I’ve been unemployed a few times in my life and during those times, while I looked for a job, I still had to earn money. While unemployment benefits are available for those who qualify, in many circumstances, not even that can hold down the fort until a new job comes along. And if you don’t have access to unemployment benefits that can be an even scarier situation.

As you find opportunities to make money while unemployed, you may discover that you can thrive without a traditional 9-5 job.

Here are 5 ways that I earned a legitimate living while unemployed. Keep in mind that sometimes I did all of these things at once!

1. Fiverr

Do you have a particular skill that you can offer to others? Try selling that skill on Fiverr! When I first got started with Fiverr many years ago when it was still fairly new, it wasn’t the beast that it is today. There is a lot of competition on Fiverr, but you can find lots of ways to stand out, including promoting your Fiverr services offline through Craigslist or your own social media profiles.

I’m a voice actress and a writer and used those skills, along with my own promotional efforts, to book plenty of gigs. At $5 a gig with an average of 5 gigs a day, I was making about $175 a week for minimal work. As a side note, each job only took me about 5-10 minutes to complete.

2. Freelance

Are you great at photography? Do you love pets? Enjoy cleaning? Offer your freelance services in your local newspaper, Craigslist, Yelp, Google, wherever you can.

I was a photographer for a short time and through Craigslist alone found plenty of clients, especially around the holiday seasons. I’d offer competitive rates and showcase my photography skills on a website. You could also exclusively showcase your photography skills on Facebook alone without investing in a website. Outside of Google, Facebook is one of the best ways for businesses to be found these days. We would actually get quite a bit of messages through our Facebook alone about our prices, availability, etc.

There are so many people looking for freelancers with all types of skills these days. There are also websites that you can join (for free) that allow you to apply for freelance jobs such as writing, website building and beyond. It could be in person work or just online, it’s up to you and your skill sets.

3. Selling Stuff

There were quite a few times that I was desperate while unemployed and needed some quick cash. While selling your stuff is usually a temporary solution to getting some quick cash flow, it’s effective. I once sold some old zombie memorabilia (a bracelet and some stickers) on eBay for around $50.

eBay charges a minimal listing fee, so even if it doesn’t sell, you’re only out a few cents (occasionally none depending on the settings you choose). You could sell some clothes to your local thrift store, sell that old bike to a pawn shop or sell that funny lamp of yours on eBay. You could also think about selling things that you make for a more consistent income (such as candles), though that takes some investment of money and time, but it can garner some great cash flow.

4. Seasonal Work

If it’s around a holiday season, such as Halloween, Christmas, back-to-school, or even home improvement (springtime), many retailers look for seasonal employees.

This is a great way to earn some cash while something more permanent pans out. While that ‘something permanent’ could be your freelance career taking off, or it could be a job opportunity, you at least have some cash coming in through seasonal work. And who knows, if you really like the job you could ask, or get offered, a permanent position.

5. Medical Studies

This can be a scary thought; going into a facility to have them pump you full of experimental drugs. However, it’s a lot safer than you might think and you get paid a lot of money for very little amount of your time. You can find medical study research facilities by doing a quick google search. Put into the search bar ‘medical studies (your city)’ or ‘medical studies paid’ to get started searching.

Keep in mind medical studies can usually only be found in larger cities. If, for instance, you live in a small city an hour away from a larger city, the amount paid per study might not be worth your travel time. Where I live, they advertise on the radio a lot and I even saw an ad on Craigslist.

I did medical studies for several years. You can do them every 30 days from the last time you dosed and you can only participate in one study at a time. Meaning, you can’t go to another research facility and do a study while doing a study at a different research facility. The lowest-earning study I ever participated in was $1,500 for a total of 6 in-house stays. That’s not a bad chunk of change for watching Netflix all day and getting 3 square meals a day!

Every study is different, but some I participated in were just looking to see if there are any side effects from just one dose. And a dose is usually just one pill. They lay out every single detail about the study and do a comprehensive medical exam before even considering if you’re a candidate or not. They want healthy individuals and every study has different requirements. Also, if you ever show any adverse signs while you’re in the study, they take you out for your own safety. It’s something to consider if you’re looking for very easy income.

BONUS: Method 6: Start your own business.

While this may take a bit more investment and time than just selling stuff on eBay, this can also be quite lucrative. If you have a talent or skill that you can use to start your own business, do it. Since you’re unemployed, you have plenty of time, motivation and desire and if you need some capital, ask friends and family.

I started my own business while I was unemployed. I love social media and decided I wanted to help local small businesses with their social media efforts. I invested my time into hard networking, building a website and showcasing my work and after just 1 month, I got my first paying client of $500 a month!

There are so many ways to earn a living while unemployed and any one of those ideas could transform your life to earning you a full time income without a full time job. Or it could just be a way to have a steady cash flow while looking for a job.

Whatever your intentions are, don’t let unemployment be the end of the world; take advantage of it by earning your own money!

About the Author: Morgan Rogue is a freelance writer and social media specialist working from home. She’s also a stay at home mom and loves the freedom she has to spend time with her family because of her freelance career. Learn more about Morgan at her website: http://roguepreparedness.