7 Ways to Start Earning More Money Today
January 21, 2025What do you think of when you hear the word “budget”? Chances are, it makes you think of restrictive things like sacrificing or cutting back. But a budget is simply a tool to help us achieve our life goals more deliberately and successfully. One way to balance a budget is to cut back, but another way is to increase income. Here are seven ways to do that – several of which I’ve done myself.
1. Become a Tasker on TaskRabbit. Have you learned how to read the language of IKEA assembly directions, or do you get a special thrill from the sound of the vacuum sucking up debris? These are just two everyday skills people are willing to pay someone else to do. Take a look at their website to see what skills of your own you may be able to put to use.
2. Childcare. Overworked parents will pay a teenager top dollar to watch their kids for a night out. Imagine what they’d pay a fully employed, responsible adult…easy money! Even services like Care, Sittercity, and Babysitease connect you with families seeking help. I was a sitter for BabysitEase in Cincinnati, and it was great! If I had a Saturday night with no plans, I just logged into the website and signed up for whichever family looked like the most fun for me.
3. Pet-sit. If kids aren’t your thing, consider offering your services as a pet sitter. This idea is another side gig I held until recently. I signed up for a local pet-sitting franchise that performed a background check on me and then offered to check in on people’s cats and dogs while they were out of town. I only did the ones I wanted to, and they did all the work of collecting the money, providing insurance in case something happened, etc.
4. Teach others your hobby. Are you the person your friends and family turn to with questions about technology, fitness, or even just how to apply their makeup properly? Services like Dabble are a great way to teach others how to do what you love while making some extra cash. I have an acquaintance who uses Dabble to teach other crafters how to knit and crochet on weekend afternoons.
5. Sell the products of your hobby. Several years ago, I signed up for a booth at a local craft fair where I sold fingerless hand-warmers that I had knitted myself while binge-watching the latest show. One of my ongoing coaching clients uses Etsy to sell her original paintings to escape her paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle without leaving her beloved apartment. It doesn’t cost anything to set up your store.
6. Personal shopper. Everyone knows their way around the grocery store or can easily learn to navigate one. A friend recently told me how she easily started shopping with Instacart to earn some extra cash when her hours at work decreased. She mentioned how user-friendly the app was and how friendly the people she’d delivered to were, often giving a nice cash tip after dropping off the groceries.
7. Charge for your carpool. I’ve met some of the most interesting people while riding around town in rideshare cars via Uber and Lyft. They are authors, nurses, and even office workers who give one ride each day after work before heading home.
No matter what way you decide to earn some extra cash, make sure you take the extra step and apply that cash toward your savings goals. While the money you earn may seem like just a little, it adds up. Make the most of your spare time to help get you where you want to go faster.