How to make money
When I look around, It seems like we’re all looking for quick ways to make money today due to the rising inflation and state of our economy. Most of us have a side hustle, we’re looking to diversify our income for daily expenses, debt payoff, extra savings, or to spend for fun. Some of us start an online business on top of our job, and learn new skills to eventually be our own boss, controlling own their schedule and workload! Everything changed when I learned all about side jobs and the different things a person can do to make extra money. Making extra money can truly change your life.
Whatever the reason one has to earn more, no one would say no to income opportunities, including me! If this sounds like you as well, then take this as a sign to start hustling for an extra bag of money for your wants and needs. Fortunately, there are a ton of ways to start making money. Thanks to the digital age, there are tons of ways to earn quickly, so the challenge is choosing what to do. Whether you want to learn how to make up to $100 a day or even more than that to replace your full-time job, read on! I’ve got 50 fantastic ideas you can consider to make money fast.
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How to make extra money
Whether you have just one free hour each day or if you are willing to work 40 to 50 hours a week on top of your full-time job, there are many options for you when it comes to the different ways to earn extra money. If you are wondering “How can I make extra money?” then you’ve come to the right place! Some of these 50 ways may even surprise you. Here are my top 50 how to make money (online) for beginners!
Best money-making apps
Your phone is more than just a source of entertainment and communication! Did you know you can install money-making apps that will help you find the perfect job that earns well? It’s usually entails zero investment, and convenient, so you can start immediately. Here are some of the apps where you can find work opportunities that you can do within your preferred schedule.
1. Food Delivery – The food delivery apps are always hiring people, and you can easily sign up to work as a food delivery driver, like DoorDash, Uber Eats, or Grubhub. As long as you’ve got your own vehicle (bicycle, scooter, or car), you can get started within days. They offer extra money if you refer a friend, take orders during peak hours, or accept large orders from catering services. The best part? You get to keep 100% of your tips, which helps increase your daily earnings!
3. Instacart – Instacart is one of the top delivery apps for making money, where you can earn $200 a day or even up to $300 within 1-2 days if you work full days! If you aren’t familiar with Instacart, this is an app-based grocery delivery service, which partners with local stores to deliver to customers. If you have a vehicle, you can make Instacart your full-time gig or your side hustle after work.
3. Field Agent – If you’re a shopaholic like me, you may be interested in mystery shopper jobs from Field Agent, a gig app that offers easy tasks or “jobs” that include doing surveys, in-store audits, product reviews, and even mystery shopping. You’ll basically be an “agent working undercover” to test products or answer surveys.
Ways to make money close to home
4. Walk dogs and/or pet sit for extra money– If you love animals, then you may want to look into this. Walking cute dogs or taking care of them while their owners are traveling. What’s awesome is that there are apps like Rover and Wag, where you can post the services you offer, such as dog-walking, pet-boarding, housesitting or drop-in pet services, or even doggy daycare.
5. Train pets – If you are good with animals, then you may want to look into training them for side money. You can help pet owners teach their pets how to behave better, do tricks, and more. Another would be to Groom pets – This is yet another side business related to animals, but it can be a good one. You could start a mobile pet grooming business where you go directly to the pets.
6. Babysit and/or nanny children – When I was just 14, I was making $10 an hour babysitting for a neighbor. This was a very long time ago too! I babysat 40 hours a week and it was a great way to make extra money! If you have any special skills or provide extra work, such as cleaning up around the house, teaching the child how to speak another language, picking up the child after activities, and so on, you will most likely be able to charge more than $10 an hour. I’ve heard that babysitters this day typically earn around $15 to $30 an hour. You can find jobs in local Facebook groups, Care.com, and SitterCity.
7. House sit – Housesitting is becoming more and more popular these days. There are many websites out there for housesitting. You might not always get paid, but you may be able to score a nice place to stay in a nice vacation spot. In many cases, you do get paid though to watch the house, water the plants, and so on.
8. Clean homes – Cleaning is something that many people dread. If you are good at cleaning, then you may be able to find clients who want you to come to their homes to clean. You may be cleaning their whole house, bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, basements, deep cleaning, and more. There are even people who specialize in cleaning very messy homes, such as those who hoard items. This is one of the ways to make extra money, and it can be good, especially if you love to clean!
9. Be a ‘handyman’ – If you are a handy person you can help people fix things around their home, and you can get paid to repair broken items around a person’s home. This is one of the ways to make extra money that may be good for someone who is often asked to fix things anyway. Monetize this skill!
