Help! I'm retired. How can I make money

[kerry-is-my-prez]

I hope this isn’t too serious of a topic for this group. There is so much bs out there on how to make money. Any advice?

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Do you mean part time or full time employment?

If you're looking for about $500 or a little more, try being a teacher's aide in your public school. That's 9 to 3. Don't worry that you don't have a degree in education. You have to be patient and explain stuff to kids who need one-on-one instruction and support.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

9. Part time.n/t

[LuckyCharms]

2. Do you have any hobbies that you could make money with?

[Scrivener7]

3. How much do you need, what kind of skills do you have, how mobile

are you?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

7. I'm a good writer and have a masters in social work.

I thought about blogging, being a freelance proofreader or coaching. Those are things that are very highly advertised on the net.

[Scrivener7]

8. I'd stay away from net ads. What kind of money do you need?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

11. Like $5,000 and up.

[Scrivener7]

15. Any possibility of doing part time social work, or social work support?

Or do you want to stay away from that?

My sister was a part time receptionist for the local SPCA. Often charitable places need that kind of worker but they only pay minimum wage. But minimum wage is up and you can feel good about working for a charity.

The gig work economy always has flexible jobs. Drivers, shoppers, etc.

Restaurants in many areas are desperate for wait staff. They would probably be willing to give you short shifts if you are dependable. And you could make more money at that part time job, work fewer hours.

Elder care? I live in a neighborhood with a fair amount of elderly people. I know people who put up flyers for jobs just checking on an elderly person, maybe being there while they shower and dress, maybe making a hot meal and doing errands for them.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

24. Most are full time jobs.

I’m 67 and really don’t want to go back to a full time job.

[Scrivener7]

26. I edited to add a few other suggestions.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

28. Thanks.

[Scrivener7]

34. Good luck. There is stuff out there. Especially service jobs. My cousin has a restaurant in

Florida. He says he's only going to hire over 55s and give them shorter shifts if they want them because they are so much more dependable and pleasant to work with than kids.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

39. I used to be a bartender. I wonder if they would hire someone my age.

Maybe a neighborhood bar.

[Scrivener7]

41. I bet they would.

My cousin says getting dependable employees is the single hardest thing about his job. And he's not one of these restaurant owners who doesn't pay. His staff makes good money. It's just that it tends to be young or transient people.

[Effete Snob]

21. The Red Cross is offering $10 Amazon gift cards for blood donations

You have to wait a few weeks between though.

I can spare you $5k if you need it. A dollar a year for 5000 years.

Another good alternative is religion.

Figure....

If you write some nonsense woo-woo crap, there is a statistical chance that some low percentage of the population will think it is the most inspirational thing they ever saw.

The internet has made it possible to monetize a lot of marginal stuff, so you start roping people to join your inspirational tips and advice for $10 a month.

If you get only 50 people to sign up, that's $500 a month.

Then, you can follow on with merch and the "inner sanctum" where you let people know the really deep truths of the universe for $50 a month. Keep advertising and keep moving recruits up tiers of membership, so you can price differentiate among members - that's how Scientology works.

Don't fall for your own bullshit though, and make sure you read up on the IRS requirements for being recognized as a religion.

With really just a small handful of people, you can roll up a pretty regular return in the spiritual enlightenment biz.

It doesn't have to be nonsense. But people will pay good money to feel good, get over what's bothering them, and feel like they have a purpose. You can provide that valuable service for a lot less than what they might pay to other religions.

[Mr.Bill]

47. Per week, per month, per year?

[Sanity Claws]

18. What about development work for a nonprofit that provides social services?

You might be able to describe the services well to potential funders and help the nonprofits get grants and other funding.

[Luciferous]

4. Find a part-time job? My dad's been retired

for a while and this year he started driving a school bus. Before that he delivered prescriptions for a pharmacy. I think it's mostly to give him something to do. My mom still works and he gets bored.

[mnhtnbb]

49. School bus drivers are in demand here in NC

Some districts are having a terrible time getting drivers.

