You could use a little more money every month, couldn’t you? Life is full of costly expenses, and sometimes even a full-time job isn’t always enough to cover the cost of living and still leave you with extra money to spend on leisurely things.
So, what can you do to make money on the side, and fast? Plenty, actually. There are a lot of opportunities for you to make more money outside of your full-time job to help cover all of your expenses. Not only that, many of these opportunities can even turn into actual careers or side hustles that can replace your 9-5 job.
Here are just a handful of ways to make money that can help put a little more cash in your pockets and allow you to spend money on some of the fun things in life.
Take Online Surveys
Companies who provide products and services want to know exactly what their target audience wants, and they’ll pay money to get this information. While there are plenty of ways to collect this valuable data, one way to go about it is to conduct surveys.
As a consumer, when you take these surveys you are giving companies exactly what they want. But you’re not giving away this info for free. Instead, you can make a little pocket cash for the time you spend online taking these surveys. It’s actually a great way to make money, and make it quickly and easily.
There are a ton of websites out there that will pay us money to fill out their surveys online. All you need is an internet connection and an opinion. Survey companies work with big brands to provide them with the data they need, and a portion of the money they make is then passed on to online survey takers.
That said, not all survey websites are created equal. Some pay pennies, while others are downright scams. It’s your job to distinguish between the duds and the legitimate sites that are actually worth your time.
One decent online survey website is Survey Junkie. This online platform allows its members to complete surveys in exchange for cash rewards. It’s pretty simple to use: all you need to do is create an account and start taking online surveys to get paid.
After creating a quick account, you can then browse all the different categories, choose a survey that grabs your attention, and complete the survey. Once you’re done, you’ll see cash in your account. You can complete as many or as few surveys as you want, all while collecting money at the same time.
Survey Junkie’s platform operates on a point system whereby the points collected are converted to actual cash. One thousand points is equivalent to $10. It’s easy to reach this threshold since the majority of the surveys on this platform bring in anywhere from 100 and 200 points. There’s no waiting around for the points to be added to your account, and the payout is fast too.
Taking online surveys through Survey Junkie is one of the many easy ways to make money in your spare time from the comfort of your home.
Freelance Your Talents
We all have some sort of talent or interest, and many of them can easily be turned into an income-generating source. Here are just a few ideas that you might be able to profit from:
- Writer
- Photographer
- Graphic designer
- Website developer
- Translator
- Data entry
- Virtual assistant
- Videographer
- Model
- Artist
- Social media poster
- Promotional video creator
This list can seemingly go on forever.
Once you’ve honed in on your particular skill, it’s time to market it. You could take the time to promote your services online, whether through search engine optimization techniques so you will be easy to find online organically or through paid ads.
But while this can certainly be highly effective when done properly, it can take some time before you actually get a paying customer. The idea here is to make money fast.
There are a number of sites that offer freelancers a platform to market their services to customers who are already there searching and waiting for someone to fulfill their needs. But one in particular that deserves some attention is Fiverr.
This particular site allows people from all backgrounds to market and sell just about any service (within reason). You can find all sorts of services just by typing a simple search command. It’s amazing what types of services can be found on this site.
Fiverr has really exploded as one of the best outsource service platforms on the internet. Just about everyone has heard of Fiverr, especially those who freelance their work and those looking for professionals to fill their requirements. An increasing number of businesses are using the services that people on Fiverr are offering.
So not only is there the potential to make some extra side money, there’s also the opportunity to turn a freelance gig into a full-time career with no ceiling on earning potential. In fact, there are plenty of people using Fiverr to sell their services that make well over six figures every year.
Fiverr is named so because the original platform was based on the premise of selling gigs for $5 apiece. Freelancers would promote and sell their services on Fiverr in exchange for a $5 payout. While many still do, that’s just the base price today. There are people who have built up an impressive portfolio of successful gigs and are now able to command a lot more money per gig.
Fiverr takes a 20% commission for their promotional platform, and another 2% is taken off of the remainder when the payment is transferred to PayPal. In order to be successful, it’s important to find a product or service that costs very little or doesn’t take very long to complete if you are to charge the minimum $5.
Freelancers can climb the ladder as more and more sales are made and positive reviews are accumulated. Every new level – including “Level One,” “Pro League,” and “Rockstar” – comes with more selling tools that can be used, such as the ability to offer add-on services and additional options.
Freelancing is one of the best ways to make money, and all you need is your imagination and a basic skill set to capitalize on what Fiverr has to offer.
Be an Uber Driver
Companies like Uber and Lyft have become incredibly popular these days, as more and more commuters are looking for alternatives to the traditional taxi cab service. Anyone with an eligible 4-door vehicle in decent shape, a valid driver’s license, and a clean driving record may be eligible to become a driver-partner with companies like these.
Sell Things on Amazon
One of the best ways to make money is to simply sell products, and online retailing giant Amazon is probably the best platform to do this. You can even sell products that you don’t store or ship out yourself, thanks to an innovative platform called “Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA).”
Amazon will even take care of all the customer service queries, returns, and refunds around the clock so you don’t have to. They’ll handle the inventory, packing, and shipping in their fulfillment centers.
Of course, there’s a fee associated with such an awesome service which will range depending on the size and weight of the product, as well as the location it’s being delivered to. But the nominal fee is well worth the benefit of not having to deal with all of the above-mentioned tasks. Many people are making a very handsome living selling products through Amazon’s FBA program.
Work With Food Delivery Services
Many people don’t have time to cook a gourmet meal for themselves every night. But that doesn’t mean they’re willing to sacrifice good food. While they can always order a pizza or Chinese food, they can now order their favorite dishes from local restaurants right off the menu to be delivered to their front door.
Food delivery services such as GrubHub, UberEats, and Postmates act as the middlemen between restaurants and customers, and you can easily make a few extra bucks delivering food with these increasingly popular services. In most cases, you get paid per delivery and can even earn a little extra cash through tips.
Become a Dog Walker or Sitter
Dog lovers can put their passion to good use by walking neighborhood dogs or even opening their homes to dog sit. This can be a quick way to make money on the side, and can even be an awesome way to make a full-time living.
Dog walkers make anywhere between $15 to $25 per half hour. Sitters can make anywhere from $25 to $50 per day for day care and up to $60 per night for overnight stays.
You can easily advertise those services on sites like Rover and Care.com to expand your reach and get as many eyes on your services as possible.
Final Thoughts
There are so many easy ways to make money, and the internet is making it a lot simpler. You can easily take any of your hidden talents or passions and turn them into paying jobs. Not only can you supplement your current income, your spare-time work can grow into full-time careers.