10. Wash windows – Many businesses out there outsource their window washing and this can be one of the ways to make extra money for you. The work may not super pay well, but it can be done quickly with the right tools. Plus, if you have many clients located near each other then it may be well worth it.
11. Paint homes – If you are a good painter, you may be able to find people who are willing to pay you to paint the inside of their home. Painters where I used to live made around $25 an hour or more.
12. Move furniture – Moving is another task that many people dislike. Movers can earn a broad range when it comes to hourly pay, but it’s usually somewhere around $50 an hour if you run your own business. You may be able to find a full-time moving job, or you may be able to find one-time moving gigs on a website like Craigslist. My son did this work and it paid well.
13. Rent (a room) in your home – If you have extra space in your home, then you may want to rent it out as one of the ways to make extra money. Or become an Airbnb host. You can rent out a whole home or a spare room and make extra money.
14. Maintain yards – If you want to learn how to earn extra money, you can make money by mowing lawns, killing/removing weeds, cleaning gutters, raking leaves, and so on. This is a task that many homeowners do not like to do, so this is something that they hire others to do.
15. Rent a parking spot – If you have your own parking spot but don’t use it or don’t need it as much, then you may want to rent it out to someone else. Depending on where you live, you may be able to pull in a nice bit of cash each month.
16. Rent out your car – Did you know that you can rent out your car on an hourly, daily, weekly, or even long basis in certain areas? If you know you aren’t going to use your car and that your insurance will still cover your vehicle, then this could be an interesting idea with very little work needed.
17. Clean cars – I personally know someone who has a side business detailing cars. If you love cars, this may be a great side business for you. This could even be a full-time business as well.
18. Takes photos – Not just anyone can do this, as photography requires both skill and talent. However, if you know what you are doing then you may be able to turn your passion into a side business by taking photos of people, places, and things. Make money as a wedding photographer, portrait photographer, event photographer, stock photo photographer (such as for online platforms like Shutterstock or DepositPhotos), and more.
19. Get paid to read books. Yes, you can actually get paid to read books. Check out websites like Online Book Club, or UpWork.
10 ideas to make money online with a new business or side hustle
This is the easiest way, in my opinion, since you just need an internet connection and a laptop or computer. When you have this you can start making money from home.
Starting a business on the side can be a great way to make extra money. You can work from the comfort of your own home, or anywhere else you like to work from. You are not dependent on any location, so you can even travel all over the world and work from anywhere. personally, I am all about making income online in order to make extra money. It may even eventually lead to becoming your full-time career.
The answer to making quick money within the day is right in front of you on your computer screen. Working as a freelancer is one of the best ways to earn extra money, as you get to control your schedule, work anywhere you wish, and juggle other profitable projects on the side. With annual earnings by US freelancers totaling a whopping $1.27 trillion, you can earn big bucks as long as you choose the right jobs that suit your skills!
Here are some business ideas for you:
21. Digital Marketing – Digital marketing, also called online marketing, is the promotion of brands to connect with potential customers using the internet and other forms of digital communication. Digital marketing is a powerful way to grow a business online. However, you don’t need a lot of money to start. You can even start right now with this free guide. Digital marketing uses online channels and tools to promote products and services, like SEO, social media, and email marketing. You need to know the latest trends, as well as strategies.
22. Start an Etsy Shop Do you have something you can sell? Etsy is a great place to sell homemade items, vintage finds, and craft supplies. If you are a crafty person, definitely check out this website. Create an Etsy account, list your first products, connect your payment methods, and open your shop for customers. This can be a physical product or a digital product. Starting a new business on Etsy can feel overwhelming, so, to make the process more manageable I wrote this blog with a few simple tips on how to start your first Etsy shop
23. Start a profitable blog – If you have a niche you’re passionate about, why not share it with the world? Blogging is how a lot of people make a living. You can make money blogging about your interest in travel, fitness, cooking, or any other field where you consider yourself knowledgeable. You can start your blog for as low as $2.75 per month plus you get a free domain if you sign-up through my tutorial. As you grow, you can also look into writing sponsored content, affiliate marketing, advertising within your blog, and even selling your merchandise related to your niche.
24. Affiliate marketing – This is the process by which an affiliate (you) can earn a commission for marketing another person’s or company’s products. This is a very lucrative and profitable business model which if done correctly can make you very successful. The scope of this business model is ever increasing too, since online business is the future, and companies look for people like bloggers and influencers to help sell their products more effective.
25. Answer surveys – Survey companies I recommend as one of the ways to make extra money online include Swagbucks, American Consumer Opinion, Survey Junkie, Pinecone Research, Opinion Outpost, Branded Surveys, and Prize Rebel. They’re free to join and free to use! You get paid to answer surveys and to test products. It’s best to sign up for as many as you can as that way you can receive the most surveys and make the most money.
