Summer’s here, and with the warm weather, trips to the beach, kids’ camps, vacations and other summer activities, also comes a slew of…expenses! Of course, the weather’s nicer, we want to spend more time eating and having fun outside…And of course, we end up blowing our (somewhat) tight budgets and going way over our fun (and shoe) allowance.
It can definitely help to make some money on the side to cover your additional expenses this summer. Whether you’re a student looking for a summer job or you’re just browsing around for a side hustle, here are 12 ways you can actually make extra money from the comfort of your home, as long as you have a Wifi connection:
Shop and earn cash back with Ebates! Love to shop online? Well, you’ve found the app that pays you to do it! Not only does it provide you with the best coupons online, but it also pays you money to purchase online. Similar alternatives include:
Save money without thinking with Digit! This awesome app basically allows you to save money without thinking about it, just like that! Basically, what it does is study your money habits, and transfers extra cash from your checking account to your Digit account, if you can afford it (there’s a no overdraft fee guarantee in effect, so you don’t have to worry about hitting the red). The only caveat is that they’re recently started charging their customers a monthly subscription fee of $2.99, which if you think about it, kinda defeats the purpose of saving money, right?
Get cash back with Ibotta! This is a free mobile coupon and cash back app available on iPhone and Android phones. You basically can earn cash back by buying select products, providing proof of purchase, and voila! Think of it as getting paid to shop, what better incentive right?
Gain more referral cash with iGain! This is an affiliate network in which you can earn commissions for each person you refer who can sign up for a survey.The more referrals, the more money in your pocket!
Get paid to express yourself with American Consumer Opinion! Do you like to take surveys? You can now get paid to simply express your opinions on new products, issues, etc. Signup is free too! A similar option is SurveyJunkie, another platform which allows you to get paid for expressing your opinions.
Get healthy and paid with Healthy Wage! What if you were getting paid to get healthy and lose weight? That’s what Healthy Wage does for you. Become a member, join a team and start reaping rewards simply for being healthy!
Bet on your health with Diet Bet! The principle here is similar to Healthy Wage. You basically bet on yourself to lose weight within in a team or by yourself, reach your goal and split the pot!
Get your money back with Paribus! If you’ve purchased an item online and the price happens to subsequently drop, this app will help you get your money back. It tracks your purchases from retailers such as Target, Amazon, or any of the other retailers on its website, and determines if you’re owed a refund. The best part? It also tracks your shipments to ensure you get money back for any late shipping, at times up to the entire shipping fee amount.
Let it go and make money with Letgo! How many times have you looked at all your stuff and realized that you’re not using half of it. This app lets you earn money by getting rid of your unwanted stuff. All you have to do is snap a picture, upload and voila!
Monetize your clutter with Decluttr! As its name indicates, this website will pay for any unwanted books, CDs, DVDs, etc. Time to declutter!
Get paid for your old books with Bookscouter! If you’re like me, you’re probably holding on to your old books from college. You can now easily let them go, and make money through the process, with Bookscouter.
Take beautiful pics with Foap! Like to take beautiful photos with your iPhone? You could actually get paid for them. Foap lets you upload your iPhone pictures to this marketplace, and if someone buys their license, you make money too!
Click BELOW to get your FREE download of my best 12 ways to make extra money online:
Welcome to our weekly career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
In light of the recent workplace shooting in Orlando, TipHero suggests 5 self-defense tips that could save your life during a similar situation at work;
Corporette lists 4 personal safety apps for women who live at home;
Have you heard that US Homeland Security is planning on banning laptops from flights? Inc. tips you off on how to be productive on planes if the ban occurs;
Addicted to your phone? Ellevate Network explains how putting your phone away will lead to more opportunities;
The Glassdoor Blog tips you off on 5 things you need to know about childcare costs and the workplace;
Love to write? Business Insider lists 14 high-paying jobs for people who love to write;
Want to change careers? Forbes advises you to take this step first;
Ellevate Network explains why you don’t need to ask every meeting invite;
You know the feeling…You’re at your desk, staring at the same screen for over an hour, desperately trying to jumble a coherent string of words together. You’re browsing social media, looking at all the people with these amazing careers who are changing the world. You’re listening to the umpteenth podcast of why you should make an impact in your work, and yet, you’re still stuck trying to put together the first sentence of that memo for the department meeting in an hour…
Is it you, the economy, or has summer robbed you of whatever fragile motivation you had left? After all, you have a job, right? And you should be thankful for it, right? Yet, you can’t help but feel this unsettling thing in the pit of your stomach, that you’re not quite where you should be.
If that’s you and you’re wondering where your career really stands, here are 7 signs you’ve hit a professional slump:
You’ve been having the same roles and responsibilities for years.
Yes, certain jobs and functions are pretty static. However, if you haven’t noticed the slightest change in your job duties, or worse, your responsibilities have actually declined, it’s time to consider the big career “S” (as in “career slump”).
What to do: Ask your manager why your roles and responsibilities have remained flat (or even declined) over time. Review your past performance reviews for indicators of areas of improvement, and be willing to have an honest conversation with your boss (and yourself).
You’ve hopped from job to job with the same title and responsibilities.
If your resume is starting to look like an obstacle course with many different employers and pretty much the same job responsibilities, you may be in the slump. Take a look at your work history over the past 3 to 5 years, and if your salary hasn’t improved and your job duties have remained the same, time to consider getting out of this career rut.
