It doesn’t matter who you are; a little extra cash would be pretty nice. You’re planning a shopping trip with friends this weekend, rent is due, there’s a nice new restaurant in town that you’re dying to try, you want to treat yourself for acing your economics exam. All of these are fine reasons to want to make some extra money, but how to earn money fast is the question.
We’ve got you covered. Here are some ideas to make extra money on the side.
Disclaimer: Most of these will probably not make your first million, but they’re good ideas to make a bit of money fast. They’re pretty low commitment, and just about anyone can do them.
Here’s the list.
We’ll start off with Listverse. Listverse is a website that collects lists on all kinds of topics. The best part—Listverse pays their writers $100 per list that they choose to publish.
In order to write for Listverse, you need to be able to write in English like a native and have a love for the unusual, interesting, or strange. Submit your list of at least 10 items and two paragraphs per item, and if they like your list, they’ll publish it and pay you $100 through PayPal!
Before you start writing, surf their site to get a feel for what they want, then have at it!
2. Participate in Market Research
For companies to make money, they first have to spend money on market research. Lucky for you, that means that they have to get your opinions on things. Check out websites like focusgroup.com.
Just fill out a profile and the sites will match you with available focus groups or surveys that you qualify for. Remember that all these people want is your honest opinion. You’re not doing anybody any favors by beating around the bush.
3. Sell Your Stuff
Let’s face it, we all probably have too much stuff anyways (thanks Marie Kondo). There are a million different ways to sell your stuff, and the best way for you depends on what you’re selling. If you’re selling used technology, try eBay. If you’re selling old clothes, try Facebook Marketplace. Selling old furniture? Try Craigslist.
4. Flip Stuff
This method of getting some quick cash is a lot of fun, and it’s really satisfying. You just can’t be afraid to get your hands a little bit dirty.
Search Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for an old piece of furniture like an old desk or nightstand. Try to find something that’s either timeless or actually vintage (not just old).
If you buy something like a dresser with some broken drawers, you’ll probably get a great price on it, and you could sell it for quite a bit more, but it’ll take more work to restore. Or you could buy something that just needs a little face lift and resell that. This second option is less work, but you might not make quite as much money on it.
Once you’ve found your piece of furniture, fix it up! Sand off the old stain and paint it with clean, modern colors. You’ll be surprised how much a can of spray paint can do!
5. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is a site that connects those that need things done to those that can do them. Tasks range from assembling furniture to home improvement. Just get registered with TaskRabbit and download the app.
Once that’s done, the app will let you know about potential tasks in your area. All you have to do at that point is to get in touch with the client, finalize the details, and complete the task. You get to work around your schedule, complete jobs you enjoy, and meet new people!
Oh, and you can put some money towards that Disneyland trip you’re planning.
6. Participate in Academic Studies
This is especially easy for college students. Most of the professors at your university are conducting research so they can publish studies and win the Nobel Prize in their field. In order to do that, they desperately need poor college students to walk on a treadmill, get a brain scan, or watch TV advertisements.
To find studies you can participate in, stop by the offices of different academic departments around campus. They should be able to tell you which professors need some guinea pigs.
7. Offer Yard Maintenance to Neighbors
Just because you’re not ten years old anymore doesn’t mean you can’t rake leaves or mow lawns for some extra money. Take this time when your brain isn’t hard at work to relax, listen to a book, or just hum. If you need a mental health day, it’s hard to beat a day of good old-fashioned physical labor.
8. Rent Out Spare Space
There are also some ways to make money without really doing anything. If you have a spare room or some space that you’re not using, put it up on Airbnb or Neighbor.
Pretty much everyone knows about Airbnb. It’s a place where you can list your extra living space for other people to rent short-term. Neighbor is similar. It’s basically the Airbnb of storage. They connect people’s empty spaces to their neighbors’ extra stuff.
9. Drive for Lyft or Uber
The basic requirements here are that you have a new-ish car and are legal to drive. This idea for making extra money works best in more densely populated areas and around airports, but other areas work as well.
Driving for Lyft or Uber is a great way to earn some extra cash because it is so flexible. You are completely free to work around your own schedule, and you get to meet new people! The first few rides you give can be a bit stressful, but don’t worry! You’ll get the hang of it in no time!
10. Affiliate Marketing
Big companies spend millions and millions of dollars trying to sell their products to as many people as possible. A lot of these companies are totally willing to pay you to market their products for them.
Register as an affiliate with some of these companies and you can get product links that are specific to you. So if someone buys something using that link, the company will give you a percentage of the sale amount.
This way to make money is pretty straightforward if you already have a pretty big social media following. Make sure that you’re being authentic as you post about products you’re trying to market. Don’t market anything unless it’s a product you would actually recommend to a friend. Otherwise you’ll just annoy your followers and they could leave you. Be tactful.
This probably requires the most work of all the ideas to make money fast that we’ve mentioned, but it could potentially have a much bigger payout than all of the other ideas.
That’s It
Now you’re equipped with a lot of great ideas and you know how to earn money fast. So get started and have some fun with your hard-earned cash. Good luck!
