100+ Ingenious Ways to Boost Your Income (2024)

Are you looking for some creative ways to increase your income without working more hours or getting a second job? Do you want to learn how to make money from home, online, or on the go? If so, you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, we’ll share with you over 100 ingenious ways to boost your income, whether you need some extra cash to pay the bills, save for a big purchase, or just have some fun. You’ll discover how to use your skills, hobbies, passions, and assets to generate income in various ways. Some of these methods are easy and quick, while others require more time and effort. But all of them have the potential to help you achieve your financial goals.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s dive into the list of 100+ ingenious ways to boost your income!

1. START A BLOG

Starting a blog is like starting your own business . It will take time and dedication but has the potential to create full-time income.

Although I do spend a lot of time working on my blog, it doesn’t really feel like “work.” I am passionate about the topics I share. I enjoy learning about how to make my blog successful. And best of all, I don’t have a boss telling me what to do all the time.

Blogging is probably the only business you can start for a few dollars a month. There is really nothing to lose and everything to gain. Why not give it a shot?

2. TUTOR

Tutoring is a wonderful way to share your knowledge. It’s also a great way to build up your teaching resume.

Online tutors earn about $20/hour. Tutors select the topics they feel most comfortable teaching. They set their own hours, but evenings and weekends (when students aren’t at school) are the most popular. Tutors typically need to be enrolled in college or have a Bachelor’s degree.

There are several online companies that connect tutors with students. Some legit ones include Chegg, TutorMe, Princeton Review, and Pearson.

Or, scroll down to #13 to learn about teaching English as a second language online.

3. WRITE AN EBOOK

Getting a book published is easier than ever now that you can self-publish ebooks.

Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing claims that you can publish your ebook in less than 5 minutes and see if for sale on Amazon in 24-48 hours. You earn up to 70% of the royalties.

Books don’t have to be long to sell well, especially if they are providing valuable content to readers .

Once ebooks they are written they can sell over and over and over again without putting in more effort. It can create a nice source of passive income down the road.

4. RENT YOUR SPACE ON AIRBNB

Renting out your home to travelers on AirBnB is a way to supplement your income with very little work on your part.

How does it work? You create a listing describing the space available for rent. Travelers book the space and pay through AirBnB’s website. Welcome your visitors or give them a door code. Payment arrives through AirBnB’s secure system when guests check in. AirBnB provides insurance to protect from property damage or injury to guests.

You’re in control of the availability, prices, house rules, and how you interact with guests.

This would be a great use of an extra bedroom or a rental property that is lacking tenants.

I’ve even heard of people staying with their parents on the weekends and AirBnB-ing (is that a verb yet?) their apartments to pay their rent.

5. GET PAID TO SEARCH THE INTERNET

How many times a day do you search the internet?

Well, I have good news! Swagbucks will pay you to search.

You can search from swagbucks.com or install their toolbar on your browser to make searching super simple.

Swagbucks will even give you $5 just for signing up. Easy money for real.

6. SHARE YOUR OPINIONS

Taking surveys online is one of the best side hustles out there in my opinion. You can take surveys anytime, anywhere. Answering the simple questions doesn’t take much thought so you can take surveys while watching TV or waiting in line.

Surveys aren’t going to make you rich, but earning $5-10/hour is very realistic.

The hardest part is finding legitimate survey websites that pay fairly. The more websites you sign up for, the more opportunities you’ll get for higher paying surveys. Here are my top 5:

• YouGov
• MySurvey
• Pinecone Rewards
• SurveyRewardz
• i-Say

7. TEST PRODUCTS

Some survey websites also ask their members to test products.

The research companies will ship a product to you. Use it for a while and then complete a survey on your opinions. You almost always get to keep the product for free.

The following survey sites offer product testing:

• Pinecone Rewards
• OneOpinion
• Global Test Market

8. PAINT HOMES

Becoming a good painter means learning some technique, but does not require any special degrees or certifications. Learn from a friend or on YouTube. Get some experience by practicing on your own home or volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

The investment to get started on your own is fairly low. You can get by with a ladder, paint roller, a few types of brushes, some painters tape, and drop cloths.

Expect to make about $15/hour if you are working for someone else or about $30/hour independently.

If you’re artistic, consider offering fun murals for children’s rooms .

9. PROOFREAD

There is an incredibly high demand for proofreading worldwide, and the best part is that you don’t need to be in any specific location to do the job… it’s all from your computer or tablet!

This gig is obviously for a very specific type of person who loves to correct spelling and grammar.

Some proofreaders are earning over $40,000 working for themselves and loving their jobs.

10. TRANSCRIBE

Transcription involves listening to an audio file and typing what you hear. You need to have good listening and typing skills to succeed at this job.

