It can be tough to make ends meet in today’s economy, especially if you’re living paycheck to paycheck or just starting out in your career.
You may feel like you have to choose between eating healthy and paying rent or get into debt to pay for that unexpected car repair. But that doesn’t have to be the case.
There are actually many ways to make extra money on the side if you’re willing to get creative and put in some effort. You need to be open-minded and believe that you can achieve it. Once you have that mindset, anything is possible.
It’s important to choose a method that interests you and suits your lifestyle because earning extra money should be fun and not feel like another job.
From profitable side hustles to flexible freelance work, there are plenty of ways for everyone to make an extra $200 a day! Here are the best ideas to help you get started. Try them yourself and see which ones work best for you!
1. Don’t Miss Out on Free Money
Companies give out free money all the time to get people to try their products or services. And while you may not get rich quickly by taking advantage of these offers, it is a simple way to make some extra cash with little effort.
The first is to sign up for credit cards that offer sign-up bonuses. You can usually earn $200 or more just by meeting the minimum spending requirements within the first few months of opening the account.
Opening a new checking account can also earn you some quick cash. Many banks offer sign-up bonuses of up to $200 when you open a new account and meet certain requirements such as setting up direct deposit. Many banks also have referral programs where they’ll pay you an extra $50 to $100 for every friend or family member you refer to who opens an account.
For a quick and easy way to get free cash, you can sign up with Swagbucks to get a $10 cash bonus. What’s great with Swagbucks is that you can earn extra money by taking paid surveys, watching videos, and shopping online.
2. Start a Blog
Blogging is a great way to make extra money because you can do it at your own pace and from the comfort of your own home. You can start a blog about any topic that interests you, whether it’s fashion, beauty, lifestyle, food, or anything else.
For instance, Rui and his wife from Bite of TO started a local food blog that focuses on helping their readers find the best restaurants in Toronto to dine, discover new exciting spots to try, and learn how to cook tasty meals with homemade recipes. They plan to monetize the blog with display advertising by providing informational and helpful content to their audience.
Once your blog reaches over 50,000 sessions, which is approximately 60,000 pageviews, partnering up with ad network companies like Mediavine will be a great way to earn money with display ads.
Other popular ways to monetize a blog include affiliate marketing, sponsors, and selling your own digital (or even physical) products.
3. Flip Things for Profit
Do you get excited when you find great deals at garage sales or thrift stores? If so, you can actually make a profit by flipping things that you find for cheap.
To make a decent income with this side hustle, you need to hone in on flipping products that you know inside out. Deals don’t last long, so you need to be able to move fast and make decisions quickly.
For example, if you’re passionate about vintage finds, then strictly spend your time on flipping vintage items like furniture, clothes, and jewelry. If you’re into tech gadgets, then focus on flipping smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles.
Tips for Flipping
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re flipping items for profit. You want to find items that are undervalued but still in good condition. If an item is cheap, but it’s damaged, it probably won’t be worth your time to try and sell it.
Price your items accordingly to maximize your profits. Do some research to find out how many similar items are selling online on sites like Poshmark, Mercari, and Facebook Marketplace. You want to make sure you’re charging a fair price, but you also don’t want to miss out on potential earnings by pricing your items too low.
When looking for products, focus on items that are easy to ship. Smaller items are usually better because they’re less expensive to ship and there’s less of a chance that they’ll get damaged in transit.
4. Make Money Driving
Many people choose to drive around to earn extra money because you get to set your own working hours and can make a decent income, especially if you live in a city where there are a lot of people.
Drive for Uber and Lyft
The typical pay for Uber drivers varies by city and it ranges from $15 to $25 per hour. However, you can make more money by being more strategic with your driving game like understanding which areas have the most passengers (e.g. downtown) and knowing when to turn on/off your apps.
The trick to making $200 a day is to drive when there are fewer rideshare drivers in the area. For example, not many drivers are out late at night because they’re at home resting or sleeping. Also, when you’re working the night shifts, there’s less traffic on the road so you complete more trips faster.
Drive for Uber Eats and DoorDash
Driving people is not the only way to get paid to drive. Delivering food is a fantastic alternative for those that don’t like having strangers in their car and making small talk.
For food delivery, you want to find restaurants that are fast with their orders so you’re not waiting around for pick up. Try to avoid fast food joints where you have a lower chance of getting tips.
Another strategy is to use multiple apps to maximize your earning potential. When one app is slow, you can always switch to another one. If Uber is slow, you can start driving for Lyft. If Lyft is also slow, you can start driving for a food delivery service like DoorDash or Uber Eats.
Deliver Packages
Online retailers and grocery stores need a fleet of drivers to deliver packages to customers. You can sign up with Amazon Flex, Postmates, or Instacart to start earning money.
Mind you, this side hustle is not easy and requires hard work. Using your car to make money can feel like a grind at times, but if you treat it like a game collecting shiny coins, you’ll do just fine.
5. Become a Writer
Do you enjoy writing as a hobby? If so, you can get paid to do what you love and make an extra couple hundred dollars a day. All sorts of businesses require content writers to help them with blog posts, website content, social media posts, and more.
You don’t need to be a professional writer to get started, but it helps if you know how to write well and have some experience. For new writers, you can find writing gigs on sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Facebook Groups. Once you’ve built up a portfolio of work, you can start pitching clients directly.
