We all like extra cash, but not every one of us wants to get a second job or even has the time for it.
We all like extra cash, but not everybody has the time or wants to get a second job.
Thankfully, there are tons of ways you can earn some extra cash on the side.
Whether you want to make money from home or you would rather earn those extra dollars working out there in the world, we’ve gathered a list of real (and mostly free) ways for you to make some extra money.
This list contains something for everyone.
FreeCash: It pays you to test apps, play games & take surveys. Get paid up to $497.82 per offer! Start Earning!
Earn Haus: Earn up to $25 per survey. Plus same-day payments via PayPal, Venmo & Check! Join Earn Haus!
Swagbucks: Get paid to watch videos, shop online, take surveys and more. Join now & get $10 instantly!
InboxDollars: Paid over $57 Million to members to watch videos, take surveys, shop and more. Get $5 instantly!
iPsos iSay: If you have to only sign up for one paid survey site, go with Ipsos (high paying surveys!)! Join iPsos Now
KashKick: Get paid directly into your PayPal for watching videos, surfing, shopping and more. Join KashKick Now!
Whether you are a stay at home mom wanting a side hustle you can do online and without leaving your house, someone with a full-time job looking for additional part-time money making opportunities, or just want to use your free time to make some quick cash, this list has you covered.
Table of Contents
Best Ways to Earn Extra Money in Your Spare Time
Here are all the ways you can make extra money with no money.
1. Make $10 fast with QuickRewards
This is my favorite site for completing free offers and getting paid cash fast into my PayPal. I’ve talked about it in detail here.
Basically you sign up for free, spend 20-30 minutes completing some free offers (visiting sites, subscribing to free newsletters, playing games, etc), then cash out.
The cool thing about this site is that there is no minimum requirement for cashing out. You can get paid even if you have 5 cents in your account.
That said, if you spend 20 minutes or so on this site, I am sure you can easily make $10.
The best part is that they pay via PayPal within hours.
2. Sell used books with BookScouter
Who doesn’t have tons of books lying around the house?
We all do!
You, too, probably have tons of books sitting in your basement gathering dust.
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But you can make some quick cash by selling your used books.
Forget about selling on eBay or Craigslist. That means you have to wait for buyers.
Instead, use BookScouter.com to sell your books quickly.
It’s very simple really…
- Visit BookScouter.com.
- Enter the 10-digit ISBN number of your book and hit enter.
- The system will then look up to see how much the book is worth, and within seconds you’ll get an offer.
- If you accept the offer, you can print out a prepaid shipping label from their site, send in the book, and within 2 weeks or so you get paid.
You can choose whether to be paid in PayPal or by Check.
3. National Consumer Panel: Scan your groceries
Wanna get paid every time you go grocery shopping?
NCP wants to pay you to scan your groceries with their free smartphone app.
NCP is an app by the famous Nielsen company. The same research company behind the Nielsen TV that sends you a device so they can track TV viewing habits anonymously.
Why would they want you to scan your groceries?
To gather data to help manufacturers and retailers make better decisions on what kind of product sell more so they can make more of it, and which ones don’t so they can either improve it or just develop new ones.
Here’s how it works:
- Step 1: Sign up for your free NCP account here.
- Step 2: Once you create your account, you’ll get access to their free Smartphone App or they may send you a free scanner.
- Step 3: Next, scan the barcodes on products you buy at the grocery store with the app or the scanner.
- Step 4: During scanning, you can also enter some other info like date and time of the purchase, store name, location, etc.
- Step 5: Your account gets credited with points once a week.
- Step 6: Redeem your points for cash, gift cards, and other prizes.
They also have sweepstakes that can win you cash and prizes.
We all buy groceries, we may as well use this free app to get something back.
4. Clean your closet, get paid via ThredUp
ThredUp is like an online consignment store.
How it works:
- Visit their site and order a “Clean Out” bag.
- Fill the bag up with unused clothes you have in your closet.
- Print out the prepaid shipping label from the site and send the bag to them.
- Earn 40% of the resale value for each item.
You can either ask for store credit or get paid via PayPal.
5. Pleio: Remind people to take their medication
Pleio is a website that provides a reminder service for people to take their medications.
They often have vacancies for people to work remotely, calling in the reminders and helping out with basic questions about prescriptions.
6. Reddit’s r/forhire: Do freelance work
Freelancing is popular for a reason…
It allows you to work from anywhere and anytime.
You can keep your full-time day job and still make money as a freelancer.
The hard part is finding clients.
Sure, you could use traditional freelancing platforms like UpWork and Freelancer.com.
But with hundreds of thousands of workers from all around the world competing for every job (and in most cases underbidding you) you’ll have a hard time getting work.
That’s why I recommend smaller less-known platforms.
Sure, Reddit is one of the biggest sites in the world. But it isn’t well known as a freelancing platform.
But it has many subreddits that are gold mines for finding jobs and selling your services.
There are other subreddits like r/forhire where you can list your service (basically putting a free ad on there.)
There are also subreddits where clients looking for freelancers post about what they need.
Here are a few to keep an eye on:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/hiring/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/freelance_forhire/
Using these smaller subreddits is a much easier way to find paying clients.
Some of these gigs turn into long-time work if you provide quality work.
7. Nielsen Digital Voice: Earn an extra $50 a year passively
When I say passive, I really mean it!
All you have to do is install a free app and for every month you keep it installed, you get paid.
Nielsen Digital Voice (also known as The Nielsen Computer & Mobile panel) is an exclusive panel from Nielsen Research that aims to help companies better understand how we use our devices – computers, tablets, smartphones…
Here’s how it works:
- Step 1: Sign up for free here.
- Step 2: Install the free app.
- Step 3: Earn rewards as long as you keep it installed!
The app works quietly in the background, gathering anonymous data for research and development purposes.
You continue using your device as you would normally – surf the web, play games, shop, watch videos, etc.
You can also win prizes via their sweepstakes.
Nielsen gives away $10,000 in prizes each month.
Visit the site today, install the app and get paid for what you already do!
8. Context Travel: Walk around your town!
This is another really fun way to pocket some extra cash in your free time.
Every city has some tourist attractions, some more, some less.
If you know your city well, sign up with Context Travel as a tour guide.
You set your own price per hour.
And you can get paid in your local currency no matter where you live.
