I have a full-time job, but I make minimum wage, and that’s not enough to cover my bills.
It’s a common story for so many people. They have a traditional full-time 9-to-5 job where they work 40 hours a week, yet when it comes to their day-to-day expenses, they still struggle.
For many of us, getting another job in this economy is simply not an option. So, you are kind of stuck with your low-paying job.
Thankfully, there are some ways you can bring in some extra cash while working your current full-time job. Depending on how much you make at your current job, some of these options may even allow you to earn more money than what you make now. But even on the low end, you’ll be able to earn a little extra cash to help with your finances.
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How to Make Extra Income While Working Full-Time
Here are some of the easiest, proven ways to make extra money while working a full-time job.
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1. Participate in Research Studies
Marketing departments and poll agencies organize online surveys to test services and products in order to help the companies behind them improve or create new and better products using the data gathered via these surveys.
Of course, for your time and efforts, you will be rewarded. Some pay with gift cards, some with cash, and some with other prizes.
Give them some of your time (usually only 10-15 minutes per survey) and be rewarded.
You won’t make much, but if you sign up with a dozen or so legitimate survey panels, you could be earning an extra $100-$200 a month.
Recommended sites:
2. Get Paid to Search with Microsoft Rewards
Sign up for the Microsoft Rewards program, stay signed in, and every time you use Bing for a search, you’ll earn credits that you can redeem for gift cards and other rewards.
It works like a frequent flyer program, accumulating credits while you do nothing but navigate the Internet through Bing. The best of trips!
3. Get Paid to Shop!
Sign up for a free cash-back site like Rakuten (formerly eBates).
Then, whenever you want to shop online, simply log in to your Rakuten dashboard, find the store you were going to shop at in their list of participating stores (which covers hundreds and thousands of stores), click on the link from your dashboard, visit the store’s website, and make your purchase.
Go to Rakuten, find stores, search for good deals or coupons, and shop.
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The store will pay a commission to Rakuten for sending them a customer, and in turn, Rakuten will share some of that commission with you, essentially giving you cash back for shopping through them.
Of course, Rakuten isn’t the only game in town; there are many other cash-back sites as well. And if you shop online, you’d be crazy not to use one of these cash-back sites.
4. Do Freelancing
There are many freelance opportunities on agencies like Upwork and Freelancer.com.
Some are specific for writers and translators, while others target all sorts of Internet professionals. For instance, if you’re a good writer, you can write articles or content for websites and blogs, and if you have programming skills, you can find well-paid work from companies and individuals.
Browse the jobs in every agency, and you’ll find something that suits you.
Some of the best freelancing sites include:
5. Start a Blog
By now, everyone and their mother has heard of blogging and how it can be used to make a living. And that is true—you can actually make a living as a blogger, I do, and so do many others.
Of course, like any other business, it takes hard work and dedication to become successful. It’s not as easy as just picking a subject and writing about it nonstop.
You have to actually promote it.
Thankfully, with social media being the way it is today, there is no shortage of ways to get your new blog in front of thousands of people. And if what you write is interesting, people will start coming to your blog. It won’t happen overnight; it will be slow, but it will happen.
And when that happens (you start to receive decent traffic to your blog), you can think about monetizing your site. You could place ads, promote products as an affiliate, or sell your own eBooks and guides.
And if you don’t want to spend any money to get started, that’s fine too; you can start a blog for free on platforms like Tumblr. In fact, many famous blogs were started on blogging platforms like Tumblr.
Once you start receiving some traffic, you can buy your own domain name (for less than $10 a year) and a hosting account (for about $60 a year) so you can host your blog.
Recommended sites to get your free blog:
- Tumblr
- WordPress.com
- Blogspot (Blogger)
6. Become an At-Home Customer Service Representative
Get a headset and be ready to take orders or answer customer questions!
Customers call a 1-800 number; you answer from your computer and type whatever is needed.
You can even work for some of the biggest brands, such as Amazon.com.
A great discussion board for learning and finding out about new work-at-home opportunities is the WAHM Forums (Work-at-home moms forum), where you can ask questions, chat with other people who work from home, find out if the company you heard about is legit or a scam, etc.
Recommended companies to work for:
7. Become a Search Engine Evaluator
This is a fairly easy gig. All you need is your computer and internet connection.
Your job will be to test and rate search engines and how they function.
