25 Creative Ways to Make Extra Money Fast - Wes Meets World ǀ Travel & Digital Nomad Blog (2024)

November 8, 2019By Wes Meets WorldPosted in Make Money, Money, Side Hustle

Everybody wants to make extra money, right? Only just a decade or two ago, if you wanted to make extra money, you probably needed to get a side job. Aka: Moonlighting.

With the growth of technology, making extra money on the side has become much easier! Now, you can make side money from starting a blog, from your phone, easy investing platforms, renting a room in your house, and even taking surveys online. You can also start a side hustle and earn extra money in your spare time.

Why Should I Make Extra Money?

There are so many reasons to make extra money! Do you have an emergency fund saved up? If not, you can apply any of these ideas below to hustle and pad up your fund with extra cash.

Would you like to make an extra $300 a month? $3000 a month? Or replace your income altogether with your side hustle?

You might want to make extra money to save for a vacation, put a down payment on a house, pay off your car loan, and get rid of credit card debt. Whatever the reason, making extra money on the side should be a priority for anyone.

How Can I Make Money from Home?

Are you looking to make extra money from the comfort of your home? The days are over where you need to leave your house to work a 9-5 job in an office cubicle, hoping for that average 3% per year raise. Now you could start a business from home, create a virtual business, build a blog, become a freelance writer, or sell products on Amazon.

The possibilities are endless. Take a look at these money-making ideas below and jump in with both feet!

Ways to Make Extra Money #1 – Start a Blog

One of the best ways to begin earning extra money is to start your own blog from home (or out on the road while you travel). Many people have completely changed their lives because they started a blog, were able to pay off debt, and now have more time and freedom to work from home on their blog while doing something they love.

With web hosting companies like Bluehost, starting a blog has never been easier. You can blog about almost anything and build a loyal following. Popular blogging topics include travel, personal finance, business, health & fitness, weight loss, food & recipes, pets, and parenting.

However, I’ve seen people blog about more niche topics like reviewing products, how to use Excel, how to be better at chess, tiny homes, at-home renovation projects, etc. If you’re passionate about something, chances are there is a group of people out there who are also passionate and would love to read your blog.

You might be saying “This sounds great, but how do I make money from a blog?” Great question!

Most bloggers make money from their site through advertisem*nts, promoting other people’s products (called affiliate marketing), selling their own courses or products, and sponsored posts.

The possibilities are endless if you jump in and create your own blog. Many bloggers report making anywhere from $500 to over $5000+ a month income from their blogs after they spend hard work and time growing them.

Want to be inspired? Meet Ling at Finsavvy Panda who went from $0 to $10,000 per month with her blog where she writes about personal finance.

Ways to Make Extra Money #2 – Become a Freelance Writer

Being a freelance writer is an excellent way to make extra money. Writing freelance is how I started working for myself as a side hustle. I was able to turn that side hustle as a freelance writer into a six-figure income within a couple years. I originally started out trying to make some extra side money, but I found it to be so lucrative, it didn’t make sense for me to go back to a regular job again.

Want to learn more about how to become a freelance writer? Check out this article:

There are many types of writing you can specialize in as a freelance writer. Popular writing niches include:

Copywriting
Website Content
Social Media Writing
White Papers
E-Books
Ghost Writing
Blog Articles
Resume Writing
Video Scripts
etc. So many niches!

The fees that freelance writers make vary just as broadly as the niches. Beginner writers may charge $100 for a piece of content and veteran writers might charge $1000+. Most writers start out finding clients on job boards or becoming staff writers for a website or company. I recommend creating a simple website where you can showcase your work and start building reviews from clients.

Ways to Make Extra Money #3 – Take Surveys & Earn Extra Cash

Surveys are a nice way to make a bit of extra cash on the side. They’re easy to take, and you can work them into your daily routine. Each survey itself isn’t going to have a large payout; however, they definitely start to add up. Also, many survey companies will pay you a sign-on bonus when you join, so this perk alone can be worth it!

Here are a few of the top survey companies I recommend checking out:

Survey Junkie: This survey company is super easy to sign up with an email address or through Facebook and Google+. Also, the sign-up process is less than 2 minutes. You can take surveys in your spare time and start making some extra money.

