Make Money Now by Sharing Things You Already Have - Green Idea

There is a huge movement underfoot around making money by sharing your stuff- earning green while being green!  While EBay and Craigslist were the originators of selling things online, the last few years have launched a whole new set of services that are more streamlined and appealing to specific audiences, while also making it easier to crowd-source use and sharing of existing gently used assets already available in your community.  See which of these services would work for you:

SkillShare - Teaching Others Things You Already Know
Have you mastered an art or skill that others often want to learn from you?  Why not create your own learning classroom online to help others out, while also bringing in some extra cash for your time and talent? 


Neighborgoods - Borrow What You Need and Share What You Rarely Use
Instead of buying that thing you really need right now, how about just borrowing it instead?  In most cases, you can "make money" by simply saving money and not charging big items to credit cards.


RelayRides - Share and Rent Cars With Neighbors
In major cities, where people don't even own a car to begin with, there's ZipCar sharing and rental service.  However, if you're in a suburb or remote location, there may not even be a car rental location nearby (I should tell you about my experience in South Dakota).  Maybe you have an extra car that you aren't using, but don't want to sell for those "just in case moments," and it could be earning you some extra cash.  Maybe you just need to "borrow" a car for a few hours but don't want to put your friends out- if so, this may be just the right thing for you.


Poshmark - Share, Buy, and Sell Your Clothing & Accessories
Rather than sending your worn-it-only once, or totally-last-season items to a local consignment shop or Plato's Closet, you can quickly and easily take a photo with your phone and list the closet items you're ready to part with for some extra cash.  Once you find a few people who share your size, it's like being able to raid your friend's closet and knowing that what you're seeing is going to fit and flatter your figure.

AirBnB - Rent Your Extra Rooms, Condos, and Homes
I've already shared how AirBnb made it easy for me to find a place to live in Australia, and if I had an extra room I could rent out, I'd totally list my own space because the people I've met through this service have all been great.  Some people use AirBnb to cover their entire rent and even earn extra cash by simply renting out their apartment while they travel.


Care.com - Earn by Caring for Others
Maybe you don't have anything to offer except your time, and you love helping and caring for others.  Rather than posting to local coffee shop boards, you can share your desire to help others by signing up with Care.com.  If you're looking for a last minute babysitter, weekend dogsitter, or elderly help, you'll be able to find people nearby who can help you out.  A few holidays ago we needed to find a home for our dog to live for two weeks because she wasn't doing well with a regular kennel situation- we were able to find someone on Care.com who cared for her for two weeks and for half the cost of a regular kennel.

Swap.com - Trade for videos, books, games, toys, and movies you want
 Similar to Neighborgoods, but at a national level for smaller items and items you may never want to have returned.  You can list your own, or through the valet service, have Swap.com professionally photograph and list your items for you.

Have you tried any of these services?  Do you know of any others that are great for making the most of what you already have?  Let me know in the comments!

November Desktop Image

Every month or so I change my desktop image to a photograph I've taken and I thought it would be fun to share these images in my blog so that you can download them for your desktop as well! Every month I'll try to post a new image that is suitable for displaying at desktop size and resolution. Click on an image to download a copy for your desktop.





As the days get shorter and the seasons change, more interesting things happen in the sky. I've always been somewhat fascinated with cloud and star patterns, the colors of sunrise and sunset, and how earthly matter relates to the atmospheric energy. Lately I've been so consumed with working that I haven't really made time to watch clouds or stargaze, but there are always a few moments before or after a wedding or engagement session when I have a moment to just stop and take in everything that surrounds me. The two images above are from those very moments. I feel an amazing sense of peace when I just let go of my thoughts, breathe, and admire nature's beauty. There really is beauty everywhere... if we only take a moment to notice it.

October Desktop Image

Every month or so I change my desktop image to a photograph I've taken and I thought it would be fun to share these images in my blog so that you can download them for your desktop as well! Every month I'll try to post a new image that is suitable for displaying at desktop size and resolution. Click on an image to download a copy for your desktop.





This month I wanted something textured for my desktop, something almost 3D. As I was eating lunch, I loved the textures of the rice and meat, but figured I probably shouldn't have food on my desktop or I might be hungry all the time. Then I wanted to do comfortable textures like leather and velvet, but they don't photograph well. Finally I settled on two things that had great texture and depth. By using the macro setting on my little Canon PowerShot, I was able to get the super close-ups you see here. Any thoughts on what these items actually are?

September Desktop Image

Every month or so I change my desktop image to a photograph I've taken and I thought it would be fun to share these images in my blog so that you can download them for your desktop as well! Every month I'll try to post a new image that is suitable for displaying at desktop size and resolution. Click on an image to download a copy for your desktop.

Yesterday, as Alex and I were out and about around ISU, we stopped in the instrument repair shop on campus where Kelly would give his French Horn a little TLC. Well, Kelly was also dogsitting for some friends who recently purchased a Puggle, which is a cross breed between a Pug and a Beagle. The pup was so cute that I just had to take a picture! ;-) Her head looks larger than life in this picture, she's really just a cute and tiny thing.




A few days ago I had walked by this tree but didn't have my camera with me, so I knew that I had to find it again the next time I had my camera. I was so struck by the bark and the way it seemed to flake off of the tree with so much color and texture. I'm not sure what kind of tree it is, but it had characteristics similar to birch- a light colored bark, thin trunk, and grew in small groupings. Anyone care to take a guess at what this tree might be?

August Desktop Image

Every month or so I change my desktop image to a photograph I've taken and I thought it would be fun to share these images in my blog so that you can download them for your desktop as well! Every month I'll try to post a new image that is suitable for displaying at desktop size and resolution. Click on an image to download a copy for your desktop.




Normally I would never choose something this busy as a background image, but as I was going through my archives of digital photos, I was surprised that I still had this and had completely forgotten about it. It was actually taken somewhere along the route to Frankenmuth, MI after we got off the highway. I'm pretty sure I caught this image just as we were driving by. First of all, these outhouses are way too small to be anything but decorative items, and they are totally made of junk parts, but isn't there something endearing about them anyway??