what do you do to make extra income (in addition to your day job)?

[my54ford]

take kickbacks from vendors.........................buy and sell guns.......

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by Greybear

Looking for options across the entire spectrum...from having a garden and selling your crop at the farmers market to investing in housing/real estate?

I restore antique tractors which sell very well to "gentlemen farmers" buying up all the small acreage farms in the Southwest. Every now and then I pick up a vehicle to bring back to life but not often. I have a nice Jaguar XJ6 that I am working on at the moment but it takes a back seat to my tractors. Tough work but a heck of a lot more fun than the decades I spent in offices.

[High_Plains_Retired]

And I forgot, rentals.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

I restore antique tractors which sell very well to "gentlemen farmers" buying up all the small acreage farms in the Southwest. ...

Great idea, I was just thinking about selling my Farmall Cub with ~ 10 attachments, but I find myself more 'attached' to it, than my Kubota or tracked Bobcat. (I'm second owner of Cub,) I Fired it up yesterday (first time in a year) to go mow a commercial lot I have in another town. I prefer it's MOTT flail mower to the rotary, since I threw a rock across a busy street and wacked a house last time with the Kubota.

I have a neighbor with a 'small engine' repair service, he is always busy and likes to work at home. (I prefer to be gone from home)

another who is a welder and makes a few alum boats / year + a few production jobs from local manufacturers.

I keep a full machine shop and do repairs and R&D prototypes, but I actually prefer driving trucks, so keep my CDL current and am 'on-call' for a few places. I also do some CAD design in my free time.

My cash cow is to buy and sell trashed homes on acreage, or buy and spiff commercial lots sitting in the way of progress.

The trick is to find something that is much different than your 'day' job and that either pays well or is something you really enjoy. I miss the customers of our 'fresh market' farm that we had for 10 yrs while I worked nights. I don't miss the mandatory berry picking when 'u-pickers' didn't clean the crop. And the income was pitiful... We made more by selling eggs than produce ! (oh for some $.25 apples today and $.10 pears)

Some of my more 'productive' friends have ran screw machines, CNC's, or molding machines in their garages. Since these can run 'unattended', they could really roll in the cash !! (while they sleep !, and when the USA had some manufacturing...) I am hoping (dreaming) for a 're-birth' of manufacturing, I was a toolmaker for many years and it paid REALLY well. Overtime paid even better !

One job I liked was driving and I would bid high and drive snowy routes that the regular drivers hated. I typically set a $$ amount for a toy (usually a tool) and then find a part-time job or a contract that will pay for it. Currently I'm fixing and selling my 50 MPG grease burners. Pretty big demand for those. I intend on building some furniture to sell next winter.

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by janb

Great idea, I was just thinking about selling my Farmall Cub with ~ 10 attachments, ...

My family's commercial buildings here in west Texas are what got me into the small mowing tractors. The property is located on the main drag in town and people would often stop me while I was mowing and want to buy my tractor and shredder. After this happened several times, I decided to come out of retirement.

I've driven trucks (swinging meat) which we loaded on Santa Fe piggyback rail cars back when trucks were used instead of cranes. I've worked as a machinist for a short time for a large eastern Texas company, was a fighter jet mechanic in the service and had numerous other odd professions before I went back to school. Now retired, I enjoy working with my hands again. I wish I could weld better but I'm getting a really late start in learning.

Right now I'm trying to buy a "trashed" small farm (repo) but mostly for myself and my wife as a country home getaway and a better place to do my restoration work. We are trying to sell the commercial property.

I too would like to see craftsmanship and manufacturing return to America but having seen the direction American auto engineering has gone, I'm not optimistic. Sadly I'm afraid I will be long gone before it happens.

[cook100]

Originally Posted by chris_ut

I wrote a book about my profession that I sell online.

what is your book about?

[elgusano]

I drive a school bus and make stained glass windows year 'round. In addition to that, I teach classes (both making stained glass and Greek for the English speaking student), I drive a tour bus every time the opportunity presents itself, I drive a bus for firefighters when we have a forest fire, I have written one book that I make a little money on, I sell a t-shirt, and since I used to make my living on eBay (before it became a giant yard sale), I still buy a few collectibles here and there to sell on eBay.

[Fearless Kid]

I previously had a home-based business that allowed me to work only part-time. Currently, I'm in the forex market, this is truly passive-walk away income.

-Angel