101 Ways To Increase Your Income (In 2022)

Welcome to our ultimate list of 101 ways to increase your income. We’ve split all the different income ideas up into several categories.

Click on the category that interests you from the table of contents, or read straight through from the beginning.

Let’s not waste any time getting started.

101 ways to increase your income

1. Increase income online from home (28 ideas)
2. Earn more money by keeping more of it (6 ideas)
3. Increase your income by investing (9 ideas)
4. Increase income without working more with passive income (5 ideas)
5. Increase your income at work (3 ideas)
6. Simple ways to get extra income (50 ideas)

Increase income online from home

1. Start a blog

Maybe I’m biased. But starting a blog is definitely one of the best ways to give your income a major boost (or replace your income altogether). Starting a blog isn’t a way to instantly increase your income. It takes time and consistency. But you can do it and be successful if you stay committed enough. Want to learn how to start a blog? Check out my definitive guide on how to start a blog.

2. Start a YouTube channel

Got something you can teach? Start a YouTube channel. And I don’t mean a prank channel. Focus on creating content that actually provides real value. Differentiate your content from other creators by being yourself. Don’t just copy other creators. Remember when every vlogger in the world was trying to be Casey Neistat?

99.9% of them failed because there’s only one Casey Neistat. And there’s only one you. Be you, not someone else.

3. Sell things online

I’d be willing to bet that you have a few hundred dollars (possibly a few thousand) worth of unused things lying around your house. Old phones, cameras, game consoles, computers. Do a sweep of all the storage areas in your house. Your basement, attic, closets, garage. Find things that you haven’t used in at least the last 2 years. Sell them. If you needed it, you’d have used it by now.

4. Sell things by dropshipping

Are you familiar with Wayfair? You know, the Wayfair that has just what you need?

Yeah. They’re just a massive dropshipping business. They have over 10,000 suppliers who ship 95% of their products. This is just one example of a successful dropshipping business. There are thousands of others. If you’re looking for a way to generate more income without having to do much work, then consider starting a dropshipping business.

5. Make jewelry

Making jewelry can be a fun hobby. Or, you can turn it into a small side hustle that makes you extra money.

I’ll let you decide. If you decide to turn it into a side business, there are sites like Etsy, Zazzle, and Art Fire that you can open shops on to sell your jewelry.

6. Knit or crochet

All those crochet videos you watched to learn how to make a scarf? Yeah, that may have paid off.

Homemade knitwear and crochet products sell very well on sites like Etsy and Art Fire. You do it as a hobby, why not make some extra money for it also?

7. Be a freelance writer

If you enjoy writing, in addition to starting a blog, you can also do some freelance writing. This can either give you more income in addition to your current day job, or it can replace your day job altogether. I started freelancing in 2018 (as a web developer) and earned $81,892 last year alone. That’s almost $50,000 more than what I was making working a 9 to 5 that I hated.

8. Write songs for people

If you’re a songwriter or know how to play an instrument, you can profit off your musical ability.

Fiverr has a flourishing marketplace of business owners and individuals who are seeking custom songs. Why not take advantage of it?

9. Sell your songs

In addition to writing songs for people (see above), you can also sell songs you’ve made on audio stock websites like Audioblocks, Audiojungle, and PremiumBeat. This is a great way to earn passive income.

10. Graphic design

There’s a couple of ways you can make some extra cash with graphic design. First is by doing some freelance work on sites like Upwork and Fiverr.

The second way is to create templates and sell them on sites like Creative Market and Graphicriver. You may be thinking, but what kind of templates? Things like Powerpoint presentations, social media post templates, and premade business cards do very well. But if you go to either of those sites, you can see the things that sell the best.

11. Computer support

If you are great with computers, you can boost your income by providing computer support both locally and online. Post free ads on sites like Craigslists and inside Facebook groups. Find freelance work on Upwork. Create a gig on Fiverr and name it “I will provide computer support for…” You’ll be surprised by how much extra income you can make. It may even turn full-time. Just look at what happened to Geek Squad.

12. Build websites

This one hits home for me. It’s what I did for the last 2 years full-time and am still doing part-time. Building websites.

