Bradley Schnitzer, Author at Wall Street Insanity https://wallstreetinsanity.com Making Money Less Insane Wed, 15 Dec 2021 22:33:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 39880650 20 Of The Best Work-From-Home Jobs For 2021 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/best-work-from-home-jobs/ Wed, 26 Aug 2020 21:54:35 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=44057 Remote work has risen in popularity over the last decade. And due to circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this trend has only continued to skyrocket. The benefits of remote work are evident for both employees and freelancers. They can wake up later in the day and spend less time commuting to and from their workplaces. Plus, money typically spent ...

The post 20 Of The Best Work-From-Home Jobs For 2021 appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
woman sitting at a desk with computers

XPS on Unsplash

Remote work has risen in popularity over the last decade. And due to circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this trend has only continued to skyrocket.

The benefits of remote work are evident for both employees and freelancers. They can wake up later in the day and spend less time commuting to and from their workplaces. Plus, money typically spent on gas and car maintenance stays in their pockets!

Businesses also benefit — namely, through increased worker productivity. Companies can also slash office expenses such as rent, utilities, and equipment by keeping employees remote.

Many businesses are making positions remote, creating plenty of opportunities to make money working from home.

Consider These Work-From-Home Jobs

Gain a second stream of income or skip the daily commute with these work-from-home jobs.

1. Proofreader

Do you exhibit sharp attention to detail and enjoy reading? Proofreading is one of the easiest work-from-home jobs to start. Find a part-time or full-time freelance gig for job security or launch a freelance career to earn more.

A proofreading course like Proofread Anywhere can give you some momentum. This free workshop will teach you the necessary skills you need to start your own proofreading business from home.

2. Teach English Online

English is the global language of business, so teaching it to students worldwide is in high demand. Fortunately, you can jump into this lucrative and fulfilling market right from home on VIPKid.

VIPKid teachers can earn up to $22 per hour. Plus, VIPKid provides you the curriculum and materials — you just have to show up and teach English to your students.

3. Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping is a function that every business needs, and it’s a role that many companies will hire someone to handle remotely.

You don’t need a college degree or extensive work experience to land a bookkeeping job, either. You just need basic bookkeeping skills and some experience with accounting software to start.

Ben Robinson, a former CPA and accounting firm owner, teaches how to launch a bookkeeping business in his free, 3-part class on Bookkeepers.com. You’ll learn key skills that help you stand out from the market and make good money bookkeeping from home.

4. Transcriptionist

Are you a fast typist? Consider looking for transcriptionist work. Transcriptionists convert audio recordings — such as interviews —into text. Some transcriptionists work for transcription agencies, others work in-house at companies, and many land remote jobs that allow them to work from home.

You can launch a career as a transcriptionist by taking Transcribe Anywhere’s free, 7-part mini-course. You’ll learn the skills you need, the keys to success, where to find work, and much more!

5. Blogger

Blogging is an excellent work-from-home job if you enjoy writing and expressing your thoughts. If you dedicate time to growing your blog over several months, you might even be able to quit your day job!

And even with the high income potential, getting started is easy and inexpensive. You’ll need to invest in a domain and web hosting. Fortunately, Bluehost offers hosting for only pennies a day — and they’ll throw in your domain name for free. Plus, with 1-click WordPress installation, you can get your blog off the ground as soon as today.

Once you have a steady traffic stream, you can earn money through ads, affiliate marketing, informational products (books and courses), and more.

Need help taking the first step? Read our article on how to start a blog in 8 steps.

6. eCommerce Store Owner

Online shopping is as popular as ever, so there’s plenty of opportunity to make a full-time income by selling products online.

Do some research on a niche, find a market of hungry buyers, and then start selling products to your market. With a little hard work, you could create a substantial income stream working from home.

Fortunately, you don’t need to be a tech genius or hire employees to build an online store. Just sign up with BigCommerce, a platform that allows you to manage your store’s operations in one intuitive interface. You’ll even get to try it for free for 30 days!

7. Tutor

Students often need a little extra help earning that elusive A in their classes. You can be that extra help by working from home as a tutor.

Finding work is easier than you think. Most of the time, you only need to be a 4-year college student or have a bachelor’s degree in any subject.

With these simple qualifications, there are websites that let you sign up as a tutor and find work through their platform. Launching a freelance tutoring business can become even more lucrative if you’re willing to handle the other aspects of running a business.

8. Writer

Writing is a broad field with plenty of work-from-home opportunities. You can write about nearly any subject you want and get paid for it.

Plus, there are different types of writing you can specialize in:

  • Academic writing
  • Content writing
  • Copywriting
  • Fiction writing
  • Technical writing
  • … and others.

When you’ve chosen a niche and type of writing you want to pursue, launch your career on platforms like Upwork and other job boards. Score some portfolio pieces, collect testimonials, network, get referrals, and soon, you’ll have a thriving writing business.

9. Web Developer

As more and more commerce moves to the online arena, many businesses are in need of websites — making web developers highly sought after.

As a web developer, you’ll bring a business’s website design to life using programming languages and technical skills. If you don’t have the skills necessary to become a web developer but want to learn, there are tons of free resources online.

And the best part? This is a job you can do from the comfort of your own home.

10. Virtual Assistant

The role of a virtual assistant is one of the most flexible and in-demand work-from-home jobs. Businesses of all sizes need virtual assistants to help them handle many of their administrative functions.

As a virtual assistant, you’ll perform a wide range of tasks, such as:

  • Answering phone calls
  • Booking travel
  • Email management
  • Data entry
  • Scheduling
  • Social media

11. Customer Service Representative

Customer service has become one of the most outsourced jobs. If you’re empathetic, can multi-task, and have strong problem-solving skills, this could be the work-from-home job for you.

You’ll need a laptop and Wi-Fi at the very least for most of these jobs, but some companies may require you to buy a headset. You might also need to become proficient in certain technologies and products for tech-oriented customer service roles.

You can find customer service work online — either through a customer service agency or for a specific company.

12. Graphic Designer

Graphic design could be your next work-from-home job if you enjoy creating visual art while earning some income. In addition to developing your artistic talent, you’ll need to learn programs such as Photoshop and Adobe Creative Cloud.

You can create logos, album covers, web pages, product packaging, brochures, and more for companies. You can also launch an online business where you sell products with your designs on them.

13. Video Editor

Video editing can be an exciting job if you have the technical skills and software know-how.

Video editors can work on films, TV shows, YouTube videos, video tutorials for various companies, and more.

14. Voice Actor

Ever been told you have a voice for radio? Consider monetizing your vocal talents with some voice acting work.

There are plenty of places to find voice acting work from home. For example, audiobook sites often need new narrators to narrate books. YouTube channels need voiceover artists for explainer videos as well. You might even be able to find work on ad campaigns as a voice actor.

15. Photographer

Have an eye for a picture-perfect moment? Photography is a fun work-from-home job, as you have the freedom to be creative while also getting paid. To get started, you’ll need to develop photography skills and purchase the necessary editing software and equipment.

As for work, you can work for an agency or freelance. Additionally, you can build a portfolio of photos on photography licensing sites and earn passive income through royalties.

16. Social Media Manager

If you have a knack for marketing and are able to multitask, consider becoming a social media manager. For this job, you’ll need to be familiar with most major social media platforms. You’ll be responsible for engaging with customers online, planning social media campaigns, and evaluating analytics.

Social media management positions are often full-time or part-time jobs, but you can also freelance if you choose.

17. Translator

Know multiple languages? You can use these skills to land remote work as a translator.

As a translator, you might choose to translate documents, audio files, books, and more. Being multilingual is a valuable skill in our global economy, so there should be no shortage of work.

18. Stylist

Believe it or not, you can become a stylist from home if you have an eye for fashion and can put together a fashionable wardrobe for people.

Formal online stylist jobs aren’t common, but you could launch a stylist business by working through Stitch Fix.

19. Software Developer

Know how to code? If not, are you willing to learn? With tech booming, software development is one of the most in-demand and lucrative jobs. And given its technical nature, plenty of work-from-home opportunities are available.

Alternatively, you can use your programming skills to create an app or software product and sell it. More work is involved, but this comes with more income.

20. Data Entry

If you pay great attention to detail, can type fast, and are willing to put up with some monotony, data entry makes for a straightforward method of earning money from home.

Data entry jobs are everywhere. You can run a Google search and finds hundreds of opportunities all over job boards, freelance marketplaces, and more.

Other Ways to Make Money From Home

You don’t need to find a job or start a business to earn extra cash from home. Here are some ways to supplement your income without leaving the house.

Listing Your Room/Home

If you have an extra room in your home, you’re sitting on a fantastic income stream. Consider renting out that extra room to people using VRBO. Book enough guests each month, and you could cover most of your rent or mortgage payment.

Check out how much you can make with your extra room on VRBO today.

Listing Your Extra Space

Perhaps you don’t have an extra bedroom available, but you have some spare room in a closet, your garage, or your driveway. You can squeeze some money out of this extra space by listing it for rent on Neighbor.

Listing your space is free, and you can sign up and start making money in as little as 5 minutes.

See how much your extra space could make you on Neighbor today.

Taking Surveys

Want to earn cash for your thoughts? Survey sites pay you to give your opinions in surveys and polls. Some of the top survey sites include:

Where Do You Find Work-From-Home Jobs?

You can find work-from-home jobs on all sorts of job sites, but your time will best be spent on remote-focused job boards, such as FlexJobs.

FlexJobs curates top work-from-home jobs from thousands of companies across dozens of industries. Plus, they offer job search resources like career coaching to help you land that next remote job.

Be Wary of Work-From-Home Scams

Working from home is the dream for many. Unfortunately, there are plenty of scammers that prey on those seeking that next remote opportunity.

These scammers will ask for information you’d typically give to a new employer — such as your bank account number or Social Security number — to steal your money or identity. Consequently, you have to be on your toes when looking for remote work.

Claims that you’ll earn a lot of money for little work or see huge leaps in your income, or demands for upfront fees are telltale signs of a scam. If they offer you a job without an interview, it’s likely that they aren’t a real company, either.

Here are some signs that a company is legitimate:

  • You find numerous mentions of the company online
  • They don’t ask for bank information or your Social Security number until you’re hired
  • Pay is reasonable, relative to job requirements
  • No mention of benefits
  • They request samples and/or references

Work and Earn From the Comfort of Your Home

Whether you’ve lost your job, are looking for a side hustle, or want to spend more time with family, look into some of the jobs above. Remember to be wary of scams while you’re searching. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

The post 20 Of The Best Work-From-Home Jobs For 2021 appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
44057
120 Ways To Make Extra Money https://wallstreetinsanity.com/ways-to-make-extra-money/ Mon, 30 Dec 2019 19:48:00 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=41860 Everyone’s always looking for ways to make extra money, especially during tough economic times. A few extra dollars would make a world of difference for tons of people, if only they knew where to look. The truth is that there are hundreds of legit ways to make extra money. Down below, we’ve compiled a massive guide with 120 ways to ...

The post 120 Ways To Make Extra Money appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
man standing against balcony with ocean view

www.distel.co via Unsplash

Everyone’s always looking for ways to make extra money, especially during tough economic times. A few extra dollars would make a world of difference for tons of people, if only they knew where to look.

The truth is that there are hundreds of legit ways to make extra money.

Down below, we’ve compiled a massive guide with 120 ways to make extra money. Whether you’re looking for a quick one-off gig or want to launch a long-term, full-blown business, you’ll find several options for making extra money on here.

Benefits of Making Extra Money

Few would deny that more money is beneficial, but here are several concrete reasons why you should look for a way to make extra money:

  • Reduce stress — Less reliance on your paycheck
  • Pay down debt faster
  • Achieve savings goals faster
  • Retire earlier
  • Have more fun money

Now that you’re fired up to make extra money, read on for our list of 120 legit ways to make extra money.

Easiest Ways to Make Extra Money

man with cash in hand

Burst

Let’s look at some of the easiest ways you can make extra money.

1. Earn More Interest on Your Savings

One of the easiest ways to make extra money is to earn more interest on your savings account.

Online banks have some of the highest interest rates on the banking market; for example, CIT Bank pays one of the best interest rates on your savings, much higher than the 0.01% – 0.10% you’d earn in a normal savings account.

2. Rent Out a Room

Got a spare room in your house or apartment? List it on Airbnb. You can easily cover most of your mortgage or rent payments simply by offering your spare room to somebody else.

Frequent traveler? You could make even more by listing your whole house/apartment.

Of course, follow all local laws and, if you’re a renter, make sure you aren’t violating your lease agreement.

To learn how to maximize your Airbnb earnings, check out our guide to getting started on Airbnb.

3. Make Extra Money By Taking Surveys

Make extra money by sharing your opinions with survey sites. Many give you bonuses just for signing up, so sign up for as many as you can to maximize your earnings.

SurveyJunkie

Survey Junkie rewards you with points for completing surveys. It scans your profile information to match you to surveys relevant to you so you can earn more points.

Even if you don’t qualify for a survey, you still earn a few points for starting it.

Points can be redeemed for PayPal credit or for free gift cards, your choice.

Learn more by reading out Survey Junkie review.

OneOpinion

OneOpinion lets you take surveys and earn points through several methods:

  • Searching for surveys on their website
  • Sending you emails with links to relevant surveys
  • Downloading the mobile app to take mobile-exclusive surveys

Stick with OneOpinion long enough, and you can also test products that haven’t yet hit the market. Product testing can pay as much as 50,000 points ($50) per product.

Once you hit 25,000 points ($25), you can exchange your points for gift cards or for PayPal credit.

4. Walk Dogs

Who doesn’t like dogs? You can get paid to hang out with people’s dogs by signing up for Rover. You get to set up your profile, determine your own pricing, and let clients come to you.

To earn more, you can offer additional services like house sitting with the dog or doggy daycare services.

5. Grocery Shop for Others

With an increasingly busy lifestyle, people have less time to accomplish routine tasks like grocery shopping; as a result, you can step in and make money grocery shopping for others by working for a service like Instacart.

You’ll also be doing good work for the community, as some of your Instacart customers will be those who have difficulty leaving home, such as the elderly or people with disabilities.

6. Buy Real Estate (With Just $500)

Heard all the fuss about real estate but don’t have six figures to invest in your first property? Thanks to real estate crowdfunding platforms like Fundrise, you can buy shares of real estate property with as little as $500.

Fundrise claims that their site’s users earn an average of 8.7-12.4% annual returns on their investments. Not bad for how little money you’re risking.

7. Make Sure Your Credit Isn’t Costing You

Bad credit could be costing you hundreds of dollars per year in higher interest rates, as well as lost opportunities for the best cashback credit cards.

Use a credit service like Credit Sesame to monitor your score. Credit Sesame compiles your credit information into one convenient location; in addition, it teaches you more about your credit and recommends debt products based on your score.

The best part? Credit Sesame is free, and you can check it as much as you want without damaging your score.

8. Earn Cash Back By Shopping

Did you know you can earn money on your everyday purchases? Sign up for the following services to get rewarded for purchases you would’ve made anyway.

Rakuten

Rakuten is one of the best websites for cashback shopping. They offer varying cashback rates to nearly any retailer you can think of, and they supplement their online shopping cashback with plenty of in-store offers.

Rakuten will help you make your first “Big Fat Check” even bigger with their generous $10 signup bonus as well.

Drop

Want to earn additional cashback rewards automatically on top of your credit card cashback points? Drop, a cashback rewards mobile app, lets you link your credit cards or bank account and then earn cashback just by shopping at your favorite retailers.

When you’ve accumulated enough points, you can trade them in for your choice of gift cards to several major retailers.

Read our Drop review to learn more about getting started with this app.

9. Trade Stocks Commission Free.

Trading stocks is risky, but could be rewarding.

Unlike other investing platforms, M1 Finance will never charge commissions or markups on any trades.

You can build a portfoilio of stocks and ETFs for free. That’s not all, with M1 Finance you can also borrow money and get a free FDIC insured checking account.

10. Rent Out Your Car When You’re Not Using It

You can list your vehicle for rent on Getaround to make some extra cash when you aren’t driving it. It’s like Airbnb, but for cars: you get to choose your rental rates, select your vehicle’s availability, and Getaround will cover your vehicle with $1 million liability coverage.

Getaround has an earnings calculator right on their site, so check and see how much extra money you can make when you aren’t driving your car.

11. Borrow Money to Make Money

Though obviously not advisable as a long-term money-making strategy, taking out a personal loan can carry you through the next month or two if you find yourself in a pinch.

