15 Low-Stress Jobs After Retirement to Consider

If you’re looking for low-stress jobs after retirement, congratulations are in order! Cheers to your retirement!

But if you’re like many people whose body clock has been set to working every day, or your finances won’t let you enjoy your retirement days by the beach, switch to a more no-brainer, fun job that pays the bills but keeps the stress on the down low.

This post gives you all the possibilities of earning money post-retirement.

10 Low-stress, Online Jobs after Retirement

Got a bad back or knees that are keeping you off your feet? Don’t let this get you down!

You can still get busy and earn a legit income, but keep the stress levels down. Yup, even if you’re working from home, this is totally possible. The key is to choose low-stress jobs that fit your skill set.

1. Blogging

  • How much can you earn blogging? If you’re writing for another person, you earn by the word or per project. If you’re writing a blog for yourself, you won’t see a cent for at least a year, but the earning potential is unlimited.
  • PROS: Flexibility to earn part-time or full-time, writing only what you know
  • CONS: Not for everybody

If you love writing about what you like, you can turn blogging into a part-time or full-time job by working for other people.

If you have the time and saved up money, blogging can be a source of passive income.

I recommend starting a blog about your retirement journey.

You can break it down to micro-niche, such as “farming post-retirement” or “retired lawyer learns how to bake,” or something else you’ve always wanted to explore but didn’t have the time.

2. Online Tutor

  • How much can you earn tutoring? Earn $15 to $30 an hour, some higher for specific skills like music.
  • PROS: Control the number of tutees and students you take in, and make as much (or as little) as you want to commit to.
  • CONS: Not everyone has the patience to teach

Check out the companies that hire online tutors, learn how you can be a successful SAT tutor, and get to know about other jobs ideal for retired teachers.

3. Consultant

  • How much can you earn as a consultant? Charge anywhere from $50 to $100, depending on the specialization you offer.
  • PROS: Can be done from anywhere in the world without learning new courses
  • CONS: Wouldn’t give you a “new thing” to do

Like blogging, consulting is such a wide-ranging career. You can share your expertise with clients while communicating via the internet or phone.

Make sure to sell your consulting services based on your former career.

If you’re a retired stock trader, maybe you can be a consultant for trading newbies.

If you’re a retired accountant, maybe you can sell tax-related consulting.

4. Virtual Assistant

  • How much can you earn as a virtual assistant? Earn $12 to $30/hour.
  • PROS: Anyone can be a VA, as long as you have a computer, stable internet, and a quest for learning new things.
  • CONS: Because clients have super-specific requirements, VAs must know a lot of things (or be willing to be trained to use certain tools or perform specific tasks).

With thousands of entrepreneurs bringing their business online, it’s no wonder that the demand for virtual assistants continues to rise.

I wrote an introduction to the world of VAs here if you just learned about this job now.

Or go straight to checking out 30 companies with virtual assistant job openings.

5. Part-time Bookkeeper

  • How much can you earn as a bookkeeper? $18 to $50 per hour.
  • PROS: Ideal for retired accountants, bookkeepers, and other professionals who love bookkeeping
  • CONS: Can be stressful during tax season

If this was your career for the last several years or decade, it’s going to be a no-brainer for you to accept part-time bookkeeping gigs. But where do you find them?

Check out these 20+ companies that are always looking for online bookkeepers, and other work-from-home opportunities for those with accounting experience.

6. Nutritionist or Fitness Trainer

  • How much can you earn as a nutritionist?
  • PROS: Plenty of work opportunities in the fitness world
  • CONS: This is for people who walks the talk when it comes to being physically fit and nutrition-conscious

Get hired by a fitness company in a work-from-home nutritionist role and earn about $21/hour.

If you’re planning to create custom meal plans for direct clients, you can sell these services for around $100/month/client.

Those who love to write with a nutritionist background can also guest-post on fitness sites and earn up to $1,000 an article.

Check out these ways to make money in the fitness industry (included here is a guide on how to become a fitness trainer online).

7. Remote Call Center Agent

  • How much can you earn as a call center agent? $12 to $20 an hour
  • PROS: Easy to learn industry
  • CONS: Customer-facing, which isn’t for introverts

Online call center jobs are plenty, from the medical field to the telecommunication industry.

Yes, you’ll need excellent communication skills to perform this job, but most tasks are learned on the job.

It’s not for introverts though (This is the one for introverts.)

8. Proofreader

If you’re a passionate reader, good with grammar, and use English as your first language, it’s easy to work as a proofreader.

Tools like Grammarly can even make your job a LOT easier these days.

You’ll be paid as the second set of eyes for authors, bloggers, and other writers.

Where do you start? Try these companies: Scribendi, Cactus, ProofreadingServices.com, and Polished Paper.

9. Travel Planner

  • How much can you earn as a travel consultant? Income depends on whether you’ll employ with a company, or work independently with clients.
  • PROS: Receive travel deals, promotions, and other offers on top of a salary
  • CONS: Organizational skills is a must

Do you love making itineraries, researching local attractions, restaurants, and other travel details?

If you get a kick out of organizing, you can earn as either a travel consultant or travel planner from home.

10. Voiceover or Voice Acting

  • How much can you earn by lending your voice? Starting at $20 an hour (can go up to $300/hour depending on the project)
  • PROS: Income potential has no ceiling, you can do this in your own time
  • CONS: Need equipment and quiet studio if you’re working from home

If you have a distinct voice, you can get different opportunities from providing narration to audiobooks, videos and tutorials, to something more lucrative such as animation voice acting.

Check out Voices.com or Backstage for other possible voice work.

5 Low-stress Jobs after Retirement that Gets You Out of the House

Let’s face it – not everyone enjoys being stuck indoors working online.

