Key Takeaways
- There are plenty of legit ways to earn extra money from home, online or in your spare time—no shady schemes required.
- From freelancing to selling unwanted items, even small actions can quickly add up to some serious extra income.
- The best side hustle is the one that fits your skills, schedule and comfort level, so start with just one and build on that.
- Earning more only works long term if you manage it well—so use a budget to make sure every extra dollar moves your goals forward.
Knowing if you need some extra cash in your pocket is pretty easy. All you have to do is look in your wallet. If a single moth flutters out like in the old cartoons, you know it’s time. The not-so-easy part? Figuring out how to make extra money and increase your income.
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These days, it seems like everyone is working some kind of side gig or finding a way to make extra cash for goals like saving or paying off debt (at least that’s what we hope!). And even though some of these side gigs can be really creative or downright weird, they can pay off big time.
I should know about the side hustle life . . . I was living it. Over a decade ago, yours truly took on not one but five side hustles that helped me get the margin to chip away at my $40,000 of consumer debt. So if I can do it, anyone can!
It’s time to put your money goals into action and earn some extra cash at home, online or on the side. Oh, and let’s be clear, these are all legit ways to make money—nothing sketchy or too good to be true here.
Now let’s get to work!
Top 10 Quick-Start Ideas for Making Extra Money
To get things started, here’s a list of some of the top side hustle ideas you can get off the ground really fast (in some cases, with just a few clicks on a website) just to get you mind working.
- Sell unwanted stuff online or at a garage sale.
- Drive for a rideshare service or deliver food.
- Tutor or teach English online.
- Freelance in writing, design or virtual assistance.
- Offer pet sitting or babysitting in your community.
- Rent out your home, car or gear.
- Take paid surveys or UX tests.
- Flip thrift finds or used furniture.
- Become a social media manager.
- Start a small side business.
Now we’re going to go a little more in depth and look over some side hustles in three board categories.
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How to Make Extra Money From Home
If you already have a full-time, in-person job, you can work from home part time to earn extra cash when you’re not at your day job. This will save you the hassle of commuting to a second job. Plus, you can probably work in sweatpants! In the words of the Incredible Hulk, “I see this as an absolute win.”
Tutor or teach English online.
If you think being a tutor means you made straight A’s through high school and college, think again. Online tutoring companies like Tutor.com, Pear Deck Tutor and Studypool hire tutors to share their knowledge with students on a wide group of topics—so you don’t have to know everything about everything! You can even teach English with a company like VIPKid (a fan favorite in our Ramsey Baby Steps Community on Facebook).
Now, if the word teach makes you a little nervous thinking of the stacks and stacks of grading and paperwork coming your way, don’t worry. The company handles all the lesson plans and grading for you. But you do need a four-year degree (in any field) and two years of experience in the world of teaching, tutoring or coaching. If you’re qualified, this one’s a win-win!
Just be careful when figuring out which tutoring gig to take. Some users on these on-demand tutoring sites are really just looking for someone to write their essay or do their homework for them (aka cheat). Be smart when sifting through the postings.
Get cash back from apps.
There are plenty of coupon apps and cash-back apps out there that can show you how to make extra money just by doing simple things. I’m talking really, really easy here—like grabbing-your-phone-and-scanning-your-receipt easy. Check out mobile apps like Ibotta, Rakuten, Shopkick and Receipt Hog to score some extra cash without too much work on your part. But remember, never spend just to save. That’s a dumb money hack.
Become a website user experience tester.
Every business hopes their website gives great information, hits their goals, and—oh yeah—makes money. But if something isn’t working, the business needs to know why, and a lot of them call on user experience testers to give feedback.
Enter you. Are you good at knowing if a website is user friendly just by spending a few minutes scanning the webpage? Companies like UserTesting or Trymata will pay you for your feedback.
Freelance your skills.
If you’ve got skills but just haven’t connected with someone who needs your awesome work, you could freelance in your spare time with Fiverr. The site connects freelancers specializing in writing, editing, graphic design and voice-over work to clients needing some creativity in their corner.
