Searching for a way to make money without getting a “real” job? You’re not alone! Whether you’re looking for a way to make extra cash to help save for a new vacation, supplement your income at your 9-5 gig, or generate needed funds to pay off debt, here are 40 ways you can make money without getting a traditional job.
With our world, many people are searching for legit ways to make money without having to spend a lot of extra time. If you’re already working a traditional 9-5, Monday through Friday job, it can be hard to find the time (or energy) to get a second job too.
However, for many of us, finding a way to make extra income in the limited spare time we have is a much needed reality. For some of you, you might be searching for a way to make money in general to replace your day-to-day gig with something more flexible!
Note: Some links may be affiliate links. That means I may make a commission if you use my links to purchase, at no extra added cost to you! I only recommend products that I personally love and believe in. Full disclosure here.
How can I make money if I don’t have a job?
It’s absolutely possible to generate income without a traditional 9-5 job. Our world is changing, and with that comes so many new and incredible opportunities for making money in different ways! Whether you’re disabled, a stay-at-home mom, have lost your job or just plain need more money to get out of debt faster, today I’m sharing some of my favorite ways to make extra money (no investment required).
When our family decided to get serious about paying off our debt, one thing was certain: we needed to find a way to make more money. Even just an extra $50-$100 a day can make a huge impact on your life.
With an extra $50 a day, you could:
- Pay off your credit card debt
- Save money for a down payment for a home
- Pay off your student loans faster
- Save money for an incredible vacation
- Have extra money to spend on the holidays for your kids
- Surprise your spouse with a night out
- Take those extra online courses towards your degree you’ve been dreaming of.
And so much more!
Read on for multiple easy ways to make extra money, whether you have only a few extra hours in a week or a ton of time each day. The best part? Many of these ways to make money can be done from home!
40 Ways to Make Money Without Working Hard
When it comes to making money without a job, there are lot of options. You can make money online or using your phone, work from home, or even create a reliable source of passive income (my personal favorite). Here are even more easy ways to make money without working hard!
Just a note: I’ll also be updating this list as I find more ways to make money without a traditional job, so be sure to bookmark it!
1. Earn Money While You’re Watching TV
Sounds too good to be true? Imagine binge watching your favorite shows and getting paid to do so!
Companies like to conduct market research to gain feedback from consumers about their products or services through focus groups. And they’re always looking for new survey participants.
Thanks to paid survey sites like Survey Junkie, you can actually make money just from giving your opinion. In fact, online surveys are one of the fastest ways to make extra cash in your free time!
Survey Junkie allows you to get paid via gift cards or PayPal, with many surveys paying over $20.
Click here for more information and to get started with Survey Junkie.
2. Get Paid to Speak English
If you enjoy connecting with others, consider getting paid to help others learn English. Cambly allows you to chat with users all over the world as much or as little as you want and earn money doing so.
It’s a great way to help other people improve their English skills, and have a little fun at the same time. Click here to learn more about Cambly.
3. Rent Unused Baby Gear
If your little ones are all grown up (or big enough to not use all of that baby gear in your attic or spare room), you might be wondering if you should just get rid of everything.
Wait! Why not turn that old gear into extra cash? Websites like BabyQuip allow parents to rent car seats, cribs, strollers and other baby items for rent!
Many families are in need of baby gear when they travel, and it’s a huge help to be able to rent these items.
Click here to check out BabyQuip.
4. Shop and Earn Cash Back on All Purchases
What if you could receive surprise checks in the mail, just for the regular online shopping you do?
If you love snagging what you need online, you need to sign up with Rakuten (formerly Ebates). It takes less than 60 seconds to make a free account, and you’re ready to shop your favorite stores! They have relationships with over 2,000 online stores, and you can get paid via check or even PayPal deposits.
Rakuten gives you cash back just for shopping at your favorite stores. You’re even able to combine their deals with store-specific coupons and discounts, too. Plus if you join with my link, you get a $30 bonus!
Click here to join Rakuten and get your $30 bonus.
5. Work as a Freelancer
Do you have a special skill, like designing websites, taking photos, writing or as a graphic designer? How about drawing, proofreading or editing videos?
Turn it into cash! Freelancing is a fantastic way to work from home and make money on your own terms.
