When trying to find ways to earn extra cash from home, you need to focus on programs or websites that don’t take up too much of your time but also provide a decent amount of income.
What I like to do is combine several well-paying programs together in my daily/monthly routine… This results in more money overall in my wallet.
1. Take Surveys Online
Taking online surveys is one great way to earn extra cash, however you need to find the ones that will give you the most pay for your time. In other words, don’t waste your time trying to “qualify” for surveys only to find out you aren’t allowed to take it.
I have found 5 Online Survey sites that in my opinion are the best, mostly because they pay out big and they aren’t a huge waste of time.
I use these every single day and have been making money from each of them consistently every month. The key is to log into them every day and spend about 5 minutes or so on each one.
Placing them in your bookmarks is a great way to stay on top of them and remember to log in.
- PaidViewpoint – Short Surveys that pay well (no need to pre-qualify)
- Swagbucks – Surveys as well as other tasks ($10 sign up Bonus)
- Inbox Dollars – Surveys as well as reading emails and other tasks (payout is in the form of a check)
- UserCrowd– 1-2 minute (average) surveys about brands and landing pages (payout is in PayPal)
- Slice The Pie– Give your opinion about music, fashion, brands, and products.
2. Invest Your Money
If you have a little bit of money to spend, investing your money is a smart decision that will earn you more money in the long run. Let your money grow and make more money for you.
There are several ways you can invest your money, including putting it in a high interest rate Savings Account. Rather than let your money sit in a bank (or under your mattress), you can let your money grow through investments.
Here are a few good investments you can put your money in…
- Lending Club
- Peer to Peer Lending
- Invest in 3 or 5 year notes
- Diversify your risk
- Earn 3-8% annual returns
- Real Estate Investment
- Fundrise.com – Online Real Estate Investment Platform
- Design your own portfolio
- Earn 8-12% annual returns
- $500 minimum investment to get started
- Savings Account
- Find one with a high interest rate
- Look for savings accounts that are online (tend to have less fees)
- Aim to invest more money every month
- Bitcoin
- Invest in Bitcoin (or other cryptocurrency)
- Buy Bitcoin using Coinbase – get $10 free bitcoin when you sign up and invest
3. Start a Blog
Starting a blog just like this one can make you a full time income if you know what you are doing. I started this blog website over 5 years ago and it has turned into my main source of income.
Best of all, it consists of passive income… which means that I continue to earn money even while I’m sleeping (or traveling the world).
Building a website and starting a monetized blog is not as difficult as it may sound. There is lots of training on how to do this online, but my favorite training program and my NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDATION is Wealthy Affiliate University.
Once you understand how to make money with a website, you can literally start making a monthly income as soon as you implement the strategies and techniques.
Quick Breakdown of how to make money with a Blog:
- Affiliate Marketing
- Advertising
- ECommerce
4. Make Money with Google
Google even has a unique way for you to earn extra money… it is called Google Opinion Rewards. This is basically a reward based program in the form of an app.
By answering surveys that Google sends you, you earn rewards that can be redeemed within the Google Play Store. So this is not exactly cash in your pocket but it is Play Store credit that you can use to buy apps.
I believe that iPhone users are paid via PayPal, which does translate to actual cash. But if you are an android user, you will have to settle for Play Store credit.
5. Cash Back on Everyday Purchases
If you think about it, getting cash back for things you are already buying is kinda like earning extra cash. It’s a more sophisticated type of coupon system.
I prefer to get cash back credit cards and use those for major purchases as well as everyday purchases, but only if I can pay off the credit card every month. So in other words use cash back credit cards instead of using the money in your bank account and simply delay paying for the item and get cash back for the purchase.
Besides the traditional cash back credit cards, there are also other sites and apps that allow you to get cash back on your purchases.
I’ve listed my favorites below:
- Dosh
- App available in Play Store and Apple Store
- Connect your credit and debit cards to the account
- Shop and Dine out using your linked cards
- Earn up to 10% cash back
- Free and Easy to Use
- Get $5 for linking your first card
- Ebates
- Shop with Ebates and earn (in store and online)
- Get paid with a check or PayPal
- Double Cash Back Stores available
- Refer friends and family and get $25
Final Thoughts & Advice
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to earn extra cash from home. The key is to figure out which ones are best for you and your situation. You may not have a lot of money right now to get into investing, but maybe you can earn cash back or start a blog.
With any of these methods, you will want to at least invest your time in order to make the most of them and reach the most potential income.