[Luciferous]

50. Yeah I was surprised he decided to do it

but he seems to be enjoying it. He said that he likes the high school kids the best because they sit on their phones and don't give him any trouble.

[James48]

5. Make sure you use the right copier.

Most of them don’t do a very good job.

[panader0]

6. Grow a cash crop.

[2naSalit]

27. ...

[MacKasey]

10. I have always gotten jobs through people I know

Just put the word out to friends that you are looking. Even if is just a temporary job it could lead to something else

[kerry-is-my-prez]

14. I could get a job as a social worker but would rather work from home.

[Effete Snob]

25. Do you have room for others to sleep there?

Foster home for troubled youths?

[Scrivener7]

35. That is a huge commitment.

[Effete Snob]

37. Depends on the state

Get a metal Quonset hut, some cots and plenty of chain link fencing, some concertina wire and a really big dog.

[Ocelot II]

12. What are your skills and employment background? What would you like to do?

How much work do you want to do? I earn some extra money as a freelance legal writer, which is nice because although there are deadlines I can work at home pretty much at my own pace. There are always retail jobs, and you might find one that's related to your interests. I know a couple of retired people who enjoy and know about gardening so they got part-time jobs at garden centers. There are a lot of job opportunities these days. It all depends on what you know how to do and what you want to do.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

16. What are the requirements for a legal writer?

[Ocelot II]

20. I practiced law for about 20 years, then went into a different line of work

for my full-time employment but stayed current by teaching a law-related course at a local university until I retired from everything. A legal background would be necessary to get legal writing gigs, but you could probably find writing work based on your own career.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

19. My background

I was a social worker and also worked in substance abuse. I was also in banking and Human Resources. But I did a newsletter and did a lot of writing and editing things like manuals.

[Ocelot II]

23. I'm not sure how to market those skills because I don't know those areas,

but if you know people who produce newsletters in those fields you might be able to get some work doing that. A nonprofit might be a possibility, though they might not be able to pay much.

[Shermann]

32. Are you technical at all?

Good tech writers seem to be a rarity in the tech industry. Every company I worked for made the software developers write a lot of the documentation, and the results are never very good. Companies don't seem to want full-time hires, but maybe there's part-time or contract opportunities there?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

33. I used to do SEO but it was several years ago.

[Effete Snob]

13. Do you own a gun?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

17. Nope

[Effete Snob]

22. Wanna buy one?

Once you have a gun, there are a lot of ways to make money.

[Marthe48]

29. Dog walking, pet sitting

House sitting. Also, if you aren't faint of heart, housecleaning. In this part of Ohio, about $20/day for pet sitting, $20.00/hr for housecleaning.

There are some legit sites online where you can earn money by chatting with ESL (English as Second Language) students, work from home.

I'm retired. My husband and I collected antiques and other things for over 40 years. Up to my ears with stuff. I started a booth in a vintage mall last Aug. so I could sell stuff I don't want to keep. So if you have a houseful of stuff and want to downsize, you could try that.

Good luck

[kerry-is-my-prez]

36. The ESL sounds good. Also I have a lot of stuff. Clothes and artwork

N/t

[Bev54]

31. I am Canadian so not sure if this is available in the US as it is here. I work for a security

company, got my license but I only do events, such as concerts, sporting events and other events. I am 69 and not going to get in the middle of a dustup but really what I do is watch, or sometimes stationed at doors to keep people out or in, depending. It is nothing dangerous and I carry a radio, if I need help and rarely am I working alone, if it is a bigger event there will be many of us. It is Canada, after all we don't really worry about guns but in some events, I will be doing bag searches and pat downs. What I really like about it, is I can choose when and at what events I work at. They post the events and we sign up for the ones we want to work. I try to work maybe 1-3 events a month but if I wanted I could work a lot more.

