*This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure
Looks glamorous, doesn’t it? 😉
The following is a post from Kylie Ofiu. Check out her sweet blog after reading all the ways you can make extra money. Then, you know….GO OUT AND DO IT!!! Anyways…back to my itemized deduction form…
Everywhere you look there are ways to make money. I have quite a few income streams and I feel much more secure having a variety of ways I make money than I ever did when I was an at home mum with my ex husbands regular wage. Whether you have a job, are a stay at home parent, student or even working 2 jobs, there are things you can do on the side to make money.
Make money from your sports/hobbies
1.) Coaching: If you love sports and are good at one, depending where you live you can get paid to coach.
2.) Umpire/referee: If you know all the rules you can referee games. Usually you do a few in one day, so it is not just a 1 hour thing, but a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday can provide a nice side income, watching the sport you enjoy.
3.) Lifeguard: You need to get qualifications, but you often get free pool access as well as getting paid to be there. The hours are flexible and while the actual work is not a hobby, the side perks of free pool access are.
4.) First aid officer: You can do this for various sports. Of course you need to be qualified, but it’s not hard to get qualified and there are lots of places you can be a first aid officer from sports through to concerts.
5.) Make and sell things: If you love to sew or make things you can sell them at markets, online at Etsy or even have your own Facebook page.
Make money from your home
6.) Rent out a room: You can get in a boarder or take in an exchange student. Exchange students usually need help getting set up and you have to provide certain things, but it can often be for shorter period than a boarder, so is a good way to test if you like having people in your space. Alternatively, there are many people looking for a room to rent and provided you screen them well with interviews it can be great.
7.) Air BnB: This is a great option if you don’t want someone there all the time. You can rent a room for 1 night or so when you would like through Air BnB. You get more per night than if you had a boarder and there is no long-term commitment.
8.) Rent out the driveway or garage: There are people who want or have caravans, RV’s, boats etc. and they don’t have the space to store them. You can rent out your driveways, garage or even some of your yard to them. They need their own insurance and you need a contract in place, but it is a pretty simple way to make money once set up.
9.) Car space: If you live near office blocks, close to the city or near a stadium/show ground you could rent your driveway out for people to use for a set fee.
10.) Signs on your fence/in your yard: If you live on a main road there are businesses you will pay to put a sign on your fence or up in your yard.
Make money cooking
11.) Bake cookies for salons: When I was a hairdresser I worked in a salon that had fresh, home baked cookies. Our clients loved the homey touch. They were made by the owner’s mother in law, but I know other salons that buy their home made cookies from mums who bake at home because it is nicer than the packet cookies and clients like little touches like that. It doesn’t just have to be salons either, check doctors offices, office buildings and anywhere that has people who have to wait for something.
12.) Seasonal treats: Gruesome food for Halloween, pies for Thanks Giving or Christmas, Christmas puddings etc. Get baking and go sell at markets. My mum did this one Christmas with pies and Austrian Christmas cookies. She sold out within 2 hours and she had 3 long tables of food. Or you could set up a Facebook page and promote your special seasonal treats.
13.) Markets: Cook anything you like such as cake pops, jams, Turkish delight, fudge etc. Especially if you have a great recipe handed down within the family. Treats like these sell well at markets.
14.) Cake decorating: It is almost a necessity these days to have an amazing cake for whatever occasion, even your child’s third birthday party. If you are talented or even just really good at following tutorials and have some practice, cake decorating businesses are a great way to make money and can be done around a regular job.
15.) Unique catering/food styles: Polynesian hangi’s, Christmas cookies or other traditional food from different countries for different celebrations can be a great way to make money on weekends for weddings and parties. You can choose to do full meals or even just treats. Where I live the hangi’s are popular and when my friends do them they send out an invite on Facebook to everyone charging $15 for a plate and they always sell out.
Make money online
16.) Freelance writing: This can take a little while to build up a portfolio but there are lots of places you can sign up to do it or if you like particular websites, magazines or newspapers you can contact them to see if they would be interested in articles from you.
17.) Online surveys: You don’t always make a lot of money with surveys, but many people do them while watching TV or something and it is a little money on the side you can put toward paying off debt or savings.
18.) Write eBooks: You can sell them on your own site or there are many people who make decent income writing eBooks and selling them on Amazon.
19.) Blogging: It takes dedication and passion to make money blogging but if you enjoy it you can make money with direct ads, text links, sponsored posts, affiliate links, AdSense and more.
