賺外快的四條"康莊大道"(圖)
Jennifer Winslow wanted to earn some extra cash without giving up the flexibility of working part time。
珍妮弗•溫斯洛(Jennifer Winslow)希望能在不犧牲做兼職工作所擁有的自由度的前提下賺點額外收入。
An avid cook, she and a friend initially planned to cater meals for busy families. When that turned out to be too time consuming, she tried baking. More than five years later, she has a thriving bakery business in Winslow, Maine (her husband's family has been in town a long time)。
溫斯洛是個熱衷烹飪的廚師。她和她的一個朋友起初打算爲那些無瑕顧及家務事的家庭提供餐飲服務。不過當她發覺這佔用了她太多的時間以後，她嘗試起了烘焙生意。五年多過去了，如今的她在緬因州的溫斯洛(Winslow)擁有了一家蒸蒸日上的烘焙店(她丈夫的家族居住在這個城市已經有很長的時間了)。
Now on her own, she supplies four restaurants with cakes and other sweets and makes desserts for individuals and weddings。
靠着自己的力量，她現在爲四家餐廳供應蛋糕和其他甜點，還爲個人和婚禮制作甜品。
A growing number of Americans would like to follow Mrs. Winslow's example. Job loss, tighter credit and a renewed appreciation for savings is persuading more people to cut expenses。
越來越多的美國人希望能夠步溫斯洛的後塵。失業、信貸緊縮以及人們對儲蓄重新形成的興趣正在讓越來越多的人削減支出。
But you can cut only so far. Two full years of recession have not left many unexamined family expenses. Meanwhile, prices -- from gasoLine to utilities to food -- haven't fallen. And incomes, if you still have one, aren't exactly shooting through the roof. It's time to make some money。
不過你可以削減的部分也就只有這麼多了。整整兩年的經濟衰退讓許多家庭的開支已經無處可減。與此同時，從汽油、水電費到食品的價格卻並未下降。而收入──如果你還有一份收入的話──卻沒有得到大幅度的提升。現在已經到了賺點兒外快的時候了。
幸運的是，即便是不能全職工作和加班，想要多賺些錢還是有很多方法的：比如說，爲寄宿學校的學生提供住宿、經營小本生意以及用你的觀點來賺錢。有些這樣的工作只能獲得一頓免費午餐和10美元的收入，但還有些卻可能賺取不菲的收入，比如說做家教或者出售奶奶戴過的鑽石胸針。
The key, according to Gail Cunningham, a spokeswoman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, is to 'find your skill or what you think would be fun to do.' She says, for example, someone with computer skills may want to teach a class, install computers or create Web sites。
全國信貸諮詢基金會 (National Foundation for Credit Counseling)的發言人蓋爾•坎寧安(Gail Cunningham)表示，關鍵在於"發現自己的專長或者找到自己興趣點所在。"她表示，比如說，有電腦技能的人或許希望能夠授課、安裝電腦或者創建網站。
Think about what are people willing to pay for, says Ms. Cunningham. 'Who do you know and how can you leverage existing relationships. For example, does your dentist need someone to clean the office or does your accountant need someone to cater the Christmas party?
"想想人們願意出錢做的事情，"坎寧安說。"你認識誰，你如何利用現有的關係。"比如說，你的牙醫是否需要有人來打掃辦公室，或者，你的會計師是否需要找人來爲聖誕節晚會準備食物？
1. Sell It: One of the fastest and easiest ways to get extra cash is to sell unwanted and unused stuff. And it's never been easier to make hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You could post a few signs in the neighborhood and sell everything at a Saturday garage sale or you could try the online route with services such as eBay or Craigslist。
1、出售：最迅速、簡單的賺外快方式之一就是賣出那些不需要或沒有用過的東西。現在賺上成百上千美元比以往任何時候都要容易。你可以在住所周圍的地方貼傳單，在週六的車庫大甩賣中賣任何東西，或者，你可以通過像eBay或Craigslist這樣的網站嘗試在網上做買賣。
Linda Lightman first tried eBay more than 10 years ago because she wanted to help her sons get more for their old videogames. It was so easy that the former lawyer started selling her old suits. Then, friends asked her to sell theirs。
琳達•萊特曼(Linda Lightman)十年多前第一次接觸到了eBay，當時她希望幫助自己的兒子們爲他們的舊遊戲機賣出更高的價錢。這件事做起來是如此的簡單，因此曾當過律師的萊特曼開始出售她的舊套裝。後來，朋友們開始讓她幫忙銷售他們的東西。
Today, has 50 employees and expects to reach $7 million in sales this year on eBay. 'The economy has been the perfect storm for my business,' Ms. Lightman says. 'More people need cash, and more people are looking for bargains.'
如今，萊特曼的已經擁有了50名僱員。該網站今年在eBay上的銷售額有望達到700萬美元。"經濟形勢對我的生意來說像是個完美風暴，"萊特曼表示。"越來越多的人需要錢，越來越多的人在尋找便宜貨。"
Auction houses also are a popular place to sell potentially valuable items. Alexander Eblen, head of the jewelry and fine timepieces department at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago, says people often don't realize the value of an old watch or grandmother's Art Deco jewelry. For example, a Tiffany broach recently sold for about $68,000.