There are lots of work at home transcription companies that hire beginners as long as you can pass their test. These companies pay by the audio minute. It works out to around minimum wage. Work with one for a while to get some experience and then move on to better opportunities.

Find beginner transcription jobs at:

• TranscribeMe
• Rev
• Daily Transcription
• Tigerfish

11. EVALUATE WEBSITES

Website owners are always looking for people to test out their website so that they know where to make improvements.

Several companies offer this service. These are my top four:

• Try My UI
• UserTesting
• UserFeel
• WhatUsersDo

To sign up, you are required to record a short audition video or qualification test. You’ll look at a website and complete the given tasks. You are asked to say your thoughts out loud the whole time. You will record yourself with your webcam and microphone.

Once you are approved, you will receive email notifications when a test is available.

Most tests take 5–25 minutes and pay about $10 per test.

12. BECOME A HOME HEALTH CARE AID

Home health care aides provide services for people that are in need of assistance in hospitals, nursing homes, and private homes. Tasks can include bathing, dressing, housekeeping, meal preparation, grocery shopping, and transportation.

Depending on where you live, you may need a certification.

This job is a good foot in the door if you are looking to get into nursing or other health care careers in the future.

13. TEACH ENGLISH ONLINE

Teaching English online to students in China with Qkids is my favorite part-time job because it feels like play time. Qkids requires a Bachelor’s degree but no other special training.

14. HOUSE SIT

House sitting is an easy job that provides you with free accommodations. Think how much you would save on travel if you house sat instead of staying at a hotel.

Typical house sitting duties include house security, cleaning, lawn and garden maintenance, caring for pets, forwarding mail and phone messages, and other odd jobs. Most house sitters charge $25-45/day.

Some reputable sites where you can search for house sitting opportunities include:

• HouseSitter
• House Sitters of America
• TrustedHousesitters

15. GET CASH BACK SHOPPING

This is one of my favorite money making ideas because it is so simple. You’re going to buy things anyway, so you might as well make some money from it.

Make sure to take advantage of cash back sites every time you order online.

My two favorites are Rakuten and MyPoints.

16. DO SHORT TASKS ON FIVERR

Fiverr offers freelance services on demand. Freelancers can offer any service as long as it’s legal and complies with Fiverr’s terms.

After creating your profile, describe your services and name your own prices (Fiverr will take 20%). You can work as much or as little as you wish.

Services that are often offered on Fiverr include logo design, digital marketing, writing/proofreading, virtual assistance, and audio/video editing.

17. GET REFUNDS FOR THINGS YOU ALREADY BOUGHT

Have you heard of Paribus?

Paribus is service that links to your email accounts to monitor your online purchases. If the price drops for an item after you buy it, Paribus requests a refund for the difference on your behalf.

I have gotten refunds a few times now. It’s always a fun surprise when it happens because I have completely forgotten about it. There is no way I would have remembered (or spent the time) to hunt down those refunds myself. Thanks, Paribus.

18. RENT OUT YOUR CAR

Turo and GetAround are the AirBnB of car rentals.

Turo will set your car’s rental price based on market value, location, and time of year. The fancier your car, the more you will earn. Turo claims that, on average, owners can cover their car payments by renting out their cars 9 days per month.

This whole idea makes me nervous, but the companies do their best to protect owners by requiring renters to have large insurance policies and making sure any damage is fixed promptly.

I like my car in one piece, but to each their own.

19. CREATE AN ONLINE COURSE

People frequently turn to the internet to learn new things and they are willing to pay for quality content.

Create a course around your area of expertise on Teachable or Udemy.

This is like writing a book — Put in the work once and benefit from sales forever.

20. BECOME A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Small businesses and busy people use virtual assistants for all types of tasks. Those can include answering email, managing calendars, writing and editing content, managing social media accounts, scheduling meetings, data entry, bookkeeping, and more.

Pay depends on your level of experience and what services you offer. It can range from $10/hour to $100/hour or more. Luckily, VAs usually set their own rates.

21. SHARE YOUR AMAZON PURCHASE HISTORY

Download the ShopTracker app on your phone or computer, sync it with your Amazon account, and you’ll receive a $3 Visa Gift Card as a welcome bonus .

Every month that you keep the app installed, you will continue to earn points for sharing your Amazon purchases.

Although this does require sharing your purchase history, ShopTrackerdoes not record personal information such as your name, address, and credit card information.

22. BECOME A BARTENDER

Teach yourself some basic drink recipes and look for a job as a barback. You’ll be able to learn from the bartenders and work you way up.

Bartending has hours that can work around a traditional job and you can do well with tips if you work a busy night .

23. INVEST

Investing is a smart idea if you want to build wealth. By investing in quality, balanced funds and holding them for a long time, you are almost (ALMOST) guaranteed to grow your money.

