If you’re reading this post then you are interested in ways to make extra money.
That makes sense because extra money means extra opportunities to do what you want.
Before I dive into the different ways that you can make money this year I want to give you a little bit of background on myself.
Every Day I’m Side Hustling
Growing up my family didn’t have much. Everything went towards food and my love for soccer.
I honestly had no idea what work was because I didn’t get my first job until I was 19.
When I got my first paycheck it was like the clouds had parted and the world was made whole.
I actually had money of my own I could spend. Nobody could tell me how to spend it.
It was amazing!
The company had cutbacks and eventually, I got laid off. It happens.
But I didn’t want to lower the lifestyle that I was living so I had to make more money. Of course, I applied for jobs but you know how the job search goes.
Sometimes it works out and other times you are left wandering in the dark.
So I had to find other means of making a living. Nothing crazy since I still had to tell my mom what I was doing.
This is when I learned about side hustles and how they are so many amazing opportunities to make money on the side. You just have to keep an eye out.
74+ Ways to Make Extra Money
This post is all about showing you some of the potential opportunities that you have waiting for you right around the corner.
I know how it feels to stress about money and feel like there is nothing you can do about it. But with the Internet and a willingness to try new things, there is money to be made.
Let’s get started.
1. Blogging
You know I had to start this list off with blogging since that is how I make the majority of my income.
In fact, I make over $50,000 a month because of blogging.
Blogging can be a great way to not only make extra money from home but to also make a full-time income.
However, if you need money this weekend then blogging really isn’t a viable option. It takes a little bit of time to build up a blog and make any type of money.
How long?
That depends on how quickly you want to work and what niche you are working in. It’s possible to make $100 your first month of blogging but it definitely takes some work.
Here is a post showing you how to make money blogging. If you want to skip the reading and go straight to the lessons on how to build a blog up quickly then check out my FREE 12-Day Blogging Bootcamp.
If you think I’m bullshitting you about this blogging thing then here is a sample of the income I earn from one of my sites:
To dive deeper into blogging check out one of my blog income reports.
2. Nanny
When my wife and I moved to Los Angeles she told me that she didn’t want to work a corporate job ever again. I was okay with that decision because I know how draining working a 9-5 can be but she still needed to bring in money.
What she did for a while was nanny a kid. She got the job pretty quickly through Care.com and was making $15/hr. Of course, this was in Los Angeles where prices are probably higher than other parts of the country but she loved the job because she loves kids.
However, I didn’t think it would be a long-term solution and I really felt she would do great running her own business so I suggested that she start a dog walking business since she loves dogs.
3. Dog Walking
Depending on where you live dog walking can be an extremely lucrative business. When my wife started things were moving kind of slow but eventually word of mouth spread after she setup a tent at the local farmer’s market and watched dogs for free while people walked around.
Before we left LA she was making between $3,000 – $5,000 a month walking dogs and pet sitting.
Just like kids, people want to make sure they can leave their pets with someone that they can trust.
If you’re interested in starting your own dog walking / pet sitting business then check out The Six Figure Pet Business Academy.
4. Drive a Lyft or Uber
Ride-sharing seems to be taking over the world. While taxis can be inconvenient because you have to worry about if the cabbie is going to try and pretend their card reader doesn’t work or how much you should tip. ride-share companies make sure you don’t have to worry about all of that.
What’s great about driving a Lyft or Uber is that you get to pick and choose your own hours.
5. Taking Online Surveys
If you just want to sit down in front of your computer and fill out forms then this is the route to take. Online surveys don’t pay much but for the minimal work, you have to do it’s not a bad way to make some extra cash.
Check out these 7 survey sites that pay you cash.
6. Freelance Writing
People love to visit websites and websites need content. Rarely do websites have a full-time staff of writers so they need to find ways to get content on their sites.
This is when they turn to freelance writers.
You don’t need to be an English major to land freelance writing jobs. You just have to know how to research a subject so that you can write a competent blog post around it.
Here are some freelance writing opportunities that you can find online.
7. Start a YouTube Channel
You can start a YouTube channel around anything today.
Do you know what the top earners on YouTube do?
They open toys.
I kid you not. The top earners on YouTube are channels that feature people opening up toys.
Take a look at this video that has over half a billion views. 500,000,000+ people have watched this video.
Who thought that you could make more than a million dollars a year filming your kid opening toys?
What a world.