Pro Tips and Tricks:
- Log into each Survey Site every day (twice a day if possible)
- Start with a high interest Savings Account if you only have a little bit of money to invest
- Join Wealthy Affiliate for FREE to learn how to make money with a blog
- Use Cash Back Credit Cards only if you can pay them off every month
Elizabeth…girl, you made my day! Love your tips – especially #1! So easy it can be done while waiting in a doctor’s office, in the car pool line, in the grocery line (or while waiting for them to be brought to your car)…etc etc etc. This is great! Making money and not wasting time. I love it! Also, just being in WA a couple of weeks, I am totally stunned at the opportunities just waiting. Thank you for telling me the 3 ways to earn money with WA…I know the info is there, but haven’t made it there in the training. Kudos to you!
That you very much Sharon… I’m glad you found the tips useful. I also enjoy the fact that you can earn extra cash while doing everyday things like waiting in a doctor’s office, etc. Most of the survey sites I listed even have Apps that can be downloaded to make it that much easier.
You’ve given some really practical options here to make money. It’s tricky choosing something that will give a good ROI of your time. Many of the free “survey” platforms severely underpay you for your time and there is no residual income. That brings me to your blogging section. If you can create compelling and unique content…that is something of value that can serve you for a very long time.
Great article and thanks for the great information!
Yes, you are right… most of the survey platforms are a big waste of time for the amount they pay you. That’s why I mentioned the ones I did, because I have found that they are the best out there and even just 5 minutes of you time everyday can add up to a nice chunk of change.
I’m a big proponent of Passive Income and blogging is by far the best way to do that. I earn a full time income from my blogging websites and the great thing about it is that I earn money even while I’m chilling on a beach during vacation. That’s my kind of income!
Hello Elizabeth,
Thanks for the great tips. It’s the digital era and I think we should all take advantage of technology to earn a second income online. All the methods are awesome but I think blogging is the best one. Surveys and rewards are fun but the earning opportunity is limited. On the other hand, creating a successful blog leads to passive income forever. That’s why I think blogging worth it in the long run. Do you agree?
Also, investing is a must thing to do and we should invest at least 5% of our total income. This is the surest way we can make sure we don’t face financial problem in the future no matter what happens.
Best,
Albert
I completely agree with you Albert… I think that blogging and monetizing a blog is the very best way to earn a full time income. That’s what I’ve been doing for over 5 years now.
The survey sites are really more for those that just want to get a little pocket change. Don’t get me wrong, they can add up to alot if you use more than one and you are active every single day.
But the best by far is definitely blogging because of the ongoing passive income that can be generated.
I’ve been looking for a way for my money to work for me for quite some time now, and these are some interesting ideas you have here.
I did initially look into Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies but they seem so volatile – it’s not the way I want my money to be handled really.
Investing in a blog sounds like a project that can be built up legitimately over time – what is the price range for the education on this sort of thing? Is it easy to get into?
Yes, Bitcoin is not for everyone… it can be a little confusing too. I recommend building a blog and generating income with it through Affiliate Marketing. It is one of the easiest online businesses to get started with, but you do need to get educated if you want to be successful.
Wealthy Affiliate is a great platform that teaches EVERYTHING you need to know about building a blog business. It doesn’t cost much at all… $49 per month (which includes hosting, courses, live classes, website builders, etc). They even have a FREE membership that gives you 10 lessons and 2 websites.
Hi Elizabeth. I enjoyed reading your article and have myself already tried a number of the methods in your article to make money online. Taking surveys are my least favourite and my most favourite is building an online career with Wealthy Affiliate. I have gain a lot of success through WA and have earned from taking surveys as well. So I know those two methods definitely work. After reading your article I will definitely start looking more seriously into investing my money as well. Thank you so much for a great article!
You are welcome… I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Hey there! I found this guide just in time because I have been trying to figure out more ways to make money. I keep stumbling over the most shady sounding articles so I’m truly happy to learn about these legitimate ways to increase my nest egg. I really like the idea of investing because I will hopefully make my money grow.
Thanks for sharing!
Marlinda
Hey Elizabeth:
I like the array of options you’ve presented for earning extra cash from home. The blogging thing, which I am already doing, does sound like the most noteworthy to me. It does, I am finding, mean investing a lot of time and effort and learning new skills, but so does everything else that is worthwhile.
However, I am also intrigued by the idea of making use of the cash-back credit cards. Thinking of them as a way to delay paying for purchases while making money on buying stuff you already buy sounds interesting. The biggest downside I can see with it is the caveat of always actually paying off the balances every month. I can see where missing a payment here and there (for whatever reason) could lead quite easily to massive credit card debt.
I am always looking for ways to increase my income, and these are great suggestions! I am already a member of Wealthy Affiliate and also have my own blog. That’s definitely my favorite way to earn money online. But, I really love learning new things, especially if it also means I can make more money!
I’m definitely going to look into all of these. I especially would love something that I could do here and there when hanging out with my kids. Maybe the survey ones, or the Google survey one. Just something that doesn’t take much time that I can do easily on the side.
Thank you for these ideas!