Not sure if something like that is available to you where you live, I found this quite by accident and decided to give it a try. Being doing it for a couple of years now, might go for another year.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

38. That might not be bad idea, although with all the guns

And shootings it might not be too safe here in Florida.

[Bev54]

40. Yeah I don't worry about that here and I live in the city. I am not sure I would feel safe

doing the same thing there either, depending what is available. Likely your security companies would all be armed as well. If it is a smaller town maybe???

[GenThePerservering]

42. There are few openings for writers

and editing/proofreading are dead. I had to go into data mining.

Looking for jobs on the internet is just asking to be spammed endlessly with the same ads for the same copy mills.

If it were me, I'd get a job as a courtesy clerk in a grocery store, greeter at Costco or groundskeeper. Something where I could keep moving around.

As it is, I work part-time selling on online platforms.

You probably have lots of skills you don't even know about, given your varied and skilled background. You might want to see about a skills assessment. There may be areas you never even thought of.

People are looking for workers, though.

[Lifeafter70]

43. Pushing carts as a courtesy clerk is very physical

and at times dangerous. I'm 70 and am still working at a grocery store. People drive way to fast and don't stop for you when you are bringing carts in. But I love working there and that is the only part of my job I hate lol. All employees where I work do every aspect of the grocery industry from ordering, unloading trucks breaking down pallets, stocking, checking and bringing in carts (everyone I work with hates this part of the job). I'm lucky enough to still be in good physical health to do all of the above. I do earn a decent wage with benifits and plan on working til I'm 75.

[GenThePerservering]

44. I used to work as a bike messenger

and I get around by bike - I'm really hard to intimidate. But yeah, people can be real dicks in parking lots - the drive through them like it's the danged street.

I think carrying groceries out for older folks and those with health issues or whatever would be my favourite part of the job - I just do it now if I see someone struggling. But good on you and I think it's neat that employees where you work participate in every aspect of the grocery industry - that means everyone can do everything and pitch in anywhere.

I work part time running my internet sales and do everything from obtaining inventory through the packing and shipping, so it's a run-around job. My other part time job is research.

[Lifeafter70]

45. Interacting with customers is the best part of the job

Occasionally you will get a grump.
What type of research?

[Mr.Bill]

46. I drove cars for car dealerships

Driving cars back from the auctions, transporting between dealerships doing dealer trades, etc.

When you go to the auction to bring bought cars back to the dealer, you usually put 3-5 guys into a sedan or van, then pick up the cars and bring them back. We live about 100 miles from the auction, so it's a four or five hour process. If you live closer to the auction, you may make several trips a day. With the right people, it's just a day out with the guys, and we stop for lunch. Some dealers pay by the trip, some by the hour. It's minimum wage, but right now in my state that's $15.50 an hour. I stopped doing it when the pandemic hit, and I haven't gone back to it yet, but it was a easy way to make a few hundred bucks or so a week just working a few days. Smaller car lots will sometimes pay in cash.

Also, this is one job where age discrimination works in our favor. Dealerships want no one but senior citizens for this job. To them it's a no brainer who will drive safely and not abuse the cars. A good driving record is essential, though.

[DFW]

48. Do you know anything about collectibles? Manuscripts, coins, antiques?

Going around flea markets and yard sales can sometimes make you money if you know what you're doing.

About 15 years ago, a penniless Iraq vet in Ohio saw an old pamphlet at a yard sale in Ohio, and bought it for a few bucks. He showed it to a friend who thought it might be worth something. they sent it down to Heritage Auctions in Dallas, who has a department that is knowledgeable in the field, and is still small enough to be willing to accept objects that don't go into the millions.

It turned to be an original printing of the Federalist papers! Not in the greatest of condition, it still brought over $80,000 or so, and when they heard of the guy's financial straits, they even waved the seller's fee, which had to be something like 20%. This is the same outfit that sold the Muratov Nobel Prize Medal for $103,500,000 and did it for free, since the entire selling price was designated in advance to go help Ukrainian children.

[Emile]

51. Garden and farmers market.