When I was in high school I didn't have much by way of income, so I took what odd jobs I could get.

This one was pretty odd:

A high school friend had somehow gotten a gig involving giving Boston commuters, headed for the T (the subway system), a sample of Carnation Instant Breakfast first thing in the morning.

That was the entire job.

He asked if I wanted to join him in this. So I did -- maybe half a dozen times.

But as you can imagine, giving things to people who are in a hurry, even when you're not asking for money, is not fun. Interacting with me wasn't on anyone's urgent to-do list those mornings.

At no time did I think to myself: my career will involve handing breakfast samples to random passersby.

We all know why I did it: the immediate cash infusion.

Everybody needs that from time to time.

Reading about the ins and outs of starting a business can seem like it's from another planet when what you need this second is immediate dough. If only you had the luxury of being able to work on a long-term project.

It turns out that there are lots of completely legitimate ways, most of them from your own home, that you can get a little quick income these days. No, you won't be able to take a trip to Hawaii, but you WILL have a little extra dough that can see you through a challenging time.

Matt Garrett is the expert, so check out his list:

http://www.tomwoods.com/sidehustles

Tom Woods