12 Ideas On How to Earn Extra Money

Reaching your financial goals isn’t always easy, but one thing you can do to speed up your progress is to look into options for earning extra cash. This is particularly important if your primary source of income only allows you to make ends meet. In this article we share 12 ideas that will help you diversify and test new sources of income, some of which don’t even require leaving your home!

Earn Extra Money By Offering a Service

One of the most common ways to earn extra money is by offering a type of service that you feel you’ve got a level of competence in. Below we’ve outlined a number of suggestions that may spark your interest. Once you’ve selected one or more of these types of services, you can then decide to offer it on a part time basis, after your work day is over or during weekends. It all depends on your schedule, and that flexibility is one of the great benefits of choosing this method of earning extra cash.

Special Care Services

One of the types of services most in demand is family care (this includes children, the eldery and even pets).

Childcare

If you love children, this could be the job for you. This typically comes in the form of babysitting, but could also include working part time at an institute, such as a preschool. Thanks to the flexibility around scheduling, this could be ideal for those looking to earn extra money on weekends or during some afternoons/evenings.

Elderly Care

As is often the case, at home elderly care can be tough when family members have full time jobs, which is why we’ve seen an increase in the need for elderly care services. As with childcare, elderly care can have flexible hours. It can be an ideal side gig for students and people with part-time jobs.

Pet Sitting

Another in-demand service is that of pet sitting, especially dogs and cats. This type of gig may be less common as the job usually opens up when families are out on vacation or a weekend outing, and are not able to take their pets with them. This type of service also typically includes walking, feeding and, in some cases, grooming the pet. If you are an animal lover and looking to earn extra money, this is may be the ideal job for you.

Gardening

If you are into plants, then a temporary gardening job could be a great option to earn extra money. It is very common that people do not have enough time to take care of their gardens, so it is necessary that someone take care of watering your plants and keeping your patio in a good presentation. If you're wondering how to make extra money gardening, an easy way to get started is by offering your services in your own neighborhood, or to friends and loved ones. Give it a try! You will see that you will be surprised who will require your services.

Manual Work

If you live near or in an agricultural area, one potential option is manual work. This is generally offered seasonally, but it’s also possible to only work weekends. This can be pretty grueling physical labor, but the financial compensation could make achieving your financial goals more likely.

Home Mover

A lot of folks can’t afford the high prices that moving companies often charge. So if you have a suitable vehicle for moving services, this may be a great perfect option for you. Consider teaming up with someone else in your community so you can attract more business. We suggest starting by offering your services in your own neighborhood and via your social network channels.

Car washing

If you’ve got the supplies and a bit of extra time, offering car washing services can be a great option. Many people can’t seem to prioritize washing their car because they don’t have enough time or the necessary supplies. Why not offer this service at a competitive price?
Similarly to the Home Mover service, start with your community and folks you know. Offer special first time discounts to attract more customers and spread the word.

Use What You’ve Got To Earn Extra Money

Below we’ve shared two options of ways to earn extra money by taking advantage of existing assets or capabilities:

Rent a Room In Your Home

If you’ve got a spare room in your house or condo, consider renting it out to earn extra money. Just remember that, if you’re renting your home, you’ll need to ask the owner for permission to sublet one of the rooms. In terms of renting it out, you can either set it up with a direct contract with the renter, or you have the option to use a platform like Airbnb for shorter term rentals.

Keep in mind: If this is the best option for you to earn extra money, take into account that services like Airbnb and Vrbo keep a percentage of what you charge in rent.

Join The Gig Economy

The gig economy is work that is typically short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs, and it’s a great way to earn a little extra cash. The most popular form of the gig economy is driving services like Uber, DoorDash and Lyft. This may be an ideal way of earning extra money if you have off hours in which you can just hop into your car and spend a few hours working.

Keep in mind: In most cases it’s possible to be registered with multiple services at once, so don’t hold back - diversify your options so you can have more opportunities.

Earn Extra Money By Selling Items

Don’t forget that you can also earn extra money by selling things around your house that you no longer need. You could also put your skills to good use to create and sell homemade products. Below we’ve shared information on both options:

Selling Unnecessary Items

If you are looking to earn extra money, this is perhaps one of the easiest ways to do so. It’s just a matter of cleaning out your house and separating valuable items from unnecessary ones. Once you’ve identified the items you don’t mind parting with, you’ve got two ways to put them up for sale:

Selling Online

Selling online is easier than you may think. You need only advertise your items on an online platform such as eBay or Facebook.

Keep in mind: Be sure to describe the characteristics of your item as accurately as possible when selling it. This will make the whole selling experience go much more smoothly as you don’t want to deal with a buyer who feels they were misinformed.

Garage Sale

This is undoubtedly the most traditional way of selling what you no longer need. Just put all the items you want to sell outside your home and put up a few signs, voila! An unexpected benefit of this approach is that you can use it as an opportunity to teach your children how to earn extra money.

Keep in mind: As long as COVID-19 is an issue, keep in mind safety measures like the use of face masks, antibacterial gel and keeping a healthy distance between people.

Selling handmade products

If you have the time, consider using your talents and manuals skills to earn a little extra money. You could create and sell things like woodworked items, handicrafts, artisan jewelry, textiles, paintings, or even homemade food!

Earn Extra Money Online

As you may have already known, one of the most popular ways to earn extra money is through the Internet. Here are three options to try this out yourself:

Offer Classes or Tutorials

This is an excellent option if you are looking for a way to earn extra money by using your knowledge of a subject. Thanks to platforms such as Zoom or Meets, it’s possible to offer courses or online tutorials in any subject, whether educational - such as history, geography, social sciences - or practical - such as piano, guitar or cooking. You can even offer sports training or coaching.

Become a virtual assistant

Not many know of this option for earning extra money, but it’s a great opportunity for some. It consists of carrying out administrative and project organization tasks - such as tracking invoices and arranging meetings. If you’re naturally a very organized person who enjoys creating structure, this may be a great option. You can carry out all of these tasks virtually and from the comfort of your home and depending on your manager you may have some great benefits like flexible hours.

Keep in mind: If you’re looking for this type of job, you can check out online platforms like Workana or SoyFreelancer to look for opportunities. You’ll find that there are a fair number of companies and professionals who request this type of administrative services.

The Rewards Center

Did you know that you could earn extra money simply answering surveys? It is undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to earn extra money from anywhere, at any time with just the use of your mobile phone.

To do so, we recommend registering to the SABEResPODER Rewards Center —you will see just how easy it is to earn a little extra, all the while providing your valuable opinion on products and services for the hispanic community. The surveys deal with various topics, such as food, cars or energy suppliers, among others. Members can make on average between $0.50 and $5.00 per completed survey. Payment amount depends on the survey length and partner.