Get Paid Today: 17 Ways to Make Money In Your Spare Time

There are plenty of ways to make money, but scaling a business or learning a new skill can require a ton of effort to build a regular income. Thankfully, you can get paid by starting a side hustle online or in your local community.

As you’ll see from the list of jobs we’ve compiled below, you can use the skills and equipment you already possess and start today. You may consider trying several ideas to find the best income stream for your schedule.

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1. Online Surveys

Paid survey sites are a great way to earn a few extra bucks. You can qualify for most market research surveys by sharing your opinion on topics like your shopping habits and favorite shows or movies. Survey Junkie is one of the top platforms and lets you attempt multiple surveys daily.

The minimum payout threshold is only $5 for PayPal and gift card rewards. When you’re not in the mood for answering surveys, you can install the SJ Pulse extension, which monitors the ads you see when using the internet and pays you a few dollars each month. Read our Survey Junkie review to learn more.

2. Sell Unwanted Stuff

Selling items you no longer need (or can live without) is another quick way to get paid today. All you need is a willing buyer. For example, you can sell furniture, jewelry, electronics, books, and baby items. You may be able to get top dollar by listing your items on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and similar sites.

These platforms let you sell your items for free and sell locally or ship to long-distance buyers. However, due to recent changes to digital payment tax laws, you may owe taxes if your annual sales exceed $600 when you collect payment through Venmo, Facebook, PayPal, and Cash App.

A yard sale can also help you declutter and sell multiple items at a single event. If you don’t want to wait to find a buyer, instant buyback sites also specialize in certain products. Your earning potential won’t be as high, but it’s an easy way to sell multiple items, ship them with a prepaid shipping label, and receive a check or PayPal payment after an inspection. Here are some of the things you may consider selling and some of the best platforms.

Tech and DVDs

Decluttr is a great place to sell any of the following electronics and tech items:

• Smartphones
• Tablets
• Wearables
• Video games and consoles
• CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray
• Legos

Gold and Jewelry

Several platforms can help you sell gold, silver, and collectible jewelry:

• Worthy: Ideal for diamonds, fine jewelry, and luxury watches.
• Cash for Gold USA: Sell your “scrap gold” like decorations, watches, rings, and broken jewelry that don’t have collectible value.

Clothing

Local consignment stores can be your best option for selling clothing as they may provide instant offers. However, if you’re selling out-of-season clothing in “like new” condition, ThredUp offers free shipping, and you can buy unwanted clothing with their Clean Out Bag. However, inspecting your clothing can take several weeks, and they may donate rejected items instead of shipping them back. Read our ThredUp review to learn more about using the app to buy and sell.

3. Deliver Groceries

Being a paid grocery shopper can be an excellent option if you’re familiar with your local supermarket and are knowledgeable about picking fresh produce, meats, frozen items, and packaged items. You also get to set your delivery schedule, which gives you more flexibility than a traditional shift-based second job.

Instacart partners with most grocery stores, and you receive delivery requests within the app. The app also lets you accept payments for completed orders and earn additional customer tips. In addition, same-day payments to a linked debit card are available for a small fee.

Depending on your city and grocery store, you may also apply to be an in-store shopper who doesn’t require owning a car and delivering to homes and businesses.

4. Deliver Meals

If you live close by to various restaurants, you can earn a steady income by delivering take-out orders. Like grocery delivery apps, you can set your delivery schedule and choose which orders you want to accept. For example, you can avoid restaurants that are notoriously slow or aren’t conveniently located.

DoorDash operates in many small cities that often only have fast food restaurants, though I recommend trying several apps to see which one you like best.

Our DoorDash delivery guide includes tips and tricks from someone who has made more than 6,000 deliveries. You can also learn more in our DoorDash Review.

5. Drive for Rideshare Services

If you have a relatively new four-door vehicle and are comfortable having other people in your car, you can make money as a rideshare driver with Uber and Lyft. It can be fairly lucrative if you live near an airport or somewhere with a vibrant nightlife.

You choose when to drive, but you’ll earn more during “surge periods” and other times when demand is high. Be sure to add rideshare insurance to your policy for additional coverage. Driving platforms offer liability insurance when you drive but may not cover every possible incident.

6. Read Books

Do you enjoy reading? If you’re flexible in what you read, there’s a chance you can make some money reading and reviewing books.

There are companies who need people to read and review books for their website. The pay rate varies from site to site as well as the amount of work involved, but your job would be to read and write about the books that they select.

7. Rent Out Your Car

Letting others drive your car on the days you don’t need it is an almost effortless way to make money. Turo lets you rent your vehicle out to people who need a ride. You can earn enough money to cover your monthly car loan payments and insurance and still pocket enough cash to net a profit. In addition, the Turo offers complimentary vehicle insurance to protect your asset during rental periods.

