The post 27 Creative Ways to Make Money appeared first on Millennial Money.
So, your 40-hour work week isn’t cutting it. Or maybe you’re a casualty of the tsunami wave of tech layoffs and looking for some creative ways to make money.
If your wallet’s getting squeezed, there are ways to get some monetary relief fast. Here’s a list of some creative and flexible ways to make money.
You can do most of them from your kitchen table at any hour of the day.
27 Creative Ways to Make Money in 2023
- Take Paid Surveys Online
- Earn Money to Play Games
- Use a Rewards App
- Open a New Bank Account
- Use a Cash Back Shopping App
- Start Freelance Writing
- Become a Virtual Assistant
- Deliver Food
- Invest in Real Estate
- Claim Your Free Blue Chip Stock
- Get Paid to Search the Web
- Scan Receipts
- Sell Your DNA for Science
- Be a Niche Brand Influencer
- Start a Podcast
- Make Money to Work Out
- Sale Your Unwanted Stuff
- Flip Thrift Store Finds
- Sell Your Kid’s Old Clothes
- Sell Your Old Tech
- Start Pet Sitting
- Start a YouTube Channel
- Trade In Your Old Tech
- Wrap Your Car
- Sell T-shirts Online
- Get Paid to Review Music
- Get Paid to Test Websites & Apps
1. Take Paid Surveys Online
Ever wanted to give someone a piece of your mind for a solid 10 minutes straight — and not get punched out for it?
What if you could give someone a blunt takedown — without getting whacked — and earn a few dollars for it?
Welcome to the brutally honest world of online surveys.
Earn extra money for weighing in on a variety of hot-button topics, consumer issues, and weird, random surveys that market research companies pay big money to put together.
Most online surveys pay from 50 cents to a few dollars, but do a few surveys a day — every day over a month — you can see how it all adds up. There’s even the occasional in-person focus group opportunity where you can make $200 or more for a few hours of work.
Some of our favorite survey sites to earn extra cash include:
You do need to qualify for and complete a survey in full in order to earn the cash reward. Typically you’ll earn money in points and those points can be redeemed toward free gift cards, PayPal cash, Visa gift cards, or other prizes.
2. Earn Money to Play Games
You could earn up to $100 a month — or more — for playing games like Bingo and Solitaire. In fact, there are a number of game apps that will pay you cash prizes for duking it out head-to-head with other players.
Pit your skills against other card competitors and see who can clear the most cards the fastest. Top players earn over $14K a year.
You can wager different amounts; the higher the wager, the greater the prize potential. Most players won’t see $14K, but if you have decent Solitaire skills and play in smaller (less competitive) prize pots, you could reasonably make $3 to $4 a day.
3. Use a Rewards App
Did you know you could earn $5 free in 3 minutes by getting a free car insurance quote? Or get $1.50 for signing up for a free, new couponing app?
There are thousands of deals like this every day online. Consumers may not know where or how to find them, but the deals platform Kashkick can connect you with the best ones. They’ve cut through the clutter to bring you the best ones.
While there are many similar rewards apps, the deals can be presented in a confusing jumble. Or you need to provide a lot of data in order to “unlock” the available offers. In a stripped-down, streamlined way, Kashkick lets you explore a whole library of cash-paying deals ripe for the plucking.
Kashkick offers can pay anywhere from a couple of dollars to a couple hundred dollars.
4. Open a New Bank Account
Banks are battling for your business, and offering killer deals to get you to switch accounts. You could get up to $200 for signing up with a better bank or credit union this week.
Banks will pay cash bonuses in the hundreds of dollars to win over new customers.
Right now, Chase Bank has a bonus going for new customers. Get $200 from Chase after your first direct deposit is made into your new Chase checking account.
5. Use a Cash Back Shopping App
A number of cash back shopping apps will pay you cash for shopping at your favorite stores online. The cash you get is your rebate – your cut of the shopping app’s commission for sending the store a paying customer.
There are hundreds of cash back shopping programs, but Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is a standout. Rakuten offers you the most cash back (highest rebate percentages) covering a massive directory of nearly 4,000 popular online stores.
Other outstanding cash back shopping apps and extensions include:
- Capital One Shopping
- Honey
- RetailMeNot
- Shopkick
6. Start Freelance Writing
Freelance writing is a fantastic way to make money online. Even if you don’t have experience, it’s a career pursuit you can dive into today.
Pick up freelance writing work on gig sites and on more traditional job boards. Make a thoughtful listing that stands out, and be sure to set your rates low to get started and build clients.