But that’s just one way you can use a personal loan. You can also use personal loans to start a business or invest the money; if you can earn a higher rate of return than your interest rate, you’ll be making money.

Or perhaps you’re in credit card debt, which tends to be high-interest. By taking out a personal loan to pay off that debt (called refinancing), you’ll cut down on your interest payments and put more money back into your pocket.

Credible and Fiona are two top personal loan companies:

Credible

Collecting several loan offers can take hours. Let Credible do the work for you!

Simply fill out their form with your information, and within 2 minutes, they’ll gather prequalified loan offers from up to 10 lenders based on the information you provided to Credible.

You can then compare all your offers in one screen.

Credible even has a best rate guarantee where they will hand you $200 if you can find a better rate elsewhere.

Fiona

Fiona pulls together top loan offers from all over the net for you. They claim that the whole process, from filling in your information to being presented with loan offers, takes no longer than 60 seconds.

12. Earn Extra Money by Browsing the Web

We’ve come so far that you can now earn a few bucks doing nothing but browsing the web.

Earning extra money through your web browsing habits with Nielsen Panel is simple: once you create an account, just download the app on all your internet-browsing devices and go about your web surfing business.

They’ll also enter you into their sweepstakes when you download their app.

The more devices you install their app on and the longer you stick with Nielsen, the more entries you earn and the more money you can make.

13. Get Paid to Watch Videos

Download these apps if you want to get paid to lounge around and watch videos on your phone or computer.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks lets you watch short videos on a wide range of topics in order to earn points, aptly called Swagbucks. Video topics include current events, food, entertainment, fashion, and more.

For more information, read our full Swagbucks review.

InboxDollars

On InboxDollars, you can rack up points for watching videos and other sponsored content.

Since they have a smartphone app, you can take it on the go — watch and earn during your commute, while out for a walk, during your lunch break, the list goes on.

14. Start a Blog

Blogging can start as a fun little side hustle, or you can turn it into a full-blown business; it depends on your goals and your work ethic.

Whichever way you choose, the key to succeeding is working on your blog consistently.

To start blogging, you’ll need some web hosting. Lucky for you, Bluehost offers web hosting for only $3.95 a month. They also throw in one free domain name for you with your hosting. Plus, their one-click WordPress install makes it possible to launch your own blog as soon as today.

Need some help getting started? Check out our guide on how to start a blog for tips to get your blog up and running.

15. Start an Ecommerce Store

Ecommerce sales reached nearly $3.5 trillion in 2019, and it’s growing every day. You can get it in on some of this cash by launching your own ecommerce store.

To launch your own ecommerce venture, you’ll need to sign up for an ecommerce platform. Shopify gives you a 14-day free trial where you can build out your entire store, so there’s no risk.

Check out our guide to starting a Shopify store to learn more.

16. Invest in Multifamily Apartment Buildings

The average person doesn’t have enough money to invest in multifamily apartment buildings, but that’s where DiversyFund comes in.

DiversyFund purchases multifamily apartment buildings that are already generating revenue from rents but are in need of improvements. The fund then renovates the units to increase cash flow.

Anyone with $500 can invest with DiversyFund. It claims to have annualized returns of 18% for 2017, and 17.3% for 2018.

17. Negotiate Your Bills

Negotiating your bills puts money back into your pocket. It takes time, though, and some people are afraid of hearing “no” or simply don’t know how to negotiate their bills successfully.

Some bills can be canceled. For example, there now exist so many alternatives to cable TV that you don’t really need a cable subscription anymore to watch your favorite shows.

But if you still want to keep your cable subscription, get Truebill. Truebill is a personal finance chatbot that can skillfully negotiate with your cable, internet, and cell service providers to save you money on each bill.

Truebill can also help you monitor, negotiate, and cancel other subscriptions. They will even earn you refunds and credits for cable, internet, and cell service outages!

18. Earn Money Back From Your Grocery Receipts

You have to go grocery shopping, so why not earn some cash while you’re at it? Ibotta is a shopping rewards app that will pay you cashback for your grocery receipts.

Just select the offers you want in-app, shop for your groceries, then snap a picture of your receipt and send it to Ibotta to redeem your offers.

In terms of offer types, most Ibotta offers are specific only to an item. Some get more specific, such as requiring a certain brand of an item. Occasionally, there are offers that reward you for buying any items of any brand.

For more details, you’ll want to read our Ibotta review.

19. Use Your to Make Money

How would you like to earn coupons, deals, and rewards every time you shop? With Fetch Rewards, you can. And it’s easy!

After making purchases, all you have to do is scan and upload your receipts to start racking up points. Do this enough times and you’ll reach 3,000 points — at which point you’ll be able to choose from a wide range of killer rewards.

20. Deliver Food

Nowadays, you don’t need to work set hours for a pizza joint to make money delivering foods. Just sign up for a service like DoorDash. You can set your own hours, earn good money, and you may even discover a great spot to grab your next meal.

21. Deliver Just About Anything

Postmates took the food delivery service idea and expanded it to other items. You can deliver anything, from food to household goods to office supplies and more.

Because of the variety of items Postmates customers may order, you’ll never be short on work.

22. Refinance Your Student Loans and Immediately Put Cash Back Into Your Pocket (& Get a $300 Bonus)

Refinancing your student loans is simply the process of replacing your existing student loans with a lower interest loan. Refinancing your student loans may also let you change your repayment terms and lower your monthly payment. The process is free and extremely straight forward, and a small interest rate change can save you thousands of dollars.

Your own interest rate will be determined by several factors such as credit score, income, the amount you’re refinancing, and the length of the refinancing loan term. If you have better credit or a better income than when you first took out a student loan, it’s likely that refinancing will benefit you.

Online student loan marketplace Credible will return you prequalified refinancing options from up to 10 lenders in just two minutes.

Credible is so confident in the rates you’ll find with them,  it offers a best rate guarantee, that will give you $200 if you find a better rate elsewhere (terms apply).

Wall Street Insanity readers who refinance at least $50,000 in student loans will also get a $300 bonus through this link.

23. Get a Cashback Credit Card

Cashback credit cards reward you in points (each point is generally worth $0.01) for the purchases you already make; points that can then be redeemed for things like free gift cards, travel, or plain old cash.

Some cards also pay out signup bonuses if you spend enough within a specified time period of opening the card.

24. Rent Your Extra Storage Space

Got extra space around your house? What about an unused shed? Yes, you can monetize your extra space. Seriously.

Make an account on Neighbor, list your garage space, barn space, or even closet space, and earn some side money. It’s that easy.

25. Trade Cryptocurrency

Just because the crypto hype died down after the Bitcoin craze doesn’t mean cryptocurrency is dead. It’s being used for more regular transactions every day, so why not earn some extra money off it?

Coinbase is a beginner-friendly place to start. When you sign up, they’ll hand you $10 for purchasing $100 worth of Bitcoin, then $10 more for each friend you invite to join Coinbase.

A word of caution: cryptocurrency investing is extremely risky. Don’t invest any money that you aren’t 100% willing to lose.

26. Invest in Single-Family Rental Properties

Everyone needs a place to live, that’s what makes rental properties an attractive investment. It can provide stable cash flows even through economic cycles.

Roofstock makes investing in single-family rental properties incredible simply. It offers a unique 30-day money-back guarantee, and guaranteed rent on vacant properties.

Roofstock has more than $2 billion in completed single-family rental transactions in less than four years.

27. Get Paid to Save Energy

Arcadia Power is a company that will pay you to help out the planet. Connect your utility account to Arcadia Power, and in less than two minutes you could be accessing cleaner energy sources and saving money on your power bill!

What’s more? You can pay your utility bill through the company with $0 transaction fees, allowing you to potentially earn cashback rewards while saving on your bill.

If you live in California or Texas, OhmConnect is another company that will pay you for cutting your energy usage during “peak” hours (usually weeknights), aka when energy demand is at its highest throughout the day.

28. Find Full-Time or Part-Time Remote Work with Flexjobs

Working from home is all the rage. You too can get in on the work-from-home revolution by finding a job using FlexJobs.

Whether you’re looking for a part-time side job or you want to replace you 9-5 with full-time remote work, FlexJobs has an opportunity for you.

Make Extra Money Off Stuff You Already Own

person holding smartphone and dollars

Pixabay on Pexels

Everything you own has a value you attached to it. Monetize what you own to make some extra money.

29. Sell Electronics

Everyone has that drawer full of their old electronics. Clean that drawer out and sell old smartphones and tablets on Gazelle. They’ll get you an offer for your devices in less than a minute; should you accept, they’ll cover your shipping costs.

Payment comes in your choice of gift cards, PayPal credit, or check.

30. Sell Clothing

Little do you know, you’ve got plenty of extra cash sitting in your closet. Make room in your budget and your closet for a new wardrobe by selling your old threads on thredUP.

Another option you have is Poshmark. They have a massive audience, so finding a buyer should be quite easy.

31. Sell Furniture

Don’t throw that couch in the furniture just yet — somebody out there will pay you a fair price for it. List your old furniture on Craigslist, the Facebook Marketplace, and similar classifieds sites and earn some money off it.

Feeling entrepreneurial? You could turn furniture selling into a business by finding free furniture and flipping it for cash.

32. Sell Books

Books are another good item to sell. Clear off your bookshelf of tomes you no longer read and sell them on Amazon, eBay, or a site like Bookfinder to make the most possible money.

33. Sell Unused Gift Cards

Everyone gets gift cards they never use. Instead of asking a family member to trade you cash for it, hop on the discounted gift card marketplace Cardpool and sell it.

It’s completely free to join Cardpool, and you might even find a discounted gift card on there that you want.

34. Rent Out Baby Gear

Has your child grown out of their baby gear? You can start a side hustle renting it out to other families that need it.

Check out BabyQuip. They can connect you with families in need of baby gear so you can build your own baby gear rental hustle.

35. Sell Video Game Accounts

Remember those old video game accounts you abandoned years ago? They could be worth a lot if you sell them on a video game account marketplace like PlayerAuctions, especially if you have rare or exclusive in-game items that can no longer be obtained.

36. Earn Money With Your Drone

If you’re a drone enthusiast, plenty of companies want to hire you for tasks like

  • Real estate photography/videography
  • Land mapping
  • Aerial inspection
  • Marketing materials

Since drone tech is still in its infancy, companies are discovering new ways to leverage this technology, so keep your eye out for interesting drone gigs.

Alternatively, you can also start your own YouTube channel and monetize it with videos shot from your drone and/or other drone-related content.

37. Rent Out Your RV

Peer-to-peer vehicle lending might’ve started with cars, but thanks to RVShare, you can now easily rent out your RV for extra cash when you aren’t using it.

Like car-sharing services, you get to create your listing and set your own rates/availability. RVShare claims you can earn up to $22,000 per year on their platform. That could pay off a good chunk of your RV!

38. Sell Your Stuff at a Yard Sale

The classic yard sale never fails as a method to declutter and pocket some extra money. Set a date, make some signs, tell your friends and neighbors about it, and post about it on your social media.

In addition, you can list some items on Craigslist or the Facebook Marketplace to expand your yard sale’s reach.

39. Sell College Notes

Oh, the struggles of being a broke college student. Fortunately, you can earn a good chunk of change while helping your fellow students out by selling your notes online.

In fact, you can turn your notes into a passive income stream on Nexus Notes. Once your notes are approved, your notes sell for $35 per copy, and you get to keep half of that ($17.50 per copy of your notes).

Course Hero, a similar site, doesn’t pay you for notes; instead, you can share your notes in exchange for free access to their full site. Quite useful if you’re looking for free additional study materials.

40. Pawn Your Stuff

At pawn shops, you can either sell your item outright or pawn it, meaning you put it down as collateral for a pawn shop loan.

You won’t get the best price for your items right away, though, so be prepared to negotiate; also, be prepared to find a different pawn shop if you didn’t get the offer you wanted.

Now, pawn shops have an unfortunate stigma of being dark and dirty, and some are. Still, most aren’t. Check out our guide to finding the best pawn shops in your area.

Make Extra Money Online

dollars on top of a laptop

Pixabay on Pexels

The digital age is still in its infancy, so you still have plenty of opportunities to make extra money online.

41. Buy and Flip Items Online

Buying items and flipping them online is one of the most inexpensive online business models, but you can make some serious cash doing this.

eBay is a good place with plenty of buyers, but they do charge fees. If you’re looking for a fee-free online selling location, Craigslist is right up your alley.

But if you’re concerned about Craiglist in any way, there are tons of sites like Craigslist on the internet that operate in a similar fashion.

42. Print-On-Demand Business

Ever dreamed of owning an apparel business? On Teespring, you can launch your very own print-on-demand t-shirt business.

You get to pick the t-shirt design, while Teespring handles printing and shipping the shirts.
Market those shirts well with Facebook ads and you’ll have your own little apparel company.

43. Start a YouTube Channel

We won’t lie: making the big bucks on YouTube isn’t easy. Some YouTubers make millions of dollars a year, but many only earn a few dollars.

It’s possible, though. The keys are consistency and building a fanbase. Upload videos regularly, market your channel and cultivate a rabid following. If you can get accepted into YouTube’s Partnership Program, then you’ll start making some money off your videos.

44. Sell on Etsy

Do you have a unique blend of artsy creativity and entrepreneurial drive? You could make a killing on Etsy.

At first, you’ll only make a few sales; but keep at it, and you’ll have more customers than you can handle.

45. Start a Podcast

Podcasting is huge now, as people seek out ways to learn or be entertained while multi-tasking. If you aren’t a great writer but have great ideas, a podcast could be your big money maker.

Like a blog, growing the podcast takes time and consistent effort. Work at it, though, and you could land lucrative sponsorship deals.

46. Become an Instagram Influencer

Got a lot of Instagram followers? Do they follow you for a certain type of lifestyle? Turn your followers into dollars as an influencer on Instagram.

See, companies will pay you good money to promote their products in your Insta pictures because each of your followers could turn into one of their customers.

Plus, you get their products for free.

47. Buy and Sell Existing Websites

Websites are like digital real estate: you can hold them for income, or you can buy and sell them like you’re flipping houses.

The latter can start earning you money quickly; check out Flippa and you’ll see some website selling for thousands of dollars.

48. Buy and Sell Domain Names

If websites are digital real estate properties, then domain names are the land on which they’re built. Buying domain names that could become relevant in some way could pay off in the future.

You can buy domain names from GoDaddy for as little as $4.99 for the first year. If you’re smart about it, spending just $20 on well-picked domain names can earn you thousands in the future.

49. Become an Online Personal Trainer

Many people are too busy to visit a gym for a personal training session. If you’re already a personal trainer, you could pivot to online personal training.

Not only can you scale your personal training business this way, but you’ll be able to work right from home if you want.

50. Manage Social Media for Businesses

Social media is one of those tasks that businesses simply don’t have time for or don’t know how to use effectively. If you’re savvy with social media, launch your own social media management business.

As for finding clients, check out freelance marketplaces. Also, you could reach out to local businesses and see if they need someone to handle their social media.

51. Manage Facebook Ads for Businesses

Plunge deeper into your social media side hustle by learning how to manage Facebook Ads for businesses. If you can bring in profits for your clients, they will reward you handsomely.

52. Become an Online Notary

Becoming a notary is pretty cheap in most states, and many states don’t require an exam. Once you become a notary, you can then charge as much as you want.

Plus, as an online notary, you won’t have to go anywhere.

53. Test Websites

Businesses need fast, responsive, and good-looking websites to remain competitive; many businesses pay people like you to test their websites, performing simple tasks like navigating the website, clicking on links, and expressing your opinion about the design.

Check out User Testing. They pay you $10 via for each 20 website test you perform for one of their clients.

Acquire New Skills or Use Existing Ones to Make Extra Money

person studying with laptop computer

Startup Stock Photos on Pexels

Chances are you have a valuable skill that someone will pay you for. If for some reason you think you don’t, you can always learn a new skill to make extra money.

54. Create an Online Course

Are you knowledgeable about and/or experienced in something? Turn your expertise into an online course and sell it.

This has become a very popular online business model in recent years because of the passive profit potential.

There are few expenses involved, and the only work you need to do post-launch is to refresh the course and add content as necessary.

Teachable is a very popular platform for building online courses. You could also sell your course on online education platforms like Coursera or Udemy.

55. Write an eBook

Writing an eBook, publishing it on Amazon, and bringing in some cash is easier than it sounds.

You don’t have to be the next great novelist: you can write short fiction or nonfiction eBooks on whatever you want.