9. Roadie: Turn your daily commute into cash
Like the idea of making money with your car, but hate having to give rides to strangers?
Give rides to packages then!
Roadie is basically a new peer-to-peer delivery service that “matches people with stuff to send with drivers already headed in the right direction. The result is a cheaper, easier, greener delivery service.”
As a driver, you get paid for delivering packages to destinations that are already within your commute.
Here’s the best part, in case you missed it…
You don’t have to change anything about your commute!
You can accept deliveries with destinations that are already in your way.
How much can you make?
It depends.
You can earn $8 and $50 for local trips.
For long-distance delivery, you can expect as much as several hundred dollars or more.
It’s a great way to make some extra cash along with your daily commute, a road trip or any other trip that you’re already taking.
The company will process your payment at the end of the next business day. You’ll receive your money in your bank account within 3-5 business days.
To get started, install the free app and apply to be a Roadie driver. Once your background check is complete and you’re approved, you’ll watch an online tutorial to get familiar.
Assuming everything goes as planned. you’ll be on the road by the next day.
10. Amazon Flex: Deliver packages for Amazon
This is a new (ish) opportunity from Amazon.
If you ever wanted to make money with Amazon without selling stuff, you’ll like this.
Amazon is trying to improve their delivery time, so they came up with Amazon Flex, a way to get local drivers to deliver stuff faster.
The beauty of working with Amazon Flex is that you can set your own schedule.
You can earn $18-$25 an hour.
The Amazon Flex app lets you easily track your earnings so you can always see a snapshot of how much you are making.
11. Amazon Home Services: Sell your local services (not products!) with Amazon
Amazon Home Services is a new feature of Amazon that makes it easy for service providers to sell their services to local customers.
You can be a:
- Painter
- Plumber
- Landscaper
- Assembler
- House cleaner
- Handyman (or woman)
- Electricians
- …
Whatever service you offer, you can apply. Once your application is approved, you can see new jobs in your area via the Amazon app. Choose the one you like and make money.
It is as simple as that!
12. ClinicalTrials.gov: Participate in medical studies
Universities, hospitals, and research organizations conduct hundreds of thousands of studies every year.
And they pay good money to participants.
It isn’t unheard of to get paid $10,000-$20,000 for a single study. Although those are rare and can take weeks.
But there are many open paid clinical trials that pay anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Now, finding legit clinical trials that pay isn’t easy.
CliniclaTrials.gov makes it easy to find quick cash gigs near you in form of open paid studies.
Some studies are done online and some in local settings.
Just visit the site, put in your zip code and see what’s available in your area.
13. GigWalk: Do random small tasks
Check out gigwalk.com for gigs that companies are prepared to give you money for.
It might be something as simple as checking out the price of items in a grocery store or taking a picture of a house.
14. Rev: Caption video
Rev is a platform where they connect freelance captioners with companies and brands that need their service.
Basically, you’ll be watching videos and creating timed captions synced with the video.
You can set your own schedule and work from anywhere and anytime.
They pay weekly via PayPal.
They also offer transcriptions and translation jobs.
15. GoTranscript: Transcribe audio files and videos
Can you type fast?
Wanna work from home?
Then try GoTranscript!
It is one of the fastest freelance transcription platforms where you can work as a freelancer, set your own schedule, work from anywhere you like and get paid weekly.
You can earn up to $0.60 per audio or video minute.
Their top earners make an average of about $1215 per month working only part time.
16. Fiverr: Do…whatever!
Good at a lot of things?
This is for you!
Fiverr started as a micro freelancing site where anyone could sell any kind of service imaginable for just 5 bucks.
But it has since grown so much that it is now one of the top micro gig sites in the world.
Not only that, you can now sell your services for any price you like.
Here’s the kicker…
You can literally sell any service you can think of!
Drawing, writing, poetry, singing, taking pictures, social media management, being silly on camera, prank calling, even standing on the street corner and taking pictures.
The list goes on and on.
Some people are actually making six-figure incomes on Fiverr.
Don’t know what to sell?
Browse the gigs from other sellers and see what’s popular. Then create the gig and do it better!
17. SurveySavvy: Take online surveys
Taking surveys for money is a fun way to get paid for telling companies and businesses what you think of their products.
There are tons of legit survey sites out there, but one of the best and most high paying ones is SurveySavvy.
Their surveys pay anywhere from $1 to $5 on average (takes 10-15 minutes.)
The pay can go as high as $60 or more for special studies that may take longer.
Not only that, but you can also earn $1-$2 for every surveys your friends and family take.
Join the site for free, complete your profile and start getting paid for your opinion.
18. SwagBucks: Get paid to search
When it comes to rewards programs, one site stands out, Swagbucks.
We did a comprehensive review of Swagbucks a while back.
In a nutshell, it rewards you for doing what you already do online, shopping, playing games, taking surveys, watching videos, etc.
You earn what is known as Swag Bucks.
When you earn enough points, you can redeem them for Amazon gift cards, cash into your PayPal account, or prepaid Visa cards.
19. RedBox: Stock Redbox
You know that you can rent out movies for only $1.50 from RedBox.
How do you think the movies get there?
Yes, you can be paid to stock the DVDs into the kiosks and make sure the equipment is working.
20. Shipt: Make money grocery shopping (up to $25/hr)
This is a perfect side hustle for anyone looking to make extra cash, especially those of us who like shopping but hate paying for stuff!
You can earn up to $25 an hour buying and delivering groceries for local people via Shipt.
What is Shipt, you ask?
It’s an on-demand grocery delivery service that is looking for reliable, independent people to shop for groceries and deliver to their members.
The best part is that you can set your own schedule, so you can work whenever you have some free time.
You have to be 18 years or older and have a valid Driver’s License, reliable transportation and clean background.
21. Inbox Dollars: Watch videos
InboxDollars is a reward site where you get paid to do a variety of things.
These are things you already do online…watching videos, reading emails, shopping, playing games and more.
They also pay you $5 just for joining.
22. SkillShare: Create instructional videos
You know those instructional videos you watch on YouTube or Facebook you see sometimes?
You can actually make good money creating those videos.
We are all experts on something. you can turn your expertise into cash by creating a simple online course that you can sell over and over again to people interested in learning it.
It doesn’t matter what your expertise is, as long as you can teach it well, you can sell it.
The biggest site of this kind is Udemy, but again, the bigger and more known a platform gets, the more competition you have to face.
