WASHINGTON – The government shutdown may have you thinking: “What if the employment rug gets pulled out from under me?”

Kimberly Palmer, Alpha Consumer blogger at US News & World Report and author of Generation Earn, says to turn your skills into extra cash now, and don’t wait for something to go wrong.

The best moneymaker, Palmer says, is the Web – which doesn’t require a lot of start-up money.

“If you’re a crafty person, Etsy is good. If you enjoy coaching or offering services, the Website fiverr is good. So there’s a good fit out there for almost everyone.”

Just be sure not to cross any ethical guidelines from your full-time job.

Some people fix up real estate and rent it out, Palmer says. One friend of hers writes and sells “special reports” on topics he enjoys such as cooking.

“He uploaded them to Amazon and now he makes about $200 from each of those books each month.”

With online sales, there’s no overhead and no one minding the store for you – you can sell items while you’re asleep.

Other ideas: Work as a freelancer in your spare time on elance.com and flexjobs.com. Some of those sites charge a commission; others are free.

Palmer recommends saving the extra cash, or using it to pay off debt.

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