With gigs available on Fiverr and Upwork, you can list your creative skills for others to hire you. Check out the options on both websites, and see which one might be best for you to list your services.
Learn more about Fiverr and Upwork.
6. Teach English to International Students
This area has exploded in growth the past few years! Platforms like VIPKid allow English speakers to work as virtual teachers from home, teaching English to Chinese students.
You DON’T have to be a teacher to do this! All you need is to speak English fluently, have at least a Bachelor’s degree and experience teaching or tutoring of some kind, and the necessary technology to get online and teach. Through platforms like VIPKid, you can make triple the minimum wage as a part-time ESL teacher (up to $22/hr), all working from home.
7. Participate in Research Studies
Respondent allows you to earn money for participating in research studies on many different topics. All of the studies offered are high paying, with some offered online and others in person. They average out to about $140 per hour!
Even if you just completed 4 studies per month, you’re looking at an extra $500 coming your way. Sign up with Respondent here.
Similarly, Prolific is a website for academic polls and questions from universities, researchers, and scholars that pays you for answering them. They also pay well, and are easy to complete. Click here to learn about Prolific.
8. Join Swagbucks
Swagbucks will pay you to complete offers, shop online and more. It’s one of the easiest ways to earn a little bit of extra money in your spare time.
Click here to learn more about Swagbucks.
9. Become a Dropshipper
Dropshipping is a pretty interesting business model that allows retailers to have an online store without needing to also have the inventory on hand.
A shopper orders a product from your store. You send the order details to a supplier, who packages and ships (aka drop ships) the order directly to the customer in your store’s name.
There are also websites out there that will create the items for you with each order! It’s a pretty hands-off business model where you never have to touch the items that you are selling.
Click here to learn more about dropshipping.
10. Get Paid to Blog
Blogging and working as a freelance writer has absolutely transformed my life. What started as a hobby grew into a full-time business with my first website, with blogging just in my spare time. And I’m not alone! So many people have grown blogs that have allowed them to pay off their debt, go on dream vacations and quit their day job.
Despite what you might have heard, blogging is FAR from dead. In fact, blogs are now one of the biggest sources of information and education that people go to on the internet.
Out of everything on this list, blogging is the best way to make sustainable, real passive income online. However, it’s also important to know that it isn’t something that is going to start bringing in income overnight.
It takes the average blogger about 18 months to start earning a true income as a blogger, and takes carving out the time to create content and traffic. But imagine what that could mean for you and your family in less than 2 years.
I started my first blog in spring of 2018 when pregnant with my first child. By December of 2020, that website was bringing in more money than me and my husband’s jobs COMBINED. It’s absolutely possible to grow a successful blog: I grew mine while juggling two toddlers who were home with me and working another job.
Interested in learning more? Click here to check out my 100% free blogging course that gives you all of the information you need to get started as a blogger.
11. Invest a Few Cents into the Stock Market
Acorns is an investing app that allows you to take just a few cents and invest it by rolling up your purchases. Think of it as a virtual coin jar! That spare change you don’t even think about can be put to work to save towards paying off your debt, going on vacation or making a big purchase.
The best part is that you don’t need to know anything about the stock market or investing; Acorns does everything for you (making it great for beginners).
Acorns works by automatically rounding up purchases on your linked debit or credit cards to the nearest dollar, and then investing that extra change. You can also opt to earn cash back on everyday shopping or set up recurring extra investments too!
Learn more and join Acorns today by clicking here.
12. Earn While Playing Trivia
By playing games on the trivia app SwagbucksLIVE (formerly SwagIQ), you can earn cash and prizes in their fun trivia contests. You can also invite your friends to join your trivia team to earn even more.
While it won’t result in big bucks, it’s a fun way to make extra money during your down time, instead of just scrolling through social media.
Learn more about SwagbucksLIVE here.
13. Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)
Amazon Mechanical Turk is similar to the Amazon Marketplace, but doesn’t sell products. Instead, this platform is strictly for online gigs and is a great place to make some extra cash.
Through MTurk you can work from anywhere with WIFI and make money by participating in surveys, data validation, data research and more.
To learn how you can make money with Amazon MTurk, click here.
