59 Smart Things You Can Do To Make Money On The Side

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One of the more frequent questions I get from readers of my blog is “what are the best ways to make money on the side”?

It seems as though everyone is looking for ways to increase their income these days.

The good news is that there are many creative ways to make money.

And thanks to technology, you can start earning extra cash today.

It all depends on how much extra money you want to make and how you want to make it.

So if you are finding yourself asking any of these questions:

  • How can I make a lot of money fast?
  • How can I make money right now?
  • How can I make money as a stay at home mom?
  • How can I make money on YouTube?
  • How can I make money with my phone?
  • How can I make money online?

Then know that this online guide to making money on the side is for you.

I have broken the ideas down in to sections to help you better navigate around.

With that said, I encourage you to read the entire list.

Why?

The reason is simple.

There are some ideas that could fall into both the make money from home and the make money online sections.

I did my best to justify which idea fits best into which section.

Under each idea, I give you a rough estimate as to how much money you can expect to earn.

This estimate varies greatly.

If you put in a ton of effort, you may end up making a lot more than I list.

But you could earn less.

At the end of the day, your success is based on how much effort you put into these ideas.

Therefore, I recommend you pick ideas based on your interests and not the amount of money you can make.

This way, you will be excited about the work and this will increase your odds of success and earning money.

Also note that I am constantly updating this list, so be sure to check back often for new ideas that I come across.

Table of Contents

Why I Created My Making Money Guide

make money on the side

Before I jump into the creative ways to make money, I wanted to mention the issues you find when you search for ways to make money.

I have found many of the results you’ll find from a search aren’t helpful.

Many are nothing more than slimy sales pitches.

They try to convince you that you can make $1,000 a day online by doing 30 seconds of work.

Now while they make this sound simple, the odds of it actually happening are slim.

You have a greater chance of getting hit by lightning twice than making $1,000 for 30 seconds of work.

This guide highlights real ways to make money.

Some involve very little work, and the payout is low.

Others require a lot of work. But the payoff is massive.

In some cases you need to have a laptop, while others don’t require one.

Finally, there are some affiliate links in this post.

This means if you click on a link and join or sign up, I earn a commission.

The commission I earn helps me to run this site and share personal finance tips with you.

The commission I earn usually allows you to get a better deal because of an agreement I have with the company.

With that said, I only list ideas that I have used or believe in.

Let’s get started with the many ways to making money!

59 Best Ideas To Make Money On The Side

How To Earn Extra Money Online

make money online

Making money online is how most people prefer to earn additional income.

And the good news is you have a lot of options for how to earn the money you want.

The bad news is there are a lot of scams out there you need to watch out for.

More bad news is people have unrealistic expectations about how much money they can make online.

Too many people think they can throw up a website or create a product and visitors will roll in.

This isn’t reality.

To make good money online, you need to put in a lot of work.

But you can make smaller amounts of money with less work.

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I cover everything with 15 ideas to make extra money online below.

#1. Surveys

This is one of the best ways to make extra money online each month.

All you have to do is take a couple surveys a day and you can easily earn $100 a month.

My favorite survey companies are Survey Junkie and PointClub.

Just how easy is it to make money taking surveys?

Spend 30 minutes before bed taking a couple surveys or take them while on the train into work every day.

That’s it. You’ll see $100 extra each month doing surveys in your spare time.

But there is a secret trick to maximizing how much money you can make taking surveys.

I go into detail about it in my survey review post.

There you not only learn the secret tricks I use to make the most money, but also the strategy I use to keep everything organized.

I also show you what the highest paying survey sites out there are.

Overall, taking surveys online is one of the easiest ways to make some quick cash.

Earnings Potential

Making money with paid surveys comes down to a couple of factors.

The biggest is time.

If you only answer a survey or two a week, you can expect to earn around $25 a month.

But if you are dedicated and answer surveys daily, earning $100 a month is not out of the question.

Also, if you take part in focus groups, you could grow your earnings even more.

If you want to be a superstar, you could earn upwards of $200 a month.

However, this is not normal.

Most people will fall in the $25-$100 range for taking surveys online.

#2. Swagbucks

The next great side hustle is to use Swagbucks.

And depending on how you use this site, you can easily make as much with Swagbucks as you do taking surveys.

This site has you do various activities to earn SB (their version on points), which you can convert into cash or gift cards.

What can you do to earn SB for cash? Here are just a few of the many options:

  • Take surveys
  • Surf the internet
  • Play games
  • Watch videos

You can also earn points for shopping through their web portal.

You earn 2 SB per dollar spent on many sites and there are others that offer more SB per dollar spent.

I use the site when surfing the internet and when buying thing online and each month, I cash out my points for easy money.

You have the option to redeem your points for cash in your PayPal account or for free gift cards.

I tend to go for Amazon gift cards and use them to buy birthday present and gifts.

It really is that easy.

The areas you should focus on to earn the most money with the least amount of effort is trying new products and services and watching videos.

When you agree to try out new products or services, you earn hundreds or even thousands of points.

The only catch is many times you are signing up for a free trial.

As long as you cancel during the free trial, you walk away with free money.

For videos, just start the video player in a tab in your favorite web browser and then open a new tab and do what you normally would.

The videos will play in the background, earning you money.

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Swagbucks

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Earnings Potential

With so many ways to make money with Swagbucks, it is hard to put a number on your monthly earnings.

Some months I make $25. Other months I make $2.

But I am not consistent with the site, I just sped a few minutes when I am bored playing games.

For most people, you can expect to earn between $25 and $50 a month with Swagbucks if you are dedicated to using this idea to make money online.

#3. Inbox Dollars

Inbox Dollars is a lot like Swagbucks.

You make money from completing similar tasks, but what I enjoy most about Inbox Dollars is that I earn money by watching movie trailers.

They create a playlist, which can last anywhere from 5 minutes to over a half hour, and you watch the full playlist.

They also offer surveys, but I’ve found these aren’t the best ways to make money with Inbox Dollars.

The best ways are to watch videos, read PaidEmails, and playing games.

For watching videos, follow the same guidelines for Swagbucks and watch them in the background.

For PaidEmails, these are emails Inbox Dollars sends you that you earn money for reading.

You will know when these emails come into your inbox as they will say “PaidEmail”.

Finally, you can play games and earn a little extra money for doing so.

I love that you can even play on your mobile phone, allowing you to earn money while out of the house.

Earning Potential

You aren’t going to make a lot with Inbox Dollars.

The benefit here is the same with Swagbucks.

And as with Swagbucks, you can expect your income to be on the lower side.

In fact, with Inbox Dollars, the money you make will be around $10-$15 a month.

To sign up for Inbox Dollars for free and get $5, click the link below.

InboxDollars: Make Extra Money Online From Home

Take online surveys, play games, watch videos and more! Everything you do earns you cash. Signing up is free and new members get a $5 bonus.

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#4. Enter Giveaways

Many bloggers offer cash and/or prize giveaways on their sites.

Entry is free, you usually just have to follow the blog on Twitter, share the post on your social media, or comment on the post.

The great thing about most giveaways is that you can enter many times, which increases your odds of winning.

To find a giant list of giveaways and sweepstakes to enter in your free time, check out this site.

The site is constantly updated with new contests for you to enter.

Earning Potential

Most sites offer gift cards to winners, usually in the form of an Amazon gift card.

Since income is dependent on the number of giveaways you enter and your odds of winning, making money this way isn’t going to be consistent.

Because of this, you can expect to earn $5-$10 a month.

#5. Amazon FBA

One of the best side gigs I’ve found to make money is to sell with Amazon.

You buy items on clearance at local stores and resell them for a profit on Amazon.

Or you can find deals on Amazon, and then sell them for full price after the deal ends.