Join a freelance website like Upwork and begin sending proposals to build websites for people. If you’re consistent (like I was), you’ll begin landing multi-thousand dollar jobs building websites. Last year alone I made $81,892 building websites, and I barely had any experience when I first started.

13. Consult in your area of expertise

If you have a special skill or experience in a certain area, you can earn extra income by consulting. Don’t let this word scare you. Consulting just means giving advice and direction. You don’t even have to meet your clients in person. Sites like Clarity.fm allow people to set up phone consultations with you and pay you by the minute.

14. Write an eBook

eBooks are constantly increasing in popularity. And unlike physical books, eBooks are easy to publish and get placed in front of millions of people. Take Amazon’s Kindle direct publishing for example. Their service will allow you to self-publish your eBook on Amazon. From there, all you have to do is promote it.

15. Be a virtual assistant

Virtual assistants are virtually used in every kind of business (see what I did there?) There is no shortage of jobs on sites like Upwork for virtual assistants.

If you have basic administrative skills. Good communication. And a willingness to learn. Then you can pick up a virtual assistant job quickly.

16. Create and sell t-shirts

“But Joshua, selling t-shirts is too hard and expensive, I can’t do it.” Wrong! You can do it. Take TeeSpring. With TeeSpring, you don’t need any startup money. You don’t need a warehouse to store your t-shirts. You don’t even have to worry about shipping your t-shirts when they sell! TeeSpring takes care of that stuff for you.

You just need a unique design and a willingness to promote your t-shirts. Kind of like Johnny Cupcake.

17. Be on a virtual jury

eJury allows you to become an “eJuror” and get paid from the comfort of your home. It’s completely free to sign up. And once you’re signed up, all you have to do is wait to be selected for a case. Pretty straightforward.

18. Take surveys

Aah yes, the classic survey. They’re everywhere! But why? Well, because you actually can make some extra cash from taking surveys. Now, don’t get me wrong, they won’t make you rich. But if you’re looking to earn a little more to cover some groceries for the month, taking surveys is totally realistic.

19. Use “get-paid-to” sites

Get paid to shop. Get paid to search. Get paid to open emails. You can get paid to do a lot of things nowadays. Things that you would do normally anyway.

20. Teach an online course

You don’t always have to be a certified teacher to teach. Such as when you become a teacher on Udemy or Skillshare.

Both these sites allow you to host practically any type of online course. This can be a great way to boost your income and generate passive income. Once you record and post a course, it’s there to stay until you take it off. That means people can continue buying your course. Even months and years after it’s initial release.

21. Sell your photos online

If you have a professional photography camera, or even a modern iPhone or Samsung, you can increase your income by selling stock photos online.

It’s obviously good if you have some practice and a basic understanding of how to take great photos. But pretty much anyone can do it.

22. Build an online course or guide

Similar to teaching an online course on sites like Udemy or Skillshare. You can also build your own online courses or guides and potentially increase your income substantially. Unlike with Udemy or Skillshare, if you build your own online course and host it on your own website, you get to keep 100% of the profits. All you have to do is promote it and drive traffic to it. If you want to learn more about building a successful online course, check out Neil Patel’s post on the topic.

23. Manage social media accounts

If you love social media, then you might as well get paid to use it. There are thousands of businesses and individuals who need help managing their social media accounts. Most of these businesses and individuals know little to nothing about social media. But you do. And they need your expertise and are willing to pay you for it. I would suggest checking out Upwork to find these types of jobs. You can also create a gig on Fiverr and have people coming to you. Name the gig something like “I will manage your social media accounts”.

24. Join sleep studies

Can you imagine getting paid to sleep? That would be amazing. Unheard of. If only that was a thing… wait, it is a thing? Yup! You can literally get paid to sleep. As long as you don’t mind having dozens of cords suctioned to your body and head. Oh, and possibly several people watching you the entire night. You can get started by searching “sleep studies near me” into Google. Do some digging around and try to find universities or research hospitals near you that are conducting sleep studies.