Recommended Search Engine Evaluator Job Sites:
8. Use Amazon Turk
Amazon Turk, also known as mTurk, is a website owned by the giant Amazon.com corporation. This site connects companies that need small, repetitive tasks that cannot be done by machines or software with people who can perform them.
These tasks include things like separating identical pictures from a folder of images, searching for a term on Google and reporting back what you see, or writing a short paragraph explaining a topic—basically very easy and quick tasks that can only be done with human intelligence and do not warrant hiring a full-time employee.
The pay is minimal—very minimal, in my opinion. We’re talking about a few cents per task. But to be fair, there are also tasks that pay more, like $10, $50, $100 or more, but those are rare. Also, you have to keep in mind that those lower-paying tasks only take a few seconds to complete.
mTurk isn’t for everyone. So if you get bored with repetitive tasks quickly, this may not be for you. But if you are fine with that, it could be a good, though a little boring, way of earning a few extra dollars in your free time.
9. Babysit
While you can also babysit in your home, most parents will hire you only if you’re ready to spend time in their home.
How do I find babysitting gigs?
Thanks to the startup boom, there are now websites where babysitters are matched with local families who need someone to watch their kids. You will have to pass a background check to be accepted into their programs, but once you’re in, you have a pretty good shot of finding families nearby that need your services, especially if you live in big cities (these programs are still new, so they have more traction in major cities for now).
Recommended Companies to Find Babysitting Gigs:
10. Become a Mystery Shopper
Mystery shopping is like online surveys but done out in the field. Basically, you get assigned to stores, restaurants, or any other kind of business establishments. Your job will be to visit those places, interact with the employees, and report back your experience.
Why would companies pay you to spy on their employees and shops?
To gain insight into how their employees and stores are performing. They then use this knowledge to improve things.
Legitimate secret shopping companies will, of course, pay you for your work. They will also cover your expenses (food, gas, products you buy, etc.). Some may also let you keep what you buy with their money.
Sadly though, mystery shopping is a field with a lot of scams. So, you have to be very careful who you work with. Check out the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for instructions about what you can and can’t do in this job and how to sort out reputable agencies from the fishy ones.
It’s important to work with reliable agencies because you’ll be required to pay upfront for expenses with your own money and will only be reimbursed later along with your fee.
Recommended Mystery Shopping Agencies:
11. Become a Promoter
You can do any type of promotional work, offering samples or brochures in the local mall, at exhibitions, car dealerships, open houses, and so on.
Often, it’s a one-time occasion; other times, it will be a few days of promotion.
You can earn between $15 and $25 an hour.
GC Marketing Services is about the only company I have found that hires people to do promotional marketing.
The downside is that they don’t always have gigs available in every market. You sign up with them for free, and they will let you know where there is a gig available in your area.
Recommended company to work with:
12. Dog Walking and Pet Sitting
If you are a dog lover like me, you will actually enjoy walking dogs. And the enjoyment is further increased by the fact that you get paid for doing something you enjoy.
How do you find dog walking/pet sitting gigs besides letting your family and friends know?
By using sites that match pet sitters with pet owners.
Recommended sites:
13. Buy & Deliver Groceries & Other Stuff
You can help busy or disabled people by buying and delivering groceries for them.
If you enjoy shopping, this will be a dream gig, getting paid to shop for people!
As for how much you can make, it really depends on different factors like clients, locality, etc. But from the research I have done, it seems like $25 an hour isn’t unheard of, with $10-$15 an hour being the norm.
Recommended sites:
14. Driver for Uber
If you like meeting new people and driving, a smart move will be to sign up as an Uber driver.
The on-demand car service will give you a cell phone with an app and you’ll receive the data of available clients.
You can work anytime and when you want. The app will record your fares and pay accordingly.
This is actually an ideal job for the busy Holiday season.
15. Weekend Home Assistant
Care.com’s Weekend Jobs is a great place to look for families hiring home assistants to work during the weekends as nannies, elderly caregivers, and more.
This type of job is ideal for those who have free weekends with no family obligations of their own.
Earning Extra Income with a Full-Time Job
The list of jobs you can do in your spare time doesn’t end here. You’ll find many more once you think about your skills. Which of them can you put to use for a few hours a week?
Do you know a foreign language? You can tutor.
Are you great at make-up or hairdressing? Estheticians make money at weddings, with brides, honor maids, and guests!
Are you a great cook? Offer your services in the neighborhood or on your website.
Just think, and you’ll find what’s right for you!
Enjoy what you’re doing and make money every second of your spare time!
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