14. Grocery Shop for Others and Get Paid
Whether you’re too busy to get to the grocery store, or just hate going, Instacart makes grocery shopping a breeze these days. All customers need to do is pick out the items they want from their local grocery store through the Instacart app, and a personal shopper does the grocery shopping for them.
That’s where you would come in: you snag the groceries, deliver them and get paid! Instacart shoppers earn an average of about $15 an hour plus tips, making this a great side hustle. Plus, this one is usually in high demand!
Click here to sign up with Instacart.
15. Earn Cash Delivering Food
Food delivery isn’t the same as it used to be. Our world craves convenience, and because of that there are now multiple ways to have a yummy meal delivered straight to your door.
Earn cash delivering those means with UberEats or DoorDash! You can make your own schedule, work whenever you want for as long as you want, and get paid quickly. The app platform handles the orders and payment; you just go to the restaurant, pick up the food and deliver it to the customer.
Depending on how many orders you choose to deliver, you could make up to $1,000 a week!
Click here to find more information on Uber Eats, and click here for more about joining DoorDash.
16. Become a Movie Mystery Shopper
Movie “mystery shoppers” function as evaluators for movie theaters. Movie studios and theaters want to know about the audience that attends premieres and buy tickets, to help them better market through this third-party data.
So essentially, you get paid $10-$20 per hour to go to a movie and observe your surroundings!
To apply to become a movie mystery shopper, fill out an application with Certified Field Associates by clicking here. The application is just a few questions long, and nearly everyone in the United States and Canada is eligible.
17. Love Dogs? Get Paid to Walk Them.
If you love dogs, Rover is perfect for you. It’s an app to connect dog walkers and other pet sitters with pet owners locally.
Many people have pets but aren’t able to get home during the day to walk them, or need extra help when they go out of town. Booking gigs through Rover can actually generate some solid income too, with many walkers reporting they are making an extra $500 or more each month!
18. Rent Your Home on Airbnb
Millions of people all around the world use Airbnb to turn their spare rooms, entire homes or vacation cabins into extra income.
Airbnb makes the process easy by screening potential guests and managing all of the back end booking details through their app. You set the rental price and dates available, and the app takes it from there.
You might be surprised how popular your extra space can be! Plus, you’ll get paid easily via PayPal, direct deposit or wire transfer.
Ready to list your space for rent? Visit Airbnb here to learn more.
19. Create and Sell eBooks
I’m a big fan of passive income, and like courses, eBooks are a great option. You only have to create them once, and you’ll continue to make money for as long as these digital products are for sale.
You can sell them on your own website, through Amazon or through other platforms too. It’s never been easier to create and sell eBooks.
20. Become a Seller on Amazon
Have a product to sell? Check out Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon). You’ll not only be connected to millions of potential customers, but Amazon also takes care of everything for you. Amazon will warehouse your products, manage the shipping and even the customer service and returns.
This is a hands-off way to make money selling nearly anything online, and it’s incredibly easy. You send products you want to sell to Amazon, where they will be housed in a warehouse location until someone buys them. Amazon will handle the entire process of packaging and shipping your products, and can also take care of returns or other customer service issues too.
To learn more about selling on Amazon FBA, click here.
20 More Ways to Make Money Without a Job!
Read on for 20 more ways to make money without money. See what inspires you on this list!
21. Sell Items on Etsy
Many people know that Etsy is a popular online marketplace for individuals selling handmade and custom items. But did you know that you can also list and sell things on Etsy, even if you haven’t crafted anything?
Yep, in addition to all of the amazing creative items you can sell on the platform, you can also sell crat supplies and tools.
Check out more about Etsy here.
22. Get Paid for Walking Into Stores
The Shopkick app gives you points (or “kicks”) for walking into certain stores, like Target, Walmart etc. You can then convert those points and be paid through gift cards to a bunch of both brick and mortar and online retailers.
You can earn even more kicks for purchases made in store for qualifying purchases, and even some online purchases!
Learn more about Shopkick here.
23. Design and Sell Apparel Online
Selling t-shirts has always been a fun way to make money, but you no longer have to sell them through a physical location, or the added headache of equipment and staff.
Get your creative juices flowing and check out online marketplaces like Merch by Amazon, which allows you to upload your designs and put them on mugs, hoodies, t-shirts and more!