25. Virtual wholesale real estate

Virtual wholesaling real estate is a powerful way to increase your income. If you stay consistent, it can very easily replace your income from your day job completely. Virtual wholesaling real estate is the process of finding distressed properties, getting them under contract, then assigning that contract to a real estate investor. Explaining it in detail in far outside the scope of this post, so check out this BiggerPockets guide on the subject.

26. Sell unused gift cards

Gift cards for you! And you! And you!… That’s what it feels like during the holidays sometimes. Everyone gives and gets gift cards. Think about all the gift cards that you’ve had for years and still haven’t used. Get rid of them! You can easily sell them online and get their face-value’s worth or close to it.

27. Make a fortune with Fulfilled-by-Amazon (FBA)

Fulfilled-by-Amazon, or sometimes called Amazon FBA, can generate more income for you than you know what to do with. Imagine this for you a second: you create a product and Walmart offers to place your product in their stores. That would be a gamechanger for your business, right? You can essentially think of Amazon FBA like this. Except you don’t have to create your own product. You simply buy items in physical stores at a discount and resell them on Amazon, the planet’s largest retailer.

Take a look at this BigCommerce post on Amazon FBA to learn more.

28. Become a session musician

If you know how to play an instrument well, you can get paid to be a session musician. Growing up, my dad had his own studio where he produced records for different artists. He’s even worked with artists like Duran Duran.

In any case, whenever he was producing a record or album, there would always be session musicians in his studio. Musicians hired specifically for a session. Being a session musician pays pretty well and can help supplement your income. And you could end up playing for some pretty awesome bands.

Earn more money by keeping more of it

29. Reduce phone and cable bills

When’s the last time you called your phone or cable company to ask them to reduce your bill?

I had a colleague once, Ada, who was being charged $300 every month for her cable and landline.

Ada didn’t know she was paying that much because she never checked.

When she realized what was happening, she immediately called the cable company and got her bill reduced to $49!

That’s a $250 monthly reduction!

Most companies want to keep your business and will be willing to work with you on your bill.

30. Get cash back from credit cards

I get it, credit cards can be dangerous if not used properly.

But you’re responsible, so don’t worry.

I’ve saved well over $3,000 over the past few years by using my Citi Double Cashback credit card.

The card pays you 2% cashback on every single purchase.

This basically means you are saving 2% on everything.

And as long as you are paying your credit card balances in full each month, you won’t get charged any interest.

31. Open a new bank account and get rewarded

Banks will pay you a lot of money for your business.

It’s really easy to find bank promotions where you can get paid as much as $500 for simply opening a bank account.

Remember to always check the fine print.

Oftentimes you have to deposit a certain amount to receive your bonus.

But in most cases, the amount is totally doable in the timeframe they give you.

32. Cut expenses in your problem areas

What do you spend your money on the most?

For my wife and me, our problem area was eating out.

At one point a few years ago, we were literally eating out every day.

Chick-fil-a. Chipotle. Wendy’s. More Chick-fil-a. More Chipotle… all of this really adds up quickly.

We’ve since stopped doing that and are eating at home more.

We’ve seen a massive difference in our savings.

What is your problem area?

Figure out what you’re spending a lot of money on and find a way to fix it.

33. Get paid when you shop online

If you’re going to be buying stuff online, you might as well save some money while doing it.

There are so many sites and browser add-ons you can use nowadays to help you save money.

A few examples include Rakuten, Honey, and Wikibuy.

34. Save when you go grocery shopping

You can save money on your groceries by using Ibotta.

Ibotta is a grocery rebate app that lets you earn cashback when you shop.

It can help to lower your grocery bill which will save you money.

Increase your income by investing

35. Earn higher interest on your savings

Most traditional savings accounts offer really bad interest rates on your money.

In fact, the national average is 0.09%.

If you have $1,000 in savings, after a year of sitting and collecting interest, you would have only earned about $0.90.

Yes, less than one dollar.

However, if you open a high-yield savings account, you can earn as much as 1.30% on your savings.

So instead of earning only $0.90 after a year, you’d earn $13.

It’s not a fortune, but it’s something.

