Middle-class families have always had to find ways to boost their budgets outside of their regular paychecks. Today, there are sites like Taskrabbit, Fivver and Upwork for that.
But before there were any online gigs – before there was any “online” at all – families would have to tap into their friends and neighbors if they wanted to bring in a few extra dollars on the side. And you needed classified ads, community bulletin boards and word-of-mouth to find these gigs.
Here are four pre-internet ways the middle class earned extra cash.
Tutoring
If you had any technical knowledge or academic expertise, tutoring was a good way to monetize your skills and earn some reliable hourly pay.
Teachers might supplement their income by tutoring students after school hours. And professional musicians could teach lessons like piano or violin right in their own homes.
Private tutors offered one-on-one lessons, usually in homes, libraries or community centers. This included things like music lessons, math lessons or SAT prep. Private tutoring like this could be in high demand with families who needed to boost their children’s formal education.
Students who wanted to get ahead, or just to catch up, could seriously benefit from some tutoring outside of their regular schooling.
Babysitting
Watching children was an essential side gig and a steady way for a middle-class family to earn extra money. Stay-at-home parents could offer after-school care. Before big daycare centers became common, neighborhood childcare worked through word-of-mouth and trust.
Teenagers and young adults could also get some early work experience while they earned some extra cash, especially in suburban neighborhoods. There was always a real need for a babysitter you could count on, especially when both parents were in the workforce.
Direct Sales
Companies like Avon, Tupperware and Amway enlisted the middle-class to sell their products. Sellers would host home parties and use their social connections to earn extra money through commissions.
These businesses thrived on relationships. Sellers hosted demonstrations in their own homes and built their customer bases from their friends and neighbors.
Yard Work
Mowing lawns was a good way to get some extra seasonal income, as long as you had the tools. You’d need a mower and trimmer to get started.
Yard work could also include trimming hedges or raking up leaves, and in winter, shoveling snow might be an option.
There was hardly any startup cost, assuming you already cared for your own lawn with your own equipment, and you could earn it back quickly, especially if you serviced a whole neighborhood. This was before apps, so this business grew through neighborhood reputation and paper flyers.
