I’m so glad to know a lot of you enjoyed Monday’s post on some work from home, side job ideas! Here are some more ideas for you today:

Mystery Shopping, anyone?

While you can’t rely on this one to pay all your bills each month (although some swear by it), you can seriously get paid to shp and eat at great restaurants. You’d then report back to the corporate headquarters on the level of service, cleanliness, and other factors to help improve the future experience for customers. Assignments are typically sporadic. An important note of caution about this type of gig - NEVER pay anything to become an “official” mystery shopper. As with all work at home jobs, a legitimate opportunity will NOT ask you for money. Check out Mysteryshop.org for more information.

Concierge Services

Could you handle phone, email and online customer service inquiries for services that range from making dinner suggestions and reservations, to planning a vacation for working professionals? Home-based concierge agents, such as those from VIPdesk, are constantly working to meet both common and quirky requests by clients. VIPdesk’s clients range from executives to average employees, all of who are willing to pay for such services of convenience. VIPdesk typically hires highly resourceful people who have previous experience in customer service and/or hospitality. Visit vipdesk.com for more info. Who knows, maybe they will even inspire you to start your own online concierge business! The need is growing.

Culinary Consultants

Love to cook? More importantly, CAN you cook? If so, consider becoming a home-based consultant for Chefsline.com, a service that provides live, professional culinary advice to anyone who needs help in the kitchen. While a culinary degree is preferred, it is not required. Pay rates range from $7.50 to $30 an hour, depending on expertise. In line with this, there are other similar companies that call for people to handle customer and client calls from homes. These companies include gyms, diet centers, etc.

Become a Blogger
As you all may know (you’re reading this, right?), blogging and media sharing on the Internet is huge right now. Advertising dollars are being raked in. Websites such as Eefoof.com allow users to post videos and photos, and then receive a percentage of the site’s revenue, generated from advertising associated with page views and clicks to the content. Simply put, the harder you work to promote your own videos and photos, the more money you can earn.

You can also create your own blog at Blogger.com, if you have not done so already. Set up your own page and create alluring content to attract readers to your stuff. To make money, add the site’s AdSense feature, which allows ads to be included on your blog page. Then, each time a viewer clicks through on the ad on your blog page, in comes the money.

Verify Sales Calls

Many verification operators work from home. Their job is to come onto the phone line to confirm your choices. You can apply online at VoiceLog.com, a leading provider of third-party verification services.

Medical Coding and Transcription

Several companies hire home-based workers with the skills and experience to provide both medical coding and transcription services. Make note that it is very difficult for entry-level, inexperienced candidates to get hired to perform such work from home. This is by no means the “get-rich-quick” line of work. These opportunities can be checked out at Medquist.com, Healthiva.com, and Precysesolutions.com.

Direct Sales

More than 14 million people now work as independent contractors in direct sales. And it’s not just Avon and Tupperware anymore - you can basically find anything to sell that piques your interest. Into health and wellness? Try TiensNA.com. Like fine wine? Go to TheTravelingVineyard.com. Check out the CarlisleCollection.com for high-end clothing sales. If you like toys, check out DiscoveryToysInc.com.

And guess what? I’ll have even more ideas for you on Friday!

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