That’s why I recommend SkillShare.
It’s still a big platform, but there is much less competition than on Udemy.
They even have guides to help you get started.
Have no clue how to structure your course?
Have a look at similar courses. Of course, don’t just copy their work, use it as a guide to creating your own.
23. Take Lessons: Give lessons online (or locally)
I always say each of us is an expert at something.
Now, if you can teach that “something” you can actually make good money.
The biggest problem with making money giving lessons is finding paying students.
Fortunately, that problem is solved with Take Lessons.
It’s an awesome platform where people looking to learn something new can find teachers.
As a teacher, you can teach almost anything you are good at – dancing, playing guitar, writing, woodworking, knitting, sewing…
You can set your own schedule, prices and teaching subjects.
Since the site is popular, you save time and money trying to find paying students on your own.
Now the best part is that you can teach online and offline. You can meet up at a local place to teach local students or online through the site. You can even travel to teach if you like.
According to the site, their top teacher earned $227k so far.
To get started, visit the site and fill out the application, complete a background check and agree to their independent contractor terms.
24. Fotolia: Sell stock photos
Perhaps your forte is not in writing or in making videos, but you’re good at taking pictures. Then you should look at the stock picture sites, where you can offer your photos for sale.
These are sites that everyone comes to when they need a photograph, whether it is to illustrate a book cover or to provide other content.
Start off by looking at Fotolia, Shutterstock, iStockphoto, or Bigstockphoto.
The great thing about this opportunity is that your photos can be sold over and over, giving you continuing residual income.
25. Udemy: Teach anything
As I mentioned earlier, Udemy is so popular that you’ll have a hard time competing with the competition.
But, since you have already done the work (creating the actual course) for SkillShare, you may as well put it in Udemy as well.
Yes, you can sell the exact same course on Udemy.
You own the content so essentially you can sell it on any other similar site or even your own site.
Basically, you do the work once but you make money with it over and over again.
It can’t get any sweeter than that!
26. Amazon FBA: Sell stuff
Take away the auction, and Amazon does much the same as eBay, allowing you to sell goods and charging you a fee for the privilege.
You can either sell items and ship them yourself or use their Fulfillment By Amazon program (FBA) where they will store your inventory for you, and send it out. If you buy wholesale goods, you can even get them delivered direct to Amazon, so you don’t need to touch them.
Or if you prefer to work for the company directly, you can become an Amazon customer service associate and work from home.
27. Etsy: Make & sell arts and crafts
Etsy is like eBay for handmade stuff.
If you are good at making handmade stuff – it can be anything; jewelry, woodwork, metal objects, paintings… – you can make money selling it on Etsy.
There are people who are making a living on Etsy.
Need examples?
How about these people:
Bill and Amy Mowat earn $25,000 to $45,000 a month by selling wooden cheese boards on Etsy.
Alicia Shaffer makes $80,000 a month selling handmade legwarmers, scarves, and headbands on Etsy.
There are countless examples.
But here is the thing…
You don’t have to make 6 figure income on Etsy to be successful.
You can earn a sizable side income by just putting in an extra few hours a month making and selling handmade stuff in your free time.
Here’s how to get started selling on Etsy:
- Step 1: Get a pen and paper.
- Step 2: Write down a few ideas of things you can make easily and without too much financial investment.
- Stop 3: Create 10-20 prototypes to begin with.
- Step 4: Take nice pictures from all angles.
- Step 5: Create your account on Etsy and list your items.
- Step 6: If the interest is there, start making more, if not, tweak the design or come up with something new.
The beauty of working with Etsy is that because the site is so popular, you don’t have to do much advertising. If you create quality products, word of mouth and customer reviews will carry you far.
28. Lyft or Uber: Give rides
I can’t tell you how many stories I have heard from people on forums I participate in about the amount of money they are making with Uber and Lyft.
If you own a car and have free time on your hands, this is truly an awesome way to make money with your car.
Both of these companies are in almost most major cities.
All you need is a clean car, a clean driving record and a willingness to do the job.
The best part about this whole thing is that you can work whenever you want.
You make your own schedule.
It just can’t get any better than that.
29. Zazzle: Design customized stuff
Another website for the designer in you, you can use this site to sell items you have made, upload designs and be paid royalties, or promote others’ products to earn money.
It’s called an Artisan website, so take a look and see what type of goods are selling.
30. UberEats: Deliver food
If you don’t like the idea of ridesharing and don’t want to make money giving rides to strangers, this is for you.
You can still work with Uber and make money with your car without sharing your car with total strangers.
UberEats is basically a food delivery system.
Customers pay for the delivery through the Uber app. You deliver the item(s) and get paid for it.
You are paid a pickup fee, a drop-off fee, and a mileage fee.
Based on UberEats driver reviews I have seen you can earn up to $20 an hour doing this.
Now, if you are already doing Uber ride-sharing, this will be perfect since you can do the delivery between rides.
31. Postmates: Deliver Food
Postmates advertises that you can earn up to $25 per hour as a food delivery person.
Once again, you need to check whether it’s in your area before getting too excited. It consists of picking up food from a restaurant where it has been ordered and delivering it to the customer.
We recently reviewed working for Postmates, you can read our article here.
32. Fetch: Walk dogs
I am a dog/animal lover, so this is one of my favorites.
If you are a dog/animal lover looking for extra cash, you’d be crazy to pass on this.
With so many sites and networks that connect dog owners with walkers, it is easier than ever to get this side hustle going.
Fetch is one of the biggest ones out there.
A quick search on Reddit and other forums shows there are people who are making $1000 or more a month on a part-time basis.
There are other sites as well.
Here are a few:
For a bigger list of apps and local sites where you can find dog walking gigs, read our Dog Walking Jobs post.
33. Urban Sitter: Baby sit (and find clients easily!)
When you’re trying to make money babysitting, the hardest part is finding clients.
No more!
With UrbanSitter it is easy as joining (which is free) and completing your profile.
You can set your own schedule and your hourly rate.
But the best part is that unlike similar sites that take a cut of your earnings, here you keep 100% of what you make!
You can earn an extra $1000 or so a month easily even if you just devote an hour or two a day.
34. Become a Reality TV Star
Have you considered becoming a reality TV star?
With so many TV channels to fill, reality TV has become a big business.