You can charge anywhere from $0.05 to $1 per word, depending on your experience and the type of writing gig. If you can write 1,000 words per hour, that means you can make $200 in a couple of hours. And if you find a client that’s willing to give you regular work, you can consistently make $200 a day or more.
Sharpen your writing skills in a specific niche like business, finance, technology, or book writing and you’ll be in high demand.
6. Start Your Own Online Business
Due to the pandemic, workers were pushed past their limits. Employees from all sectors are now resigning in droves because they’re tired of the traditional 9-5 work lifestyle. They’re often overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated.
If you want to take control of your life and make more money, you need to seriously consider starting your own online business. It’s the perfect time to do it because there’s never been more opportunities or support available.
There are countless online business ideas you can pursue, but here are a few of the most profitable and interesting ones to think about:
eCommerce store: Start selling physical or digital products online. You can dropship products, create your own products, or source products from a wholesaler.
Affiliate marketing: Promote other people’s products and earn a commission on every sale. This is a great option for beginners because you don’t need to create or manage any products yourself.
Create your own online course: Share your passion and expertise with the world by creating an online course. You can teach anything from playing an instrument to programming.
Publish a book: Turn your stories and ideas into a book that you can sell on Amazon. This is a great option if you enjoy writing and have a lot to say.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to online business ideas. Pick something you’re passionate about, spend time to research the idea, and make it happen.
7. Get Paid for Your Opinions
You have opinions (and lots of them) on pretty much everything, so why not get paid for them? Your feedback and input are extremely valuable to companies, and they’re willing to pay for it. Without it, companies wouldn’t know how well their products or services are performing.
In fact, there are many ways to get paid for your opinions, whether it’s through online surveys, focus groups, or panel discussions.
One of the best ways to make extra money is by taking online surveys with InboxDollars. With InboxDollars, you can earn points for each survey you complete that can be redeemed for cash or gift cards. They have a wide variety of surveys available, so you’re sure to find ones that fit your interests. And the best part is that each survey only takes a few minutes to complete!
Again, with Swagbucks, you can be invited to join focus groups or panel discussions where you can earn $50-$200 for each 60-90 minutes session you participate in. These groups help companies test new products or services and give feedback on advertising campaigns, fresh ideas, and much more.
8. Provide Services Locally
Your city is a gem with hidden treasures, and you can be one of those treasures if you have a skill that others need. From busy parents to local small businesses, there’s always a demand for services like babysitting, yard work, house cleaning, and more.
If you love being active and moving around, here are some ideas to get you started:
- Maintaining lawns
- Designing websites
- Helping people move
- Taking photos at events
- Delivering groceries
- Tutoring students
- Washing dishes
- Assembling furniture
- Painting houses
- Fitness coaching
You can find different kinds of local jobs on Craigslist or advertise your services in your local Facebook community group.
9. Rent Out Your Spaces
Rather than leaving your spare room empty or using it as a storage room, you can get a healthy return by renting it out to travelers on Airbnb.
When you list your extra room on Airbnb, you can easily charge $50-$100 per night, depending on the location and amenities you offer. The more space you have to rent out, the more you can earn a day.
However, not everyone wants to manage short-term rentals because it does take a bit of work to attend to renters. You’ll be expected to resolve any issues that might pop up during their stays.
So if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of being a landlord, you can try renting out your driveway. With sites like Craigslist, you can list your parking spot to locals and set your own price. Drivers are more than happy to have a safe spot to park their car rather than risk getting a ticket for street parking.
Lastly, your extra spaces like garages, basements, attics, and sheds can serve as storage units for people that need somewhere to store their belongings. Furniture and seasonal items are usually the most popular items that people need to store. You can list your storage spaces on Craigslist or Neighbor and start earning extra money today.
10. Become a Freelancer
The Great Resignation is giving way to the Gig Economy, which is good news for you. We all want a better working arrangement with flexible hours, the ability to work from home and to be our own bosses. Why not get paid for your talents and skills by becoming a freelancer?
There’s a huge demand for freelancers as businesses are trying to cut costs by hiring independent contractors instead of full-time employees. Freelancers are generally hired on a short-term basis to work on delivery projects. After a project is finished, you can find similar work or try a completely different area to work in to broaden your skill sets.
Upwork and LinkedIn are great places to find freelancing gigs. You can also join relevant Facebook groups or online communities to find leads for your services.
Here are some examples of highly sought-after freelancing services:
- Graphic design
- Web development
- Content writing
- Virtual assistance
- Editing and proofreading
- Copywriting
- Social media marketing
- Video editing
As a freelancer, you can set your own rates, work schedule, and take on as many or little clients as you want. For beginners, it’s best to start small and work your way up as you gain more experience and build a strong portfolio.
If you put in the hard work and show your value to clients, you can easily make an extra $200 a day freelancing and eventually turn it into a full-time career.
The Best Ways to Get $200 Quickly
If cash is a problem and you need it within the week to settle some urgent bills, your best option is to do the following:
- Pick up a day job locally. Local businesses that need same-day help usually pay their workers in cash once the job is complete. You can ask the employer about the form of payment before you accept the job.
- Sell your used things. You might have an old smartphone inside your drawers as a backup or a handbag that you no longer use. List it online and convert those used products to hard cash.
- Borrow from a family member or friend. It’s never easy to ask for help, but it’s better than relying on high-interest loans.
Payday loans are an easy source of money, but the interest they charge is ridiculously high. You should stay away from them if you’re trying to get out of debt or improve your financial situation.
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