If you’re one of these people and have had a routine that gets your butt out of the house for work daily – and you enjoy everything about it – then this list is for you.

You can still enjoy the commute, the after-work stopover at your favorite coffee shop or deli, and get paid for low-stress jobs after retirement.

1. Anything with Pets

  • How much can you earn from pet-sitting or pet-walking? Earn between $10 and $50 an hour (depends on the task and location)
  • PROS: Perfect for pet-lovers, work as much or as little as you want
  • CONS: Need to commit on a daily, weekly or monthly basis for some clients

If you wish to go out daily, pet-walking is a gig you’d be glad to have.

Embrace the sunshine, get a little exercise and earn cash while you do so. I’ve written a full-length guide on how to become a pro dog/cat walker.

If you don’t want to go out or have bad knees to run around with pets, you can opt for pet-sitting at the homes of their pawparents.

Learn how to open a pet-sitting business, or try the job first on a part-time basis by signing up to the following apps: Rover, Wag!, PetBacker, Barkly Pets, Swifto, or PetSitter.com.

2. House-sitting or Babysitting

  • How much can you earn from house-sitting? $10 to $15 an hour
  • PROS: Do this job a few times a week, or daily – the choice is up to you.
  • CONS: Need to travel to the location of your client

Babysitting and housesitting are two similar jobs – you just take care of different things.

While it can be more challenging and rewarding to care for other people’s babies, babysitting does require more responsibility.

Housesitting is more stress-free.

You don’t even need to lift a finger doing so. In some cases, housesitting may include feeding pets, or taking in deliveries, but nothing you can’t handle. How do you find housesitting gigs? Start with these 12 companies.

3. Barista

  • How much can you earn as a barista? About $15 an hour
  • PROS: Anyone can become a barista
  • CONS: Need training for most drinks

Coffee-lovers who recently retired from a super-stressful job could enjoy the change in scenery with a barista job.

Plus, the smell and chill vibe of cafes isn’t as fast-paced as fast food joints, so seniors can definitely keep up.

To become a barista, check the nearest Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, Coffee Beanery, Caribou Coffee, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and others in your location.

Most of these companies pay $15 an hour or more.

4. Library Gigs

  • How much can you earn from library jobs? Most jobs in the library earn somewhere between $20 and $30.
  • PROS: Stimulate your brain minus the stress
  • CONS: Some towns only have 1 library and positions may not be available

Ever dreamt of reading unlimited books, but your day job keeps you from doing so?

Retirement is the perfect time to bring your bookworm self to the forefront.

As someone who works in a library, you’ll be able to interact with fellow readers, recommend interesting books, or even discover new ones for you to read.

5. School Bus Driver or Food Delivery Driver

  • How much can you earn as a school bus driver? $15 to $25 an hour
  • PROS: Perfect job for those who want to work alone
  • CONS: You’ll need a valid driver’s license (school bus drivers require a commercial driver’s license)

Both driving jobs don’t require you to drive the whole day, or for days on end.

Instead, you can just commit to the hours you want (especially as a driver for food delivery apps like Door Dash. Here’s how you can become a Door Dash delivery person.

School bus drivers only drive once in the mornings and again in the afternoon for driving them home.

You don’t work long hours like regular drivers and you even have the summer free.

What Other Low-Stress Jobs after Retirement Are You Dreaming to Try?

There are many jobs available for retirees, but not all of them are low in stress. Depending on your skills and preference, you can also get jobs as an:

  • Event planner ($18 to $30 an hour)
  • Park ranger ($9 to $30 an hour)
  • Theme park worker ($13 to $25 an hour)
  • Professional cuddler (Up to $40 an hour)
  • The real estate agent (Unlimited income potential + commissions)
  • Cruise ship worker ($15 to $35 + get to travel, too!)

Maybe you’re not really picky with the type of low-stress jobs after retirement you can get, but require a stable income after retirement.

If so, check out these jobs that pay $20 an hour.

25+ Jobs that Pay $40 an Hour

With the inflation drastically crunching many people’s budgets, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re looking at jobs that pay $40 an hour (or higher). I would, too!

  • How much is $40 an hour in yearly salary? That’s around $83,200 pre-tax, or $62,400 after taxes!
  • How much is $40 an hour in monthly salary? That’s $6,400 pre-taxes or $4,800 after taxes.

Is $40 an hour livable wage? It depends on where you live, and your current situation. Do you live alone? Have a partner who works as well? Do you have kids?

If $40 an hour is a huge jump from your current or last job, read on to find out what jobs offer this salary and what companies to eye for.

20+ Jobs that Pay $40 an Hour

What types of qualifications or experience do you need to land these jobs?

If the job title includes a “manager,” there’s a big chance that the position requires you to have a relevant management degree under your belt, or extensive management experience to increase your chances.

Is it possible to find jobs that pay $40 an hour without a degree? Yes, you’d be surprised that these do exist. You just have to know where to look.

Food Service

  • Restaurant chefs or executive chefsThe Chef Agency specializes in hiring talent for the food service and hotel industry. Got mad skills as a chef? Have you been working as an assistant manager at your local boutique hotel? This company could be the jump you need from your $25/hour job.
  • Regional directors of fast food companies – Unfortunately, branch managers only earn around $25 to $30 an hour. If you’re in the fast food industry and you’re looking for jobs that pay $40 an hour, your best bet is to aim for a regional director position. If you have the experience to scale up your career, check opportunities at McDonald’s, KFC, and so on.
  • Food Service Manager – In large-scale food operations such as hotels, restaurant chains and similar companies, the food service manager ensures that the place is running smoothly.
  • Corporate executive chefs – Unlike restaurant chefs who lead commercial restaurants and private chefs that take care of private events, corporate executive chefs plan and create meals for specific companies. These chefs at Compass Group earn around $82,500-$102,500 per year.
  • Bartender – Here’s one of those jobs that pay $40 an hour without a degree (some even earn up to $75/hour), but you do need a mixology background and experience working at nightclubs, bars, pubs, and other similar establishments.