You’ll create a profile (sort of a cross between an online portfolio and a resumé) that potential employers can scan to check out your experience, rates and specialties. Get ready to make extra cash by letting your creativity flow!
Offer virtual assistance or social media support.
If you’re administratively gifted and want to work from home, becoming a virtual assistant may be the perfect opportunity for you! You get to help leaders and business owners create a better balance between their work and home lives. Check out sites like Upwork and Zirtual to find opportunities in this field.
“I have a friend who recommended being a transaction coordinator for a real estate agent!” said Maddie in a comment on our Ramsey Baby Steps Community page. “You can do it whenever you want. She does it with a baby!”
Another way to help a business owner is getting the word out via social media. Plenty of companies use these platforms for free marketing and as a way to stay connected to their customers (or future customers) or to build a following. But it can be a huge task for smaller companies to keep up with all that. Which is where you come in. If you have a knack for content creation and creative marketing and have a knowledge of different social media channels, this might be right up your alley!
Try print-on-demand or drop-shipping.
If you’re an artist or designer and have always dreamed of seeing your work on T-shirts, tapestries and tote bags, this could be a great way for you to make money online. Set up an online store, pick the items you want to offer, and let people know where they can buy your merch! There are lots of websites to set up shop like Teespring, Threadless and Society6.
You’ll have to put time into marketing and self-promoting so people can find and buy your stuff—but the very best part of this option is the “on demand” part. The company will print and ship the product for you when the order comes in so you aren’t sitting on any inventory.
Now let’s talk about drop-shipping—the perfect online money-making job for anyone who ever wanted to open their own store but didn’t want to pay rent (or felt too introverted for all that peopling).
It basically works like this: You set up an online shop through a supplier like Sunrise Wholesale and Shopify. A customer buys something from your shop. The supplier (or wholesaler) sends the item to that customer. You get a cut.
This is different from print on demand because you aren’t selling your designs or products. In this case, you’re like a middleman. But so are most physical shop owners! And with drop-shipping, you get to be that middleman while sitting in your favorite chair and not on a mountain of inventory. The best parts? You aren’t preordering items and hoping they’ll sell. And you aren’t dealing with the shipping!
Just keep in mind that drop-shipping and other e-commerce side hustles usually take a lot of time and effort to really get going. You have to build a following and get people to come to your online store (and you and I both know how hard it is to get anyone’s attention on the internet).
Plus, you’re at the mercy of your drop-shipping wholesaler, so if their customer service is subpar, it’s on you. (P.S. There are a lot of grifters on social media peddling their drop-shipping courses, which is how they’re actually making their money. Stay far away those guys.)
Bottom line: It’s possible to make good money with drop-shipping, but you need to make sure you know what you’re getting into.
Start your own (online) business.
If you’re just looking for a quick way to make cash on nights or weekends for a short stretch of time, then this one isn’t for you. But if you’re ready to turn your dream of starting your own business into a reality, there’s never been a better time to do it! Online platforms like Etsy, Amazon FBA and Big Cartel have made it easier than ever.
Make Extra Money on the Side
So, you want to make some extra cash, but the idea of staying at home isn’t exactly part of your personal brand (not everyone is cut out to work in sweatpants). Take a look at some of these ideas that will get you out of your house and touching grass (sometimes literally) with super flexible schedules so you can work when you want.
Drive or deliver.
If you’re strapped for cash but want to work on your own schedule, think about becoming a driver for a rideshare company like Uber or Lyft. You can drive as much (or as little) as you want and set your own schedule. Plus, you get the added bonus of meeting new people and having interesting conversations along the way.
Of course, the amount of money you make depends on your location and how often you cart people around. So if you’ve got a free Saturday every now and then, you might want to spend it as a glorified taxi driver exploring your city and getting paid for it.
And if you love driving but you’re not a fan of small talk, look into delivering food with delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub or Postmates. This is a great way to make extra money in your free time while also knocking out audiobooks or binging your favorite podcast (may I humbly suggest the Breaking Free From Broke audiobook, read by yours truly?).