26. Play games – Freecash.com is a website that allows you to make money at home by playing games, filling out surveys, and completing other tasks. The money that you earn on Freecash can be withdrawn through PayPal, crypto (such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, or Doge), or a wide range of gift cards as well. Withdrawals are starting at $0.10. The average user earns around $20.00+ per day, but there are also users who make hundreds of dollars daily.
27. Graphic Designer – Did you know graphic design skills are one of the most in-demand freelance skills? More and more businesses are looking for graphic designers to elevate their brands and create eye-catching visuals to stand out among the competition. A bachelor’s degree in graphic design is prevalent among designers, but it’s not a mandatory qualification.
28. Become a Freelance Writer – Got a knack for words? You can earn a lot by working as a freelance writer. There is a never-ending list of things you can get hired to write about, may it be for blogs, academic papers, product reviews, fiction books, and many more. People can earn anywhere between $0.01 to over $1 per word, and all you will need is your laptop and your creative skills to get started.
29. Virtual Assist (VA) – Virtual assistants are one of the online jobs from home that is growing in popularity because anyone with great computer and organizational skills can get started. Typically, you’ll be helping an executive or business owner handle office work they have no time to do themselves. A virtual assistant helps a business run more smoothly. You can be contracted for one project (such as collecting data for research) or it can be a continuing job such as replying to e-mails and comments. Virtual assistant work can range broadly. There are many, many tasks that people hire virtual assistants for.
30. Social Media Manager – There are over 5 billion social media users, and with the huge number of people online, you can see why businesses are making sure they build their social media presence. This is where social media managers come along! This is a promising online freelance job if you are social media savvy.
10 ways to make money online
An online job is a job where you simply need an internet connection in order to work. You may be working for yourself as a small business owner or freelancer, or working for a company as an employee. You can find online jobs in many different places, such as job boards, recruiters, networking, through a friend, Facebook groups, and more. Here are a few ideas to start with:
31. Help people writing their resume – You can learn how to make side money by helping others create great resumes so they can land their next job. If others are constantly asking you to take a look at their resume, then this may be a great side hustle for you to try out.
32. Edit articles – Blogs need editors! No matter how many times a person reads an article, something usually slips through. If you’re a grammar-nut, then this can be a great way to make extra money.
33. Teach a skill – Is there something that you consider yourself an expert at that someone else may want to pay you to teach? This could include making food schedules, teaching a new language, and more.
34. Social Media Manager – Being a social media manager can be a fun job. Not everyone can do it but if you have social media skills then it might be something to look into. It’s not as easy as just sharing random content as you do need to create a strategy that works and be up to date with the latest online trends.
35. Help others start websites – If you are tech-savvy, others may be willing to pay you to help them start their website. This can be a great way to make extra money if you have the skills to do so! You may be helping them with the design of their website, setting it all up (such as by connecting the domain name and web hosting), setting up their social media accounts, and more.
36. Moderate forums – Some forums will pay you to moderate their message boards. If there is a forum you often visit, you might want to see if they are hiring.
37. Test websites – This is a relatively new way to make money online at home that I have heard about. UserTesting.com is a website that pays you to test websites. You get paid $10 for each website you review and test, and $15 per website that you mobile test. You do not need to be a super technical person for this online job as they want real people to review websites to see what people really think.
38. Use Swagbucks for your online searches – Swagbucks allows you to occasionally earn Amazon gift cards with very little work. Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded points for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough points, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more.
39. Post on Social Media – If you have social media accounts, you may be able to make money by posting advertisements on your accounts. One company that is popular for this is Izea.
40. Write for others – Freelance writing can be a fun way to make money online if you enjoy writing. First, you will need to find someone to hire you. This means you will most likely need experience in order to gain experience. Don’t worry, it is possible. You can start by creating your own blog and writing on there first. This way future employers can see firsthand if your writing style will work for them or not.
Get an extra (part-time) job to earn extra cash
For each season, there are extra part-time job openings to be filled. There are many part-time jobs out there that can be combined with your full-time job. You can find these jobs on sites such as Snagajob or Monster. A great way to make extra money for a short time.
41. Part-time winter jobs – There are many companies that have lots of jobs over the winter months such as Target, UPS, FedEx, and more. If you have any extra free time in the winter month, then you may be able to find a way to make extra money.