8. Become a Social Media Manager
What is a social media manager? It’s someone that handles the social media accounts for a company. For example, your local Italian restaurant might be interested in getting on Twitter and Instagram but aren’t quite sure how to utilize those platforms and don’t have the time to do so.
That’s when you step in to let them know you will take care of all of that.
9. Test Websites
Can you believe that there are sites that will pay you to test out other sites? It’s pretty crazy. Essentially you are being paid to surf the web and complain about what isn’t working.
Don’t believe me? Here are 9 sites that pay you to test websites.
10. Become a Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant helps individuals with the smaller tasks they don’t have time for. The tasks can range from answering emails to moderating comments on a blog.
As you can imagine this is a job you can do anywhere in the world.
There are a number of different sites that will help you find virtual assistant positions. Upwork for example has a steady stream of them.
If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a virtual assistant then I suggest you check out the ebook The Bootstrap VA: The Go-Getter’s Guide to Becoming a Virtual Assistant, Getting and Keeping Clients, and More!.
11. Do Small Tasks on Fiverr
Some people love Fiverr and some people completely hate it. The controversy surrounding it is that people shouldn’t offer their services for such low prices but at the end of the day if you nee dot keep a roof over your head then you do what needs to be done.
12. Take Photos
As more and more people look to start their own businesses and websites they need photos. This means they have 3 options:
- Use free stock photography
- Use licensed stock photography
- Hire a professional photographer
You can make money with 2 & 3 assuming you figure out how to take decent shots.
What’s amazing is that with the camera technology in phones you don’t need to buy super expensive camera equipment to get started.
If this sounds interesting to you then check out Camera Career.
13. Start a Podcast
Similar to blogging this one takes a little bit more time to get up and running but who doesn’t love to hear themselves talk. Most people make money from podcasting through advertising.
Build up a big enough audience and you’ll have advertisers knocking down your door to get a piece of the action.
14. Start a Membership Site
Membership sites can be a great way to earn recurring revenue.
In fact, I run two membership sites myself: The Billionaire Blog Club and Keto Dash.
To create a successful membership site you usually need to be established in a niche. This is where that whole blogging thing comes in handy.
15. Sell eBooks on Amazon
Amazon is the world’s largest bookstore.
Every day million of people purchase a Kindle book to read during the day.
There are some authors making over $40,000 a month just from pumping out small e-books!
That’s pretty insane.
You don’t need to be a professional writer or have a creative bone in your body. You just need to know how to market your book to the right audience and let the rest happen.
The best program to learn how to dominate Kindle publishing is definitely Kindle Money Mastery.
16. Find Contract Jobs on Upwork
Upwork is similar to Fiverr but the jobs are usually higher paying.
People go to Fiverr looking for cheap work to get done. People go to Upwork when they want a higher quality of work done.
17. Sell Stuff on Craigslist
Good ol’ Craigslist. The best way to make money is to sell something.
Odds are you have a number of things that some people would love to take off your hands at the right price.
Just be careful of shady characters.
18. Become an Online Proofreader
There are a lot of words written every single day online by companies and they need to make sure that those words are tidy.
That’s where proofreaders come into play. In fact, you can make up to $75/hr being a proofreader at home.
19. Sell Custom Designed T-Shirts
I always had the dream of being a fashion designer even though I can’t design clothing. However, I’m not too bad with Photoshop and Teespring makes it so anyone can get up and running quickly with their own t-shirt business.
Even if you suck at design.
20. Invest Your Savings
Odds are if you’re reading this you might not have extra money to invest but if you do and you don’t mind tucking it away for a bit, investing can be a great way to earn passive income.
21. Peer to Peer Lending
Instead of going to the bank, more and more people are using services like Lending Club to find extra money to help them out.
These services allow you to offer loans to other individuals.
This might seem scary but the services handle all of the background checks for you and do their best to ensure that you make a return on your investment.
22. Sell Gift Cards
How many gift card do you have that still have a balance on them or maybe you never used them at all! Sites like Raise allow you to sell your gift cards so at least you can get something out of them.
23. Participate in Paid Research Studies
Companies are always looking to test new products and understand their consumer base better.
To do that they use Paid Research Studies. This happens a lot especially for clinical trials of new drugs.
Just do a Google search for Paid Research Studies in your town.
Every penny that I earn starts with my blogs. I’ve put together a free 12-day blogging bootcamp for you that goes through every step that I take to build a successful blog.
