Sometimes one job isn’t enough to cover all of your expenses. If you need to earn more money, we have some simple strategies for you to cash in.
If you feel like your income doesn’t stretch as far as it once did, you’re not alone. According to MarketWatch, seven in 10 Americans feel like they could be earning more money to keep up with expenses. Plus, earning more money can help you meet other goals like saving for a future expense, paying off debt, or investing more for retirement.
Over the years, I’ve tried plenty of side hustles and actually prefer to diversify my income streams. There are so many flexible income streams, online platforms, passive income strategies, and ways to get started, but it can become a little overwhelming if you’re wondering where to begin.
But if you have a little spare time, you can definitely pick up a side gig and become one step closer to reaching your financial goals. Here are 7 simple strategies I’ve come up with to help you earn more money right away.
1. Turn Your Skills Into Cash
One of the easiest ways to start earning more money is to monetize your skills. Make a list of some skills and talents you have, then connect those skills to a service you can sell to others. Here’s what this could look like. Let’s say you work full-time at a web design company and you’re looking for extra money, but they don’t offer overtime at your job.
You could offer web design and programming services as a freelancer through platforms like Upwork or Fiverr. Your area of expertise doesn’t have to be tied directly to your main job, either. Maybe you like to do photography in your spare time or bake sourdough bread. Find a product or service you can offer that people will find valuable and be willing to pay for.
Market your services on social media platforms or reach out to local business owners to share your experience with them and see if there’s an opportunity to work together.
2. Start a Profitable Side Hustle
Yes, this may sound easier said than done. But the great thing about starting a side hustle now is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel and start from scratch. So many people have been successful with their ideas, and many are willing to share how they did it. Whether you have an idea of what you’d like to do or not, explore reputable courses, blog articles and guides, podcasts, and YouTube videos to gain proven strategies that others have used to start earning extra money.
Maybe this looks like starting an Etsy shop based on a strategy from a blogger or influencer you follow. Or, it could be creating and selling custom t-shirts based on instructions you get from an in-depth TikTok video, or even driving for Uber or Lyft using strategies you picked up from an expert on a podcast.
There are so many ways to turn a hobby or even an interest into a side business that helps you earn more money during your free time.
3. Make Money Online From Home
Making money online from home is one of my favorite options. I started doing this years ago when I didn’t really have a choice. My son was very young at the time, and I couldn’t work outside the home much due to limited childcare. I started doing things like signing up for survey sites to take online surveys and participating in focus groups.
I’ve always enjoyed writing, so I would often search Craigslist for legitimate paid writing gigs and landed a few great ones. If you’re interested in content creation, you can always try things like starting a YouTube channel or a blog and monetizing it with ads through Google AdSense, affiliate marketing, or sponsorships.
Of course, those strategies will take time to build up to the point where you can earn an income. If you don’t want to wait, you can also try short task sites to make extra cash. Some options to check out include Fancy Hands, which pays for virtual assistant work, or Rev, which pays you as an independent contractor to complete transcription tasks.
4. Sell or Trade What You Don’t Use
So many Americans have items lying around that they no longer want or use. Schedule a big decluttering day to go through your garage, closets, basement, and storage areas, and round up items you can sell for extra cash.
You’ll get bonus savings if you’ve been paying for storage materials when you’re not likely to use those items. Things like old phones, electronics, home decor, children’s clothes and toys, small furniture, and even unused gift cards are all great items to try to sell.
You can sell items online through eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, or Mercari. Or, you can sell items by hosting a big garage sale or yard sale. Just be sure to advertise your sale in local groups and put up clear signs beforehand.
Selling your unused items may not make you a consistent additional income, but it can help you get some quick cash to pay for any immediate expenses and free up space in your home, so it’s a double win.
5. Offer Your Services Locally
While I love working online and from home, it can be competitive if you are trying to land paying gigs quickly or if you apply to a job posting that hundreds of others have also applied for. You can cut down on some of that competition by offering your services locally and sticking to a small area near home.
You can offer services such as cleaning, childcare, laundry, or pet sitting to customers in your local community. Social media is a great place to market these services, but don’t underestimate word-of-mouth referrals and in-person connections. Maybe someone at your gym is looking for a babysitter for date nights, and you’re allowed to put up some flyers. Or, maybe you can tutor some of the students at your child’s school as a side gig, too.
6. Explore Creative Passive Income Streams
Passive income is highly sought after these days. Many of us resonate with feeling like we’re working too much and running the risk of getting burnt out. If you would like your work to go further and you have some patience, a passive income stream could be a good way to earn extra income in the long term.
Lean toward ideas that don’t require a big investment upfront, like starting a YouTube channel, doing affiliate marketing, using a high-yield savings account, or creating digital products. While these things will take some time and effort upfront, they can definitely pay off over time. Go in with a strategy and map out the hours you can put in each week and which tasks you want to accomplish during that time.
7. Take on a Second Job (Even Temporarily)
Sometimes, you may need to take on a second job, and that’s okay. If you have big financial goals like paying off debt, paying for a wedding, or taking a dream vacation, it could make sense to work an extra job for a short period of time. It may not be sustainable long term, but if you have an end goal in mind, this strategy could work well.
Balancing a day job with a second job can be challenging, so choose something that offers a little flexibility to work with your current schedule. Jobs in retail, hospitality, and food can offer flexible schedules. Or, if you typically work Monday through Friday, maybe a store that needs help at night and on weekends could be a good fit.
One year, my husband and I both got seasonal jobs at an Amazon warehouse during the holiday season. We earned around $21 per hour working a variety of short, four- to five-hour shifts. Amazon also offered a $1,000 sign-on bonus for workers after their first 30 days, which I was able to earn. My husband went on to stay at Amazon for six months and earned a $3,000 sign-on bonus, which was a nice way to make extra money during that season.
Summary: Find What Works for You
Now that I’ve given you tons of proven strategies to start earning extra money on the side, I want to encourage you to narrow down your skills and interests and test out a few results. It can be a little scary when you’re jumping into a new venture, but it’s important to give it an honest try if you expect to get any results. With a little money and some spare time, you could find the perfect side hustle that works well for your needs and lightens your financial burden.
