10 Smart Ways to Make Money on the Side—with a Full-Time Job

Let’s face it—full-time jobs aren’t always getting the job done when it comes to paying bills. Even if your full-time job pays the bills, you’re most likely left with little to no spending money. For those who do have a good amount of money left over after paying bills, it’s still nice to have even more.

Who doesn’t want more money?

Whether you need the extra cash to pay for household cleaning supplies, or if you’re wanting to just put some money aside for that dream vacation you’ve been talking about for so long, more money is always appreciated. If you’re looking for ways to make money on the side with a full-time job, then it’s important that you know what is realistic and what’s not. 

Everyone’s situation is different and not everyone works a 9-5 as their full-time job. So consider the working hours that you already put in each week and then determine what type of side job might work out best for you.

Not sure where to begin?

Don’t worry. Continue reading for 10 clever ways to make money on the side!

ways to make money on the side

1. Take Online Surveys

Online surveys are free to join and free to use.

Companies and business are willing to pay people like you to take surveys about their products or services just so that they can have a better understanding of what the consumer wants. This is a simple way to gain some extra money on the side.

The best way to rack up your dollars using online surveys is to sign up with multiple survey sites rather than just one. This way, you’re able to take a good amount of surveys and then be eligible for even more. You’ll also be able to pick the surveys that pay the most money and take those. 

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is one of the most popular surveying sites, as it’s also one of the most highly-trusted sites. Each time you take a survey, you’ll earn “Swagbucks,” and the company will give you $10 just for signing up.

Vindale Research

Vindale Research will first ask you a series of questions about yourself so that they can then pair you with qualifying surveys. You’ll get $1 for signing up and some surveys pay as much as $50!

2. Online Tutoring

Do you have a degree in a school subject? Maybe you’re an English Wiz or a walking history book. Whatever the circumstances are, if you think you’d make an awesome tutor, then you should check out these online tutoring sites: Tutor.com, Tutor Me, and Skooli.

This is also the perfect way for teachers to make money on the side. If you’re a teacher, then you’re almost guaranteed a tutoring spot on these sites. And don’t forget that the core school subjects aren’t the only things that students need tutoring in.

Foreign languages, music, and other electives are also important.

3. Start a Blog

If you love to write and love to blog, then you can use these wonderful skills to earn an extra income. This is an awesome side gig for those who love to travel. Although starting a blog takes a lot of hard work, once you get it up and running, it’s a pretty simple way to earn those extra bucks. 

Keep your blog steady by producing more and more content. If your content is posted consistently and of good quality, then other sites will pay you to have a link to their site located within your blog posts.

But first things first. You need to start a blog.

4. Become a Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants are well-organized individuals who are looking to get a foot in the digital service industry door.

Sites like Indeed.com, UpWork, and Remote.com all have virtual assistant jobs available for applications. Some skills that you’ll need to have for this type of job are English fluency, great communication, and knowledge of web and business software applications. 

5. Drive for Uber or Lyft

It didn’t take long for Uber to completely take over the taxi business. And now there’s a competitor: Lyft. Both companies are great ways to build your funds during your free time. 

You’ll be self-employed while working under these companies. Although you’ll have to be reviewed and have your car pass some tests, you’ll then be able to work whenever you please. That’s right—if you’re sitting home alone on a Saturday night, consider turning your Uber or Lyft light on and heading out on the town.

Some more experienced drivers would advise circling the airport area, as this is a popular place to pick up people who need rides without the worry of someone getting sick in your back seat. 

6. Sell Your Gently-Used Clothes or Other Items

There are a few different ways to sell your gently used clothes or other items.

There are some consignment clothing stores that will buy for clothes for cash and even websites or apps where you can sell them. One of the newest ways to sell not only clothes, but any other gently-used items that you’re looking to get cash for, is on Facebook’s Marketplace.

The Marketplace has quickly become one of the top places to sell and buy previously-used items. Other applications include Offerup and Letgo. 

7. Become a Dog Walker or Dog Sitter

The Marketplace is quite versatile. You can even use it to advertise your services to those in your neighborhood. This is a great place to pick up dog-walking or dog-sitting gigs. 

If you love animals and don’t mind spending your spare time with some furry friends, then this might be the best side job for you. There are also other ways to pick up these types of gigs, such as the Rover app. Here you can set up a profile and build clientele.

If you’re a true animal lover, then your money should pile up pretty quickly. What’s even better about becoming a dog walker or sitter is that when any of your clientele take trips out of town, they’ll most likely ask you to house sit as well and pay you extra for it!  

8. Make Deliveries for Amazon or Uber Eats

Because of the heavy increase in online shopping, Amazon is now hiring drivers to make deliveries for them using their personal vehicles. Uber Eats works just the same, except instead of delivering Amazon packages, you’ll be delivering food from multiple restaurants to customers who ordered it. In most of these cases, you’ll get paid per delivery and are sometimes even given a tip. 

Although a background check is necessary, not all delivering companies require you to even have a car. Some delivery companies like Postmates allow for you to make your deliveries on a bike!

9. Pick Up Some Freelance Work

There’s a popular app called UpWork. If you haven’t heard of it, you should definitely look into it—especially if you’re an awesome writer. Here, you’ll work as a freelancer applying for assignments or gigs that people post. 

Fiverr and Freelancer are other sites where you can pick up jobs like marketing, writing gigs, data entry, design, and even working as a virtual assistant.

When you’re first starting out, it might be easier to find gigs if you start your pay fairly low. But, as time goes by and you become more experienced, you can then raise your rates and charge the going rate for certain jobs if you’re really good at what you do!

10. Find a Babysitting Gig

If you have experience in childcare, or are already a mother, why not add another little human into the mix?

If babysitting is something that you can see yourself doing then it might be time to find yourself a babysitting gig. There are sites and apps like Care.com and Sittercity.

These types of gigs are no longer for teenagers only. College students, recent grads, and even those in retirement or looking for a side job have found success in babysitting gigs. The best way to get started in this business is to have referrals from word of mouth. 

Once you have some good referrals coming in, take the extra time to have a background check done. Background checks do cost money, but they are worth it to make your potential clients feel more comfortable hiring you. It’s also advised to have the proper CPR and First Aid training completed before caring for children. 

Having this type of training completed and a background check done will send you to the top of the list of best people to hire. 

Keep These 10 Ways to Make Money on the Side With a Full-Time Job in the Back of Your Mind

When looking for ways to make money on the side with a full-time job, keep these 10 great ideas handy!

If you try one and it doesn’t work out, don’t become discouraged. There are plenty of ways to earn that extra cash—and one out of these 10 ways is sure to work for you!

It’s time to take control of your money. Start the process today!

Click here to learn how to get a job from home and stack your cash while doing it.