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Would you like to make extra money but aren’t really sure what’s out there? Or maybe you have some idea, like a new side hustle, but you aren’t sure where to get started? On this page we’re going to cover all that – and more.
Now, I am not here to tell you about some get-rich-quick scheme. Far from it. Instead, my goal is to give you a comprehensive list of ways you can earn some extra income here and there which, hopefully, should amount to a significant sum of money.
You might have seen my post about how I paid of my student loans. Let me tell you a little secret, though: I didn’t do that by making extra money. Instead, the main way I was able to get out of debt was by cutting expenses on my housing, transportation, and food.
And honestly, if my goal were to get out of debt and I had to do it all over again, I would still start by aggressively cutting my expenses.
Only after that would I look to make extra cash.
But enough about me. I don’t know what your situation is, but hopefully, you don’t have nearly six figures in student loan debt like I once did.
Okay, so you want to make money fast? Let’s get started!
Best Ways to Make Extra Money
Rather than reinventing the wheel, I thought I would start this off by giving you a list of some of the posts I have already written about making extra money:
- 15 Easy Jobs That Pay Cash Daily
- 9 Side Hustles You Can Complete Indoors
- Swagbucks Review: How To Earn Free Gift Cards (+ Get Paid Via PayPal)
- 18 Apps That Pay You To Walk And Get Healthy
- 19 Surveys That Pay Cash Instantly
Clearly, this is far from an exhaustive list of ideas. The reality is that there are more ways than ever to make money online right now. And it’s likely that list will only expand – rather than contract.
So what are the BEST ways to make extra money? Let’s go over more specific recommendations below.
Start a Blog
First, let me say that I’m not going to promise you that you will immediately make a million bajillion dollars by starting a blog. In fact, many people who blog make very little from it (if anything).
Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Probably something like “Why are you tellng me this? Isn’t blogging just a waste of time?”
The truth is, it depends. See, there’s a big difference between someone who just blogs for fun and someone who blogs with the specific goal of making a living. You may love writing, but if you are doing it purely for fun, it’s true that you probably won’t really make any money from it.
However, if you approach it like a job, you can make money blogging. And there are a ton of other benefits, such as not having a boss breathing down your neck and being able to work from anywhere.
Plus, blogging is extremely cheap to get started with the cheapest package running just $2-3 per month.
Starting a blog is a long game for sure, but it can really pay off if you stick with it. Plus, companies like SiteGround have plans that are cheap and an incredibly cheap value overall.
For a fun way to potentially make money in the long run, consider starting a blog.
Get Paid to Walk
Getting paid to walk of one of my favorite reasons to get paid! After all, getting paid to walk means I literally get paid to keep off the extra pounds. How awesome is that?
There are all kinds of different apps that let you earn extra money this way such as Sweatcoin, CARROT Wellness, Lympo, Runtopia, winwalk, and more.
See my full post on apps that pay you to walk for more ideas.
Earn Money Taking Surveys
Paid surveys are another area where there is a ton of opportunity. Granted, each type of paid survey will probably have low earnings, but the huge number of options lets you find the survey site you like best.
For example, some of my favorite survey sites include:
Also see my post on surveys that pay extra cash for a full list of paid surveys.
Try Swagbucks
You could saw Swagbucks is a survey site, but the reality is, it’s more than that. For example, Swagbucks pays you for watching videos, playing games, searching the web, and even shopping.
That’s pretty sweet since you can use your Swagbucks to get free Amazon gift cards and free Xbox gift cards.
Check out my Swagbucks review if you’d like to learn more.
Pick Up an Online Job
If there is any sort of cohesive theme to this list, it should be the sheer amount of opportunity the internet provides. From freelance writing to graphic design to developer jobs, there is a ton you can do online that requires little more than a laptop and an internet connection.
To that end, one of the best things about online jobs is how incredibly flexible they are. Not only can you do these jobs from anywhere but you can often set your own schedule.
That includes both how many hours you work per week as well as what time of day you’re actually working.
Sound too good to be true? With the right fit, it really isn’t. Check out my list of online jobs for more info.