If you go for nonfiction, make sure its something you’re knowledgeable about, though.

56. Become a Graphic Designer

Companies need graphic designers to create attractive visuals for their marketing materials, and they look to graphic designers to do so. If you consider yourself an artist, becoming a graphic designer is a good side hustle idea for you.

The California Institute of Arts has an excellent, beginner-friendly graphic design course on Coursera that you can check out.

57. Become a UX/UI Designer

Got an eye for appealing design? Or perhaps you’re a stickler for intuitiveness when you’re using apps and websites? If the former describes you, consider becoming a UI (User Interface) designer. As for the latter, UX (User Experience) would be a better field to go into.

UI designers are focused on the look of the website/app, ensuring it’s pleasing to the eye. UX designers care more about if the website/app makes sense and is easy to navigate.

You can learn the basics of both UX and UI by taking this course from the California Insitute of Art.

58. Develop Websites

Web developers are in high demand, as every business and even individuals need functional websites these days.

Now, web developers are on the more technical side of websites. There’s a lot of code and other technical stuff you’ll have to learn, so you’ll once again want to check out a resource like Coursera to find an online web development course.

Once you hone your skills, finding clients that pay well won’t be hard.

Here’s a course from the University of Michigan that you can take to learn some web development basics.

59. Build an App

Apps are hot. You will need some coding knowledge and technical skills to build your own, but the payoff is huge if your app is a hit.

Your app doesn’t even have to cost money — you can monetize through placing ads in the app and creating in-app purchases.

Want to learn to code for free? Check out Codeacademy for tons of free coding resources.

60. Become a Real Estate Broker

Working part-time as a real estate broker pays quite well, but both becoming one and then working as one isn’t a walk in the park. You have to take some coursework and pass licensure exams, then become sponsored by a real estate broker.

If you can get through all that and manage your time well, being a broker will net you a pretty penny.

61. Become an Appraiser

Like becoming a real estate broker, becoming an appraiser won’t happen overnight. You need to complete a lot of training, pass an exam, and work under the supervision of a licensed appraiser for awhile.

But when you finally make it, the earnings are pretty good. In fact, you could turn it into a full-time career and earn more if you enjoy the work.

62. Tutor People

Many students are willing to pay tutors good money if it means they’ll get better grades. Nowadays, there are plenty of services that connect you with students online, so you can tutor without leaving home.

Chegg, for example, pays its tutors an amazing $20 per hour; on top of that, you get to decide how many hours you want to work and when you work those hours.

63. Teach English Online

English is the global language of business, and so teaching English online to students around the world id a viable side hustle.

China is a very large market for English teachers. VIPKid pays its teachers up to $22 an hour to tutor Chinese students. You don’t even have to develop the curricula, either; VIPKid hands you the lessons, and you just teach.

64. Become a Translator

Yet another way to leverage language for extra cash would be to become a translator. Obviously, you can’t succeed if you don’t know at least two languages, though.

If you aren’t already at least bilingual, Babbel offers several of the most in-demand languages.

Once you feel competent enough to translate effectively, freelance marketplaces like Upwork have a constant stream of translation gigs waiting for you to apply.

65. Become a Substitute Teacher

Contrary to popular belief, substitute teaching isn’t just walking into a classroom, putting on a movie, and zoning out (although some days will be like that). You’ll have to do everything the normal teacher would do.

That being said, substitute teachers can make pretty good money.

It’s easier than you think to get into, too: several states don’t require you to have an education background beyond a high school diploma or a GED

66. Become a Freelance Writer

Companies are always in need of fresh content, yet they don’t always have the time to do so, leaving you plenty of opportunities to make extra money as a freelance writer.

Check out Upwork to find some easy introductory gigs or ProBlogger if you want a little more challenge. If you think you’re ready for the big leagues, pitch your writing services directly to companies you want to write for.

67. Proofread People’s Writing

If writing the actual content isn’t for you, consider becoming a proofreader instead. You can still get in on the sea of content opportunities without having to sit down and write pieces from scratch.

Yup, you can actually earn money by proofreading others’ work. Sounds like a pretty easy job, huh?

Well, it just got even easier.

At Proofread Anywhere, you can get access to an exclusive, 76-minute workshop that will teach you everything you could want to know about running your own proofreading business — from proofreading to launching your business in 30 days or less to finding work and more!

68. Become a Virtual Assistant

Online business owners reach a point where they need to outsource miscellaneous tasks to someone else. As a virtual assistant, you could offer services like

  • Data entry
  • Email marketing
  • Calendar management
  • Blog writing
  • Customer service

69. Become a Bookkeeper

Few business owners enjoy doing their bookkeeping, but it’s necessary to run a business. By becoming a bookkeeper, you can help small businesses all over the world keep their books so they can focus on growing their business.

This is a great gig for accounting students and graduates, but you can land bookkeeping gigs with less than a 4-year degree.

Want to learn bookkeeping for free?

Right now, you can claim your free spot to three exclusive classes at Bookkeepers.com.

During this crash course, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the skill, so that you can get your own successful bookkeeping business up and running in no time!

How does working from home and being your own boss sound?

70. Plan Weddings

Getting a wedding planning hustle isn’t as hard as it sounds. Your first client could be a friend or family member who’s getting married.

If you plan a successful wedding, use your results to market yourself to other happy couples; soon enough, you’ll be in business. Given that weddings are expensive events, this could be a great side job.

71. Transcribe Audio and Video Interviews

Transcription may not sound like the most exciting work, but it’s so easy to make money with it. Fortunately, there exist websites like Rev that can funnel work to you whenever you want to make some extra money.

Transcribe Anywhere is even offering a 7-lesson mini-course called Transcription Foundation. Sign up and you’ll be able to learn how to become a professional transcriptionist!

This course is not only loaded with essential information but also plenty of handy tips on how to find work and earn more money!

72. Referee Sports Games

Refereeing sports games is a fun way for sports enthusiasts to make some extra cash. The higher the age of the athletes, the more money you’ll make as a referee.

You’ll get plenty of exercise, too.

Wear a thick skin, though: some especially enthusiastic parents might get loud if you call a penalty on their little athlete.

73. Represent Your Favorite Brands as a Brand Ambassador

Brand ambassador jobs are great for people who are passionate about certain brands and lifestyles. You get to represent brands you like, put some great experience on your resume, and get paid for it all.

Anyone can be a brand ambassador, but these positions are especially great jobs for college students.

74. Complete Micro Gigs

Amazon Mechanical Turk is a platform where companies outsource small tasks to regular people. You might get paid to

  • Enter data
  • Write product descriptions
  • Identify objects in photos or video
  • Perform research

and many other micro gigs.

75. Evaluate Search Engines

Search engines are great, but not perfect at displaying results.

If you become a search engine evaluator to pocket some more money, you’ll be performing specific searches on various search enginers and providing feedback on the relevancy and usefulness of the results.

You can land these jobs through various search engine evaluator agencies such as Appen.

Google hires several search engine evaluators as well, although they do it through external employment agencies.

76. Answer Questions Online

If you’re a professional in some field, answering questions on JustAnswer makes for a great secondary stream of income. Plus, answering questions for others will help you keep your industry knowledge and professional skills sharp.

77. Coach Somebody in Something

Coaching is an excellent earning opportunity if you have experience in basically any area and want to help others grow in that area.

Landing coaching clients can be especially tough starting out; to kickstart your coaching business, consider becoming a coach at Coach.me. They do all they can to bring clients your way.

78. Use Your Knowledge/Experience to Consult With Businesses

Consulting can be a part-time gig, or you can turn it into a full-time business if you enjoy it.

As long as you’re skilled or have expertise in an area that is important to business (such as marketing or tech), hang your own shingles as a consultant and start targetting local businesses.

79. Take and Sell Photos

No need to be a professional photographer to take and sell photos for money. Shutterstock, Getty Images, and similar stock image sites pay you royalties for your stock photography if it’s good enough.

Build up a large enough portfolio and you’ll have a nifty passive income stream.

80. Bartend

Bartending is a great side hustle because the most lucrative time of the day is at night, aka after your job.

If you’re in a college town or a city with a thriving nightlife scene, one or two shifts a week could put a lot of money into your pocket.

81. Sell Your Art

You don’t need to be the next Picasso to make some cash off your artwork. In fact, you can convert your art into passive income by making an account on Society6 and uploading your work.

They’ll print your work on whatever products people order (wall art, home decor, apparel, etc.), sort of like a print-on-demand business.

82. DJ for Special Events

DJs are needed for tons of events and venues: bars, parties, weddings, clubs, corporate events, store events, the list goes on.

Succeeding as a DJ involves tailoring your tunes to the audience and event — house party attendees will likely want a different sound than the employees attending their company Christmas party. If you can do that successfully, this can be a fun way to earn side cash.

83. Provide In-Home Help for the Disabled

This hustle requires you to be a compassionate, caring, and patient individual. However, beyond just making extra money, you’ll feel a warm sense of satisfaction for helping those who need it.

84. Grow and Sell Produce

If you live out in the country, you may have plenty of space to grow produce in a garden or even raise some livestock. You can then bring your produce, meat, and eggs to a local farmer’s market.

Do check with local laws about selling food. Make sure you get any proper documentation such as permits or licenses for doing so.

85. Provide Handyman Services

Do you enjoy DIY-ing various projects in your home? A lot of people hate doing so.

Advertise your handyman services to others.

Be careful about the projects you take on, though; more complicated handyman projects might require you to be a licensed contractor and acquire insurance in case your repair causes damage or harm.

86. Negotiate a Raise at Work

Want to boost your income fast? Start at the source by asking for a raise.

To maximize your chances of securing a raise, you’ll want to bring hard data showing how you’re an asset to the company.

Now, asking for a raise can be scary, but the worst you’ll get is a “no”. You have nothing to lose.

87. Sell Baked Goods

If you enjoy whipping up tasty baked treats, host a bake sale and inform your friends and neighbors. If your baked goods are a hit, consider expanding your business to selling baked goods online as well.

Like other business involving foods, make sure you’re following all applicable laws.

88. Crowdfund Your Idea

Have skills and knowledge to build a product people will love, but you don’t have the startup capital? Crowdfund it using a site such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo.

Much easier than trying to persuade investors to back your startup.

Make Extra Money Doing Things That Require Little to No Skill

man mowing lawn

Lisa Fotios on Pexels

No time, money, or motivation to learn a new skill? No worries, you’ve still got several options for earning some extra cash.

89. House Sit

It’s as simple as it sounds: watch someone’s house while they’re away on business, vacation, etc. If you can line up a steady stream of house-sitting gigs, you can live rent-free in other people’s homes while making money!

90. Sell Your Plasma

Various parts of your body are in high demand, especially plasma. Assuming you pass the requirements, you can make between $20 and $50 every time you donate plasma.

It’s a great way to get paid while helping to save lives. You get free cookies, too.

91. Recycle Items

What if you could help the environment and squeeze some extra cash from your trash? Many common items that end up in the trash can actually be exchanged for money via recycling.

Aluminum is an especially hot item to recycle. Keep a garbage bag for your empties, because you could earn up to $150 per week recycling aluminum cans!

92. Sell Breast Milk

Many doctors recommend babies consume breast milk rather than formula. Breast milk banks exist for those parents who are unable to get breast milk for any reason.

If you’re a healthy mom who produces more than you need, you can sell it either in-person to a breast milk bank or online on Only The Breast.

93. Become a Mystery Shopper

As a mystery shopper, you’ll be tasked by corporate with visiting their business “undercover” as a regular shopper, purchasing a certain item or making a certain transaction, then submit your feedback to corporate so they can improve their operations.

If you enjoy shopping and sharing your opinion, mystery shopping will be a fun side gig for you.

94. Wash/Detail Cars

Washing cars involves just washing and waxing the exterior (which takes less time but earns less money), while detailing involves deep cleaning the car and helping to maintain a “new car” look (which is more time-intensive but pays more).

The great thing is you can commit as much time to this business as you want. Plus, you can score recurring clients if you do well.

95. Perform Lawn Work

A classic business model for kids, lawn work can be a fun way to get outdoors and make some extra money. If you live in a populous neighborhood with large lawns, your earnings will be quite nice.

You’ll likely have to provide the equipment (lawnmower, fertilizer, etc.), so be prepared to buy those if necessary.

96. Deliver the Newspaper

The old paper route is a tried and true method to make some extra money.

The cheapest way to deliver the newspaper for pay is to do it by bike; you’ll also get a nice workout and some fresh air every morning.

Some employers may require that you have a car, though.

Either way, call up your local newspaper and see if they need some delivery help.

97. Babysit

Babysitting requires more skill and care than house sitting or dog sitting since you’re watching a human being, but the pay is typically better as well.

You can start with family, friends, and neighbors; to find more babysitting clients in your city, check out Care.com.

98. Recharge Electric Scooters

Have you seen those Bird or Lime electric scooters around your city? You can make a few extra bucks just by charging them up. Both of these companies average $3 to $5 per scooter, but some have earned up to $20 per scooter on Bird.

99. Review Music

Music snobs rejoice, for you can get paid for listening to music clips and your sharing your opinions on them on Slicethepie. Most of the music you’ll be listening to will be from newer artists, so you may actually play a part in making the next big artist, the next big artist!

The more time you spend on Slicethepie and the better your ranking, the more you’ll be paid. You can cash out your earnings once you reach $10.

100. Place Ads on Your Car

If you’re comfortable being a mobile billboard, several companies will pay you to put ads on your car.

This can turn into a nifty passive income stream: depending on your location and how much you drive, you can earn a few hundred dollars a month.

101. Turn Junk Mail Into Cash

Stop! Don’t throw that junk mail away, and don’t delete that junk email, either.

The Small Business Knowledge Center will reward you points for each piece of junk mail/email that you send them; these points can be redeemed for prepaid Visa gift cards that can be used nearly anywhere.

102. Become a Rent-a-Friend

Some people crave strictly platonic company and will pay well for it. RentAFriend claims that you can earn up to $50 per hour on their site by hanging out with your clients — you might go see movies, head to a party, grab a bite to eat, or even just sit around and talk.

Of course, the aforementioned activities are all free for you.

At the end of it, your client may even become a real friend, too.

103. Find Missing Money in Your Name

Whether it’s an old bank account, a forgotten insurance policy, unclaimed back wages, or something else, the government may be holding onto missing money or property that is rightfully yours.

There are several places online you can go to check for missing money in your name. Read this article from USA.gov for more information on getting that cash into your hands.

104. Become a Local Tour Guide

Passionate about your local area? Enjoy meeting people from all over? Become a local tour guide.

Showcase what makes your town or city so great to other people, make money, and have some fun while you’re doing it.

105. Enter Online Contests/Sweepstakes

The odds of winning giant online sweepstakes aren’t large, but they take next to no effort to enter. You’re more likely to win smaller prizes from smaller sweepstakes.

Believe it or not, there’s an online directory for sweepstakes.

106. Wait in Line For Other People

Whether it’s putting a deposit down for a Tesla, buying the new iPhone, or grabbing the best Black Friday deals… people will wait in line for hours or days for the release of this stuff.

Some have the luxury of paying people to wait in line for them, and you can be one of these “line-sitters” if you’re willing to brave the elements and the crowds.

107. Do Odd Jobs for People

Everyone needs a helping hand now and then. Start with asking around your neighborhood, then hop on Craigslist and see what kind of odd jobs people need you to get done around town.

Taskrabbit is another good app to check out if you’re looking to do some odd jobs.

108. Shovel Snow

The winter version of lawn care. However, to make more money, try to line up a few clients beforehand. Wait for a heavy snowfall forecast, then make your neighbors aware of your snow shoveling services.

109. Clean Houses

Yeah, cleaning houses isn’t fun. But that’s what makes it such a great opportunity to make extra money.

To increase your earnings, charge customers a premium for using your own supplies. In addition, you could turn this into a full-blown cleaning service and hire others if you want to handle more clients.

110. Clean Pools

In the summer, you could clean people’s backyard pools to earn some extra cash. Pools aren’t cheap, meaning your main clientele will be paying you a pretty good rate for a side hustle that gets you out in the sun.

111. Start a Litter Pickup Business

It’s a shame that people litter, but that opens up a business opportunity for you.

Many local businesses will pay you for a good sum to pick up trash in order to keep their premises clean and appealing.

Some people have turned this extremely simple side hustle idea into a multi-six figure business.

112. Participate in Clinical Trials

If you don’t mind being a human guinea pig, you can make surprisingly good money participating in clinical trials. You also get to feel good about the fact that you’re helping to advance science.