The catch is you have to put in some work.

When I was doing this, I was averaging around 15 hours a month and earning close to $500 a month.

That comes to an hourly wage of $33 an hour!

Their Fulfillment By Amazon, or FBA program, works by having you ship products to Amazon warehouses and list the item for sale on Amazon.

When your item is purchased, Amazon packages and ships the item.

You earn your money less a small fee Amazon charges.

They even handle any returns too!

What I really like about this idea is that it is easy to ramp up and turn into a full time income.

Earning Potential

You can make as little or as much as you want with this idea.

As I mentioned above, I was making $500 a month.

Someone else I knew was making over $3,000 a month.

The biggest hurdle is getting started. It takes time to figure everything out.

For me, it wasn’t until month 6 that I started making $500 on a regular basis.

But I didn’t know what I was doing.

Then I found a free guide that changed everything.

I recommend you sign up for this FREE 7 day course on how to make money with Amazon FBA.

It will walk you through everything so you can quickly make money selling on Amazon.

By running through this guide, you will earn money a lot faster than I did!

Best Way To Make Money Online
Amazon FBA

Selling on Amazon is easy with their FBA program. Source the items to sell, list on Amazon and ship to a warehouse. When your item sells, Amazon takes care of everything. This free course will show you how to get started!

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Overall, you can expect to make around $400 a month selling on Amazon.

#6. eBay

When it comes to selling on eBay, you have a couple ways to make this a serious way to make money.

For starters, you could become a flipper.

This is where you go to yard sales, estate sales and flea markets, buy something of value at a low price and sell it on eBay for a profit.

When I sold on eBay when I was in college this is what I did and it helped me to earn some extra spending money.

I don’t use it as much as I have in the past, but it is still one of the great ways to make extra money.

Another option for selling on eBay is to become a drop shipper.

Here you find low cost products and sell them for a profit to consumers.

Earning Potential

Depending on how much you sell, your income will vary month to month.

On average, if you are flipping items, you can expect to earn $150 a month.

If you are drop shipping, you can make thousands per month if you find the right products.

#7. Rakuten

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is a great way to make extra money online.

With Rakuten, you open your free account and then do your online shopping through their online portal.

When you do this, you earn cash back on your purchase.

Rakuten: Shop. Get Cash Back. Repeat.

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The cash back amount you earn varies by retailer, but you can expect to earn anywhere from 1% to 25% cash back.

And every day there are certain stores that offer double cash back.

Earning Potential

This depends on how much you shop online and where you shop.

For example, Amazon is a site you can earn cash back, but there are only some departments that offer cash back.

For me, most of my income from Rakuten comes in November and December.

This is when I do most of my online shopping.

Because of this, my income isn’t consistent.

On average, I earn around $25 a month, which is what I would say you can expect as well.

#8. Fiverr

This is one of the most creative ways to make money.

Fiverr is a website that allows users to sell “gigs” starting at $5 apiece.

Just what is a gig?

If you can sing, you can offer to sing custom happy birthday songs for buyers for $5 each.

If you can photoshop pictures, you can charge $5 to edit photos.

Or maybe you edit videos or proofread resumes.

There is no limit to the things you can offer to do for $5.

And you aren’t limited to just $5 per gig.

Most gigs have add-ons and other starting prices that earn the creator well over $5 a gig.

In fact, most of the gigs I see nowadays run between $20 and $50.

In the beginning, you might need to charge less than your competitors so you earn reviews and trust.

But in time, you can increase your prices and earn more money.

Earning Potential

This all depends on the demand for the service you are offering.

If there is a demand, the faster you get positives reviews, the faster you will make money.

In the end, if you sell a service for $20 and can sell 10 a month, you are making $150 after Fiverr takes their fee.

#9. Neilson Mobile

Want to earn a $50 gift card to Amazon?

If you join Neilson Mobile you can earn that every year.

All you have to do is install their app on your phone and then use your phone as usual.

Each week, you will earn points, and at the end of the year you can use those points for a $50 Amazon gift card.

You can also use the points for other gift cards too.

Neilson recently updated things and now you can register other devices too, like tablets and computers. 

And they will enter you into weekly drawings as well, with the potential to earn even more.

Earning Potential

You will earn $50 a year no matter what, as long as you install the app and use your phone.

If you register more devices, you have a chance to win their sweepstakes, but I am not accounting for this in your earnings potential.

#10. Search Engine Evaluator

If you help Google clean up their search results, they will pay you.

You could earn up to $750 a month doing this.

The work entails analyzing web searches so the results come close to what the user was looking for.

When you break it down, the pay is between $12-$15 per hour and you set your own hours.

But the work varies.

This means one week you might have 10 hours worth of tasks and the next week have nothing.

This flexibility makes it a perfect part-time job.

You also have to manually track your hours and you have to work a minimum number of hours each month to stay enrolled.

Here are 2 places you can reach out to if interested in this line of work.

Note that you do have to take some tests to qualify.

Earning Potential

As I mentioned, the pay is between $12-$15 an hour, and the amount of work varies from week to week.

Because of this, this idea isn’t a good replacement for your income, but is a nice supplement to it.

On average most testers earn around $250 a month.

#11. Teach English

Did you know you can earn a good income online by teaching English to Chinese students?

As long as you have a college education and some experience working with kids you can apply to teach English and make extra money from home.

Since you are teaching to Chinese students, you have to be available during their peak times, which are early morning and late at night here in the US.

This is an online job that is in high demand as many parents in China see the benefit of their child knowing English as a second language.

As a result, there are a few companies you can look into and apply with.

  • VIPKid
  • QKIDs
  • Teach Part Time
Earning Potential

As a beginner, you can expect to earn around $15 an hour and work 20 hours a week.

This comes to $1,200 a month.

As you get established, your hourly rate increases to $20 an hour and you are eligible for bonuses.

This means you could end up making $22 an hour.

Working 20 hours a week provides you with an income of over $1,700 a month!

I know a girl who was in college and did this as her part time job.

She ended up paying for a good portion of her tuition by teaching English online.

#12. UserTesting

Here is an easy way to make a little extra cash that is fun!

The way it works is that you get paid to test out test websites.

The process of testing a site takes around 10 minutes and you get paid $10 for each one you complete.

Why would websites pay you to review their sites?

There are many reasons, including checking for errors, finding dead pages, or broken links.

In some cases, the site owner watches you browse around their site.

They want to see where you click and how you get around.

This helps the site owner with creating a user-friendly site layout.

You can learn more about UserTesting here.

Earning Potential

The only limit here is the number of hours you are willing to work doing this side gig and the availability of tests.

If you can do 10 a month, which is possible, you are looking at $100 a month.

#13. Freelance Writing

There are many websites out there and these sites need content written.

As a result, writers are always in demand.

As a freelance writer, you can make money writing for various websites.

Just how much extra cash can you make?

Starting out, you can make around $0.01 to $0.03 per word.

But as you build a portfolio of work, you can increase your rate to up to $1.00 per article or more.

For a 500 word article, that means you make $500!

But it takes time to build up to this level.

Often, you have to apply to become a freelance writer for most sites.

But there are sites that allow you to submit an article to and get paid.

These are great for first-timers to build up your portfolio.

