How to Make Extra Money – 21 Proven Ways

The million dollar question, right? We all want to know, probably even more so in these hard times, how to make extra money. Whether it be because you’ve been laid off from your job, or because you just don’t make enough to get by, or even because you just want some extra spending money. We all have our different reasons. So, without further ado…

1. Fiverr

You may be familiar with Fiverr; it’s become a pretty popular website for people to sell their services if they have expertise in something.

There are many different categories on there where you can become a seller and make some extra moula. Just to name a few, you can provide services such as proofreading/editing, resume and/or cover letter writing, writing e-books, providing website content, digital marketing, voice-over work, photography or health/fitness/nutrition.

There are several other categories on there as well, so think about what you are good at and go over there to take a look and see if there is a need for it!

This dad made over $1,000,000 on Fiverr. It’s a pretty inspiring story.

2. Proofreading

If you’re asking yourself how to make extra money and you are good at spelling and grammar, then proofreading may be perfect for you.

You can offer your proofreading services to places such as proofreadingservices.com, Fiverr.com, Scribendi.com or Upwork.com, or even start your own business.

This proofreader made $30,000 in 10 months part-time.

3. Surveys

Surveys won’t make you a huge amount of money but they sure are easy-peasy to do. I personally do them and typically make $75-$100 per month, and that’s with also having a full-time job.

There are many different websites that you can sign up to that pay to complete surveys. My favourite is Swagbucks, but some other good ones are Leo/Leger Opinion, MyPoints, Survey Junkie and American Consumer Opinion (also available to Canadians).

4. Virtual Assistant

Many people want to know how to make extra money working from home/remotely nowadays, and a virtual assistant is just that.

Virtual assistants perform administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments, making/taking phone calls, etc.

In this day and age, with COVID-19 and all, the idea of making extra money while staying safely at home is what a lot of us are looking for.

Many employers these days are seeking virtual assistants with so many businesses having staff work remotely. If you online classifieds are anything like mine, you’ll find tons of employers seeking VA’s!

5. Mystery Shopper

A mystery shopper is one who gets paid to go into a place of business (whether it be a retail store, gas station, etc.) and secretly evaluate the performance of the staff, the cleanliness, etc.

I’ve done this one before. I would go into the store, evaluate everything necessary, write up my report and get paid. It was kind of fun for me actually.

Some of the best places that hire mystery shoppers are We Check, Premier Service and Shoppers Confidential just to name a few.

6. Thrift Store/Garage Sale Selling

If you like to shop and/or find a good deal, this one is definitely up your alley! Shopping at thrift stores or garage sales and reselling on Kijiji, Amazon or e-Bay, etc.

You can find some hidden gems at these places, or even things like books, text books, vintage items, collectibles or brand name items, etc. Get them at a low price and resell for a profit.

Note: It’s a good idea to check on either Amazon or eBay to see if an item you are going to purchase is in demand or not.

This is a great way to put some extra cash in your pocket. Some people actually do this full-time! This 23-year-old gave up a great job to do just that.

7. Affiliate Marketing

This is one of my favourite ways on how to make extra money. Many people do this full time, making a pretty impressive income.

What is affiliate marketing? Simply put, you receive a commission for promoting other people’s products.

This can be done through your own website or blog, or you can even promote the products other ways, such as through social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.), YouTube or posting on forums or online communities.

Success stories can be pretty motivational to get you started.

8. Sell on Etsy

Do you consider yourself crafty? Etsy is a website to sell your creations, ranging from jewelry to home decor and so much more.

Some people make a good income on Etsy, but for most, it’s not huge earnings. However, it will also depend on how much time you can devote to it.

9. Sell on eBay or Amazon

Whether you have stuff around your house that you don’t use/need anymore, or you buy items from a thrift store, garage sale, manufacturer/wholesale or even items at a store on a great sale, selling on Amazon or eBay is a great option to earn you some extra money.

This is perfect for those who don’t have, or want, a website to sell items. With eBay and Amazon, they already have a HUGE amount of traffic, so the hard work is done for you.

I used to sell on eBay a fair amount, and I found it so exciting watching my auctions go up and up as people bid on my items. It was slightly addictive!

This is a pretty incredible story of a man who went from being in a large amount of debt to making millions selling on Amazon.

10. Pet/House Sitting

This way on how to make extra money is pretty self explanatory. If you know people who may be going away on vacation, etc., you can offer your services for a fee.

You could also advertise your services to do this on your local classifieds website, in your local newspaper, etc.

This is a great way to earn an extra bit of money but may not be something that’s going to be consistent for you if people aren’t travelling. Still, every little bit helps, so can’t hurt to give it a shot!

11. Dog Walking

Are you a dog lover? Enjoy walks? Well, this is a great way to get exercise, enjoying the company of a cute fur buddy AND making money. Pretty sweet deal I would think, right?

Some people may not always want to get out and walk their pup, or may have injured themselves or are just plain too busy.

