Want to make extra money instantly now that you're stuck at home more often due to the coronavirus pandemic? So do I.
I've been making money online since 2015, when I negotiated a severance from the day job I h ad for 10 years. I didn't intentionally start making money, it just ended up that way as my site grew.
If you want to know fast ways to make extra money, then leverage the internet and building your own website is the best way. Technology has made it super convenient to use your skills, idle assets and everyday habits to make more money on your own time.
How much extra money you're able to earn each year could get well into the thousands if you're dedicated enough. Whether you pick up one side gig or 20, there are all sorts of fun, weird and practical options to choose from!
Here's a list I put together to give you a sense of the range of choices. I've tried and experimented with few of them already.
Fast Ways To Make Extra Money Instantly
* Turn your teaching and tasking talents into cash – I started taking music lessons when I was seven years old. First violin, then piano. It was fun at times, but mostly really hard. I can't count how many times I wanted to quit because I hated to practice, but my parents insisted I continue.
Fortunately, their demands enabled me to become rather advanced by my teens. Even though I've grown rather rusty since my 20s, I have enough experience to teach. Enthusiasm is half the battle.
Think of a talent or skill you have that could be used to earn extra cash – cooking, sports, speaking a foreign language, etc. Teaching is a great way to meet new people, sharpen your skills, and earn some spending money on the side.
Being out of practice is an easy excuse you have to shake off. I haven't taught violin in over ten years, but decided why not start up again. I have more time and flexibility since I successfully negotiated a severance package (thanks Sam!) and am working independently now. I earn between $25-45 per student each week.
Financial Samurai taught private tennis lessons for $50/hour for about 5-10 hours a month. One of my friends earns $30-40/hour on TaskRabbit helping people run various errands around town. And a guy I met catches gophers for $5 (he should raise his prices!). It's a weird skill that has kept him active in his retirement.
* Create an online business – Dreaming about leaving your desk job to start an online business? Start your own website today. The possibilities are endless! You could create a blog, an e-commerce site, sell online courses, offer consulting services, and so much more.
As an online business owner, you don’t even have to create your own product or manage inventory if you don’t want to. There are tons of possibilities to make money. Here are some main reasons why you should start your own website today. Get your creative juices flowing.
* Sell your own creations – Do you have dreams of becoming a professional artist, designing your own products, or selling something handmade? It can be tough to earn a comfortable living as a creative full-time, but there are a lot of opportunities to test your skills and earn supplemental income in your free time.
* Start a website and build your brand – Starting a website can open doors. Financial Samurai, has certainly changed my life and provided me with a ton of opportunities I wouldn't have otherwise. I started my site in 2009 while I was still working for fun. By the end of 2011, it was making a livable income stream so I decided to go full-time in 2012! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine no longer having to work for Big Brother by 35.
Fortunately, creating a website isn't complicated anymore. See how you can set up a WordPress website in only 15 minutes with my step-by-step tutorial guide. I strongly recommend everybody at least register their own name.com in order to build your own online resume and strengthen your brand.
More Easy Ways To Make Extra Money
Here are some great side hustles to consider if you want to make extra money instantly.
1) Make money taking phone calls and answering questions
Do you like talking to people and giving advice? There's a company called Ether that empowers anyone to sell what they have to say over the phone and in email. We all have knowledge to share and Ether helps connect you with people who want to hear it.
A few examples of topics people are getting paid to talk about include: computer troubleshooting, career development, tax help, math tutoring, GRE prep, nutrition, legal consulting and relationship advice. What's nice is your personal info stays private and you control your rates and availability.
2) Get paid to complete surveys, watch videos, shop and search
Swagbucks is a legit rewards site that enables users to earn gift cards and cash back for using their portal to do your online shopping, complete paid surveys, and watch videos.
You can also convert rewards points into charitable donations. I signed up for an account this summer to give it a shot. It can get addictive though and suck up a lot of time if you're not careful.
To give you an idea, 100 rewards points or “swagbucks” (SB) are worth $1. Some offers only earn 1 DB, which I think is a waste of time. Surveys on the other hand are usually between 10-20 minutes long and earn around 75 SB each.
So roughly 4 hours of taking surveys can earn you about $10 in rewards. It's a slow way to earn money, so it's something to do while you watch TV or commute on the train. Video payouts are pretty low, so I recommend sticking to surveys. You can also earn points by using the optional Swagbucks search engine, completing in-app game purchases, and buying products through their retail partners.
Another site that offers cash back rewards for making purchases is BeFrugal. If you find a better offer for a product elsewhere that offers more cash back, BeFrugal will price match plus give you an extra 25% back. Just be careful you don’t end up overspending on needless things just to earn more rewards.
