Whether you want to have a small side hustle or a full-time online business making thousands a month, this article will give you some incredible ideas so you can start making money online this month!
Benefits of making money online include
- Working from the comfort of your home
- Adding extra income to pay off debt
- Setting your own schedule
- Earning money while watching TV
- Opening up future opportunities
- Starting your own business
- Working on what you’re passionate about
- Spending more time with the family
The list goes on and on. Now that you’re determined to make money online, you need to take complete control of your life and master the way(s) you think you’re suited for!
Table of Contents
Make Money Online Quickly with Little Effort
You can earn money online without any start-up costs. Here are some of our favorite ways.
Take Surveys
Did you know you can earn money online taking surveys? Taking online surveys won’t make you rich, but they will certainly help you earn some extra income. Instead of vegging out in front of the TV twiddling your thumbs during commercial breaks, why not make money online?
Companies want to know your opinion to help them market their products or service more efficiently. Since you are providing them with market research, they are willing to pay you. It’s a win-win for both parties.
Some of the highest paying survey companies include
- Swagbuck Surveys ($5 sign-up bonus)
- Inbox Dollars ($5 sign-up bonus)
- MyPoints
- Pinecone Research
- American Consumer Opinion
Trade in Your Class Notes for Money
Are you a college student or recent graduate? If so, there’s a great way for you to earn money online.
StuDocu is a site that will buy your lecture notes from you. All you have to do is scan in your notes and you get paid via PayPal a few days later.
Pretty cool, right? It’s 100% legitimate, by the way. One of my friends did this after her term ended and she made easy money.
It won’t make you rich, but it’s a great way to make money in college.
Invest Your Extra Cash in the Stock Market
A lot of people have made their money off of the stock market. If you can invest in the right company, you can really strike it rich.
Just think of the people who bought Amazon shares when they had their initial public offering!
With an app like Acorns, you can round up the spare change from your purchases and invest it into diverse exchange-traded funds.
Choosing stocks that pay dividends can very passively earn you money online for years to come.
Money-making apps like Acorns make the process super simple to get started!
Sell Old Items Around the House
Believe it or not, you most likely have hundreds if not thousands of dollars laying around your house.
Take some time and take inventory of the things you are no longer using around the house. Things that are collecting dust and losing value.
This is one of the best ways to make money when you find yourself saying “I need money right now“.
Here are a few examples:
- Cameras
- Gaming Systems
- Clothing
- Tools
- Phones
- Kids Toys
You can make some serious cash by simply selling off the things you no longer need or want in your life. Platforms like eBay, Amazon, and Facebook Marketplace are a great place to start.
If you enjoy making selling items online you can learn how to do it full-time with a course like Flea Market Flipper.
Make Money Online by Freelancing
Freelance services are highly demanded, and there are many ways of getting started. Freelancing is a GREAT stay at home mom job to consider.
In essence, you’re trading your time (and special service) for money.
Become a Proofreader
Proofreading is one of the final steps in the process of content creation. It’s the final check to make sure there are as few remaining spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors left as possible. This article that you are reading now had a proofreader work on it before it was published.
There are plenty of online proofreading job opportunities and they actually pay really well!
If you are serious about learning how to become a proofreader you should totally consider taking the General Proofreading: Theory and Practice course by Proofread Anywhere. With this course, you’ll learn how to proofread AND how to market your business to get clients.
It will give you all the education, experience, skills, and tools you need to make upwards of $20–$30 per hour.
Teach English Online
VIPKid is incredible! I can’t say it enough.
Within the first month of becoming a teacher for VIPKid, I earned close to $1,000! What other side hustle can you work from home and make that kind of money?
VIPKid is ranked #2 by Forbes for Best International Companies To Work For. It’s a company that enables Chinese children to learn English from teachers all over the world.
The best part of VIPKid is you can get hired without having actual in-class teaching experience. I got hired and have ZERO in-class teaching experience.
They require a total of 500 hours of experience, which can include coaching, boy scouts, babysitting, tutoring, mentoring, etc.
You can read our entire VIPKid review here.
Benefits of VIPKid
- Set your own schedule
- Get paid between $17—$22 per hour
- Work from anywhere you want
- Impact children by teaching them another language
- Learn Chinese culture
- ZERO lesson planning
If you are interested in becoming a teacher with VIPKid, sign up here.