And if your savings is large, the interest can really add up.

36. Take advantage of 401(k) matching

If your company offers 401(k) matching, you should definitely take advantage of it.

It’s literally free money.

Most employers will match about 6% of your pre-tax annual income.

But some really generous employers will match 100% of your contributions.

37. Open a Roth IRA

Roth IRA’s are the holy grail of retirement accounts and a great way to invest your money.

A Roth IRA lets you make contributions up to $6,000 a year ($7,000 if 50 or older) of your taxed income.

Once your money is in your Roth account, it can no longer be taxed.

A Roth IRA is a powerful wealth growth tool.

Say you started with $0 in your Roth IRA at age 35. If you were making the maximum yearly contribution, by the time you turned 65 you would have increased your wealth tenfold.

I talk a lot more about Roth IRAs and investing in general on my definitive investing guide. Check it out!

38. Invest in dividend-paying stocks

A dividend-paying stock is a stock that pays you money every quarter (3 months).

There are people who are literally able to live off the dividends they are receiving from stocks they own.

There are companies that pay higher dividends than others, you can see that list here.

Additionally, if you wish to learn more about how to get started investing in dividend-paying stocks, check out this Investopedia guide.

39. Invest in REITs

REITs stands for real estate investment trusts.

If you ever dreamed of owning real estate without the hassle of actually owning physical real estate, then welcome to REITs.

You can think of REITs as stocks for real estate.

REITs are great because they are required by law to payout 90% of their income to shareholders.

That’s right.

When you own a REIT, you are getting a large payout compared to owning dividend-paying stocks.

40. Buy rental properties

Buying rental properties may be riskier than buying REITs, but with great risk comes even greater rewards.

Many millionaires have been created in real estate.

Your goal may not be to become a millionaire buying real estate, but you can certainly increase your income substantially buying rental properties.

A good book to read to learn more about investing in rental properties is Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner.

41. Refinance your mortgage and buy rental properties

I’ll be honest with you, I contemplated whether or not to add this to the list.

Not that this isn’t a great strategy. It is. But it can be risky.

I’ll start with a disclosure: do this at your own risk!

Listen… when most people refinance their home, they do it to get money for a new car.

Or a boat.

Or to remodel their kitchen.

Are you interested in increasing your income, or would you prefer to have a new garbage disposal?

If you are seriously going to consider this option, then you really have to do some research and figure out your exact steps.

I’d recommend checking out the Bigger Pocket’s forum, or just do some Googling.

A good book to read about

42. Peer-to-peer lending

Peer-to-peer lending is when you lend money to someone else, in exchange for interest on the money you loaned.

Now, this doesn’t mean you go to any ole’ Joe on the street and loan him some money.

Your money will go bye-bye if you do that.

Instead, you use a secure site such as LendingClub, Prosper, and Upstart.

43. Start a business

Yes, starting a business is definitely an investment.

Whether you invest your money or your time.

But let me tell you—it can change your world.

Starting a business is by no means easy.

It won’t get you rich overnight.

It will take a lot of work.

But take a look at any millionaire or billionaire around you.

Chances are they own a business that has generated their wealth.

Find something you’re passionate about. If you don’t know what you’re passionate about, just start trying anything!

You’ll never know until you try.

And you’ll never succeed if you don’t start.

Increase income without working more with passive income

44. Rent your car

If you have a car that you don’t use much, why not increase your income by earning some sweet passive cash? Apps like Turo, GetAround, and RelayRides allow you to rent out your car to individuals.

It’s basically the Airbnb of cars. Just make sure your car is insured, okay? Wouldn’t want any accidents happening and you’re not covered.

45. Rent your space

I know we discussed renting out your space earlier, but it’s worth mentioning again. Remember, renting out your space doesn’t have to just be an extra bedroom. Get creative. You can rent out your garage as storage, your attic, your basement… for crying out loud, why not rent out a spare closet?

It will increase your income without you having to do anything at all other than signing up for an account with Airbnb or VRBO.

46. Put ads on your car

This is probably as passive as passive income gets. Websites like Carvertise, StickerRide, and FreeCarMedia will pay you to put decals and other advertisements on your car.