You can aim for the networks, with America’s Got Talent or the like, or you can shoot for the cable reality shows which seem much easier to get into.
If you can spin them a unique story, such as the people on Duck Dynasty, then you’ll have a much better chance.
Here are a few shows you can apply for:
- America’s Got Talent
- ABC: You can apply for many ABC shows including WifeSwap and Extreme Weight Loss
- HGTV – Apply to be on shows like House Hunters, Love It or List It, and Property Brothers.
35. HomeStay: Rent your spare room
We all know AirBnB.
And that’s the problem with it!
It is so saturated with competition that the prices you can charge go lower and lower every year.
That’s why I think it’s better to use smaller sites with less competition.
One of those sites is HomeStay.
According to the company, you can earn from $2,042 per month renting out your spare room in the United States.
And that’s the minimum!
36. Rover: Pet Sit
Whether it’s coming in while the owner is at work to let the dog out to do his business, or pet sitting during a vacation, there are always people looking for occasional help with their pets.
You can find these gigs on Care.com and Rover.com, for example.
37. Care.com: Clean houses
Who, if they have the money, doesn’t want someone to come in and clean the house for them?
Normally, to find clients you had to either post an ad on Craigslist or similar places or keep an eye out for homeowners needing cleaners.
But now you can use a site like Care.com to find local homes in need of cleaners quickly and safely.
38. Turo: Turn your unused car time to cash!
Do you park your car in the driveway for extended periods of time without driving it?
Turn that time and your car into cash!
List your car on Turo (takes less than 10 min.) for free.
Describe your car, add some pictures and set the calendar to let them know what days your car is available for rent
When somebody wants to book your car, you’ll get a notification. You can confirm or deny it. It’s totally up to you.
If you accept the request, you can set up a meeting with the person, talk to them and check their license and identification info.
Once they return, you check your car to make sure everything is OK (Turo covers your car with $1 million in liability insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance.)
You get paid via direct deposit within 5 days of the transaction.
39. 99 Designs: Design for brands
If you are creative, you could consider signing up for 99 Designs.
It’s a design platform where brands are connected with freelance designers.
You can design logos, T-shirts, Flyers, Web sites, and any other brand identity item you can think of.
40. Nomador: Get paid to stay in luxury houses!
People will pay you to stay in their house while they go away on vacation.
The idea is that you are responsible and will take care of their property, making sure everything stays fine (pipes don’t freeze, the mail is collected, phone answered, etc.)
You may even find that they want to leave their dogs and cats behind, giving you a pet sitting gig at the same time.
Traditionally, to get clients (people who need house sitters) you’d have to know somebody, but with a site like Nomador you don’t.
All you do is sign up, create your profile (they do background checks) and look for people in your local area who need house sitters.
This is an international platform, so no matter where you live, you can potentially find clients.
As far as how much you can make, it really depends. From what I have seen on online forums, sitters are making an average of $50 per night.
To get more clients, sign up for similar sites like HouseSitter and HouseCarers.
41. Needle: Be an advocate of your favorite brands
Or perhaps you prefer to help people out via chat windows and would like to become a customer support person.
Needle.com employs people called Advocates who are always available for an online real-time conversation with shoppers.
42. FieldAgent: Do Audits and Research with your phone
FieldAgent is basically an app that enables you to earn money by completing quick tasks for local businesses.
Tasks like price checking an item, taking photos of a store or its display, finding a product at a store, answering surveys, etc.
There are a few different types of jobs you can do:
- Audits: You’ll have to visit a location and basically conduct an audit (check the status of a product, display, or a section of an aisle.)
- Mystery Shopping: You’ll pose as a real customer gathering information about the store in general, (employee friendliness, store displays, how clean the store is, how easy/hard it is to find a product, etc.)
- Scavenger Hunt: With this one, you’ll be taking pictures of specific items.
- Surveys: You will answer questions about a business and its products and services. Sometimes you may be asked to take the survey while in the store, other times you can take them at home.
Each gig pays between $1 and $12.
You can withdraw your earnings via Direct Deposit to your bank account/
To get started, download the free app, create your profile and start browsing and accepting local jobs.
The overlooked benefit of using FieldAgent is that since these jobs are quick and easy you can do them whenever you have free time.
Some jobs take only a few minutes so you can do ’em on your lunch break even.
It really is an easy way to make some extra cash.
43. Skyword: Get paid to create content for major brands
Skyword is a little above your usual freelancing platforms where anyone can sign up. This is a platform for serious content creators.
They create content for some of the biggest brands in the world – Lowe’s, Purina, Transunion, Equifax, IBM, The Wall Street Journal, and many more –
They look for people who are good:
- Videographers
- Writers
- Photographers
- Designers
If you are good at creating engaging content, this is the platform where you can get paid big bucks for your work.
The pay is based on the type of content you create.
For example, if you are a writer, you can earn between $25 to $50 for small pieces. But the real money is in longer more in-depth articles that pay up to $400 to $500 each.
Here’s how to get started:
- Sign up and create your profile.
- Add a few samples of your work.
- Once your account is approved, they’ll assign you stories based on your portfolio.
- From then on its a matter of creating quality content and getting paid.
You can do this full time or part-time.
You are paid via PayPal on the 1st and 15th of each month.
44. FocusGroup.com: Tell companies what you think of ’em!
Here at MoneyPantry, we’re a big fan of online survey sites.
These sites pay you for sharing your opinion about products and services through studies done by market research companies.
Another way market research companies gather consumer feedback for companies and manufacturers is through focus groups.
There are online and offline focus groups that are conducted in your local area.
Offline focus groups usually pay much more.
You can expect between $75 to $250 for your average study that takes between 40 minutes to 2 hours.
There are also higher paying studies that can pay $500 or more, but they take longer as well.
Now finding legit focus group companies that conduct studies in physical locations near you isn’t easy.
Fortunately, with FocusGroup.com it is as easy as entering your zip code in the search box.
The site will then display a list of available studies near you.
Pick the ones you like and apply to become a participant.
Most offline focus groups pay cash after the study is done.
45. Air Garage: Rent out your garage
If you have extra space in your garage, this is an easy way to make money with it.
Who would rent your garage?
There are many reasons people and businesses would want to rent parking space.
For example, I may work near your house and am tired of paying too much for daily parking spots. I want a safer and cheaper place to park my car.
