“Another hard day at work from home” is anything but facetious. (Photo Credit: CC BY-ND/Ashley/Flickr)

The U.S. job market has been sluggish to recover from the recession, which means many Americans are still out of work. Work from home opportunities abound, however – and most of them don’t even involve eBay. Here are some work from home ideas to get you started.

Why work from home?

Most people pursue gainful employment because they need money to meet their expenses. However, by working at home or even telecommuting 50 percent of the time, U.S. workers and employers could save more than $750 billion per year, according to the Telework Research Network.

A hefty percentage of that total comes from reduced dependency on oil. Productivity would increase by a projected 6.2 million man-years, which equates to $200 billion worth of labor annually. Businesses would reduce spending on real estate and utilities by at least the same amount each year, while highway maintenance costs and traffic accidents would drop significantly.

What work from home idea is best for you?

Selling on eBay is always an option, although amassing significant returns can be difficult unless you have access to a product everyone wants that can be delivered in great volume at minimal cost. Luckily, there are lots of work from home options you can research online without having to wade through the many work at home scams that tend to congregate on Craigslist (there are some gems, but they’re hard to find). As Clark Howard says, if a company says it will find you a work from home job for a large fee upfront, it’s probably a scam. Avoid the red tape with these work from home ideas. Keep in mind that some may charge a background check fee.

Work from home opportunities to fit your lifestyle

• AlpineAccess.com: After paying $45 for the required background check, AlpineAccess.com can match you with a virtual call center job. Positions typically involve customer service work.
• ConvergysWorkatHome.com: In addition to customer service telephone positions, Convergys can help you find work from home human resources and billing service opportunities.
• Elance.com: A great source for freelance talents who like flexibility. Small businesses look to Elance for web design, programming, SEO, graphic design and copywriting professionals. Bid for jobs, but watch out: Elance is so popular that unless you’re a highly experienced, award-winning professional, you may have to bid lower than you’re comfortable in order to secure work.
• LiveOps.com: Want to work from home as a virtual call center agent for a Fortune 200 company? LiveOps.com can get you there, provided you pay $175 for a more extensive background check than the standard $50 check gets you. A dedicated land phone line for LiveOps.com work only is required.

Worried about work from home scams?

Check with the Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau websites for advice on how to spot work from home scams. It can save you time, money and big headaches.

Sources

Better Business Bureau

Clark Howard

Dr. Phil

Federal Trade Commission

John Tesh has everything you need to work from home

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Finding some Help at Home

There are a lot of people out there these days that really need money now. Unlike when the economy is in decent shape, in these tough financial times it is not just the people you would expect to be in trouble, but almost everyone who is short on cash. Many people are looking for work right now, and others who already have a job are searching for a way to bring in a little more. There are stay-at-home parents who would love to earn some money to contribute to household expenses and students and retirees that would like to bring in some extra cash too. Fortunately there are ways to earn from the comfort of your own home (or coffee shop), as long as you have access to a computer and the internet.

Step Write Up

If you have a background in writing through education and/or experience or just consider yourself to be a decent writer, it is very possible to make a respectable amount of money writing online. If you need money now, this can be a relatively quick way to start earning. Websites need fresh content to help keep their search engine rankings up and many site owners do not want to write the content themselves. If you have writing samples or references available you are already ahead of the game. If not, don’t despair. Get started by writing for a site such as this to build up your portfolio, get some practice and make some money while you are at it. You can also start your own blog. Once you have a few samples, there are countless job boards that post freelance jobs that you can check out and apply for. Just be aware that there are scams out there. Sometimes a potential client will ask you to write a sample for them, but are trying to get writing pieces for nothing.

Learn Internet Marketing for Free

One area that has the potential to be a huge money maker is internet marketing, but it can also use up a lot of your time and make you little to no money too. If you have some spare time on your hands and are interested in learning from some of the best (and most entertaining) internet marketers, it is a good idea to check out a free online course called The 30 Day Challenge. Their slogan is, “There is no charge for awesomeness”. They mean it too; there are no strings here. It is just some very successful internet marketers who walk you through the basics of getting started in internet marketing. It is a truly amazing amount of content that they offer for free and is worth a look if you are interested.