Healthcare

  • Certified nurse midwife in hospitals – This job not only pays $40 to $70 an hour, but it can also be a meaningful career if you’re looking to specialize in your nursing degree.
  • Pharmacists – You’ll be earning about $55/hour in this job, but you’ll need a highly specific pharmacy degree to kick off this career. Jobs are available in most hospitals, independent pharmacies, and other similar medical facilities.
  • Dental hygienist – If you’re aiming for a path to dentistry, check out how to become a dental hygienist. This position requires you have a science prerequisite and a two-year dental hygiene degree completed, topped by state licensure. Once you get all legalities done, you can earn from $40 to $60 an hour as a dental hygienist.
  • Fitness instructor – For those who have a very specific niche (such as yoga+nutritionist or dance+keto) or a target market that is willing to pay you a ton of money, you can earn from $50 to $100 an hour as a fitness instructor.

Jobs that Pay $40 an Hour in Entertainment and Travel

If you’re looking for jobs that pay $40 an hour without a degree, you’ll likely find them in the arts and entertainment industry.

  • Engineers in hotelsMariott Hotel, for example, hires in-house engineers to oversee all hotel maintenance from electricity issues to security cameras and more. The engineers at Mariott get a minimum of $80,000 a year. The company has 30 hotels under its belt with hundreds of locations all over the world.
  • Wedding industry makeup artistsThe Pink Chique is an example of a wedding-focused company that hires freelance hair and makeup artists for about $50 to $90 an hour. Of course, there are many other similar companies like this, so if you’re in the beauty business, check the average salary of makeup artists in your state.
  • Interpreters – This job requires that you speak two or more languages fluently. Experience interpreters who are hired by companies, embassies, and other formal settings can earn around $50 to $60 an hour. The best thing about this job? You can supplement your day job with a freelance interpreting gig online, too! And if you’re good at what you do, $50 an hour is definitely doable as well.
  • Commercial pilot – Entry-level regional pilots start at $20 an hour, but if you gain more experience, switch to a national airline, become an international pilot, or graduate to a more challenging aircraft, you could increase your hourly rate to around $50 to $60 per hour.
  • Private plane flight attendants – Regular flight attendants who work for commercial airlines go for $25 to $40 an hour, but those who are lucky enough to be hired as air hostesses on private planes could earn up to $100/hour.

Retail

  • Purchasing Manager – You know how stores decide on what items to sell? The purchasing manager does! Because it’s their job to oversee the selection of items, negotiations with brands, coordinating with suppliers, and supervising a team of purchasing agents and buyers. It’s a pretty big responsibility to be a purchasing manager, which is why the salary of $52 to $68 an hour reflects it as well.
  • Salesperson or sales executive – If the position offers commissions for every sale you make, it is easy to get $50 an hour. Of course, this would still depend on your base salary and whether the product you’re trying to sell is actually sellable. Sales executives, a position that requires a business degree, earn higher at $60 to $70 an hour.

Jobs that Pay 20 an Hour in Business, IT, and Finance

  • Software developer – This job continues to fall in the evergreen category, so if you have programming skills and a passion to solve computer problems, you won’t find it hard to land a good-paying job in the US. Most IT companies pay software developers around $54 to $65 per hour.
  • Marketing manager – You’ll need to be extremely talented in managing people while building a client portfolio and making sure that the company’s existing customers remain happy and signed to the company. This job requires a degree in business, marketing, or a similar field, but pays $65+ an hour.
  • Lawyer – The qualifications it takes to become a lawyer can be staggering and expensive, but it is all worth it once you’re working and earning about $60 an hour. Experienced lawyers can earn as high as $300 to $500 an hour.
  • PR Managers – Public relations can make or break a company or individual’s name. If you have a good representative handling PR, stock prices won’t be affected or your reputation can be restored. A PR manager ensures that the PR team does its job well in conducting press releases, making fruitful connections, and designing campaigns to benefit their client or company.

Online Jobs that Pay $40 an Hour

Online work is fantastic if you’re dreaming of traveling and leading a digital nomad lifestyle. But the digital jobs available may be stable, but they aren’t all highly paid.

If you’re looking for online jobs that pay $40 an hour so you could work from home (or from a beach somewhere in another part of the world), aim for these jobs:

  • App developer – App developers earn between $90,000 and $100,000 annually. Since many IT companies went remote during the start of the 2020 pandemic, app developers have mostly stayed in work-from-home positions and still enjoy higher pay.
  • Online tutor – Basic English tutors or academic tutors don’t earn as high – these gigs usually fall in the $12 to $30 category. But if you offer a guaranteed SAT prep (and prove your worth with reviews) or teach advanced subjects like calculus, you can sell your tutoring services for $50 per hour or higher.
  • Business consulting – If you listen closely to the interviews of billionaire CEOs, you’ll realize that many of them have consulted with another person before they made it big. $50 an hour is on the lower end of consultancy fees. If you have the knowledge and experience in any given field, whether it’s in digital marketing or business law, your input will be valued.
  • SEO Specialist – If you’re in the business of web development, blogging, or any online field, you know that a good SEO specialist can earn over $40 an hour. These positions, however, are reserved for those who truly know what they’re doing. In short, this salary isn’t for entry-level SEO positions.
  • Copywriters – Experienced copywriters who write copy for ads, corporate websites, newsletters, and other customer-facing communication can earn upward of $40 an hour.