Work as a Pinterest Virtual Assistant
Do you love browsing on Pinterest and pinning until your thumbs are numb? Have you ever thought about getting paid to be on Pinterest?
Yes, it’s true you can earn money online by becoming a Pinterest Virtual Assistant.
Our friends Gina and Kristin teach an incredible course that walks you through everything you need to know about how to earn money online by becoming a virtual assistant.
The Course Includes 5 Comprehensive Video Modules:
1. Understanding the Pinterest Virtual Assistant Role
2. Establishing Your Pinterest Virtual Assistant Practice
3. Finding Pinterest Virtual Assistant Clients
4. Working with Pinterest Virtual Assistant Clients
5. Expanding Your Pinterest Virtual Assistant Practice
They have had many students start making so much money online that they were able to quit their jobs and work full-time from home. You can learn more about their course here.
Run Facebook Advertising for Local Businesses
Did you know there is a HUGE demand for small business owners needing help running Facebook ads? This is a big industry that seems to not be slowing down.
Our friend Bobby Hoyt over at Millennial Money Man created a Facebook Side Hustle course to show you exactly how you can start making $1K—$2K per month in your spare time.
There is no better feeling than getting your first client and delivering for them. This side hustle has HUGE potential!
Become a Freelance Writer
Ever wonder how big companies like The Wall Street Journal, Time Inc., and others keep up with their articles?
They have contributors!
And, guess what? You could become one of them.
Holly over at Club Thrifty made more than $250,000 as a freelance writer last year alone!
You don’t even have to start with major brands. Start with small businesses looking to add on one contributor. The secret to getting gigs is knowing what topics you should write about. Just like blogging, you need a niche!
The best part is that you don’t need any prior writing experience to get started.
Interested in becoming a freelance writer? Click here to learn more.
There are also a handful of other online typing jobs to consider.
Sell Photos to Stock Photography Sites
If you take great photos, you can make money off of selling them to stock photography websites, such as Adobe, Shutterstock, Bigstock, and more.
If your photos have people’s faces in them, make sure they sign a model release form so that they consent to being included in the photo.
You surrender the copyright in the process, but if you weren’t planning on selling them, to begin with, then you don’t have to worry about anything.
Plus, it can be pretty cool to see an image you took on one of your favorite sites or on an Instagrammer’s feed.
We’ve got a full list of stock photography websites you can check out to start selling your photos.
Make Money Online by Starting a Business
Start a Money-Making Blog
This is one of my favorite things to talk about because it has literally changed my entire life. Just a few months ago, I quit my 9—5 job to run our blog full-time. Within this short time period, I have been able to grow our blog into a full-time income.
It is such an incredible dream come true to work for myself from the comfort of my home! I get to set my own hours, earn my own income, and not have to answer to “the man.”
When we started our blog, it was just another hobby. We quickly learned that making money from blogging was a real thing!
If you’re interested in starting your own blog head over to our step-by-step tutorial to learn how. Using our exclusive Bluehost link, you can take advantage of discounted pricing today.
Launch a Shopify Store
Are you a creative individual?
Online businesses are booming with people who have a unique creative flair and can satisfy a client’s wants and desires. Whether it be Etsy, eBay, or Shopify, you can build a company and make money doing it.
Our good friend Sarah Titus made over $300,000 last month with her Shopify store selling printables.
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to be successful. She’s put together the Million Dollar Shop, which is a program that will teach you how to build a 7-figure store on Shopify.
Check out all the details right here.
We just launched our own Shopify store using her amazing course! You can check out our amazing personal finance printables to get you started down the road of being debt-free.
Make Money Online Through Affiliate Marketing
Making money online is simple once you learn about affiliate marketing. This is actually how our blog makes most of its money.
We partner with companies we absolutely love and think our readers would find value from. We mention the company like we did below (Rakuten/Ibotta), and we get paid a small commission every time someone signs up. It’s a great way to help other people save money and give us a chance to make some money on our blog.
When we first started our blog, we had no idea what affiliate marketing was. After we took the course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, we started to earn hundreds of dollars a month online.