The best part? Amazon handles the rest. You don’t have to worry about the production, shipping or customer service!
Learn more about Merch by Amazon here.
24. Get Paid to Travel and House Sit
Love travel, but hate the costs associated with renting a place to stay? You can get paid to house sit across the world! Check out this website that gives you the opportunity to housesit for people when they are out of town.
You can also choose to house sit closer to home, giving you the opportunity to earn cash while staying in a potential dream home.
25. Flip and Sell items on eBay or FB Marketplace
Selling items on online marketplaces is pretty straightforward. The easiest thing to do is buy products in bulk from estate sales, clearance racks, flea markets, auctions etc and list them for sale.
Basically, you are looking to purchase an item at a low price and sell it for higher prices than what you spent. The most well-known platform for this is eBay, but many people have also started reselling items on other platforms like Facebook Marketplace now too as a fun side-job that allows them to make real money in creative ways.
Click here to create an eBay seller account to learn more.
26. Write Greeting Cards
While we for sure live in a digital age, greeting cards are still a big thing! In fact, there are companies out there that will pay you for your designs, words or art.
Check out these companies that will pay you up to $300 for accepted submissions!
27. Tutor Others Online
Enjoy teaching but don’t want to sit in a physical classroom? Consider working for Varsity Tutors and tutor people from home!
You can make over $50 an hour teaching students about music, academics, languages and more. Click here for more details on how to get started.
28. Become a Rideshare Driver
Uber and Lyft make it so easy to get around these days, and demand for drivers continues to grow. Become a rideshare driver and make money driving either part-time or full-time! Choose your own schedule and what area of town you work in.
To get started, you can sign up for Uber here.
29. Get Paid to Get Healthier
Are you interested in getting in shape or even losing a little weight? Sometimes we need an extra incentive to stay on track, and Healthy Wage wants to help.
This company will help you meet your weight loss goals by offering a cash prize! Just make a personalized bet on your own weight loss, and if you’re successful with the challenge, you can win up to $10,000.
Head to Healthy Wage’s Prize Calculator to learn more and see how much money you could win.
30. Create Video Content
Start a channel on YouTube about anything you like! While it might take a little time to get started, YouTube remains one of the biggest ways to monetize video.
As your audience grows, so does your income. You can earn money from ads, sponsored videos, and much more. Plus, while some of the big accounts yes have millions of followers, most YouTubers are making six-figures year without a large audience!
Join YouTube and start your own channel today.
31. Sell Your Photography
Consider uploading your phone photos to stock photography sites like Foap, Deposit Photos and Shutterstock to make a little extra cash with the photos you take.
If you enjoy taking photos, you can easily make extra money by selling them online to site like this, as businesses and websites of all kinds are regularly looking for fresh stock photos.
You can set your own prices and have 100% control over how you display your photos.
32. Work as a Trivia Host
Trivia nights are great always fun, but you can also make money at the same time by becoming a host! It can be a fun side gig, especially for those who already love trivia and have a big personality.
33. Make Money Doing Tasks for Others
TaskRabbit is an app that connects you with people in your community who need help doing stuff around the home. Tasks might include picking up an order, assembling IKEA furniture, moving boxes, yard work and more.
Handy.com and Thumback are two other online service platforms that connects people who need help with people willing to do them.
Depending on your skillset and availability to work, you can earn anywhere from $5-$200 per job. That’s nothing to sneeze at, and makes this is one of the best ways to make without a job!
34. Become a Voiceover Artist
Voiceover work is a flexible way to make some extra money on the side and from the comfort of your own home.
Check out Voices.com and BackStage.com, both online voice-over acting marketplaces that help both professional and amateur vocal talent find gigs.
35. Buy A Website That’s Already Making Money
Want to make money from your own website but want to skip all the work needed to create a successful one? Buy one!
Many bloggers sell their websites for a variety of reasons, which means you can invest in an established website that’s already generating passive income through affiliate marketing, online sales and more. There are a few reputable online marketplaces to find websites for sale:
Check them out to learn more!
36. Offer Babysitting or Nannying Services
Before you shake your head at this, wait! Parents need babysitters and nannies, and are willing to pay adults with experience much more than the local teen down the street.
