Over at MSN Money there is a blog post on 52 ways to make extra money to reduce debt and cover expenses. While there were some good ideas, I questioned the wisdome others. If you’re already working or looking for a career job full time, do you really want to have the time and expense of a job like pizza delivery? Now I’m not saying that pizza delivery is a bad job. All work the helps pay the bills is good in my book (as long as its legal). But jobs don’t just make money, they cost money too. In the pizza delivery case, even if you’re reimbursed for mileage, it probably doesn’t cover wear tear on the car. And then there is time. The average job is 8 hours, but the actual time related to the job (getting ready, getting there, getting home) is always longer. Some families may need childcare. Once you factor all that in, does pizza delivery pay enough? Expecially since pizza delivery probably offers shifts much shorter than 8 hours.

Waiting tables might be a better option, except waitors are paid less than minimum wage which means they need great tips. The post even suggests a program called CashCrate that apparently pays people to try free offers although according the author of the post “the real cash comes from the referral program.” The option that disturbs me the most is #50 “Credit card bonuses. Like the bank accounts, many credit cards will give you bonus cash for opening an account.” We’re in this mess because of credit. And while you can open an account and not use it, odds are that people who are in financial trouble don’t need the temptation of a credit line. Further they may not be approved AND simply applying will lower their credit score.

I’m not trying to put these opportunities down, but when money is tight you have to make sure that any part-time endevor doesn’t just make money but the money made will cover the time and expense involved in the job. Extra income work must get you the most bang for the buck in the least amount of time.

The ideas I like best on the list are:

1) Selling your stuff on eBay or Amazon. Its a great way to make quick cash with stuff you’ve already got. It only costs time as you don’t pay anything until after a sale.  Sell bigger items through Craigslist for free.

2) Sell your skills either to your local area or online. Local services can include childcare, pet care, tutoring or handyman work. Or you can provide a service that can be done virtually such as accounting, writing, customer service, and transcription. Jobs can found using quality job search sites, and using common sense and your skills in sniffing out scams to find freelance or contract work online.

List of extra income ideas can be a help, but odds are you already have what you need to make extra money at home. Tapping into the skills, experience and interests you already have is the best way to find or create extra income, especially if you need it quickly.