Most of these websites will pay you monthly. As long as you don’t mind having decals on your car, why not earn a few extra hundred dollars a month?

47. Get paid to search online

If you’re using Google daily, why not get paid to do it? There are three great sites you can use to get paid to search. Swagbucks, Bing Rewards (specifically for Microsoft’s Bing. Wait, who uses Bing?), and Qmee. Swagbucks is by far the best out of the three.

48. Sell digital goods

What are digital goods? Anything digital, really. Design templates, presentation slide templates, website templates, fonts, photos, music… anything digital. Last year I earned $10,282 selling website templates on my website Elementor Market. I also made plenty of sales on Creative Market.

Besides having to initially create the templates, once they’re created, you’re done. I literally sleep and make money as my templates sell throughout the night. That’s passive income at it’s finest.

Increase your income at work

49. Ask for a raise

One way to increase your income is to simply ask for a raise at your current job.

Before you start getting all anxious, remember, your boss can’t read your mind.

And giving you a raise certainly isn’t the first thing on their mind.

You have to take the initiative to bring it up with them.

Take a look at this Indeed.com article on strategies for how to ask for a raise (with examples).

50. Ask for more perks or benefits

Like asking for a raise at your job, you can also ask for more perks or benefits.

Perhaps your company offers health insurance, but not dental insurance.

Ask for dental insurance.

Ask for company lunches.

Ask for a company cappuccino maker.

Approach HR about it.

Make your request (professionally).

Boosting your income doesn’t always come in the form of a salary increase.

51. Find a better paying job

If all else fails and your current job isn’t giving you an income increase, simply find a better paying job.

Take advantage of job boards like Indeed and Glassdoor. Find jobs that will pay you a higher income.

Simple ways to get extra income

52. Sell your plasma

Plasma? Sounds like something out of a science-fiction movie. Selling your plasma is sort of the same as selling your blood. Plasma is separated from red blood cells, then the blood is returned back to your body. They just keep your precious plasma.

You’re allowed to donate twice a week.

53. Sell your eggs or sperm

Yes, this is legit. And I have to be honest you, eggs sell for far more than sperm. More on that in a moment. If you want to learn more about egg donating and sperm donating, take a look at the linked articles. It’s worth doing some more research to know everything that is involved and should be considered when donating eggs and sperm.

54. Sell your hair

Unless your Rapunzel, you won’t make a fortune selling your hair. However, a few hundred dollars is definitely a realistic expectation.

Why would someone want to buy your hair you ask? There are plenty of reasons. Hair extensions are a common reason.

55. Have a garage sale

Another “classic” way of making some extra income is by selling your junk via a garage sale. According to an article written by the Boston Globe, the average American home contains 300,000 items. Nowadays you don’t have to only settle for physical garage sales. Facebook has dozens of garage sale groups you can join in your area. Join those groups and post your items for sale. You’ll end up selling a lot more this way.

56. Watch TV and get paid

Sitting down after a hard day of work to watch some TV? Why not get paid for it as well? There are plenty of networks and data firms that will pay you for your opinions and habits, such as Nielsen.

How else do you think TV ratings and other information is collected? Someone out there is getting paid.

57. Cooking and catering

If you are a good cook, you can help boost your income by selling meals and even catering. My sister-in-law started catering part-time to help increase her income. Eventually, her business took off and is now full-time. She helps promote her catering business by placing a back-window decal on her car, this way everyone who drives behind her sees it. Additionally, you can use a site like ezCater.

58. Be a personal shopper

If you like shopping. And if you have a good fashion sense (that’s kind of important). Then you can increase your income by becoming a personal shopper. You can do this one of two ways: working for retailers such as Nordstrom, or working for private clients like busy professionals or celebrities.

59. Walk dogs or be a pet sitter

You could walk dogs and pet sit as a way to supplement your income. Or, you could turn it into a full-fledged business. If you already enjoy your current day job, then you can just use this as an income booster.

In fact, you can earn up to $1,000 a month walking dogs and pet sitting on the evenings and weekends.

