A little extra cash never hurt anyone! Whether you’re saving for a trip/vacation, a new car, school loans, a wedding, or a special anniversary, earning some extra cash is always a nice thing. Here are my top ten ways to earn some extra cash on the side.
1. Tutor and teach.
Chances are, you have something you can teach. Were you a rock star accountant at your last job? Perhaps you can teach people to do their own taxes. Do you remember being a whiz in statistics in college? Consider going to a college campus and offering your tutoring services. Do you know how to play an instrument? Post a classified ad for one-on-one lessons. Most things can be taught in your own home, and once you build a reputation for yourself, new students will constantly trickle in.
2. Take surveys and participate in focus groups.
Companies are more than willing to pay people for their opinions, often in the forms of surveys and focus groups. The amount of money you make here can vary wildly; you might make only $1 for a survey that takes you 20 minutes, or you might get $150 for watching a pilot of a TV show and giving a few statements about what you think.
If you enjoy this evaluative work, it can be worth pursuing, but don’t expect a massive paycheck. There are many sites dedicated to helping you get started. https://www.surveyssay.com/
3. Be a reviewer.
Everybody has an opinion, and everyone’s a critic. If you like to share your opinions, and are able to do so articulately and in a way that benefits your audience, you may find reviewing a viable way to work from home (for the most part).
The sky’s the limit here: If you’re into media and pop culture, you could review movies and music albums. If you like board games and video games, you could review new ones emerging. You could even review local businesses, and almost any product you can think of. Again, you just have to build an audience first.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/jan/30/critics-franzen-freedom-social-network
4. Plan events.
Event planners have the potential to make big money, depending on their experience and the nature of the event. You could go the professional route, working with nonprofits to throw major fund-raisers, or the personal route, planning things like weddings and birthday parties. Either way, your ability to organize, coordinate and entertain people will come in handy.
5. Consult on the phone.
Event plannersThere are over a dozen websites to enlist your expertise. Whether you have 1 year of experience or 35 years, your current level of experience is required. Consultants make $50 – $250 per hour.
6. Rent your extra space.
Event plannersHave a spare room? Or a couch you don’t use? List it on Airbnb and make some money!
If you’re a good host with a desirable space, you could add hundreds — even thousands — of dollars to your savings account with Airbnb.
Taking a few simple steps can make the difference between a great experience and a less-than-satisfactory one.
Here are a few tips:
- Make your space available during high-demand times in your area. Think: concerts, conventions and sporting events in your area.
- Be a good host, and make sure your place is stocked with the toiletries you’d expect at a hotel — toilet paper, soap and towels.
- Be personable. A lot of travelers turn to Airbnb for the personal touch they won’t find at commercial properties.
Here’s the link to sign up as an Airbnb host.
(Hosting laws vary from city to city. Please understand the rules and regulations applicable to your city and listing.)
https://www.airbnb.com/host/
7. Translate.
Do you know a second language? If so, you could probably find easy work as a translator. Common language translations, like Spanish to English, or vice versa, will offer plentiful opportunities for a relatively low rate, while rarer languages, like Farsi, will provide fewer, but more lucrative opportunities. Consider expanding your knowledge with a third, or even a fourth language to maximize your opportunities. A great resource for learning a new language is Rosetta stone. https://www.rosettastone.com/
You can even do it here for free! http://www.learnalanguage.com/
8. Capitalize on Your Favorite Creative Hobby
There’s really nothing better than coming home after work and doing what you love, whether it’s painting, woodworking, pottery, cross-stitching or jewelry-making.
At a certain point, though, your abode might become overrun with extra crafts.
— Because you can only hang so many of your works on the walls. Why not sell the ones you’re not attached to?
Consider signing up to sell on Etsy, a creative marketplace with millions of buyers. You’ll have to pay 20 cents to list an item, then hand over a 3.5% transaction fee and a 3%-plus-25-cent payment-processing fee. But that’s only a small amount when you get to advertise to all those eyeballs.
And, hey, if you’re not creative, you could always opt to sell supplies on Etsy Studio.
https://www.etsy.com/https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/make-money/comingsoon-etsy-studio/
9. Write content for others.
We’re in the midst of the golden age of content marketing, and that means the world is hungry for more content. If you’re good with your words, you might as well capitalize on this trend. Content marketing has created a high demand for original written material, so it’s not hard to find companies that need articles written regularly — sometimes daily. Reach out to content-marketing firms which employ many writers and are always looking for more talent. Find writing jobs on Craigslist, or on Freelancewritinggigs.com. You could also sign up to work for a content mill, which is designed to churn out high volumes of content on a regular basis (just don’t expect a massive salary).
https://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/
http://phoenix-books.com/content-mills-to-write-for/
10. Extend Your Commute and Give Some Rides
I’ve heard tons of stories of people either leaving or losing their job and beginning to drive for Lyft of Uber and making hundreds every week. Some people up to $800 a week!
In some cities, that’s rent.
Signing up to drive for Lyft or Uber is super easy; it’s all online. You work for yourself, make your own schedule and keep a portion of the ride fees and 100% of the tips!
If you’re curious to see what you’d make with Lyft, they have an earnings calculator. Type in how many hours you’d want to work and your city. In my town, I could earn $300 a week for 15 hours of weekend work.
https://click.linksynergy.com/fsbin/click?id=sJFiuqNifxU&offerid=511768.3&type=3&subid=0