There’s never been a better time to make money at home. In addition to traditional options like freelance writing, remote customer service, or opening an Etsy store, you can earn cash in more unusual ways: try renting out your driveway, taking trivia surveys, or even becoming an online juror.
1. Rent Your Parking Spot
Live in a popular area of town and have a parking spot or driveway that you don’t use? Or that you vacate for at least a few hours at a time? List it on apps like SPOT and JustPark to start earning cash asap. Just make sure to check that these apps are legal in your area – they usually are, but it’s good to be sure.
2. Take Trivia Surveys on RewardTV
Did you know you can be compensated for knowing what happened on Game of Thrones last night, or who won the most recent trial on Suits?
Enter RewardTV. Just answer brief trivia surveys online about your favorite shows. It’s that easy!
3. Switch to Bing or Swagbucks
Google may be your default search engine, but switching to Bing or Swagbucks (powered by Yahoo search) is an effortless way to earn a bit of cash for the browsing you already do. Swagbucks also has options to earn by watching videos, playing games, shopping online, or taking surveys. Both services pay you in gift cards.
4. Sell your iPhone Photos
We’re on our phones constantly, so might as well make some money off those abandoned Instagram photos that we’re taking, anyway!
You can apply to put your pictures up (for free) on Shutterstock, iStock, Adobe, Dreamstime, and Foap. You’ll get paid a percent of proceeds from the sale of the photo.
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5. Become a Work-From-Home Captioner
Earn money by writing captions for TV shows, new channels, and videos.
You'll be helping hearing-impaired people access TV and video content that they otherwise wouldn't be able to!
Many services require court reporting training. But once you finish that, you can find jobs at Aberdeen, Caption Colorado, Caption Max, Morningside Partners, Rev, and Vitac. Closed captioning positions pay well (up to $75 per hour at some companies), so consider doing the training if this appeals to you.
6. Pick Up Mini-Jobs on Fiverr
Know how to do something quick and useful, but not sure how to reach clients? If you can provide help with things like resume editing, logo design, or copywriting, Fiverr is the perfect marketplace for you. In just a few minutes, you can put up a profile and a description of your service.
7. Become a Virtual Assistant
If you have free time and don’t mind calling cable companies, making travel arrangements, or doing a bit of online research, then apply to be a virtual assistant through someplace like Fancy Hands.
Hours are flexible, and you'll be paid by the task, so you can do as much or as little as fits your schedule.
8. Sell Your Used Books Online
Instead of selling books on eBay or at your local used book store, use Bookscouter to find the best buyback deal for each book. Just type the ISBN number into the search field, and Bookscouter will show you offers from 35 or more book buyback vendors so that you can earn the most money for each book.
9. Participate in Online Jury Duty
If you’re an adult American citizen with a clean record, you can sign up to participate in an online mock jury. You’ll review evidence (like videos and transcripts), answer a series of questions, and provide a verdict. You can also do this in person for a bit more money. Look for cases on eJury.com, Trial Juries, and Online Verdict.
10. Get Cash Back on Groceries With Rebate Apps
Just snap a picture of your grocery receipt into a rebate app like SavingStar, Ibotta, or Checkout51, and you’ll receive cash rebates for things like meat, bread, and eggs. You can also save money on online purchases with tools like Ebates. It’s simple, and you don’t need to spend any extra money or time!
11. Teach a Foreign Language Online
Sign up to teach a foreign language on Italki – Mandarin, French, Spanish, German, Arabic, and others are in demand. Lessons are virtual, and Italki will match you with students for lessons over Skype or other VOIP software. Italki makes it easy to receive payments from students in other countries, and takes a 15 percent cut of transactions between students and teachers.
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