Sometimes businesses and people hold special events where hundreds of thousands of people may show up. Finding parking posts for all these people can be hard and expensive.
Your spot offers a safer and cheaper way for these people to park their cars.
How much can you make?
As you can imagine, it really depends on your location.
Obviously, spots near busy downtown locations can charge more.
People report earning from $50 to $100 or more per month.
It may not sound like much, but when you consider the minimal amount of time and effort that you have to put into it, it’s a no-brainer.
Plus, you make money from a spot that otherwise would sit there with no use.
And you have complete control over everything – who you rent to, how much to charge, etc.
To get started, simply sign up for free, add your space and set a price. Interested drivers can then apply.
Accept the application and start getting paid.
46. Google User Experience Research: Help Google make better stuff
Most of us either own a few Google products or at least use some of them online (YouTube, Gmail, Google+…)
They do make great products and they’re always trying to improve their products and come up with better ones.
One way they do that is by gathering feedback from actual users.
This is done through Google’s own User Experience Research Studies.
Basically, you’ll give them feedback on a variety of Google products and features.
The good news is that anyone 18 and older can participate.
They have a few different kinds of studies:
- Usability study at a Google office: Basically show up at the location, meet with a Google researcher and provide feedback. Must live near a Google office.
- Remote usability study: Through a screen-capture session the researcher will have you use a product and ask for feedback as you go through the process. Can be done from anywhere in the world.
- Experiential sampling study: This usually is done over a few days. You’ll be asked to use a product and give feedback throughout the experiment.
- Field study: Google researchers will contact you and schedule a time when they can come to your house or office to conduct an in-person study.
- Surveys: They’ll send you online surveys that you can answer anytime and from anywhere.
What do you get?
According to Google, you get small prizes such as gift cards or donations to a charity of your choice.
47. CDS Virtual Lab Online Panel: Help Columbia Business School Researchers
Wanna help the Columbia Business School’s Center for Decision Sciences understand consumer behavior, judgment and decision makings?
Here’s your chance to do just that and earn around $16 per hour doing so.
As you might have guessed, they conduct online research studies to help the researchers understand our behavior when it comes to shopping, decision making, judgment, etc.
To get started, visit the site, fill out your profile and respond whenever there is a survey available.
You are paid via PayPal.
If you don’t have a PayPal account, you can ask for Amazon gift certificates.
48. A Fine Parent: Write about parenting
This is perfect for stay at home moms and dads.
You can write about anything that’s related to parenting.
It can be personal experiences, tips, how-to guides, or whatever else that can help or entertain parents.
You get $75 for every post that gets published.
If you’re interested in making money wiring online, check out my list of 101 sites that pay you to write.
49. ErliBird: Test apps
Love playing Candy Crush but want to see a new future?
Well, as an app tester, that’s exactly what you’ll do!
Basically, you’ll install an app/software, use it as you would normally, then provide feedback about your experience, its advantages and disadvantages and what you think would make it better.
ErliBird pays you $10 per test.
You get paid via PayPal 7 days after the end of a project.
50. Checker Patrol: Be a movie mystery shopper
Just like shopping mystery shopping where you pose as a customer to gather information, as a movie mystery shopper your job is to gather information for theater owners to help them improve their business.
Checker Patrol is one of the main market research companies that has a panel dedicated to movie mystery shopping.
Some of the things you may do for them include:
- Blind Checking
- All Screen Trailer Checking
- Sneak Preview Checking
They also conduct restaurant mystery shopping
To get started, visit the site (link above), fill out the form and wait to hear back.
The pay varies based on the assignment. Of course, you do get to watch movies for free.
51. TheSource: Rate pizzas
Companies spend millions of dollars on data that they can use to improve their business.
One of the most valuable kinds of data is customer feedback.
This is an awesome side gig that not only earns you a little extra cash but also helps local companies improve their business.
You’ll be working as an Independent Field Agent.
Basically, you visit local businesses – pizza shops, restaurants, fast food, movie theaters, mechanics, etc… and rate them.
Let’s say your assignment is a pizza shop. You order a pizza and rate their customer service, the quality of pizza and how quickly it was delivered.
You get paid by the project. Usually, the longer an assignment takes, the more you get paid.
The Source pays twice a month via Direct Deposit by check for U.S. agents. For Canadian and UK Independent Field Agents they pay via PayPal.
52. Achievement: Get paid for being healthy
Failing to keep up with your new year resolution?
This app will give you an extra incentive for being healthy, helping you achieve your new year resolution.
It’s basically a health app that rewards you for being healthy and active.
You earn points for things like walking and tracking your food.
You can also earn points by taking health-related surveys.
You can redeem your points for cash or free Amazon gift certificates. 10,000 points get you $10.
The best part is that Achievement connects to the popular fitness app some of which you may already own. We’re talking MyFitnessPal, Fitbit, RunKeeper, and Healthkit.
To get started, sign up, download the app and earn your first 10 points for free just by doing that!
53. Saucey: Deliver beer
With Saucey you can easily turn your car, bike or motorcycle into a source of income.
Saucey is like UberEat for alcohol. It delivers alcohol for customers with a promise of delivering it within 30 minutes.
You can set your own schedule and what part of town you want to pick up gigs from.
From reviews I read, it seems like drivers and bike riders are making between $10 to $22 per hour.
54. Carvertise: Advertise for companies with your car
I’m sure you’ve seen those trucks and cars wrapped in Monster or RedBull energy drinks ads.
That’s an advertisement method known as “Car Wrap.”
The owners of those vehicles are getting paid for that!
And you too can get paid to wrap your car in ads.
Again, with many side hustles like this, finding clients is the hardest part.
That’s where Carvertise comes in – they connect advertisers with drivers.
Sign up for free, then whenever there is an advertiser looking to run ads in your area, you’ll be notified.
If you accept the job, they’ll put the vinyl wrapping on your vehicle and you drive as you would normally.
According to the company, you can earn between $300 to $650 per campaign.
55. Kindle Direct Publishing: Publish your own eBook
Writing a book takes talent and a lot of hard work.
That’s not even the hardest part…
The hardest part is getting it published and promoting it.
Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform solves both of these problems.
Instead of a book, you can write an eBook (much easier since it can be as short as just 20-30 pages.)
And you can instantly publish it for free through KDP.
Your eBook can be about anything you want – food and recipes, art, blogging, saving money, history, novel or even a list of say… interesting things about whatever.