The Bottom Line

Unlike my guide on jobs that pay $15 an hour and jobs that pay $20 an hour, where companies are openly advertising the positions publicly, it is more challenging to find companies that currently offer $40-an-hour jobs.

But I hope the positions above give you a better idea of what jobs you should be aiming for. And if you need more resources, read up on:

20 Ways to Help Others and Make Money

If you’re looking for ways to help others and make money in the process, you’ve come to the right place.

This post should guide you with all the possible side gigs you can do while feeding your soul and satisfying your thirst to help other people.

Traditional Ways to Help Others and Make Money

The following traditional side gigs are feel-good money-makers that anyone can do during the weekends or downtime from work.

They rarely require having special skills, so as long as you have a passion for helping out, they’re very easy to do.

The cool thing about this is many apps now cater to these traditional gigs, making it easier for you to find clients when you’re available.

1. Officiate weddings

I bet you’ve seen rom-com movies that include a non-planned wedding that is officiated by the best man, maid of honor, or someone totally obvious.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to be that person in real life for someone else?

You do need to get ordained first (fees range from zero to $50) and learn/follow state laws.

Wedding officiants earn somewhere between $400 and $800 a wedding, so if you’ve got a niche down (maybe you’re a pro at making the groom cry, or give the funniest speeches), this could be a lucrative side gig for you.

2. Rent out your car

Renting out your car to strangers isn’t as sketchy as it sounds. Many companies like GetAround, HyreCar, Turo, and Avail have set safeguards in place to keep your vehicles safe.

Here are the pros and cons of each app that matches you with people interested in renting out your car.

3. House-sit for others

If you ever thought about getting paid to do nothing, this is the perfect side gig for you.

House-sitting doesn’t necessarily require you to do any heavy lifting. You just stay at another person’s house, watch Netflix if you wish, and wait for the homeowners to get back. Sounds simple? It is!

Here are 12 sites that connects you to people who may need house-sitting.

4. Rent out your bedroom or your whole house while you’re gone

The Airbnb era isn’t dead yet. Many people still prefer Airbnb to hotels not only because they’re cheaper but also because they’re homier and don’t put a ton of add-on fees.

Here’s a guide on how you can rent your room, garage, yard, or entire house to other people.

5. Drive the elderly to doctor appointments or grocery stores

There are many ways you can help the elderly.

You can use an app like Postmates (where you’ll be matched by customers who require help in picking up food, meds or other products in a physical store), or build your own concierge service for the elderly in your neighborhood.

6. Go on nanny or babysitting duties

Babysitting is the oldest way to help others and make money quickly.

Care.com, Urbansitter, SitterCity, and eNannySource are just a few resources where you can be paired with families looking for part-time nannies and babysitters.

7. Tutor kids or Teach Musical Instruments

Are you good at math? art? playing the piano?

If you have a specific skill and a love for teaching, go to your local community center and post a flyer offering your services.

These days, most communities have a Facebook group. If yours does, advertising your tutoring or music lessons could be a lot easier.

8. Pet-sitting, walking, and washing cats or dogs

If your love for cats and dogs knows no bounds, you can share this passion with others who might need assistance in taking care of their pets.

I’ve written a full-length guide on how to become a pro dog/cat walker or how to open a pet-sitting business, but if you want to go straight to the earning, check out apps like Rover, Wag!, PetBacker, Barkly Pets, Swifto, or PetSitter.com.

9. Offer neighbors to wash cars and do yardwork

If you’ve seen videos of video creators offering yardwork for free, you know that many people really need to mow their lawns, take care of shrubs and trim some trees in the yard, but have no time to do it themselves.

It might take a bit of effort networking and advertising your services door-to-door, but if you’re doing this on the down-low, it shouldn’t matter.

Your services, if done right, should be able to spread organically by word-of-mouth.

You can add car-washing services to your flyer while you’re at it.

10. Get temp jobs at nursing homes, orphanages, churches, and so on

If you’ve always wanted to have a career in social work, but cannot afford to leave your job, you can always get a weekender or temp job at nursing homes, orphanages, public hospitals, churches and other organizations that may need help.

Note that general volunteer work won’t earn you money. Instead, look for skill-specific jobs that you could do.

Maybe the local orphanage needs someone to create their website, or the nursing home requires a ukulele teacher to spread some joy to the elders living there.

Help Others and Make Money Online

You can still help people, even if you’re just working online.

These side gigs don’t actually earn you a full-time income, but you’ll gain instant karma and some cash if you participate in the following tasks:

11. Answer questions online

If you’re good at research, or love learning new things, you can answer questions online and earn cash.

Here’s how it works:

  • Some stranger asks a question on one of these platforms
  • You take time to understand the question and answer as accurately as you can
  • You earn either cash or points with every answer

It’s perfect for those who don’t have flexible schedules and can only do these side gigs for an hour at a time.

12. Remind people to drink their medicine

Join Pleio’s patient engagement center and become one of the company’s home-based “Good Starters.” This job could literally mean life and death to patients since you’ll be making phone calls to the homes of patients and encouraging them to take their meds.

Pleio offers other home-based jobs – all of which are designed to “make a difference in someone else’s life.”

13. Giving social media presence to small businesses

Social media is the go-to contact for younger generations.

If they discover a new brand, they check their Instagram or Facebook. If they listened to new music, they check out YouTube for music videos or head over to Spotify.

Having a presence on social media platforms (and online in general) is essential to the survival of any modern business.

But not all small business owners know this. Here’s where you can come in and make a difference by teaching “the new” or creating effective online marketing campaigns on their behalf.

There are numerous social media jobs you can do from home – but you can start here.

14. Become a part-time life coach

You don’t need to be a therapist or psychiatrist to help others with their life problems.