But investing can be scary and a lot of people don’t know where to start.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to invest, check out Investopedia Academy. They offer self-paced, online courses such as “Investing for Beginners” and “Trading for Beginners” to get you started on the right foot .

24. BECOME A SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

If you’re one of those people that’s on your phone all day anyway, you might as well become a social media manager.

Businesses these days need to be on social media and someone needs to manage all those accounts.

Promote your services to small local businesses with older owners who may not have a good grasp on all the new social media.

It will help if you can point out lots of followers and good engagement on your own social media accounts.

25. TEACH MUSIC LESSONS

Love playing an instrument? Teach your skill! With schools cutting the arts more and more each year, these lessons are more in demand than ever.

You can earn $15-40 for a 30 minute lesson. This would be an easy side hustle to add to your evenings. Teach in your home and you won’t even waste time commuting.

26. DO CHORES

For other people, that is. Task Rabbit connects Taskers with people who need to get things done around the house.

Furniture assembly, yard work, moving & packing, mounting & installation, closet organizing, and home improvement are some of the tasks they do.

Taskers can choose their own hours and rates by only accepting the projects they want to tackle.

27. WORK RETAIL OR DELIVERY AT CHRISTMAS TIME

Retail stores and delivery services are always hiring extra workers around the holidays.

Pick up one of these jobs for a couple of months to offset your holiday expenses.

28. SELL YOUR UNWANTED STUFF

There are so many ways to do this.

A yard sale, consignment shop, and Craigslist are ways to sell things in real life.

eBay is the obvious option for selling online. Amazon is a close second.

There are a myriad of options for selling clothes: ThredUP, Poshmark, Tradesy, Vinted, Listia, Mercari, and The RealReal.

Whichever way you choose, just get rid of it. Your clutter is costing you time and money.

29. DRIVE FOR LYFT

Lyft is a ridesharing service, like Uber, that matches drivers with nearby passengers. I recommend Lyft over Uber because Lyft allows passengers to tip their drivers.

Take advantage of “Prime Time” when there is a poor ratio of drivers to riders and prices go up.

30. DELIVER NEWSPAPERS

Ask the circulation department of your local newspaper if they have any delivery jobs available .

Newspapers are typically delivered early in the morning so you could do it before heading off to work.

Cons to delivering newspapers including having to work 7 days per week and in poor weather.

31. PEER-TO-PEER LENDING

According to Investopedia, “Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is a method of debt financing that enables people to borrow and lend money without the use of an official financial institution as an intermediary.”

The appeal to lenders is that the loans generate monthly income in the form of interest.

32. BECOME A WEBSITE DESIGNER

Even with no special knowledge, anyone can put together a basic website these days. There are so many pre-made theme templates (such as my favorite – Elegant Themes) out there that turn building a website into a quick job.

This is another great service to offer to local small businesses. Google the businesses and see if they have a website. If not, reach out and ask if you can create one for them for a fee .

33. FIND ODD JOBS ON CRAIGSLIST

This one is pretty self-explanatory. Browse through the help wanted section of your local Craigslist for any jobs you want to take on. There are lots of scams out there so be careful about anyone that asks YOU to pay THEM money.

34. FREELANCE WRITING

There is so. much. content. published every single day and it needs to come from somewhere. Lots of people make a living freelance writing for various publications.

Start by building up a portfolio of writing pieces. A blog is a great way to do this because it’s easy to share and shows off your writing style .

At first, you probably won’t make much money. But as your writing improves and you build your résumé, you can charge more and more for each piece of content.

35. CREATE YOUTUBE VIDEOS

YouTube videos can easily be monitized with ads.

Create engaging content and grow your following. Once you hit 10,000 public channel views, you can start using ads.

Think about what problem you can solve for people and record videos around that idea. Product reviews and how-to tutorials do especially well on YouTube.

Once your videos are live, they can earn money indefinitely.

36. SELL YOUR HAIR

Have long hair and need to make some money fast? Sell your hair. Human hair makes wigs and hair extensions.

Healthy hair over 10 inches long will command the best price. Buyers prefer hair that hasn’t been dyed, bleached, or permed.

These sites allow you to list your hair for sale and set your own price:

• BuyandSellHair
• HairSellOn
• OnlineHairAffair

37. BECOME AN ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

Customer Service Representatives can now address customer questions and concerns through email and web chats. No more spending all day on the phone and needing silence while you work from home.

Search for “Customer Service Representative” on any of the big job posting boards (Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder) and enter “remote” as the location.

These jobs are especially plentiful around Christmas time.

38. TAKE NOTES

If you are in college, you might be able to sell copies of your class notes. Disability services pays for students to share their notes with a students who have disabilities. Take notes with your laptop and email them over.