Sure, you may not have the success that Amanda Hocking, the 26-year-old romance writer from Minnesota had (who by the way became a millionaire thanks to her kindle books), but you could earn a little passive income.
I published my eBook “501 Free Websites You Can Use To Earn Extra Money In Your Spare Time (#29 Is Almost Too Good To Be True!)” about two years ago or so and I am making a few hundred dollars a month without any promotion whatsoever.
In fact, all I did was write the book and publish it on KDP.
And that’s the beauty of using KDP – Just being on Amazon’s huge platform is enough. Amazon gets millions of visitors a month, so your eBook is seen by thousands of potential readers/buyers.
Of course, if you want, you can promote your book, but it’s not necessary.
To get started, read this awesome guide by CopyBlogger which covers everything you need to know/do to publish your first eBook on Amazon’s Kindle platform.
56. WeGoLook: Get paid to look!
This is a company that helps businesses and individuals gather and validate information anytime, anywhere.
As a “Looker” you get paid to go “Look” and gather information.
Assigmnets include:
- Inspections: Inspecting cars, properties and equipment
- Document Services: Document signing, collection, notarization, and more
- Assessments: Identifying risk, documenting damage, adjusting for loss
- Pickup and Delivery: Item retrieval, courier services, and custom tasks
You can set your own schedule and choose locations you want to accept assignments from.
Most “Looks” take an average of 25-20 minutes and pay between $25 to $200.
57. Hairsellon: Sell your hair
This ain’t gonna make you that much and it can’t be a regular source of income unless you’ve unlocked the rapid hair growth secret!
But it’s a fun way to make some easy cash if you have long hair.
58. BioLife: Donate Blood Plasma
Not for everybody, but if you don’t mind a needle in your arm, donating blood plasma is an easy way to make some cash.
Blood banks like BioLife pay good money for donations.
You can earn up to $260 a month.
59. TaskRabbit: Do odd jobs
TaskRabbit is an app that connects local service providers with people and business who need small tasks done.
These tasks can be anything – picking up and dropping off a package, painting a wall, putting furniture together, organizing a garage or closet, installing a ceiling fan…
You are free to set your own schedule and accept any gig you like.
60. FlipKey: Rent out a Room or Your House
Make some extra cash by finding someone who wants to rent out a room in your house.
It will help you pay the mortgage.
61. Fancy Hands: Become a virtual assistant
These days, most online companies use virtual assistants to delegate everyday tasks like answering calls, setting up meetings, replying to email, etc.
As a virtual assistant, you can work from anywhere you like.
And the good news is that unlike most legit work at home jobs where finding them is half the battle, finding legit VA jobs is easy with sites like Fancy Hands.
The pay is based on the task – how easy it is to do it, how long it takes, etc.
Obviously, harder and more time-consuming tasks offer bigger pay.
On average, you can expect to earn between $2.50 to $7 and more per task.
By performing the tasks well, you may also receive bonuses and more pay.
62. HireMyMom: Work from home
Stay at home mom looking for a way to make money working from home?
HireMyMom is a great platform for you.
It’s basically a job board for moms.
This site is geared towards professional moms and women in general who don’t have the time or patience to weed through scams.
The site basically does the work for you.
Every day, they’ll send you a screened list of work at home opportunities from legitimate companies.
There is a membership fee of about .33 cents a day. You can pay yearly which comes to $99.
63. Sitter: Become a baby sitter
Babysitting is one of the few jobs most of us have done as kids to earn some extra cash.
The good news is that you can still do it as an adult and make good money.
With a site like Sitter, you don’t have to worry about finding clients. Parents looking for babysitters post on the site and all you have to do is review the requirements and accept the job.
Here’s how it works:
- Step one: Join the site for free
- Step two: Parents looking for sitters post on the site.
- Step three: Search by zip code to find parents looking for sitters near you.
- Step four: Read the requirements and apply for the job.
- Step five: Make the arrangements, do the job and get paid!
There are also other similar sites, like UrbanSitter, you can use to find more clients.
64. Zum: Drive kids
Don’t like driving adults around with Uber and Lyft?
Drive kids around!
Zum is a new app that aims to help parents find drivers who can drive their kids to and from their daily activities.
The app started in San Francisco Bay Area but is already expanding to other areas.
Needless to say, there will be extensive background checks.
As far as pay, like all ridesharing jobs, it varies for each individual ride, but the company states the least you’ll make is above minimum wage.
65. SinclairCustomerMetrics: Become a secret shopper
Secret shopping, or Mystery Shopping as it is more known as is a form of market research.
As a secret shopper, you’ll visit a business posing as a real customer, gathering information about the business.
What kind of information?
- Customer service and how friendly the staff were.
- How easy it was to find an item.
- Store display.
- How clean the store was.
- etc.
Basically, things that can help a company improve the overall performance of the business.
You get paid based on the assignment.
In some cases, you also get to keep what you buy, for free.
Sometimes you may be asked to dine at a restaurant, in that case, the meal is paid for by SCM.
The only problem is that you can’t rely on it as a consistent source of income since they may not have assignments near you that often. But you can solve that problem by joining a few legit secret shopping companies.
Also please be aware of scams.
There are tons of mystery shopping scams out there, majorly the Western Union Check scam.
And remember not to ever pay any company claiming to have mystery shopping jobs for you. Legit secret shopping companies will never ever charge you for anything.
66. Rentafriend: Get paid to be a friend!
It’s 2018 and yes, you can get paid to be someone’s friend for a few hours!
RentAFriend is not a dating website, it’s a site where people can “Rent Your Friendship”.
Here’s how it works:
- Sign up and fill out your application.
- Once you are approved (usually within an hour or so) your profile goes live.
- People can then search by zip code or city/state/country to find friends in their area.
- If they find your profile interesting, they’ll contact you. You can then negotiate your price, time, and activity.
- You then meet the person, have a great time, and get paid!
People use this service to find temporary friends for different reasons – to have someone show them the town, take to over a cup of coffee, watch a movie, go to a party, etc.
According to the site, you can earn up to $50 an hour.
67. DietBet.com: Get paid to exercise
New year means new resolutions for most of us.
We all know what the most popular resolution is…
Losing weight and exercising more!
If only there were more incentives for keeping up!
Fortunately, there is.