Become an Influencer
Even though celebrities get a lot of exposure partnering with big-name brands, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it too!
Some influencers have literally built their businesses off of a social platform like Instagram or even on YouTube.
The concept is the same. Brands pay you to showcase their products. That’s it!
If you’re interested, start by reaching out to smaller brands first before approaching the wealthier ones. Sponsorships can be an entry-level introduction in learning how to earn money online, but some online personas snag sponsorships to the tune of a full-time income.
It helps if you already have a platform, such as a blog, so don’t forget about #11.
Start a Consulting Business
Did you know that consulting can be extremely lucrative?
It’s quite a simple process really. Someone with a problem comes to you to solve it. And the best part is that they pay prettily for a solution that actually works.
Before you get this convoluted idea that every consultant is a top-notch expert in their field, understand that a consultant only has to be more knowledgeable than the client in a specific area.
A great benefit of working as a consultant is that you can usually snag a retainer, which means you will be paid for being a resource in case the client has any questions.
To really make money as a consultant, you need to niche down and have a clear understanding of who you can help. It will involve some sales calls, but once you get a few clients, word of mouth spreads quickly and you will have quite the business.
Sam Ovens has an elite program to get you started as a wildly profitable consultant. He’ll teach you how to earn money online while providing immense value to your clients.
Create an Online Course
This is something we’ve done ourselves with our new Bloggers’ Secrets course!
An online course is a fantastic way to educate others on a particular topic. It helps if you have a blog to sell it on, but you can start selling an online course strictly through partnering with other people who have loyal followings.
Some of our favorite courses are Stupid Simple SEO, Flourish With Facebook Ads, and Six-Figure Blogger.
Make sure to join The Savvy Couple Community and Blogging With Purpose on Facebook to learn more about our course and ask us anything!
Make Money Selling Others’ Junk Online
While it may sound strange, it’s totally possible to take items that other people don’t want and are looking to offload for a low price, and turn around and resell it for a profit – sometimes a big profit.
You can learn everything there is to know about buying valuable items for a low cost and flipping them for a profit with the course from Flea Market Flippers.
They make a 6-figure income from buying items from flea markets, thrift stores, and online, then selling those items on Amazon or ebay at a profitable price!
While this option for making money online obviously isn’t an entirely online-only option (although it could be if you just use eBay), it is still a good option if you enjoy wandering around at flea markets or thrift stores anyway. Plus that makes for a good excuse to leave your house once in a while!
Make Money Online by Shopping
When you shop, you spend money, but there’s no reason why you can’t earn some of it back.
Use Cash Back Companies
Do you do the majority of the shopping in your house? You need to start making money online through cash back programs. We have earned a few hundred dollars in just a few short months using companies like Rakuten and Ibotta.
The solution for how to earn money online has never been easier!
Rakuten is an online program that allows you to earn a percentage of your purchase back via check or PayPal. Rakuten has an incredible browser extension to make sure you always get the most cash back with your online purchases.
You can sign up for Rakuten today and earn a free $10 credit.
Ibotta is an app you can download on your phone and start earning cash back when you grocery shop. The process is very simple. You go shopping for your everyday items (food, toilet paper, diapers, medicine) and upload your receipt to Ibotta. Then Ibotta gives you cash back.
You can sign up for Ibotta and automatically earn a free $10 just for signing up!
Sign Up for a Cash Back Credit Card
If you’re already spending money, why not earn some of it back with a special cash back card?
Make sure you set a budget so that you don’t overspend and then have a lot of debt to pay off.
Getting cash back should be a feature of any credit card you sign up for, such as Chase or Capital One.
You should do your research before signing up for any credit card and make sure that the allowable ways to earn cash back are feasible for you in your situation.
Final Thoughts on Making Money Online
I hope you learned how to earn money online after reading all of these amazing ways.
To maximize your earnings, focus on two or three tops to start off with to really master them.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, college student, or anyone else who needs some extra money, remember that you have what it takes to earn some extra cash!
We believe in you. Let us know in the comments how you started making money online.
Remember, we make extra money each month on our blog, so if we can do it, you can too. If you don’t believe me, then check out our income reports.
There are countless options right at your fingertips for you to explore and go after. What are you waiting for?