Debby from our Ramsey Baby Steps Community said her husband had two driving side gigs: “My hubby delivered pizzas during the week and drove tour busses on the weekends. His tips were incredible.” We love to see it.
People will also pay you to shop (I think my friend Rachel Cruze just fainted from excitement). With Shipt, you shop and deliver groceries to clients. Instacart is another great option to look into.
Everyone loves getting packages, so why not spend a few nights a week driving around town bringing people joy? Sign up to deliver packages with Amazon Flex and set your schedule for as much or as little as you want to work.
Do tasks or odd jobs.
It’s amazing how many people will pay someone else to do something they don’t want to do.
If you’re trying to figure out how to make money on the side with quick fix-it jobs or running errands, Taskrabbit might be your best bet. You can do all kinds of things from yard work (there’s the grass-touching) to putting together furniture (everyone shopping at Ikea will become your new BFF). This is the perfect way to make extra money if you like to tinker with things.
Say you’re a major car fanatic and have an eye for detail. Well, there’s a job for that too: washing and detailing cars. People will pay top dollar for a great wash and wax. You can even take the business on the road and meet your customers wherever they are! But for this gig to really work, you might need to buy a few things to get your business rolling, so keep that in mind as you set up shop.
Take care of people’s pets or kids.
Teenagers usually have the market cornered on babysitting. But there’s no reason you can’t get in on it too. And truth be told, it might be easier than you think to land a gig. Most parents will jump at the chance to have a date night. But sometimes, finding a sitter they trust is tricky.
Let people in your friend group, neighborhood Facebook group, church and workplace know you’d be happy to watch their kids in your spare time (for pay, of course). Or you can always sign up for a service like Sittercity or Care.com to help you land some babysitting jobs. You set your schedule and the rate, and you can easily charge $15–25 an hour depending on the location, family size and season.
Pets also need looking after. Are you an animal lover at heart? How about making some extra money just by taking a dog for a walk or boarding a cat for the weekend? You can advertise your own pet-sitting business on social media, put up signs in your neighborhood, or use a website like Rover or Wag! They let you set your schedule and set up your own fees for services. If you do use Rover, keep in mind that they take a cut of what you make.1 But they can also help you find jobs you wouldn’t know about otherwise, so it’s worth checking out!
Try photography.
If you have a nice camera and a good eye, snapping a few photos might be just the thing. You can go as all in with this as you want. Maybe you only shoot family sessions and birthday-cake smashes on the weekends. Or maybe you decide to start a business as a wedding photographer! The choice really is up to you.
Check the going rates for sessions in your area so you don’t price yourself too high—or too low. And be sure to include the time you’ll spend editing photos and talking to clients when you’re setting your own rates. Even if you charge just $75–100 for a one-hour session, that can add up pretty fast!
There are other ways to make money taking pictures. Do you have photos of gorgeous sunsets and perfectly staged lattes cluttering up your camera roll? Foap pays for those photos (some can fetch more for special “missions”), though they’ll take a percentage of your sale. Alamy, Getty Images and Dreamstime are also great places to go.
Keep in mind, there’s no guarantee that people will buy your photos. But even if you only sell a few, that’s some easy money for something you’re already doing: snapping pics of nouns (that’s people, places and things).
And another thing: Don’t upload pictures with people in them without their permission. Your sister probably doesn’t want to see your nephew become the poster child for lice treatment because a company bought that stock image.
Join focus groups.
Love sharing your opinion? Why not get paid for it? Check to see if there’s a local focus group in your area or online. You could earn cash just for doing taste tests or trying out different products. Just make sure you fit the type of things they’re looking for before applying.
Look into survey sites like MyPoints or Survey Junkie where you’ll get paid just for taking surveys and giving your opinion. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right?
Just remember, these sites are looking for really specific things when they pick people. So you might not qualify for every survey you come across. Plus, you’ll have to finish a certain number of surveys before you can cash out your points. It’s not a get-rich-quick plan by any means, but that extra cash can still add up over time. If you’re the patient and persistent type, give it a shot.