4 Get Money Back for Shopping

Would you like to get cash back in your account just for shopping? Well, the ibotta app lets you do just that!

With ibotta, you can earn cash back in-store and online when you shop for groceries, clothing, home, and travel. After you download the app to your phone, just scan you recent shopping receipt. Ibotta will credit you money back for qualified items. You don’t earn points, you get actual money back that you can cash in on later.

When I first signed up for ibotta, I qualified for their new member sign-on offer and ended up making $20 in my first month, just for scanning receipts. You can Sign Up for ibotta by Clicking Here.

5 Invest in Stocks and Bonds on Auto Pilot

Back in the day, if you wanted to start investing in the stock market, you either had to do some hefty research or hire a financial professional. Now, investing has become much easier with companies like Betterment.

Betterment is what’s called a robo-advisor…”a digital platform that provides automated, algorithm-driven investment services with little to no human supervision. Robo-advisors most often automate and optimize passive indexing strategies that follow mean-variance optimization.” (according to Investopedia)

I recently signed up with Betterment and funded my account with $1000 to start. Within a few days, I could see how my portfolio was performing and earning. They make the whole process easy and stress free, and I can even set up recurring payments to continue funding my account. I like that I can invest on auto-pilot and not worry about the technicalities of which stocks or funds to buy. You Can Sign Up with Betterment Here.

6 Invest in Real Estate with Just $500

Real estate is one of the best ways financially independent people build wealth. However, it’s always been a challenge to invest in real estate based on the large amount of capital needed to get started.

Now you can invest in real estate for just $500 and earn dividends when you invest in an REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). REITs are companies that either own or finance income-producing real estate across a various of property sectors.

REITs also generate dividends from rents that are paid out to the investors on a quarterly basis. One of the best companies to invest into an REIT is called Fundrise. Once you fund your account with an initial deposit, you will have access to the REIT to see your REIT portfolio, which major projects are being invested in, and your dividends on a daily basis. Find Out More about Fundrise Here.

7 High Yield Savings

Rolling your savings over to a high-yield savings account is a smart way to make extra money. With the national average interest rate for most banks being around 0.09%, it would take forever to generate any kind of real interest.

Luckily, many online banks have come out with high-yield savings account options earning around 1.80% to over 2%+ annual percentage yield. That means more money in your bank account just for using one of these high-yield options. I personally use Betterment now for my savings account, but other options include Ally Invest and Marcus by Goldman Sachs.

8 Rent Your Spare Room on Airbnb

Do you have a spare room just sitting empty in your house? Why not turn that room into cash by listing it on Airbnb!

Airbnb is a platform that allows hosts to list either a room or their full house for rent on a short-term basis. Airbnb boasts that the average potential earnings for a host on their platform is around $1200. Of course, this will vary greatly on what area of the world you live in and how established your listing becomes with reviews. (Psst…Deal Alert: Get a $40 Credit On Your Next Stay with Airbnb.)

Some potential hosts might worry about the risks associated with renting out their property. However, Airbnb provides several ways to protect their hosts, including:

Ability to require government ID before booking
House Rules guests must agree to
Chance to read reviews from past trips
Free $1M protection for property damage
Free $1M liability insurance
24/7 global customer support

If you love hospitality, then renting out a spare room in your home is a great way to generate extra cash every single month.

9 Rent Your Car on Turo

If you don’t have a spare bedroom to host guests, you can rent out your car for cash.

Once you sign up for a profile with Turo, you will fill out your listing’s information with details, including photos. Turo will send you people who are interested in renting your car for a short-term period.

Worried about insurance? Turo covers your car with $1 million in liability insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance throughout the trip.

10 Make and Sell Crafts on Etsy

Are you crafty and good with your hands? Do you have a knack for creating crafts, jewelry, pictures, soaps, or even goods like chocolate? You can begin making these items at home and selling them at your local farmers markets or community fairs.

If you’re looking to sell online, Etsy is a great place to sell handmade, unique goods. The average U.S. salary is around $40,000 per year. If you can sell 1600 products per year (or 133.3 products per month) at $25 (the average price for a product sold on Etsy), you could earn that $40,000 and replace a full-time income.

