Best Ways to Make Extra Money in Your Spare Time
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For most of us, the income from our full-time jobs simply isn't enough. The whole “living from paycheck to paycheck” model simply isn't working. Plus, things have worsened since the economy took a nosedive after the pandemic and left us scrambling for ways to make extra money to meet our financial needs.
Sure, there are tons of money-making ideas, but so many are outright scams, while several others require some form of upfront investment. So what’s the best way to go about it? If you find yourself in this situation, this post is for you.
Without further ado, let’s dive into our top 13 proven, legit money-making ideas that you can capitalize on right now to bring in some much-needed extra income.
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Ways to Make Extra Money
1. Make extra cash from real money gaming apps
Got some time to spare? Use it to make extra money from playing mobile games that offer real cash rewards.
One of the most popular options is Bingo Cash, a well-known classic Bingo game where users can earn up to $83 per win, as stated by the game developers. However, you must be competing at the highest levels before being able to access higher prize winnings. Nevertheless, Bingo Cash offers an exciting way to win real money in your spare time. The game is free to play, ad-free, and there’s no lengthy registration required.
Another great real money gaming app is Spider Solitaire Cube. If you’re a fan of classic card games, Spider Solitaire Cube offers a chance for users to earn extra money by stacking Aces to Kings in a fun game environment.
One thing to keep in mind, though — don't expect to make a lot of money playing these games unless you’re willing to participate in cash tournaments, which require you to stake your own money. Still, these real money gaming apps can be a source of passive income, plus they don’t require any particular skill or qualification to play.
If you want more variety, you can download the Rewarded Play app on your Android device and play the games there. There are so many options available so you can be sure of finding at least one game category that suits your preferences. Note that there are no direct cash rewards in Rewarded Play. Points you earn can be exchanged for gift cards across dozens of online brands and retailers, including Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Macy’s, and more.
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2. Make extra money completing online surveys
People have been making good money through online surveys for years. And as long as you’re qualified, there’s no reason why you can’t too. What’s important is that you sign up on reliable, legit survey sites that actually pay out without needless complications.
Survey Junkie is one such platform. It is one of the oldest and most trusted survey sites available today. Here consumers make their voices heard by providing their feedback and opinions via paid surveys, which are then presented to top brands. In return for completing surveys, you earn reward points, which can be redeemed for gift cards or cash via PayPal. The platform also gives out bonus points and additional rewards, so you have increased overall earnings.
You can sign up on Survey Junkie for free and begin taking on paid surveys that match your profile. One of the best things about the site is that they are upfront about the point and time estimations, so there is no confusion about how much you can earn with each completed survey.
However, even though completing surveys is a proven way to make extra money on your own schedule, it won't replace your full-time job. It’s more of a side gig that can complement your current income.
3. Earn cashback rewards from shopping and completing paid tasks
Do you spend a lot of time online? How about using that time to make some extra cash? Many online platforms pay you to do stuff you would normally do when browsing the web. For instance, sites like Swagbucks and InboxDollars pay you in cash and gift cards to complete basic tasks like watching videos, playing games, taking surveys, and shopping online.
Each task you complete earns points, which can be redeemed for real money. Payout is usually via PayPal, which you can transfer straight to your bank account, pay for stuff online, or even save it.
There are no barriers to entry, though some sites require you to be resident in a particular country before you can sign up. All you need is a laptop or mobile device with a reliable internet connection if eligible.
If you’re looking for a side hustle where you can earn cashback rewards from thousands of stores, you could sign up on platforms like Rakuten and MyPoints are great options. You get to earn points, gift cards, coupons, and even cash just by mystery shopping at your favorite retailers. Who knew being a shopper online could be so rewarding?
4. Make some side money selling stuff online
While earning extra cash as a shopper is awesome, you’d likely make more by being an online seller.
Take a look around your house. Are there unused items just lying around? Or perhaps you’ve got a pile of preloved items collecting dust in your attic. If you don’t need them again, consider selling them. This is a proven way to make money fast without leaving your home.
You can list your items for sale online — Etsy, Amazon, Poshmark, ThredUp, and even eBay. If you don’t want to go through the process of signing up for an account on these platforms, you can still sell stuff online by listing them on the Facebook Marketplace.
List each item at a price that works best for you, though keep in mind that your pricing should be based on the item's quality. For instance, you’d make considerably less from selling old T-shirts and pants online compared to if you were selling a phone or camera.
Another profitable way to make money fast selling stuff online is through affiliate marketing. Here, you’re not looking to sell items but to resell them. With affiliate marketing, you’re essentially promoting the goods or services offered by other companies using a unique referral link. You get a commission on each sale when people buy these products. According to Glassdoor, the average earnings for affiliate marketers in the United States start at $59,000. Not bad for a part-time gig, eh?