8. Offer Home-Based Self-Storage

You can make money from self-storage if you have an empty closet or extra space in your garage, unfinished basement, yard, or storage shed. This home-based side hustle requires minimal work as you only have to keep the area secure and collect monthly rent payments.

Neighbor lets you offer your unused space for people to store their belongings and vehicles on a month-to-month basis. The app collects payments from the renter and automatically deposits the cash into your account.

When you’re ready to get your space back, you can provide at least 30 days’ notice for the renter to find a new place to store their stuff. Check out our Neighbor Storage review for more information.

9. Rent a Spare Room to Short-Term Travelers

Short-term rentals are an easy way to make money from tourists and business travelers. For example, you may rent a spare bedroom, finished basement, or a guest house as an Airbnb host. You can select which dates your place is available to prevent having guests when you need privacy.

Receiving positive reviews from your guests is essential to attracting more guests and reducing your vacancy rate. Check out these suggestions to become an Airbnb Superhost.

10. Donate Plasma

If you donate plasma regularly, you can earn up to $300 or more per month. Of course, your earning potential depends on your weight and donation size. Many centers also offer bonus cash to new donors to help them get into the routine of donating regularly and assisting those with medical needs.

It’s also possible to earn more if you have recently recovered from Covid-19 and possess the antibodies. Most donation centers issue payment via prepaid debit cards.

11. Walking and Pet Sitting

We love our pets, but they require regular love, attention, and exercise. With Rover, you can offer dog walking and pet sitting services. You can make the most money by providing overnight boarding for dogs and cats.

You can also offer daycare services or daily walking sessions if you desire a shorter time commitment. Like most peer-to-peer apps, you can set your schedule and rates. The app also lets you avoid certain breeds and sizes to avoid potential conflicts.

12. Try New Apps and Games

Downloading featured apps and games can help you earn bonus points at Swagbucks. Depending on the offer, you can earn points by installing the app and creating an account. However, playing games for cash usually requires reaching a specific level to receive the full reward.

Most offers don’t require a purchase, but in-app purchases can help you earn the most points. This get-paid-to site also awards points for online surveys, shopping, watching videos, and other micro-tasks. Redemptions are as low as $1 for Amazon gift cards. In addition, PayPal and other gift cards only require a $5 balance, lower than many competing sites. Read our Swagbucks review to find out more.

13. Test Websites

UserTesting pays you to test websites from your computer or phone. You only need a working webcam, microphone, and the ability to install the recording software to your device. Most tests take up to 20 minutes and pay $10 by PayPal.

You will receive a to-do list of tasks to complete and have a verbal conversation about your user experience while completing these actions. If you’re an excellent tester, you can earn up to $120 for live interviews where the client chats with you during the session.

Other ways to make money are by testing products at home and trying new websites and apps.

14. Offer Handyman Services

Homeowners constantly need extra help to complete home improvement projects and repairs. Taskrabbit lets you earn at least $15 per hour for various tasks, including:

• Running errands
• Painting
• Yardwork
• Furniture assembly and moving
• Heavy lifting
• Pressure washing
• Repairs

You can advertise your skills for several services and wait for invitations.

15. Transcribe Audio and Video

Transcription jobs are in high demand. You may also add captions to videos and offer translation services. There are several different platforms where you can search for openings. Entry-level platforms usually don’t require special equipment like a foot pedal. You can earn more if you have medical and legal experience as these niches are more challenging and pay better.

16. Freelance Online

Freelancing is another exciting opportunity if you have high-income skills and want to work from anywhere. For example, you can design graphics, perform data entry, or write short blog posts on Upwork. This platform lets you receive job invitations and also bid on openings.

Data entry can also provide a part-time income, and there are several different types of tasks you can complete to avoid burnout. Amazon MTurk is one of the best services for making money quickly by completing short tasks that artificial intelligence cannot automate.

Your payment options include direct deposit and (as you might expect) Amazon gift cards. Other reputable sites include Lionbridge and Clickworker. These platforms partner with well-known tech companies outsourcing tasks like:

• Categorizing images and audio
• Search engine evaluations
• Analyze social media content

17. Babysitting

Becoming a babysitter is another way to make money as you can care for children during the day or evening. Care.com is one online platform to register as a caregiver, but word-of-mouth referrals through friends can also be effective.

Final Thoughts on Making Extra Money

As you can see, there are multiple ways you can get paid today through online or local side hustles. The extra cash can help you escape a financial pinch and make it easier to accomplish other financial goals. If you’re wondering where to start, I recommend trying a few different ideas on this list to find out what you’re good at, what you enjoy doing, and what gigs pay the right amount of income.