Make money with a side gig and see how long it will take to see the extra income.
Want to make money but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
And you are not alone. About 16% of adults took on a side gig to help them earn extra money in the previous month, and of those, 64% spent less than 20 hours doing those jobs during that period, according to the Economic Well-Being of US Households 2021 report, which in May 2022 published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Wikinsider rounded up real ways to make money at home, online or outdoors. For each potential side job, we list details such as what it takes to get started, age requirements, and how quickly you can get paid. While most people want to make a quick buck, don’t discount “slow” gigs because they can pay more in the long run.
- Pick up freelance work online
Make money online through websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.com. These sites offer opportunities to do a variety of freelance jobs such as writing, programming, design, marketing, data entry, and virtual assistant. Are you fluent in a second language? Check out sites like Gengo or Blend Express or start a business with your own site. No matter what you do as a freelancer, keep an eye on the going rate for the type of work you provide so you know if you’re charging too much or too little. Learn how to get started with Upwork.
Total Time: It may take a while to get your first gig.
Settings: 24 hours.
How easy it is to get started: Easy if you have the expertise.
How fast you get paid: Varies by the site.
- Website and Application Testing
Another way to make money from home is with sites like UserTesting.com. You get paid for your thoughts on how well—or not so well—certain sites and apps performed. To be accepted you will have to complete a short test and then you will be paid depending on the type of test. UserTesting.com does not disclose the exact amount.
Total Time: Approval time may vary.
Setup: Less than an hour.
How easy it is to get started: Easy if you have the tech and complete the sample test.
Age limit: 18+.
How quickly you get paid: Seven days.
- Pick up tasks on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk
Even in the age of automation, some jobs still require a human touch. Companies often outsource these jobs through services like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. As a “worker”, the tasks you will be assigned can be tedious – tagging images, transcribing videos, classifying receipts – and can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. Temp employers, or “requesters,” set a price for each task and approve the finished product before paying you. This can leave room for scams, so do your research. Join a community like the MTurk Crowd forum or the MTurk and Turker Nation subreddits that can steer you away from dodgy sellers. These communities and fellow “workers” can answer questions and give a realistic idea of how much money you can expect to make. Read more about Mechanical Turk as a way to make money online fast.
Total time: A few days to see if you’re approved.
Settings: Depends on the selected task.
How easy it is to get started: Easy if you have some skills.
Age limit: 18+.
How quickly you get paid: You get paid after the job is approved, which can take up to 30 days.
- Do surveys for money
You can make money from home doing online surveys, but don’t expect to be rolling in the dough. Survey sites usually don’t offer a large payout, and many sites are more useful for earning gift cards than cash. Some of the more popular survey sites include Swagbucks and Survey Junkie. Read our analysis of survey sites to find out which one is right for you.
Total Time: It will take a while.
Setup: Just minutes.
How easy to get started: Very. Just sign up and get started.
Age limit: 13 to 18+.
How fast you get paid: Varies by site.
- Make money from your blog as an affiliate
If you are a blogger who has a decent amount of traffic, you can earn money by joining an affiliate network. Affiliate partners (that’s you) get paid when someone clicks through from the site to the affiliate site and makes a purchase. Some bloggers make a lot of money this way. Read more about affiliate marketing and other ways bloggers can make money.
Total Time: It can take time to build an audience.
Setup: With blog templates, creating a website is easy.
How easy it is to get started: It’s not that hard to get started. Creating regular content can be another matter.
Age Limit: Any.
How quickly you get paid: A month or two on average.
- Sell your items on Etsy
Do you have a passion for woodworking, jewelry making, embroidery, or pottery? Sell your wares on Etsy, a website for artisans selling home goods, art, and knick-knacks. Etsy boasted about 96 million active buyers and earned over $13.5 billion in merchandise sales in 2021, according to Statista data. Learn more about how to make money on Etsy.
Total time: It may take time for customers to find you.
Setup: Can be quite involved.
How easy it is to start: Lean towards “hard” on the difficulty meter.
Age limit: 13+.
How quickly you get paid: From the next day to seven days after the sale.