If you’re good at listening and giving advice, here’s how you can begin a part-time life coaching service.

15. Teach English online to someone living across the world

Teaching English to people who can’t talk or write in English can actually change their lives for the better.

English as your first language isn’t the only requirement to do this job right. You need to have patience and a passion for teaching for this job to work. Here’s a list of companies offering ESL teaching jobs online.

16. Help Others and Make Money Online by Sharing Your Expertise on YouTube videos

  • Are you a plumber by profession?
  • Are you really good at fixing smartphones?
  • Do you know how to solve all kinds of car problems?
  • Do you consider yourself a bread-making pro?

If you answered YES (or have a totally different special set of skills), you can share your knowledge on YouTube and earn money.

This is a passive way to earn money, so you won’t be seeing even a cent in months (or years), but if you continue to produce helpful content, it’s a guarantee you’ll be earning YouTube money in no time.

17. Aid someone through financial literacy

This side gig can be exceptionally satisfying if you know that you could help other people get out of debt or learn how to save more efficiently.

Financial literacy should be a course every young adult should take, but the reality is that many people aren’t able to learn about handling finances.

Of course, you need to have some experience, so you’ll be able to pass on the right ways to handle money.

18. Become a helpline responder from home

Suicide can be prevented, and if you want to be involved, there are many ways to help even if you’re working from home.

To become a crisis hotline employee, you’ll need life-saving, suicide prevention skills.

Volunteer with Crisis Text Line, The Trevor Project, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, IMAlive, or the Veterans Crisis Line first to get first-hand experience.

The job isn’t for the faint of hear, so once you are 100% sure you can handle the task at hand, then find paying opportunities from the same companies above.

19. Invest Cash via Peer-to-Peer Lending

If you have extra cash and want to grow it instead, participate in peer-to-peer lending sites, where you can help people or businesses in need of financial assistance.

Lendingclub.com is a good example of how you can invest in loans and get a ROI of around 10% to 12%.

20. Become a Personal Trainer

Help people lose weight, gain muscles, be stronger, or gain back their confidence by becoming their personal trainer.

Yes, even the job of a personal trainer can be done online – just make sure you have the equipment and reliable internet before you get started.

What Other Ways Can You Help Others and Make Money?

There are unusual ways of helping others as well.

Have you heard of the work of a professional cuddler and how they’re paid to cuddle strangers? Or how about indirectly helping someone out by selling your hair, or selling other things your body generates for free such as plasma, eggs, and breastmilk?

You can even become part of a study and eventually help others solve a problem.

For example, many people who have joined sleep studies and got paid to sleep were instrumental in finding treatment for snoring or helping bed companies create comfortable mattresses for those suffering from insomnia or night terrors.

35 Places Where to Donate Books Easily

If you’re wondering where to donate books once you’re ready to dispose of them, it depends largely on what you’re going to donate.

Textbooks are likely acceptable at schools, while old magazines may not be widely accepted in libraries.

With this list of places that accept donated books, you no longer have to hunt for them yourself.

35 Places Where to Donate Books

You don’t need to visit all these places, but only choose based on the magazines, textbooks, or other types of books you’re going to donate and your location in relation to these places.

Obvious Places Where to Donate Books

Before you explore other avenues to give away your used books, check with the following first:

1. Family and Friends

Maybe your niece or nephew has started their comic book phase and you’ve got boxes full of them ready for disposal. Maybe old textbooks can be used by a friend who just began taking up the same course as you.

You’ll exert the least effort donating books to family and friends since they can just pick up the books from your home or office.

2. Freecycle

This platform may be global, but the concept is very local. It connects you to people near your community who might be in search of the items (books included) that you’re giving away for free.

3. Local Libraries

Libraries usually accept book donations, especially if they do not currently have the book titles you’re going to donate. In some cases, libraries may not be too picky but accept everything as long as they’re still usable.

Note that used books should be moldy, burnt, water-damaged, or have a lot of missing pages may not be acceptable for libraries.

4. Schools

If you’re donating textbooks, the first place you should go to is your local schools. If the books are for college use, go to universities. If the books are for middle school or high school, you know it – go to the appropriate school.

5. Local Community Book Drives

Every now and then, your neighborhood, city, school, or other local communities host book drives. These events may not be available throughout the year, but be sure to watch out for them especially if you have a TON of used books for donations.

6. Food banks

Even food banks go beyond distributing food. Because these charities are linked to shelters that may need books and magazines, food banks may just accept your preloved books.

7. Thrift stores

Some thrift stores even buy old books from you, especially if the thrift store owner knows the value of your books. However, ordinary books may not be accepted as easily here.

8. Your Church and other Faith-based Organizations

Churches also host book drives occasionally. If they’re hosting a garage sale and are asking members of the church to bring items they want to donate for sale, books could be accepted as well.

Some churches have their own library as well.

Non-Profit Organizations that Accept Used Books

Numerous organizations were built to support a particular market: kids, soldiers, prisoners, church members, and other underprivileged groups.

9. Children’s Book Bank

This Oregon-based non-profit organization regularly organizes book drives to give lower-income families in the community useful reading materials.

10. Little Free Library

Little Free Library is similar to Freecycle. It’s a worldwide community but done on a local scale. You can even begin your own Little Free Library if there isn’t one in your neighborhood yet.

The only difference from Freecycle is that Little Free Library only deals with books.

11. Salvation Army

Salvation Army has thrift stores nationwide. Just enter your zip code to find the nearest dropoff location in your area, where you can drop off your preloved books.

12. Goodwill

Like the Salvation Army, Goodwill operates at over 1,000 locations in North America, so it’s easy to find a drop box near you.