Websites to checkout include:
- Fiverr
- ProBlogger
- Flex Jobs
- Craigslist
You can create profiles on multiple sites to increase your reach.
You can also reach out to existing bloggers and ask if you can write a free article for them. Let them know that you are starting out as a freelance writer and you would like to have a few public bylines to build traction.
Doing this will help you build your portfolio and relationships with other writers.
7. Become a Virtual Assistant
Work-from-home virtual assistants in the U.S. make an annual average salary of just over $59K, with the very best pulling in a whopping 6 figures a year.
Virtual assistant work is only growing in popularity with the explosion of hybrid and remote work. Common virtual assistant job duties include:
- Maintaining their boss’ work calendar and scheduling appointments.
- Booking travel.
- Managing email accounts, including writing and responding to email messages.
- Online research.
- Making and answering phone calls.
- Organizing cloud-based documents in shared folders.
- Writing or editing reports.
- Maintaining social media accounts: posting content and replying to comments and direct messages.
- Reputation management. Replying to online comments and reviews, escalating where needed to their supervisor.
There are many places to search for virtual assistant work or to advertise your services. Job sites to check include:
- 24/7 Virtual Assistant
- Virtalent
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- Indeed
8. Deliver Food
Being a food delivery driver is one of the most flexible, money-making ideas you’ll find. Work your own hours, pick up only the deliveries you want, and you’re your own boss.
Nationally, DoorDash drivers earn an average $25 per hour and Dashers can cash out their earnings once a day.
Uber Eats drivers can earn a similar hourly wage, but they are able to cash out their earnings up to 5 times a day.
With either platform, you can earn generous new driver bonuses ranging from $100 to $500.
9. Invest in Real Estate
Investing in real estate isn’t just for the ultra-rich. The explosion in micro-investment apps has made it possible for anyone to own a piece of upscale condos and lucrative commercial real estate.
With as little as $10, you can start buying your own piece of property.
Investors using the Groundfloor app can earn 200 times more interest than what a typical savings account pays, and see a 10 percent average rate of return on their investments.
In addition to Groundfloor, here are some of the other best real estate investment apps:
- Fundrise
- Roofstock
- AcreTrader
- CrowdStreet
10. Claim Your Free Blue Chip Stock
Join the free investment app Robinhood. Not only is it free to join, but you’ll get a free blue chip stock worth up to $100.
Robinhood’s the (micro)investment app that makes market disrupters fawn. And stock brokers groan – with equal passion. It’s a great platform for hands-on investors and stock market newbies.
In a clean, simple, beginner-friendly interface, Robinhood brings investing to the masses. With just a few dollars, anyone can buy shares or partial shares in Ulta, Amazon, or roughly thousands of other stocks traded on the NYSE. In addition to stocks, you can invest in index funds, bonds, mutual funds, royalty trusts, and select OTC equities.
Get your free stock from Robinhood now.
11. Get Paid to Search the Web
iRazoo and Qmee are two reward programs that will pay you for completing various online activities, including using their site’s search engine.
Earn rewards with every search, up to a few cents per query.
While it’s not lucrative, it’s not a bad side hustle either. You’re already searching the web every single day, so why not make money online for it?
And it’s not just for Dolly dates. You can scope out potential bosses or job candidates, song lyrics, trending reels, or anything else you’d ask Google.
12. Scan Receipts
Earn up to $20 a month for buying toilet paper and other select supermarket goods.
The grocery and receipt scanning app, Ibotta, will pay you cash for scanning your store receipts. Get paid for scanning the receipt and/or buying featured items. Just take a picture and submit it from your phone. It’s that easy: just click, tap, and send.
And you can make it even more effortless. With Ibotta, you can link your favorite loyalty program to your Ibotta account. This means when you use your loyalty app (i.e, Target Circle) at purchase, Ibotta will do the rest. Ibotta will automatically ID the eligible purchases and credit your account.
Once you reach $20 you can cash out your rewards for PayPal cash or a free Amazon gift card.
Right now, there is a limited-time bonus for new members to earn $10.
13. Sell Your DNA for Science
Scientists need your saliva sample for medical research. In their bid to find cures for chronic diseases and terminal illnesses, stockpiles of spit (unique genetic profiles) to analyze are absolutely crucial.
Sign up for DNA Simple. To register, you need to answer a few questions online. Your information is held in the strictest confidence. Then if they need participants with your genetic makeup for an upcoming study, they’ll send you a free saliva kit in the mail to send back. The return packaging is labeled and prepaid.