3) Get paid for visiting stores and making purchases
If you like shopping, a fun way to earn free gift cards and find great deals is using Shopkick. It is a rewards program that lets users earn “kicks” that can be redeemed for retail gift cards.
Ways to earn points include walking into specific stores, scanning products, and making purchases. You aren’t required to buy anything, but you’ll want to have enough willpower to resist making impulse purchases when you’re in a store.
I signed up but didn't like how many iPhone settings it wanted access to, so I put this on my back burner. But some people are totally hooked on this app. Users have redeemed close to $32 million in rewards combined thus far, but don’t expect to get rich using it. Realistic monthly earnings in gift cards are probably around $10-20 a month.
Some people use other apps simultaneously such as ReceiptPal, ReceiptHog, Ibotta, Mobee and NCP mobile. These similar apps typically offer rewards like cash payouts or gift cards for scanning purchases and receipts, and collecting feedback.
4) Love sports? Make money by predicting winners
If you’re a big sports fan, check out ESPN’s Streak for the ash app. This game challenges users to build the longest streak of correct picks from a daily list of matchups. You can make more money instantly this way.
Compete in both private and public groups and see who’s the best at predicting winners. While it’s unlikely to give you a steady stream of income, you do have the chance to win big prizes if you get long winning streaks going.
Some of the winnings you can play towards include $25 monthly random drawings; $10,000 “most wins” monthly prizes; and monthly $30,000 giveaways for the longest winning streak entrants.
Make More Money With Your Vehicle
5) Become a ridesharing driver
Everyday drivers can earn extra money any time of day or night by partnering with Uber and Lyft. I've given over 500 rides with Uber and earned roughly $30/hour gross.
If you can work an extra 20 hours a week on the side, that's $600/week gross or $2,400 a month. Not bad! If you can start your own site and start making driving signup referral income, even better.
6) Wrap your car for extra cash
If you’re a car owner and want to make money driving without passengers, check out Wrapify. I don't own a car so I haven't tried this, but I'd totally consider it if I drove a lot. It’s a unique way to earn extra cash by wrapping advertisements on your car – if you don’t mind standing out.
As long as you’re 21 or older, have a clean driving record, and own/lease a car that’s 2008 or newer you can qualify. Don’t worry, the advertising laminates are completely removable and actually protect your car’s paint while they’re on. Once your car is wrapped, you simply turn on the app every time you drive to track your mileage.
The range of money you can make depends on where you live, how much you drive, the terms of each advertiser’s campaign, and how much of your car is wrapped. To give you an idea of how much you can earn, an average driver in San Diego with a daily 25-mile round trip commute makes between $400-600 per month. If you drive 100 miles a day, you could earn somewhere between $400-700 per week.
You can totally make more money instantly driving for a rideshare company. But the rates have come down.
7) Rent out your parking space
If you live in a sleepy suburban neighborhood, trying to rent out your driveway probably isn’t going to work that well. But if you live or work near a popular venue or in a densely populated area, consider renting out your parking space or driveway for easy money.
The one catch is some areas have weird zoning laws that may not permit space-exchanging services. But if your location is restriction free, it’s a simple way to earn extra cash for unused spaces. Check out Monkey Parking, Spot, and Just Park to learn more. Daily parking spots can bring in anywhere from a few bucks a day to $40 or more in parking challenged cities like San Francisco. You can also control how much to charge per hour and per day.
8) Let people rent out your car when you don’t need it
Own a car, but don’t use it very often? Lend it out and get paid for it. Set your own rates and post your car’s availability online through companies like RelayRides. You can even get paid $150-$425/month to park your car at select airports (SFO and LAX so far) for renters to access while you go on vacation or travel for work.
Stay Disciplined And Keep On Hustling
There are tons of different ways to earn extra money these days, especially with the help of mobile apps and the sharing economy. As you build additional income streams, just be careful not to blow your extra cash on needless spending.
Instead of letting lifestyle inflation creep in, consider investing your extra cash right away or using it to pay down debt before you have a chance to spend it. The more you diversify your income streams, the more options you’ll have and the faster you’ll be able to grow your wealth.
One day, your goal is to build as large of a financial nut as possible so your money can work hard for you so you don't have to. Make sure you aggressively save as much money as possible each weak. Feel the pain now so you can one day be free.
Related:
How To Build Passive Income For Financial Freedom
Ranking The Best Passive Income Streams
About the Author: Sydney left a grueling six-figure job in 2015 for a better life. Now she spends her days working for fun in digital publishing on Financial Samurai and raising two kids.
Financial Samurai was started in 2009 and has grown to be one of the largest independently owned personal finance sites in the world. Make Extra Money is a FS original post.