42. Find a part-time summer job – If you have a job that gives you the summers off, then you may want to look into finding a part-time summer job to fill the days as one of the ways to make extra money. Some part-time jobs are below.
43. Bartending – If you have bartending experience, then you may be able to find a bartending job at a bar, a restaurant, a catering company, and more. Since usually, the hours for this are later in the evening or at night and on the weekends, you will probably be able to find a bartending job that works somewhat well with your schedule.
44. Guide tours – Is there something out there you love and that you are very knowledgeable about? Maybe you should lead a tour! If you live in a touristy area, then this may be a no-brainer. Check out Airbnb Experiences to see if this is a gig that you’d like to offer. You can create a listing and sell your yours on Airbnb Experiences.
45. Lifeguard – You could lifeguard at a community pool, a private pool, a water park, and so on. You’ll have to take courses on this subject as other people’s lives are in your hands, of course.
Make extra money at your job!
Maybe you don’t want to find separate ways to make extra money, in that case, you may want to look into seeing if there are ways to make more money at the job you already have.
46. Ask for a raise – Asking for a raise may be the best way to make extra money, as the work is the same and you most likely won’t be adding additional hours to your work week. Most people don’t ask, but what if you do ask? Either they give it to you, or they don’t, which means everything stays the same. What do you have to lose?
47. Get a promotion – If just a raise is not possible, then you may want to look into finding a promotion at your company that you know comes with a pay bump.
48. Earn bonuses – Depending on the industry you work in, you may be able to earn bonuses as one of the ways to make extra money. Bonuses are a great opportunity to make extra money, and there are actually several sales jobs out there that provide this opportunity.
49. Work overtime – Another way to make more money at the job you already have is to see if your company will allow you to work overtime. In many cases, overtime is welcomed and you can earn a decent amount of money through this. Plus, what’s an extra hour or two when you’re already there?
Nr. 50: Make money from home by selling your stuff
Lastly, number 50 on this list: selling your stuff for extra cash! We all have extra things lying around that can be sold, or you can even search for items that can be bought and resold for a profit. There are many things you can do to make extra money by selling items. Selling your stuff can be one of the many ways to make extra money fast and make extra cash.
Sell items on eBay– Whether you have old clothes you want to sell, a car, electronics, and so on, eBay can be a great way to sell many different types of items. eBay also has worldwide reach, which can be great if the area where you live doesn’t have a large enough market for the item you want to sell.
Sell to secondhand stores – There are many secondhand stores out there that will take your clothing and shoes. Stores like Plato’s Closet, Hut No. 8, and Buffalo Exchange will pay upfront for young adult clothing that is recent, and they take all of the legwork out of selling items, which is nice. There are also secondhand stores for designer items, women’s clothing, children’s items, and more. Some pay upfront whereas others may not pay you until after the item has sold.
Sell your clothing – You can sell the clothes and jewelry that you no longer want on sites like Poshmark.
Sell your old electronics – A great place to sell your old cell phone, laptop, tablet, game consoles, and so on is Decluttr and Gazelle.
Sell items through a garage sale – A garage sale can be an easy way to make extra money because everyone comes straight to you. The only downside is that usually you can’t charge as high for your items as you can if you were to sell on sites such as eBay or Craigslist.
Sell your old books – Back when I was in college, I would always sell any books immediately after the class was over. This helped me to regain the amount that I originally paid for the book. You can sell your books on websites such as Half.com.
Sell food – If you make a lot of your own food, you may want to start making extra and selling it to others in your area such as at farmers markets and flea markets. You may be able to sell canned goods, vegetables, and more.
Sell your gift cards – If you have any gift cards in your wallet that you know you won’t use, you should think about selling them. There are many, many websites out there that will pay you cash. So, if you have Visa gift cards, gift cards to restaurants or stores, or something else, you may be able to make some extra cash by selling them online.
And the best way to make extra money is....
There is not just ‘one’ best way! The best ways to make extra money simply depend on you, what you want to do, your skill level, your schedule, and more. You may decide to sell on Facebook marketplace, sell your old phones, become a blogger, start dog walking, make YouTube videos, find ways to get free gift cards, start a shop on Etsy, or start house sitting. There are an endless amount of ways to make extra money, and many of the ways to make extra money listed above will allow you to make an extra $500 or $1,000 a month. It all depends on what you choose to do and how many hours you can spend.
I hope that with this list, you will be able to find ideas that suit you in your situation, to make money from home, in a part-time job, or in a side hustle gig. I also recommend being a little creative and seeing what else may interest you, as the list of good ways to make extra money does not end here – it goes on and on for pretty much forever.
Much love, Ingrid
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