13. Reader to Reader, Inc.

This charity works to provide free books to under-resourced public libraries and public school libraries throughout the country. Everyone is encouraged to make a donation or hold a book drive.

14. Vietnam Veterans of America

The Vietnam Veterans of America has its own PickupPlease service, making it easy to schedule a donation pickup in various parts of the United States. The org even leaves a tax deduction receipt for you.

15. Habitat for Humanity ReStores

ReStores accept donations and sell a constantly changing inventory of furniture, appliance, building materials, home goods, and more, then use the proceeds to help Habitat for Humanity build, rehabilitate or repair the homes of local families.

16. Donation Town

Donation Town organizes the donation drives of many non-profit organizations on one website. You can request a pickup at your house, then Donation Town takes care of transporting the donated books and other items to your choice of charity.

17. Kids Need to Read

Kids Need to Read encourages disadvantaged children to read inspiring books. This organization accepts book donations and then sends them to help literacy programs of underfunded schools, libraries, and community agencies across the United States.

18. Better World Books

Better World Books is a for-profit global e-retailer that collects and sells new and used books online matching each purchase with a book donation, Book-for-Book™.

There isn’t a pickup request service, but you can ship it to 3 US addresses, and a UK location.

19. Re-Book It

This Los Angeles-based pickup service is brought to you by The Last Bookstore, which aims to help keep books from ending up in landfills.

Fill out the form here for a free donation pickup anywhere in LA. You can receive a tax receipt (upon request).

These donations could help schools, libraries, hospitals, and the Last Bookstore. Note that this org doesn’t accept books, magazines, textbooks, and other books that are 5 years and older.

20. Bookmooch

For book lovers of all ages, this program is awesome because whenever you give books away, you can request for books yourself as well.

21. Books Through Bars

This non-profit org has been sending free books to incarcerated people in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania for over 30 years.

You can donate books or fund the charity with cash.

22. Prison Book Program

This is another non-profit program that organizes book drives and donates them to people in prison. Check the website – it has a good list of similar programs that may be more appropriate for you if there is no Prison Book Program near you.

23. Books for Soldiers

Books for Soldiers is a program that sends books and care packages to US troops deployed overseas.

Any soldier could directly request a package once a month and the organization would send them shortly after.

24. Operation Paperback

Operation Paperback is similar to the last 2 organizations on this list. This national non-profit organization has been shipping books to soldiers overseas since 1999.

Register as a volunteer shipper and you can request addresses of troops or veterans from the org’s database. You then can directly send a package to those who request reading materials.

25. African Library Project

ALP encourages people to hold their own book drives and send them to the organization, which will then organize the shipment of these preloved books to African libraries.

26. Books for Africa

Here’s another org with the same program. They collect, sort, ship and distribute gently-used books to African students.

27. Buy Nothing Project

This local program connects people who would like to gift items to other people. No cash or trades are allowed, but it offers a good alternative to Freecycle.

28. Savers

Savers is a thrift store with community donation centers. The program encourages people to donate books instead of throwing them away which eventually leads to landfills.

29. Magazine Harvest

If you have magazines and comics up for donation, this organization sorts and distributes them to at-risk readers in food pantries, youth centers, domestic abuse shelters, foster care, and other similar situations.

30. Bridge of Books Foundation

This non-profit organization aims to improve literacy and encourage the love of reading by providing underserved children living in New Jersey a continuous source of books.

31. Discover Books

Discover Books is a large buyer and seller of good quality used books. The company also has thousands of book collection bins across the country, so you could dispose of books responsibly.

Unusual Places that Accept Donated Books

Many people don’t think of these places when planning to donate preloved books.

32. Daycare

If the books you have are mostly children’s books, visit one of the daycare facilities near you and ask if they’d be willing to take them off your hands.

33. Hospitals and Retirement homes

Hospitals and retirement homes also have small libraries to keep patients busy. Magazines, comics, children’s books and other interesting books could be donated here.

34. Local Theaters

For books that are not moldy or damaged, but are over 5 years old, the local theater might happily receive them from you and use them in future productions as props.

35. Cultural sites and museums

Many museums and cultural sites are interested in vintage books and rare-to-find literature. If you have bibles, manuscripts, textbooks, and other books that you think are valuable, go to the nearest museum to have them checked.

Where to Donate Books in Exchange for Cash

Anyone would love to turn trash into cash, but this concept rarely includes used books. This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find a place that pays people for books though.

Zubal Books is a good example that buys off valuable hard-to-find books from people. There’s a list of categories that Zubal is looking for, so check the site for an up-to-date title list.

If you’re the one looking for books, I have a guide on how to get free kids’ books by mail.

Books aren’t the only preloved items you can sell for cash. If you’re spring cleaning, you can also sell your used wedding dress and sell your preloved shoes.

Here is also a useful guide: a list of the 25 best items to sell to make money fast.

How to Lower My Comcast Bill in 5 Quick Steps

If you’re here trying to find out “how to lower my Comcast bill,” good for you! Not every customer knows this, but it is definitely possible if you know how to do it.

This post details several methods existing Comcast customers have successfully lowered their monthly bills.

How to Lower my Comcast Bill or Xfinity Bill

FYI, it doesn’t matter if you still call your plan Comcast (like I do) even after the company has rebranded to the Xfinity name since 2010.

Note that I’ll be using both “Comcast” and “Xfinity” throughout this guide, so as long as you feel you’re paying too much for your cable and internet service, you have to read on and see which method would work best for you.

1. Check Errors on Your Bill

Comcast has admitted to making a mistake and erroneously charging some of its customers an unintended fee back in 2014 and in 2019.

The company was also charged (and ordered to pay over $9 million) when it was found to be violating a law 445,000 times by charging customers in Washington an extra fee for a service protection plan without their permission.

