How many times have you thought to yourself, “I could really use some extra cash”? Whether you’re in a short-term financial bind or you just want to save up for something big, there are many ways to make money over and above working your day job. I know this first-hand because part of my story is I created this site to help others get out of debt and earn extra cash at the same time. I was able to pay off $52,000 of debt in 18 months using some of the ideas in this article including this website which now makes over $6,000 per month on the side. You can check out my latest income reports at the bottom of this post.
Here are 80+ ways you can make some extra cash to fund whatever it is you want to accomplish.
Make Some Cash by Using Your Skills
Everyone has at least one skill that they could earn money with. What is yours? Well, to help you figure out what skill you take to the bank, here are a variety for you to pick from.
1. Freelance writing
If you like to write and would like to make money in your pajamas, then freelance writing could be a good fit. My friend Holly makes over $100,000 per year from freelance writing. She even has a course to help other people earn money as a freelancer called Earn More Writing.
2. Take online surveys
Taking surveys in your spare time can be a great way to earn some extra dough. While are tons of online survey opportunities, a few of the most reputable are Survey Junkie, EarningStation and Opinion Outpost. With these companies, you can start making money as soon as today.
3. Design your own t-shirts
CafePress will publish t-shirt designs that you create, and then give you a percentage of the profits when your design is purchased by a customer. Check out some of the cool designs here for some inspiration.
4. Get cash back on items you buy every day
Did you know that you can get cash back for items that you already intend on buying? Ebates will pay you cash when you do your shopping through their sites. The trick is, only buy products you’d normally buy anyway and not just buy things cause they’re on sale.
5. Teach exercise classes
Are you interested in getting paid to stay in shape? If you are interested in classes like yoga, Zumba, Crossfit, Kettlebell or any other type of exercise, consider offering your services at the local gym or through a community education class. It doesn’t take long to get certified to teach in these areas.
6. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is where you get paid for referring others to products or services. Companies such as Amazon pay decent money when visitors to your website click on your links and when they purchase products, you get paid. If you want to increase your affiliate income, my friend Michelle earns over $50,000/month and she created a course called Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing that you may want to check out.
If you don’t have a website, you can get started here for as low as $3.95 per month with Bluehost. To make it even easier, check out my post on how to start a blog in less than 10 minutes.
7. Mend/press clothing
If you have the ability to mend, alter or press clothing, consider offering your skills as a tailor. Tailor work and small-scale pressing (ironing) can easily be done out of your home, and is a much needed service for busy people. In today’s world, skills such as mending and alterations simply aren’t taught. This means that if you have a knack for sewing, you also have a valuable, money-making skill on your hands (pun intended 🙂 ). If you have no skills in this area, but your interested, check out
If you have no skills in this area, but your interested, check out The Sewing Bible for Clothes Alterations: A Step-by-step practical guide on how to alter clothes.
8. Peer to Peer Lending
Nowadays it is easy to help out others who need money and get a return on the money at the same time. Lending Club is a platform where 99.9% of investors have seen positive returns and may be a good place to start.
9. Write, publish and sell an e-book
Looking for a good way to earn some passive income? Write and publish an e-book on Amazon or even self-publish on your own by creating a downloadable PDF. Start by choosing a topic you’re familiar with. This can be an educational resource, a how-to guide, and/or writing fictional stories. The Internet is full of articles on how to write and publish an e-book for very little up-front cost. Make sure to educate yourself on the ins and outs of this lucrative industry.
10. Offer tutoring services
Tutoring services are needed for children and adults alike. Children need help with reading, English and math. Adults sometimes need help learning the English language, learning to use computers or possibly learning to read. If you like working in the community and helping others, consider tutoring to supplement your income.
11. Flip merchandise
Are you skilled at recognizing a good deal when you see one? Then consider buying merchandise to resell on eBay or other sites like Amazon. Garage sales and thrift stores are full of obscure items that people don’t know are valuable and are selling for much less than what they’re worth. Take advantage of these amazing deals and use them to earn some money by reselling the items online.
12. Start a handyman business
If you’re do-it-yourself-er, consider using your skills to help others that need handyman work done. Many people gladly pay good money for someone to take care of their smaller home repairs and maintenance tasks. You can even create a profile on Amazon Services to help you get customers in your area.
13. Driver others around
Companies such as Uber will pay you to drive others around in your spare time. Rates of pay depend on how many miles traveled, the type of vehicle you drive and so forth.
14. Become a photographer
If you own a decent camera and like photography, consider offering your photography skills for weddings, families, high school graduations and proms. A good picture is worth a thousand words, and worth a lot of money as well. A growing photography niche is pet portraits, so if you like photography and animals, know that pet owners are paying a premium for you to take a picture of Fido.
15. Babysit or Be a Nanny
Do you like being around kids? Consider offering babysitting/nanny services. Many families are offering good pay for quality care for their children. This can be a perfect way to earn money for college students too as families seek nannies to watch their children during summer break from school and nights during the week. Check out Care.com where you can list your babysitting services for free.
16. Become a caricature artist or face painting artist
Corporate and sporting events often seek the services of a good caricature or face painting artist. If you have skills in either of these areas, seek out jobs at corporate events or contact your local sports stadium to inquire about job needs in this area. Also check out places like farmers markets, fairs, and other local events.
17. Sing at weddings or other events
Weddings, parades, political and cultural events often seek out local singing talent to entertain guests at their events. If you can sing, seek out these events and spread the word about your talents as you form a lucrative money-making business with your singing talents.
18. Offer your car maintenance or mechanic services
Mechanic services can be unbearably expensive. If you have a gift for car maintenance or repair, consider starting a car maintenance repair business that goes to the customer’s home garage. Without the overhead of having your own car repair garage, your profit will be higher and the customer will appreciate the good service.
19. Perform as a musician
Weddings, summer festivals and other events will pay for good musical skills. Street musicians – where allowed – can also earn some decent cash if they provide entertaining tunes for passers-by.
20. Become a videographer/video editor