1) Resell items you don’t use anymore.
Platforms like Poshmark, Mercari, and eBay offer a variety of ways to sell items. Clothes you do not wear anymore, or that children have outgrown are great places to start. Search through your closet for accessories such as purses, hats, shoes, and jewelry to sell. Don’t think people want to purchase pre-worn clothes? Poshmark, alone, boasts stats of 50 million users.
All images by Pexels
Post offices are considered essential services and are open.
*TIP: Poshmark is free to join and free to list items. Poshmark preprinted shipping labels can be printed at home and taped to a free, Priority Mail box from USPS. Drop them off at USPS, or schedule a pick up at your home at usps.com. Poshmark has no upfront fees and you are only charged if the item is sold. For items sold at $15 and under the fee is $2.95. For items over $15, you keep 80%.
2) Take a free, online course to expand your job credentials.
Coursera.org and edx.org offer courses from a variety of schools an institutions including Harvard. Many of these classes are offered for FREE! For an additional fee, acquire a certificate after completing and passing the course. Acquiring a new proficiency is a great way to update your resume to increase your value in the professional world.
Edx.org boasts over 140 + institutions. One of the most popular courses from Coursera.org is Machine Learning from Stanford University. Yale University can help you during this quarantined time with their course, The Science of Well Being to “engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits.”
“Join Coursera for free and learn online. Build skills with courses from top universities like Yale, Michigan, Stanford, and leading companies like Google and IBM.” – Coursera.org
3) Healthcare Coverage
Not having health insurance can financially bankrupt Americans. If you have lost your job, or have a change of income you can potentially qualify for health insurance. Healthcare.gov has an easy questionnaire that can help you determine if you qualify for a special enrollment period. Losing your health insurance or a loss of income are noted as special enrollment exceptions.
“The average cost of a 3-day hospital stay is around $30,000.” Healthcare.gov
California residents can qualify for a special enrollment period as of March 2020. “Covered California announced a special enrollment period for uninsured individuals who need health care coverage amid the COVID-19 pandemic.” Visit https://www.coveredca.com/.
4) Cut costs of monthly subscription services.
Ever wonder how many subscription services you are actually paying for monthly? Many times we get a free 30-day trial and then forget to cancel it.
Simply deleting an app, does not cancel the monthly payment.
How to view your monthly subscription services on your phone
iPhone
Tap Subscriptions. (If you don’t see “Subscriptions,” tap “iTunes & App Store” instead. )
Tap your Apple ID, View, and Sign In
Scroll down and tap Subscriptions
Android
Open the Google Play Store .
Sign in your Google Account.
Tap Menu Subscriptions.
Just think a $9.99 a month subscription costs $119.88 a year. Take that number and times that by a spouse and a child having a subscription, and you are looking at over $359 a year!
5. Use your skills and hobbies virtually to make cash.
Become a freelancer on Upwork.com or Fiverr.com. Put those skills and hobbies to work that produces income.
“A platform for freelancers to offer services to customers worldwide.” Fiverr
People and businesses are looking for your skills. Create an account showcasing your skills and search for jobs that need your expertise. Just click the icon above to get started!
An array of different freelancers post their skills as well as businesses or people posting jobs for freelancers. The gigs range from virtual assistants to drawing comics, and everything in between. If you are out of work and have a specialized skill, many people are looking for your expertise virtually.
It’s fast and easy to get started. Do you have a hobby, for example, calligraphy, and wondered if you could make it a side business? Why not use this downtime to see if that extra hobby you have can make some extra cash this month!