Here are some sites to check out to get started:

  • Listverse: Just like Top Tenz, Listverse require you write a top 10 list and the post needs to be at least 1,500 words. If your post gets accepted, you will get paid $100.
  • iWriter: This site lets you choose the number of articles you want to write each day and what topics you want to write about. As you get better, you can earn up to $15 per article. This is a good place to start to build up your resume as they aren’t as strict with their acceptance policy.
  • International Living: This site is about traveling and your personal experiences. If you love to travel and enjoy writing about your experiences, you can earn $75 for a post.
  • A List Apart: A List Apart is another site that pays you to post your articles. They pay you $200 for a post, but they post less frequently. So the chances of getting your post accepted is lower. Their main requirement is a post that is a minimum of 1,500 words long.
  • Funds For Writers: This site will pay you $50 for a 500-600 word post about writing and making money with it.
  • Matador Network: Another place to get paid for your posts. They pay you $40 for a post and have no minimum length, but the maximum length of the post is 1,500 words. You can write about adventures, cultures and identities of people around the world. You can also submit video and photos as well.
  • TextBroker: TextBroker has you submit a sample to get rated before you can begin writing for clients. The ranking goes up to 5 stars and at that rate, you earn $0.05 per word. This is another good place to start with building your portfolio.
  • Upwork: Upwork is a little different than the options above. Here you create a listing offering your services and then apply for jobs as a contractor. Contracts last a varying amount of time depending on the job and pay varies as well. You can set your accepted pay range and negotiate with the job poster as well. As you complete more jobs and get rated by the job poster, you can expect to earn more jobs.
  • The Penny Hoarder: If you have an unusual way to save or make money, The Penny Hoarder could pay you for your idea. As of this writing, they pay $75 for your tip. You can learn how to submit your idea here.

You can also check out this guide for best freelance websites to find more places to start your journey.

Of course, if you want to make a good amount of money through freelance writing, you have to be a good writer.

Luckily there are some awesome free resources out there that can help.

Check out this list of 150 resources to get started.

If that isn’t enough, you can also check out this list of an additional 50 resources.

Also check out this great guide for writers.

While the above route is good to build up your portfolio, it will take you time and you are left to figure things out on your own.

A better option is to take a course by a proven freelance writer.

Not only will you get the training to become a great freelance writer, you will be able to find good paying writing jobs a lot easier.

If you are serious about making money as a freelance writer, this course is a must.

Freelance To 5K

Get a head start on becoming a freelance writer with this course. Learn the entire process of freelancing from how to get started all the way to pricing and finding clients.

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Earning Potential

In the beginning, you will be writing for free until you build your portfolio.

Once you have a body of work, you can expect to earn $150 a month.

As you gain experience, you can earn a lot more.

And by taking the freelance writing course, you can earn $5,000 a month or more!

#14. Start Your Own Website

I couldn’t write a guide to making money online without mentioning starting your own website!

When you have your own site, there are a handful of ways to make money through it:

  • Adsense advertising: These are the Google ads you see on many websites. When a visitor clicks on the ad, the site owner gets a cut of the amount the advertiser paid Google to post the ad. It’s easy to get accepted to place these ads, but to make money, you need to have traffic.
  • Ad networks: These are similar to Adsense but you tend to make a lot more money with them. For example, I am earning 7 times the amount I was with Adsense. That is a huge deal. For these you need to have a minimum amount of traffic, but once you do, this is a great option to make extra money.
  • Private advertising: As an alternative to Adsense, there is private advertising. This is when companies reach out to you to place ads on your site. You can get paid based on how many people click the ad or how often the ad appears based on site visits. In some cases, you can even get a flat rate payment.
  • Affiliate advertising: This is where you promote other company’s products and can earn a commission. The amount you earn varies depending on the product. While on the surface it sounds like the more items you promote, the more money you earn, this is not the case. In fact, you tend to earn more when you focus on a small number of products in your niche that your readers need.
  • Product creation: This is the toughest way to make money with your website, but it tends to be the most lucrative as well. You create a product or service and sell it on your site. I’ve seen some sites charge a few hundred dollars for their products.
make money from websites

Besides selling on your site, you can offer other sites a percentage of money for each sale they make.

This works by having them sell your product on their site.

To get started with your site, you need to pick a niche, a domain name and a web host.

You can read more about all this in my detailed post on how to start a blog.

There I walk you through the process of building a site.

I also talk about the importance of networking with others in your chosen niche.

Earning Potential

In the beginning, you won’t be earning anything.

In fact, when I earned $0.02 from AdSense, I was amazed. Sadly, it took 6 months to earn that $0.02.

The point is, you can’t choose this option if you are looking to make money fast

Running a website is a long term commitment, but it pays off if you stick with it.

Many established bloggers earn up to $10,000 a month with their site.

Some even sold for over $1 million!

#15. Product Creation

I mentioned creating products to sell on your own website, but what if you don’t want to run a website?

The good news is you can still create products and make money.

One of the most popular ways to do this is through ebooks and online courses.

You write an ebook and then publish it on Amazon.

The only cost involved are hiring an editor to review your writing and Amazon taking a small cut of your sales price.

When you earn enough money, Amazon will deposit your earnings into your bank account.

As for creating an online course, the only cost is your time in creating it.

If you go through one of the many online teaching websites, they will take a small percent for handling sales and returns.

Now before you run off to try either of these, know that you first need to create something people are willing to buy.

In other words, you can’t do this half-heartedly.

Well you can, but you’ll get bad reviews and any money you make will be short lived.

Your best option is to create something great and market it online in various ways.

Once you get some good reviews, your work will start to speak for itself.

This will allow you to have a recurring income from the sales of the book and online courses.

Then you can get started on creating your next product.

Earnings Potential

If you work hard at this side job, you can change your financial life.

For example, I know a woman who made $1.7 million online in just 2 years.

While her experience is more the exception than the rule, there is no reason why you can’t earn a decent living creating and selling digital products.

How To Make Money From Home

make money from home

Making money from home is a lot easier today than it was just 10 years ago.

Not only are more companies open to the idea of remote workers, a lot have realized it is much less expensive to hire consultants versus regular employees.

In this section, you will find 13 ways to make money from home.

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Great Option For Working From Home
Bookkeepers

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Many involve working with website owners who want to outsource some tasks.

But there are other great options for anyone looking to earn money at home, especially stay at home moms.

#16. Declutter Your House

Go through your house and clean it.

Find everything that you no longer want, need or use and then decide on whether it makes sense to sell it.

If it does make sense, look into eBay, Craigslist, Declutter, and Facebook Marketplace to sell.

Here is how I determine where to sell items:

  • eBay: small items that won’t cost a lot to ship
  • Craigslist: larger items in decent condition
  • Facebook Marketplace/ Yard Sale: large items in good condition
  • Decluttr: any electronics, DVDs, cell phones, etc.

I do this all the time to make extra cash.

Most of my sales are done through Craigslist and Facebook.

I prefer Facebook as I get more reliable customers and am able to charge a higher amount.

With Decluttr, I get the best prices on my electronics, so I always use them first.

I get a quote online and ship them the items for free.

Once they get the items and confirm the condition, I get my money.

You can click here to get a free quote from Decluttr.

If they aren’t interested in an electronics item, I then turn to Craigslist or Facebook to sell it.

Earnings Potential

This all depends on how much stuff you are looking to get rid of.

Since you are just starting out, you could safely expect to earn around $100 a month selling your unwanted items.

But as you sell things, your income will drop since you have less things around your house to sell.

#17. Find Unclaimed Money

Do you know if there is any money owed to you?

When companies owe you money but can’t find where you live, they turn this money over to the state.

The state holds this money and waits for the rightful owner to claim it.

There are all sorts of reasons why you might be due money.

Maybe you closed out an investment account and moved and were owed some residual dividends.

Or maybe you were named in a long lost relatives will.

To find out if there is any money owed to you, just head to your state’s website and search for unclaimed money.

Just search for your state and unclaimed money.

Be careful though to not click on commercial sites that come up in the results.

You want to make sure the website address ends in .gov.

Earnings Potential

Most people find that if they are owed any money, it is usually in the $100-$200 range.

Also note that this is a one time payment too.

You won’t be earning $100 every month in found money.