11 Rent Your Gear on Parachut

If you have quality camera gear sitting around your house, you can now rent it out through Parachut.

12 Start Housesitting

If you don’t mind spending a few days a week watching over someone’s property, housesitting might be a great option to earn extra money. The average housesitter charges $25 to $45 per day, depending on geographic location.

Each housesitting gig will have different requirements based on the owner’s needs. You might need to water plants, watch over pets, do some basic housekeeping, and just stay present in the house.

Here are a few of the top websites where you can find housesitting gigs:

TrustedHousesitters
Mind My House
Housecarers.com
Luxury Housesitting
Nomador
Housesitters America

Or, you could begin letting friends and family know you are starting a housesitting gig and gear up the side hustle that way!

13 Dog Sitting and Walking on Rover

Do you love looking after pets? Becoming a dog sitter or walker in your spare time is a great way to earn extra money.

If you’re looking to connect with potential customers who need dog walking services, I recommend checking out Rover. In the app, customers can get photo updates of their pets, GPS tracking of their dog’s walk, and an easy way to communicate and receive payments.

Through Rover, sitters can make an average of $1,000 per month treating it like a part-time job and taking out two to three dogs for two weeks out of the month. Sitters that treat Rover like a full-time job can earn an average of $3,300 per month working 4 weeks out of the month and taking out 2-3 dogs at a time.

14 Improve Your Credit

When you’re looking to make extra money, improving your credit doesn’t seem like something to consider. However, those with poor to fair credit end up paying much more on interest for things like house and car payments than those with good to excellent credit.

For credit monitoring, I recommend checking out Credit Sesame. This platform gives you an overview of your credit all in one place. Credit Sesame can also give you advice on ways to improve your credit that you might not have thought of. In addition, the app will give you personalized advice on where you might be overpaying, including your car or student loans.

Once you bump up your credit, look into refinancing a loan to a better interest rate where you can pay less in monthly interest fees. (aka: more money in your pocket!)

15 Run Errands for Busy People

If you have some free time on your hands and you’re looking to make extra cash, running errands for people might be a good idea.

There are many companies out that let you to pick up food, run errands, grocery shop, drive them around town, or finish tasks around the house for customers. These platforms including Uber Eats, DoorDash, Instacart, Task Rabbit, and Uber / Lyft. The money you can make with these companies will depends on your location and the type of task you complete for customers.

16 Babysit the Neighbors’ Kids

Do you have a spare Friday night available a couple times a month? Use this spare time to offer up babysitting services for your neighbors. Babysitting isn’t just for high school kids anymore. Anybody can pick up this side hustle, especially if you have previous experience as a teacher, working in a daycare, or offering babysitting services as a high school student.

According to Money.com, the average babysitting rate is $18 per hour for two kids. Calculate 4 hours per Friday 2 to 3 times a month, and you’re now bringing in an easy extra $150 per month.

If you’re looking to pick up this side gig, check out Care.com which is the largest online provider of caregivers (babysitters, nannies, special needs, tutors, senior caregivers, pet sitters, and housekeepers).

17 Offer Bookkeeping Services

Are you good with numbers? Do you have experience in accounting or taken accounting classes in college? Offering bookkeeping services to small businesses is a great side hustle to pick up.

While you might need to take some extra courses or online training to become familiar with the latest bookkeeping software, there is no formal certification or education required to become a bookkeeper. This is also a great side hustle because you can work from a home office as long as you have the needed software on your computer.

The average pay for a freelance bookkeeper is around $20 an hour, but I used to have a friend who offered these services for $25 to $30 an hour in a medium-sized city.

18 Become a Virtual Assistant

If you’re hyper organized and thrive on things like spreadsheets and cleaning up inboxes, becoming a freelance virtual assistant sounds like a great fit.

Virtual assistants offer a wide range of services from data entry to answering phones, filing, and invoicing. However, many virtual assistants offer more specialized services, including managing ecommerce orders, updating websites, writing emails, and creating marketing materials.