It can be a hard job to get because you need to be in the same class section at the same time as someone who needs the notes. But if you’re lucky, it’s easy money and extra motivation to go to class.

39. SHOP WITH A REWARDS CREDIT CARD

A cash back credit card is one of the easiest ways to earn money passively throughout the year.

Only use this method if you can pay off your credit card in full every month so you’re not accumulating interest.

I use my Chase Freedom card for all purchases and earn hundreds in cash back each year. Earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Plus, earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories such as groceries, gas, and department stores each quarter. Plus, there is a $150 bonus for spending $500 in the first three months.

40. WAIT TABLES

Waiting tables is a lot of work.

That being said, the tips can be pretty decent at a nice restaurant or during busy hours.

Restaurants are open long hours so you could easily fit this in around your 9 to 5 for some extra income.

41. SELL YOUR TEXTBOOKS

Let’s be real. You’re never going to open those things again .

The sooner you sell them, the more they will be worth. BookScouter can help you get the most money.

Download the BookScouter app. Scan your book’s barcode. Check the results to find out which of 42 buyback vendors will pay the most for your books. They even give you free shipping labels so you don’t have to pay for shipping. Easy!

42. BECOME A REAL ESTATE AGENT

I recently discovered that people sell real estate part-time on evenings and weekends.

It can be a great way to supplement your income or start building up your business before leaving the safety of your day job.

43. BUY AND SELL DOMAINS

A domain is a website address. For example, my domain is piggybankprinciples.com.

Certain domains are worth a lot of money. Hotels.com sold for $11 million.

The idea behind domain flipping is that you buy an unused domain cheap and then sell it for a profit when someone wants to use it.

Of course, many of the good domains are already taken and you are risking the chance that no one will ever want to buy yours. Still, some people make good money this way.

44. SUBSTITUTE TEACH

Most school districts require substitute teachers to have a bachelor’s degree and some require a substitute teacher certification.

Think about what ages you would like to work with. Younger students will keep you busy and active so the day goes by fast. Older students will typically have assignments left by their teacher so you can spend some of the time working on something else .

You will need to have good availability because you often won’t get the call to come to school until early that morning. Some substitute teachers get hired full-time and sub for a different class each day.

45. COACH SPORTS

If you can nail down an NFL coaching spot you’ll be set for life.

Okay, that might be tricky.

But there are tons of recreational and school teams out there that need coaches. Coaching stipends are a nice way for teachers to bump up their income.

46. REFEREE

Similar to #45, sports teams are always in need of impartial people to referee their games.

Have a thick skin because you’ll almost certainly get yelled at one point or another.

The rules for becoming a referee are different for each sport and level, so do some research to find out what’s required

47. TRACK YOUR STEPS

Achievement is a service that rewards you for connecting your health/fitness apps such as Fitbit or MyFitnessPal. Connect any of over 30+ Android/iOS apps and be rewarded with points for activities like walking, meditating, logging food, sleeping, or opting into a challenge. Points can be redeemed for cash.

Charity Miles uses your phone’s GPS to track the distance you run, walk, or bike. They donate 10 cents for every mile you bike and 25 cents for every mile you run/walk to a charity of your choice.

48. BE A MOVIE EXTRA

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of becoming a famous movie star but never quite made it. Set your sights a little lower and be a movie extra instead!

Movie extras make about $100/day depending on location and the number of extras.

For most people, this is probably something you’ll do once in your life. But it sure sounds like an interesting experience that will put a little money in your pocket.

If you live in a big city like LA or NYC, you might be able to do it regularly and create a nice little side income.

Keep an eye on your local news or check backstage.com to find casting calls near you.

49. SELL YOUR PHOTOS

Easily sell your photos online with Foap.

Simply download the Foap app to your phone and upload your pictures. When someone buys a photo from your portfolio, Foap shares the profit with you 50/50.

This is a quick way to make a little money from all the photos that would otherwise just sit on your phone.

50. RETAIL ARBITRAGE

The concept is simple. Buy items on sale from a retail store. Resell them online for a higher price. Keep the profit. Repeat.

For example, when Toys R Us went out of business, clearance sales offered steep discounts on the toys. Retail arbitragers came in and bought those toys for a low price. They turned around and sold them on Amazon or elsewhere for more than what they paid.

You can see how this might lead to a nice profit depending on how inexpensively you can source your goods.

51. FREEBIE TRADING

I’m not even going to try to explain this one.

Check out this post instead.

52. BECOME A PET WASTE REMOVAL TECHNICIAN

Some people actually hire others to pick up their dog’s poo from their backyard.

According to the Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists (I kid you not), $45 is a typical charge for a weekly pick-up visit. Enjoy!

53. LIFEGUARD

Lifeguards are needed at most beaches and pools, especially during the summertime.