Even so, it makes sense to spend the 15 minutes to make sure there isn’t any free money you need to claim.

#18. Take Advantage Of 3D Printers

If you haven’t seen a 3D printer in action, you are missing out.

And with the ability to own one for a reasonable price, you can make money using one.

Just how can you make money with a 3D printer?

There are several ways.

First, you could create products to sell to consumers.

Second, you could create prototypes for businesses.

Third, you lend out your printer to others.

Any of these ways are viable options.

You can learn more ways to make money with 3D printer here.

Earnings Potential

This one is hard to put numbers to just because of the different ways you can make money.

For example, if you can get an agreement to print items for a company, you could make thousands.

If you decide to sell your own products, the amount you earn will vary greatly as well.

At the end of the day, this is a viable way to make money.

#19. Work At Home Companies

I will admit, there are a lot of companies out there that call themselves “work from home”.

Unfortunately, more are a scam than legitimate side hustles.

Luckily, I’ve done a decent amount of research and found a handful that are legit and pay a decent wage.

Most of these will also allow you to create your own schedule as well as work from home.

The best option hands down is FlexJobs.

This site posts work from home jobs from legit companies throughout the US.

I have a handful of friends who used the site to find jobs.

Now they work from home and love it.

You do need to register and pay to search and apply for jobs.

Luckily the price is dirt cheap and worth it.

Best Work From Home Option
FlexJobs

Looking for a remote job? Look no further than FlexJobs. They are the largest classifieds ads for remote work from large companies. You'll also find remote work from small companies too.

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If you want specific companies to look into for a work from home job, here are some more options.

  • SpeakWrite: This company will pay you to transcribe all sorts of information from audio to text. If you are a decent typist, you can make good money with them. They currently pay up to $15 per hour.
  • CrowdSource: This company offers a large variety of services. This includes copy-writing services, data categorization, reconciliation, search relevance, product matching and content moderation. The pay varies by project but you can expect to earn around $10 per hour.
  • Fast Chart: Like SpeakWrite, Fast Chart is a transcription service. But they only deal with medical transcription. They have high standards, but if you meet them, you can replace your current income.
  • Liveops: If you aren’t great at typing, you can try out Liveops. They are a call center that allows you to work from home. Once you get all set up, you can expect to make $10 per hour.
  • VIPDesk Connect: Working with this company entails being a customer support associate. They offer customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This means you have plenty of hours to work but it also means you might be working on holidays and on weekends. Pay averages around $9-$10 per hour.
  • Tigerfish: Tigerfish is a transcription company, which means you need to be good at typing if you want to make good money. You do have to take some tests as part of the application process. Pay starts at roughly $9 per hour.
  • JBS Court Research: This job isn’t 100% work from home. You have to travel to your county courthouse and conduct research through public records. JBS will give you instructions and you head to the courthouse and try to find the information they need in public records. The pay is good, allowing you to make up to $50 per hour if you have the skills. The only potential downside is you have to work between 9-5 Monday through Friday when the courthouse is open. You also need to have a laptop.

You will notice that most of the positions listed above are for transcription positions.

If transcribing interests you, but you feel like you need to improve your skills, there is a great resource for you called TranscribeAnywhere.

They offer a FREE 7 lesson mini-course that takes you from the basics to expert levels as a transcriptionist.

Taking part in these courses will increase your odds for landing a transcription job and increase your earnings tremendously.

Transcribeanywhere

If you can type quickly, transcribing might be right for you. Find out with this free mini-course.

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Earnings Potential

For many call service and data entry type jobs, you are looking at an hourly wage between $15 and $20.

But for more advanced transcribing and most jobs listed on FlexJobs, you are looking at a competitive annual salary in the $50,000 range.

#20. Proofread Anywhere

If call centers, data entry, or transcribing aren’t for you, what about proofreading?

If you are good at spelling and grammar, you can start making money as a proofreader.

There are thousands of books published each year, along with millions of blog posts and online courses.

All of these need to be edited by skilled people.

This is where you come in.

You start a proofreading business and make money in the process.

Learn the Skills You Need to Start your Freelance Proofreading Hustle

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Earnings Potential

As a proofreader you can expect to make $50,000 a year.

If you take on more work, you will earn more.

And you can do this job anywhere you want and you can choose the hours you want to work.

To learn how to get started as a proofreader, click here.

#21. Bookkeeper

Many small businesses, especially websites, don’t do a great job at bookkeeping.

Come tax time, they spend countless hours collecting and compiling data for their accountants.

Just as bad, they never really know how profitable their business really is.

This is where you come in.

As a virtual bookkeeper, you organize and handle their accounting for them.

The price you charge is well worth the fee to the small business owner.

In many cases, virtual bookkeepers make up to $80,000 a year.

Great Option For Working From Home
Bookkeepers

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Earnings Potential

Starting out you can expect to earn around $20 per hour.

But as you become more skilled as a bookkeeper, you can easily earn $80,000 or more a year.

#22. Scoping

Never heard of scoping? You are not alone.

But this is the exact reason why you should look into it.

With so many people unaware of it, getting a job and earning thousands from anywhere in the world is easy.

So what is scoping?

It is editing the transcripts of court reporters.

Do you know the people furiously typing away in a courtroom?

They need their work edited. Since they get paid for typing and not editing, they outsource the editing work.

This is scoping.

You read through the document and listen to audio recordings and edit the document.

It’s work that can be done anywhere. All you need is a stable internet connection.

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Earnings Potential

Most people make around $30,000 right after training.

But students who to take a dedicated scoping course make over $60,000 a year!

If you want in, you can start off with this FREE 7 day mini course to see if it is right for you.

#23. Data Entry

Want to make extra money from home and all you want to do is sit in front of a computer screen?

Data entry jobs could be your ticket.

There are a lot of companies out there but I’ve found the following to be the best.

The pay varies by site and not all offer unlimited hours.

But if you find one that works for you, you can easily replace your income going this route.

Earnings Potential

As a data entry analyst, you can expect to earn around $20 an hour.

How much you make annually will depend on how many hours you work, since many of these companies allow you to set your own hours.

#24. Tutor

If you are smart and have an interest in a given subject, you might want to consider tutoring.

Tutoring students can earn you anywhere from $20-$100 per hour helping kids.

Since you have an interest in the subject, tutoring won’t feel like a job.

You can do it a few nights a week or even on the weekends to earn some extra money.

The best way to land clients is two-fold.

First, reach out to local schools or colleges to see if you can post your services there.

Additionally, find local Facebook groups and post there too.

Earnings Potential

Most tutors earn $40 an hour helping students.

If the subject allows for it, you might be able to tutor a small group of students for a greater price as more people will make it more affordable.

#25. Narrate Audio Books

Do you have a unique voice?

Are people drawn to you when you tell stories?

If so, you could make money narrating audio books.

More and more people are listening to audio books.

Add to this few people have what it takes to be a narrator, so there is a demand.

How big of a demand?

Over 44,000 audio books were produced in 2019 and sales are growing by 25% a year.

The best place to start is with Amazon.

You create a profile and submit a few samples.

From there authors looking to offer their book as an audio version hire you.

Here is the link to Amazon to learn more and create your profile.

Earnings Potential

Once you have some experience, you can easily earn between $50-$300 per hour.

Of course as a beginner you will make less.

But if you are serious about this job, you can turn it into a full time income.

#26. Social Media Manger

Many websites rely on social media to spread the word about their content.

But not all companies are great at this.

And some solopreneurs don’t like social media at all.

If you enjoy using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, then becoming a social media manager could be your ticket.

You get access to your client’s social media accounts and post on their behalf.

To get started, your best bet is to find websites where the person running the site isn’t interested in social media.