With DietBet you essentially get paid for losing weight and working out.
Here’s how it works:
Basically, you either join a game or start your own where you bet on losing X amount of weight in X amount of time.
At the start of the game, you weigh in and submit your pictures. At the end of the game, people who have hit their goal will split the pot.
Obviously, it’s not a way to make hundreds of dollars (although you could if you bet high,) it’s more of a way to keep yourself accountable and give yourself more incentive to stay healthy.
68. Doba: Do Drop Shipping
The beauty of dropshipping is that you don’t have to buy inventory beforehand.
You only buy inventory after you made the sale.
Here’s how it works:
- Step 1: Find something you want to sell
Visit the site, browse through their catalog containing millions of products and find items you want to sell.
- Step 2: Export product listings to your online store
Next, upload product pictures and information to your online storefront (can be your own site or third-party platforms like Shopify.) You can add hundreds of products to more than 100 platforms within minutes.
- Step 3: Sell
Now all you have to do is sell the products to your customers at retail prices.
- Step 4: Get the product shipped
This is where the magic of drop shopping happens. Once you sell the product on your own storefront, you buy it from the Doba supplier (at wholesale prices), enter the customer’s shipping address and you’re done! Doba supplier will ship the item directly on your behalf.
- Step 5: Profit and do it all over again
Repeat this process and profit!
This is an awesome way to avoid the headache of buying and storing inventory beforehand and risking the potential loss of inventory, as well as shipping and handling.
The best part is that you only pay for things you’ve already sold.
69. Repair computers
If you’re knowledgeable enough about computers, this is a great way to earn some side income.
It doesn’t require anything but your knowledge and maybe a small computer repair kit.
This is a business that relies heavily on word of mouth.
Start with your family, friends, and neighbors. Make them happy and they’ll bring you more customers.
70. Scrap metal
Selling scrap metal for cash is one of the oldest and most popular side hustles.
And for good reasons…
You’re practically turning trash into cash!
71. Do online coaching
Another freelancing opportunity is to offer your services as an online coach.
You might be able to help people pass a class, or show them how to create a website.
Doing it on your own, you would set up a website including your pricing and terms, and hope that the world beats a path to your door – or perhaps advertise a little!
It’s easiest to set up a system with PayPal so that you can accept payments online.
You can use Skype for your coaching sessions, as it is free.
72. Victory Marketing Agency: Be a brand ambassador
This company helps major brands and companies by providing them with temporary staffing for corporate events, street promotions, trade shows, tours, and so on.
As a freelance brand ambassador, you apply and install their free app.
Through the app, you’ll be notified of events in your area which you can participate in if you like the pay and details.
You can be doing a variety of things:
Being a model or spokesperson at a trade show
Holding signs at promotional events
Talking to people at festivals
Basically, your job as a brand ambassador is to promote the company.
Pay varies based on the gig.
They do offer direct deposit as well.
73. VIPKID: Teach English online
There are tons of ways to make money teaching online.
One of the best ones offering some of the highest pay rates is VIPKID.
You can set your own schedule and work from anywhere.
You can earn between $14 to $22 per hour.
You do need to have a degree though.
74. User Testing: Test websites (earn $10 per test)
You can make use of your Internet time and earn a little money by registering with UserTesting and other user testing sites that pay you.
These websites give you opportunities to get paid for trying out different apps or programs, and by visiting websites and providing feedback.
Though fairly simple, this is important for companies to know that their online image is acceptable.
Traditional Side Hustles (that Still Work!)
The options you just read are relatively new and are different than the same old stuff every other site hashes out day in and day out.
When you search for terms like “How can I make extra money in my free time” or other similar terms, what you see is the same old stuff.
You know what I am talking about…
- Mow lawns
- Shovel snow
- Paint houses
- …
I am personally tired of seeing them over and over again.
But here’s the thing…
These methods work!
That’s why people keep talking about them.
And the best part is that with most of them you don’t have to invest a dime.
All you need is a little time and a willingness to go out there and hustle.
With that said, here are some of the more traditional ways of making extra money that still work.
75. Groom pets
This is another great side hustle for those of us who are animal lovers.
According to the American Pet Products Association, pet owners spent around $66.75 billion dollars on their pets in 2016.
And a portion of that money is spent on grooming.
Even if you capture a tiny portion of that in your own local area, you can be looking at some serious cash.
The best part is that getting started doesn’t take much. With less than a few hundred dollars you can have everything you need to get things going.
To find clients, start with your neighborhood, family, and friends.
You can also put ads on Craigslist or even print out some flyers and hand them out to pet owners in dog parks and other places pet owners gather.
76. Be a handyman
If you are handy around the house and can change a faucet or fix a ceiling fan, this is for you.
There are a lot of people who can’t do these things and are always looking for someone reliable with better prices than the major companies.
77. Cut grass
This is another chore that many people try to avoid.
Once you’ve made the initial investment in a lawnmower – and you may have already done that for your own property – you’re set to go.
Star with your own neighborhood and work your way up.
78. Paint gates
This gig won’t apply in all areas, but where people have garden gates, often they don’t get around to repainting them.
Make sure to take before and after pictures so you can show the dramatic change to potential customers.
79. Paint street numbers
Another specific painting job, after all, whose street numbers are not faded?
Offer to repaint them for $10, and you will be making money quickly.
You can do it even more quickly if you buy a set of stencils.
80. Paint houses
As you are so into painting, why not offer your services to repaint all or parts of the house?
You can start off by simply taking on one room and building up to a whole house painting.
People get charged about one dollar per square foot for this.
81. Shovel snow
With climate change, this job may be endangered!
But at the appropriate time of year and with the appropriate weather, many people will pay to have the snow cleared away from the driveway.
Just be prepared for some hard work.
82. Wash cars
People are so busy, they don’t have time to take their car to the car wash, let alone wash the car themselves.
Help them clean their cars and make some money doing it.
All you need is a bucket and a sponge.
83. Offer mobile oil change
Before you wash the car, offer to do an oil change.
This is another one of those jobs that people don’t get round to, as they have to stop at the local garage and wait while the mechanics do it.
Or you could use the bonus of a free car wash as a way to persuade people to pay you to change the oil.
84. Wash windows
This job may vary depending on where you live in the country.
All you need is a ladder and a window squeegee and you are in business.
