Earn On The SideCash In Your Spare Time

One of the most important ways to start making a decent side income is to be creative and start looking outside the box for ways to earn on the side.

A good friend of mine put herself through college by babysitting…  yes, babysitting.  I realize that when most people think of babysitting they think of making $10 bucks an hour to watch bratty kids for a night.  My friend Katie on the other hand made fistfuls of money doing it.  Keep Reading:

I am 28 years old and I am a babysitter.

I get paid $10-15 an hour and around $150-200 per night if I watch the kids overnight. I have a full time job and a Masters degree so I don’t do this for the money now, but many years ago I did this as my only source of income. Now let me rewind and tell you how this all started.

When I was in college, many of my friends had the typical waitress or sales associate job.  I on the other hand didn’t want to do that so I started babysitting and house sitting.   I had grown up around kids and enjoyed being around them enough to know that I make some easy cash while the parents went out for a relaxing night with no kids to worry about.   I started with family friends and at one point made a flyer about house sitting and babysitting and posted them around upper class areas.

My friend and I did this as a team and we immediately started receiving many phone calls. We would go meet with the parents and let them get to know us a little, and would provide excellent references that they could call to learn more about us as well.

As I got older and graduated college, I continued babysitting but was selective on who I would watch and how often.   Its amazing how many jobs you will be offered if you show the parents that you are caring, responsible, and enjoy being with their kids. After all, children are their parents’ biggest responsibility.

I now work a full time job and continue to watch a few of the families that I have grown up with. Some of the families I have been with for almost 10 years now.  At this point, because the parents know and trust me so much, they would rather pay me double what they could pay someone else because they know they can trust me.

I have seen their kids at every stage of their lives and still keep in regular contact with them even when I am not babysitting them.  I have traveled with them, been on private jets, received lavish birthday and Christmas gifts.   However, even all the money and gifts would not be worth it if I didn’t enjoy the kids first and foremost

So, what do you need to do to start babysitting?

• I would suggest to get certified in CPR. Parents will always feel better knowing that their kids are in the hands of someone that knows CPR. Every city should have a plethora of ways of getting certified in CPR.
• Second, talk with your parents or other adults that you know that have kids. Tell them that you are interested in babysitting and to call you if they ever want to have a night out.
• Know what age kids you enjoy and are willing to watch. If you don’t like crying babies, you should not agree to watch babies that are 0-5 months. If you aren’t comfortable with babies at all, then don’t agree to watch them. If you don’t like the terrible twos, then don’t agree to watch two year olds.
• Be up front about your driving record. Parents really like sitters that can drive themselves to and from their house so they don’t need to pick you up. It is also a plus if you are a good driver and can help with after school duties and practices.
• Discuss the going rate up front. Most people pay around $10 as a starting point. But be realistic.  If they have one child that that is extremely easy and you get there at 7pm and he or she goes to bed at 8pm, they should still pay you the hourly rate but don’t push a dollar here or there.
• Lastly, if you start watching the kids and you realize that the trouble you go through with them is not worth the money, don’t agree to watch them again.   Just say that you are busy every time the parents call.

So that is all there is to it. The trick is to find a few families that you truly enjoy from the kids to the parents and be really good to them and they will be really good back to you. If you don’t find yourself getting as many jobs as you would like, try encouraging the families you sit for to recommend you to other parents.  If you want to be really professional you can even create a resume with references and get some free business cards made from Vista Print.

This is a great gig for a college student or even a high school student wanting to earn some extra cash. So, if you like kids and need to make some extra money, what are you waiting for?

Now I’m not saying that everyone should go out and be a babysitter today. I know that personally I would not make a very good babysitter.    What I am saying is that there are a lot of ways to make money on the side that you might overlook.

So think about it, and realize that even if you are babysitting or mowing lawns, every dollar helps.

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