When times are tough, people dig into their nest eggs, which is good for the economy but not so great for your long-term financial health. The prospect of poverty in retirement—homemade Depends, cat food for dinner—doesn’t change the fact that many people are limited by their circumstances.

The day’s too short for most of us to earn enough for everything we need. Of course need is a relative term. Do we need a diversified collection of heels, wedges, and strappy sandals? Hell yeah we do—what are we, Amish? But today’s post isn’t about working for stuff. It’s about making your stuff work for you.

 

According to the site, Americans use 80% of the things they own less than once a month. (That likely doesn’t include your iPod or mobile phone, which most people have surgically attached.) Anyone anywhere can offer an item for rent, like a fancy handbag, a GPS device, or a pricey power tool. The site provides a rental income simulator to help you calculate what your things can make you.

 

You don’t need to siphon gas to finance with your insane commute. If you drive over 1,000 miles a month, you may be eligible for free fuel through the FreeGasHelp.com advertising program. You'll have to sell your soul by promoting corporations via door magnets and more aggressive ad coverage. But really, who needs a soul if you’re living on hot dogs and Kool-Aid?

 

Even if photography is just a hobby, you could still take in hundreds of dollars monthly just by posting your photos on Shutterstock. Web designers, graphic artists, and magazine editors subscribe to the site. Every time one of them downloads one of your photos, you make $.25. If you get 2,000 downloads in a month that’s $500. Your kid looks insanely cute trying on your heels. Wouldn’t it give you a warm fuzzy feeling to see that image branded and posted on the net?

 

The site supports nine different product categories, including mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, and satellite radios. You tell them what you have, they send you a box so you can ship it to them for free, and then they send you money within 10 business days. You can earn $50–$150 depending on the item. There are a few other similar sites that also pay cash for electronics, so look around before parting with your palm.

 

Anne Bokma of CanadianLiving wrote an article called 7 Ways Your Home Can Make You Money. The first tip suggests renting out a room, but that isn’t for everyone (like me, since I only have two rooms and find most people annoying). Some of the other ideas are kind of interesting. For example, Norm Gill, a retired school district employee, makes $300 a month renting out two parking spaces in his garage. Another idea is to rent your property as a set for commercials or movies. This is probably about as easy as scoring a role opposite Brad Pitt, but it’s worth consideration. This article in the Los Angeles Times explores the idea more in-depth.