All of the saliva samples are analyzed in aggregate — which means they look at your sample as part of a group whole — and do not identify and analyze just your saliva alone.
And it’s 50 bucks a spit. That’s good money for a few seconds of work.
Since it’s for a good cause, you don’t have to feel gross about it.
14. Be a Niche Brand Influencer
Smaller brands need influencers too; it’s not just the ultra-large fashion and lifestyle brands. If you’ve got a smartphone and Internet connection, it’s one of the most fun ways you can earn extra cash money and/or free products.
Figure out what type of products you’re interested in. Then reach out to smaller niche brands and ask if you can promote their goods in exchange for a small cash payment or free merchandise.
You can find these businesses on TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms. If they are posting content to promote their items but have very few followers, that’s a sign they may need help with their social execution.
You don’t need millions or thousands of followers to get started, or even have your own website. You will probably need a couple hundred or more followers now, and a willingness to continue growing your audience with more content.
15. Start a Podcast
Starting a podcast has the potential to make a lot of money and be a rewarding experience as you connect to on-air guests and your listeners.
You don’t need to pick a popular topic to get started or have a naturally soothing, honey-toned voice. Just a willingness to jump in.
You will need a way to record your voice to start. And then you can edit it. There are a number of options for free podcasting software, like Audacity or Zencastr.
After you’ve edited it, upload your recording to podcast directories like Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
16. Make Money to Work Out
Maybe you struggle to find the motivation to work out. Just thinking about exercising makes you do mental somersaults.
So a workout rewards app — that pays you cash for getting fit and staying on track with your healthy lifestyle goals — may be just what you need.
A number of fitness apps will pay you cash and free gift cards for working out.
Some of these fitness reward apps include:
- Sweatcoin
- Healthywage
- Evidation
- Fitforbucks
- StepBet
17. Sale Your Unwanted Stuff
You could earn up to $300 a month for regularly purging your closet, along with flipping all those thrift store finds.
It can be a learning curve to figure out which clothing items, sizes, and brands are most in-demand.
tart small by just hawking your own old clothing, and then try scouring the thrift stores for a few items you can sell at a markup.
For some dedicated thrifters, selling secondhand clothing is a full-time day job.
18. Flip Thrift Store Finds
I love finding bargains that I can flip in online marketplaces.
I look for goods that you can easily store and quickly unload with minimal effort – like popular toys and vinyl albums that are priced cheap.
But if you’ve got the patience and know-how to refinish furniture or restore antiques, you could build a business empire.
19. Sell Your Kid’s Old Clothes
There’s big money in used children’s clothing. That box of outgrown apparel could fetch up to $500 online.
Clothing resale apps and Facebook groups are booming.
Many high-end or niche kids’ labels command a major cult following and parents can re-sell their children’s old clothing for 50 percent or more of what they initially paid.
Used clothing markets are flooded with parents hunting for bargains, or those DISO (desperately in search of) limited-time prints for matching sibling outfits.
Popular resale sites and groups for second-hand children’s clothing include:
- Facebook Marketplace
- Facebook buy-sell groups
- Mercari
- Kidizen
20. Sell Your Old Tech
Most of us probably have a cache of old video games, DVDs, and dated technology that’s just gathering dust — books too.
If you haven’t grabbed a particular movie or book since 2009, I can confidently tell you that the urge won’t suddenly overtake you again.
A smarter move, for your wallet and your sanity, is to get that clutter gone. You can sell old video games (even original NES and Atari), DVDs, books, and CDs. Stores like Half Price Books will pay you cash on the spot. For any items the store doesn’t buy from you, Half Price Books will donate them so you’re not stuck lugging the box back home.
Amazon is another great place to clear out your old media. You can easily list your used items on their Marketplace.
21. Start Pet Sitting
You can get paid up to $1,000 a month to play with dogs and improve your physical and mental well-being.
And you don’t even have to own a dog to get the benefits of canine companionship.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), regularly waking or playing with dogs can lower your blood pressure and improve your physical fitness and emotional health.
There are a number of dog walking and pet-sitting apps that will connect you with pet owners who need someone to walk their dogs, pet-sit during the day, or even babysit their pet overnight.
Find pet-sitting gigs on these popular apps:
- Rover
- Wag!
- PetWalker
- GoodPup
- Wooftrax
22. Start a YouTube Channel
Starting a YouTube channel is a fun way to earn extra money each month. And for dedicated YouTubers, it can even become a full-time job.
With your phone or other recording devices, you can make and share videos and short reels about topics you’re interested in.