Requirements include being able to swim 100 yards, tread water for 1 minute, and surface dive to retrieve a 10 lb brick and bring it to the surface.

You’ll need to take a training course and pass a certification exam to become a lifeguard .

54. Link your credit card to the SPENT Money App

The SPENT Money app will give you cash back on purchases from thousands of stores made with your linked credit or debit card.

Set it and forget it. Once your account is up and running, you don’t need to do anything other than spend money and watch the cash flow in.

55. AFFILIATE MARKETING

By promoting products and services for another company, you can earn a commission on any sales or actions you generate.

This is a great way to monitize a blog or social media accounts.

56. PARTICIPATE IN FOCUS GROUPS

Focus groups are groups of people interviewed about their opinions on a given topic. Focus groups can take place in person or online. In person focus groups typically pay $100 or more and happen in larger cities.

Many survey sites also offer the opportunities to take part in focus groups online. Screener surveys for the focus groups tend to pop up in between other surveys.

I’ve had success finding focus groups through i-Say, MySurvey, VIP Voice, Branded Surveys, and Survey Junkie. I usually come across one or two a month. They last about 90 minutes and pay $75-150. They’re the little gems that make taking all the other surveys extra worth it!

57. MAXIMIZE YOUR 401K

We all know we should invest for retirement. A 401k is one of the best ways to do that because it allows you to contribute pre-tax dollars.

Unfortunately, many people put off opening a 401k because the process can be confusing.

Enter Blooom: Smart, simple, affordable help with your 401k.

Blooom analyzes your existing retirement account (for free!) and gives you feedback on hidden investment fees, stock/bond mix, and diversification.

For $10/month, they constantly monitor and tweak your 401k to keep fees low and manage risk– so you no longer have to worry about it!

Considering the average 401k is worth at least six-figures by retirement, it’s not something you want to DIY.

58. WASH CARS

This is probably not going to be a huge money-maker because you’re competing with the car washes. But you might be able to make a few bucks here and there washing cars for busy or elderly neighbors.

59. MOW LAWNS

This is another service you could offer to your neighbors. While you have all the equipment out to mow your own lawn, tack on a couple of others. It’s reasonable to charge at least $30 to cut an average lawn.

60. RENT OUT YOU PARKING SPOT

Parking is sparse in big cities these days and people are paying a premium to park their cars. If you’re one of the lucky ones with a parking spot, consider renting it out.

Even if you have your own car, you can rent out your spot while you’re away at work or on vacation.

Believe it or not, there’s an app for that. List your spot’s availability on Parklee and set your price. Then just wait for the cash (and cars ) to roll in.

The better the location, the more you can charge. Some people are making $250/month this way.

61. SWITCH TO A HIGH-INTEREST SAVINGS ACCOUNT

Interest is passive income that requires no work on your part. You’re never going to get rich off the interest from your savings account, but every bit helps.

Compare your current account to these high-interest savings accounts :

• Capital One 360
• Ally Bank
• Synchrony Bank
• Barclays Bank

62. DELIVER TAKE OUT

Maybe you like the idea of driving for Lyft, but don’t want to deal with all those strangers in your car .

There are other ways you can make money driving your car. If you feel a little old for a traditional pizza delivery job, check out DoorDash.

DoorDash drivers deliver food and other items from local merchants to customers. There are no vehicle requirements so if you have an old car DoorDash is for you. They recommend that you hang out in busy areas with lots of restaurants to get matched more quickly.

The DoorDash website claims drivers make up to $25/hour, which is probably not very realistic. However, you are guaranteed at least $10/hour. If you make less than $10/hour, DoorDash pays you the difference. The average pay per order is $5 plus tips.

63. TURN YOUR JUNK MAIL INTO GIFT CARDS

The Small Business Knowledge Center (SBKC) is doing a study on junk mail and will reward you for sending them yours. They are looking for mail about insurance, investments, loans, banking, credit cards, telecommunications, travel, and more.

The process is simple. You fill out a panelist profile survey about your demographics. Then you place your qualifying direct mail in the postage-paid envelopes they provide and return it about once a week. Some junk emails qualify to be forwarded as well. They claim that frequent participants earn a $20 gift card every 6-10 weeks.

SBKC also offers occasional mystery shopping which will help you earn more.

64. PLAY GAMES ONLINE

Playing games online is a fun way to kill time. Who doesn’t enjoy a little Candy Crush or Angry Birds?

But did you know you could be getting paid to play games online? MyPoints and InboxDollars both offer this option.

65. BECOME A DROPSHIPPER

Dropshipping is when a customer buys a product from an online store, the store forwards the order to their dropship supplier, and the supplier ships the product directly to the customer.

