Simple Ways To Make Extra Money on the Side (That Actually Work)

Is it possible to legitimately earn extra cash on the side? Yes! This post is for those who need or want to adapt to their financial challenges by finding extra ways to make money on the side (particularly those who don't want to start a business).

To survive and thrive in difficult times, we need to adapt to our circumstances so we can provide for ourselves and others.

I'm a scrappy entrepreneur, and always have been. And since middle school, I've found ways to earn income (selling pizza, candy, and soda at lunch).

Thankfully, I'm at a place with my freelancing business where I earn 6 figures working part-time. But it took me several years to get to this state of flourishing, and that required filling in the financial gaps along the way. Here are some of those ways I've used to help you bridge those gaps as you move towards a better financial future.

6 Simple Ways to Make Money Online

Whether you're an entrepreneur who needs to fill the financial gaps, someone who wants to earn extra money to make ends meet, or want to get extra cash for that vacation you can't afford, here are some simple ways to fill your money jar.

1. High-Yield Savings Accounts: We've had a high-yield savings account where we store our money and earn between 3-5% (which would be $300-500 per year per $10k you have stored). I recently set up an account for my business to earn interest while my money sits. Axos has one of the highest rates, and if you sign up, we'll both get $50. And you can refer friends once you have an account, to get a referral bonus.
2. Respondent: Respondent connects people with companies that pay for feedback. I made $100 for an hour of my time to provide feedback on a major pizza chain's online ordering system. Opportunities are posted daily, and you can apply for those that interest you and are relevant. Out of everything in this list, this is one of the most lucrative and easiest ways to make extra money. If you sign up and do provide feedback on a paid virtual (or live) panel, I get $20. If you refer a specific project, and they sign up, you get $50. So, if you want to make money from Respondent outside of doing the panels, you can also refer your friends to earn extra cash.
3. Bing Rewards: Did you know you can get paid to use Bing as your default search engine? I probably earn $30-$50 per year in Amazon gift cards every year by having it set as my default search engine. You get 5 points for every search, and these points can be used for gift cards. You can sign up here, and also, like the programs above, you can refer friends and earn more (get 1 point for every search a friend does).
4. Honeygain: Honeygain is an app you install on your computer, and it runs in the background (delivering media files for different companies). You don't have to do anything but let it run in the background, and you'll earn around $30 per year. If you sign up here, we both get $3.
5. 1Q: Get paid 20 cents immediately via PayPal for each question answered. You can also refer people for 25 cents. It's not a lot of money, but I've earned $268 so far using the app. It's easy to answer the questions when you're sitting around waiting or doing nothing. Sometimes, you'll get a series of questions and earn a few bucks for reviewing the next Super Bowl commercial or providing feedback on the type of car you drive. Click here to join.
6. Other Pay for Feedback Opportunities: I'm constantly getting organizations reaching out to me to pay me for feedback. They include: Trustradius (gift cards for software reviews), Third Bridge (Expert feedback),Focus Group (Earn rewards for sharing your opinion), and First Court Focus Groups (participate in mock jury trials).

3 Other Ways to Make Money

1. Become a Movie Extra: If you're in Atlanta, Georgia, or another major filming location for movies, consider becoming a movie extra! I've been in Marvel movies, a movie with Tom Cruise, and others. It's a lot of fun, and you get paid for the day. It's not a lot of money, but if you've got some extra days where you're doing nothing, it's an exciting thing to do.
2. Do Odd Jobs: Businesses and people always need help moving things or working on stuff. If you're willing to do this, ask around or let people in your community know. And if you are a freelancer or are building your business, it could also be an opportunity to get a client. Someone from my church referred me to a local business to help them move some things around their location, and it turned into a website client where I built their online store.
3. Offer to run a garage sale or sell their stuff on eBay: Many businesses and people are sitting on valuables they'd like to get rid of and sell (especially older people who don't know what they're doing or business people who don't have time to mess with it). I had one business hire me to help promote and run a garage sale for a percentage of the sales made. I've also had a business owner have me sell a bunch of their technology and unused purchases on eBay for a percentage of sales. Ask around your neighborhood or community for opportunities.

Want to Earn Five or Six Figures From FREELANCING Part-Time?

I freelance part-time and earn six figures a year. I've earned 1.4 million+ as a freelancer in total, since I began in 2014. It took me about two years to get stable and a few more years to get to the stage I'm currently maintaining.  This freelance path is possible for anyone to achieve if they are willing to commit and do the work required.

I've written a book with my blueprint for flourishing as a freelancer (Path of the Freelancer). You can learn more about it here, or if you're ready to dive in, buy your copy on Amazon or digital directly.

And if you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

Start a YouTube Channel

If you're consistent, it'll probably take a year or two to get monetized on YouTube by publishing a video or two each week. But once you get monetized, you can earn ad revenue from all the people who watch your videos. Some people, after getting monetized, make a hundred bucks a month, while others can earn a few thousand. It depends on a variety of factors, but if you stick with it, get better, and grow, there are people who make much more. You can explore my advice and tips about how to do this here.

One additional way to make YouTube successful is to have other ways to earn income from the exposure. Since YouTube promotes your videos for free, you can leverage that traction to sell your product and earn money on top of the ad revenue.

Launch a Digital Product

I've published two books, one for freelancers on how to flourish and another for small business owners who feel stuck or trapped inside their business. I'm working on a third book, and I also have courses for freelancers as well as those who want to improve their website SEO.

If you can come up with a digital product that solves a specific problem that people or businesses have, you can earn additional money selling it on the side. YouTube is one way to promote it, but you can also leverage Google, Social media, email marketing, and paid ads.

Wrapping Up

Whether you start small or shoot big, there are many great ways to make extra money. Some will require more effort and time, but there's always an option to meet your life circumstances and earn more. Every dollar adds up and makes up a larger amount of money.