60. Offer to do odd jobs

If you’re a jack of all trades, or just have some helpful skills, you can pick up a second source of income by doing odd jobs. No, I don’t mean jobs that are weird. Avoid those. But random jobs such as heavy lifting, organizing closets, and installing light bulbs.

Yes, people will pay you to screw in light bulbs for them. There’s no excuse anymore, you can make extra money doing anything!

61. Rent your parking spot

I don’t mean go to a busy parking deck, stand in the middle of an empty parking spot, and wait for someone to pay you to park in “your spot”. That might be illegal. Not sure. But what I do mean is renting a parking spot that you own or are renting yourself.

This may not work in every city. But in large metropolitan areas like New York City and Los Angeles, it does work. You could find yourself making plenty of money each month renting out your parking spot. There are also apps now that allow you to list your parking spot for rent.

62. Be an Airbnb host

Have extra space in your house? Don’t mind a stranger living under the same roof as you? You can increase your income significantly by renting out the extra space in your house.

If you live in a metropolitan area, you can pretty much guarantee that your extra space will be filled non-stop. If you live in a small rural town with a population of 500, maybe not so much. But you can still try.

63. Be a referee

Those referees you see at the little league games? They aren’t volunteering (most of them aren’t at least). If you don’t mind spending a few hours on the weekends penalizing kids, then refereeing can be a great source of extra income.

64. Deliver food

Do you love smelling delicious food and not being able to eat it? I don’t, it’s terrible. But maybe you don’t mind. In which case you can create a great second source of income by delivering food. There are so many apps nowadays that allow you to deliver food to people. For example, Instacart, Uber Eats, Postmates, DoorDash, GrubHub.

These are just a few examples to help get you started.

65. House sitting

Sitting on houses is a great way to earn some extra income… just kidding! This definitely means watching people’s houses, sort of like babysitting. If someone is going out of town and needs a trusted person to watch their house, you can be that trusted person. You could even travel the world, essentially for free, and become a professional house sitter. Or, you can just house sit locally and make a few extra bucks. Check out sites like MindMyHouse, TrustedHousesitters.com, and Care.com to find house sitting jobs.

66. Rent out your tools

If you have tools, you can rent them out using Fat Llama. In fact, using Fat Llama you can technically rent out just about anything.

However, tools are durable and tough. You can rent them out for years and they’ll still be in great shape.

67. Be a tutor

If you’re a good teacher, you can give your income a nice boost from tutoring. There are two ways to go about it. You can either find tutoring jobs locally at schools and libraries. Or you can tutor online on websites like Tutor.com, Upwork, and ZipRecruiter.

68. Babysitting

If you love kids and don’t mind spending your weekends and evenings watching them, then you can turn a quick buck babysitting. To find babysitting jobs, I would first check to see if you have friends or family who know people that need a babysitter. My wife babysat in college for various doctors and would make close to $100 per night. Otherwise, check out sites like Sittercity, UrbanSitter, and Care.com.

69. Give music lessons

Do you play any instruments? Next question, are you good at playing that instrument? If you answered yes to both questions, then you probably already know where I’m going with this. Give some music lessons. Now, like with most things nowadays, you can either give music lessons locally or online. To give music lessons online, I would take a look at sites like Live Music Tutor, Skillshare, Fiverr, and even YouTube.

Posting music lesson videos on YouTube won’t necessarily get you paid immediately. But if your videos catch on, you can make a lot of passive income through ad revenue.

70. Be a movie extra

Have you ever imagined being on the big screens? Think about it. You take your family or friends to see a movie. Then, all of a sudden your face appears next to Will Smith (or more like walking behind him pretending to not be starstruck). You would be an instant sensation to your mom. Or, maybe you’re an extra in a local indie film. In which case, you probably won’t be in a movie with anyone famous.

71. Mow lawns

Aah yes, the classic good ole’ fashion way of making extra income. Your father did this as a kid. Your grandfather did this as a kid. Your great grandfather did this as a kid. Your great great grand… you get the point. There’s a reason mowing lawns has been popular for so long. There will always be grass, and that grass will always be growing.

