Ways to Bring in Extra Income With Fibro
When you’re diagnosed with a chronic illness like fibromyalgia, it can be difficult to keep a steady full-time job. The things we used to do aren’t as easy as they once were, and finding sympathetic employers who are willing to reduce duties, reduce hours and allow for extended periods of time off sick when in a fibro flare can be hard to find.
There are many positives to staying in employment, but it’s not always that straight forward —sometimes we need to find new and inventive ways to bring in extra income.
So what are the options? Here are five ways I’ve made some extra cash when working was just too much.
House Sitting
If you feel like the only thing you can do is spend your days at home, then why not make some extra money by spending your time in someone else’s home?
There are often people looking for someone to watch the house, water the plants, feed the fish or keep the cats company while they go away on holiday. Often people would rather leave this to people they know, so keep engaged with your local community groups and neighbours as you never know when opportunities will pop up.
Mystery Shopping
There are hundreds of companies looking for mystery shoppers to test their products or sample their customer service, and then report back. Some pay cash for this, while others allow you to keep the product for free.
Your preference depends on the best sites to register with, but there are people who earn a decent amount of money just by giving their honest opinion on the products and service they receive.
Sharing Your Story
Fibromyalgia is becoming more and more widely talked about, and that is in part thanks to the spoonie community who are actively sharing their stories online. If writing is your thing and you feel like you have something useful to add, why not start trying to publish your work to bring in some extra money?
I mean, it’s probably worth warning you that this is not a quick fix — many excellent bloggers have been struggling for years to get paid for their writing, and sadly we live in a society where people still expect something for nothing. This option requires a lot of hard work and determination.
Sell, Sell, Sell
If you’re anything like me, your house is full of stuff you don’t use or don’t need or don’t even like. Why not take to eBay or a similar site and start selling your stuff for money?
Those that do it best take photos, write good descriptions and make a weekly trip to the post office to send out the orders. As you do more of this — and do it well — your account ratings increase and people come back for more.
This way you get to make money and declutter your home — it’s win win!
Airbnb and Equivalents
Some of my friends rent out their flat on Airbnb every time they go away — even if it’s just for the weekend. It’s a great way to make some extra cash, or at the very least cover the costs of your weekend.
Other people I know welcome a bit of company in their home so choose to advertise spare rooms on the site. It’s always worth considering for a bit of extra income.
There are a number of jobs that you can do from home, and more and more organizations are starting to consider flexible working and working from home, so it’s always worth checking this out too.