Content you could try includes:
- DIY videos
- Thrift store hauls
- Unboxing videos
- Product reviews
- Service reviews
The video doesn’t have to be super polished, although using good lighting and a tripod (to keep the phone steady) will help.
Eventually, you can monetize your videos through YouTube ads, product sponsors, and other advertisers.
DIY videos are especially popular and helpful — no matter what the skill. People will often look for DIY videos to explain things that they know to others, like how to post a status update on the TikTok.
23. Trade In Your Old Tech
You can get paid up to $740 cash for your old Apple laptop. The premium tech giant offers cash and generous gift cards for trading in old phones, iPads, and laptops.
Other electronic retailers have similar programs to give new life to your old tech.
- Amazon: trade in your old Amazon devices (from anywhere you made the purchase) toward a new Amazon device or free Amazon gift cards.
- Microsoft: customers can trade in old Microsoft devices for cash (via PayPal) or credit toward a device upgrade. Eligible items include laptops, tablets, gaming consoles, or phones. There’s also a business trade-in program.
- Best Buy: electronics giant Best Buy has an extensive trade-in program for old technology devices. You can get a free and quick estimate of your device’s trade-in value on the Best Buy website. Apply your trade-in toward new gear like wearable technology, phones, laptop, or gaming hardware.
And before you decide to hand off any of your old technology to the kids, ask yourself, “Am I willing to give a child $400?”
I was all set to give my 4-year-old my old iPhone yesterday (to use like an iPad). But then I found out my old iPhone — a bare bones model already three generations behind — was worth $400, and I had a quick change of heart.
Bottom line: your old device could be worth hundreds of dollars. Figure out what the device’s market value is before deciding how, or if, you want to part with it.
24. Wrap Your Car
You can earn up to $450 a month for getting your car professionally wrapped in an advertisement.
If you don’t mind turning your vehicle into an ambulatory billboard, this is a fantastic hustle. You’re already driving your car anyway; now you can get paid to do it. Even after gas and vehicle wear and tear, you’re still coming out ahead.
Advertiser programs that will pay you to wrap your car include:
- Carvertise
- Wrapify
- Nickelytics
- Free Car Media
25. Sell T-shirts Online
There’s big money in the online business of selling t-shirts. According to Statista, the U.S. t-shirt market is worth just shy of $45 billion – with healthy growth projected over the next four years.
Etsy and Amazon are the most popular storefronts for merchants selling t-shirts. Seller-reported sales figures vary wildly. But sifting through the minutiae (online forums), it appears that $1,000 in profits every month is a common goal that many sellers achieve.
Even beginners with no sewing or graphic design experience can make money at this venture. By printing on demand, you can minimize inventory and other startup costs.
If you’re interested in diving, Printify has lots of great resources to help you get started selling tees.
26. Get Paid to Review Music
If you love listening to new tunes, then Slicethepie is the gig for you.
Earn cash for listening to and reviewing music — up to 20 cents per song review. You won’t make big money fast (or ever) with this sideline, but you won’t find a funner way to earn extra cash. Especially if you’re a major music lover.
If you spend 10-20 minutes per day writing reviews, you could probably earn an extra $10 every two weeks — with $10 being the minimum figure you need to cash out using PayPal.
In addition to music, you can make money for reviewing other types of products and services like:
- Apparel
- Accessories
- Other fashion items
- TV commercials (pre-release)
27. Get Paid to Test Websites & Apps
With UserTesting, you can earn up to $100 a week for testing websites and apps.
Developers, product managers, and user experience (UX) designers want your feedback on how a website or app works — or doesn’t work — in terms of functionality, web design, and overall ease of use.
Tests can pay anywhere from a few dollars to $60. Most take 10-20 minutes to complete.
You’ll need to turn on your webcam for these tests, and answer the testers’ questions aloud as you use the site (or app) and navigate the user flow.
- Can you easily find key elements, like help pages, checkout page, or the header menu?
- Do the images, text, and other page elements load correctly?
- Does the business appear professional?
These are just a few of the questions you might encounter.
The more detailed and helpful your feedback, the more you can earn over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the secret way to make money?
Many of us are looking for secret ways to make money online because we don’t want to advertise that our budget is stretched thin. Or we have a boss who would not approve of us picking up extra work.
Playing free games and taking online surveys on reward apps is a good way to covertly earn extra cash. While you won’t be able to get rich, survey and rewards apps offer a reliable way to earn an extra $3 to $5 a day over your morning coffee — or while you’re binging your favorite show at night. At $4 a day, that’s an extra $1,464 a year.
