There are ways you can generate extra income if you have a few hours a week to spare. Here are some ideas to get you started. If you’re looking for a more sustained source of income, rather than something that only takes a fraction of your time, starting your own business might be the better solution. However, if you’re not sure about entrepreneurship just yet or are already running your own business and want to try something else – here are some side gigs to help you achieve financial success.
Whatever route you choose, take advantage of these suggestions and be creative! You can still make money with these side gigs even if they seem unrelated to what you do in your day job.
Take online surveys
You can make money by filling out online forms, such as the ones on SurveyMonkey.com. Some sites will pay you a few cents per survey and others pay you more, so it’s best to do as many as you can. Once you’re finished, just keep a tally of how much you earned — it will be a great addition to your income!
Create a blog
If you’re a writer or have another skill, why not create a popular blog and make money from writing or doing things like displaying ads? Remember to exercise some caution if you choose to do this, but the potential for earning money is definitely there.
Become a virtual assistant
If you’re okay with working online and are good at taking care of other people’s needs, becoming a virtual assistant might be just the thing for you. You can be an organizer, personal shopper or basically anything else that requires your skills — it doesn’t even have to be related to business. For example, someone could need help writing a letter in English and you could make money by doing it for them.
Become a freelance writer (or author) for others
The Internet continues to grow in popularity and many people are looking for work with new publications and sites online. This is a great option because the pay is dependent on the amount of work that you do. In fact, part of the reason that you’re able to make money online as a writer is because you can complete many jobs over the course of a day, so you know what types of formats will bring in the most money. Many websites now allow people to upload their own content and then sell it to other users under their own domain. These sites include: Fiverr, Freelancer, and Upwork.
Sell things you no longer use or need on eBay or Craigslist
Out of all these options, I think that this is the best and easiest way to make money online. Whatever you’re trying to sell will be available on these sites, so if someone wants it you can get rid of it and get paid for it. This is a great way to de-clutter your home and start making some extra cash at the same time. You should also consider trading-in your unwanted items in exchange for gift cards – this is a great way to get some extra money for things that you might end up buying anyways such as games or clothes.
Sell on Etsy
Etsy is an online marketplace with over 26 million products. You can make money in this marketplace by selling the items you have around your house or by creating new ones. It might take time to build up a following, but once you do, you’ll be able to sell your products quite easily.
Become a pet sitter
If you’re good with animals and don’t mind living with them 24/7, becoming a pet sitter might be right up your alley! You can offer services like dog walking or pet sitting through local ads or social media sites.
Write an E-Book
If you’re a writer, creating your own E-Book might be the best way to get the ball rolling. Be sure to create a product that people can use and not just something that’s filled with fluff. You could even write about something that you know how to do and have no plans of doing in the near future, but still want to obtain – this way you can make money while sitting on your couch.
Become a freelance programmer
Don’t know programming? There are plenty of websites online to teach you how to program – I mean, how hard can it be? Once you’ve picked up the skills, start selling your services through sites like Freelancer.com to make extra cash. There are plenty of companies that need freelancers to complete small jobs for them to earn extra money. You can check out freelancer sites like Freelancer or Upwork, or even try posting your own ad on Craigslist.
Become a video game tester
If you love video games and don’t mind playing them for free in exchange for cash, you might want to look into becoming a video game tester. Look at sites like: TopCoder, Gametrix, and Hired. You can also try searching on Facebook for groups that test games or apps and sign up on those to see if there are any open positions.
Rent out a room in your house
If you have an extra room in your house that isn’t being used, why not rent it out? In fact, you may even be able to make more money than actually living in the room by renting it out. This is a great way to earn it for just a month or two until you find another tenant or get some of your costs back.
Refinance your debt
Getting out of debt can be just as difficult as accumulating it in the first place, but once you do you’ll thank yourself. You can refinance your debt with companies like Lending Club to borrow money at a lower interest rate and pay it back over more manageable payments. This is a good way to get your debt under control and start building up your savings.
Sell your services
Of course, there are some limits — for instance, if you’re a lawyer or engineer, it would be hard to sell those services on the side — but for more creative skills it shouldn’t be too difficult to find someone who needs them. When it comes to freelancing you can go for the big name companies or you can start your own small business – this means that you end up in the position of an employee and your skills are being used to do other people’s work.
Translating
Translators charge per word or per hour with different rates for each situation. Be careful when you choose the company that will be doing the translation; if they charge per word it means that they will only pay based on how much has been written compared to how much has been translated.
In closing, there are plenty of ways to make money online, but you should remember that being successful at it really just requires a lot of hard work. Make sure to keep yourself motivated and stay focused on your end goal. You’ll have more success if you’re willing to take the time to learn about things like SEO or affiliate marketing to help make your side hustle more lucrative.
Good luck! 🙂