20.) Buy and resell: I buy and resell books a lot. I pick them up for $1 or so at second hand shops then resell them for $15 – $20* usually. I look for specific books that I know sell well. Some brands of clothing work well doing this or if you have knowledge about certain collectibles you can make a lot of money.
What ways do you make money on the side?
*I live in Australia where new paperbacks cost $30 – $50 and hardbacks can easily go for $50 – $150. So it is easy to sell second hand books for $15 – $20.
This is a guest post from Kylie Ofiu – author of 365 Ways To Make Money, freelance writer, public speaker and financial mentor. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her 2 daughters and shares ways to make and save money as well as her journey to become a millionaire by 30 on her blog.
Jacob Wade has been a nationally-recognized personal finance expert for the past decade. He has written professionally for The Balance, The Spruce, LendingTree, Investing Answers, and other widely-followed sites. He’s also been a featured expert on CBS News, MSN Money, Forbes, Nasdaq, Yahoo! Finance, Go Banking Rates, and AOL Finance.
In 2018, Jacob quit his job and his family decided to sell everything (including their home) to take off on an adventure. They traveled the country in an RV for nearly 3 years, visiting over 38 states, 20+ national parks and eventually settling in the sunshine state!
35 thoughts on “20 Ways To Make Money”
If you’re in the U.S., check and make sure you can bake and sell your goods without and endless list of permits, inspections and the like. It seems out governments, especially local, want to throw up as many roadblocks as they possibly can to keep small business small.
I used to (haven’t had time since the baby came) umpire high school baseball games here. I’m going to say it, you do not make a lot of money doing this. To get a lot of games (at least in my state) you need to join one of the groups here and there is a fee for that. Then you have to drive to the fields (which isn’t covered) and sometimes these fields are in the middle of nowhere. Then, sometimes, you have to take verbal abuse from the players, coaches and fans. In the end, you tend to umpire games because you love the sport, not to make money.
When my son gets old I will probably go back to umpiring and might see if I can work my way to the college level (I now have a contact who can get me an in).
I’ve thought about coaching/umpiring for little league once my son is playing. But we’ll see. I hear parents are brutal, and the politics are pretty bad…. =\
I rent out my garage, which is such a simple way to make money each month. I do have a contract, but I worry a little because I rent my place and technically I’m not supposed to be doing something like this. shhh, don’t tell my landlord!
Hah! If my garage wasn’t full of crap, this would be an interesting idea. Though, i’d probably only want to do wit if I owned a garage NOT on my property.
Mystery shopper: you don’t make a lot of money from it, but so far I’ve gotten a free oil change and a few fast food meals, in addition to a few bucks. And I’ve really not tried hard at all.
I was a lifeguard throughout high school and college. I made really good money and did swim lessons on the side for even more cash, flow. Those were the days!
We have done so many things to make extra money and it really does all add up. We did at one point rent out a room but it wasn’t what we expected so we stopped even though the extra money was nice. Great tips.
I do the myster shopping also. It paid for Christmas this last year. It was great! Also, we rent out our spare room. It’s nice being able to help people out with a place plus having the company can be nice:)
The most recent mystery shopping I have personal done is movie theatre audits. Basically I have to go a theatre and either overtly or covertly count the people going into a series of shows or, my favorite, watch a couple movie trailers to make sure they actually played. When I am free I try to wait for the last minute assignments they can’t fill and they will offer up to $30 for a simple trailer audit sometimes.
This was something I’ve been thinking of a lot. People say that it’s hard to make a buck. But if you look around there is nearly a limitless supply of money making ideas around you. You just need to open your eyes and mind to see them.
I think it’s just a matter of knowing where to look. I love that Kylie knows the ins and outs of making money in a TON of different places, and this list is a GREAT place to start.
I have friends in NYC who have made insane amounts of money with air BnB – and it is all regulated, so they said it is easy and pretty risk-free. Definitely worth checking out if you live somewhere that gets alot of tourists. I personally am an eBay fanatic – I sell anything I haven’t used in a while on eBay. I have serious issues, but it pays off.
I just can’t imagine letting a stranger stay at my place in passing. But hey, if you’re set up for that, sounds like a cash cow 🙂 We haven’t jumped on the ebay bandwagon, but are definitely addicted to Craigslist 🙂 SO MANY GREAT DEALS!!!