The benefits of dropshipping are that it is easy to set up and doesn’t require you to store and ship inventory.

66. SHOVEL SNOW

You could walk around your neighborhood after a snowstorm with your shovel and ask your neighbors if they would like some assistance.

or, you could…

Join Shovler – The App That Removes Snow. By creating an account on Shovler, you instantly become an on demand snow shoveler.

It’s a flexible job that obviously works best after snowfall. Whenever you are available, open Shovler. If someone needs shoveling, they post the job. You get an alert if you are nearby and can choose accept the job.

There is no need to negotiate prices because they are set by the app. You’re paid by the job, not the hour. So the faster you shovel the more you can earn. Payment comes through Stripe and you’ll likely get tips too!

67. BECOME A SCOPIST

A what? Scoping is editing transcripts for court reporters to make sure the transcript matches exactly what was said in court and fixing spelling, missing words, etc.

This is one of my favorite money making ideas because it allows you to work from anywhere and grow your own business.

It’s very detailed work, but it can be done part-time at home through the internet.

Pay is typically determined by speed starting at about $20/hour and grows as the scopist improves.

68. PIN ON PINTEREST

If you can grow a thriving Pinterest account, you can likely make some money off it.

Pinterest allows affiliate links (see #55). Create eye-catching pins that lead to your affiliate link and share them on Pinterest. When people visit on your link and take action, you’ll earn a commission.

Pinterest is also a great way to drive traffic to your blog. If you want to make money off your blog, make sure you are pinning posts to Pinterest to get visitors.

69. SELL FOOD AT A FARMERS MARKET

If you’ve got a green thumb and some space for a garden, think about selling fruits, vegetables, flowers, and more at your local Farmers Market.

People are willing to pay a premium for organic, locally grown produce .

You can pick up plants for your garden for next to nothing. With some TLC they’ll produce more produce than you can eat.

Gardening is a relaxing hobby with the potential to both save and make money.

70. CREATE AN APP

There are apps for everything and someone has to create them all.

71. BECOME A PHOTOGRAPHER

If you have an artistic eye, think about becoming a freelance photographer .

People are always hiring photographers for special occasions and family photos.

With the average cost for wedding photography between $2500-3000, spending an afternoon snapping pictures doesn’t sound too bad.

72. DONATE PLASMA

Plasma is the liquid part of blood that contains water, salt, antibodies, enzymes, and proteins.

The process is like donating blood with a needle placed in a vein in your arm. Most people find it relatively painless.

Donating plasma can take up to 3 hours on the first visit and 1.5-2 hours on return visits. Individuals can give up to two times per week with 48 hours in between visits.

Each plasma donation center sets its own rates but you can expect to earn about $20-50 per donation.

73. GAMBLE

This probably belongs on a list of the opposite of money making ideas. But hey, it works for some people.

Here are some tips to maximize your chances of success:

• Pick one game and stick to it – figure out what works and doesn’t work
• Practice, practice, practice (when there’s no money at stake)
• Don’t get greedy – walk away when you hit your win goal

74. DATA ENTRY

Amazon MTurk has tasks called HITS (Human Intelligence Tasks). They are short data entry type tasks that almost anyone can do in their spare time. Each task takes a few seconds and pays a few pennies, but added together can create a nice side income.

75. MYSTERY SHOP

Mystery shoppers get paid for doing undercover shopping research and reporting their findings back to the mystery shopping company. For example, I once did a mystery shop gig for an oil change. It paid $65. That meant I got a free oil change and earned about $35 for something I would have done anyway. I completed the survey while I was waiting for my car.

Some reputable mystery shopping companies include Best Mark, Quest for Best, and Secret Shopper.

Tip: Sign up for as many mystery shopping companies as possible to maximize your chances of matching with an assignment.

76. PARTICIPATE IN CLINICAL TRIALS

Clinical trials are medical studies that are conducted to determine if a new medical, surgical, or behavioral intervention is effective. Basically, you become human guinea pig.

Clinical trials are typical done through hospitals and universities. Requirements and payment vary by study.

You can search for studies that are recruiting participants at clinicaltrials.gov.

77. SELL UNWANTED GIFT CARDS

By selling your unwanted gift cards on Cardpool, you can get up to 92% of the value back. Cardpool accepts physical gift cards and e-gift cards.

Get paid by check or Amazon gift card. If you choose Amazon (instead of cash), you’ll earn 6% more.

Try it now: Enter your gift card’s information to see how much you can get for it.

On the flip side, you can also use Cardpool to buy other people’s unwanted gift cards at up to 30% off. It’s an easy way to save money without having to wait for sales or coupons

78. RECYCLE

Not only is recycling good for the planet, it is another money making idea.