Here's A Tip
Want to get a head start on figuring out which of these side hustles is the best option for you? Take my free side hustle quiz. It will give you a personalized list of side hustles that make sense for your skills and schedule.
Make Extra Money With What You Own
It seems like there’s money to be made almost everywhere—including your closet and garage. If you’ve got stuff just lying around the house, why not put it to work?
Sell your stuff.
Sift through your hall closet, attic and garage for everything you don’t use anymore. What can you live without? (Trick question: The answer is almost everything.) Of course, you can always sell items online on tried and true sites like eBay and Craigslist. But don’t forget about OfferUp, VarageSale, Poshmark, ThredUp and my personal go-to: Facebook Marketplace. These apps and sites make it even easier to make extra money by selling secondhand stuff. Or you can simply gather a bunch of stuff you don’t want (looking at you, air fryer), put a sign in your yard, and have an old-fashioned garage sale.
Got kids? Those little people grow out of their clothes faster than you can keep up. When it’s time to get rid of the clothes they’ve outgrown, you have a few options: Put them out in your standard yard sale, sell them to a consignment store, post them on social media, give them away, or use the good ol’ internet to make a little money. You can use the sites I already mentioned to sell children’s clothing, and you might even get the kiddos involved and teach them how to make money.
There’s also money to be had in used electronics. When you’re ready to upgrade (paid for in cash, of course), what do you do with the old stuff you don’t use anymore? Well, you could just shove it in that random junk corner (where everything goes) or you could sell it! Sites like Swappa and Gazelle will take those old phones, gaming systems and laptops off your hands.
When was the last time you popped in your DVD of the 2014 version of Godzilla? Channel your inner minimalist and get rid of all those dusty DVDs or CDs on your entertainment stand or in boxes under your bed. Turn them into cash! Maybe there’s a used bookstore in your area like McKay’s that buys those discs. Or you can always sell them yourself on eBay.
Sell old gift cards.
Aunt Betsy gave you a Pacsun gift card for Christmas, and you’ve never even set foot in the place. Instead of letting it collect dust, sell it! Websites like Raise let you sell your unwanted gift cards and make a little kickback off of them. After all, every gift card deserves a loving home, doesn’t it? And then you can put that extra money to good use. Thanks after all, Aunt Betsy!
Flip thrift finds.
Okay, hard-core thrifters. This one’s for you. If you love looking over rack after rack and shelf after shelf for deals—plus you know when you see a piece with major resale potential—you could make some serious cash online by flipping those thrift finds.
Here’s what I mean: You buy an end table for $5 on Facebook Marketplace, you give it love with some wood stain or chalk paint, take some aesthetically pleasing photos, and then you sell it online for $50. Or you find a pair of Lululemon leggings that’s somehow in the $5 bin at Goodwill, and you turn a hundred-dollar profit online. All because you know the going rate and value of things.
This side gig can get pretty lucrative if you know what you’re doing. A 27-year-old named Kelsey paid off $80,000 in student loans by reselling thrifted clothes and other items. In fact, she’s been so successful that she’s now reselling full time! She spends $1,800 a month on her merch and nets about $12,000.2 Wild.
But here’s the thing . . . that $1,800 has to come from somewhere. So I need you to know something—and this goes for every single one of these ideas, but it’s got to be said here for sure: Never go into debt in hopes of eventually making money. It’s not an “investment.” It’s starry-eyed stupidity with a whole lot of risk involved.
Work with a cash-only mindset (or debit-card-only, but you know what I mean). If you can’t pay, don’t play. And before you buy something to flip, always do your research to make sure you can actually make a profit. (Pro tip: eBay is a good place to start if you filter by Completed and Sold listings!)
Rent your space or stuff.
If you have a spare bedroom or can stay with your in-laws or friends on short notice, you might want to consider renting out your home on Airbnb. Let’s say you decide to rent out your upstairs guest room and bathroom to two guests. Here in the Nashville area, you’d have a monthly earning potential of over $1,700.3
But what about the risks of opening up your home to strangers? Well, Airbnb offers accidental damage coverage on your home—up to a million dollars of coverage, to be exact. They also offer host protection insurance just in case a guest gets hurt while staying on your property. So kick that worry to the curb!