You can list your services online in Facebook groups or on sites like Reddit.

But don’t stop your search there.

Even companies whose main business isn’t online need to connect with and build relationships with their customers.

They do this through social media.

But again, most business owners aren’t savvy or interested enough in these platforms.

The solution is to target some small businesses in your area and see about working with them as their social media manager.

Earning Potential

For a few hours of work a month, you can make $500 per client as a social media manager.

If they require a lot more of your time, you simply charge more.

#27. Website SEO Manager

As someone who doesn’t have an online business, you might be wondering what an SEO manager is.

SEO is short for search engine optimization.

It means there are things you do to a website and the content so that it ranks higher in Google search results.

By ranking higher in search results, websites get more visitors and make more money.

And businesses pay a lot of money to rank high in search results.

As with the previous tip, you can find a couple small businesses in your area and offer to help them rank better.

Earnings Potential

Compared to a social media manager, the higher income goes to an SEO manager.

For a few hours of work a week, you can make $1,000 or more.

You do need to know what you are doing, so studying the industry and staying on top of it are key.

#28. Virtual Assistant

Many small businesses need help with day to day operations.

This is because the business owner needs to focus on growing revenue, not responding to emails or other tasks that don’t generate income.

This is where you come in as a virtual assistant.

You do all the busy work for the entrepreneur and earn an income.

Earnings Potential

Starting out, you can expect to earn between $10-$15 an hour.

But as you gain experience, you can make up to $25 an hour with this gig.

#28. Graphic Designer

If you are skill at creating logos, brochures and other media, becoming a freelance graphic designer is for you.

You set your own hours and work for small businesses and websites designing the media they need.

And there are lots of places to find work.

You can create a profile on Fiverr and Upwork as well post in various Facebook groups.

Earnings Potential

Depending on what you are designing and how much experience you have will determine your income.

You could earn as little as $25 for a simple design, up to thousands of dollars for designing a website.

#28. Alterations

This is a perfect way to make extra money as a stay at home mom.

If you know how to sew, performing alterations is a huge business.

You can alter all types of clothing, curtains, and other things.

When my wife needed to get her wedding dress altered, the bridal shop wanted over $400 for a few alterations.

She found a woman that many people referred her to that charged $75 for the alterations.

If you are good at doing alterations, you can undercut the bigger names and easily make extra cash.

Earnings Potential

Income from alterations will vary based on the size of the job and how many jobs you get per month.

On average, you can charge $30 an hour and have a nice side gig.

#29. Cut Expenses

A creative way to make money is to cut out unnecessary expenses.

While it won’t be extra income, it will feel like extra income when you have an extra $100-$200 at the end of every month.

There are many expenses you can cut.

By far the simplest are your property taxes and your insurance coverage.

To lower your property taxes, just reach out to a local real estate attorney.

They will look at your tax rate compared to your neighbors.

If yours is higher, they will schedule a hearing with your municipality to lower it.

You only pay if they lower your taxes and the amount they earn is capped.

We did this and saved over $1,000 a year.

All I had to do was supply the attorney with some basic information about our house and they did the rest.

For your insurance bill, just take 15 minutes and compare your premium against others.

You can save $500 or more for a couple minutes of work.

Insurify is a great place to get multiple free quotes at once.

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Earnings Potential

This will vary depending on how many expenses you want to cut.

But even if you only focus on a few of the ones I list in the post above, you can save $1,000 or more a year.

How To Make Money From Your Phone

make money with cell phone

Next on the list for money making ideas is making money from your phone.

This is a hot category as just about everyone has a smartphone and there are a lot of options to make money.

But this is also the most frustrating side gig as well for two reasons.

  • First, there are a lot of scams out there
  • Second, most legit options don’t pay very well

The bottom line when it comes to earning money with your phone, is don’t expect to quit your day job.

These ideas are used to supplement your income.

But don’t give up on these ideas.

Sure it stinks that you can’t make $1,000 a day on your phone.

But you can earn $25 or $50 a month and that can pay for some groceries or even go into a savings account.

Again, $50 a month isn’t life changing today, but over a year that’s an extra $600.

Best Way To Make Money With Your Phone
Shopkick

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With that said, here are the best ways to make money with your phone that I’ve had success with.

#30. Shopkick

Shopkick is an interesting way to make money.

It works by allowing you to earn points for gift cards by doing different tasks.

These include:

  • Walking into stores
  • Scanning barcodes
  • Buying products
  • Shopping at select stores

There are other ways to earn points as well, but the ones listed above are the most rewarding.

I love the app specifically because I don’t have to buy anything to earn points.

In fact, 90% of the points I get are from walking into stores and scanning barcodes.

If Shopkick sounds interesting to you, you can click here to download the app.

By using my link, you will get a bonus 250 points if you walk into a store or scan a barcode within 30 days of downloading the app.

Best Way To Make Money With Your Phone
Shopkick

With Shopkick, you earn points for scanning barcodes, walking into stores, and buying qualifying items. Earn enough points and redeem for free gift cards. Sign up for free and use code EARN591181 to get 250 bonus points.

Learn More Read My Review
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Earnings Potential

I’ve been using the app for close to a year and have redeemed points for $75 worth of gift cards.

This comes to just under $10 a month in earnings.

#31. Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is a new app on the scene.

You earn points when you scan any grocery receipt.

If you buy a product that Fetch partners with, you earn bonus points.

Otherwise, you earn a small number of points for simply scanning your receipt.

You then redeem your points for gift cards.

What is nice about Fetch Rewards is that you can redeem as little as 5,000 points for a $5 gift card.

Fetch Rewards

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Earnings Potential

In a few months I’ve earned over $18 in gift cards.

This comes to close to $7 a month.

You could earn more if you buy more name brand products than I do.

Be sure to use the promo code 48EPM to earn thousands of bonus points.

#32. Ibotta

Ibotta has been around for a while and is a great way to make extra money with your phone.

You just download their free app and scroll through to find offers.

You can find offers for groceries, online shopping, household products, you name it.

You click on the offer you want to redeem and then take a picture of your receipt when you buy it.

Ibotta will then add the cash back you earned to your account.

When you reach $20, you can withdraw the money.

They have special bonus offers all of the time too.

For example, if you complete a challenge, you earn a bonus $5.

In addition to redeeming offers, you can also shop online through Ibotta.

Doing so earns you cash back on your total purchase amount.

Ibotta

With Ibotta, saving money on groceries and household items is simple. Simply clip the digital coupons and after you submit your receipt, you earn cash. It's simple and fun. New users get a bonus $5 on their first purchase.

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Earnings Potential

Before I head to the grocery store, I spend 5 minutes scrolling through the app looking for offers.

I do this every week and average around $10 cash back per month.

The kicker here is I mostly redeem a few select offers because most of my shopping is done at the local farm and butcher.

If you aren’t as particular as I am, you can easily earn more money.

This is also true if you use Ibotta to shop online.

#33. Receipt Hog

This is an interesting one.

You download the app and then take pictures of your receipts using the app.

Depending on how much money you spent, you earn a varying number of coins.

You also earn spins and qualify to take short surveys to earn more coins.

Collect enough coins and you can redeem them for cash to your PayPal account or for a Visa or an Amazon gift card.

To sign up for Receipt Hog for free, click here.

Earnings Potential

You aren’t breaking the bank here.

But it is fun to scan your receipts and spin the wheel for bonus coins.

In the 3 years I’ve been using this app, I’ve earned over $350.

This comes to about $10 a month in side income.

#34. Coinout

Coinout is along the same lines as Receipt Hog with a few differences.

First, Coinout allows you to upload many more receipts.

Second, you don’t earn points, you earn cash every time you scan a receipt.

And third, you can earn extra money by shopping through their partners websites.