Check out Clinicaltrials.gov for more information about participating in a clinical study.

113. Sell Your Hair

Again, several parts of your body are quite valuable. That includes your hair.

Now, the amount you’ll get for your hair depends on length, color, thickness, and if it’s been treated with anything (dyes, perms, etc.).

To get an estimate of your hair’s value, check out this hair price calculator.

114. Paint

Painting entire houses will make you the most money, but it’s the most difficult. You can niche down to just painting doors or walls if you aren’t a fan of painting the whole house.

115. Help People Move

Helping people move is a good job if you’ve got some muscle. You can grab a side job with a moving company, or you can hop on Craigslist or the Facebook Marketplace and look for people who need help moving stuff.

116. Seek Out Seasonal Work

Many jobs hire employees just for a few months. For example, income tax preparation services hire people during tax season (January – April).

If you can find something for every season, you’ll have several interesting side gigs throughout the year that each line your pockets.

117. Become a Mock Juror

As a mock juror, you get to help attorneys practice their craft through mock trials. You don’t have to show up at a courthouse, either — you get to work right from home!
Earnings aren’t too bad, either, at $20 – $60 depending on the mock case’s complexity.

118. Collect From Class Action Lawsuits

Class action lawsuits are filed every day. Chances are you could be entitled to financial compensation just for purchasing an item at some point in time.

Check out ClassActionRebates. It aggregates class action lawsuits on their site; each listing provides case information, shows your estimated winnings, and links you to where you can file your claim.

119. Be an Art Model

Got the patience to hold still in a pose for a while? Art schools will pay you to strike a pose as an art model.

And no, you don’t have to be nude if you don’t want to, although you’ll have the most opportunities if you’re comfortable taking nude modeling gigs.

The safest way to find these gigs is to contact art studios, art schools, and local colleges. If you look online for modeling gigs, be very cautious and do your research; there are often scams for art models online, due to the often nude nature of the gig.

120. Be a Movie Extra

You may not get to star in the next Hollywood hit, but you can make some extra money as a movie extra.

To become an extra, search the internet for casting agencies near you. Show up, fill out the paperwork, and get a headshot taken.

They’ll then call you when they have something for you. Just show up and follow their directions, and you’ll be getting paid to “act” in no time.

When the film or TV episode comes out, feel free to point yourself out to friends and family every time “your” scene is on.

Extra Money is Everywhere… If You Put In the Effort

Some of the ways to make money on this list will net you a few bucks for little to no effort, while others could grow into a full-time business.

However, no matter which money-making method(s) you decide to pursue, you’re going to have to put in some effort to actually make the money.

But at least you don’t have to spend time browsing around for ideas!

We’re confident that you’ll find at least one (if not more) money-making ideas on this list that you can not only earn money with, but also enjoy pursuing.

The post 120 Ways To Make Extra Money appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
41860
36 Best Jobs For College Students https://wallstreetinsanity.com/best-jobs-for-college-students/ Mon, 04 Nov 2019 00:41:25 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=40728 Being broke all the time has become a rite of passage for college students. Many students work one or two jobs to support themselves, but busy class schedules can make it difficult for some to fit in any part-time work. On top of that, the lack of a college degree limits your options for well-paying jobs that aren’t dreadful. You ...

The post 36 Best Jobs For College Students appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
man with headphones on on laptop

Wes Hicks on Unsplash

Being broke all the time has become a rite of passage for college students.

Many students work one or two jobs to support themselves, but busy class schedules can make it difficult for some to fit in any part-time work.

On top of that, the lack of a college degree limits your options for well-paying jobs that aren’t dreadful.

You shouldn’t have to scour campus and the Internet for ways to pay for your textbooks or groceries, so we’ve put together a list of the best jobs for college students.

Why College Students Should Get A Job

Holding down a job as a college student is beneficial in several ways.

  • Earn money: You can earn money for your living expenses, course materials, club dues, and for your own fun. Alternatively, you can build savings for after graduation.
  • Build your resume: You’ll have an easier time in the internship and job markets with some job experience on your resume.
  • Apply your knowledge: Landing a job relevant to your major lets you apply your classroom learning in the real world. This can lead to better grades.
  • Learn career skills: Working a job in college forces you to learn time management, communication, and professionalism.
  • Networking: Jobs provide you an excellent opportunity to build your professional network. You could land a full-time offer while still in school!

Best Jobs For College Students With Cars

parked cars side by side

Pixabay on Pexels

Did you bring your car to campus? Make money with your car at one of these jobs.

Doordash

Doordash is a titan in the food delivery service industry. Doordash drivers, called Dashers, pick up customer orders from restaurants and deliver the orders right to the customer’s doorstep.

Dashers earn a flat rate per order plus tips. During slow times, they also guarantee a minimum rate to ensure you aren’t walking away empty-handed.

Doordash is constantly expanding its services to new cities. If Doordash is available in your college town, it could be a great way to earn some money with your car.

Postmates

Postmates expanded on the meal delivery idea. Drivers deliver meals, groceries, and even retail items to Postmates customers.

Drivers earn delivery fees and tips on their orders.

Delivery fees are charged on every order; the fee amount depends on the size of the order and the distance you have to drive to complete it. Postmates takes 20% of these earnings as commission and leaves you the rest.

Then there’re the tips. These are calculated based on the total order price, which includes the actual order, the delivery fees, and a service charge. If you’re a fast delivery driver, you can stack some serious cash.

Postmates calculates their delivery fees differently depending on the city, so exact dollar amounts are hard to come by.

Regardless, Postmates can be a lucrative gig for college students with a car.

UberEats

In recent years, Uber expanded into the food delivery space with UberEats, giving you two potential ways to earn with Uber.

Since customers are used to tipping for food delivery, you may earn more in tips with UberEats than regular Uber driving.

Just like driving for regular Uber, you can clock in and clock out as you please. If you’ve got some time in between classes, knock out a few deliveries on UberEats!

You get immediate access to your funds once you’ve earned them with Uber’s Instant Pay feature.

Getaround

Founded in September of 2009, Getaround lets you earn money with your car by renting it to others.

You set your own rates and don’t even have to meet with your customers to hand them the keys. Customers can locate and unlock your car using their phones once you complete your transaction on the app.

For your safety and security, Getaround screens every driver. Every trip also includes $1,000,000 in insurance and 24/7 roadside assistance.

Turo

Turo lets you rent out your car and is available in 5,500 cities across the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany.

It’s typically best to list your car on both Turo and Getaround to get your car rented as much as possible.

Earning potential is excellent because you get to set your own rates. Turo provides you with tools and calculators to figure out how much you should be charging if you need help.

For your security, Turo protects you with $1 million in liability insurance. They also screen all travelers before allowing them to book cars in their marketplace, and provide a 24/7 emergency helpline for anything you might need.

Lyft

Lyft is a popular ridesharing company. Driving with Lyft is simple: Pick up riders and drop them off at their destination.

Drivers earn a base fare for each ride, plus a mileage rate and a driving time rate. The mileage and driving time rates vary by city. Passengers can tip drivers as well.

Lyft is currently offering a $1,000 guarantee.

Lyft drivers can boost their earnings with several bonuses:

  • Ride challenges: Complete a certain amount of rides in a set amount of time
  • Personal power zones: Earn bonuses for completing rides in high-demand areas
  • Streak bonuses: When Lyft creates a streak bonus opportunity, you can earn the streak bonus by accepting several rides back-to-back

Lyft provides its drivers with hourly predictions regarding the most lucrative times of the day to drive. They’ll also notify you if there are any events nearby so you can complete more rides.

Uber

Uber is one of the world’s most popular ridesharing apps, so there’s money to be made.

You earn money by picking up Uber riders and getting them safely to their destination. You’re paid a standard rate based on your area plus some extra based on your time and distance driven on a particular trip.

On top of that, riders can tip you for good service.

During especially busy times, you can take advantage of higher rates (called “surge” pricing) to earn even more, like during Friday and Saturday nights.

Driving with Uber is quite a flexible gig. You get to clock in when you want to earn some money and clock back out when you’re done for the day, so think about Uber if you’re busy with schoolwork.

Best Survey & Rewards Sites For College Students

man standing holding and looking at his mobile phone

Reinhart Julian on Unsplash

College students can make money right from their phone or computer by signing up for these survey sites and earn money for things they do every day through rewards sites.

Get Paid to Complete Surveys and Everyday Tasks

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a rewards app that rewards users with points, called Swagbucks, for completing various tasks. You can earn points by

  • Completing surveys.
  • Answering polls.
  • Shopping online through Swagbucks.
  • Playing games.
  • Watching videos.
  • Browsing the internet on Swagbucks.

You can redeem your points for free gift cards to a ton of major retailers once you’ve saved up enough. If you don’t want gift cards, Swagbucks lets you cash out your points for PayPal credit instead.

Swagbucks gives you a $5 bonus just for signing up. Read our Swagbucks review to learn more about Swagbucks.

SurveyJunkie

SurveyJunkie pays you to take surveys on their app or website. Once you create your profile, SurveyJunkie analyzes it to match you to surveys most relevant to you. The result of this matchup is a pretty good payout.

Once you earn 1,000 points, or in other words $10, you can cash out your earnings for gift cards to hundreds of companies or PayPal credit if you just want cash.

When you sign up for SurveyJunkie, complete your profile, and confirm your email, they give you a nice 100-point welcome bonus.

InboxDollars

InboxDollars is a survey site that rewards you for taking surveys, browsing the internet, shopping online, playing games and even reading emails.

Each time you complete a task, you’re paid in cash instead of points. Earn $30 on InboxDollars and you can cash out via PayPal.

InboxDollars will give you a nice $5 just for signing up, perhaps the easiest $5 you’ll ever make!

Shopping Rewards Apps

Ibotta

Ibotta’s a shopping rewards app that’s partnered with hundreds of major retailers to offer you discounts in the form of cashback.

All you have to do is select your offers on your Ibotta account before shopping, buy your items, and scan the QR code on your receipt using the Ibotta smartphone app. They’ll credit your account for any valid redemptions within 48 hours of submitting the receipts.

For more convenience, you can link your store loyalty accounts to your Ibotta account. Then, you won’t even have to keep the receipt to redeem your offers. Read our full Ibotta review to learn more.

Shopkick

Shopkick rewards you with points, called kicks, for completing several shopping-related tasks. You can earn kicks by shopping online or in-store by either submitting your receipts or linking your credit/debit card.

In addition to shopping, Shopkick rewards you with kicks for

  • Walking into certain stores.
  • Scanning select item barcodes.
  • Watching in-app videos about new products.

Earn enough kicks and you can turn them into gift cards to your favorite retailers.

According to Shopkick, many people can earn enough for their first gift card in a week!

We have a full Shopkick review if you’d like to learn more.

Rakuten

Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, pays you cash back for shopping online or in-store at one of their 2,000+ partner stores. They earn money each time you make a purchase through their link, then pass some of that money down to you.

Every store lists the percentage cashback you can earn upfront. Click through the link and complete your purchase like normal, and Rakuten will credit your account within a couple of business days.

Rakuten pays out your earnings every quarter as long as you’ve earned at least $5 in cash back.

Other Rewards Sites

Nielsen

Nielsen, one of the biggest consumer research companies, pays its users for data regarding their internet use.

Instead of earning money per survey, Nielsen only gives you one short survey after signing up. Upon completion of the survey, you then download their app onto as many of your devices as you want so they can monitor and collect data about your internet consumption.

From there, you earn completely passively just for keeping the app installed.

In addition, Nielsen enters its users into large cash prize drawings. Who knows: you might earn thousands simply for keeping an app on your phone or tablet.

Best Entrepreneurial Jobs For College Students

typing on laptop on the kitchen counter

NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Caught the entrepreneurial bug in college? Look into some of these jobs.

Blogging

Blogging is a great entrepreneurial side job for college students. They cost very little to start (hosting from Bluehost costs $2.95 per month) and you can write about whatever you want, as long as you can build an audience around it. BlueHost powers over 2 million websites, and takes just minutes to launch your own wesbite. They offer 24/7 support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

College students can monetize their blogs with

  • Ads (placed on the blog)
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Sponsored posts

The best part is you can earn big money blogging if you find a large audience that loves your content.

Influencer

Do you live a certain lifestyle or have a hobby that you love to share with others? You could monetize it by becoming an influencer.

Influencers typically make money by promoting products and services they use in pursuit of their lifestyle or hobby. For example, an influencer in the beauty niche might promote a skincare company whose products they regularly use.

With that in mind, Instagram is a big moneymaker for influencers. Brands might pay you a flat fee for a sponsored post or could choose to give you a percentage of sales you’re able to drive to them through a unique link they provide you.

Ecommerce

More shopping than ever is done online, meaning e-commerce could be a lucrative opportunity for college students.

Dropshipping, in particular, is a great e-commerce business model due to the low startup costs. Instead of manufacturing products or holding inventory, you list items from various suppliers on your online storefront at a markup from the supplier’s price.

When a customer buys a product, you receive the money, purchase the product from the supplier, provide them the customer information, then the supplier ships the product directly to the customer.

If this sounds interesting to you, Shopify is an excellent platform to dropship with. Shopify powers over 1 million ecommerce stores and owns dropshipping site Oberlo, which will help you find items to dropship on your store in minutes. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial. Read our Shopify review to learn more.

Virtual Products

College students with great knowledge in a niche subject can make money by creating virtual products like eBooks or online courses.

Because they’re completely digital, virtual products have large profit margins and your sales can easily become quite passive.

When you’ve created your product, you have a few ways to sell them.

eBooks

You can publish eBooks on Amazon to take advantage of their customer base and marketing. You can also sell the eBook on your own website.

Online Courses

Your options for online courses are similar to those of eBooks. You can sell your course on a platform such as Udemy or Teachable to take advantage of their resources and size. You can also sell the course on your own website.

Best Online Jobs For College Students

person using laptop at desk

Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Work from anywhere you have a computer and internet connection with these online jobs for college students.

Online Tutoring

College students that earn high grades in their major classes should look into online tutoring jobs. Most of these jobs pay well and let you set your own hours.

For example, Chegg pays their tutors $20+ per hour. They get to work as many hours as they’d like and set their own schedule.

Website Testing

Companies routinely hire people to test their websites to ensure they function properly and are easy to navigate.

These jobs pay more than you might expect. UserTesting, one of the best sites for finding website testing jobs, pays you $10 for each 10-15 minute test you finish; you could earn up to $60 an hour!

Freelance Writing

Freelance writing is one of the easiest and most flexible online jobs for college students. Freelance writers can pick any niche they want (or no niche at all), set their own rates and schedules.

Not sure where to get clients? You can jumpstart your freelance writing hustle on freelance marketplace sites like Upwork and Fiverr.

Social Media Management

Social media management is a fun and flexible online job for college students. Social media managers write and schedule posts, engage with followers, examine analytics, and more.

You can either land a social media management job or strike out on your own. Striking out on your own is riskier, but you can set your own hours and rates.

Virtual Assistant

College students can get paid using their organization and communications skills by landing a virtual assistant gig.

Virtual assistant pay varies depending on the amount and/or difficulty of your responsibilities, which might include

  • Scheduling
  • Email correspondence
  • Phone calls
  • Customer service
  • Data entry
  • Social media
  • Website maintenance

Best Campus Jobs For College Students

college campus grounds

Ryan Jacobson on Unsplash

Your campus is teeming with job opportunities.

  • Campus Dining: Most universities give their campus dining staff free meals.
  • Residential Advisor (RA): RA’s get free housing.
  • School Newspaper: They are always looking for writers who know the goings-on of their college.
  • IT Assistant: These jobs pay pretty well, and they usually have you staying on your feet by traveling around campus to fix things.
  • Research Assistant: Work with a professor on their research and get paid. Looks great on a resume.
  • Teaching Assistant: Teach lower-lever/general education classes in your major. Looks great on a resume.
  • Administrative Assistant: Every department needs student employees to complete various front desk and administrative tasks.
  • Fitness Instructor/Personal Trainer: Get your sweat on and get paid as a fitness instructor or personal trainer at your campus’s rec center or other athletic facilities.
  • Tour Guide: Know your campus by heart? Show prospective students and their families around the place you call home.
  • Campus Tutor: Pay is pretty good, usually get to set your own hours, and might learn the subject matter better by teaching it.

Other Jobs For College Students

woman student walking holding books

Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Here are some miscellaneous yet excellent jobs for college students.

Paid Internships

Paid internships pay pretty well, look great on a resume, and help you build connections within your field.

