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06/01/2012 10:57 AM

How to become a virtual assistant, mystery shopper to earn extra cash

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They say a little goes a long way and with the cost of living outpacing wages, even people with full time jobs may need a second income to help pay the bills, take a vacation or perhaps start a savings.

Farnoosh Torabi, a personal finance expert and host of Financially Fit on Yahoo! Finance, says one gig is to become a virtual assistant.

"Increasingly, there are a number of websites popping up that help people become virtual assistants. Just log on and find an array of positions, from copy editing, to research, to transcription services," Torabi says.

You can very well make $40 to $50 per day and the best part is the flexibility. Speak another language? It could translate into mas dinero.

"Families are beginning to plan their summer vacations, many people are going to Europe. Offer your services as someone who can teach someone conversational language skills," suggests financial coach and author of "Financial Intimacy" Jacquette Timmons. "Certainly use listing services, like a Craigslist or go to travel sites and see if you might be able to write a blog on a travel site and advertise your services, via that blog post."

Simmons says you can even do this via Skype.

Want to earn money while you shop? Why not mystery shop?

"Basically a marketing agency hires you to go into a store and shop around, and experience the customer service, experience the atmosphere and write a review," Torabi says. "Your review then gets factored into the research for that company and you get paid. Of course you want to watch out for scams, because mystery shopping is an area where there's a lot of gray areas, so you want to make sure you're working with a reportable company."

You can make up to $100 as a mystery shopper, but compensation is generally through products, services or gift cards.