Everyone can use a little extra cash. Be it for bills, rent, or just having fun, a bit more can go along way. But what if you already have a full-time job? How do you go about making a little extra money on the side? To help get your brain thinking, here are 5 ways you can do just that!
Sell your junk
The easiest way to earn extra cash fast is to sell something you already have. And with all the different marketplace apps out there, it’s never been easier to do this.
Just use something like OfferUp, where you just take a photo of what you want to sell, write a quick description and boom…instant yard sale. The great thing about a lot of these apps is that they are locally focused, so you will be dealing with your neighbors, not just someone on the internet.
Just be careful when using an online marketplace. Always meet people in public places and make sure you deal in cash. Everywhere you look nowadays there is someone trying to scam you out of your money, and these marketplaces are no different.
Get paid for your opinion
Another low hanging fruit for making money is taking paid online surveys. You do this by signing up with a few different survey providers who will have you fill out a quick intake questionnaire. This helps them figure out what type of survey offers to send you.
After that, you just check your email every morning, and if a survey comes in that seems interesting, you take it. Sounds easy right? It is. But you won’t make much money, so make sure you see it for what it is, just a little extra income.
I’d also highly recommend you set up a separate email address for taking surveys. If not, your inbox might get overwhelmed as they can sometimes be a bit aggressive with their offers.
Make the most of what you spend
It’s way easier to spend money than it is to make. But what if you could combine the two. Well, you can by using cashback apps and reward credit cards. These will allow you to earn rewards that are typically a small percentage of what you spend. It’s not going to make you rich, but it will add up over time.
The great thing with some of these cashback apps is that you don’t even have to use the app to get the reward. Many of them will just let you hook up your credit or debit card, and then they will scan your purchases for cashback opportunities. Pretty cool stuff.
If you are comfortable using a credit card, the cashback type are a no-brainer. Just always pay off your balance or you’ll negate any of the benefits you get from their rewards. It just takes one missed payment to wipe out a lot of your good work.
Invest what you don’t spend
This may seem obvious, but investing what you don’t spend is a great way to increase your earnings over time. While you won’t instantly see much return by just putting a few hundred dollars in a robo-advisor investment account, but over time it will start to add up. It also helps you create good investing habits that over time will help you compound your wealth over and over.
Always get the sale price
Finally, always get the sales price! Many companies will price match purchases you made at competitors, but we often just don’t do it. Even Amazon does this.
Here’s the good news. Where this is an opportunity there is innovation, and a few startups I have started to see the opportunity here. One of them, Paribus, will actually scan your email for purchases from Amazon, and reach out to them directly on your behalf to ask for a refund.
Sure you have to be comfortable with them looking at your email, but you could also just have an email you use for online shopping.
Final thoughts
There is no such thing as a “quick way” to get rich, but there are plenty of ways to earn a little extra here and there. The secret is to find them and start stacking them on top of each other. If you save 1% here, and make 2% there, over time you will start to see some real cash! Just be realistic with yourself and if something feels like a waste of time, stop doing it.