Your school likely has a job board where you can find these opportunities. Check out your school’s career fairs as well, as many employers are looking for their future interns at these events.

You can seek out additional opportunities by browsing job sites like Indeed or Monster.

Brand Ambassador

Brand ambassadors serve as on-campus marketing representatives for the companies they work for. They put on tabling events, do cold outreach to clients/customers, run social media, put up flyers, and more.

Brand ambassadors get paid pretty well and have some flexibility in setting their hours. Sometimes, they even get discounts at the company they represent.

Recycling

You can pocket some cash right away by recycling. Designate a trash bag to throw your empty soda and beer cans into when empty.

In addition, large sporting events like football games are a goldmine. Take a walk around campus with a trash bag and collect the numerous beer cans lying around.

If you live in a state with bottle deposit laws, you can return your plastic and aluminum cans and bottles to earn your deposits. Otherwise, you can haul your recycled aluminum cans to the scrap heap for money.

Tips For Employed College Students

College students seeking part-time employment should keep a few things in mind.

Network

College students should always be networking. Not only will it help you land a part-time student gig, but you’ll make connections in your field which can result in a full-time job offer by the time you graduate!

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

Prioritize Your Classwork

Remember, you’re in college first and foremost to learn. Don’t let your job’s stress or hours impede your academic performance.

Aim For a Job In Your Major

Ideally, you want to land a job in your major, even if it’s just working at the front desk of your major’s department. Any experience is good, but relevant experience is better.

You’ll also make connections with staff and faculty who can introduce you to prospective employers down the line.

Learn to Manage Your Money

Money’s going to be tight, so learn some money management skills as soon as possible. These will be of great help when you leave college for the working world.

Open a Savings Account

Open a savings account once you’re hired. Direct a small portion of each paycheck to your savings account in case of emergency and so you have some savings built up after graduating.

Never Be Broke Again

Most college students have to work a job to get by. Even those that can get through college without a job take one anyways for spending money.

Whether you need a job or just want some financial flexibility while in college, consider one of the jobs on this list.

The post 36 Best Jobs For College Students appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
40728
15 Legit Online Jobs For Teens https://wallstreetinsanity.com/online-jobs-for-teens/ Fri, 27 Sep 2019 20:06:00 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=40558 The teen years are full of increased freedom and discovery. You’re hanging out with your friends in public, going on dates, and — in the later years — getting your driver’s license so you can take yourself everywhere. However, you’ll quickly learn that more freedom means more responsibility, primarily in the form of money. It can be hard to come ...

The post 15 Legit Online Jobs For Teens appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
women coworking on laptop

John Schnobrich on Unsplash

The teen years are full of increased freedom and discovery. You’re hanging out with your friends in public, going on dates, and — in the later years — getting your driver’s license so you can take yourself everywhere.

However, you’ll quickly learn that more freedom means more responsibility, primarily in the form of money.

It can be hard to come by money as a teen. You don’t even have a high school diploma or GED yet, let alone a college degree.

Also, up until this point, you probably thought the $30 weekly allowance you earned through chores was lavish living. Then you get out there and find out it’ll cost you over half that allowance to grab dinner with friends at your average restaurant.

A job can help you pay for your new freedom, but teens have historically been stuck with roles like cashier and retail associate.

Not anymore. Thanks to the internet, there are tons of legit online jobs for teens out there.

Why Teens Should Get A Job To Make Money

Working a job during your teen years provides you with plenty of benefits.

  • Earn money: You can spend your own money, rather than ask your parents. Also, you can start saving money for college tuition and living expenses.
  • Learn valuable money skills: Earning an income will help you learn about budgeting, taxes, and saving your money while you’re still within the safety net of childhood.
  • Increased responsibility: You’ll learn how to be professional at work. Being able to show up on time, complete tasks accurately, and maintain a professional demeanor are vital to thriving in the workplace.
  • Time management skills: You’ll juggle school, extracurriculars, and a job; doing so will teach you how to manage your time as effectively as possible, a critical skill for college and beyond.
  • College admissions: Colleges love seeing teens hold down jobs for many of these listed reasons. A job can boost your chances of getting into your dream school.
  • Job history: A teen job helps you establish a job history early on, giving you a leg up when applying for jobs and internships during and after college. It also helps you learn how to be a good employee, setting you up for job success later on.

Survey/Rewards Sites For Teens

Teens can start making money right now by taking online surveys and completing other tasks through surveys and rewards sites.

These are our favorite survey sites and rewards apps that allow teens to use them.

1. Swagbucks

Swagbucks

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a rewards app that rewards users with points, called Swagbucks, for completing all kinds of tasks. Tasks you can do include surveys, polls, shopping, playing games, watching videos, and even browsing the internet.

When you’ve accumulated enough points, you can redeem your points for free gift cards to a ton of major retailers. Alternatively, you can redeem them for a PayPal credit if you just want the cash.

Speaking of rewards, Swagbucks gives you a $5  just for signing up. You can read our Swagbucks review to learn more.

2. SurveyJunkie

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie

SurveyJunkie will pay you to take surveys online or through their app. SurveryJunkie analyzes your profile and uses its findings to match you to surveys relevant to your lifestyle.

Because you’re matched to more specific surveys, the payouts are pretty good.

But for those rare occasions where you don’t qualify for a survey, SurveyJunkie will still pay you a few points for your troubles.

When you earn 1,000 points (1 point = 1 cent, so $10), you can cash out your earnings.

Oh, and you could earn up to 100 points just by signing up for SurveyJunkie, completing your profile, and confirming your email.

3. Shopkick

Shopkick

Shopkick

Shopkick is a shopping rewards app with several ways to earn their points, called kicks. They reward you for shopping online and in-store at your favorite places. You can submit receipts to earn kicks as well as link your credit/debit card for more earnings.

But you don’t always have to buy something to earn kicks — Shopkick rewards users just for walking into stores, scanning select item barcodes with their phone, and even watching videos about new products.

You can redeem your kicks for gift cards to hundreds of retailers.

Kicks add up fast when stacking up all the different earning methods. In fact, Shopkick claims you can easily earn enough kicks in your first week to redeem for a gift card! Learn more by reading our Shopkick review.

Jobs For Entrepreneurial Teens

Teens can do business too. Check out some of these online jobs if you want to run your own show and get a taste for entrepreneurship.

4. Blogging

typing on laptop on the kitchen counter

NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Blogging is one of the most creative online jobs for teens to get. You can set up your own blog and write about any topic you desire – plus you can be the boss of 100% of the content you post.

Enjoy traveling? Start a travel blog. Are you big into fitness and nutrition? Create a fitness blog.

As long as you write authentic content consistently, you’ll grow your skills, find your voice, and attract a loyal audience of readers.

Blogs are extremely cheap to start: grab some web hosting from Bluehost for a mere $2.95 per month and they’ll throw in your domain name (your unique URL) for free. Bluehost powers over 2 million websites.

Once you purchase your hosting plan and choose your domain name, you can build a website in minutes with the BlueHost automatic WordPress installation. Now you’re ready to start writing!

After you get used to posting regularly, it’s possible to start earning money with your blog.

You can monetize your blog in several ways:

Ads: Many blogs make money by placing ads on their sites. Google Adsense is a great way for any website owner to monetize right away with ads.

Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing is simply selling someone else’s product by linking to their site from your website.

When you sign up for a company’s affiliate program, they give you a unique link you can place in blog content or share on social media. Each time a blog visitor buys the product by clicking through your affiliate link, you’re paid part of the sale as commissions.

You can grow your blog faster by running ads:

It’s possible to grow a huge blog without spending much on ads, but if you want to see results quicker, you’ll want to invest in ad campaigns.

Microsoft Ads is an excellent often overlooked advertising service. We got you $100 in free Microsoft advertising credit.

Make sure you stay in constant contact with your audience:

After all the work you’ve done to capture an audience, you’ll want to stay in touch with them. Email is one of the best ways to do this. You can use email to keep in touch with your readers: informing and entertaining them.

You can easily do this with email marketing from Constant Contact. You can easily integrate a signup form on your website for readers to subscribe to and then send them emails when you’re ready. Get a 60-day free trial with Constant Contact to get started.

5. Start an E-commerce Store

Black Friday online store

Shopify Partners on Burst

E-commerce has exploded in popularity in the past decade, with entrepreneurs of all ages finding success selling products on their own online stores. But don’t worry; you can still snag your slice of the e-commerce pie yourself.

Dropshipping is the easiest e-commerce business model to enter. You create an online store, but you don’t hold any of your own inventory.

Instead, you locate suppliers and list their items on your online store at a price higher than the suppliers’. When a customer buys from you, you accept their payment, forward their info to your supplier, and the supplier ships the product directly to the customer.

The difference between your price and the supplier’s price minus expenses is your profit.

Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce store platforms. They require users to be 18, but they let your parents start a store on your behalf as a teen.

Shopify wants you to be absolutely sure of your decision, though, so they offer you a 14-day free trial. It’s fully possible to build a Shopify store in around half an hour, so you have a ton of time to make your decision.

6. YouTube

YouTube screengrab

Kon Karampelas on Unsplash

Comfortable in front of a camera? Why not start a YouTube channel?

YouTube could truly turn into your full-time gig if you’re passionate and put in the work. If a 7-year-old kid can pull in millions a year reviewing toys, you can make money on YouTube too.

YouTube gives its video creators several ways to earn:

  • Ads: Display ads, overlay ads, and video ads
  • Channel memberships: Offer special perks to viewers who pay a monthly channel membership
  • Merchandise shelf: Create branded channel merchandise (like t-shirts) and showcase it on your watch pages
  • Super chat: Viewers can pay to have their chats remain at the top of a chat feed. The more they pay, the longer it stays at the top
  • YouTube Premium revenue: Earn a portion of each YouTube Premium viewer’s subscription payment

You can also do affiliate marketing on your YouTube channel.

Whether you’re reviewing a product, creating a comedy skit, or making some other type of video, you can advertise affiliate products in your videos themselves, your video descriptions, and on your main channel page.

7. Thrift and Flip Items On eBay

clothes on a hangar outside for sale

Artificial Photography on Unsplash

Got an eye for underpriced items? Thrift stores have amazing finds at rock bottom prices that you can easily resell on eBay.

After all, eBay had just over 180 million buyers as of 2019, so you’re bound to find several people willing to buy any item you find in a thrift store.

Once you’ve found some items, you can create your eBay listings. Fixed-price listings may work, but you could earn a lot more with an eBay auction listing if you find something expensive like a designer item and you craft an enticing listing.

eBay does charge a few fees to sell on their platform. However, these fees won’t be a big deal if you can regularly find underpriced thrift store items.

And again, it’s a small price to pay for access to eBay’s massive number of buyers.

8. Become an Influencer

instagram screen on a mobile phone

Luke van Zyl on Instagram

If you’re especially passionate about a certain lifestyle and enjoy sharing it with others, becoming an influencer could be a great money move.

Influencers earn primarily by sharing affiliate links to products from companies that sponsor them and/or creating their own products that fit the niche they’ve chosen. They can also create their own blogs, start podcasts, and more.

Common influencer niches include travel, beauty, fashion, fitness, and making money online. You aren’t limited just to these, though: carve out your own niche.

For example, book lovers can become influencers in the reading niche. You could get sponsored by publishers, book companies, and companies creating book-related products.

Influencers can make money off of any social media platform, but Instagram is the big one. Tons of teens are on Instagram viewing and sharing pictures, providing you a huge audience.

Online Writing Jobs For Teens

Don’t worry if you don’t get all A’s in your English classes because you don’t need to be an ace English student to start any of these online writing jobs.

9. Fiverr

Fiverr

Fiverr

Fiverr is a freelance marketplace, which is a site that facilitates the meeting of freelancers and people/businesses that want to hire those freelancers.

It’s called Fiverr because freelancers start out offering services at $5 a pop, but you can charge higher writing rates as you prove yourself by successfully completing projects.

Speaking of rates and clients, Fiverr’s unique in that you get to customize the specific services that you offer so clients can purchase your gig as a set item. Everything from the type and scope of your services to the pricing can be modified (you can raise your rates as you gain experience).

10. Freelancer

Freelancer

Freelancer

Freelancer.com is a freelancer marketplace with tons of online writing jobs for teens available.

You can search for projects by keyword, then filter your search by various parameters like budget, type of payment (hourly or fixed-price), skills, language, and more. When you find projects you want to work on, you can then bid your rate.

If the client thinks your skills and rates suit their needs, then congratulations — you just landed your first client!

Freelancer.com also lets clients post contests to suit the more competitive freelancers. You simply follow the instructions for the contest, do your best work, and send it to the client. If the client picks your work, they pay you the contest rewards.

Freelancer.com freelancers must be at least 16 years old. The site offers several membership plans of varying prices.

The Basic subscription gives you 15 bids each month for only $0.99 per month. But Freelancer will give you a 1-month free trial of their $10/month Plus plan, giving you 100 bids and a ton of other stuff free for a month.

11. ProBlogger

ProBlogger

ProBlogger

ProBlogger is a job board that posts new writing gigs every day. You don’t need an account at all to use ProBlogger and it’s completely free.

As a job board, ProBlogger gigs are slightly more difficult to land than freelance marketplace gigs, but they tend to pay more.

Companies all around the world post interesting writing project on ProBlogger; it even shows you the name of the business beforehand so you can research to see if it’s a legitimate company before applying.

Payment varies by project but is generally good. Some companies tell you exactly when and how much you’ll be paid, while others don’t include any payment information or ask you to submit your best offer; still, others have something in between.

12. ContentGather

Contentgather

Contentgather

ContentGather is a site that lets you submit original pieces of writing for payment. They then turn around and sell this content to businesses that need it.

You can earn through 2 methods: submitting your piece to the Marketplace itself or seeking out and fulfilling Custom Jobs.

You can write articles between 250 and 1,500 words in one of their 47 categories for the Marketplace. When you submit your piece, it can either be accepted, rejected or returned for review. As more of your pieces are accepted, you move up their writer ranks, which range from Bronze (the starting rank) to Diamond (the highest rank).

ContentGather lists your piece for sale and pays you part of the price in advance upon acceptance. At first, you don’t earn any advance payment as a Bronze writer, but that changes as you grow on the platform.

Rejected pieces can’t be resubmitted. If they return a piece for review, you follow their edits and resubmit it for approval.

If you’d like a little more direction, they have Custom Jobs — where writers fulfill specific predetermined instructions and get paid if they do it correctly.

ContentGather writers must be at least 16 years old.

13. Write a Book/eBook

kindle and coffee on a table

Aliis Sinisalu on Unsplash

Writing your own book is much easier today than it was in the past thanks to the internet. You can write, edit, and publish an entire book without a publisher if you want.

As for selling your book, you can either list it on a site like Amazon or attempt to sell it yourself through your own website or another channel.

The obvious benefit of Amazon is you instantly gain access to a massive audience and Amazon does a lot of marketing work for you. The drawback is they take commissions out of your book royalties— which many find worth it given the benefits that Amazon provides.

Amazon is the better option if you’re willing to sacrifice some earnings to save time on all the admin stuff. Go the self-marketing route if you’re willing to put in more work to reap more benefits.

Books alone likely won’t make you rich. However, at this point in your life, one or two eBooks could earn you enough money passively to keep you from needing another job for the rest of your teen years.

Other Online Jobs For Teens

14. Sell Old Junk Online

old mobile phones

Eirik Solheim on Unsplash

Everybody’s got a drawer full of old electronics, boxes full of old clothes, or perhaps a crate of old books. You don’t use any of them, so you may as well sell some of them online.

Plus, spending a Saturday poking around your house can be fun. You could happen upon all kinds of old stuff you forgot or didn’t even know your family had.

eBay is probably the best platform to sell your old junk online. You’ve read the stories about the weird stuff people have bought and sold on eBay, so there’s little chance you won’t find a buyer for your old stuff.

Old electronics could be sold to Gazelle. They’ll give you an offer for your old smartphone or tablet in less than a minute.

15. Sell Your Old Video Game Accounts

man playing video game

Stem List on Unsplash

Were you a serious gamer throughout your childhood, but no longer care much for the digital characters you created nor the digital worlds in which the characters live?

You can turn that digital reality into real money by selling your old video game accounts.

The most money can be found in accounts on massively-multiplayer online RPG video games like World of Warcraft or Runescape, mainly because of rare or exclusive in-game items you could only get during limited-time events.

Accounts with these items are worth a ton of real-world money because it’s impossible to retrieve these items once the in-game event ends.