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- Sign up takes a minute
5. Make good money with your YouTube channel
With more than two billion active users every month, there’s a lot of money to be made on YouTube, so much that people are taking YouTube content creation as a full-time job. Some ways to make money on this online video-sharing platform include display advertising, affiliate marketing, brand sponsorships, and donations from subscribers.
Anyone can launch a Youtube channel — from kids (with parental consent) to college students, even to older folks. The important thing is that you have informative, entertaining content to share on your channel. Your videos should revolve around topics that you’re passionate about. Passion is what keeps you going when the burnout from creating videos over and over starts to set in.
It’s important to note that making money with your YouTube channel requires time and dedication. While it can be a great way to make good money, it’s not a “get rich quick” platform. In fact, before monetizing your account, you’ll need a minimum number of subscribers and video views. Be ready to put in the work required to make your channel stand out, or else you won’t make any money.
On a related note, if creating a YouTube channel is not ideal for you, consider launching a podcast. This is less time-consuming since it involves only audio content. However, your podcast audience won't grow independently, so be prepared to do the necessary marketing to promote your channel and grow your active listener base.
Related: How to Make Money on YouTube
6. Make money online from blogging
According to the online job marketplace Indeed, bloggers make an average of $37k per year. Is there a more exciting way to make money online? Perhaps there are, but you’ve got to admit, making a few hundred or thousand dollars every month from blogging is one hell of a side hustle.
Of course, many factors must be checked off if you are to succeed as a blogger. First is the quality of your writing. People are immediately put off by poor grammar and error-filled sentences. Next is the relevance of your content. It should be targeted at a specific focus group that stands to benefit greatly from the content that you publish. Choose a niche you’re passionate about and provide useful, unique insights instead of just writing about general stuff.
You’ll also need to make some upfront payments before you can start blogging. These include payments for a domain name, website hosting, and web design.
The key to making money as a blogger is consistently providing relevant, timely content to your readers. You’ll need to grow your reader base to the point where people start to see you as an authoritative, credible resource in your niche. Once you have a sizable subscriber base, you can monetize your blog by selling advertising placements, writing sponsored product reviews, directly selling physical or digital products, or through an affiliate marketing program.
7. Earn extra money as an online tutor
If you’re a native English speaker, you can earn good money by teaching English online to students (kids and adults) in China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and other non-native English-speaking countries. Alternatively, you could teach other languages or subjects you’re an expert in.
Ever since the pandemic, there has been a high demand for online tutoring services, so as long as you’ve got the time and a reliable Internet connection, you can sign up as an online tutor and start earning extra income.
To succeed at online tutoring, you must be able to break down concepts using real-world examples so they are easily relatable to your students. Lessons typically last only a few minutes per day, so it’s not like you need to dedicate all your time to tutoring.
You can teach a skill if you don't want to teach a language or subject. For instance, if you’re a good swimmer, you might be able to make some extra money as a swim teacher at your local recreation center during weekends. However, keep in mind that you may be required to have a special certification before you can teach certain skills.
8. Get paid as a virtual assistant
Not everyone can do it, but if you have the requisite skills, being a virtual assistant (VA) can be a great way to make money online. People and organizations need skilled VAs who can lighten their workload and oversee certain aspects of their daily operations. For example, an e-Commerce business may require the services of a VA to handle order fulfillment and respond to customer inquiries. On the other hand, a small business may need a VA that can handle its data entry needs.
While VA work typically involves repetitive tasks, the job isn’t as mindless as some might think. You need to be able to deliver a certain level of quality with each output. For instance, if you’re a social media VA, you can’t just post random content on your client’s social channels. Instead, you’ll be required to develop winning strategies that help your client reach their social media marketing goals.
Most virtual assistants are paid by the hour, and the amount you can earn will usually depend on the complexity of the work, how much time you’re putting in, and the client's financial capacity.
Another thing to keep in mind is that as a VA, you might not always be able to work on your own schedule. Some clients may require you to be online and working during company hours, so be prepared to work at odd hours, especially if the client is overseas.
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- It's legit: Best game platform on Google Play, average 4.3/5 Stars for over 100k ratings
- Receive 3,599 coins when you sign up
- Redeem for PayPal or gift cards
- Sign up takes a minute
9. Make money selling your creative skills as a freelancer
Creative professions like web design, content creation, social media management, search engine optimization (SEO), and so on are in high demand. Over the last few years, more and more companies have been turning to freelancers to bolster their ranks. A recent report by Forbes even claims that freelance workers will soon dominate full-time employees in the coming years.
If you’ve got any useful, creative skills, there’s no better time than now to start thinking about how you can use them to make some extra money. Some of the most popular freelance job options include:
- Writing — As a freelance writer, you are primarily concerned with writing, editing, and proofreading different types of content for your client. These include blog articles, guest posts, corporate marketing materials, and even whitepapers.