Overall, you earn anywhere between $0.01 and $0.15 per scanned receipt.

I know this isn’t a life changing amount of money, but here is how I see it.

It takes me all of 60 seconds to open the app and take a picture of my receipt to earn a couple cents.

In other words, to me it is close to free money.

Add in the fact that I use Coinout, Fetch Rewards and Receipt Hog to scan the same receipt and I triple up my earnings.

I also will submit that same receipt to Ibotta if I bought a qualifying product, earning me even more cash back.

To get started with Coinout, click here.

Earnings Potential

If it wasn’t so simple to use, I wouldn’t recommend it.

But like I said, it literally takes me one minute to take a picture of my receipt and earn money.

In the year I’ve been using CoinOut, I’ve earned close to $30.

Broken down into a monthly amount, this comes to $2.50 a month.

#35. Rocket Money Will Cancel Monthly Subscriptions

Do you pay for a gym you never go to?

How about magazines you never read?

Use Rocket Money and they will work to cancel these bills.

They do the hard work for you by identifying monthly charges that you might want to cancel and save you money in the process.

They will even help you to lower some of your other bills, like negotiating your cable bill as well.

In fact, the average savings users experience is $350 a year!

It’s a simple way to save money every single month.

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Earnings Potential

Depending on how many subscriptions you have, you could save a lot of money.

But even if you only have Rocket Money negotiate your cable bill, you are looking at a healthy savings.

#36. Sell Photos

Almost everyone has a smartphone now and the phones take excellent pictures.

Did you know you can sell the photos you take?

Many companies pay for stock photos.

You just have to find them.

There are many websites out there that let you upload and sell your photos to others as well.

There is no fee for this, but the website will take a commission from your sale.

Do a little research and find the site that best fits your needs.

One of the newest and most popular apps for selling photos is Foap.

But there are lots of others.

This post has a good number of sites to look into.

Earnings Potential

On average you make around $0.40 per image you sell per month.

I realize this sounds like peanuts, but remember that your one photo can sell multiple times every month.

And if you upload 100 photos, the numbers start looking better.

But there are other options too, like selling your photos on a canvas print, on mugs, etc.

The bottom line is, you can expect to make around $200 a month once you have some time put into this venture.

Play Games

There are many games that pay real money to play.

They make money through ads, which they then pay a portion of this income to users.

No mater your interests, whether puzzle, arcade, luck, or matching, there is a game out there for you.

Use Apps

Not interested in playing games?

Why not download and use apps instead.

As wild as this sounds, there are apps that pay you money to use.

Get paid to test new products, answer surveys, watch videos and more.

How To Make Money With Side Hustles

make money with side hustles

Side hustles have become all the rage lately.

They are a great way to supplement your income to help you get ahead financially.

And depending on what side hustle you choose, you can make a sizable amount of money doing them.

In some cases, you might be able to replace most of your income.

Best Side Hustle
Instacart - Get Paid To Shop

As an Instacart shopper, you make money by grocery shopping for others. If you enjoy shopping, this is a great way to earn some extra money on the side.

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Below are the best side hustles for you to look into to make money on the side.

#37. Instacart

Usually when you go to the grocery store you are spending money.

But with Instacart, you can make money at the grocery store!

How is this possible?

Instacart is a grocery delivery service for busy people.

Users simply log onto the website, fill their grocery list and sit back, waiting for their groceries to be delivered.

This is where you come in.

You can choose between an in-store shopper or a full-service shopper.

As an in-store shopper, you simply complete the order and prepare it for delivery.

As a full-service shopper, you complete the order, prepare it for delivery and deliver it.

In both cases, you make your own hours and get paid to be at the grocery store.

Here is a great Instacart review of someone who tried it out and wrote a detailed review.

You’ll learn both the good and bad to help you make an informed decision if it’s right for you.

Earnings Potential

With a little work, you can make $1,000 a month with Instacart.

And since you can make your own hours, it makes this option one of the best side hustles out there.

You can click here to start making money with Instacart!

Best Side Hustle
Instacart - Get Paid To Shop

As an Instacart shopper, you make money by grocery shopping for others. If you enjoy shopping, this is a great way to earn some extra money on the side.

Start Making Money
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#38. Notary Public Service

Do you ever need a document notarized?

Many people do and never know where to go to get it done.

By becoming certified, you can easily make extra money on the side.

And don’t think certification will cost you an arm and a leg.

Most states allow you to get certified for less than $100.

You can then start notarizing documents for friends and family.

Another option is to offer your services to co-workers or even advertise on Facebook.

Earnings Potential

You could notarize documents for $25 or more.

Seeing as how you are working less than an hour in most cases, your hourly rate is closer to double or triple your fee.

This means you can make up to $75 an hour (and in some cases more) as a notary.

  • Read now: See how much money $75 an hour is per year

#39. Offer Computer Services

Do you know how to remove viruses from computers?

Do you know how to install various software packages?

If this interests you, then you can make extra cash by offering your services.

Find people who have no idea how to install software and offer to do it for them.

Spread the word on social media, Craigslist and through word of mouth.

The great thing about this venture is that there is nothing for you to buy.

If the client needs a program to remove any malicious software, they buy it and you can install it and run it.

Earnings Potential

You can charge anywhere from $25 or more per hour to install software.

You can even charge by the hour or a flat fee.

The choice is yours.

The key however is doing a great job.

If you do a great job, you can upsell the client on more services.

Maybe you can run monthly virus checks for them to keep their computer running fast and error free.

#40. Fix Broken Phones

There are plenty of people that drop their phone by mistake.

When they pick their phone up, the screen is cracked.

You can find shops that will repair broken screens for $100 or more per phone.

But the supplies to fix the cracked screen cost less than $20 and you can watch the video below on how to do it yourself.

If after watching the video you think it is something you want to try, spend some money on some broken phones.

You can find phones people are looking to get rid of on Craigslist and yard sales and fix them up.

You can even ask for broken phones on Craigslist and in Facebook Yard Sales groups.

Once you get good at fixing the phones, start advertising your services.

Just undercut the bigger retailers and earn a decent profit for yourself.

Earnings Potential

You can easily charge $50 and walk away with a profit of close to $30.

Fix 5 phones a month and you are earning $150 a month.

At first, you will be spending more time fixing phones.

But as you improve your skills, you can repair more phones and still work the same number of hours.

Thus increasing your income potential dramatically.

#41. Make Money With YouTube

Do you enjoy making videos?

If so, you can upload them to your own YouTube channel and monetize them to make money.

This means YouTube will play an ad before your video starts. If you get enough views, you will make money!

Of course, not all videos qualify for monetization.

If you have music playing or other copyrighted material it doesn’t qualify.

You can see a full list of what qualifies here.

One last note, be sure to spread the word on your videos so that you can get more views.

If you try to click on the video yourself 1,000 times to make money, or you ask your friends to click on the video, you will get banned.

Earnings Potential

In the beginning, you will not be making anything.

This is simply because no one will know you or your videos.

Over time however, as you get more views and earn a following, you can expect to earn around $100 a month.

Of course, there is the 1% chance you go viral from the start, but this is the exception.

#42. Partner With Uber

Driving for Uber is a decent way to make money on the side.

You set your own hours and this is why so many people enjoy this side gig.

Of course there are ways to increase your income as a driver.

Being in a larger populated area helps, as does being available at key times.

For example, if you can find popular wedding reception venues in your area, you could hang close by on the weekends during the summer to make some money.

Another option is to drive on your way to and from work.

It will take you a little longer to get to work or get home, but you will make money on a drive you have to make anyways.

Earnings Potential

The average amount Uber drivers make is $15 in the US.

Remember this is the average, so drivers in some cities can earn more or less than this.