拍賣會也是個出售貴重物品的好地方。美國拍賣商芝加哥Leslie Hindman Auctioneers珠寶和工藝鐘錶部門的負責人亞歷山大•艾伯林(Alexander Eblen)表示，人們通常都沒有意識到一塊舊手錶或祖母戴的裝飾藝術風格的珠寶價值幾何。舉例來說，一枚蒂芙尼(Tiffany)胸針最近賣出了約 6.8萬美元的高價。
Don't overlook some of the more mundane items, such as books and sports equipment. Many bookstores provide cash or store credits for 'gently' used books. Similarly, stores like Play It Again Sports provide cash and store credits for gently used sports equipment. Check with local stores but they often need golf clubs, ice skates, lacrosse equipment and other gear。
也別忽視那些看起來更家常的物品，比如書籍和運動器材。許多書店爲那些八成新的書籍提供現金或者購物積分獎勵。同樣，像Play It Again Sports這樣的商店也爲那些八成新的運動器材提供現金和購物積分獎勵。聯繫一下本地商店，不過它們通常都需要高爾夫球具、溜冰鞋、曲棍球器材和其他的一些裝備。
2. Rent It: Your home, probably your biggest asset, is a potential source of extra cash. A growing number of people are renting out a room or grabbing a roommate for extra income. It's less difficult for residents in 'destination' locations near colleges, resorts or cities to rent a room or even the house for a few weeks, months or long term。
2、出租：你的家──這或許是你最大的一筆資產，也是獲得額外現金的可能來源。越來越多的人正在將一個房間出租或者找來室友同住以獲得額外收入。對於那些住在毗鄰大學、度假勝地或者大城市這些"目標"場所的居民來說這不是件太困難的事情，他們可以將一個房間或者整棟房屋出租幾周、幾個月或者更長的時間。
Some homeowners prefer using a real-estate agent, others like finding renters themselves, online or through friends. Either way, it's crucial to vet the potential tenant and spell out expectations. Rents vary from a few hundred dollars to thousands in large cities。
有些家庭更喜歡聘用地產中介，而有些人喜歡通過互聯網或者朋友自己找租客。不論是哪一種方式，調查租客的身份和講清楚對租客的期望都非常關鍵。租金則從幾百美元到大城市的上千美元不等。
Another option that's a longtime favorite of students and young adults is earning extra cash for house and pet sitting。
還有一個選擇，這也是一直以來深受學生和年輕人喜愛的賺外快的途徑：那就是照管房屋和看管寵物。
3. Say It: Many businesses are willing to reward individuals for taking opinion polls, testing products or being a secret shopper. The compensation varies, and it's crucial to avoid scams. Work only with reputable companies and avoid anything that requires a membership fee. One place to start is , which lets poll participants choose gift cards, PayPal credits or American Airlines AAdvantage miles. There also are stores such as CVS, whose Advisor program provides consumers who complete surveys with ExtraBucks coupons。
3、表達：許多公司都願意爲參與民意調查、測試產品或者祕密購物的個人給予獎勵。它們的報酬各不相同，不過小心欺詐很重要。只和那些有信用的公司合作，避免參加需要交納會員費的活動。你可以從網站開始，該網站允許參與調查的參與者選擇亞馬遜()禮品卡、PayPal積分或者是美國航空公司(American Airlines) AAdvantage里程獎勵。還有像CVS這樣的商店，它的Advisor項目爲那些完成調查的消費者提供ExtraBucks優惠券。
People won't make much but they might have fun working in a focus group or evaluating products or services as a mystery shopper. Once again, watch out for scams. Don't pay any fees or respond to unsolicited emails. A good place to start is or , the Web site for the Mystery Shopping Providers Association。
人們不會因此賺到很多的錢，不過他們或許會從小組討論或者作爲一名神祕顧客去評價產品和服務中得到樂趣。再次重申，要小心欺詐陷阱。不要交納任何費用，也不要回復任何主動發來的電子郵件。你可以從 和神祕顧客檢測協會(Mystery Shopping Providers Association)的網站開始嘗試。
4. Do It: One of the best ways to earn extra cash is by creating a business using existing skills and interests. An artist may teach a class, a photographer may do weddings and a sports enthusiast may referee or caddy。
4、行動：賺外快的最好方式之一就是利用現有的技能和興趣愛好來創辦自己的生意。藝術工作者可以授課，攝影師可以拍攝婚禮照片，熱衷運動的人或許可以做裁判或是球童。
'What are you volunteering for that you could get paid for?' asks Ms. Cunningham. She says it could be as simple as getting paid for office work or watching your child's classmate after school。
"哪些你在義務承擔的工作其實是可以賺錢的活計？"坎寧安這樣問。她說，賺外快可能非常簡單，比如額外的辦公室工作或者是在下課後幫着照看自己孩子的同學。
One of the most popular and lucrative part-time jobs is to tutor, either for a college-prep class or a specific subject. Typical pay ranges from $30 to more than $100 an hour, depending on where you live。
最受歡迎、也最有利可圖的兼職工作之一就是爲大學預科班或某一科目做家教。根據居住地的不同，收入一般從每小時30美元到每小時100美元以上不等。
Mrs. Winslow always loved to cook. 'People would always ask me if I could bring the dessert if I was going somewhere for dinner,' she says。
溫斯洛一直以來都熱愛烹飪。"如果我要是去哪裏吃晚餐，人們總是會問我是不是要帶甜品來，"她說。
A master at multitasking, she works about 20 hours a week for Jennifer's Edibles. Her advice: 'Start small and do things that are manageable. Don't get so overwhelmed that you want to quit.'
擅長同時處理多種事務的她每週在Jennifer's Edibles工作大約20個小時。她的建議是，"從小事情做起，而且要做那些自己可以做到的事情。不要讓自己過於忙碌以至於萌生退意。"