Even though Airbnb doesn’t screen each individual guest, they do let hosts and guests rate each other. That way you can feel more at ease about who you’re letting into your house.
If you have a vehicle that just sits in your garage for long stretches of time, you might find a car rental service like Turo is one of the easiest ways to make some extra money. On average, you could make a jaw-dropping $10,868 a year—just by renting out your ride!4
And don’t worry: The company covers your vehicle with $750,000 of liability insurance and offers theft and damage coverage.5 So let your renter hit the open road while you sit back and count that extra cash.
Do you have baby items taking up space in your garage but you aren’t ready to part with them yet? After all, you might want another kid . . . maybe one day. Instead of selling that high chair or baby jumper, why not rent them? No joke. On websites like BabyQuip, their Quality Providers earn around $1,000 a month renting out things like cribs and strollers.6 What a time to be alive.
Okay, I already talked about renting out your home, car and even your old baby items. What else is there? Oh, only everything else. The popular renting company Hygglo (what a name!) lets you rent out nearly any of your belongings!
Some of the most in-demand items are camera equipment, projectors, and lighting and audio equipment. So if you’re a photographer, videographer or just a tech-gadget lover, you could make a good amount of cash here. But the possibilities don’t end there. You can even rent out your lawn mower . . . or tractor . . . or scooter. Who knew? Well, now you do!
Turn your commute into cash.
Between commuting to work and driving the kids to soccer practice, most of us spend plenty of time in our cars. Here’s another way to make extra money while you’re riding around: With Roadie, you can get paid just for driving a package (or even a pet!) from point A to point B along your route.
And check your area for apps that reward you for carpooling around town. Here in the Nashville area, we have MobileFlow, which partners with some companies to reward you for carpooling with one or more people. You’re already driving to work each day, so why not get paid for it too?
The app Wrapify will pay you to drive with a business advertisement wrapped around your car. Once the car is wrapped, you really don’t have to do anything except drive around town like you normally do. It sounds strange, but it’s actually pretty rewarding: The more you drive, the more you’ll earn. Wrapify says the average person who does a full wrap on their car makes about $264–452 a month.7 Not bad for just driving around.
Ways to Make Extra Money: Quick Comparison
|
Side Hustle |
Examples |
Flexibility |
Start-Up Cost |
Tips |
|
Work-from-home jobs |
|
High—set your own hours |
Low (just a computer and Wi-Fi) |
Stick with legit companies—never pay to apply or join. |
|
Rideshare and delivery work |
|
Very high—work anytime |
Medium (car and insurance) |
Track mileage and set aside taxes so you keep more of what you earn. |
|
Creative or online selling |
|
High once established |
Medium (software and supplies) |
Focus on quality and consistency—income builds slowly but can grow big. |
|
Local services |
|
Medium—evenings and weekends |
Low (basic supplies) |
Start with people you know—word of mouth is the best marketing. |
|
Flipping and reselling |
|
Flexible—your schedule |
Medium (inventory and tools) |
Never buy inventory on credit—research before you buy. |
|
Renting out stuff |
|
Medium |
Medium–high (asset upkeep) |
Protect yourself—check insurance coverage and rental agreements carefully. |
|
Micro tasks and surveys |
|
Very high—do anytime |
None |
Good for pocket change, not a full income—stack it with other gigs. |
Taxes and Scams
When you’re getting your gig life on to earn that sweet extra cash, it’s important to keep some unfortunate realities about that gig life in the back of your mind. These are things that can really sneak up on you if you’re not aware—and can get you in lots of trouble with your money and with the law.
You have to pay taxes.
Even though your side hustle is extra income, the IRS sees all income as the same. And you need to report all of it. Yes, Uncle Sam has to get his piece of the action. It’s an unfortunate reality.