24. Use Swagbucks for Online Search
Swagbucks is a cool way that you can make money simply by watching videos online.
Odds are that you do this already so why don’t you give it a shot.
25. Trade Options
This is not for the faint of heart.
While this blog post isn’t going to give you the information you need to learn about trading options, if you like to have a bit of excitement in your life with regards to making money, then this could be a route you take.
26. Install the Nielson Digital App
Remember, companies love to pay people to help them with research.
The Nielson Digital App gives you another opportunity to help do some research while making money.
You also earn regular entries for the $10,000 monthly sweepstakes.
Not too bad.
27. Install the ShopTracker App
Pretty much the same as above.
28. Do Affiliate Marketing for Companies
If you’re going to start a blog, then doing affiliate marketing can be a great way to make money.
What is affiliate marketing?
It’s when you promote a company’s products and when someone clicks on a link from your site and purchases a product on the company’s site, you get a commission.
Of course, you don’t need to own a blog to make money with affiliate marketing. Some people do well by purchasing ads that use affiliate links but I’ve always liked the idea of running my own sites and controlling everything.
29. Create Online Courses
A lot of the money I make every single month is from my online courses.
Online courses are a great way to make money because every day more and more people are looking to further their careers or learn new skills online.
If you don’t want to bother building up your own audience before launching a course, you can always join a course platform like Udemy which gives you the opportunity to have your course be put in front of millions of people.
30. Offer Resume Help
Who isn’t looking for a job right now?
When applying for a job you always need to submit your resume and some people just aren’t very good resume writers.
They need help.
You can be the person that provides that help by looking over their resume and tidying it up so that it is ready for their next employer.
Before you go off and help people though, make sure you understand résumé buzzwords.
31. Become a Pet Sitter
Most people when they go out of town don’t want to put their pets in a kennel. They feel better if the pet can stay in a loving home.
It’s like leaving their kids.
Pet sitting gives you the opportunity to be a temporary parent to a pet. It’s like being a grandparent, you get the short-term excitement without the long term responsibility.
32. Become a Personal Trainer
This one doesn’t work if you aren’t in shape so you might have to get your butt in gear first but because more and more people are wanting to get healthier, personal trainers are in high demand.
If this sounds interesting to you then check out this article by the National Association of Sports Medicine on becoming a personal trainer.
33. Become a Notary
To be honest with you I didn’t even know that notaries were still needed in this world but they are.
In most cases, becoming a notary isn’t that difficult and usually just requires a small application fee. If you’re curious to find out what it takes to become a notary in your state then check out this article on becoming a notary.
34. Start a Car-Washing Business
Who has time to go to the car wash anymore?
Getting a good handwashing for your car takes time but what if there was a company that came right to your door to wash your car?
That would be pretty handy, right?
35. Become a Copywriter
A copywriter is someone who knows how to use words to generate sales. Copywriting is definitely an art form and once you become good at it, you become in demand.
36. Start a Wedding Planner Business
When my wife and I were planning to get married I took a backseat and let her do all of the planning.
Not because I am lazy but because there is just SO MUCH going on with weddings. Thankfully, she had a wedding planner to help her out and make sure that the process was smooth.
If you are going to start your own wedding planning service you need to make sure you are organized, punctual, and understand all of the details that go into making a great wedding.
37. Become a Photographer
I’m not talking about being a family photographer that they have in department stores. I’m talking about being a photographer that goes outdoors and takes awesome photos.
There are so many stock photography websites out there that allow you to sell your pictures. You could even setup your own site and sell them yourself.
All it takes is a camera (even the one on your phone) and an eye for a good shot.
38. Start Building Websites
Websites are always going to be needed and therefore there will always need to be people around that can build them.
Building websites can range from slightly difficult to extremely difficult depending on the type of websites you need to build.
If you want to go this route I would look into starting with building WordPress sites. That way you won’t have to worry too much about crazy coding and instead focus on tweaking existing themes.
39. Flip Blogs
Similar to flipping houses, flipping blogs has been a business ever since the beginning of blogs.
How this works is that you find a blog that is undervalued in a marketplace like Flippa and then you spend a couple of months improving it and then selling it for a profit.
A blog that is making $1,000 a month in ad revenue can easily be flipped for $10,000 or more. That’s not a bad rate of return.
40. Interior Design Consultant
Have an eye for design? Do you know all about feng shui and what can make a room pop?