Video game account marketplaces such as League of Trading exist to facilitate the exchange of video game accounts for a small fee.

Tips For Teens Starting An Online Job

So, you’re ready to start making money with an online job. However, don’t jump right into it without considering these tips first.

Tell Your Parents

First and foremost, tell your parents about your pursuits. They’ll most likely be proud and willing to help you, but you want to make sure they don’t have any issues with their teen taking an online job.

They can also help you with other essential parts of having a job, such as budgeting and taxes — and you’ll likely need parental permission to access some online jobs anyway.

Open a Bank Account

You’ll want to open a bank account to store your earnings in a secure location and start building some savings.

Most banks offer joint accounts so teens can open a bank account with their parents. These accounts typically don’t restrict access to your money any more than a normal bank account.

You’ll want to open both a checking and a savings account. Checking will be for your spending; they’ll give you a debit card for your convenience.

Savings is where the remained of each paycheck should be stored.

Speaking of savings, many teen-oriented bank accounts include tools and resources to help you learn money management skills as well.

Sign Up For PayPal

Some jobs may offer you direct deposit. However, many online jobs we’ve gone over don’t, so you’ll want a PayPal account.

Ask your parents for help setting this up if you have any questions.

PayPal takes a small fee from your earnings, plus a small fee to instantly transfer funds to your bank account. This fee is well worth the peace of mind knowing your check wasn’t lost in the mail or anything.

Learn To Budget Your Income

In the real world, you’ll end up broke pretty fast if you don’t learn how to budget your money properly.

Ask your parents for help setting up a budgeting system on a site like Mint. Also, ask them for help opening a savings account for you. Once they help you budget your income properly, you can allocate some of that money into a savings account.

Set Aside Money For Taxes

Your first teen job will expose you to the harsh truth of taxes.

You’ll need to learn about different types of employees/businesses and how they’re taxed so you can understand what to do yourself.

For the most part, with side gigs and online jobs that aren’t full-time, you’ll have to set aside money for taxes. The employer won’t do it for you.

Do your taxes under the guidance of your parents. Your tax situation won’t be very complicated, but you’ll be miles ahead of your peers if you understand tax basics by the time you turn 18.

With these tips in mind, you are ready to start taking advantage of all the different ways that teens can make money online.

Try out some of these online jobs for teens as soon as possible — it’s never too early to start earning some money online as a teenager!

The post 15 Legit Online Jobs For Teens appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
40558
This 2-Minute Move Can Save You Thousands On Your Student Loans https://wallstreetinsanity.com/2-minute-move-can-save-thousands-on-student-loans/ Tue, 20 Aug 2019 16:51:17 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=40236 Few college graduates manage to escape their institution of higher education without a mountain of student debt. Said student debt tends to stick around for years due to their high dollar value. There isn’t much you can do to eliminate your loan balance (barring loan forgiveness programs for certain occupations), but wouldn’t it be nice if you could score a ...

The post This 2-Minute Move Can Save You Thousands On Your Student Loans appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
young adults chatting on steps outside

Buro Millennial on Pexels

Few college graduates manage to escape their institution of higher education without a mountain of student debt. Said student debt tends to stick around for years due to their high dollar value.

There isn’t much you can do to eliminate your loan balance (barring loan forgiveness programs for certain occupations), but wouldn’t it be nice if you could score a lower interest rate on your debt without looking around for hours and sifting through tons of options?

You could find a lower rate in 2 minutes by using Credible, an online student loan refinancing marketplace that does the hard work for you.

Checking your student loan refinancing rate with Credible is free.

What is Refinancing?

Refinancing is the process of replacing a current debt of yours with a new one under different terms.

People refinance their loans for several reasons: securing a lower interest rate, consolidating multiple debts into one loan with better terms, lowering the monthly payment amount, and generally simplifying their debt situation. Overall, refinancing is best used when it can save you money.

When you’re approved for refinancing, the bank gives you the entire loan upfront just like any other loan. You then use this loan to pay off your old obligation, then you begin your monthly payments for the new loan.

Now, you already know that shopping for a loan can be time-intensive. But what if you could compile several refinancing options that you’re qualified for in a couple of minutes?

That’s where Credible comes in.

Use Credible to Find A Better Rate and See How Much You Could Save

When you’re looking to refinance your student loans to a lower rate, you can spend hours shopping around for options, let alone ones that you’re qualified for.

Credible does all that work for you. You spend all of 2 minutes filling out information about your education and finances.

Credible instantly presents you with prequalified refinancing options from up to 10 lenders.

In just a couple quick minutes, you could get a better interest rate on your student loans, helping you to save thousands over the lifetime of those loans.

Refinance your student loans through Credible today!

The post This 2-Minute Move Can Save You Thousands On Your Student Loans appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
40236
Swagbucks Review: Is Swagbucks Legit Or A Scam? https://wallstreetinsanity.com/swagbucks-review/ Wed, 07 Aug 2019 17:45:11 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=40026 Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to make good money with one of those rewards apps? This Swagbucks review will show you everything about this highly-popular app. Short on cash? Want to make extra cash? Whatever the need, extra money is a good thing. There are plenty of side hustles you can do to boost your wallet, as well as ...

The post Swagbucks Review: Is Swagbucks Legit Or A Scam? appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
Swagbucks

Swagbucks

Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to make good money with one of those rewards apps? This Swagbucks review will show you everything about this highly-popular app.

Short on cash? Want to make extra cash? Whatever the need, extra money is a good thing. There are plenty of side hustles you can do to boost your wallet, as well as online tasks like taking surveys for money.

The Swagbucks app rewards you for many of the things you do on a daily basis. Keep reading this Swagbucks review to find out how to cash in.

What is the Swagbucks App?

Swagbucks is a popular rewards app created by Prodege LLC in 2008. In fact, it’s so popular that Swagbucks has paid out over $353 million in rewards to its users since its inception!

Swagbucks has both a desktop site and a mobile app, so you can use it from pretty much anywhere on any device. Users earn points, called Swagbucks, by completing a variety of tasks including taking surveys, watching videos, and answering poll questions.

So, is Swagbucks Legit or a Scam?

Skepticism is a healthy thing to have on the internet, and every reader of this Swagbucks review would be best served to always be cautious about any new site they sign up for.

That being said, Swagbucks is definitely not a scam. The Better Business Bureau gave Prodege LLC a B+, which is a pretty good grade. Most scams score in the F – D range.

They’ve got 4 stars with 13,435 reviews on Trustpilot, which is a hard rating to attain with so many reviews.

Swagbucks has paid out a lot of rewards during their 11 years in business. It must be legit if they’ve paid out so many rewards.

Lastly, Swagbucks is 100% free to join and they even pay you a $5 signup bonus when you get started.

How Does Swagbucks Work?

Swagbucks is very straightforward, and almost anyone can easily get the hang of it.

Users have several options to earn Swagbucks in the app or on their website. Every task is easy to complete and doesn’t require much thinking or effort.

When you’ve earned enough Swagbucks, you can redeem them for a large selection of rewards. Each Swagbuck is worth a penny. That doesn’t sound like much, but as you’ll see, many tasks earn you 70+ Swagbucks.

The Swagbucks app has 4 screens: “Shop”, “Answer”, “Video”, and “Invite Friends.”  Continue reading to learn more about these.

7 Ways To Earn Earn Swagbucks Rewards:

Surveys

swagbucks surveys

Swagbucks

Their most popular task is the surveys. You’ll find these on the “Answer” screen of the Swagbucks platform.

Each survey lists the estimated time to complete it and the Swagbucks payout you’ll receive.

Now, the time estimates are very conservative. If you answer each question at a decent pace, you’ll finish almost every survey in way less time than it says it takes.

Surveys ask all sorts of questions, so you should easily be able to find one that you feel you could easily complete given your knowledge and lifestyle.

The questions seem random because these surveys were created by companies trying to gain insight into consumer opinions, and you are helping business decisionmakers steer their marketing and product development in a better direction.

Daily Polls

swagbucks daily polls

Swagbucks

You’ll also see the Daily Poll at the top. These typically earn only 1 Swagbuck, but all you do is answer 1 random question so there’s no reason not to take the poll.

Swagbucks Partner Sites

swagbucks peanut labs surveys

Swagbucks

In addition to the polls and surveys, you can complete tasks for Swagbucks’s partner sites. Peanut Labs is one of their largest partners, and they offer their own selection of survey options.

Online Shopping

swagbucks shopping

Swagbucks

Swagbucks lets you earn money on autopilot too through online shopping — enabling you to earn points buying things you would already purchase anyway.

When you shop through the Swagbucks app or site at one of their many partner stores, you can earn a few Swagbucks per dollar spent. They’re partnered with big companies like Amazon, Best Buy, Expedia, Home Depot, eBay, and more.

All you do is click the blue and white “SHOP” button then click “SHOP NOW” on the next screen and Swagbucks redirects you to the store of your choice.

Watching Videos

swagbucks watch videos

Swagbucks

Swagbucks has videos you can watch to earn points — with clips on current events, entertainment, food, music, and even animals. No video is longer than a minute or two, but they offer short clips if you’d rather spend less time on videos.

What’s great about the videos is you don’t have to actively watch them at all. Click a video, skip the ad, do whatever else you were doing, then return a minute later and claim your Swagbucks! Since each one only earns a few Swagbucks, it’s nice that you can make video-watching relatively passively.

Some of the videos are interesting though, so it’s cool you can get paid to keep up with the news or learn interesting facts.

Playing Games

swagbucks play games

Swagbucks

Swagbucks has a few free games you can play to earn additional Swagbucks. To play these, all you need to do is download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player and turn off any ad blockers you have on.

Swagbucks has popular games like Bejeweled, Solitaire, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Bingo, and even some slot machine games.

You probably already play some of these games when you’re bored, so why not earn a few Swagbucks while you’re at it?

Swagbucks Discover Deals

swagbucks discover deals

Swagbucks

Swagbucks Discover Deals offer you a lot of miscellaneous opportunities to top off your earnings.

Discover Deal activities include downloading apps, signing up for services, placing orders through delivery services, and even signing up for those same delivery services

The biggest earning opportunities tend to involve paying for something, but there are plenty of free Discover Deals that pay you your fair share of Swagbucks.

This is yet another way for you to earn extra cash doing things you might’ve done anyways.

Purchasing Gift Cards

swagbucks buy gift cards

Swagbucks

Even buying gift cards can earn you some extra Swagbucks.

Swagbucks has gift cards to a ton of retailers and other businesses. This makes for a great opportunity to earn if you were going to shop somewhere anyway.

When you go to buy gift cards, you’re redirected to a Swagbucks-run site called MyGiftCardPlus. Once you buy a gift card, Swagbucks adds your points to your Swagbucks account within 1-2 days.

Earnings vary depending on the gift card you choose, but some pay as much as 10% back in Swagbucks! Not a bad deal when you consider that buying gift cards through Swagbucks inches you closer to cashing out on more gift cards.

Browsing the Web

swagbucks search engine

Swagbucks

A low effort way to earn Swagbucks is by browsing the web, which can be done in two ways.

Swagbucks Search: You can search the internet through the Swagbucks site or make Swagbucks your default search engine in your web browser (either Chrome, Firefox or Explorer) and earn points for your online searching activity. This method literally generates free Swagbucks by searching for things you normally would.

Swagbutton: This is Swagbucks Chrome extension you can download. It’s a button that sits near the top of your Google Chrome browser window — and automatically shows you Swagbucks coupon and rewards opportunities while you’re shopping online so you don’t need to constantly keep checking their main site for offers.

How to Get Rewarded

Now for the fun part of this Swagbucks review: the rewards.

The Swagbucks app has plenty of rewards for you when you’ve earned enough to cash in.

Most of their rewards are gift cards to retailers, restaurants, entertainment, and specialty stores. In addition, this site offers prepaid Visa rewards cards, cash via PayPal, and even charitable donations.

You don’t always have to pay full price, though; Swagbucks is constantly running sales on gift cards and other rewards, many of them up to 20% off.

Accessing your reward is simple: once you choose a reward, Swagbucks sends you a confirmation email. Click “View My Gift Card” in the email and enter your login info in the next screen.

Then, you can shop directly online at your chosen store with your gift card.

Now, Swagbucks do expire, but it takes 2 years as long as you remain active. Even if you don’t, it takes an entire 6 months of not logging in at all before they void your Swagbucks.

So if you need to take a break from the site or app for a few weeks, your points will be waiting for you when you return.

How Much Can I Earn on Swagbucks?

If you’re reading this Swagbucks review, you probably want to know exactly how much cash you can generate on the platform.

Your earning potential depends on how much time you put into it.

Swagbucks says that most of their surveys pay between $0.40 and $2.00. If you do only 4 surveys a day, you could earn an extra $56 per week. That’s right, taking surveys and completing other simple tasks a few minutes a day can cover most or all of your grocery bill.

But it gets better: some surveys go as high as $50! They’re a little longer, but your “hourly rate” ends up being higher. Makes for a nice bonus when you find them.

Buying gift cards through Swagbucks is a great way to make your earnings work for you. Once you buy a gift card, shop online through Swagbucks for even more rewards.

You can then cash out your Swagbucks for gift cards that again can be used to shop online through Swagbucks.

After all that, you can add on to all those earnings with more passive activities like watching videos, shopping online, and browsing the web.

When it all comes together, you’ll have a noticeable and useful extra income stream.

How to Get Started on Swagbucks

As you’ve read through this Swagbucks review, you can see that this site is a legit cash-generating platform for some pretty easy money.

Signing up for Swagbucks is simple, and the process is virtually the same on both the site and the app. Plus, they give you $10 just for creating an account and earning your first 300 Swagbucks.

First, navigate to their signup screen. Enter your email, create a password, and enter a referral code if you got one. You’ll receive a confirmation email. Click the confirmation link and you’re all set to start earning! Once you hit 300 Swagbucks, you’ll get your signup bonus.

The post Swagbucks Review: Is Swagbucks Legit Or A Scam? appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
40026
21 Sites Like Craigslist: Alternative Classifieds To Buy & Sell https://wallstreetinsanity.com/craigslist-alternatives/ Mon, 05 Aug 2019 17:53:06 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=40158 Craigslist is an excellent classifieds site for buying and selling items in your local area. There are plenty of features for users, and the layout is fairly simple if a bit unorganized. Best of all, it’s completely free to list and sell your items on Craigslist. However, not everyone likes using Craigslist for buying and selling items. Some cite safety ...

The post 21 Sites Like Craigslist: Alternative Classifieds To Buy & Sell appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
classified newspaper page

AbsolutVision on Unsplash

Craigslist is an excellent classifieds site for buying and selling items in your local area. There are plenty of features for users, and the layout is fairly simple if a bit unorganized. Best of all, it’s completely free to list and sell your items on Craigslist.

However, not everyone likes using Craigslist for buying and selling items. Some cite safety concerns from the anonymity; others simply don’t like the informal look of the site.

On top of that, Craigslist makes up only a part of the entire market of online buyers and sellers. Branching out to other sites opens up plenty of other avenues to buy and sell products.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other sites like Craigslist on the web.

The 21 Best Craigslist Alternatives

There are hundreds of classifieds sites out there, but we’ve compiled a list of the best. Check out these Craigslist alternative sites if you’re looking to buy and sell items online.

1. Oodle

Oodle is more than just a marketplace; it’s a classifieds aggregator. In addition to Oodle’s direct listings, you’ll find listings from other sites that Oodle collects and displays to you. For example, you might see car listings from dealerships on Oodle.

Oodle has a versatile selection of categories ranging from vehicles to pets. People can list services for sale as well. The interface itself looks like a Facebook newsfeed and is easy to navigate. They even give you safety tips for buying and selling in some categories!

Oodle requires a Facebook account to sell in order to reduce fraudulent activity. However, signing up takes only seconds if you have a Facebook account. You can then share your listing directly to Facebook to let your friends know you’re selling something.

2. Facebook

Facebook is one of the most popular Craigslist alternatives, despite being a social media platform. Facebook has billions of users, meaning you have a massive audience of potential buyers.

Now, there are two ways to buy and sell on Facebook: on the Facebook Marketplace or in Buy and Sell Groups.

Facebook Marketplace

You can buy or sell nearly anything on the Facebook marketplace, from insignificant items like a doormat to larger purchases like a car. People even list apartments/houses for rent on there!

Similar to many other sites like Craigslist, listing and selling items is completely free on the Marketplace. Creating your listing takes only minutes. Once you’ve created your listing, you can take advantage of your Facebook friends list by sharing your listing on your profile.