Depending on what kind of side gig you do, you may or may not get a W-2 form and get taxes withheld. That means it’s on you to keep track of your taxes. The best way to keep those taxes straight is to open a separate savings account and keep 25–30% of your side hustle earnings in that account. That will make sure you have enough money to cover any income taxes and self-employment taxes that come up when Uncle Sam comes a-knockin’ (which, for self-employed people, is every quarter). When I was side hustling, I’d log on to the IRS website once a quarter and pay my estimated taxes to stay on top of it. This is a must!
Beware of pay-to-play “opportunities.”
I know I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating: Don’t go into debt to fund your side hustle! If something requires a large amount of money to start and you’re in no financial position to fund it, steer clear, my friend.
You might have seen these guys online who say they’ve made bank on drop-shipping businesses—and that may or may not be true. And like I mentioned earlier, they will often try to get you to pay upwards of $600 for their drop-shipping tutorial course that will give you, they say, the inside track on making serious money. This is super scammy and gross, so don’t fall for it.
And now we’re going from scammy to just plain scummy: multilevel marketing (MLM). These aren’t pyramid schemes (those are illegal), but they’re awfully close—it’s all about selling stuff to people you know and recruiting other suckers to join in on the scam.
Most people who join MLMs make no money, losing hundreds if not thousands of dollars on membership and “startup” fees and unwanted inventory. If you don’t believe me, Google “income disclosure statement” for a company you think or know falls into the MLM category. These statements require the company to tell people how slim the chances are that they will make any meaningful amount of money. Your Aunt Mabel may swear by her scented candle business, but you shouldn’t get wrapped up in it.
Best Side Hustles by Goal
Hannah, another fan on our Ramsey Baby Steps Community, recently said that her husband works at a gas station two to three nights a week as a side hustle. “He’s in banking and people we know who run into him give him the weirdest looks,” she said. “But we got goals!”
Nothing but respect from me, Hannah! That’s awesome. No matter what you do to make extra money, always keep your why front and center. We all know the big goal is making money—duh! But it shouldn’t be a complete drag on your life. So make sure you keep your priorities straight when taking on a side hustle, and make it fit your life, your schedule and your goals.
|
Your Goal |
Best Side Hustles |
Why It Works |
Tip |
|
Fast cash |
|
You can start earning in a few days and get paid quickly. |
Focus on cash flow—save a portion of each payout for taxes and goals. |
|
Flexible hours |
|
Work on your own schedule and take as many (or as few) clients as you want. |
Use a calendar or app to track hours so your side job doesn’t steal all your time. |
|
Creativity |
|
Turn hobbies like design or crafts into income streams with long-term potential. |
Be patient—creativity can pay off big, but it takes consistency to build momentum. |
|
Low effort/start-up |
|
These have easy entry points that require little setup or investment. |
Combine a few small gigs to make steady extra cash without overcommitting. |
|
Work from home |
|
Skip the commute and work remotely in your spare time. |
Set boundaries—when home is your office, it’s easy to let side work take over. |
|
Active or social |
|
Great for extroverts or people who prefer movement over screen time. |
Pair these with your main errands or commute to save on gas and time. |
|
Long-term growth |
|
You can build this into full-time income if you manage well and are debt-free. |
Build it slow and steady—never borrow money to fund a side hustle. |
Put Your Extra Money to Work
Now that you know how to make extra money, try a few of these (or all if you’re an overachiever) and see just how much you can drum up. But remember, building long-term wealth takes time and consistency.
And when you start bringing home that extra money—or even get a raise at your regular job—make sure you’re using it to its max potential by budgeting!
The EveryDollar budget app can help you free up thousands in margin—money you didn’t even know you had—and give you a custom plan to put it to work on crushing debt, stacking savings, and building wealth that actually lasts.
Next Steps
- Choose one side hustle from the list that fits your skills and schedule and commit to trying it this week.
- Sell two to three unwanted items today using Facebook Marketplace or eBay.
- Set up a profile on one freelancing platform to unlock your first gig opportunities.
- Create or update your budget in EveryDollar so you can put your extra income to work immediately.
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About the author
George Kamel