85. Start a blog
Everybody’s doing it, which means there’s lots of competition, but it also means there is money to be made in blogging.
You can blog about anything you desire, although the more popular a subject, the more traffic you can attract, and the more traffic you get, the more money you make.
Don’t know where to start?
Read our beginner’s guide on how to start a blog and make money with it.
86. Sell on eBay
One of the old standbys, you already know you can sell stuff on eBay.
Sometimes people start by simply looking around the home, identifying things they no longer want and selling them.
For a sustainable income, in time you will need to find a source of cheap goods that you can sell for more online.
eBay even allows you to create an online store, which you can stock with your inventory.
87. Buy & Sell on Craigslist
There are many ways to make money with Craigslist.
Everyone knows about Craigslist for selling items.
The best part is that you can sell big items without having to worry about paying steep shipping prices. People will come to you and pick ’em up.
You can also offer services on Craigslist, giving you another great earning opportunity if you have some practical skills.
88. Be a Designated Driver
This is an awesome way to make some easy cash.
All you have to do is pick up people from bars and parties and drop ’em off at their destination.
89. Play music
Local bars and clubs are always looking for local musicians.
Whether you play guitar, violin or any other instrument, you can put ads on Craigslist or talk to local bars and clubs directly.
90. Dig for Treasures
If you visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, you might get lucky.
People have found diamonds and other precious stones there.
Yes, you keep what you find and can sell’em!
One lucky digger, 12-year-old Michael Dettlaff, recently found a 5 carat diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park.
There are also other places around the country where you can dig for diamonds and other treasures.
91. Work at a Golf Course
There are always things to do on a golf course, apart from playing golf.
Setting aside the obvious one of caddying for a golfer, which might require some skill, ask about working part-time cleaning golf carts, selling beer on the course, or picking up balls.
92. Be a lifeguard
You obviously need to be a good swimmer and certified.
You do you can earn up to $20 per hour part-time.
This can be a stressful job that can also be fun.
93. Donate Sperm
Often said as a joke, this is a real job, and you can be paid for sperm donation.
Of course, you need to be healthy and preferably have attributes that would be desired by potential purchasers.
If you meet the criteria, you may be surprised by how much you can make.
94. Clean pools
You can make up postcards or flyers to advertise your services.
Pro tip: if you look on Google Earth, you can see which homes have pools in the backyard, so you know where to start.
95. Provide tech support to the elderly
Login it to Facebook, liking and following someone may be second nature to you and me, but to some of the older generations, it’s sorcery!
My girlfriend’s 90-year-old grandmother, for example, has no idea how to even open a browser.
You could help people like her and make some money at the same time.
What’s unique about this is that you don’t have to be a computer geek to make money in this space.
Anybody and I mean anybody, who can check emails and log in to Facebook can do this.
Why?
These people don’t need you to code a new programming language for them!
All they need is someone to show them how to do simple stuff that we take for granted every day.
Things like:
- Opening a Facebook account
- Opening and closing a browser
- Uploading a picture
- Checking emails
- Sending emails
- Sharing something on social media
- etc
If you can do things like that, you can do this.
Usually, with this kind of work, the hardest part is finding people who need your help.
Not with this one!
People, especially the elderly, tell their friends when they find someone helpful.
You don’t need that many initial clients to make this a success.
Getting referral clients with the elderly is actually one of the easiest ways to get more leads.
So start with your friends and family and work your way up.
96. Deliver pizza
Pizza delivery isn’t just for high school kids.
Tons of people use it to make extra money in their free time.
The best part is that every town, no matter how big or small, has a few pizza stores that seem to always be looking for more delivery people.
97. Scoop dog pop
People love their dogs, but some aspects are less attractive.
All you need is a shovel and willingness to do the work.
You can start from your own neighborhood just like Kelly Brott did. Now he is making a living scooping dog pop.
Final Words
What I like about many of these opportunities is that you can do ’em almost anytime and from anywhere.
So whether you are in a waiting room somewhere, stuck in an airport, or on your couch watching TV or bored, you can pull out your device: phone, iPad, laptop or whatever device you use to get online: and make some money.
Make 2018 the year of making extra money on the side in your free time!
Matt
I just found this in another website and I’m glad I clicked it.
Awesome job!
Thanks so much for sharing this list, I will check out some of them ;)
Satrap
I am glad you like it, Matt.
Adam
That’s an incredible list, well thought out and researched. A lot of unique ideas that are often not included in other similar lists found online. There’s nothing like working for yourself and making your own way in the world.
Satrap
Thanks, Adam. Glad you like the list.
Ric
Found this hidden gem site by Google search nice work great list I’m definitely interested in couple of these list gigs to make some extra cash more on the side, lol thanx for this man.
Satrap
You are welcome, Ric.
Faith Stewart
I love this! Some of it is very creative and not the same old ideas. Thanks:)
Satrap
Thanks Faith. I am glad you liked it. One of these days we are going to have to do a guest post on your awesome site!
Mmusi
Great list! Thank you!!!!
HVJ
Hi, I have seen lots of sites with this and that number of ways to earn money. But some of the ways on your blog are excellent. I would like to try them.
Thanks
eitan
Great article, thank you!
I tried all kinds of ways to make money online
What works best for me is Koocam.
I teach my hobbies, and sells my knowledge in every field
It\’s great
Tanner
I actually work with Rev Transcription from home and it is 100% legit. You have to be quick though because a job will post and then its gone within seconds. But it is a good way to make some extra cash at home for sure. Great article!
Nwanga Michael
Wow. Nice website, which has offered my ways to make money while in college. I really learnt a lot. Just feel like sharing with my friends.
mica
I think this is a decent list but I think you should stop adding Amanda Hocking as an example for kindle publishing. Most people are never going to achieve what Amanda Hocking has done because they want short cuts. Amanda honed her skills as a fiction writer and writes really good books. She also started a long time ago when it was easier to get visibility and sales.
Miles
Great techniques! Never had much luck with email marketing, might have to give it another shot!
Keep up the great content! :)
Adney
Hi,
Nice article. techniques are helpful to me .I just want to try .
Satrap
Thanks for reading, Adney!
Tuts
you can work on reddit as a freelancer to make some income. its a very nice platform. Thanks Satrap
leval Ainah
Thanks for you excellent and relevant article. This article has given me some ideas to develop a blueprint to work on. You have covered extremely important points. Thanks for sharing