Ask the Money Coach: 5 Ways to Earn More Cash Before Year’s End

Offer to Babysit or Tutor Someone’s Kids

Ask any mother you know -— single moms and married women alike —- if they could use a break now and again from the kids, and you’re likely to get a resounding: Yes! As mothers we love our children, of course. But it’s a real help when we get a babysitter to take over for a few hours. Regularly-scheduled help is even better.

If you’re not cracked up to babysit someone’s kids—and by all means, only offer if you actually like children!—then maybe you can use a special talent or knowledge you possess to tutor a young person. Kids want and need special help or lessons in all kinds of areas, and many parents are willing to pay for that help.

Tutoring areas in demand include: reading, writing, math, science, sports, playing musical instruments and so on. Helping a child makes you a mentor, and gets you paid in the process. And by the way, you don’t have to be a whiz in any of these areas. As long as you’re proficient in a given subject or activity, that’s usually just fine for elementary or middle school-age children.