Ideas for Side Income

Hey guys --

Thanks for the warm welcome back to the blogosphere :)

One of my goals for 2010/2011 is to bring in some side income - preferably $25+ a month, part-time (non 9-5, M-F) or freelance.

A few of my friends have side gigs doing graphic design, coding, or tutoring. Other friends work part-time (weekends or nights) in retail or in the restaurant industry. My roommate, for example, has 2 jobs -- she works full-time as a buyer for a department store and 2 nights a week as a hostess at a trendy bar. I'm amazed by her stamina -- I'm usually so exhausted from my day job that I vegetate all night when I get home -- she somehow musters up enough energy to greet people and be on her feet for another 5 hours.

The idea that appeals the most to me is doing some freelance photography -- at weddings, events, engagement photos, etc. Photography has been a hobby of mine since high school, but I started getting serious about it last summer when the BF gave me his DSLR on perma-loan. It's a Canon XTi, and I've fitted it with a sweet non-kit lens. I shot my friend's bridal shower last weekend and got great reviews for my photos.

My plan is to start building a portfolio -- two of my close friends are getting married in the next 6 months, so I'll have some great opportunities to play (un)official photographer. Once I get a small portfolio built up, I'll set up a website with some of my work and advertise my photography services on Craigslist. Just today, I saw an ad on CL from a guy looking for an amateur photographer to take pictures of his upcoming proposal to his girlfriend. The gig probably wouldn't have paid much (~$100) but, hey, photography is so much fun for me that I'd probably do it for free -- I might as well try to make some money from it!

Anyway, thanks for reading. I'll keep you all posted on the progress of my side hustle ;-)

-Bacon