How to Make Money on the Side: 15 Ideas to Make Extra Money This Year

Share this:

Do you want to make money on the side? Are you always living from paycheck to paycheck? If you’re not interested in looking for a full-time job or don’t want to add a permanent part-time job to your schedule, you can consider a side job.

If you’re searching for ways to make extra money, you’d likely come across tons of strategies. However, it is possible to earn a good amount of money quickly depending on your needs and the skills you have.

Irrespective of where you live or your job, the internet has made it convenient for everyone to make money. As long as you know how to make good use of the opportunities on the internet, you can make money on the side, even if you have a tight schedule.

I have listed 15 strategies in this post to show you how possible it is to make extra money. Some of these strategies will make you money within a short period while others will require you to be patient.

Either way, choose a method that appeals to you; one that aligns with your skills, commit to it, and you will reap reasonable value from it.

SEE: Practical Ways to Make Money on Weekends Real Quick

1. Tutor online

Being a tutor does not mean you must make straight A’s in high school and college. Tutoring is all about what you are good at and how well you know such a thing. Tutor.com, Studypool, TutorMe, and other online tutoring companies hire tutors to teach students on different topics.

Just ensure that you’re careful when considering the tutoring gig to accept. Some of the students on these platforms are looking for someone to help with their essays or do their homework. Be smart while you go through the job postings.

2. User experience tester

Every business works towards having websites that offer valuable information, hit their set goals, and make money. If something is not working, the business needs to understand the reason behind such an occurrence. That is most companies hire user experience testers to give feedback about their websites.

If you are good at spotting if a website is user-friendly by spending some minutes perusing the site, you can sign up on sites like TryMyUI or UserTesting to get paid for sharing your feedback. Most of these companies pay about $10 for each test that you complete.

3. Complete online surveys

You can also make money on the side by signing up on survey sites where you will be paid for taking surveys and giving your opinion.

Sounds like a great deal, right? Just don’t forget, these platforms are looking at some specific things when they accept people. So you may not qualify for all surveys that you apply for.

Also, you need to finish some surveys before you can withdraw your earnings. Completing online surveys is not a get-rich-quick scheme by any means, but the extra cash you make can add up to become something tangible with time.

You can try this out if you are patient and persistent. Some of the popular sites that you can join to complete surveys include the following:

  • Survey Junkie: The site pays you cash for sharing your opinions and thoughts.
  • Swagbucks: This site is dedicated to surveys and pays you $5 for signing up.
  • MyPoints: you will earn a $5 gift card for registering, verifying your email, and for every 5 surveys you take.
  • Opinion Outpost: The site pays you cash for filling out options. You will have access to lots of options when you sign up.
  • Branded Surveys: Get cash and gift cards for completing surveys.
  • Fetch Rewards: This app pays you for completing surveys and executing other tasks.

4. Consult/coach

Do you have any skills? It may range from offering legal advice, informing brands on how they can become more eco-friendly, or assisting start-ups to get started.

Coaching or consulting is a lucrative side hustle because it is easy and pocket-friendly to start (I assume you already have the required knowledge and experience). As a coach or consultant, you can build your schedule and offer your coaching services whenever you are free.

5. Freelance

Another flexible side hustle that you can use to make money on the side is to become a freelancer. This does not require a long-term commitment. As a freelancer, you can write content, design a logo, film a product, or become a virtual assistant.

The actual task you do depends on your interests and skills.

There are many websites that you can join to get freelancing gigs. Some of these sites include Fiverr, Upwork, PeoplePerHour, and lots more.

SEE: How to Make Money Online Without Investment

6. Make money from your vehicle

If you have a vehicle, you can make money on the side from it whenever you are not using it. There are websites and companies that you can join that will pay you for your car.

Depending on your country of residence, you can earn up to $35 per hour. You can also register your car as an airport shuttle service vehicle and move people to and from the airport.

Go through the websites of companies for information on driving, delivery, and delivery helper gigs in your location. You can easily apply online from your smartphone or laptop on these websites:

If you don’t like driving but you’re adept at flying drones, you can find pilot opportunities at DroneBase. However, you need to be licensed to fly drones.

7. Blogging

Blogging is a good way to make money on the side because it can be done at your own pace wherever you want. Although it is not a way to make quick money, there are lots of opportunities to make money from blogging.

For instance, you can become an affiliate marketer and promote other people’s products, sell advertising, sell your products, and lots more. It takes time to get an audience and make a decent amount of money from the audience, but once you have a large audience, you can earn at least $15,000 every month.

