Mostly Passive Income - Two New Ways

Back in August I wrote about sending in my cell phone to MyBoneYard.com. This is a nifty little site - especially for those of us who are trying to be as environmentally conscious as we can. They will recycle old cell phones, electronics, computers, etc. - and send you money for them! Not everything qualifies and some things pay a lot more than others. You can go to the website, plug in what you have and they will let you know how much they will pay you for it. I had an old cellphone laying around that wasn't doing me any good, so I took a look at the site. They would send me $8 for it - not much, but it was pretty battered and I am 99% sure I got it on one of those free rebate deals the cell phone companies give you when you sign a 2 year contract. Anyway, another nice feature is that the shipping is free - they give you a label you can print from your computer. Slap that on your own packaging and off it goes.

Yesterday I got a Visa check card for $8. I added the money into my sidebar on the right since I will use it towards something that is already on my budget.

The other interesting check I am getting? Tonight I am renting out my house.

A friend of mine is throwing a bachlorette party tonight. She contacted me because she is in need of a place where she can have the girls gather and park their cars that is close to downtown. She wanted somewhere where they could start the night off, then get a taxi-van and hit the downtown bars, then return for some cake and so forth. Her house has some of the worst parking ever, and she has cats and she doesn't know who might be allergic. My place has pretty good street parking and no felines, so she asked if she could rent it for the night. I'm going to be heading up north today, so it should all work out perfectly.

Yes, it is a tiny bit odd to think of people throwing a party in my house while I am gone, but I'm not worried about it all. These are all swell folks and very considerate. Besides, one of the things my house is made for is entertaining people - it is good to see it going to use!

Both these items were "mostly" passive income because they did require a little work - packaging and mailing off my phone, doing some quick cleaning of counters and bathrooms. Still, I'd say combined I spent less than an hour and they will both definately help my bottomline!



Photo of old phones by: Vaguely Artistic