In today's economy, employers have got into the habit (maybe due to hard pressed finances) of delaying raises, whereas inflation is faster to catch up with an individual. To make ends meet it has become essential that he/she looks for extra income opportunities at the earliest to ease out the current scenario and to secure a better future. Apart from paying bills, concerns of better living and growth are of paramount importance in one's life.

Extra Income means an income that you can earn apart from the regular income coming in from employment or normal work. This earning can be used to payoff your outstanding debts or build up a capital account or spend it on luxuries that you could only think about before.

This can also be augmented by doing extra seasonal chores like raking leaves in the fall or clearing snow in winters. These are just a few ideas, but making an extra income with diligent self analysis will take away the need for a second job.
Today the internet and the general market have a lot of ideas for generating extra income. The internet offers a host of options like writing, advertising and simple technical, or non-technical jobs which can highly augment your regular income. The extra income that can be earned form these opportunities depends on how good your skills are in the field of your selection.

Make sure you qualify the following attributes before thinking of the any of this route. Be honest to yourself, since this can make or break you:

Are you Goal Oriented? To be successful in any endeavor, one must have goals. Goals define the means and ways of achieving something. They can be set in two ways
a. The amount of extra income you want to earn.
b. The time you want to spend on a specific job to earn the extra income.

• You need to also ask yourself;
• What am I good at and enjoy doing?
• What extra income program do I choose?
• Can I afford the program? (The investment). There are some free startup programs also.
• What is the marketability of the program I have chosen?
• How much time will it take to achieve my goals following the chosen program?

Remember, selection of the right program is very important. Match your strengths to the appeal of the program.
A good plan is a must too, but asks questions if you do not know, or are unsure.

Once you honestly answer the above positively, it would not be really difficult to succeed.