As a virtual assistant, you can typically create your own schedule and work as many hours as you like based on your clients’ needs. You can set up your own shop and solicit clients directly or work through an agency.

Some virtual assistants can charge up to $60 per hour, depending on your experience and specialized services that you offer.

Want to be inspired? Meet Danielle who moves from Australia to Costa Rica where she now teaches others how to create their own location independent business.

19 Create and Sell an Online Course

Everyone has some type of knowledge they can offer the world. Whether you realize it or not, you likely have a great skill that people will pay you to teach. Why not turn this knowledge into an online course?

With platforms like Teachable and Skillshare, creating and selling online courses has become easier than ever. Ideas for online courses range greatly from life coaching to art skills, learning Excel, losing weight, getting freelance clients, scrapbooking, and starting a blog.

Once you validate your course idea, you can create the course and begin driving customers through various marketing tactics. The price you can charge for a course also varies greatly from $25 to $500+ per course.

20 Sell Stuff on Amazon

It’s no secret that Amazon has basically taken over the world. Ecommerce has completely changed the face of retail and forced businesses to create a stronger online presence in order to compete.

You know what they say, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join em.” If you’re looking to earn some extra money, you can begin selling products on Amazon.

There are different ways to sell on Amazon. One way is to create your own product. This tends to be a long process where you identify a potential profitable product and then manufacturer it somewhere like China. While this approach can be very profitable in the long-run, it’s also time-intensive and risky.

Another approach is called “retail arbitrage” where you buy a product on sale at your local Walmart or supermarket, and then list it on Amazon for sale. For example, say you find 30 units of Soap Product XYZ on clearance at Walmart for $1. You do a bit of research on Amazon and find that this product retails for $5 per unit. You buy all 30 products, list them on Amazon, and once they sell, you’ve made a nice profit.

If you’re interested in looking into retail arbitrage, check out this comprehensive guide that explains how to start selling on Amazon.

21 Clean Out Your Closet

Do you have some unused clothes just sitting in your closet collecting dust? Why not clean out that closet and sell your extra clothes to make some cash. Don’t stop there! Check the garage and see if you have any tools, equipment, kid toys, or memorabilia you don’t use.

They say that if you haven’t worn something in your closet in the last 18 months, you should “purge” and get rid of it. You could host a garage sale to rake in some extra dough. Another idea is to try selling these unused items online. Popular websites to sell on include Poshmark, Ebay, and Craigslist.

22 Get Paid to Walk

Sweatcoin is a genius new app that actually pays you to get exercise. If you love to walk, using this app is a great way to make some extra money.

The app records how many steps you take through your phone’s accelerometer and GPS location. Leave the app running in the background, and you’ll start to rack up “sweat coins” which you can trade in for products. You can even save up enough sweat coins to earn a new iPhone!

23 Get Paid to Shop

Want to make money just for shopping online? Use Rakuten to shop and earn cash back and rewards just for shopping through their platform.

Rakuten offers cash back to its customers who click on links before they check out at either a physical store or an online retailer. Rakuten makes money for promoting their sponsors, and you get money just for shopping!

24 Teach English Online

Do you love interacting with kids and have a knack for teaching? Or maybe you’re a current teacher looking to make extra money? Teaching English online through VIP Kid would be a great side hustle for you.

VIP Kid is a company that connects English speakers with students in China who are looking to learn English. The teachers follow a standard curriculum, show up for scheduled classes through their online platform, and then deliver the class. Teachers are paid for each class they teach and can make up to $22 an hour.

25 Sell Your Photos Online

If you’re savvy with a camera, selling your photos online through Shutterstock can be a great side hustle. The process is actually pretty simple:

First, sign up on the website and produce high-quality photos and videos for Shutterstock customers.
Next, submit your content through their easy-to-use platform and apply their tips for succeeding as an online photographer.
Shutterstock will show your photos and videos to its customers, and when their customers download any of your content, you get paid.

Are You Ready to Make Extra Money?

Earning more money doesn’t have to be complicated. If you have some extra time to dedicate to a side hustle and a little grit, you can start making extra side money.

How do you like to earn extra cash? Do you have a side hustle? I would love to hear about your tips for making extra money in the comments.

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