The first item that comes to mind is bottles and cans. Many states require a deposit on these to encourage recycling. If you can find other people’s bottles and cans and recycle those you will make a profit.

Sell scrap metal at your local scrap yard. This is the most profitable item to recycle .

79. TAKE PICTURES OF YOUR RECEIPTS

Ibotta pays you to take pictures of your grocery receipts after purchasing certain items.

Ibotta accepts receipts from all kinds of stores — not just groceries.

80. BECOME A FITNESS INSTRUCTOR

This is one of those ideas that kills two birds with one stone. You need to spend time exercising anyway, so you might as well get paid for it! If you’re lucky, you’ll also score a free membership to gym or studio where you teach.

81. FLIP WEBSITES

Flipping websites is like flipping houses. You buy a sad, unloved website, fix it up a bit, and sell it for a profit.

You really need to do your research before trying this because there is the potential lose a lot of money.

To lower risk, you could alternatively build up an amazing site from scratch and then sell it.

Flippa.com is the most popular place for buying and selling websites.

82. SELL UNWANTED CELL PHONES, TABLETS, COMPUTERS, ETC

Hands down the easiest way to sell this type of stuff for a fair price is with Gazelle.

Enter details for any technology you wish to sell.

Gazelle will make you an offer.

Pack up all the items and ship it with the FREE shipping boxes.

When Gazelle receives your package you will same day payment. No messing around with auctions, paying for shipping, or dealing with multiple buyers.

83. CLEAN HOUSES

Becoming a housekeeper is a perfect job for anyone who is detail-oriented and loves cleanliness. After a small investment in cleaning supplies, you are ready to start accepting clients.

You can advertise your services on Care.com or Housekeeper.com.

84. SELL HANDMADE ITEMS ON ETSY

Etsy is a platform where you can list handmade arts and crafts for sale.

85. REFER FRIENDS

Do you ever notice that many companies offer to reward you for referring your friends to their services? It’s easy to brush this off but that money can really add up.

Take Ibotta for example, for each person you refer you earn $5.

Credit cards and bank accounts tend to have great referral programs.

Your place of employment might also offer a similar deal for referring qualified candidates for a job.

86. SHARE YOUR INTERNET USAGE

Some apps pay you just for being installed on your device. They all claim not to slow down your device. I use the Nielsen Panel and have had no problems with it.

SavvyConnect – SavvyConnect gathers anonymous data when you browse the web. Install it on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. You earn $5/month for each device running SavvyConnect — that means up to $15/month if you put it on all three.

87. FIX GOOGLE

Did you know there are companies paying people to fix Google’s mess? Search Engine Evaluators do the job.

The job involves evaluating whether the given search results are relevant to the search terms. Basically, is this a result a searcher would be interested in based on what they Googled?

Search Engine Evaluators work as independent contractors and earn about $12-15/hour. Most need to take a qualification exam based on provided study materials to get the position.

The hours are flexible but most companies require you to work a certain number of hours per week. Sometimes there is not enough work to go around, so it’s best not to rely on this as your sole source of income.

Check these 3 websites to apply for Search Engine Evaluator jobs:

• Appen
• LionBridge
• Leapforce

88. BE A ROADIE

The Roadie app connects drivers with people who need things delivered.

Create an account and get paid for driving packages from Point A to Point B along your route. Once senders post details and pictures of the item they want to send, drivers make offers based on location, price, and availability.

This would be a great way to earn some gas money on a road trip or long distance commute.

89. BECOME A BOOKKEEPER

Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions for a business. Many people are offering freelance bookkeeping services these days.

With all the bookkeeping software such as Intuit QuickBooks available, it won’t take you long to learn the skills necessary to become a bookkeeper. Average hourly pay ranges from $17-22.

90. BECOME A DIRECT SALES REPRESENTATIVE

This is an oldie but a goodie.

You have your classics such as Avon, Mary Kay, and Tupperware.

Modern companies are also popping up. Essential oils are really popular now. So are Thirty-One and Beachbody.

Gone are the days where you had to go door-to-door pestering people selling. Now you can take a more technological approach.

Take essential oils for example. You could build a blog about all the uses essential oils, recipes, and health benefits. Then add in links to the products. Provide valuable content for your readers and they will be eager to buy.

Don’t forget to check my post How to Start a Money Making Blog for a tutorial to get started.

91. BE AN ONLINE JUROR

Attorneys are looking for feedback from people similar to those who might be on their juries. This helps them prepare their cases for trial .

That’s where you come in. Online jurors take part in a mock juries where they listen to presentations and answer questions.

Three reliable online jury websites are:

1. eJury
2. JuryTalk
3. Online Verdict

The problem with being an online juror is that opportunities don’t come around very often. Think of it as nice bonus income but don’t expect to make steady money this way.