If you’re in the U.S., check and make sure you can bake and sell your goods without and endless list of permits, inspections and the like. It seems out governments, especially local, want to throw up as many roadblocks as they possibly can to keep small business small.
Wait, so bake sales are regulated now? Lame sauce!
I sell stuff on ebay, do freelance writing, write a blog, etc. Oh yeah, and I have a full time job =/
Holly, you a HUSTLA!
I used to (haven’t had time since the baby came) umpire high school baseball games here. I’m going to say it, you do not make a lot of money doing this. To get a lot of games (at least in my state) you need to join one of the groups here and there is a fee for that. Then you have to drive to the fields (which isn’t covered) and sometimes these fields are in the middle of nowhere. Then, sometimes, you have to take verbal abuse from the players, coaches and fans. In the end, you tend to umpire games because you love the sport, not to make money.
When my son gets old I will probably go back to umpiring and might see if I can work my way to the college level (I now have a contact who can get me an in).
I’ve thought about coaching/umpiring for little league once my son is playing. But we’ll see. I hear parents are brutal, and the politics are pretty bad…. =\
Um yeah….you’d have to pay me at least $250 a game to even consider umping little league.
Might not be worth the stress, huh? I’m excited for little league, but maybe I’ll just be assistant coach or something…
I rent out my garage, which is such a simple way to make money each month. I do have a contract, but I worry a little because I rent my place and technically I’m not supposed to be doing something like this. shhh, don’t tell my landlord!
Hah! If my garage wasn’t full of crap, this would be an interesting idea. Though, i’d probably only want to do wit if I owned a garage NOT on my property.
Mystery shopper: you don’t make a lot of money from it, but so far I’ve gotten a free oil change and a few fast food meals, in addition to a few bucks. And I’ve really not tried hard at all.
Ahh, good to know. Thanks William! I know my sis does some mystery shopping, not sure how it’s worked out, though.
These are all great ways to make extra money! Right now I am working on affiliate advertising 🙂
Same here. It’s a tough market!
Why are books so expensive in Australia?! That is crazy!
I was a lifeguard throughout high school and college. I made really good money and did swim lessons on the side for even more cash, flow. Those were the days!
My wife (then GF) did the same. WAY better money than working for a fast food joint, plus free pool access.
We have done so many things to make extra money and it really does all add up. We did at one point rent out a room but it wasn’t what we expected so we stopped even though the extra money was nice. Great tips.
I do the myster shopping also. It paid for Christmas this last year. It was great! Also, we rent out our spare room. It’s nice being able to help people out with a place plus having the company can be nice:)
Does the mystery shopping pay well? I’ve always wondered if it’s worth it…
The most recent mystery shopping I have personal done is movie theatre audits. Basically I have to go a theatre and either overtly or covertly count the people going into a series of shows or, my favorite, watch a couple movie trailers to make sure they actually played. When I am free I try to wait for the last minute assignments they can’t fill and they will offer up to $30 for a simple trailer audit sometimes.
That sounds like fun! I’m assuming the advertisers pay for the mystery shop, because we all know that’s how a anyone makes money these days.
So many great opinions and experience. It’s great to see everyone trying different things. Good luck everyone doing extra things to make money.
Thanks for having me guest post. 🙂
Thank YOU for helping out while I’m in crazy town 🙂
This was something I’ve been thinking of a lot. People say that it’s hard to make a buck. But if you look around there is nearly a limitless supply of money making ideas around you. You just need to open your eyes and mind to see them.
I think it’s just a matter of knowing where to look. I love that Kylie knows the ins and outs of making money in a TON of different places, and this list is a GREAT place to start.
I have friends in NYC who have made insane amounts of money with air BnB – and it is all regulated, so they said it is easy and pretty risk-free. Definitely worth checking out if you live somewhere that gets alot of tourists. I personally am an eBay fanatic – I sell anything I haven’t used in a while on eBay. I have serious issues, but it pays off.
I just can’t imagine letting a stranger stay at my place in passing. But hey, if you’re set up for that, sounds like a cash cow 🙂 We haven’t jumped on the ebay bandwagon, but are definitely addicted to Craigslist 🙂 SO MANY GREAT DEALS!!!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
My hubby refs softball and football, and we do rent out a spare bedroom too. Together, we bring in about $1000 a month. Great suggestions!
Wow, that’s quite a chunk of money, well done!