What to do: Take some time to go over your work history, and ask yourself what has prompted these career changes. Identify your weaknesses and areas of improvement, and start working on them right where you are. If feasible, share your concerns with your current manager and devise a plan to get to the next level. You may also want to consider if you’re in the right career (use this app to identify your career match).
Employees who came in after you were promoted faster than you.
This one is going to sting, but you’ve got to keep it real. If John was hired a few months after you, and got the promotion you were expecting, it may be a stroke of luck (or interesting office politics) for him. But if a few people hired after you nabbed their promotions and you’re still waiting in line for a professional miracle, it may be time to stop and think.
What to do: Bring it up with your manager during a performance review or even a routine 1-on-1. This is not a matter of comparing yourself with other employees but rather of assessing where you stand in your group or department. Have the courage to ask what’s making you lag behind and what you can do to improve.
You’re not learning anything.
If the last thing you learnt about your field or industry was over a year ago, it’s time to take a breather. A thriving career is one in which you’re constantly learning, evolving and growing. If you’re not exposed to any new material, responsibility or topic, then you’re lagging behind.
What to do: Make a quick inventory of any new skills or information you may have acquired in the past year. If the list is nowhere close to being satisfying, first ask yourself if you’re not putting enough effort to learn. Then have a conversation with your management to identify areas in which you can learn and acquire new skills over the next year.
Communication is coming to a standstill.
If your managers and co-workers are limiting their communication with you, it’s time to ask yourself some serious questions. Are topics and ideas being discussed around you that you have no clue about? Does it seem like important talks happen behind closed doors and you’re not part of it? That gut feeling is right, you’ve hit a serious slump’
What to do:It’s important to address miscommunications or lags in communication as soon as they start occurring. Ask your team and managers why you’re not included in key conversations. Even if you’re not getting honest answers, assess the situation and evaluate whether it’s worthwhile for you to stick it out, and what you can do improve it.
Do you recognize these signs? What would you add to this list?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
Welcome to our weekly career, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and fashion news roundup! Think of it as your online watercooler/work gossip station/coffee break spot for now…Want to add anything to our list? Email us at corporate@thecorporatesister.com!
Congrats graduates! But hey, we don’t want you to go broke, so Black Enterprise is tipping you off on everything you need to know about student loans;
Looking for a new gig? Business Insider lists the 15 best states to find a job in 2017;
Hey Mompreneurs! Forbes tells you why being a mom makes you a better entrepreneur;
Speaking of moms, Ellevate Network tips you off on how moms can successfully return to the workplace;
Got the learning bug? The Muse has 10 fun and free classes you can start and finish this week;
Are you running a minority-owned business? Black Enterprise gives you the deeds on getting certified as a minority-owned business;
I’ve been talking to a lot of my girlfriends lately, from all parts of the world, about our careers. The resounding echo I get from these conversations is pretty much the same. For many, if not most of us, we’re looking for more meaning in our work.
It’s not quite the grandiose mid-life crisis, filled with crazy shoe-shopping extravaganzas, trips to exotic locales or fantasies about the perfect man (ok I said fantasies). Neither is it the effervescent fever of the quarter-life, filled with question marks and existential queries of all kinds.
This crisis right here has us question the very meaning of our work. It has us asking ourselves questions like: “What’s my purpose?” “What’s my passion?” “”Heck, do I have a passion?” What am I here to do?”
In between shuttling the kids to and from school and activities, making last minute meal plans, trying to pray the laundry away, we stop and ask ourselves if we’re really fulfilling our purpose. Heck, do we even have a purpose, other than care for everyone else around, go above and beyond at work, home and everywhere in between?
As messages of female empowerment have never been more in our face than ever, it seems to be increasingly difficult to keep our power. We’re called on to slay as we climb the corporate ladder, build businesses, maintain successful relationships and friendships, and still find enough time to exercise, exfoliate and try the latest natural hair product out! Really?
What no one really talks about, at least not loud enough, is the fact that in the midst of what may be the biggest achievement century for women, we’re simply…exhausted! And a bit lost… Even more so as we don’t really have a chance to publicly admit it…
While we’re all about gender equality, female entrepreneurship and everything badass, fierce and slaying for women, many of us are lost. Yes, we’re slaying at work, at home and in business. We’ve got jobs (in the words of RHOA’s Phaedra Parks), kids, side hustles, meal plans, exercise routines, down to scheduled intimacy…
We’ve never been busier, but are we fulfilled? We’ve never been more positive, but are we intentional? We’ve never worn so many hats, but are we productive?
Maybe in this great rush to have it all, do it all and then some, maybe we’re skipping a few steps…That may be why after all the empowerment, the glass ceiling smashing, business dominating and all the slaying we can possibly muster, we’re still left wondering about what work really means to us….And how we can really, truly, achieve meaning through it? Not the meaning the world is looking for, but our own kind of unique, peculiar, flexible meaning….
Just scroll through the timelines of most of your girlfriends, mine included. Most likely, you’ll see gleaming pics of happy vacations, perfect family moments and extreme productivity. With the perfect Insta-worthy background too…
What you won’t see are the doubts, the moments in your car when all you want to do is scream because baby daughter got another late ticket at school, you forgot your left earring and you’d give up dessert forever to get a job you really love.
But you know, you’re an adult now, you’ve got to toughen it out and put on your brave face…So you dry your tears, post another positive affirmation on Instagram, and leave the daunting task of finding deeper meaning for your work to tomorrow….
After all it ain’t a crisis if no one knows about it, right?
Let me ask you this: do you agree that many women are trying to find deeper meaning in their work?