Buying items is easy too. You can search specifically for items in the search bar; if you aren’t looking for a specific item, you can browse various categories of items in your area.

They’ve built in a “Local” button too, which will show you listing within a distance that you specify.

Buy and Sell Groups

Finding local buying/selling groups is easy; just type in your city + “buy and sell” or “yard sale” in the search bar and you’ll be presented with a smattering of buy and sell groups.

Once you join one, you can search for items just like you would in the marketplace. Alternatively, you can scroll through recent postings in case you happen upon a cool item.

Make sure you understand your group’s rules before you list something for sale. Some groups are lax, while others have strict selling standards. Other than that, listing an item for sale is quite similar to the Facebook Marketplace.

3. eBay

eBay is an obvious choice when you’re looking for Craigslist alternatives for buying and selling things online.

When you buy an item, the seller usually ships it. eBay does provide local pickup options as well. This option is great for any local sales, as well as selling larger or more valuable items like cars and electronics.

Selling on eBay can be easier than Craigslist because you can more easily reach non-local buyers. This expands your reach, but it also allows you to target areas where certain items may be in high demand. If you live in Florida, for example, selling ski boots locally may be a bit difficult.

Listing and selling items on eBay does cost a small fee, but the massive reach, ability to set auctions, and safety are well worth it to a lot of online buyers and sellers.

4. Close5

Close5 is an eBay-run classifieds app for buying and selling locally. It used to be called eBay Classifieds.

Buying from this Craigslist alternative is a great experience. Its design showcases a large picture of each item as you scroll through the pages, and the price is listed below each picture. Buyers can contact seller directly in the app if they find something they like.

Listing items is free on Close5, so you can take advantage of eBay’s support without having to pay any fees. And again, the app’s interface is quite attractive, which may drive someone to buy your item.

Close5 is only available in Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington DC at the moment. If you live in one of those cities, you could land some good deals or make some decent money on Close5.

If you don’t live in one of these places, check out some of our other sites like Craigslist on this list.

5. Locanto

Locanto is a worldwide classifieds marketplace with plenty of items for buying and selling, and is a great Craigslist alternative. You can select your location information and immediately start browsing for items to buy.

Many listings are local, but some of the paid ads are non-local.

As a seller, you can list your item for free in your city of residence; but Locanto offers a whole lot more for a fee. For example, you can pay to post your ad in additional cities, as well as pay to remove 3rd-party ads from your listing. For those willing to pay an additional fee, Locanto will send your ad to the top of a buyer’s search results.

Locanto is available in more than 60 countries worldwide, making for an excellent classifieds site overall.

6. Geebo

Geebo is another one of the international sites like Craigslist, letting you sell many types of items in over 160 communities.

Right on the front page, you can click on one of their many categories of items to browse. Scroll to the bottom of the main page if you want to search by community to find local results. The front page also has non-local featured ads.

Geebo’s slogan is “Safe Community Classifieds”, and they live up to it. Geebo’s innovated in the safety arena with their “SafeTrade” feature. SafeTrade is a program that provides buyers and sellers a list of police stations to meet and conduct their transaction at so they can maximize safety.

Geebo also works hard to screen out scammers. They personally review every ad that’s submitted to them to deter frauds and scams.

You can’t list firearms or animals for sale, but that’s another part of what makes Geebo such a safe marketplace.

If Craigslist sounds unsafe to you, Geebo is a great Craigslist alternative.

7. OfferUp

OfferUp has both a website and mobile app. It’s a bit smaller than Craigslist, but its popularity has exploded recently.

OfferUp is mostly focused on local buying and selling. You notice this right away when you scroll through the eye-catching front page; most listings will be in your area. However, you can buy and sell outside your city as well.

Listing items to sell takes 30 seconds, according to OfferUp. In half a minute, your listing will be viewable by everyone in your city.

OfferUp encourages more interaction and transparency between buyers and seller through a few interesting features. One of these is their rating system. Both buyers and sellers can rate each other, helping to police the site and keep scammers out.

And true to their name, OfferUp lets you negotiate a new price with the seller.

8. Varage Sale

Varage Sale brings the traditional garage sale to the digital sphere and does a fine job of it. The concept for this Craigslist alternative is simple: local garage sales, but using the web to connect more buyers to sellers within each local community. They have a mobile app as well for those moments when you’re on the road and curious what cool items are for sale near you.

The site is very clean and organized. The front page has a grab bag of local items for sale, each with a picture and a price tag attached. You can search for any item with the search bar, or you can scroll to the bottom to find your Varage Sale community by state.

To maintain safety, Varage Sale requires you to link your Facebook account. This means every seller is verified, so you can trust each person you buy from or sell to.

Varage Sale has users in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, Italy, and Japan.

9. LetGo

LetGo is new to the game, having launched its site and mobile app in 2015. Despite its young age, LetGo is a solid alternative to Craigslist if you’re looking to buy or sell items.

LetGo uses your location to display items for sale near you. If you don’t see anything you like, you can scroll up to search by category or use the search bar for a more exact item.

In 2018, LetGo added video listing and image recognition for sellers. Video listings allow for extra opportunities to show a product in action. The image recognition feature will help you price your item with price suggestions based on what it thinks your item is.

10. USA Today

USA Today is one of the most widely-circulate newspapers out there. Believe it or not, USA Today’s Classifieds section is an excellent Craigslist alternative.

The type of items for sale are numerous, from cars to houses to sports/recreation; you can even list educational services on USA Today Classifieds.

USA Today knows their popularity and it charges you to post an ad that will give you exposure to its massive reader base. Larger ticket items work best with this structure.

11. AdsGlobe

AdsGlobe is a good choice for the budget-conscious. You can post as many ads as you want for nearly any category on their site. Aside from all the items you can buy or sell, you can list your business services and events too.

AdsGlobe is quite simple compared to other sites like Craigslist, but that’s what makes it so great. There’re no frills here.

12. Adland Pro

Adland Pro is another excellent free Craigslist alternative. The front page has plenty of categories to choose from, and it tells you exactly how many listings are in each category so you don’t have to waste your time looking if you don’t want to.

They let you run ads completely free, but you can also pay if you want your ads to reach a wider audience.

13. Bookoo

Bookoo isn’t just a book site, despite what the name implies. It’s meant to be a more family-friendly version of Craigslist. To achieve this end, Bookoo collects your zip code and finds buyers and sellers within your local area.

Bookoo goes further and lets you personalize your seller bio. This builds trust among the Bookoo community, helping to retain its family-friendly image.

14. Gigantic List

As the name implies, Gigantic List is a very large online classifieds site centered around local buying and selling. Their front page is colorful and organized, making it easy to find the items you want to buy.

To find items locally, just type in what you’re looking for plus your area name (such as your city) and Gigantic List will give you local results.

The front page also contains an advanced search function that lets you filter by item, category, and various locational options. Sellers can post ads for free, making this another great Craigslist alternative for the budget-conscious seller.

15. Finder Master

Finder Master is one of the most international sites like Craigslist with users in over 100 countries worldwide.

Finding items to buy is easy. You can search either locally or worldwide, depending on what you want; just specify the area you want to look in when you use the search bar.

Listing items for sale isn’t hard either. Finder Master asks for some basic product info, as well as account info if you haven’t yet created your account. You then upload some photos and select a package to finish up your posting.

Selling is 100% free, and they even give you tips when you’re creating your listing.

16. FreeAdsTime

FreeAdsTime is a site like Craigslist, except with a more local focus. They have you choose your metro area before you start buying or selling.

Like it says in the name, FreeAdsTime lets you post an ad with a photo for free. You don’t need an account to list something for sale, but creating an account lets you track your ad’s views as well; you can also modify your ad within your account.

FreeAdsTime claims that you can create your ad in under a minute, but they recommend spending some more time to craft a high-quality ad.

17. AdPost

AdPost is a classifieds site that serves many countries around the world. They boast over 30,000,000 views per month as well as thousands of replies to postings each day.

AdPost lets you choose your country when you visit the front page. From there, you have many options for browsing items. The site lets you set notifications for certain items if you don’t see what you want right away.

AdPost also has a messaging function so buyers and sellers can communicate with each other.

18. ePage

ePage isn’t just a Craigslist alternative. It’s the world’s largest free classified network. The site itself looks dated similar to Craigslist, but there are tons of item categories to choose from if you’re buying.

ePage lets you run official auction ads, potentially earning you more money on the sale of your items. Auction ads last a week.

There are two memberships: the free Standard membership and the $25/year Gold membership. Standard users get 10 ads, but each one can only have 1 picture.

Upgrade to Gold and you can run 5,000 ads at once, and each ad can have 4 picture. Gold members can access other features like ad statistic and bulk ad uploading.

Listing items for sale is easy. You can buy ads that last 1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, or 12 weeks. The 8-week ads land you a 10% discount, while 12 week ads bump that up to 20%.

Additionally, they have a Classifieds Pro app that only costs $2.99. This app lets you browse and post ads on ePage straight from your phone.

19. Recycler

Founded in 1973, Recycler grew from a small, Southern California classifieds newspaper to a national marketplace with millions of users. It’s primarily used for cars, pets, jobs, and real estate, but there are a lot of other categories.

One big advantage Recycler has over Craigslist is the look of the site. It’s a lot cleaner and more organized, making it quite easy to navigate. If you’re looking to buy, all Recycler’s categories are neatly arranged on the left of the site for easy navigation. They also list their categories at the bottom, next to their list of cities.

Selling requires a Recycler account, but creating an account takes about 30 seconds. You can then list and sell items for free.

Recycler allows you to share your listing on Facebook and Twitter so you can reach more people. They even let you run paid ads to your listing. If you’re willing to fork over the cash, you can use these to target specific buyers who might be interested in your listing.

20. Hoobly

Hoobly is one of the simplest sites like classifieds sites out there, evidenced by their front page which consists of nothing but a search bar and links to item categories.

Speaking of categories, Hoobly has a ton of them. In fact, they have a category for just about anything you might be looking for.

Both buying and selling are free and simple. To register and start buying or selling, all you need to do is create a username, password, and give them your email.

The largest amount of Hoobly listings are for pets, so if you’re looking for a furry friend, check this Craigslist alternative out.

21. Trovit

Trovit isn’t just a classifieds site like Craigslist; it’s actually a classifieds search engine that’s great for buying houses, cars, and finding jobs. They also have a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Trovit doesn’t cover every area around the world, but it’s very close.

When you perform a search for an item, Trovit browses relevant listings from thousands of classifieds sites and pulls them onto its site. There are numerous ways to sort and filter your search results for easier browsing.

Since Trovit isn’t a classifieds site itself, you can’t list items for sale on it. However, when you list an item for sale on any site that Trovit crawls, your listing will appear on Trovit for others to look at.

There Are Plenty of Sites Like Craigslist

Craigslist may be one of the planet’s most popular classifieds sites, but – if you don’t like it for any reason – you have a huge selection of sites like Craigslist to choose from.

Each site has unique features, so take some time to check out some of these Craigslist alternatives and find one that works best for you.

The post 21 Sites Like Craigslist: Alternative Classifieds To Buy & Sell appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
40158
How To Make $150 Per Week Recycling Aluminum Cans https://wallstreetinsanity.com/how-to-make-money-recycling-aluminum-cans/ Thu, 01 Aug 2019 20:40:05 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=40155 Recycling aluminum cans can be a surprisingly lucrative side hustle. However, it involves some work and time, so you need to know how to make as much money as possible for your time investment. Fortunately, getting started recycling aluminum cans requires almost no money and you could start today! All you’ll need are some locations with a lot of aluminum ...

The post How To Make $150 Per Week Recycling Aluminum Cans appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
aluminum cans

skeeze on Pixabay

Recycling aluminum cans can be a surprisingly lucrative side hustle. However, it involves some work and time, so you need to know how to make as much money as possible for your time investment.

Fortunately, getting started recycling aluminum cans requires almost no money and you could start today! All you’ll need are some locations with a lot of aluminum cans and a few trash bags to collect them with.

RELATED:  120 Ways To Make Extra Money

How Much Can I Earn At Scrapyards And Recycling Centers?

Aluminum is a commodity, so it has a price that is constantly shifting based on market supply and demand. Recyclers and scrapyards generally pay about half the market price for aluminum, give or take a couple of cents.

Some recyclers will try to low-ball you, but you can actually negotiate a few cents per pound upwards to nab some more earnings. Knowing the market price for recycling aluminum cans will aid you in your negotiations.

Oh, and since the price of aluminum is changing every day, you’ll want to get your quote in writing when you bring your cans to a recycler. They don’t pay you right away, so a written agreement can give you peace of mind that you’ll get paid fairly.

Fortunately, an app/website called iScrapp aggregates scrapyard pricing data in your area. You can check exactly what scrapyards in your area are paying for aluminum, so no need to worry about driving around to several scrapyards to find the best price.

Boost Your Earnings In “Bottle Bill” States

If you’re lucky, you live in a state that offers a minimum per-can price.

Several US states have bottle deposits laws on the books, also known as Bottle Bills. These states require minimum payouts on recycled cans and bottles. Thus, you can disregard aluminum prices in these states.

Payouts generally range from 5-10 cents per can or bottle, depending on the size and volume, so your profit potential is huge in these bottle bill states. Aluminum’s market price may fluctuate day-to-day, but if you do the math, you won’t even earn $0.02 per can in non-bottle bill states. That’s not to say that residents of non-bottle bill states shouldn’t collect cans though since it’s such an easy way to earn extra income.

So if you live in a bottle bill state, start collecting those cans. A big haul of 1500 cans in one week, for example, earns you $150. That could be your groceries or your car payment for the month!

Now, 1,500 cans might sound like a lot. However, as you’ll see below, there are aluminum cans in tons of places. Collecting 1,500 per week is quite doable if you peruse many of these areas.

Which States Have Bottle Bills?

If you live in one of the following states, recycling aluminum cans will be much more lucrative:

  • California
  • Connecticut
  • Hawaii
  • Iowa
  • Massachusetts
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • Vermont
  • Guam

Where To Find Aluminum Cans To Recycle

Now that you know the earning potential from recycling aluminum cans, you probably want to know where to find them. There are numerous places to seek out aluminum cans, many of them hiding in plain sight.

At Home

Families that go through a lot of soft drinks and/or beer don’t even have to step outside their front door to start collecting cans. If you aren’t collecting your cans already, start now! Designate a trash can to hold all your empty aluminum cans and let your family know of your new can collection policy.

For those who live in a bottle bill state, it’s even more important given the potential earnings on recycling aluminum cans.

Around Your Neighborhood

Chances are you have a few neighbors that don’t recycle their cans and would be more than happy to give them to you.

Avoid searching through neighbor’s trash without their permission. For one, it’s not very classy. It’s also illegal to do so in many states. Always get permission from neighbors and friends before collecting their cans.

Sporting Events

Sporting events are a gold mine for aluminum cans. The larger the sporting event, the better. Just think about how many beer cans are strewn across the ground after a whole day of tailgating on a big game day, not to mention the soda pop cans from those who are not of legal drinking age.

If you aren’t very interested in the sports game happening that day, you could easily walk away with hundreds of cans. As a bonus, you’re helping the environment by cleaning up trash!

Concerts And Festivals

Concerts and festivals are also excellent outdoor events ripe for collecting recyclable aluminum cans. Again, larger events almost always have more empty aluminum cans lying around.

Music festivals are a combination of these two sources of aluminum cans, and they bring the best of both worlds. Music festival attendees tend to drink a ton, and music festivals usually happen in wide-open areas, you can quickly grab hundreds of cans without having to look too hard.

If you live near a popular concert or festival venue, consider paying a visit more often.

Your Employer

Did you know that your own employer could be an additional source for recycling aluminum cans? Your office probably has a vending machine, meaning there’s bound to be aluminum cans somewhere. Just ask for your company’s permission to collect the cans and take them home with you to top of your aluminum can collection.

You may have to bring garbage bags if your employer doesn’t have extras. A small price to pay for an additional source of aluminum cans, though.

Local Businesses

If your employer has aluminum cans, that means other local businesses are going to have their own. Many businesses don’t care all that much about the fate of their aluminum cans, so why not ask them to set up your own recycling bin in their breakrooms? Doing so could build some level of passiveness into your recycling efforts.

Recycling Aluminum Cans: Where To Sell

Once you’ve gathered hundreds or even thousands of cans, it’s time to convert them into dollars.