Sell Stuff You Don’t Need
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like holding on to too much stuff I really have no use for. Luckily, there are apps out there like Decluttr that make the process so much simpler.
That is unless you really can’t bring yourself to part with that CD from The Offspring. Yeah, Conspiracy of One was my first CD…oops. On second thought, I would definitely Marie Kondo that thing now.
In any case, Decluttr lets you get rids of CDs, DVDs, and all kinds of electronic devices. They simplify the process so you don’t have to go to the trouble of finding a buyer – but you still get paid! Pretty sweet deal.
Start a Side Hustle
There are a ton of side hustles you can do nowadays, and so many of them are pretty easy. Fun, even! Now, I know what you’re thinking…


But side hustles can be fun. Especially these days. In addition to the obvious driving for Uber and such, I love to walking dogs and pet sitting through Rover. And by the way, if you use my Rover link, you’ll get $20 if you end up joining. 🙂
But, again, there are lots of different side hustles you can get into. For instance, if you prefer to stay indoors, check this list of side hustles.
Become a Freelance Writer
Freelance writing has allowed me to earn quite a bit of income. And yet, I’m nowhere near earning as much as the big names in the freelancing world.
Nevertheless, freelance writing allows you to earn flexible income that can either be full-time or part-time. You set your own rates and work remotely on your own schedule. Sites like Freelance Writing Gigs and Problogger make it easy to get started.
Whether you’re looking to make full-time online income or just earn some extra cash, I love this gig and would recommend it to anyone. You can definitely make good money this way.
Become a Virtual Assistant
If you want more ideas for versatile gigs that allow you to do a variety of different kinds of work, you may want to become a virtual assistant. You can easily make an extra $1,000 a month with this job alone.
And like many of the jobs here that will allow you to start making money, it can either be full-time or part-time. You can make graphics for a blogger, social media management, or even write some articles for them.
If you want to earn cash with a great remote job, look into being a virtual assistant.
Rent Out Your House – or Extra Bedrooms
I would think that most people already know about sites like Airbnb and VRBO at this point, but I thought I would mention it anyway.
The last time I went to Washington, D.C., I was there for a house sit. The host had an early afternoon flight and wanted to meet with me either the night before or the morning before she was leaving.
I don’t live in D.C. and it’s around a four hour drive, so this was a challenge. However, I wanted the host to feel at ease before she left, so I got a cheap room on Airbnb for the night before.
There were actually people at the place where I stayed. They were in an apartment, too. They just let me crash in a spare bedroom and I left in the morning. Easy enough.
The reason I’m mentioning this is because I didn’t realize people rented out rooms while they are still there. Not everyone would be comfortable with that arrangement, but it worked fine for me.
So, for an easy way to make some extra money, consider renting out your house or spare bedrooms.
Don’t Forget to Invest
I figured I would mention this a bit farther down the list since the main focus of this page is ways you can make money quickly. Investing is anything but; still, that doesn’t mean you should forget about it.


You can either invest through your employer-sponsored retirement plan or with a platform like M1 Finance. The great thing about M1 is that you can buy fractional shares, which basically means you can invest the exact amount of money you want.
Related: How to Invest with Little Money
After all, even though investing is generally a long game, the upside is that it can be done in such a way that requires almost no effort on your part.
Round Up Your Change
One really easy way to invest is by using apps that round up change. How do they work? It’s like this:
Say you buy something for $4.75. Typically, these apps will then round up the remaining 25 cents to make the transaction an even $5.00. Then, it invests that 25 cents.
So not only are you investing, but it makes bank statements pretty for you type-A folks!
Sure, 25 cents may not seem like much, but 25 cents here, 50 cents there – it can really add up in the long run, especially with compound interest.
Use Rakuten to Make Extra Money
Rakuten is actually a cash-back site. That means that when you go to the site, you’ll see several stores where you can shop and earn cashback.
There are lots cash-back credit cards out there nowadays, but those will typically give you at most 2-3% cashback. On Rakuten, you can regularly find redemptions of 10% or more.
Plus, you can stack cash-back from Rakuten along with your cash-back credit card for an even better discount. Give it a try!
Ready to start earning money in your spare time? Let’s do this!