With Comcast’s history, it’s only natural for existing Comcast/Xfinity subscribers to be wary of unnecessary fees added to their bills. Check your bill every month and make sure you understand all details and charges you pay for.

The types of fees can be tricky. You can check this Xfinity hidden costs guide to learn about which fees you can avoid.

If something doesn’t look right with your bill, such as:

  • Services you don’t recognize
  • Double entry of service fees
  • Services you didn’t use/receive

…call 1-800-Xfinity (1-800-934-6489) immediately, select prompt #2 for Billing and Payments and request the customer service representative to double-check your account and have the charges removed or get credited for the erroneous billing.

2. Buy Your Own Equipment

Most Comcast Xfinity plans come with a $14/month wifi and router fee, which totals to around $168 a year.

Only one or two plans (like the 25 Mbps Xfinity Internet Essentials) include WiFi equipment for free, so there is no need to pay wifi lease fees on a monthly basis.

Xfinity has also been pushing subscribers to opt into their in-home mesh xFi pods, which adds an extra $25/month.

If you’re unsure if you’re currently paying a continuous lease for Wifi modem and router, check your monthly bill.

Look under the “regular monthly charges” section, where you’ll likely to find information about modem rental. If there’s nothing like this on your bill, then there’s a good chance you subscribed to a plan with free equipment.

If you find the wifi rental fee on your bill, you can remove this monthly fee by buying and using your own modem and router combo from a list of approved devices on Xfinity’s website.

Most of these devices cost about $100, so if you stay with Comcast Xfinity, you’ll be saving a lot more than what you invested in the wifi equipment upfront.

3. Downsize or Modify Your Plans

This method will vary significantly based on your use and preference.

Do you still use your cable? If so, what channels do you watch the most? Have you compared new streaming offers since you first signed up?

Many people subscribe to cable and internet at Comcast years ago and just pay religiously for the services not knowing that there are better plans that are not only more affordable but could also fit better to your actual media consumption.

When it comes to downsizing or modifying your existing plans, here are several ways I discovered when searching for ways how to lower my Comcast bill:

  • Cut your basic cable and upgrade to live streaming (compare Hulu Live TV, AT&T TV Now, YouTube TV, Philo, Sling TV, and others to learn what you’d most likely enjoy the most).
  • Remove your TV plan completely and sign up for Xfinity Mobile (the company’s cell phone service).
  • Subscribe to Xfinity TV for a special rate (Paying less to sign up for TV is actually surprising to many subscribers).

There are many more possible options that could cut your Comcast bill, but because every plan is different, you need to communicate your requirements.

Trust that when you call Comcast’s hotline, take all the time you can to talk about your plan, remove services you no longer use, upgrade to newer services, and modify the plan that would eventually lower your bill in the future.

But if you LOVE everything about your Comcast Xfinity plan, except for the increasing monthly fees, the next method would be your next possible solution.

4. Negotiate Your Existing Contract

Just like most telcos, the first point of contact is regular customer service.

Unfortunately, customer service reps are not responsible for negotiating with you. Because they’re not incentivized to keep you as a customer, they will just do the bare minimum in addressing your concern.

The bad news is that you can’t call the retention department directly.

You have to pass through the customer service department first. If you go through the automated menu, pick the “disconnect service” option, so you will be directed to the retention department.

If you get a real person on the line, tell them that you wish to cancel your plan – there’s a good chance the rep would transfer you to the retention department.

If the rep doesn’t direct you to retention, tell them the rep you wish to talk to “Customer Solutions.”

Here are some guidelines:

  • Double-check your contract. See if you can actually get out of your contract before negotiating. You may just be paying additional fees (like cancellation fees) if you try to renegotiate now.
  • Renegotiate your contract every year. Comcast usually rewards loyal customers, so if you stayed for a whole year, this is a good time to renegotiate your contract.
  • Be friendly. You can’t be angry when communicating.
  • Be prepared to negotiate. You should know the services and prices of competitors, so you can compare with Comcast Xfinity more accurately.
  • Dig deeper. Don’t just check out competitor websites. Instead, call them and get an actual offer.

And if you do get an offer from Comcast that seems like a better deal, don’t just decide quickly.

Instead, study the deal first. For example, if your deal includes a free subscription to streaming services like Peacock TV, note that this could still count against your data cap. And if the plan has the usual 1.2 Terabyte data limit on home internet plans, this can easily eat up the data.

5. Switch to a Comcast Competition

Sometimes, we won’t be offered the deal we want. If you tried your best to renegotiate a better plan, but isn’t 100% happy with the offer, maybe it’s time to move on and find an alternative.

When comparing competitor’s plans, make sure to check the following considerations:

  • internet speed and data cap
  • number of channels
  • equipment rental fee
  • overall cost and freebies
  • customer support (try to call each one and see how quickly you get answers to your inquiries)
  • Frequency of discounts

Other Money-saving Tricks You Should Add to Your Budgeting

If you’re looking for more ways to cut back on expenses and save money on a monthly basis, here are several awesome techniques THAT WORK:

Also, if you have no money but want to start a business, I wrote a guide about that here.

20 Online and Offline Summer Jobs for Teachers

Students cannot wait for the school year to end and summer to begin, but little do they know that teachers are just as excited because they can now earn extra income with summer jobs for teachers.

If you’re looking for a part-time gig this summer, you’ve come to the right place. Let me tell you all about the opportunities you have both online and offline.

Note that when creating this list, I assumed the teachers would eventually go back to teaching full-time after the summer break, so expect these jobs to be seasonal or somewhat temporary.