How can I make crazy money fast?
This is a common question from readers. And while “crazy” and “fast” are relative terms, here are a few ideas.
- Drive for Uber or Uber Eats. Pick the deliveries you want to take and cash out up to 5 times per day. Turn down the 0.5 mile drop-offs or $8 lunch orders and focus on the more lucrative opportunities.
- Pick up work on TaskRabbit. There are more open tasks (gigs) listed than taskers available on TaskRabbit. Popular tasks include cleaning, furniture assembly, organizing clutter, snow removal, or gardening work. You are paid almost immediately after the task is completed, and it’s not uncommon for even new taskers to command $15 to $30 per hour.
- Plasma donation. Most donors can earn $100 or more for their first donation (with new donor bonuses) and funds paid are generally available within 24 hours. Check with the Red Cross for plasma donation opportunities near you.
- Craigslist day gigs. It’s possible to find gigs for the day from short-staffed employers. Common day gigs can include moving, banquet setup or tear-down, snow removal, weeding, or cleaning (commercial or household).
What can make you $100 a day?
There are a variety of side hustles that can consistently make you $100 a day.
- Driving for Uber or Lyft.
- Completing random household tasks on TaskRabbit, like decluttering closets or organizing a garage.
- Babysitting Look for nanny work with set hours every week on Care.com, or other caregiver sites. Rates can vary by geo, but in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, most nannies can make $20 to $25 per hour.
- Cleaning houses. Join local community groups online (mom groups, neighborhood groups, etc.) and advertise your services. People hate cleaning and will gladly pay big bucks to offload this chore.
- Deliver food for a food delivery service like Postmates or Grubhub.
- Teach English online with VIPKid. The lesson is already prepped for you; make $14 to $18 an hour for teaching English conversation to classrooms of kids overseas. (Mom-speak translation: Speak in English to kids who may not listen to you – just like at home – but at least you’ll get paid for it.)
What is the most fun way to make money?
Fun is definitely a relative term, but some of the more fun ways to make money include working out (Sweatcoin will pay you for walking), playing games, or starting a blog, a podcast, or YouTube channel.
What can I do everyday to make money?
Survey sites like Survey Junkie or InboxDollars are a great way to make extra money everyday. Surveys typically pay 50 cents to $5, but a few surveys every day can add up to an extra $50 to $250 a month. The key is to remain consistent and make sure you work at it daily.
How can I make money for my business?
Making money for your business can be a challenge, and funding needs can vary wildly from business to business. Some ideas include:
- Get the right credit card for small business owners, which can help you access additional lines of cash with favorable interest rates.
- Looking into personal loans (including peer-to-peer lending) and bank loans.
- Find Venture Capital (VC) investors.
- Apply for special government grants and low-interest loans.
- Ask for help from future customers on crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe or SeedInvest Technology.
How can I make money and have fun?
When it comes to side hustles, the best way to make money and have fun is to find a side hustle that you really love. I’ve tried well over 100 side hustles over the years, and landed upon a half dozen that I truly enjoy. These are the gigs where I make regular, consistent money ($1,000+ per year), like freelance writing, selling used clothing online (it’s a bit of a love-hate thing), blogging, and playing cash app games.
Try as many gigs and sidelines as you can. When you find ones that “click” you’ll know. But make sure to read reviews first and go into them with realistic expectations about how much you can make and the effort you’ll need to put in.
How can I make money doing nothing?
There are actually quite a few ways you can make money doing nothing. Some of the best do-nothing ways to earn include:
- Investing. With just a few dollars upfront, you can make money investing in real estate, stocks, and other assets. Check out Acorns, Stash, or Groundfloor. While you’re sleeping, your money will be making money for you.
- Sleeping. Yes, you can literally make money for sleeping. This can include pet-sitting where you’re getting paid to sleep while boarding a pet in your home, or participating in medical studies.
- Referrals. Invite your friends to join loyalty programs and apps you really love and you’ll reap the referral You just need to share the invite once. Typically it’s an upfront bonus, but some of the best programs will give you a cut of your friend’s earnings for as long as they’re an active user.
- Rent your closet. Or your garage spot, crawl space, or attic. Neighbor is a neighbor-to-neighbor app that pays you cash for storing your neighbor’s goods. You get an easy way to monetize the extra space you’re not using, and your neighbor saves an average $40 per month vs what they would otherwise pay at a commercial storage facility.
The post 27 Creative Ways to Make Money appeared first on Millennial Money.
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