Looking for some extra cash? Making money without leaving the comfort of your home is only becoming easier every year. And that can be very convenient if you are looking for something you can do in your free time as a side hustle, or just want a way to make cash that doesn’t involve dealing with a commute every day. Here are some great ideas that can help you make money from the comfort of your home. Some of these work better as one-off projects, while others can allow you to make money for years to come.
Contents
1. Sell old stuff
When was the last time you had a big spring cleaning? If you are the type of person who has all sorts of odds and ends tucked away in boxes or stuff into their basement, there’s a good chance you can make money by selling these online.
This works great if you have been meaning to clean out old stuff anyway. Go through your old items, take stock of what you have, and check online to see which of your items are worth selling. It’s the modern equivalent to holding a yard sale, with the difference that selling it online allows you to get much better prices for some items.
Keep an eye out for old pieces of tech that have grown old enough to become collectibles. Vintage gadgets and game consoles in good condition can sell for a fair bit.
2. Sell printables
If you have an eye for design, making and selling printables can be a great way to make money. All you need is a decent printer, an embossing machine like the ones found on this website, and some DIY skills. “Printables” that sell well run the gamut from simple games and word searches to elaborate wedding invitations, and selling them online is relatively simple. You can create a profile on an existing platform, or create your own eCommerce store from scratch.
The popularity of printables is only expected to grow as more and more people start to value well-crafted printed materials for a variety of purposes. There’s enough potential here that you can turn this gig into a full-time job if you can secure a loyal customer base.
3. Repair and restore vintage stuff
Demand for vintage items is on the rise. In part because getting a piece of clothing or furniture that is no longer produced is an easy way to get something unique, and in part due to an understanding that things used to be made better back in the day. And this interest means that if you have the necessary skills, you can make decent money repairing old stuff in your garage.
What you should repair will depend on what your skills and knowledge allow you to restore. The vintage trend has extended to include everything from old pieces of furniture to clothing, gaming consoles, and even old iPods. Smaller objects are easier to ship and restore, but bigger items will often sell for more, so choose what to restore accordingly. And look for stores that sell broken or falling apart items in bulk for cheap.
4. Take online surveys
There are lots of fake online survey sites out there that scam people out of their time. Despite that, there are honest sites that allow you to make money just by taking surveys. It’s a legitimate business model; after all your opinion is valuable for brands. Conducting market research and surveys through traditional methods can cost thousands of dollars, so many companies turn to paid online surveys as a cheap alternative.
You are unlikely to get rich by taking online surveys. But considering this is something you can do on your phone while watching TV, it’s not a bad side-gig. Just make sure you check a site’s user reviews to make sure they actually pay users before you get started.
5. Do freelance work
There is always a high demand for freelance work online, and way more types of freelance work than you may realize. Looking around you will find places where you can make money not only as a freelance writer and web designer, but also as a freelance marketing consultant, voice-over actor, video editor, graphics designer, lyrics writer, personal trainer, and much more. There is even a market for freelance life coaches.
This all means that if you can do some type of work over video calls or email, there is a good chance there is a freelance market for it. And while most beginner freelancers need to settle for earning very little, once you build a reputation and online presence you can start charging professional rates for your online services.
6. Take a data entry gig
Data entry can refer to all sorts of mundane tasks. But it generally involves reading off documents and transposing data from said documents into spreadsheets or word documents. It’s boring and generally easy to do, but also a necessary task that many companies have taken to outsourcing.
This means that if you can prove yourself reliable with data entry jobs, this can be a steady source of extra income for years to come. The downside is that since this is low-skill work, it seldom pays well.
7. Become a product tester
There are platforms out there that will pay you to test and write you feedback on various products. This includes not only physical prototypes of products that companies are getting ready to market but also digital goods, like apps and other types of software.
8. Do something creative
Making money from art is hard, but platforms like Patreon have made this a little easier. If you are into writing, painting, photography, or some other creative endeavor, keep an eye out for ways to monetize your craft. Very few people earn enough money this way to make a living, but it can be a solid source of additional income. Especially if you start monetizing something you were already doing for free anyway.