Again, advertise your services just by simply putting an ad up on a classified website in your area, or hang some signs up, ask around, or whatever your preference.

12. Errand Service

Offering services to run people’s errands for them is a pretty simple way on how to make extra money.

Many people can’t get out due to physical disabilities/injuries, or are just too busy. You can help make their lives easier by offering to run their errands for them.

Errands can include things like grocery (or other) shopping, buying a gift for someone, delivering items, picking up/dropping off dry cleaning, picking up/sending out items at the post office, pick up prescriptions, etc, etc, etc! The sky is the limit with different types of errands.

13. Drive for Uber/Lyft

Enjoy driving and meeting/chatting with people? Driving for Uber or Lyft is a great money-making idea for you then!

This is a great flexible option because you get to pick the hours you are available. Not too shabby, hey?

Find out which of these, or other, companies are available in your area and check your eligibility.

Keep in mind that you will likely have to check with your vehicle insurance company to make sure you have the right kind for this. You may have to make some changes to it.

14. Door Dash/Skip the Dishes/Uber Eats Driver

Here is another idea on how to make extra money that is very flexible for you.

Do your day job (or whatever time of day you work…we all don’t have “day” jobs), and pick some evenings and/or weekends to deliver food in your spare time.

Depending on what is available in your area, check out Door Dash, Skip the Dishes or Uber Eats to sign up.

15. Instacart Shopper

Enjoy grocery shopping? Not everyone does, so if you do, you can help these people out. Yes, people PAY to have you grocery shop for them!

Instacart is a grocery shopping service. They pay shoppers to shop for people and deliver their groceries directly to the customer’s home.

With Instacart, you can choose to be an “in-store shopper” or a “full-service shopper”. In-store shoppers shop in the store but don’t deliver to the customer, so it’s good if you as the shopper don’t have a vehicle. Full-service shoppers shop and then deliver, which is also good because there may also be a gratuity involved from the customer for the delivery.

16. Home Daycare

Love kids? Do you have your own kids that you are staying home with anyway?

If you are great with kids and home during the day, why not consider a home daycare when asking yourself how to make extra money to put in your pocket?

This is also great if you already have your own kids that you stay home with, as they will have playmates too. It’s a win-win in that case!

17. Flip Websites

If you are tech savvy and know your way around a website, this is definitely a viable option for you to make some extra money.

Website flipping is essentially the same as flipping a house. You buy an already existing website, fix it up a bit (i.e. make some improvements), and sell it for a profit.

You can make some pretty good money doing this. Websites typically sell for about 2-3 times the amount of profit they make per year. So, let’s say you buy a website and it ends up making you $10,000, you could sell it for $20,000-$30,000. I’d say that’s pretty decent, right?

This step-by-step article goes in depth on how to flip websites.

18. Freelance Writer

Being a freelance writer means you are self-employed and can do writing jobs for any company or individual who requires it.

So, if you excel in writing, and love doing it, this is one of the perfect ways for you on how to make extra money!

People need writers for things like website or blog content, short stories, articles, resumes, social media content…the list goes on and on.

19. Sell Your Stuff

Got stuff? Sell it. Many of us are stuck at home these days due to the coronavirus, and well, if you live in a place like I do, cold weather encourages me to hibernate too. Brr. So, it’s the perfect time to go through your belongings and sell some things you no longer want or use.

My rule of thumb is that if I haven’t used it in a year, it’s gonzo! I’ve done this a fair amount since COVID-19 began, and let me just tell you how liberated I feel in doing so…and I’ve made some extra cash. Can’t go wrong.

Like me, I’m sure you have a go-to popular online website/place you can list your unwanted items on to sell them. Where I live, Kijiji works best. It’s free and easy to list items (and photos) on there.

20. Dropshipping

If you are looking for a way on how to make extra money in e-commerce, but without having to find space to store all of your products, dropshipping is definitely the way to go.

What is dropshipping?

Simply put, it’s selling products through a store (website), and the store then passes on the order to their supplier. The supplier then sends the product directly to the customer.

What is involved in the whole dropshipping concept?

It’s a matter of setting up a website, finding a supplier(s), adding products and advertising them.

Setting up a website can be relatively easy with Shopify where they’ve already done most of the hard work setting up the store for you. This is probably the most popular way, especially for newbies or people who aren’t tech-savvy.

The most popular place to find a supplier is likely Aliexpress. They have thousands of products in all kinds of categories to choose from at great prices.

Once you have your website all set up and products added, you need to advertise them and the best way to do so is to advertise on social media, whether it be Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc.

This money-making idea will take some time to get going, but it can sure be worth it in the end. Many people make a great living at it, some even quitting their day jobs to do it full time.

This 24-year-old was even able to become very successful at it smack dab in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

21. Remote Jobs

Due to the pandemic, more and more employers are hiring people to work remotely from home.

From part-time to full-time work, you can find many remote jobs currently. There are specific places you can look such as FlexJobs or just look in your local job classifieds websites. Heck, they may not even require you to be local when you are just working remotely anyway.