Great article, I have always put of taking surveys because it seemed to be not a good use of your time. However,I have seen with good time management you can make at least $50 per month with surveys,not life changing but $50 is still $50.
Absolutely every little bit helps!
This is a great post! glad you both share the same ambitions as me 🙂
Thanks Christos. Appreciate the kind words.
Hello Kelan and Brittany,
Both of you are doing a great job here. This is my first time of landing on your personal finance blog but I can tell you categorically that I got value here.
I run a business blog and it’s successful but I guess I’m missing out in the area of saving and investing my money accurately. This I’m going to work seriously on.
The various ways of making money that you listed here aren’t new to me but I think I’ve been lazy about implementing at least 5 to help expand my income.
Thanks for this great tips.
Emenike
Awww thanks for the kind words Emenike! It’s exciting that there are so many ways to make money online in today’s society. The more streams of income the better =)
I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to build such a helpful website! I stumbled across it as I’ve been searching for ways to be a better steward of the money God’s blessed us with. I’m currently working part-time and doing graduate school online, but we have a baby on the way so my husband will soon be our only income. So I’m so excited to see this article and find there are ways I can make money to contribute as well! I’m excited to try out the survey websites, selling my notes, and especially VIPKIDS as teaching is right up my alley. Thanks again!
Awww that’s so awesome we were able to help Sarah. Super exciting you have a little one on the way but also scary. Let us know if you have any questions about VIPKID.
These are all great ideas! The one thing I did for a while is sell items on Amazon I found at local stores. At first it started off, as a hobby, but I quickly made $500 in one month. Then I got addicted and was earning up to $5k a month…while having a full time job. Eventually, it became too much for me to handle so I quit, but there are definitely opportunities out there.
Thank you for such an informative site. I’m in the process of beginning some of your strategies now. I’m super excited about this!
It’s really a nice and helpful piece of info.
I’m glad that you just shared this useful information with us.
Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing…
Thanks for your kind words. We will keep bringing the heat with blogging content.
Great article, I have always put of taking surveys because it seemed to be not a good use of your time. However,I have seen with good time management you can make at least $50 per month with surveys,not life changing but $50 is still $50.
Totally it’s not going to make you rich but it will pay for some groceries.
Hey Kelan,
Great roundup. I like that you added the salaries of some of the services. I’m a freelance writer and love telling new mom bloggers how quickly they can start making money by blog writing. Thanks for adding cash back companies. I’m still learning about them!
Thanks Elna! So happy you found this article valuable <3
This is a very valuable article. I love the fact that there are several ways to make money online legitimately now. Just wondering, do you have any personal success with any of the cashback companies?
Yes, we use Ibotta, Swagbucks, and Rakuten on a regular basis and have earned backed hundreds of dollars over the years.
There are a lot of ways on making money online whether it is by blogging, affiliate marketing, article writing, freelancing or whatever it is, there is only one thing you must bear in mind. You must provide value to your potential client or audience. If you are able to provide your audience needs or giving solution to the problem of your clients, you will surely make money.
Hi Kelan
Interesting suggestions here.
I’ve been blogging for a number of years now and I coach other bloggers to monetize their blogs.
I think for most people, affiliate marketing like you suggest is the best, easiest and fastest way to do that.
But you must carefully choose a niche, better yet… a very select mini-niche. There are many ways to rise above the competition once you’ve done that.
Also, teaching courses and delivering online learning via video, especially… is a great way to build digital assets that can pay off perpetually.
Nice article here, and I think you’ve given your readers some worthwhile things to consider.
-Donna
Thanks Donna! I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment.
Thanks Kelan for the great tips! I’ve started trying a few this week. Once the kids are out of the house I can work on selling some of their older items. Much better than just throwing them out or donating them, especially when they’re in good conditions. A lot of these require work and then getting paid a week or month later. I’m not afraid of work; but do you have suggestions for people who need cash sooner than a week or month?
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you found our article helpful. I would recommend checking out this article on ways to make money fast.
It will help a lot for a student, they will be able to earn money while studying at home. Thank you for giving such good information.
Becoming successful at any online occupation requires exceptional online marketing skills. Thanks for these great tips!
You should add making money from memes with PicturePunches