How may I Assist you?

If you have worked as an office assistant or have done clerical work of some sort out in the real world, there are plenty of virtual assistant jobs available online. Virtual assistants provide many of the same services as in-office assistants (word processing, answering calls and emails, book keeping, etc.), but work from the comfort of their own homes. There are many job sites that focus specifically on work from home positions.

Get Online and Start Looking!

Many people who need money now do not realize how many opportunities exist online. Once you start looking you may find that there is so much potential you will never go back to the daily grind. Really, how bad can it be to set your own schedule?

Apply here for Money Now

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Looking for New Opportunities

These are definitely tough economic times and most of us could use at least a little quick cash. A lot of people are out of work and, even though they would like to get a job, they cannot seem to find anywhere that is hiring. While it can be frustrating to sit and wait for an opportunity to open up, if you have a computer and internet connection (or access to them at a friend’s house or local coffee shop) you can find some money making prospects online. Of course, these options are not just for those who have been laid-off or hit by downsizing; they are also great for stay-at-home moms and dads who want to bring in some extra cash for the family, students who want to earn a bit of money in their spare time or retirees who would like to supplement their pension. Not all of these are huge money makers, but they do offer some extra money and some have great potential.

Surveys – One Option, but Probably Not Your Best

If you begin a search for online job opportunities you will undoubtedly come across one offer or another to complete surveys for money. You must be careful when considering getting involved with survey sites. Many are quite legitimate, but some are rip-offs and scams. When you are looking to make some quick cash the last thing you need is to get swindled out of more money. The first thing you need to keep in mind is that you should never pay to join a survey site or for a list of survey sites. There are plenty of sites claiming that you can takes surveys and make more cash than the CEO of a large company. Do not believe them. There can be a bit of money (and free samples, draw entries, etc.) in taking surveys, but they will not earn you large amounts while you sip margaritas by the pool. Also, the people offering lists of big money making sites are just trying to get your money. Sure, they will sell you a list of survey sites, but all of the information they have can be found for free.

What have you got to Sell?

Most of us have items around our house that we can do without. In fact, most of us have items that would do us some good to have cleared out. Why not sign up for a free account on Ebay or a similar auction site and make a profit by selling these things? If you enjoy this way of making money you can either find a wholesaler to buy additional items from to sell for a profit or you can try to pick up items on the same site or others for free or cheap and turn around and sell them for a profit.

Are You Creative?

If you are artistic or crafty you can open up an online shop on a site like Esty.com. On these sites you can list your handmade items under your own store name and with your own prices and policies. Much like Ebay, the site will keep a portion of the money for each item you sell, but they offer a platform to display your items and a steady flow of potential customers.

Stay Organized and have Fun

No matter which of these paths you decide to try, being organized is a must. Keep track of sites you have joined and any orders, sales or offers you have received. Relax and have fun; you may be on your way to making quick cash while you sit at home in your pajamas.

Apply here for Quick Cash Online

Payday loans can be invested in a home business – but you have to work hard to make it worthwhile. (Photo: flickr.com)

When it comes to a payday loan, most people always take one to meet some kind of expense that has mounted and cannot be avoided. One cannot dispute that such requirements are valid. However, there are a set of people who may have borrowed the money for purposes other than just an urgent requirement and also repaid the loan back in time. These are people who can look to make a payday loan work for them.

Investing a Payday Loan in a Home Job

Let us take an example of a newly married couple depending on the wages of the husband or wife to take care of monthly expenses. IF one of the partners does not have a regular job but is capable of taking a loan at high interest and paying it back, they can look to make a small investment in a job that can provide an added source of income. I see no reason why they cannot. There are plenty of jobs available these days where people can work from the comfort of their homes. The world may be facing a recession, but the same is not true of the World Wide Web. There are jobs available, which do not require top-level expertise and can be handled by the layman. People can look out for such jobs even with an investment that costs a lot.