Then becoming an interior design consultant might be for you.
41. Edit College Admissions Essays
Nobody likes to write college admissions essays but they need to be done and when they are done someone needs to edit them.
You can become a college admissions essay editor and help the youth of the world get into the college of their dreams.
42. Develop Mobile Apps
Mobile apps aren’t going away anytime soon and it seems like every person around has an idea for the next Instagram.
Who is going to build it for them? It could be you.
43. Flip Domains
Similar to flipping blogs, flipping domains doesn’t require you build anything at all. You just have to have an eye for quality domains or a knack for predicting what a good future domain will be.
This can be slow going as you initially have to build up a portfolio of domains and often that means buying all of the TLDs (.com, .net, .org, .co, etc.) associated with your domains.
However, because everyone has the next greatest idea, they need a great domain to attach to it and you just might be the lucky holder of such a domain.
44. Start a Dropshipping Business
What is dropshipping? It’s when you put a product up for sale but you don’t touch the product at all. Instead, you simply tell the factory to make the product and ship it to the customer.
The only thing you have to worry about is how to accept payment and handle customer service.
Sites like Alibaba and AliExpress have made it so you can sell almost any physical good in the world. You simply need to find a supplier, set up shop and then find some customers.
45. Help Improve Google
Did you know there is a job actually called search engine evaluator?
These people search different results on the search engines and check the accuracy of their results.
Why would this job exist? Because search engines want to ensure that they are showcasing the best results possible for a given search. They can’t do that on their own so they hire people to do it for them.
This is a pretty cool job that you can do at home but unfortunately, the pay is up and down depending how many hours you get assigned each week.
If you want to give this a shot then check out:
46. Grocery Shop for Others
We all live busy lives and the last thing that we want to do is stop at the grocery store to pick up dinner. So why not hire someone else to do it for us?
Even better, you can be that person that gets hired.
Companies like Instacart and Shipt are always on the lookout for new shoppers.
47. Become a Task Rabbit
TaskRabbit is a cool site that allows people to hire other people to do simple tasks for them.
Looking for a flexible job that has you on the move? Then being a Task Rabbit might be where it’s at.
48. Data Entry
As you could imagine, most of the ways to make extra money on this list aren’t glamorous. However, some are pretty fun.
To me, data entry is not that fun but it is a vital component of the workplace and somebody has to do it.
To succeed in data entry you have to know your way around a keyboard because that is all you are doing. Inputting data onto the screen, usually in some type of form.
If data entry sounds like your line of work then check out this post on 10 legitimate companies that offer data entry jobs.
49. Place Ads on Car
Have a car? Don’t care if it has a gigantic sticker on it repping some company?
Then placing ads on your car might be the way to go.
Companies like Wrapify and Carvertise can help introduce you to brands that would love to advertise on your car.
50. Arbitrarge Facebook Yard Sales
I didn’t even know Facebook Yard Sales were a thing but odds are there is a group in your community that focuses on selling goods.
You can use these yard sales as an opportunity to buy low and sell high as long as you know a bargain when you see it.
It’s also much easier to browse online than it is to drive around town hoping that you luck upon something special.
51. Lose Weight
Did you know you can make money for losing weight?
Sounds crazy, right?
Well, it’s not. Healthy Wage offers weight loss contests that you can participate in for cash and prizes.
So not only are you going to get healthier, but you’re also going to get wealthier.
I’m not corny, you’re corny.
52. Sell Your Hair
Are you ready for this?
There is an actual online hair marketplace. Like a hair eBay!
It’s called Hair Sell On (get it?)
You post your hair and people bid on it.
I almost wish I was lying.
53. Rent Out a Room
Have an extra room? Why not rent it out?
54. Become a Brand Ambassador
A brand ambassador is someone that represents a brand at different events.
Looking for a job as a brand ambassador is no different than looking for any other job. Most of the big job boards have listings for brand ambassadors and the majority of the jobs are only on weekends.
You might even get some free gear out of it.
55. Join a Focus Group
Focus groups are groups of people with similar traits that companies want to interview and get a better feel for how they view a product.
For example, you might be put into a group with other people your age to see how you view a new movie or soft drink.
56. Become a Translator
We live in a global economy where companies understand the importance of being accessible in many different languages to get the most money.
That means they need translators to ummmm translate.
Unbabel is a company that connects you with global brands to help them translate their work into other languages.
