They exist, but they don't pay well. The piecemeal contract work that is time-limited and doesn't require any prior relationship usually goes to the lowest bid

They exist, but they don't pay well. The piecemeal contract work that is time-limited and doesn't require any prior relationship usually goes to the lowest bidder. It's you versus a hundred people in other countries with 1/10th the cost of living. Moving to a higher paying job is the fastest way to bump up your income. Freelancing can augment it, but it's a bigger commitment than what you're describing. Most clients won't be interested in you doing little bits of work as you feel like it. They want things on predictable, rapid timelines.