Borrowing Money at High Interest

We are all aware that payday loans come at relatively high interest. Assuming that you have planned about getting a job working from home and are prepared for the same, you can use a loan that you take and make it work for you from day one. If you start making money by the time your next payday arrives, the loan would have been justified, along with the costs.

I’m Not Alone in My Thinking

I am sure that there are people out there who have thought along the same lines. Those enterprising few may also have tried with the idea and may be facing success. They would be thankful to the lender for making the loan available to them without any hassles. The lender too would be happy to have a client who not only borrows the money but also repays in time. You have two happy people out here, both having achieved their ends.

Let’s Be Serious About This

Taking a payday loan to finance a home job is no joke. The person working from home will have to define what he/she wants to do and how much time they are going to devote for the same. The fact that you are making the money work for you does not in any way mean that you can do it slowly. Working from home requires all the time you can spare with the distractions that keep coming your way. However, you will be happy the day you receive your first paycheck from the work you have carried out. Payday loans can be put to many uses. If I ever had to take one for reasons other than an emergency, I would look to make the money work for me.

Apply for Payday Loans HERE!

Need a way to make casual income in an effort to find debt relief? If you know how to do laundry, then you can make a nice little side income doing other people’s laundry. But really, who would pay you to do something they could do themselves? (A side note: If you are a little squeamish about handling someone else’s dirty laundry, try using rubber gloves. Or don’t do this job.) There are, in fact, several people who would pay to have their laundry done.

Senior citizens or those who are limited in their physical abilities may be willing to pay a small amount each week to have their laundry done. Busy professionals who may not have time to do their laundry would be willing to pay to have someone else do their laundry. Think: Dry cleaners. People drop off their dry clean only clothes along with regular laundry because it is more convenient than doing it themselves. Stay at home parents who are juggling child care with a host of other responsibilities would be glad to pay someone else to do their laundry for them. And there are many other people, for one reason or another, who would be glad to be rid of the weekly laundry chore. This is perfect for you, because this job caters to all of these people.

What to Charge

If you’ve read my article about earning money cleaning houses, you know that you can only charge the amount that the market will bear. If you charge too much, you will be out of work. But if you charge too little, you won’t make enough to compensate you for your time. You must be able to make at least the current federal minimum wage per hour, or you may as well look for other work. This job can help you realize debt relief, but you must be able to make enough for it to work.

You must also factor in where you will be doing the laundry. If you are taking the client’s laundry to a Laundromat, then you must either require that your client give you the required amount it takes to do laundry, preferably in quarters, or charge the client extra per hour. This way, you will be compensated fairly. If, however, you are doing laundry at your client’s home, then you may want to charge a little less per hour to make up for the difference.

Where to Find Clients

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This is always a big issue. Whether you are a large business or just starting out, finding customers or clients is paramount to your success. The best place to start finding clients is to post fliers right in the Laundromat. This is where the majority of your market will be who may need or want your services. Still, this is only a small portion of your market. This is why you also need to post an ad in the local newspapers and on local email lists. If you are involved with any local groups, mention that you are looking for laundry clients. There are many ways to find clients, and you do not need to be limited by these suggestions. Use your imagination, and I am sure you will be able to find clients in no time!

Terms and Policies

You will need to develop your own terms and policies that will fit you and your preferences. But whatever you develop, they must be legal and they must protect you and your client. Be sure to have some sort of release that your client signs that basically says that, should something happen through the normal course of doing their laundry, that you are not liable and are exempt from lawsuits, something like that.

Create what works for you and your business. You may thank me later on down the road, should someone decide that you ruined their favorite pair of $100 pants.

Grow…or Not

Once you have plenty of clients, and you are making a decent income, you will need to decide if you want to grow your service into a business and hire employees, or if you want to stay small and do this as a job. There are several advantages to each side, and you should research and evaluate this next step carefully. Take some time to really decide if you want to have the pressures and added responsibilities, along with the extra cash, that comes with a business. By this time, you may have already received debt relief, but you may want more. It’s really your call. Either way, this is a great first step towards financial independence. Good luck!