92. BABYSIT

Children are always going to need looking after and most of us probably have some experience with babysitting from our teenage days.

There are many ways you could go about this. Of course there is traditional babysitting where you watch the kids for a few hours while the parents are away. Some families hire full-time live-in nannies or au pairs. Or you could go big and open your own day care.

The Red Cross offers a babysitting certification course that may help you get ahead of your competition. The most important factor is probably recommendations from other families.

List your services on Care.com or SitterCity.

93. HOST A YARD SALE

Sell your old junk for cash.

94. FLIP ITEMS

Flipping items means buying things cheap and selling them elsewhere to make a profit. If you know what you’re doing, you can make some serious money this way.

Places to source cheap items include yard sales, flea markets, and Good Will. Turn around and sell them on eBay or Etsy at a higher price than you bought them.

It helps to know what items perform best. Look for antiques or vintage items. Old picture frames and furniture tend to do very well.

People also flip books. Head to your library book sale, yard sale, or Good Will with the Bookscouter app on your phone and search for some gems.

95. PUT ADS ON YOUR CAR

If you drive a lot, companies may want to advertise on your car. There are lots of scams out there, so be careful.

Carvertise is a good place to start. You must meet some basic requirements:

• Drive at least 30 miles/day
• Have a clean driving record
• Own a 2008 model car or newer
• Factory finish paint job

Based on your driving habits, you might matched with an advertiser. Applying doesn’t guarantee you will get an ad.

The car wraps are applied and removed by professionals and won’t damage your car. Standard payment is $100/month.

96. WATCH ONLINE VIDEOS

Swagbucks pays you to watch videos online. There is something for everyone with categories including Entertainment, Fashion, Food, Health, Home & Garden, News & Politics, Parenting, Sports, Technology, Travel, and Wedding.

Swagbucks even gives you $5 just for signing up.

97. LOSE WEIGHT

Check with your health insurance company to see if they offer any incentives for being active. Many offer discounts for tracking healthy behaviors or refunds on gym membership fees.

Bet on your weight loss with HealthyWage. If you hit your weight loss goal, you win money. If not, the money you bet goes to those who did meet their goals. People are making over $1000 this way. So motivating!

98. BUY REAL ESTATE

The beauty of buying real estate is that it can be done in real life or online.

To buy property you need thousands of dollars and the experience to make sure you’re getting a good deal. Buying and owning requires hours and hours of work. People do make money this way, but…

Personally I think it seems like an awful lot of work. Between maintaining the properties and dealing with tenants it could turn into a nightmare.

Enter: Fundrise.

Fundrise allows you to make a single investment and get diversified across dozens of individual real estate assets. You can start with as little as $500 and expect 9-11% annual returns.

99. BECOME A CPR OR FIRST AID INSTRUCTOR

After taking a First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor Training course, you can teach other people these skills.

Some do it as a part-time job on evening and weekends making about $10-20/hour.

Hospitals and universities hire full-time instructors for an average salary of $57,000/year .

This is one of those side hustles that has the potential turn into a real career.

100. DELIVER GROCERIES

This one’s definitely not for me because I am not a fan of grocery shopping. Worst. Chore. Ever.

But if you’re one of those strange people who finds grocery shopping a relaxing and enjoyable experience (or even bearable), considering becoming an Instacart shopper .

Instacart connects customers with shoppers to delivery fresh groceries to their door.

Instacart offers a flexible schedule so you can take time off or work extra when you want. There are peak days where you will earn more than usual. Instacart pays weekly.

Instacart has two types of shoppers: Full-Service Shopper (which requires a car for deliveries) and In-Store Shopper (which does not).

The reviews are mixed on this one so take some time to do the research to see if it’s right for you.

100. NARRATE AUDIOBOOKS

Ever wonder who records all those audiobooks for Amazon, Audible, and iTunes? It could be you.

At acx.com, you can apply to narrate audiobooks from a variety of genres. Right now there are almost 4,000 books auditioning narrators. You can choose to be paid per audio hour or receive 50% of the royalties.

101. WALK DOGS OR DOG SIT

Rover connects dog walkers and sitters with dog owners. They offer a variety of services. Dog boarding, house sitting, and drop-in visits are available for people on vacation. Doggie day care and dog walks are options for people who need some extra help with their dog during the day.

Workers can offer any combination of the provided services. They also set their own schedule and prices.

This could be a win-win because you can get your doggie fix without having to pay all the expenses associated with having your own dog!

MONEY MAKING IDEAS SUMMARY

As you can see, there many, many, many ways you can make money outside of or in place of your full-time job. There really is something for everyone.

Think of all the things you could do with some extra money each month. Pay off debt. Start an emergency fund. Save for vacation. Retire early.

I’ll keep this post updated with any new money making ideas I discover.

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