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More and more of the readers here at The Work at Home Wife are seniors. While most aren’t looking for full-time work-at-home while retired, many are looking to pad their monthly income. Maybe your monthly stipend isn’t stretching quite far enough. Maybe you just want a little extra “fun money” for shopping or travel.
Regardless of the reason, you have so many opportunities to make money in retirement.
Swagbucks
If you are looking for some easy money, you couldn’t get much easier than Swagbucks. Earn SB, or Swagbucks, for activities like watching videos, completing surveys or shopping online. You can then exchange your SB for gift cards or cold, hard cash by PayPal. This is a no-commitment opportunity and they have a smartphone app available so you can earn on the go. Or on your couch. Sign up here.
Search Engine Evaluation
If you are comfortable with technology, Search Engine Evaluation may be a great temporary online gig for you. In this role, you are evaluating Google’s search results for quality and relevancy. The pay is pretty decent, usually around $12 per hour. Sites like Leapforce and Lionbridge hire for these roles on a regular basis.
Mystery Shopping or Merchandising
If you don’t mind leaving the house, consider mystery shopping or merchandising. As a mystery shopper, you will be paid for providing feedback on your shopping experience at a local retailer. The pay isn’t great, but if it’s a store you frequent anyway why not?
You may be familiar with merchandising. You likely see the reps from time to time in your local grocery store or super center handing out samples. These jobs usually pay well though they do require you to be on your feet for an extended period of time.
Sell Handmade Items
If you enjoy creating handmade items, why not get paid for your hobby? Etsy is still the go-to for selling handmade goods like ornaments, scarves and even hand-written calligraphy. If you aren’t comfortable with online skills like Search Engine Optimization or social media marketing, there are some great courses on Udemy that can help you set up a successful shop in no time.
Paid Surveys
There are some great paid surveys out there. There are also a lot of scams. You should never have to pay to complete a survey or sign up to survey companies. Surveys don’t pay well, so that would kind of defeat the purpose.
You are in no way going to get rich from completing surveys nor come close to being able to pay the bills. Accept that for what it is and register only with those sites you know are legitimate. I recommend the following:
Online Juror Opportunities
These opportunities are few and far between, but sitting in on a mock trial as an online juror can be a lot of fun. And you’ll get paid. Mock juries are selected based on demographics and location. If you live in a rural area, you may not find much available.
Rent a Room on Airbnb
We have spoken to some really successful Airbnb hosts in the past. One woman told us she was able to earn over $30,000 during the summer on just one of her rentals. That’s amazing!
You can choose to make only a room available to guests or your whole house if you will be away anyway. Airbnb will help you navigate the process and you will have the opportunity to interview potential guests.
Get Paid to Write
There are so many ways you can get paid to write from home in your spare time. Self-publish that novel you’ve always wanted to write. Write articles for travel magazines. Start a blog of your own.
It’s easy to get started in freelance writing even as a beginner. You just need to have great grammar, spelling and research skills.
Online Tutoring
There are a lot of tutoring opportunities available to remote workers. If you aren’t a retired teacher, don’t worry.
Most English as a Second Language (ESL) tutoring websites do not require a teaching certificate or prior experience. You simply need to be able to communicate well and have the patience to interact with those still learning conversational English.
Get Paid to be on Vacation
Maybe you don’t want to work at home. Maybe you don’t want to stay at home at all. What if you could get paid to travel to a far away land?
Cool Works has an Older and Bolder section that lists some really fun vacation job opportunities. Be an RV camp host in California. Spend the summer as a sous chef at a fishing lodge in Alaska. Live and work in a Buddhist community.
The possibilities are endless. Your pay usually includes room and board. The experience is bound to be priceless.
Business Consulting
Encore has a cool Fellowship program where you can apply the skills you learned over the course of your career towards social good. These are short-term assignments consisting of either part-time hours for a year or full-time hours for six months. The stipend is usually $20,000 to $25,000 per assignment.
Opportunities are limited at this time, but the program is spreading.
Sitting
Match your new small business to your skills and preferences. You can “sit” kids, pets or houses.
Sell Photos
Photography is growing in popularity as equipment becomes less expensive and consumers seek out more affordable options for everything from senior portraits to website images. If you have the skills, you have a lot of great options to consider from selling photos online to photographing events and real estate.
Clothing Alterations & Repairs
If you know your way around a sewing machine, you can make a few bucks doing alterations and clothing repairs. You won’t get rich, but it’s a great way to keep your skills sharp while doing something you enjoy. And maybe it’s time we younger folks do a little more sock darning instead of considering everything disposable.
Clear the Clutter
During your working years, were you “collecting” items in your basement, garage or spare bedroom? Now is a great time to get rid of that stuff. And earn some cash while you’re at it.
If you don’t want to go to the trouble of holding a garage sale, consider listing items on eBay, Facebook Buy-Sell Groups or drop off those boxes at a local consignment store that pays cash upfront.
Host a Dinner Party
I love this idea for so many reasons. Maybe you are living alone and are tired of eating alone as well. Maybe you are simply used to cooking for a large family and are tired of your leftovers going to waste. Or, maybe you just like to host a hopping party. Whatever the reason, you can make money having people over for a meal.
There are many reasons people on the other side of the table are looking to be dinner guests. Maybe they are a little lonely as well. Perhaps they are traveling and looking to experience some real local cuisine. Maybe they just don’t like to cook but like to have friends over. Sites like Eat With don’t judge. They just match hosts with hungry mouths.
Don’t Forget Your Cashback
Even on a budget, you have to do some shopping. Cashback opportunities like Ebates and Ibotta shouldn’t be overlooked.
Ebates will pay you up to 20% cash back on your online shopping. You also earn $5 (plus bonuses) for every friend you refer to the program. The company issues you a check automatically every quarter.
Ibotta is a nifty little smartphone app that allows you to earn cash back on your groceries. I know you have to shop for those! All you need to do is scan your selected rebates and receipt when you get home from the store and your rebate will be in your account within a few hours. You also receive $5 for every friend you refer plus teamwork bonuses. Cash out your earnings to PayPal or redeem for a gift card at your favorite merchant.
As you can see, you have a lot of great opportunities to make money during retirement. This isn’t an all-encompassing list. Do a little brainstorming considering your skills and interests. The perfect option is out there.
