COVID-19 Not Going Anywhere & 10 Ideas To Make Some Money
Most of us have not lived through a pandemic like this before. We have heard about other diseases throughout history, like the ‘Spanish Flu’ and the more notorious one, ‘Black Death.’
‘Black Death’ was a bubonic plague that spread across much of Asia, Europe, and North Africa in the mid-1300s, killing almost a quarter of the population. The Corona Virus is not a plague; however, it did rank 9th as the world’s deadliest pandemic in history. It is not as bad as the 1918 flu pandemic(Spanish flu),
which is estimated to have killed probably up to 50 million people, making it one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. Experts say that although it receded into the background, the stain is still with us today in the form of the seasonal flu.
A lot of people refer to the Corona Virus as a plague. In retrospect, it is not. Let me break it down for you in layman’s terms. The bubonic plague (Black Death); is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, transmitted through flea bites. You can get infected by coming in contact with an infected animal, but human-to-human transmission is rare. On the other hand, COVID-19 is caused; by a virus transmitted from person to person, usually through close contact (within a few feet apart)- or even through direct physical contact, like shaking hands with an infected person. Simply being near an infected person who coughs and sneezes can transmit the disease.
Although the plague killed millions, it is unlikely to rear its ugly head and become a global health threat in this day and age. Due to modern science and the plague being around for a long time, scientists had the time to procure a cure, thus possibly preventing it from likely becoming a global pandemic, unlike the COVID-19, which is new and is still a work in progress. If you look at the history of these viruses, you may conclude that it will be a long time till we see the back end of the COVID-19.
Yes, there is the vaccine that gives us hope that we may develop some form of immunity. However, it does not protect us from all these new variants arising. So I speculate that it is not going to go away anytime soon. It leads me to my questions, ” How do we live with this virus?” but more importantly, ”How do we live with the effects it leaves in our personal lives?”
We hear about the Socioeconomic ramifications this pandemic has caused us, but what is it like for people like you and me that are at ground level, fighting not only this disease but also fighting to survive.
I, for one, can honestly confess that it has irrevocably changed my life (and not for the better, mind you). It has turned my life on its axis, and more than a year and a half later, I am still trying to find my feet. Life as I knew it seems like a distant memory.
The greatest lesson this disease has given me is to never take anything for granted. I look at the world through different eyes. I now share my suffering with billions of people. Learning to live with the virus is one thing, but learning to live with the ramifications of the virus is another.
Millions have lost their jobs. For me, my husband was one of them. The stress of providing for your family and being unable to do so is soul-crushing. Escalating food prices makes putting food on the table hard. The anxiety of losing one’s job and source of income does not only affect you financially but psychologically as well. Tension fills the home, causing a ripple effect. It begins to affect the entire family, and soon that home becomes unhappy. Even as the economy is slowly finding its feet, job opportunities are few and far between.
So, how do you move forward, because we know we cant look back, and staying in the present and dwelling on things we cannot change never helps anyone?
Here are a few tips that I found helpful:
Sell your old stuff.
You will be amazed at how many things you accumulate that you don’t need. Sell your spare phones and laptops (you only need one). With the rising numbers in unemployment, people are looking for secondhand things. It is a much cheaper option.
Sell your old clothes.
We all like to shop and, I am guessing that there are items of clothes that we have not even worn in months, maybe years. It is human nature to hang on to things that we are no longer using. Some still have the tags on them. In this way, you kill two birds with one stone. You get to make some money, and you also get to clear out the closet that you were always putting off.
Turn your talents into cash.
If you love to cook and bake, then you can make some money. Sell old family recipes. Some food bloggers pay for new recipes. There are different groups on Facebook that bring bloggers and content creators together. They pay for blog content, especially recipes. Include some high-quality photos, and you can even sell them on a freelance worksite such as Fivver. Sites like Etsy allow food lovers the opportunity to build their e-commerce shop for free.
Look for online jobs and work remotely.
You can get part-time work in customer services and sales. Data entry. Teaching and tutoring, and bookkeeping. ( beware of scams, make sure that the site you are searching is legitimate, It must also have a screening process).
Get paid to review books.
If you love to read as I do, you can get paid to review books. Sites such as OnlineBookClub.org will pay you for your review(and you get free books).
Sell your smartphone photography.
You can do that on sites such as Foap. Other places to check out include Shutterstock, Potoshelter, and Getty Images. You won’t get rich, but it can be one of your side hustles.
Create ‘How To’ videos and open your own YouTube channel.
There is so much money to be made on Youtube. More and more people are taking their God-given talents and turning them into a goldmine. If you know how to do something, you can monetize it simply by sharing it on a platform like YouTube.
Teach English.
To teach online you will need a TEFL certification course. There are companies online that will let you teach without a degree.
PalFish requirements to teach online is to be fluent in English and have a valid TEFL/TESOL/CETLA certificate. You can set your own rates of pay when working with PalFish.
Cambly. Cambly tutors must be fluent in English. They do NOT require a degree, TEFL certificate, or teaching experience, making Cambly a great choice if you want to teach English online with no experience. The hiring process is simple. All you have to do is fill out an application and upload a video introducing yourself to your students. Once you are approved you can create a teacher profile and start teaching.
You can also check out chinabyteaching.com
Become a transcriptionist.
Listen to an audio file through headphones and type it out. You get paid according to how fast you can type. Check out Rev.com for transcription jobs. You can take a free typing test at ratatype.com and even get a certificate and use it on Rev.com.
Become a virtual assistant.
Virtual assistants (VAs ) can do everything from checking emails to handling internet research. Administration and day-to-day tasks. Sites to check out, Fivver, Indeed, Linkedin, and Upwork.
Assuming that you are like me and are looking for ways to make some money try giving these options a try! I never get to try all of them, but they are things that I was looking into for myself and thought that I would share with you. Before you decide to do anything, first do your research. Make sure that it is legitimate and you are not getting scammed in any way.
As soon as I get all my ducks in a row, I will share with you my journey and hopefully help you along the same path.