If you’re in need of some money and you’re ready to hustle, there are plenty of legitimate ways to make some extra money. While some options won’t earn you much, they may be enough to help you make that credit card payment or cover gas for your car.
Here are 20 ways to make money online and offline while maintaining some flexibility in your schedule.
1. Freelance writing
As a freelance content writer, you take on assignments to write articles, blogs, technical pieces and other types of content. In this type of work, you’ll typically earn a certain amount per word or a set amount predetermined by the company. As a freelance writer, you could find yourself writing on anything from higher education to marketing content. You can find work on websites like Upwork, FlexJobs and Fiverr.
2. Maintenance work
If you’re a handy person, you could market your skills to friends and neighbors. Not everyone is handy, so this can be a much appreciated skill that people are willing to pay for. By doing maintenance work on the side, you could be working on anything from repairs to minor plumbing.
Check out the Handy app if you’re interested in getting paid for maintenance work.
3. Yard work
If you’re not very handy but still want to work with your hands, yard work can be an excellent way to make some money on the side. Shovel snow, mow the lawn, rake leaves — many people are willing to pay for someone else to do work around their yard.
4. Drive for Uber or Lyft
If you have a fairly new car and a good driving record, driving for a transportation service like Uber or Lyft can be an easy and flexible way to make some quick money on the side. You can work on a schedule that fits your lifestyle, whether that means working early mornings, nights or weekends.
5. Do chores
TaskRabbit is an app that focuses on matching people who need chores done with people who are looking to earn some money. This could include simple tasks from moving furniture to cleaning someone’s kitchen. Just set your rate and availability so people can then hire you on the platform.
6. Sell products on Etsy
Creative and artistic? Consider selling your wares on a website like Etsy where people regularly visit to purchase jewelry, art pieces, clothing and trinkets. To break even, be sure to budget the cost of materials and shipping compared to how much you’re charging your customers.
For budgeting help, sign up for Bankrate’s myMoney tool to categorize your spending transactions, identify ways to cut back and improve your financial health.
7. Flip used furniture
Handy with furniture and good at finding a bargain? Purchasing cheap furniture and fixing it up to work and look better could earn you some money if you’re able to sell it to someone. Consider posting your work online or set up a booth at a flea market.
8. Baby sit
By watching other people’s children, you can easily make quite a bit of money, especially if you specialize in working with special needs kids or are trained for emergency situations. On websites like Care.com, you can find plenty of families looking for a trusted baby sitter. Care.com will take care of background checks and asks applicants other important questions parents will want to know about you.
9. Pet sit
If child care isn’t your thing, there are also plenty of ways to make a few bucks watching people’s pets or walking their dogs. Consider downloading the Rover or Wag apps. It will connect you to pet owners looking for some help with their furry friends. Once you start working and building up good reviews, that can help you land more jobs on Rover over time.
10. Donate plasma
While it’s certainly not a lucrative way to earn some extra money, by donating plasma, you can earn about $30 per donation. You can donate your plasma up to twice a week. Each state or city may have different requirements so be sure to check with the plasma donation center you’re planning to visit.
11. Rent out your place on Airbnb
Renting out your home to traveling strangers is an excellent way to make some money. If you’re someone who isn’t home much — perhaps you travel often — or you have an extra bedroom, offering your home up as an Airbnb might be the best way for you to make some extra cash. Set your house rules, get some nice photos of your home and decide your schedule for when your home is available.
12. Graphic design
Much like content writing, graphic design work is in high demand. You’ll need to have a good grasp of Adobe products and a solid portfolio. Do some online research and you should be able to find gigs on platforms like like Fiverr.
13. Get a roommate
Do you have available space in your home that could serve as a space for an extra person to live? Consider opening up your home to someone that you trust to take over a spare bedroom or basement to rent out. That way, you can make some extra money to put toward rent or your mortgage without having to do any work. Just make sure you set up a written lease agreement with the other person so you can avoid legal trouble down the road should it come up.
14. Manage social media
Many businesses and organizations struggle or don’t have the resources to navigate social media and keep their accounts updated. It can be an overwhelming task if a business doesn’t have enough staff to prioritize it. For this reason, many companies are willing to pay others to manage and update their various pages, whether that’s Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or something else.
15. Work as a research participant
Want some quick money without doing much work? Look into market research. Lots of companies look for input from consumers on products and services, and want your opinion. Typically, all it involves is you using or testing a product or service then writing a review, answering a survey, or discussing it with other testers.
16. Sell used tech
Have an old gaming console or an old phone that’s gathering dust on the shelf? From Facebook Marketplace to Craigslist, there are a lot of buyers out there looking to get their hands on used, affordable tech. You could even go as far as purchasing electronics and fix them or refurbish them before selling them off again for a higher price.
17. Teach a language
If you’re fluent in speaking English or another language, use your knowledge to teach others. The best part is you don’t even need to have teaching experience in many cases, and some websites will even provide lesson plans for you to follow. You can sign up with platforms like iTalki, where you can teach adults.
18. Food delivery
If driving people around for Uber doesn’t sound right for you, maybe delivering food is a better fit. With services like UberEats, PostMates, Grubhub and Doordash, you can contour your work schedule as a driver around your normal schedule and deliver food orders. Even better? You can choose whether to deliver in your car, bicycle or any other type of transportation.
19. Become a grocery shopper
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people tried to avoid going to the grocery store as much as possible. As life begins to normalize, many customers still want to avoid visiting the grocery store. If you’re looking to make some extra cash, you can apply to become an Instacart shopper and pick up and deliver groceries for people.
20. Tutor
If teaching sounds like something you would enjoy and be good at, look into sites like Chegg, Studypool and GigEd. This will offer you the opportunity to teach subject matters that you’re interested in and have experience and/or knowledge in. With Chegg, you can become an online tutor and teach students via video. Studypool allows students to post questions and will pay you to answer them.