But if you work 5 hours a week, that comes close to $250 a month.

#43. Partner With Uber Eats

Maybe driving others around by partnering with Uber isn’t your cup of tea.

No worries, as you can still partner with Uber in the form of Uber Eats.

Here, you deliver food from local restaurants to customer’s homes.

The amount you earn varies on your location and the number of hours you work.

Earnings Potential

The income you make driving for Uber Eats is similar to driving for Uber.

On average, you can expect to make around $15 an hour.

Again, in some cities you will earn more and other cities, less.

#44. Bartend

Bartending is a great way to make side income.

The best shifts are the weekends and Friday nights at most bars.

But don’t overlook the dive bars too.

Some of these places have loyal customers and they can tip well.

The only roadblock is learning all the mixed drinks.

But a little online searching can help you learn the basics.

Earnings Potential

You can make $200 or more in tips bartending.

On a busy weekend night, you can easily make more than this.

So if you don’t mind giving up some nights and weekends to work, this could be the gig for you.

#45. Caddy

If you want some physical exercise to go along with making money, becoming a golf caddy is your gig.

Find a local country club and start caddying for golfers.

You will be working for 4-5 hours, so chances are you are only going to caddy 1 or 2 rounds per day.

Plus you will only be doing this work during the warmer months the farther north you are.

But the income you can make is substantial.

As a caddy the country club will pay you a flat rate for the round.

But then the golfers will tip you an additional amount.

In some cases, if the golfer likes you, they can request you in the future.

Earnings Potential

You can easily make up to $200 for a round of golf.

This comes to $25 per hour and is why so many college kids look to do this side hustle.

#46. GigWalk

GigWalk is an app you download and see small jobs in your area you can complete to make extra cash.

The jobs are simple to complete, like taking a picture of a restaurant’s menu or noting what hours a store is open.

There is no limit to how much or how little you work. It is all up to you!

In fact, there are many options in the gig economy to earn a side income.

Earnings Potential

The amount of money you can earn depends on where you live and the number of gigs there are to complete.

It also depends on how successful you are at completing gigs.

If you can successfully complete gigs, you will earn a higher user rating and be offered higher paying gigs.

Overall, you should expect to earn $20-25 a month as you build up your user rating.

#47. Scrap Metal

Selling scrap metal is a big business.

You don’t need to scour Craigslist for old washers and dryers sitting curbside either.

But you can if you want to.

You can sell wiring with ease. What do I mean about wiring?

You know how every time you buy a new DVD player or other electronic items they include extra cables?

This is the wiring I am talking about.

I must have 50 RCA cables lying around.

These cables are copper and you can sell them to scrap metal dealers.

You don’t even have to strip the rubber off either.

I just collect all my extra wires and cables and when I have a box full, I take them to the scrap yard.

The wires get weighed and based on the weight and the going price of copper, I get my cash.

Earnings Potential

This varies by the amount of metal you collect and the going rate for the different types of metal.

If you are serious about this side gig, you can make between $100 and $200 a month with scrap metal.

#48. Wrap Your Car

You can make extra money by selling advertising on your car.

Firms will pay you a few hundred dollars to wrap your car in their advertising and all you have to do is drive around.

There are stories about this not being a legitimate side hustle, but there are good companies out there that pay you for doing this.

Simply avoid any company that is asking you to pay them to wrap your car.

Never pay to get a job.

That is the #1 red flag to watch out for.

Earnings Potential

In many cases, how much you make depends on how populated an area you live in and how much you drive.

On average, you can expect to make between $100 and $300 a month wrapping your car.

#49. TaskRabbit

This is an on demand errand running service that people use when they need help running errands or getting small things done around the house.

For example, you could take a task of running to the grocery store for a new mom.

Or you could help people put Ikea furniture together.

There are endless tasks that pay you for completing them on the site.

Earnings Potential

The income from this side hustle isn’t going to put you into the 1%.

Most gigs pay $5-$20.

If you complete 10 gigs a month, you are looking at around $100 of income.

#50. Become A Magician

Not a real magician, but someone who can pull of some slights of hand and out think others with ways to make extra money.

Here is what I mean.

This ebook has 25 tricks you can use at the bar or anywhere you want.

Just bet people some money that a trick can or can’t be done and then win some money.

25 Bets You Can’t Lose

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Earnings Potential

This depends on how many tricks you can pull off and how many people are at the bar.

One night at a busy bar could net you $250 easily.

#51. Dog Walker

People love their dogs and pay good money for someone to come over to their house while they are at work and take their pet out for a walk.

But finding good, long term clients can be difficult.

This is where you come in.

As long as you are punctual and reliable, you have a steady stream of income.

And seeing how each walk is no more than 30 minutes, you can do multiple jobs a day to boost your earnings.

Post your services on local Facebook groups, Craigslist, and by word of mouth and you should have clients in no time.

Earnings Potential

The average wage for a dog walker is $15 an hour.

At this rate, you can earn $300 a month walking one dog 5 days a week.

#52. Create An App

This is tough to do, but if you create an app that people love, you can make money from it.

There are three main ways to make money from an app:

  • Sell advertising in the “free version” of the app
  • Sell an app for a price ($1.99 or $0.99 for example)
  • Sell a free app but have upgrades within in the app for people to buy

If you can create an app people love you can make good money.

The only catch is this is hard to do.

Many people are building new apps all the time and Apple rejects many of them.

This isn’t to stop you from building an app, but to help you keep things in perspective.

Worse case is your apps fail to make money but you use the experience on your resume and land a better job.

Earnings Potential

This one varies greatly.

Create a low priced game and it takes off and you are looking at tens of thousands of dollars.

Sell a free app and you make a few hundred a month from advertisements.

It’s important to remember this idea will take time before you see income from it.

How To Make Passive Income

passive income ideas

Passive income is the Holy Grail of side income.

The idea behind it is you spend a little time and money setting up the business and then you sit back and relax.

For a business or idea to be truly passive, it should require zero work from you after some time and still make money every month.

The sad reality is there are few real ways to truly make passive income.

Best Way To Earn Passive Income
Worthy Financial

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Arrived Homes

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Below I show you the best passive income ideas that you can start.

Some are truly passive while others are mostly passive.

But at the end of the day, you will be earning money consistently with little to no work.

#53. Invest With Acorns

Acorns is an investing app that rounds up your purchases and invests the spare change for you.

All you have to do is open an account.

In addition to rounding up your spare change, you can invest small lump sums of $5 or $10 if you want.

They also have a Found Money feature where retailers will invest money in your account for shopping on their websites.

So when you use Acorns, you not only save money, you also make money too!

Best For Investing Small Amounts Of Money
Acorns

​Acorns changed the game when they allowed you to start investing your spare change. With a simple to use app and effortless ways to invest, Acorns is a solid choice for many investors just starting out without a lot of money to invest.

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Earnings Potential

On average, you should be able to save $30 a month in round ups, which comes to $360 a year.

But we also have to take into account your earnings as well.

If you earn 8% on your money, you make an additional $29 over the course of a year.

Take this example out 20 years, and you saved $7,200 and earned over $10,000 in interest!

Not bad for saving and investing nothing but your spare change!

#54. Open Bank Accounts

Many banks now offer new customers a cash bonus when they open a new account.

Depending on the bank, the cash bonus can be significant.

I did this two years ago with a new checking account and received a bonus of $200.

Then they offered me another $50 if I signed up for online bill pay.

Just make sure you understand the rules before jumping in.

Many times with checking accounts, you need to make a direct deposit in order to get the bonus.

The good news is some banks consider a transfer from PayPal to be direct deposit.

Earnings Potential

This one is tough to gauge because it all depends on banks willing to create offers.

Additionally, some bank offers are only valid to residents in certain states.