10 Online Summer Jobs for Teachers

The easiest way to save money throughout the summer is to work from home. No commute. No fast food lunches. No tempting shopping on the way home. The following online jobs are perfect for teachers taking their summer breaks:

1. Online Tutoring, ESL, and other teaching jobs

If you love teaching to the core, you can still help students out even during your break.

You have quite a few options online, such as tutoring (SAT tutoring), and teaching people English as a second language.

Tutors can make between $20 and $50 an hour, depending on the tutor’s experience and skill level.

Check organizations like Lindamood-Bell or Catapult Learning, which offer summer programs to students who need to catch up with their studies.

2. Bookkeeping, tax prep, and other accounting jobs

If you’re good with numbers, you can get a job bookkeeping, preparing taxes, and other work-from-home accounting jobs.

You can even become a financial advisor from home and earn by commissions.

3. Writing Jobs

If you have a knack for writing, you’ll have plenty of job opportunities online. Here are just examples of gigs that pay you to write on the top of my head:

My favorite: these 7 weird, but legit work-at-home writing jobs that involve writing fortune cookies, gravestone writing, and adult content.

You can earn writing by the word (1 cent to $5/word), by article, hourly, or on a project basis.

4. Editing and Proofreading jobs

Those with advanced writing experience are likely to have editing and proofreading skills as well. Here’s a guide on how to turn proofreading into a lucrative summer job.

5. Transcription Work

In our ever-expanding digital world, companies require data saved in databases every day.

As a transcriber, you get to help these companies with a wide range of tasks, from updating personal medical records (for medical transcription) to booking your flight details with a particular airline.

Here are other transcription jobs you can check out.

6. Test scorers

Online test graders read and score assessment tests, papers, or essays done by students (from high school to college students and even professionals taking specialized tests).

The job pays $10 to $25 an hour, depending on the companies you apply for.

7. Lesson plan & textbook creators

It would be easy for you to create lesson plans since it’s part of a teacher’s responsibility.

But if you wish to get paid, check out Teachers Pay Teachers and other sites you can sell your lesson plan-making expertise for cash.

8. Social Media Expert

If you know your way around Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social media platforms, and would love to earn some cash helping brands get their products and services spread to their target markets.

If you don’t know what it takes to be a social media specialist, here’s how to do it and the types of social media jobs available for you.

9. Counseling

Teachers can easily transition into other counseling jobs. Share your wisdom and become a part-time life coach, a spiritual therapist, or even an online dating consultant.

10. Travel agent

The cool thing about becoming a travel agent is that you can do the job from home, part-time or full-time.

If you dipped your toes in the industry and achieved success during the summer you spent working, you can even do it full-time as an agency business.

10 Outdoor Summer Jobs for Teachers

Let’s say you don’t want to get cooped up inside your house the entire summer vacation. If you want a job that gets you out and about, check out the following gigs:

1. Local tour guide

It’s perfect for teachers who LOVE meeting new people, teaching about local history and sharing your beloved town or city with tourists.

As a local tour guide, you’ll likely be traveling along with a group of people, so prepare to be on your feet during the trip.

2. Pet-walking or petsitting

If you love pets, walking the dogs (or cats) can be a hobby that pays cash.

If you’re not physically in shape to walk big dog breeds, you can stick to petsitting instead.

Both kinds of pet-related gigs pay well based on the number of pets you can call your clients. There’s even an app – called Rover – to help you find clients.

3. Food delivery driver

If you have a car and want to deliver food, you can apply to become a Door Dash delivery person and earn up to $20 an hour.

4. Drive for Ride-share Apps

Unlike delivering food, where you’d have to line up to restaurants or wait by the takeout bay, driving for ride-sharing apps like Lyft or Uber is more convenient and technically less tiring. You’ll be staying mostly in the car, waiting for your next customer to ride.

5. Summer Jobs for Teachers at Summer Camps

Summer camps welcome teachers with open arms every year.

After all, summer camp is just like a “more fun” version of school with socialization and personal development instead of sciences and maths. Here are some programs you can check out:

6. Six Flags, Disney & Other Jobs at the Theme Park

If you love the smell, sound, and environment of theme parks and want a change of scenery, there are various jobs available at Disney, Six Flags, and other theme parks for teachers.

Look out for hosting duties, operating rides, selling tickets, or other tasks you think you’d enjoy.

7. Sports Coaches

PE teachers can try their luck at US Sports Camps (USSC), America’s largest sports camp company and the licensed provider of the NIKE Sports Camps.

There are also organizations like Happy Swimmers, which are looking for instructors or lifeguards to join their team during the summer months.

8. Barista

Coffee-loving teachers who want to have a change in pace could get a temporary job as a barista.

Check your local cafes or national chains like Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, Coffee Beanery, Caribou Coffee, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and others. Most of these companies pay $15 an hour or more.

9. Zoo or Museum Help

Working in the zoo and museum can be peaceful and inspiring for most people.

If you’re a teacher who wants to take a break from teaching during the summer and needs a change in scenery, these places could be the haven you’re looking for.

10. House-sitting

Taking care of other people’s homes while they vacation somewhere else can be something you might be interested.

It’s like you’re vacationing yourself while getting paid for your time.

Here are 10 sites that will pay you to house-sit for other people.

Non-teaching Summer Jobs for Teachers

If you’ve got other skills, summer is the perfect time to use them to earn some cash.

It is also the best time to start a business if you’re not really short on cash. This is because starting a business doesn’t necessarily translate to income right away – you’ll need to set up the business first.

All the jobs included in this post: Jobs for Retired Teachers would be a perfect fit for any teacher wanting to explore other opportunities during the summer break.

It’s safe to say that summer jobs for teachers do not necessarily have to involve teaching. You can be a virtual assistant, customer service representative, and 16 other online jobs for teachers to make extra cash.