5 Unconventional Ways To Make Money Pre Van Life
When I was in high school and at the very beginning of my work career, I made a promise to myself. I promised that I would never work at a conventional 9-5 job. My goal since I was young was to choose my own hours and be my own boss. So far, I have stuck true to that goal. Here are the top five unconventional ways that I make money pre van life!
1. Reselling Old Clothes
If you are starting Van Life, then chances are you need to downsize your closet and sell your old clothes. I have friends who sell their clothes for cash and easily make over $100 a week (and a penny saved is a penny earned). Go through your clothes, your sister’s clothes, your uncle’s clothes - heck it doesn’t matter! Point is - go through a closet and get rid of clothes you no longer need. There are people out there who will buy those clothes and love them! Not only is it making you money, it’s also SAVING them money & it is a lot better for the environment! So get SELLING!
If you are lost on how to get started with selling your clothes, you must read my break down of how to sell your clothes for cash. This goes over every app and in person store that you could possibly need to start selling your clothes. I also share all of the pros and cons of each option so you know what will work best for you!
For help on downsizing your closet, I have created an easy-to-follow guide just for you! Read it now to see where you should be starting. I have shared all my secrets I used when going through my closet and getting rid of everything that won’t fit in my van!
2. Selling Furniture
Much like selling old clothes, selling furniture is a fairly easy way to get a quick dollar. If you’re planning on living in a van, then downsizing your furniture is a downright necessity! Some of the furniture that I sold included dressers, baskets, a paintball machine and roller skates (obviously I have a very loose definition when it comes to furniture). But needless to say, I had a bunch of random crap lying around the house that were no longer being used. If you are actively looking for things to get rid of, chances are, you’ll find tons!
If you’ve ever considered selling your furniture and other stuff but don’t know where to start you have to read how to sell your stuff for cash. I did all the research on the best places for selling furniture so you don’t have to! This includes a list of places to sell furniture and all of their pros and cons. The goal here is to help you make money as quickly and easily as possible.
3. Tutoring
Tutoring has been the job that has made me the most money recently. I got into tutoring because I love teaching (and learning) from kids. Then, I discovered how much money I was able to make with it by choosing my own hours and rates. You can also decide what grades you prefer to teach - I have been tutoring grades K-8! We have gone over basic things like learning how to read and write, to learning multiplication times tables, to reading Edgar Allan Poe and everything in between.
If you want to start tutoring but don’t know how to get clients, I highly recommend looking online! I joined Facebook groups of people in my area and advertised myself as a tutor there. I started with rates as low as $25 an hour and have slowly slowly raised it to my current rate $45 an hour. Once you get one client, and they see that you are a good tutor, they will start spreading your name like wildfire. Before you know it, you will be booked full time!
A great tip if you are a first time tutor is to look for resources online. There are many free templates that you can print out that work either as a lesson plan, or just a helping tool for your tutoring session. Also, I have HEAVILY relied on YouTube for songs because it is scientifically proven that people remember things easier with a tune to it. Some of my personal favorites include The Pi Song, 3 is a Magic Number, and one that goes, “I want a cookie, want a cookie, W-A-N-T.”
4. Graphic Design
Graphic designing was one of those hobbies that I picked up during quarantine. It was the first time that I had time to pick up my iPad and play around with it. And boy did I LOVE it!
I started by playing around with the Procreate app, then over the past few years, have gone on to freelancing for business branding. Again, my favorite tool that I have used for this is YouTube (they should pay me for how much I talk about it.) It has only been a couple of years since I started graphic design, but I have been able to accomplish things that people who study graphic design in college don’t do. Which is pretty wild if you really think about it! Plus YouTube is free!!
While I have taken a step back from branding, I still love to doodle on Procreate. One of the many things I have designed are these Van Personality stickers! They are live on my shop now!
5. Blog
The final and most exciting way I make money is through this blog! Although I am currently making pennies on my blog, I have big plans for it in the future!
I have spent over a year perfecting it to the blog you see today - this involves trying three different website builders before landing on this one. Thanks to hours of YouTube (again), I have been able to make this dream a possibility.
The ways that I am currently making money on my blog is from ads, and through affiliate programs! It’s a super fun online world that I have learned and am excited to be a part of.
This is just a few of many ways to make money while being your own boss! It takes some extra work and self dedication to go out there ands tart yourself, but it is TOTALLY possible! And TOTALLY worth it!
Start saving up with these 5 unconventional ways to make money pre Van Life!
