There are plenty of ways to make extra money, particuarly online. You can use the extra money for many reasons, from paying off debt to buying Christmas gifts. I haven’t met anyone who couldn’t use some extra cash!
Smart Ways to Make Money Online
Make Extra Money with Online Surveys
You can earn real cash paid out via Paypal with most survey sites. You can also sometimes cash out for gift cards, which can vary from Starbucks to Walmart. Anybody can do these surveys, too. Whether you work or stay at home, as long as you have access to a computer, then you can do these!!
Swagbucks is probably my favorite because you can do so many different things to earn gift cards and money, like watch videos or search the web. However, you can really rack up a lot of the Swagbucks with surveys. They have been around a LONG time, and they are easy to use, and always fulfill your rewards. They are also one that will give you a Swagbucks just for seeing if you qualify for the survey in question. I can appreciate a company who values my time! You can sign up for Swagbucks here!
The E-poll surveys are fun, as they often have polls on your favorite TV shows and movies. They reward points, which can later be redeemed for Paypal cash or gift cards.
Pinecone Research is widely considered one of the most respected survey companies around. It is run by the Neilsen company, an NYC market research company. They even will send out products for you to review occasionally! Pinecone will pay out via Paypal or check. Pinecone also pays very well, starting out at $3 a survey, and you can get pay increases if you stay with them for a long time.
A few other survey companies worth looking into are Vindale Research, Harris Poll Online, and Prize Rebel.
These are the survey companies I am familiar with and have used. They are legitimate, and can even be fun. Best of all, it’s a great way to make extra side money/cash to help pay off debt.
Make Money by Posting on Intagram
Yes, you heard me right. Make extra money by posting on Instagram. You don’t have to be a blogger, and you can use your current account!!
I am using a program called Heartbeat. It hooks you up based on your profile and demographics with different companies! You are paid to post a picture (usually a stock photo they send you) and some information about their new product. It isn’t a ton of money – it ranges from $5-$10 per post. However, for about 2-3 minutes of work, that seems pretty good to me!!!
You can go sign up for Heartbeat using my referral link!!! I got a campaign offer almost immediately after signing up!
Get Money Back with Money Saving Apps and Websites
Two great money back apps for groceries include Ibotta or Checkout 51. Both of these are ways to scan your grocery receipts (Target, Dollar General, Kroger, Walmart), and earn cash back that can be paid out as a gift card. I wrote a more detailed post about both of these free apps and you can read about them here.
One of the easiest ways to make money back is by using Ebates. When you’re about to make an online purchase, just visit Ebates and click through their link to your favorite or preferred retailer. Most often, it’s around 3% to 6% cashback. Your earnings will be paid out on a quarterly basis. Those payment dates are February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15. To qualify for a payout, you must have a balance of at least $5.01. They let you choose whether to receive your Big Fat Check (their words exactly) or via Paypal. If you are already shopping online, this is the easiest way to make extra money!
Make Money Selling On Ebay
I actually paid off a whole credit card by doing this. I went through our basement which was starting to look like we belonged on an episode of Hoarder’s, but the stuff was nicer. I didn’t even want to put it in a yard sale because it would go so much cheaper than it was worth. I decided to put it on eBay. It worked out great, and you can get a certain amount of free listings a month.
One surprising thing that sells fantastic is book sets! I sold my son’s whole comprehensive collections of The Magic Treehouse, Notebook of Doom, and Erie Elementary on there and got much better returns than I would have in a yard sale.
The Ebay selling guru I follow is Suzanne Wells. She is amazing, and has a Facebook group called Stay at Home Moms Selling on Ebay. She also has a YouTube channel that I subscribe to. You can learn so much from her, and that’s how I got started selling on Ebay.
Sell Your Crafts Online
Utilize Etsy to sell your crafts online! I used to sell yarn that I hand-dyed, and I did fairly well on Etsy! It’s a easy to use interface, and easy to track your store.
Sell Back Books and Other Items
The Amazon Trade-In Program allows you to sell back your books, games, kindles, and cell phones to Amazon. Did you know you can do this? Yep, you sure can! The Amazon Trade-In program allows customers to receive an Amazon.com Gift Card in exchange for eligible items including video games, Kindle E-readers, books, and more. The process is easy and convenient with an immediate offer and free shipping. I actually sold all my nursing school textbooks back through Amazon!
Sell on Facebook Yardsale Forums
Almost every town has an available yard sale forum. You can join these, and put up items from around your house that you don’t want anymore. It’s true one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. It seems like in our town childrens clothes sold in lots are hot items! You can get all those size 6 clothes your child grew out of last spring and get them out of your house, while making some extra cash!
Make Money on Craigslist
Craiglist is another way to sell things from around your house. I tend to use this for large, specialized items. I had a large floor loom that I sold on Craigslist. I also happened to buy a huge bounce house for my child on there, too! Big items do very very well on Craiglist.
Start a Blog
Now, I will tell you up front this isn’t going to make you instant cash. Blogging is what they call a “long game”, and it takes time to turn it into a money making business. However, it’s quite a legitimate way to make extra money, and you can start very cheap if you use Bluehost as your host site.
Before you decide you want to jump into blogging, I’d suggest you read my post 9 Things No One Tells You About Blogging. If after reading this, and you still want to try your hand at blogging, then I have a step-by-step guide that holds your hand on how to set up your very own blog through Bluehost.
Well, there you have it. Nine real ways, and smart ways to earn money online. Is there anything else you do online to earn money? I’d love to hear about it.
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