- Graphic design — This involves creating and designing visual arts, infographics, animations, brochures, and other business marketing materials as required by the client.
- Transcription services — This role requires you to transcribe audio files into text. You’ll need to be able to type fast with minimal errors.
- Website design and maintenance — Just about every business needs a website nowadays.
- SEO — Businesses need SEO specialists to fine-tune their digital marketing and improve engagements and conversions.
- Translation — If you’re fluent in multiple languages, you can make a lot of money translating books, audio files, business documents, and other materials.
A lot of perks come with being a freelancer, such as being able to work remotely and on your own schedule. There’s also no limit on how much you can earn as long as you continue delivering quality work. However, you must be extremely good at what you do. You are responsible for managing your own processes and ensuring that work gets done when due.
The good news is there’s no shortage of where to find freelance jobs. Some popular platforms include Fiverr, Upwork, TaskRabbit, People Per Hour, FlexJobs, and even Craigslist.
10. Earn extra income working delivery gigs
Got a scooter and some free time? You can make extra cash delivering food, groceries, and other essentials around your city.
You can sign up on several platforms and pick up delivery gigs, including DoorDash, Uber eats, GrubHub, and Instacart. The process is simple — pick up the order, transport it to the recipient (usually in their home or office), and get paid.
The demand for these types of delivery services experienced a huge rise during the pandemic since people mainly were forced to stay home. In any case, the amount you can earn varies by platform and depends on how many trips you can complete per day. Most services pay a guaranteed amount based on the order size, driving distance, traffic conditions at the time, and other factors.
It’s worth noting that sometimes you don't even need to own a vehicle to work delivery gigs. Some vehicle rental services like HyreCar allow you to rent vehicles that you can use to pick up and deliver items daily.
11. Get paid housesitting
If you’re unfamiliar with house sitting, don’t worry the concept is straightforward — homeowners pay you to look after their homes when they’re away. Usually, this involves living in the house and providing security and maintenance until the homeowner returns.
House sitting may also involve providing professional care or companionship, such as babysitting and senior care. Several factors influence the rate of pay for house sitters. However, on average, house sitters earn around $15 per hour.
On a related note, you can also make money from pet sitting. It’s like the ultimate side gig because not only do you get paid by the hour, but you also get to spend the time playing with furry friends. You can sign up on online platforms like Rover to connect with pet owners who need sitters for their pets. Some of the services you can provide include dog walking, drop-in visits, boarding, and house sitting.
12. Earn rental income
Rent out your property to earn passive income. Airbnb is a great place to start since you can set your own prices and essentially make money on your own terms.
However, you don't have to limit yourself to real estate properties alone. If you own a suitable vehicle, you can rent it on platforms like Turo and Getaround. You get paid whenever someone rents your car. It’s a great side hustle because you don't actually have to do any work.
If you have the time, you can also sign up on ridesharing platforms like Lyft and Uber to supplement your income. However, remember that this also involves certain costs, such as vehicle maintenance, fueling, insurance, etc. Be sure to plan for these expenses before getting started, so you don’t spend more than what you make.
Get the Best Android Gift Card rewards with Cash Giraffe
- It's legit: Best game platform on Google Play, average 4.3/5 Stars for over 100k ratings
- Receive 3,599 coins when you sign up
- Redeem for PayPal or gift cards
- Sign up takes a minute
13. Make money from creating and selling digital products
If you’re an expert on a subject, you can create an online course about it and sell it on platforms like Udemy and Coursera, or if you already have an established audience, you can sell it directly through your own website. According to a recent report, entrepreneurs can make as much as $5,000 per month by selling online courses.
Alternatively, you could create and publish an e-book. Thanks to self-publishing platforms like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and iBooks, it’s never been easier to publish e-books.
One of the best things about selling these digital products is that they can help facilitate passive income on autopilot. Unlike physical products, you can sell as many online courses and e-books as possible without restocking.
Of course, your digital product must be something people want to buy. You’ll need to generate the necessary buzz by promoting them on blogs and social media. But once you start making sales, your efforts will pay off.
Beyond making extra money
While making extra income is integral to meeting your financial goals, staying on top of your expenses is equally important. The idea is to maximize your earnings while also being prudent and minimizing your spending.
It won't make much sense if you spend the extra cash on frivolous spending after implementing these money-making ideas, which eventually brings you back to where you started.
It’s also important to keep an eye out for scams. Generally, if a money-making opportunity appears too good to be true, there’s a considerably high chance it is not legit. Be careful out there.
The bottom line
As you can see, there are plenty of legit ways to make extra money. Try some or all of the items on this list and start making extra cash fast today.
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Writer
Ezekiel Arifalo is a freelance journalist who specializes in personal finance writing and editing. His work has appeared on sites including Nova Credit and Medium.
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