If you live in a bottle bill state, getting paid for recycling aluminum cans is easy, if not a little sticky. Many grocery stores and supermarkets provide machines for both glass and aluminum/plastic cans and bottles. Just lug your can-filled bags to the store, head over to the machine that takes aluminum, and start loading them in! Most stores spit out a slip of paper at the end with your total earnings; you can redeem this with a cashier.

If you don’t live in a bottle bill state, you’ll have to find recycling centers near you. You can hop on Google and look for recycling centers near you. Alternatively, sites like recyclingcenters.org let you search by zip code so you can quickly find local recyclers.

Each recycler may offer a different price for the same aluminum. Do your research beforehand to maximize your payout. Again, use iScrapp if you want to know what prices you can get before you head to a recycler.

Low-Effort Extra Income

Truthfully, recycling aluminum cans won’t let you quit your job or everyone would be doing it. What it will do is provide a little extra financial cushion without having to learn any skills or start a side business.

If you have enough free time, you could make enough to cover some small bills with only a few hours of can collecting a week.

Start collecting cans if you want an easy, inexpensive side hustle. You can start as early as right now!

The post How To Make $150 Per Week Recycling Aluminum Cans appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
40155
Shopkick Review: Earn Rewards For Your Shopping Habits https://wallstreetinsanity.com/shopkick-review/ Wed, 17 Jul 2019 18:51:14 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=40043 Have you browsed through tons of shopping rewards apps, unsure of which one to download? This Shopkick review will shine some light on this fast-growing rewards platform that provides multiple ways to earn. More people than ever are using shopping rewards apps to earn free gift cards, cash, and other rewards. These apps reward consumers for purchases they would’ve made anyway, ...

The post Shopkick Review: Earn Rewards For Your Shopping Habits appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
Shopkick

Shopkick

Have you browsed through tons of shopping rewards apps, unsure of which one to download? This Shopkick review will shine some light on this fast-growing rewards platform that provides multiple ways to earn.

More people than ever are using shopping rewards apps to earn free gift cards, cash, and other rewards. These apps reward consumers for purchases they would’ve made anyway, making for an effortless way to earn some side money. They help businesses too; businesses use data from the shopping apps they partner with to identify consumer shopping trends and find ways to improve their business.

If you’re vigilant about the latest deals on apps like Shopkick, you can earn extra money just by shopping! Before you get to it, though, you’re probably wondering: what is Shopkick, and is it legit?

Shopkick is definitely a legitimate rewards app, and this review is going to cover all the details you need to know to start earning.

Keep reading for more information about Shopkick.

What Is Shopkick?

Shopkick is a Silicon Valley-based company that created a smartphone and tablet app that rewards you for your shopping habits. It was founded in 2009 by German-American entrepreneur Cyriac Roeding.

Their app is completely free to use and it’s available for both iOS and Android devices.

Shopkick partners with over 250,000 stores and brands, including big names like Best Buy, Macy’s, Starbucks, eBay, Walmart, and many more.

Shopkick operates on a “pay-for-performance” model, meaning Shopkick partners pay Shopkick only when users perform a rewardable action.

How Does Shopkick Work?

Signing up for Shopkick is completely free and only takes a few minutes.

Once you’ve made an account, you can start earning points, which this app calls “kicks.” There are a ton of ways to earn kicks, which will be covered in detail in this Shopkick review.

You can earn kicks by:

  • Purchasing items with a linked card which will earn you 2 kicks for every $1 spent.
  • Walking into select partner stores (that’s right, simply walk into a store to earn kicks).
  • Scanning barcodes of select products in-store with Shopkick’s in-app scanner (no need to even purchase these products).
  • Purchase select items and submit your receipt through the app.
  • Visiting the online stores of Shopkick partners through the app.
  • Purchasing items in-store is only one way of earning kicks, though.
  • Viewing online products through the Shopkick app.
  • Watching in-app videos.
  • Referring a friend to the Shopkick app.

How Much Can I Earn On Shopkick?

The potential of each Shopkick earning method varies widely. The most lucrative ways to earn with the Shopkick app are the in-store opportunities since you can stack walk-ins, barcodes, linked card purchases, and purchases with receipts. For example, look at this CVS offer:

shopkick cvs kicks

Shopkick

You could earn a total of 3,650 kicks in one shopping trip, assuming you buy everything from CVS on Shopkick’s list. There’re no linked card purchases available, but all other ways to earn kicks are available. Stores with linked card offers theoretically provide unlimited earning potential.

Online shopping’s got some great earning potential too. A current offer from Booking.com earns you 7 kicks for every dollar spent. Considering you’ll be spending at least a few hundred dollars any time you book a trip, those points can add up fast.

Once you’ve accumulated enough kicks and verified your phone number, you can cash kicks out for free gift cards at a ton of stores like Amazon, Target, Best Buy, The App Store, and more. They let you cash out your earnings directly on PayPal as well if you pay a 50 kick transaction fee. You can even donate your kicks to charities like Feeding America and The Red Cross!

250 kicks are worth $1 in gift cards. Most rewards let you redeem in dollar amounts of $2, $5, $10, $15, $25, and $50 so you’ll only need about 500 kicks to start redeeming for rewards.

How To Get Started On Shopkick

Signing up is very easy. First, download the app.

When it’s finished downloading, all you have to do is give them your full name and email, then create a password. Alternatively, you can sign up with your Facebook account.

shopkick create account screen

Shopkick

You’ll then be taken straight to the app. Link your cards immediately after creating your account if you want to earn kicks for your shopping.

When you’re ready to redeem your earned kicks, you must go to the Kicks Center in the app by clicking on your point total at the top, then selecting “Reward Options.”

shopkick rewards

Shopkick

Choose your reward and amount, click “redeem kicks,” and you’ll be sent your digital gift card.

According to Shopkick, you can earn your first gift card within a week of signing up. If you download Shopkick now, you could have some free gift cards before the week is done!

Shopkick App: Pros and Cons

Shopkick Pros:

  • Intuitive app.
  • Multiple ways to earn kicks.
  • Free to sign up.
  • Large gift card selection.

Shopkick Cons:

  • No PayPal or cash option, although the gift card selection is immense.
  • Not every store has all 4 earning methods.
  • Data required for certain features.

Shopkick’s drawbacks are drastically outweighed by its benefits.

Is Shopkick Legit Or A Scam?

As you’ve probably figured out from this Shopkick review, the app is definitely legit. It’s very easy to create an account and start earning rewards. For those concerned about their data, you can get away without giving them your card or location information if you’re willing to do more of your shopping online.

They have a very reassuring A+ from the Better Business Bureau. In addition, the World Economic Forum named Shopkick a Technology Pioneer in 2013, a designation they hand out to early-stage companies working on tech solutions they believe will make a large impact on business and society.

Shopkick Review: Final Thoughts

What is Shopkick? Should you join it? As you’ve just read, it’s a great app with awesome earning opportunities. Not only are you being rewarded for doing your normal shopping with the Shopkick app, but you can bolster those earnings with other shopping activities that don’t take much effort.

Sounds exciting, right? Sign up for Shopkick today and start racking up those kicks!

The post Shopkick Review: Earn Rewards For Your Shopping Habits appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
40043
10 Ways To Live Rent-Free https://wallstreetinsanity.com/ways-to-live-rent-free/ Wed, 26 Jun 2019 20:43:02 +0000 https://wallstreetinsanity.com/?p=39992 When you think about it, renting isn’t a very favorable arrangement for the tenant. Several hundred or thousands (depends on where you live) of your hard-earned dollars are going straight into someone else’s pocket, yet you still have to live completely by their rules – and none of that money gets you any equity in the property. On top of ...

The post 10 Ways To Live Rent-Free appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
lounging in apartment with feet hanging off couch

Patrick Perkins on Unsplash

When you think about it, renting isn’t a very favorable arrangement for the tenant. Several hundred or thousands (depends on where you live) of your hard-earned dollars are going straight into someone else’s pocket, yet you still have to live completely by their rules – and none of that money gets you any equity in the property.

On top of that, rental rates increase the closer you get to the best job opportunities. That bump in pay is essentially negated by the higher monthly rents.

The only way to avoid living in a rental, aside from living with your parents, is to buy a property. Most people aren’t ready for that, so living rent-free is out of reach.

Fortunately, there are a ton of ways to live rent-free if you put in a little effort. Here are some of the best.

1. Rent Your Extra Space on VRBO

VRBO is one of the best tools for rent-free living. It’s a site that lets you rent out rooms in your home to travelers. Guests can book other people’s residences directly through the site, rather than booking a traditional hotel room.

VRBO is so popular because it provides more variety for accommodations at a lower cost, and the residences naturally have a more “at-home” feel than a hotel room.

So how much should you list your room for? Well, just calculate your monthly rent and divide it by 30 to get an approximate nightly rate. If your rent is $1200 per month, then you’d only need $40 per night to live rent-free. It’s fair to assume your room won’t be booked every day, though, so adjust your rate based on how often your room is booked to break even on rent.

You can also browse other listings in your area to set a competitive nightly rate.

And you aren’t just limited to listing a room or two – you can make much more by listing an entire home. Charge enough for the whole place and you could cover a few months of rent while you’re on vacation or traveling for work.

Ready to create an VRBO account and start renting out that spare room of yours? You could even pocket some extra cash!

2. Rent Out Your Basement or Driveway on Neighbor

No need to stop at monetizing your living space to get rid of your rent bill. Consider renting out extra storage space — such as your basement, driveway, or garage — on Neighbor.

It’s one of the easiest side hustles to potentially live rent-free because there’s almost no “hustle” involved. You’ll make money for doing nothing.

Earning potential varies by location, and larger spaces are generally the most lucrative. For example, your basement will earn you more money than your closet.

Neighbor will quickly tell you how much your extra space is worth.

Make sure to check that renting your extra space doesn’t violate your lease. Know your local and state laws as well.

3. House-Sitting

House-sitting provides you a lot of opportunities to live rent-free for minimal effort. Most of the time, your house sitting responsibilities won’t go beyond basic chores to keep the home in good shape.

Some house sitting opportunities could be short-term, while others could be for a long time.

For example, look for people who are going on vacation or business travel. Offer to watch their houses while they’re gone. If you’re lucky, you can try living rent-free in back-to-back housesitting gigs. You will need to be fairly proactive when doing this. Otherwise, you’ll need a backup living space if you don’t find another house sitting client right away.

If you want a long-term place to stay and you live in a warm climate, look into vacation homeowners. They only stay at their vacation home a few months out of the year, and since their vacation property is most likely desirable, the owner might want someone to keep watch over it. This is a great opportunity to live in a beautiful home for free!

Some house-sitting clients might even show their appreciation by throwing a little money your way.

Ask family, friends, and neighbors about the next time they’ll be away from their homes and you could score a place to live and you won’t have to pay rent.

4. Pet Sitting

Pet sitting is a fun way to live rent-free. Most pet owners can’t take their furry friends traveling with them, so they’ll be happy to let you hang out with their pet in exchange for a place to live. Lineup a few of these clients for the long-term, and you’ll be able to bounce between multiple houses without having to pay rent.

For a more predictable living situation, consider becoming a live-in pet sitter. Many people don’t like leaving their pets alone for 8+ hours a day while they’re at work and might be willing to share their home with someone long-term in exchange for pet care.

If you’re a fan of getting paid to play with dogs, Rover is worth checking out. They match pet sitters to dog owners, making it much easier to find the dog sitting gigs you want. Rover dog sitters can earn extra money simply by hanging out with dogs. It’s a great additional paycheck to your rent-free lifestyle.

What better way to live rent-free than to hang out with animals all the time? Try pet-sitting for an enjoyable rent-free living experience.

5. Nannying

People who are great with kids will have tons of opportunities for rent-free living if they work as a nanny. The two types of nanny jobs that’ll land you a place to live for free are live-in nannies and traveling nannies.

As a live-in nanny, you’re responsible for taking care of the kids and providing them with activities to do. In exchange, the family will let you live in their house. You can easily turn live-in nannying into a full-time job, providing you both a free home and a nice paycheck. There are a lot of job boards out there dedicated to nannies, so it’s not too hard to find something interesting. You can ask family and friends if they know of anyone who needs a nanny as well.

Traveling nanny positions are great for people who want to live rent-free and see the world. Families like to travel, but they can’t leave young kids at home. Your client family will pay for all your travel expenses, including lodging. In exchange, you take care of their kids while you’re living rent-free, so the parents can have a stress-free vacation.

Whichever type of nannying you prefer, you’re bound to be fulfilled without having to pay for rent.

Just make sure to be safe and thoroughly vet the families you are considering!

6. Rent-For-Work

One of the simplest ways to live rent-free is through a rent-for-work agreement. These are full-time or part-time jobs where you get to live somewhere for free, but you do work to “earn” your living quarters.

Farms are perhaps the most common kind of business that offers rent-for-work spots. You’ll be expected to do some manual farm labor such as milking cows or moving hay bales, but you’ll be compensated with a free room. In addition, you’ll be exposed to a lifestyle that much of the population will never experience.

Many tasks will require some basic physical ability, but the hours are usually short enough to where you can work a full-time job outside of your rent-for-work duties. Since you won’t be paying anything during your rent-free living experience, that’s a lot more money in your pocket.

7. Land An Apartment Property Management Position

If you’re looking to live in a real apartment but don’t want to pay the rent, property management firms sometimes give their staff free units in buildings they manage. Not only will the rent be free, but you’ll earn a paycheck and your workplace will be within walking distance.

There are a lot of property management openings. Browse job boards like Indeed or Monster.com, contact landlords directly, or even ask your own landlord if you currently live in an apartment.

Now, property management companies may require some previous property management experience before they’ll give you a free apartment. If you have no experience, try to land a property management job while living rent-free somewhere else. After a year or so, negotiate a free unit from your employer.

Do it right and you’ll end up with a real apartment that’s free!

8. Work On A Cruise Ship

Got a travel itch you need to scratch? Working on a cruise ship lets you travel the world without having to spend a dime on rent.

There’s a wide variety of positions available on cruise ships. They’re the obvious ones like food service, housekeeping, maintenance, and medical staff. But there are a lot of unique jobs as well, such as in entertainment, photography, retail, security even IT.

Most cruise ship positions don’t pay very much compared to similar land-based jobs, but remember that you’re living rent-free. In addition, expenses like food and uniforms are covered on most cruises. Some cruise ships even give you a spending allowance to be used at shops and bars aboard the ship.

Besides taxes, it’s possible to save nearly all your earnings while working on a cruise ship.

And if that’s not enough, you’ll form a diverse, international group of friends with other crew and staff based on your shared cruise experience.

If you’ve got the travel bug, why not apply to a cruise liner? You could see the world while enjoying rent-free living.

9. Join The Peace Corps

The Peace Corps is another great opportunity to see the world and live rent-free. As a Peace Corps volunteer, you get to impact people’s lives around the world and learn a ton.

Peace Corps assignments typically last 2 years, meaning you won’t have to worry about money for a long time once you get your assignment. There are assignments for many different interests and skillsets. Teaching English in Ecuador, assisting developing communities in Eastern Europe, educating communities about health topics in West Africa, and improving food security in Nepal are just some of the many Peace Corps opportunities. Most positions don’t require any grasp of the local language, but you may pick up some of it naturally.

At the end of your assignment, the Peace Corps hands you an $8,000 stipend to assist with reintegrating into your home location, which is a nice little bonus.

It’s hard work and you won’t get many of the modern amenities you’re used to, but you’ll learn a lot about yourself and others as a Peace Corps volunteer without the stress of making rent each month.

10. Live With Family And Do Chores For Rent

When all else fails, your family may be willing to take you in. However, there’s no guarantee they’d let you live rent-free. To avoid paying your family rent, offer to help out around the house with chores.

Moving in with family offers many conveniences on top of the free rent. For one, you don’t need to spend time touring multiple apartments. Also, there’s no need to worry about terrible roommates.

Your family may not be willing to let you live with them indefinitely, so treat this as a temporary living arrangement. Make plans to move out while you’re with them. If you still don’t want to pay rent, look into the other options on this list so you can live rent-free without family.

Rent-Free Living Is Worth The Effort

It’s easy to think you need to pay rent just to live. However, that’s not the case if you put in a little effort. Some of these living arrangements might not be as glamorous as having your own place, but delaying that lifestyle is a small price to pay for an easy way to save money each month when you live rent-free.

After all, if your goal is to be financially secure and ready for your own place, you’ll reach it much sooner if you’re living rent-free.

The post 10 Ways To Live Rent-Free appeared first on Wall Street Insanity.

]]>
39992