Are you desperately in need of some extra cash but, for whatever reason, don’t want to work a traditional job? Maybe you were furloughed and are waiting for your employer to call you back. Maybe you are sick or injured and can’t leave the house, or maybe you don’t have any childcare for your baby.
What if I told you that you could earn a substantial amount of extra money each week? We could all use a few extra bucks in our pockets, right?! That’s why I want to show you how you can start an easy side hustle from the comfort of your own home.
While we were busting our butts to get out of debt, I often looked for things I could do on the side that didn’t interfere too much with my regular schedule. Between my part-time job, working on this blog, and filming YouTube videos, I was already feeling short on time, and the last thing I wanted to do was add one more thing to my plate.
If you’re in a similar situation, I want to share a few ideas you could do to make some extra cash each week with tasks you could likely fit into the margins of your day.
I don’t want to throw around any kind of income claims, but I do think it’s possible that you could easily earn $100 (or more) each week, but of course, that is completely dependent on how much time you want to spend working on your side hustle.
Start an Easy Side Hustle Today
No time for a second job or time-consuming side hustle? No problem! Check out these phone apps that will pay you to complete different types of tasks while you’re doing your necessary daily activities.
1. Drive for Uber or Lyft
If you haven’t heard of Uber or Lyft by now, it’s quite possible you’ve been living under a rock. Don’t have time to taxi people around all night? That’s okay. Once hired, you can opt to only accept fares that fit into your schedule.
Picking people up who are already in an area where you are headed or want to be dropped off in an area you are already headed to means you can earn some extra money without having to go too far out of your way or spend precious time you don’t have. Sign up to drive with Uber or Lyft and start earning extra money with a little extra effort!
You’re going to have to make the cut – both companies have a strict hiring process – but if you get in and you’re looking to bust your butt and really make bank with Uber or Lyft.
2. Get Paid To Shop With Instacart
You have the flexibility to accept or decline any order requests sent to you, and you can even earn tips.
3. Take Paid Surveys While Watching TV
I didn’t suggest paid surveys for a long time because there are a lot of spammy sites out there that advertise you can make a lot of money taking surveys online, and I wouldn’t recommend most of them. Then I met the folks from Survey Junkie at a conference, and I was so impressed with them.
Survey Junkie is a legit site (they have an app, too) that will actually pay you for your valued opinion! They give you the opportunity to be an influencer and share your opinions to help brands deliver better products and services.
They have an easy-to-navigate website where you can take surveys, earn points, and cash them in for popular gift cards or cash out via PayPal.
Just to be clear…you’re not going to become a millionaire from taking online surveys, but it is a great way to earn some extra cash while you’re binging on Netflix in bed.
4. Mystery Shop With Field Agent
Field Agent is an app that conducts research for brands by having users complete gigs such as taking pictures of different brand displays or answering questions about in-store merchandising where you can apply to different jobs, many of which pay around $5, with some paying higher.
It’s often not worth the time if you are in a very rural area since there will not be as many jobs available, and you will spend a large portion of your profits driving varying distances to each job.
If you’re in an urban area, it’s likely you could make a lot more money with a lot less effort. For example, if you’re already in town shopping or running errands, you could complete multiple gigs (theoretically) in the same area without wasting your gas or precious time traveling to each job.
I got myself in the habit of doing a quick check on my phone when I was at or headed to a specific store to see if there were any jobs available. I had the most luck with Sam’s Clubs and Walmarts in my area. Check out jobs on Field Agent.
5. Sell Your Clothing Online
You may be surprised by how much money you can make selling your old or unwanted clothing online!
While there are many options for selling your clothes, like Facebook marketplace consignment shops and secondhand stores, in my experience, there are two websites that are not only the easiest to use, hands-down, but will also score you much more money for your items than the aforementioned options.
Poshmark is the first website to look at. It’s easy to use, can be accessed by desktop or app, and makes listing your items a breeze.
Many people follow your “closet” (what your collection of listings is called) and will like and share your listings. Personally, I don’t bother with this feature because I’m not too serious about it, but many people actually earn a full-time living as a reseller, and these features come in handy for them.
One of the great things about Poshmark is each item has a specific shipping price, so there is no haggling and no having to worry about weighing and estimating the shipping for each item. This feature makes it really simple. When you sell an item, simply print out the label and drop it at the post office or put it in your mailbox.
The second simple-to-use site is called Mercari. They are very similar to Poshmark, and I often list my items on both sites at the same time. Again, it is quick and easy to list items on Mercari, but their shipping process differs slightly.
With Mercari, you’re able to offer the buyer free shipping to entice them to buy (I often increase my price a bit and offer the free shipping) plus, they do have different shipping costs based on weight, but still make it very simple to select which one applies to your item and again, just package and ship and once your shipment is received and accepted the money will appear in your Mercari account.
6. Earn Cashback When You Shop Online
I used to think cashback apps were scams until I finally gave in and tried a few…and after earning well over $1000+ now, I now tell everyone and anyone about them.
Here’s the deal…we are going to shop at some point.
In fact, we have to shop and make purchases in our daily lives, right? Right!
So why wouldn’t you sign up for an app (or 3) that will literally PAY YOU for the things you were going to purchase anyway? It’s basically as easy a side hustle as you can get.
My very favorite cashback app is Rakuten. This is my favorite because it’s the easiest (and fastest) to use, I can use it on my phone and my laptop, and I earn the most money with it!
Here’s how it works:
When you’re planning to make a purchase, let’s say at Old Navy, for example.
- Instead of going to Old Navy’s website, you go to Rakuten.com (or to the Rakuten app on your phone)
- Next, type Old Navy in the search line, and it will pop up
- Click on it, and it will take you directly to Old Navy’s actual website
- Make your purchase as you normally would
- After your purchase is processed, you will see the cashback amount deposited into your Rakuten account…it’s as simple (and as safe) as that.
There is also a common misperception that when using Rakuten, you are paying more for the item than you would if you were purchasing it without using Rakuten, but this is false.
You pay the exact same amount. When you use Rakuten, essentially, the retailer is paying Rakuten to refer the consumer (that’s you! to their website, and Rakuten passes some of that bonus along to you in the form of a rebate.
A few more awesome things about Rakuten:
- You earn actual money (not just gift cards). Rakuten pays you at the end of each quarter. You can enter a PayPal account if you’d like, OR they will send you a physical check in the mail.
- You can use it with a ton of websites. They partner with over 2,500 retailers, so get in the habit of checking Rakuten before making a purchase so you don’t miss out!
- You get paid for referrals. It’s true; this is another reason why Rakuten is my favorite. You can refer your friends and family (they give you a referral link once you sign up) to start using Rakuten too. When they join using your link, they will get a $30 welcome bonus (upon spending $30), and you will get $30 put into your account. How awesome is that? Now can you see how you could really earn some cash with this app?
7. Dog Sit With Rover
Calling all animal lovers! If you just can’t get enough of pretty pooches, then Rover is hands-down the best side hustle for you. It’s an even better fit if you happen to work from home.
Rover is an app that allows you to earn money for taking care of dogs, think dog sitting, dog walking, and even dog sleepovers (at your house or theirs). You create a profile, list your available services, and even set your own rates. If the pups give you a good review, you’re likely to have lots of repeat customers.
Get started making money on Rover (and cuddling with super cute pups) today.
We truly live in a world filled with such unique opportunities that no matter your talents or interests, you can find some way to earn extra money to stash in the bank, put towards debt, or treat yourself for all your hard work!