Because of this, I’ll estimate you can do 1 new bank account every other month.

This results in a monthly income of around $100.

#55. Open Credit Cards

If you have your finances down strong, this is a great way to earn cash back or airline or hotel points.

The idea is the same with opening bank accounts above.

The only difference is credit card offers happen all the time, so you can score these bonuses a lot easier.

All you have to do is spend a certain amount of money in a specified period of time and you get the bonus cash back or reward points.

You can then use the cash back as statement credits or the rewards points to travel for free.

The catch here is most times you have to be a new customer.

If you opened and closed an account with a certain bank within the year, you most likely will not be considered a new customer.

Therefore, it is important to keep records for yourself and read the fine print.

Earnings Potential

This all depends on the number of credit cards you can qualify for and open new accounts.

I’ll estimate you can open a new account every other month on average, earning yourself $200 in the process.

#56. Worthy Bonds

Worthy is a lot like investing in the stock market but without the risk.

It works by taking your investment and using it as a loan for small businesses to cover their inventory expense.

Worthy charges the small business interest on the loan and you as the investor earn 5% on your money every month.

You can get started with as little as $10 and reinvest your earnings to grow your wealth even more.

Best Way To Earn Passive Income
Worthy Financial

Looking to safely earn a higher return on your money? Worthy Bonds offers 5% 7% interest on your money. Invest in small businesses and earn a return for doing so. New users get a $10 bonus when purchase your first bond.

Get Started Read My Review
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Earnings Potential

The income you earn will depend on how much you invest.

After a few short months, I was earning $5 in interest per month. And I wasn’t doing anything.

It was completely automated.

Fast forward to today, and my investment has grown and so has my interest per month. I am now making over $12 a month.

#57. Invest In Real Estate

To become a real estate investor, you need a lot of money to buy houses.

But even before you buy a house, you have to do a mountain of research to make sure the property will be cash flow positive and earn you an income every month.

Because of these reasons, real estate investing for most people has been out of their reach.

But not any longer.

ArrivedHomes is a crowdfunding real estate investment trust that you can invest in.

They purchase single family homes and you can buy a share of the house.

You can invest as little as $100.

Once investors buy all the shares, ArrivedHomes rents out the house.

You earn a percentage of the rental income based on your ownership percentage of the house.

And in 5-7 years when the house is sold, you earn a percent of the profit here too.

No longer do you need a ton of money to get into the real estate game.

Easiest Way To Invest In Real Estate
Arrived Homes

Looking for an easy way to get started investing in real estate without a lot of money? Look into Arrived Homes. Pick the single family houses in the parts of the country you want to invest in and earn passive income.

Start Investing In Real Estate Read My Review
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Earnings Potential

Since investing in real estate is a fluid market, you will not be earning consistent returns.

What I mean by this is you can’t expect that each month you will earn $500.

It will vary slightly month to month.

However the company does target an average annual return of 12% on your investment, which is really good.

#58. Rent Your House

Not in the sense of buying another house and renting it, but renting out extra space in your house.

Maybe you have an extra room or are going away for a few weeks.

There are websites where people list their homes and rooms for rent that are cheaper than hotels.

While this isn’t for everyone, you can make extra cash doing this.

Of course, the more popular of an area you live in, the more potential renters you will have.

Read how one person made $1,500 renting her house out to travelers!

But even if you don’t live in a popular area, you can still make extra money.

For example, I am outside Philadelphia.

When the Pope came to visit a few years ago, people were leaving town to avoid the influx of visitors.

Some of these people ended up renting out their house for up to $20,000 for the long weekend.

In another example, I have a good friend out in Pittsburgh.

When the US Open golf tournament was there, the owners of the houses by the course rented them out to the golfers and their team for the week.

One couple took in around $35,000.

While these examples are extreme, the idea is that if you aren’t in a popular area, you might be able to rent out your house for a nice amount of money.

Earnings Potential

If you are renting out a room or garage you can expect to earn $200 a month on average.

If you rent out your house, you are looking at closer to $1,000 a month.

#59. Rent Your Driveway/Yard

If the idea of renting out your house doesn’t interest you, maybe you would be open to renting out your driveway.

You can even rent out your yard for large events.

People living near the pro sports stadiums here do it all the time.

Even the hotel down the street does it.

When the lots at the stadiums charge $40 or more to park, you can charge $20 and still make out like a bandit.

You just have to be OK with the potential damage to your yard.

Earnings Potential

If you charge $15 per car and can park 5 cars, you are making $75 per event.

If you offering parking twice a month, you make $150 a month.

And the more events held in your area, the more income you will make.

The Secret To Exploding Your Money Making Income

secret to making extra money

As great as these tips are for making money on the side are, the reality is we all want to get to a place where we don’t have to worry about money.

This is where saving and investing the money you make comes into play.

Look at it this way.

If you take on a side hustle, earn $250 extra a month, and spend that money, you are going to get used to that income and keep spending.

This means you have to keep working to earn the $250.

But if you instead save and invest that money, you will be able to stop working for more income and enjoy the interest you earn.

And you don’t have to save and invest all of this money.

Simply put 50% of it aside into a savings account.

Or take that money and invest it in the stock market.

The money will grow and you can use it for larger purchases in the future, to quit working sooner than you thought, or travel.

The list goes on and on.

The point is, don’t just make extra money to spend it.

Save a portion of it and you can change your financial future.

Final Thoughts

So there are you have a complete list of the many creative ways to make money.

As a recap, your first step is to figure out how much effort you are willing to put into making money.

Once you figure this out, you can see what options there are for you.

Again, don’t expect to be able to put zero effort into making money online and expect to become rich.

No money making opportunity works this way.

You have to put in the effort to see the results.

The bottom line is that today more than ever, it is possible to make extra cash through legitimate side hustles.

And in most cases, you can make extra money from home by doing work online.

So take some time to figure out how much money you want to make and pick some ideas from this list.

Take your time and build up and before you know it, you will easily be making money side.

5 thoughts on “59 Smart Things You Can Do To Make Money On The Side”

  1. I have tried answering surveys online. It’s true that most of it can be a source of extra income. It’s not much but if you are determined and answers a lot, you can earn more.

  2. Jon,

    This is a great list of money making ideas! I am working to build my online income so that I can take the leap to make the majority of my income online. I have run a blog for several years, and that has provided a nice side income of about $35K over the past 4 years. I created a quick and helpful guide for folks interested in starting their own blog that readers may find helpful. Here’s a link: Starting a WordPress Blog on Bluehost (there’s also a link to it in the Comment Luv below). I have read that a couple pro-bloggers make over $1 million a year! If that doesn’t get you interested, I don’t know what will. It is not easy to run a blog, as I am sure Jon can attest to, but over time the income really does start to build up if you keep at it.

    I am also just getting started with UpWork. I see you mentioned that here. I have created a profile, and I’m just getting started on bidding for jobs. I am focusing on freelance copywriting, so we’ll see how it goes. I have heard of folks that make over $100,000 a year just writing copy! If I can even get half of that, I will consider it a home run :-).

  3. You’ve listed some great options! So many people underestimate the amount of money you can make by simply giving up a few hours of free time per week or month. Just writing an article or two each week could make a significant impact on your bottom line.

  4. Great read, always looking for extra ways to make a buck. I just wanted to share something I’ve been doing recently. I run an office and have noticed that unused toner was piling up in storage. Looked into returning but that was no good. Tried out the site tonerconnect.net and was impressed. They had quick service and that payout was nice.

  5. I have found different places that will send you unreleased phone apps to test out and will pay you. Some pay 5-11 dollars per play test. You use the app or game for 30 minutes and you think out loud while playing and they record your audio. You do a follow up survey and the pay you after its all submitted.

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