If you are like many others this time of year – you might be looking for some extra cash! There were many times when we were getting out of debt that I (Lauren) did a lot of crazy things for extra cash. I would often use the extra cash to pay for groceries, a late bill, or a date night.
We were REALLY struggling financially, and many of the below methods to make extra cash came through big time for my family. Perhaps the easiest one to get started with is online surveys – these are still a fantastic way to get that extra money on your spare time.
As for online surveys – We’ve done a lot of surprising things to make extra cash – and many of the items in this list can earn you immediate cash! I hope that if you are looking for it – these things can help you earn it fast!
Here are 11 surprising ways to make extra cash:
1.) Take online surveys from home.
For 3 years in a row, I had my entire Christmas paid for just from taking online surveys in my spare time. Opinion Outpost is THE BEST – great payouts, and it’s easy to find surveys that you quality for. If you’re just getting started with side hustles, this is the best place to start.
Also, for an easy way to make money taking surveys, check out this app! It’s called QuickThoughts, and it makes online survey taking a snap. Download QuickThoughts HERE. The thing that makes QuickThoughts and Harris Poll perfect for saving for Christmas and gift shopping is that you can cash out quickly at just $10 thresholds, and you can get Amazon gift cards. Just let them accumulate and use them as you need to.
2.) Get paid to grocery shop!
NCP is now accepting new applicants to join their team! Basically, just grocery shop as you normally would, but using a scanner app on your phone, just scan the items you bought as you unload them.
This isn’t for everyone, but lots of people really enjoy it. And the rewards can add up big time!
Check out NCP HERE.
3.) Sell Furniture on Craigslist.
If you are looking for some extra cash – why not find some pieces of furniture in your basement or around the house that are not in use, and sell them on Craigslist? When selling on Craiglist you should only accept cash and agree on a public place to meet for delivery.
4.) Swagbucks
Oh how I love Swagbucks. First of all, they will give you $5 right away when you start. And there are so many ways to ear rewards… and boy do they add up.
A couple months ago, our dehumidifier broke. We didn’t have the money to get a new one in our budget, so I checked my Swagbucks account. What a nice surprise to see enough points to cash in for a gift card to pay for a brand new one that cost $250! You should definitely sign up for Swagbucks if you haven’t already!
5.) Sell items on eBay.
If you have old jewelry, watches or other small to medium sized items that would be easy to ship, eBay is a great place to sell items when you need quick cash. We did an entire post and video about this – watch our Step by Step Guide on how to sell on eBay.
Check out the 25 things you didn’t know you could sell on eBay.
6.) Find items on clearance and sell them on Amazon/eBay.
If you have time to go and comb the discount stores and get some amazing clearance deals – but them and turn around and sell them online for a profit. List items on Amazon and Ebay is easy, and if you pick the right item, you can make some great money! Items that typically sell best are electronics and clothing.
Sign up for a free Amazon seller account, and easily sell from scanning items on your phone
7.) Find name brand clothing at thrift stores and sell them to consignment.
One of my favorite ways to make extra cash is to buy name brand clothing at consignment stores – then turn around and sell them on either Poshmark or Ebay. The clothing also must not have any defects, and must be in great condition. You can find clothing that is not your size, then trade it in for either store credit or cash.
I LOVE reselling on eBay! It gets me about $500 a month, and I don’t spend a ton of time doing it. If you’re more interested, I have an entire session dedicated to it in my online financial course, The Financial Renovation. It takes a little bit of effort to get your shop up and running, but the sky is the limit with this. Some people actually make a full-time income doing this!
8.) Search for marketing companies in your area and ask if they do focus groups.
As I mentioned in the beginning, one way that I used to make extra cash when we were in lots of debt was to participate in Focus Group Studies. I would report to a marketing group at a designated time and then sit in a room with other people and participate in a product review, or feedback session. I would make around $75 – $125 per session (sometimes more). You can check out this website where one company lists their focus groups.
9.) Become a mystery shopper.
Becoming a mystery shopper won’t get you rich quick – but you can make some extra cash! You can check out the MSPA website for details on programs to sign up for.
For more information on Mystery Shopping, read my article on the Top Secret Tips of a Mystery Shopper.
10.) Become a User Tester at Peak.
Peak is a website that offers a free 5 minute review of a website. As a peak User Tester, you use their screen recorder to record a video of what’s happening on your screen – mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes – and your spoken comments while you use the website you’re testing. You generate $10.00 per usable test via paypal.
11.) Set up an account with Amazon Mechanical Turk.
You will have to sign up to be a Mechanical Turk worker and do HIT’s (Human Intelligence Tasks) for them. Here is a super brief summary of how this works: a person sets up a HIT and will pay XX amount of money to have a real person do that HIt. These HIT’s can range from $1 up and usually include a review of some sort. For example: If I wanted a review on our podcast, I could set up a HIT and tell Amazon Mechanical Turk that I want 3 people to review it and I will pay them $2.00 each. Amazon finds people to review it, acts as a middle man. I have my reviews and you have your money – pretty easy! There are HIT’s that pay more – there’s a bunch that pay in the $10 range to write a small article, or to transcribe a small video file.
BONUS WAY: Sign up to be a Healthy Volunteer.
By signing up to be a Healthy Volunteer, you are signing up to participate in medical research. I have never done this – but know that if you qualify you can typically make pretty good money.
Have you done anything to make extra cash (legally of course!) I would love to hear how!
Disclosure: There may be a few affiliate links in this post. It helps keep this website running, which we greatly appreciate!
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