Many write on the internet about how you can earn extra money, even from home over the computer. There are an amazing number of ways to pursue incremental income with today’s technology.

Before you leap with excitement to the search engine to identify all the ways you are about to make lots of money from home, you should probably start by thoughtfully considering your goals. What are you trying to achieve?

Are you looking for a short-term boost to your income to accomplish a specific goal, like paying off credit card debt or donating to a church fund to help your community? Are you looking for long-term incremental income that you can do on top of your current daily commitments? Perhaps you are seeking a new profession entirely and want to leave your “day job”. Clearly identifying, and writing down, your objectives can help guide you when you start your search to find the right answer for your situation, personality, and skills.

Ok… I know you are excited but wait just a minute more… nothing is free. All of these activities take time. All too often people refer to the quality of life in regard to only what you can buy and how much stuff you have. In truth, quality of life is more dependent on our ability to be content with what we have. Then we can focus on the true value of our time… we never truly know how much we will have and we can not get any of it back once we use it. So it is very important to consider what time commitment you are willing to put towards any effort to gain incremental income.

Now spend some time setting your goals and limitations (e.g. how much time you are willing to take away from other things you do). Make sure you understand your broader priorities and do not just focus on the pursuit of more money at all costs… that is greed. Then search away to identify a selection of good ideas for earning more income that will work for you!

Don’t forget to evaluate any legal liabilities or safety concerns when selecting something that may be right for you. The following list are just ideas to get your thoughts started… not a recommendation for any specific site, activity, or business.

• Tutor
• Wash cars
• Cut grass
• Clean houses
• Babysit, pet sit or house sit
• Help care for the elderly
• General household chores or handyman activities
• Buy water bottles in bulk and sell them at local events. Easy profit and people will thank you for it unless you overcharge.
• Rent your car through sites like GetAround or RelayRides
• Rent your home through sites like Airbnb or VRBO
• Become a driver with Uber or Lyft
• Hire out through services that coordinate temporary workers
• Sell extra stuff you have at garage sales, Craigs List, eBay, etc
• Look for sites that pay you to try new products or visit stores and provide feedback
• etc…. etc…. etc.

Parting thought… set up a specific time frame to come back and evaluate the activity you selected and compare or steward it to the written objectives you laid out at the start. Is it working as you thought? Did you protect your time and your other priorities (e.g. does your family still know you? still like you?) Just because you started something does not mean you need to keep doing it if it is not working out. That is why you write down your goals/objectives, identify relative priorities, and put constraints on the time commitment before you begin. It is not just about the dollars. It is about the quality of life.

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Remember that all you have belongs to God. Manage your money God’s way. Visit GrowGodsMoney.org .