57. Start a Podcast
Podcasting is a pretty big deal now. It seems like every famous person has a podcast.
I guess people like listening to other people talk.
Why shouldn’t they enjoy listening to you?
But how does a podcast make money? Mostly through sponsorships and advertising. Companies love having the ability to get an uninterrupted 30-second plug from a podcaster to their audience.
One of the most popular podcasters is John Dumas and he has a great post on how to start a podcast.
58. Refurbish Antiques
Find something old with some value, make it better, and resell it.
A pretty simple formula.
59. Become a DJ
I don’t think the idea here is to become an International phenomenon playing festivals around the world unless that’s what you want to do.
The idea is to become a DJ for local events which is a pretty cushy job considering you’re playing from a pre-determined set list.
60. Meal Prep Services
Back in the day TV dinners were great because they were fast, easy, and convenient. However, TV dinners aren’t that healthy and more and more people are looking to eat healthy meals but those take time.
They don’t take as much time however if they are prepped ahead of time. Usually, this means the parts that can be cooked ahead of time are done so and everything else just requires being put on the stove or in the oven.
61. Train Dogs
Did you know that over 2,734,921 are purchased every single day to go to their forever home?
I just made that up but it seems like there is a ton of new dog owners every single day and they need obedient dogs.
Because they are new owners they probably don’t know how to train their dogs properly so they require an expert. That expert could be you.
At the park close to me there is a guy who trains dogs every single day. He must be booked solid because every day it’s a new dog. It’s pretty impressive.
62. Groom Dogs
For the longest time I thought that you had to go to a fancy place to get your dog groomed until I saw a crazy van with some terrible painting on it of a dog taking a shower.
It was a mobile pet-grooming shop.
They come right to your door to groom your pet. That’s pretty brilliant and obviously something people are willing to pay for.
63. Become a Referee
I’m not talking about becoming a professional referee but youth leagues all over the country need people to officiate their games.
And they pay.
You might have to watch out for crazy parents but that seems to be an occupational hazard that some people are willing to risk to have a bit of fun calling fouls and penalties on little kids.
64. Start Housekeeping Service
People like to live in clean homes but not many like to take the time to ensure their homes stay clean.
This is where housekeeping services come in.
65. Start an Electronics Repair Business
If you’re handy with electronics then you might be able to start an electronic repair business.
Considering how our lives are being run more and more by machines, it’s nice to have people around that can fix the gadgets when something goes wrong.
66. Window Cleaning Service
You can’t think small here like cleaning the windows of people’s homes. You have to think small businesses.
A clean shop is a profitable shop and it doesn’t get much easier than cleaning windows.
67. Cuddle with People
This one is not a typo.
There are people that will pay other people to cuddle with them.
Nothing wrong with that but it just goes to show there is money to be made everywhere.
Sites like Cuddle Comfort and The Snuggle Buddies are always on the lookout for professional cuddlers.
68. Become a Dating Mentor
Understand the ins and outs of dating?
Then being a dating mentor might just be for you.
69. Substitute Teaching
Teachers get sick and in their place substitutes must fill in.
70. Transcriptionist
What is a transcriptionist? They’re someone that takes speech and puts it onto paper.
Sort of like data entry where you need to be able to type quickly but there is good money to be made here.
The Penny Hoarder has a great post on how to make over $25/hr by being a transcriptionist.
71. Become a Mystery Shopper
True story, my grandma does this and she loves it.
You get to go into places and basically review them. She gets to go to Chilis, sit at the bar, down some margaritas, write about the service and then get paid for it.
What a life!
72. Real Estate Crowdfunding
Real estate will always be a nice way to make money if you know what you’re doing but it can be pretty expensive if you’re going into it alone and that’s why new crowdfunding sites are popping up to ease the financial burden.
Instead of taking on all of the risk yourself you can team up with others and buy a small portion of the real estate.
This way there is less risk to you and if you want to invest in multiple properties it becomes a lot easier.
73. Get a Promotion
If you have a job and want more money then ask for a promotion where the new role pays more.
74. Ask for a Raise
Same as the point above. You can’t get more money unless you ask for more money.
Plenty of Opportunities Out There
There are literally thousands of ways to make extra money out there just waiting for you. You simply need to keep your eyes and ears open along with not being afraid of trying new things.
If you come across any ways that aren’t on this list please let me know. I’m always looking for more!
If you’re looking for more than just extra money then check out how I make over $50,000 a month online.