Rates will vary by city, but the average rate for babysitters in 2021 was over $16.20 an hour, according to Care.com’s 2021 Nanny Pay Rate Schedule. Where we live in Atlanta, many families are willing to pay more than $20 an hour for a fantastic sitter!
37. Narrate audiobooks for money
Audiobooks need fantastic voice actors to read them aloud and record them! Check out audio-scribing (narrating) books for Amazon via the ACX Marketplace.
ACX is a platform where authors, literary agents, publishers, and other Rights Holders can connect with narrators, engineers, recording studios, and other Producers capable of producing a finished audiobook.
This is one of the most unique ways to make money on this list, and is also an easy way to make a full-time income.
38. Get Easy Cash Back From Shopping
Ibotta is one of my favorite cash back apps, as it gives you cash back on purchases made at a ton of stores! This includes big box ones like your local grocery store, Target, Walmart and more.
Using it is simple: before you go shopping, check the app to find the best cash back offers at that particular store. When you purchase those items, you’ll earn free cash back!
Your cash back can then be redeemed via Venmo, PayPal or a gift card. This is a super easy way to make extra money without a job.
39. Sell Unwanted Clothing Online
Mercari and Poshmark make it easy for you to sell almost anything through their app, especially gently used old items you no longer use or want.
From fashion to toys, sporting goods to jewelry (and more), you can easily offload your unwanted items through these easy to use platforms.
Resellers can make big bucks by listing gently loved (and even new) clothes and accessories for adults, children and babies.
40. Become an Influencer
Influencers create content on social media platforms for brands of all different sizes on different online platforms like a YouTube channel, Instagram, TikTok and more. They make money through paid partnerships, affiliate links, speaking opportunities and more.
If you have a social media following already and aren’t making money from partnerships, check out this great free resource on how to get started.
How can I make money without a job?
Whether you’re looking to make money because you’re unemployed, or trying to find a side-hustle to generate extra cash in your spare time, there are many ways to make money without getting a real job.
From taking surveys, flipping things on eBay, selling homemade items, offering virtual assistant services, freelance writing, or delivering food, there are so many options out there!
How can I make $100 a day?
Need to make a quick $100? There are a few ways mentioned in this post to help you make $100 a day.
The easiest (and fastest!) ones would be taking surveys, becoming an Instacart Shopper, pet sitting with Rover, delivering goods or working as a rideshare driver.
How can I make $1,000 fast without a job?
Need to make a bigger amount of money quickly? Below are several ways you can make an extra $1,000 without a job. Remember, all of these are possible, but will require you putting in the work needed to generate the extra income.
Deliver food and other items – If you have a mode of transportation (like a car, bike or scooter) and a smartphone, you can make an extra $1,000 delivering food and other items through apps like DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates and UberEats.
Have a creative skill? Make money on Fiverr or Etsy by listing your creative projects.
Odd jobs – Check out Handy.com, TaskRabbit or Thumbtack for things people in your community need help with. Example: If you charge $100 to clean a house do this 10 times in a month, you can make an extra $1,000.
Pet sit or walk dogs – Love animals? Make money with Rover as a pet sitter or dog walker!
How can I make $5,000 quickly?
If the above ideas aren’t enough, one of the best ways to make more money quickly is by selling items you no longer need.
I listed old furniture of ours online that had been sitting in my parent’s basement for 2 years and made over $1,000 in just one weekend!
Remember, to maximize your profits when it comes to selling items online, you want to sell items that you either are no longer using, or are able to get for super cheap.
If you’re willing to hustle and put in the time to do the work, there are many side jobs mentioned in this post that can help you make $5,000 fast.
For more ideas on how to make extra money, here’s a great roundup of some of the best money-making apps on Android.
Making Money Without a Job is Possible
While you might not become rich overnight, it’s absolutely possible to make money without having a traditional 9-5 office job. This list covered 40 popular ways to do so, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg of different ways to make extra income out there.
Whether you’re searching for a way to completely support yourself, or just some ideas on how to make extra money to get ahead of bills or save for a dream vacation, the options on this list can help you get there.
I know we’re not alone in searching for ways to make extra money without another job, so please help us reach more people who could use this list by taking a second and sharing this post!
