Want to increase your income? Here are some ideas you don’t want to write off.

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The more money you can earn, the more you will be able to increase your savings and meet your various financial goals. And while snagging a raise at work is an easy ticket to higher earnings, your employer may not be so quick to comply. Thus, earning more money can reduce to getting creative with a side gig. Here are a few potential income-boosters it pays to consider, especially if you’re ready to start putting more money in the Bank.

Usually organized by marketing firms, focus groups allow companies to gather feedback on a new or existing product or service. Just Google the term “find focus groups near me” and you will be taken to several sites where you can register to participate. Focus group incomes can vary, but to give you some context when I got married, I signed up for a 90-minute focus group that included searching for various wedding magazines and answering some questions-and I came out $ 150 richer.

Heads-up, however: Some marketing firms would like to have “fresh” focus groups of subjects, so you may not be able to participate more than once every few months.

Here’s a little secret you should know about parents: Those with no family nearby tend to be desperate for help with childcare, which means they often pay quite a penny for the chance to escape their homes overnight. Take it from me – I’m one of them. Babysitters in my neck of the woods can usually make anywhere from $ 12 to $ 20 an hour, and if you think you’re not good with kids, remember that often, parents want to go out for the night, and if you’re lucky, those little critters will sleep half the time you’re there anywa Y.

It may seem a bit old school, but spending a few hours with unwanted property displayed across the front lawn can give you some serious bucks. Of course, you will need to invest a little time in advertising your yard sale to make sure you get enough leg movement to make it worthwhile. This is what my neighbors did when they held their yard sale last year, and in less than a day, they took about $ 500 in cash and got rid of a lot of trash they didn’t need anyway.

You don’t necessarily have to attend in-person focus groups to give companies paid feedback on their products. You can sign up to be a product tester and do the same job from the comfort of your home. Although the payment is usually not as generous as for live focus groups, you often get to keep products in question, which you are then free to sell for – you guessed it-more money. Again, a basic Google search will open doors to a variety of possibilities. Better yet, if there is a company out there whose products you are a fan of, try visiting its website directly to learn about the testing opportunities out there.

Participating in medical research or trials is a great way to make serious money. However, there Are certain physical and health-related requirements that you must fulfill to land this kind of concert, so not everyone will qualify. And the notion of putting questionable drugs in your body may not sit well with you. But if you’re not concerned about serious health consequences, check out ClinicalTrials.gov and see what’s out there because the pay can be huge.

Human hair is hard to come by, but it is necessary for the natural look of wigs. So some manufacturers will pay quite a premium for the extra locks. Of course, the better your hair, the more money it will earn you. And if your hair has been bleached or dyed, that could disqualify you from selling. But know this: a friend of mine sold about a foot of her hair last year and made over $ 100 for it. Given that she plans to cut it anyway, it was pretty easy cash.

These children’s sports leagues you can see, taking care of your local parks don’t work for yourself. Sometimes they are staffed by volunteers, but often, they rely on part-time workers to come and act as coaches or referees. If you have the patience for this kind of gig, you can rake in some serious dough on weekends. Our children’s soccer League, for example, pays referees $ 20 for an hour’s play.

The problem with Babysitting is having to deal with other people’s children. If this sounds unappealing to you, even better concert to carry out this house-sitting. Generally, all you have to do as a house-sitter is take in people, water your plants, or do basic tasks to make sure the place is well kept in their absence. You can find concerts on sites like HouseSitter.com.

Having more money gives you more flexibility to do what you want or need to do in life. If you’ve been hitting the wall on the earnings front, think about these less traditional ways to give your income a boost in the right direction.

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