You need hosting for your website. I love Bluehost because you can start with just $2.95 per month by using our special code. Bluehost also gives you a free domain name.

SEE: How To Make Money Blogging

8. Caregiver

Babysitters are in high demand. Eldercare is also a fast-growing niche. You will always find caregiver positions with flexible hours. To get started, you can either sign up for a caregiving service like Care.com or secure your jobs.

Irrespective of the route you take, you will be able to set your availability depending on your schedule.

9. Pet sitter, dog walker, or Sniffspot Host

If you prefer working with pets, then you can consider pet sitting to make extra money. You could be self-employed or work at a boarding facility or doggy daycare. You can get started by checking with your family, friends, and neighbors.

Also, you can register on sites and apps such as Rover and Wag to market your pet sitting service. Rover has different opportunities for dog groomers. If your yard is dog-friendly, you can earn extra money by becoming a Sniffspot host.

10. Customer service representative

This is one of the fastest-growing occupations. You will come across lots of opportunities to get hired. You can work for either online or in-person jobs. If you want to work around your day job, you will find plenty of evening and weekend jobs.

Check out this post for more information on the best customer service jobs and how to get them.

11. Sell items on eBay or Craigslist

One of the best ways through which you can make extra money if you’re broke is to sell items on Craigslist or eBay. You can sell used items such as household appliances, furniture, collectibles, and any other thing that you are not using.

If you are committed to this, you can do it professionally for others and earn some commission from each sale. Take high-quality photos of the items and write a good description that will make people buy the items.

12. Recycle old smartphones on Gazelle

Lots of people sell used smartphones on Gazelle and you can too. It is a no-hassle way of making money on the side. If you have an old Samsung smartphone or iPhone (or any other unused device), sell them on Gazelle for some money.

Although you will not get lots of money for doing this, you will be able to earn some cash that you can use to meet emergency needs.

13. Email marketing

Email marketing is one of the most lucrative types of marketing that you can find on the internet. However, it takes time and effort to attract subscribers and make a personal connection with your subscribers.

You can use the following platforms for email marketing:

  • LeadPages
  • Constant Contact
  • Aweber
  • ConvertKit
  • MailChimp

14. Organizer/ mover

If you are organized and you find fun in cleaning out cabinets and closets, then you can get paid for your passion for clearing out clutter. To get started, sign up on Goshare or Bellhops.

15. Become an Instagram influencer

Most of us dream of becoming popular while growing up. However, the truth is, not all of us can act or sing. Fortunately, it is still possible for you to build a brand around yourself depending on what you do.

If you have a cool fashion sense or you’re very good at baking nice cakes; you can be popular in these areas. You can start a side hustle as an influencer on Instagram. If you don’t like the fame, you can build a following on Instagram around your expertise.

Also, you can monetize your Instagram account in different ways by selling products on your site, offering sponsored posts and Instagram takeovers.

SEE: How to Make Money as an Influencer

How Much Can You Make on the Side?

The actual amount depends on the specific side hustle that you focus on. However, according to the survey carried out by Dollar Sprout, 73 percent of side hustlers earn less than $200 every month. However, one in six people earns nothing less than $500 on the side.

FAQs

How can you legally make money on the side?

In addition to the strategies discussed in this post, you can also use the following strategies to legitimately make money on the side:

  • Get paid for your photos
  • Join a focus group
  • Advertise on your car
  • Start pet sitting or babysitting
  • Become a food delivery driver

SEE: How to Make Money on Fiverr

How do you make an additional $1000 every month?

If you’re interested in making an extra $1000 a month, you can use any of these ideas:

  • Freelance writing
  • Retail arbitrage
  • Website development
  • Sell your old stuff
  • Graphic design
  • Audio transcription
  • Invest your money
  • Help people with computers

Conclusion

Now that you know what to do to make money on the side, you can try out any of these ideas and see if you can make a nice amount of money.

You can make extra money online or offline every month with your side hustle. Having a side hustle will also help you develop new skills, build your portfolio, and achieve financial freedom. So, enjoy it.

Take a risk by pursuing a new hobby that you’re curious about. This is your best opportunity to live life the way you want. And by having some money in your pocket, nothing can stop you from making your dreams a reality.

Do you need more ideas that you can use to make more money? Tosinajy has got you covered. Check out ideas that I have compiled to help you make an extra side income.

Thanks for reading.