you need is items to sell. I suggest starting in your house first. What do you have that you aren’t using or don’t need anymore. Although you can sell just about anything – the easiest items to sell are kids clothes! I usually sell them in lots if I can. Meaning, if I have 5 pairs of jeans that are all the same size I will list them together.
Other items I have sold are gun holsters, collectables, sports stuff (swimming fins, knee pads, etc), electronics, sound equipment, diabetic test strips and much more! Anything will sell!
I started this when we needed additional income to pay off debt in 2009. I started with things around my house and then branched out from there.
My favorite part of this type of income stream – there really isn’t a risk. You are selling items you already have and if they don’t sell you aren’t out any money.
My big recommendation: Be completely honest in your listing! If you are selling shoes and there is slight wear on the soles – say that in the written portion of the listing AND show it in the images you publish. If you are selling a dress that is in great condition OTHER than a tiny stain on the sleeve – say that and show it! If you are honest, you will earn great feedback scores (these are scores you receive from the buyer letting other buyers know if you are a good seller to do business with). You want 100% feedback! So be sure you are honest!
Income Stream #2:
eBooks
My husband is a college professor and is actually the one who has developed this income stream. He uses Kindle Publishing and it has worked well for us so far. We haven’t made a ton of money but the several thousand we have made has been a great way to save for our retirement accounts and other places we wanted to funnel that money.
The income from this is up and down BUT we don’t really market the books at this point. My husband is a very busy college professor and wrote them mainly as a resource for his clients and the students he teaches. He plans on starting a marketing plan in the near future.
The books are sold on Amazon and they handle everything from collecting payment, printing the books and shipping them to the customer. Jeff started this income stream as a way to help his clients who are struggling with achieving dreams in their life or those struggling with depression.
If you are interested in seeing his books you can click the links below.
How to Get What You Want When You Want it: Overcoming Obstacles to Achieve Success
Piercing the Darkness of Depression: A Pathway to Understanding and Recovery
If you are interested in writing your own book – You can set up an account at www.kdp.amazon.com . This website allows you to upload your book, set a price, decide where to sell it (countries) and several other options. Once the book is LIVE – you are done! You don’t have to do anything else! Buyers can purchase your book through Amazon (a physical copy or an e-copy) and you’ll receive a payment once a month from the books that are sold!
Side note: You’ll do much better in sales and income if you market your book through social media and Pinterest.
Income stream #3
Blogging
This is my new favorite income source! I started a blog in August of 2018 so I could share what I love talking about – money and family! I get to work when I want to, help moms who desperately want to get home to their kids and I finally do work that matters.
Blogging is something anyone can do. If you are good at something, would love to share it with others AND would like to start making money from home then blogging just might be your answer.
Curious how I make money blogging? That’s a fair question. At this point I am not selling any of my own products so I make money through affiliate marketing. You can take a look at this post to see the multiple ways blogs make money.
I started this income stream after I was laid off through text message. Yep, you read that right! My boss thought laying me off through text message was a good idea. All is good now – but that day and that situation taught me something. I was DONE working for someone! I was ready to take the plunge and be in charge of my own life. I was ready to decide when I worked, how long I worked and what I did on a daily basis. Blogging was born out of my desire to not only create a life I loved – but also to bring other mom’s with me! I wanted to give other moms what they want! To be home with their kids!
I have included a couple of resources for you just below. Be sure to check those out if you are interested in taking a closer look at blogging as a side income stream.
Side note: Blogging generally takes time to build and grow a following. However, if you can stick with it, in time you have the potential to earn a very good income from the comfort of home.
Income stream #4
Rent Houses
This is a big one and is our longest standing “extra” income stream. Rental income has has been a part of our lives for over 16 years!
Although we have owned several rentals through the years, we currently just have 2. We lived in both of these houses at one time and rather than selling them when we were ready to move, we opted to keep them and just rent them out.
They have ALWAYS been occupied and have never been empty for more than 10 days.
We make about $550 profit each month combined from these two properties. This is after mortgage and expenses.
Real estate is a great way to increase your net worth AND make money on a monthly basis.
My biggest recommendation: Make sure you are very stable financially before getting into this type of investment. YOU are responsible for all repairs! If (or should I say, when) anything goes out (AC, heat, flooding, roof) YOU have to fork over the money for the repair. I highly recommend a large savings account before getting into this type of income stream. Without that savings cushion, you can in trouble quick!
Income stream #5
Apartment investing.
This is our newest form of passive income. We were introduced to apartment investing by a friend some time back and after researching it – we decided it was a great fit for our situation.
The short version is this – a lead investor looks for “passive” investors (people who would like to be silent owners in an apartment complex). Typically, the apartment complex needs repair but is in a good location and would do well with a rehab. Once the passive investors come together, they each invest a portion of money so the complex can be purchased by the lead investor.
Once the apartment complex is purchased, the passive investors receive quarterly checks until the rehab is complete and the complex is sold. Once the complex is sold, the idea is to get your initial investment back plus a portion of the profits from the sale of the complex.
We are in the stage where we receive quarterly checks and will remain in that stage until the complex is sold in the next few years.
So far, this has been a great way to receive passive income. It is a great side stream for us and requires NO work on our part. We invested in the beginning and don’t have to do anything from this point forward. We make about $6,000 a year from this one investment and our plan is to buy into another apartment complex this year. Adding another complex to our portfolio will add to the passive income we receive potentially doubling that income yearly.
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There you have it! Those are the five income streams we currently have. Not rocket science and nothing earth shattering. The great thing here is – some of this money – just shows up long after the work has been done!
Some require a large investment (apartments and rent houses) and others require a lot of time to get them going (eBooks and blogging). ALL of them pay you money though long after the work is done.
If you have a chunk of money laying around then rental properties or apartment investing might be a great fit for you.
If you don’t have any money for an investment that large then you are going to want to consider eBooks or blogging to get your side income stream started. Click on the image to the right to take a closer look into blogging.
Which income stream in this post is the easiest to start?! Great question! I think that selling on eBay is the easiest to start. It requires NO start up money and no risk! Start around your home and sell items you don’t need anymore. This allows you to get your feet wet and start making money quickly.
Bottom line – JUST START SOMETHING! Even if it takes several months to see income you’ll be SO glad you started once that first little bit of money shows up!
You never regret the things in life you tried – only the things you never attempted!
As always, I am forever in your corner!
Tammy
