There are tons of money-making (online and offline) opportunities available today; it’s just a matter of finding the best ones for you and your family’s schedule and needs.
Consider these simple tricks to help you earn some extra money this month. Go on — get your side hustle on!
1. Join Focus Groups (share your opinion and get paid)
Focus groups are a great way to earn extra money by helping companies improve their marketing efforts and by sharing your thoughts about their products and services. Companies are willing to pay you for your insight as a consumer and sometimes they’ll even arrange to come to your home. The companies listed below are looking for panelists now. Note: Companies that ask you to pay a fee to access their focus groups are usually scams.
Register with one of these trusted companies to get started:
Vindale Research – ($5+ per survey)
Toluna – ($10 to $30 per survey)
PineCone Research – ($3 per survey usually 20-30 minutes)
Harris Poll Online – ($30 to $50 average per focus group session)
Springboard Panel – ($30 to $50 average per focus group session + $1 to $5 per survey)
2. Get Paid to Watch Cooking, Parenting, Crafting ++ Videos
Swagbucks offers its users the chance to earn gift cards and cash by watching a variety of shows through their Swagbucks Video Channel including cooking, crafting, home and garden, fitness and more – the content comes from dozens of partners like Hulu, Reuters, and the Food Network so there is no shortage of interesting things to watch. It’s really simple, if you don’t have an account just sign up here check out their huge video selection and start earning cash “Swagbucks” by watching your favorite short videos.
3. Work Your Skills as an Online Freelancer
Do you have a hidden talent? Then check out Fiverr and Freelancer – they are very popular site where you can sell your products or creative skills.
Fiverr is a network where people seek out graphic design artists and other professionals for assistance on creative projects. Jobs start at just $5 with customized pricing for more in-depth needs. You can do anything ranging from data entry, to researching tasks, to graphic design and even some truly bizarre marketing projects. Earning $5+ a pop for quality work doesn’t sound like much, but it can easily add up to thousands of dollars or more a year when your projects start to be customized!
Freelancer.com is a good site too; it has tons of current side jobs available from Graphic Design, Virtual Assistant, Technical/Programming, Content Writing and lots more. Expose your talents to thousands of employers and get paid without ever leaving your home!
4. Fill Out Online Surveys
All you have to do is register, and these companies will contact you when they have a survey that fits your profile. You must meet certain criteria to qualify so don’t get frustrated if you don’t qualify right away. Be patient and they will email you in a few days as more positions become available.
Register with these surveys companies that represent the biggest brands:
Swagbucks – ($5 just for signing up)
ProOpinion – (cash and rewards for filling out surveys)
Springboard America – (take surveys and be entered to win $1000)
Pinecone – ($3 for each survey you complete)
MySurvey – (Take surveys and earn rewards)
Opinion Outpost – (cash for filling out surveys.)
Reward TV – (get paid to play games and fill out surveys about TV shows!)
Points Club – (Earn points for filling out surveys which you can redeem for gift cards)
5. Become an Uber Driver
One of your greatest “hidden assets” is your car and Uber can help your four door sedan make you $500+ a week! Plus as an Uber driver, you set your own schedule and keep 80% of everything you earn by driving people around town.
Here are a few things you need to get in order to started driving: smartphone, newish four-door car, be at least 21 years old, personal auto insurance, clean driving record and be able to pass a criminal background check.
6. Become a Mystery Shopper…Shhhh
Mystery shoppers pose as regular shoppers and frequent retail stores, restaurants, and other places of business and report on their experiences to help company’s measure customer service and other info. Shoppers make their own schedules and take as many or as few assignments as they would like and can make $300+ a week.
Typically you use your own money then get reimbursed after filing your report and after all expenses you can expect to make $10 to $30 per gig – AND they are a lot of fun!
Our savings experts say these are the best Mystery Shopper companies:
Mystery Shoppers
Best Mark
Market Force Information
IntelliShop
Feedback Plus Inc
National Shopping Service
About Face Corporation
Trend Source
Bare Associates International
7. Baby Sitting
This can be a great gig for teenagers or stay-at-home moms, especially if you have a kid or two at home, why not take on one or two children for a few hours and make some money out of it? Sittercity and Care.com are reputable tools to find people looking, plus Care.com gives you the going rates of babysitters in your area. HINT: The average rate is around $15 to $20 per hour.
Use common sense when meeting a family for the first time. Set up an interview in a public place, if possible and ALWAYS tell someone else where you’ll be.
8. Pet Sitting/Walking
If you love animals, pet sitting can be a great side gig.
Here’s what you need to know: for day and overnight visits, typical pet-watching services ranged from $35-65 a day/night if you make house calls, while a 20 minute visit or dog walk typically pays around $25.
Normal house calls include letting dogs out in the backyard or taking them for a walk, refilling water dishes, feedings, scooping litter boxes and sometimes giving pets medications. To get started you can check out Craigslist, Care.com and PSI.
9. Get Paid to Test Websites and Apps
Did you know that you can get paid for reviewing websites and testing apps? Website owners love user feedback, and sites like UserTesting will pay you $10 to visit a website or app, complete a series of tasks that take about 20 minutes, and submit a little feedback. Payments are typically made via Paypal.
10. Become a Virtual Assistant
Are you organized and enjoy writing, social media, and blogging? Become a virtual assistant and help other people run their companies and websites? VA’s ”virtual assistants” can charge anywhere from $20 to $50 per hour.
Check out some beginner sites to land some VA gigs like Zirtual.com, peopleperhour and Upwork.
11. Sell Your Extra Stuff
eBay is a great place to sell stuff your old stuff and earn some money, especially if you have something collectible. If you are crafty, check out garage sales and find items that you can purchase for cheap, fix them up and then resell online. Also be sure to check out local Facebook garage sale sites.
If you have old books and DVDs and even textbooks from your kids lying around then consider selling them on Amazon. It’s incredibly easy to list your items and you’d be surprised how much you can get for your old stuff.
YOUR TURN: What’s your favorite way to earn extra cash?
Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links. Thanks for reading!