For finding any kind of freelance work: make lots of friends. The online clearinghouse sites are a great way to end up doing too much work for too little pay for a shitty client. Everyone needs work done or know someone who needs work done. Work the networking.

And I mean friends. You're not going to get business out of a guy you just met. You're probably not going to get business out of many people the first time they ask you. Never ask them if they have work they need done, let them complain about not being able to find someone, then mention you do that sort of work (whatever it is, if you're smart you can figure it out well enough to do better than the majority of people). Don't back down on rate, they might balk at first, but when things get dire for them and they still can't find anyone, they'll remember you.

Avoid debt like the plague. It'll make you a slave to a constant, regular income. I have constant, regular income, but I also know I have urges to take 3 months off at a time. Debt is the mind killer. It's a lot easier to face the prospect of losing a contract when you know you have 3 months before you need more money, not 1 week.

EDIT: and definitely lie to your in-laws about how much you work. A) Few people my own generation can get over "not having a good job", fewer still of the older ones. And B) they might think not working for a cluent means you're not busy and they can make demands of your time.