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

Earn Cash By Being Neighborly

Most of us are overworked and often overwhelmed -— and that includes the people who live right near you. If you can help out someone who lives nearby, that’s not just being a good neighbor, that’s also a financially savvy move.

Let’s say you have great culinary skills. Find out if you can regularly cook or go grocery shopping for a neighbor. Someone elderly, sick or shut-in would welcome this help —- and pay you nicely too. Maybe you’re not an ace in the kitchen, but you’re handy around the house. Then why not make some cash helping your neighbors relieve their stress and their workload?

Provide an extra set of hands around the house and earn money for any of these tasks:

• Mow a neighbor’s lawn/clear debris from their yard ($15 to $20 flat fee)
• Shovel their driveway ($15 to $25 flat fee)
• Wash their cars ($10 to $15 flat fee)
• Clean their house ($20 an hour)
• Walk their dogs ($10 an hour)

By the way, now is not the time to be too proud to do some extra work for a neighbor. First of all, all honest and legal work is good work. Also, you may need the extra money for something critical, like your rent or mortgage payment. So if you’re truly cash-strapped, wouldn’t you be way more embarrassed for your neighbors to see you evicted from your apartment or home than you would to offer a neighbor a helping hand?