72. Make money by renting things out

Remember earlier I mentioned Fat Llama? It’s a site that allows you to rent out just about anything you can think of. Use it to your advantage. Seriously, you can almost rent anything. Cameras, musical instruments, camping gear, tools, and even a ladder. What do you have to lose by renting out your ladder? Nothing. But you do have some extra income to gain.

73. Hunting for lost golf balls

This one won’t make you a millionaire… or can it?

But hunting for lost golf balls is a legitimate way to make some extra income. Many golf courses will allow you to search for balls on course lakes, and outside course areas in trees and bushes. If you are searching for golf balls in lakes, you will probably need a diving mask.

74. Shovel walks and driveways in the winter

Similar to mowing lawns, shoveling snow is another classic way to earn additional income. I’d bet even your great great great great… great grandfather did it to make money. Remember, snow isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And like the saying goes, “where there’s snow, there are driveways to be plowed that you can make extra income from.” Yeah… that’s not actually a saying.

75. Clean up crime scenes

I can’t believe I’m suggesting you do this… but this is a perfectly legitimate way to boost your income. And frankly, it can pay pretty well. I actually had a chemistry teacher in high school who did exactly this during the evenings (when she wasn’t teaching of course). She had plenty of stories.

76. Buy clearance items at big box stores and flipping them

Shopping the clearance rack at big box stores like Walmart and Target can leave you with some pretty sweet items. For example, a box of Claritin might be on clearance for as much as 90% off its original price. That means you buy it for $3 to $4 and then sell it on eBay full price between $12 and $20. There are many people making great extra income doing this.

77. Coach a team

What’s great about coaching jobs is that they only require a few hours of your time each day. This means you can still work another job and use coaching as supplemental income. Finding coaching jobs is pretty easy. A simple search on Google “coach jobs near me” and you should get plenty of results.

78. Get paid to run errands

If you don’t mind running around for other people, then running errands is a great way to make extra income on the side.

Frugal Rules has a great article on legit ways to run errands for money, check it out.

79. Become a driver

I bet you were expecting this one to land on the list, huh? Well, that’s because it works. Tens of thousands of people are using ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft to increase their income. It’s easy. It’s flexible. And it works.

80. Clean and detail cars

Cleaning and detailing cars can be a lucrative side hustle. Not to mention the startup costs associated with it are very small. For example, if you wanted to begin detailing cars, all you’d need are basic cleaning supplies. To find car detailing jobs, try looking through sites like TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, Zaarly, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace.

81. Clean homes

Believe it or not, cleaning homes can bring in a lot of extra side income. Additionally, the startup costs involved are tiny. Cleaning supplies can be purchased cheaply at stores like Big Lots and Dollar Tree. You can easily find cleaning jobs on sites like TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, Care.com, Handy.com, Craigslist, and even Facebook Marketplace.

82. Photograph or play music at weddings

Weddings will always…. always… always be a thing. Unless of course everyone starts getting married at drive-thrus in Vegas. But in case that doesn’t happen, there will always be a need for wedding photographers and musicians.

83. Busk on busy streets

Where I live, there’s a guy who plays a recorder outside of Target during the spring and summer. Not that I’m going to Target everyday… but every time I do go he’s there playing. So I’d guess he’s there about every day. People drop cash into his bucket in front of him. I’ve even dropped $5 in his bucket once. He’s easily making over $100 a day. And probably a lot more on busy weekends. So, what am I saying exactly? If you can play an instrument and don’t mind performing in front of a lot of random people, then busking can be a great way to boost your income.

84. Participate in focus groups

Focus groups are pretty similar to surveys. If you already complete surveys as a way to make extra money, then you can add focus groups to your list.

85. Be a test subject

This sounds very mad scientist like, but it’s nothing crazy. In fact, a lot of people choose to be test subjects for various products, drugs, and technology. You can find out more details from the National Institutes of Health. You can also search for clinical studies at ClinicalTrials.gov.

86. Sell your old clothes

If you have unused clothes sitting in your closet or dresser, sell them. There are hundreds, possibly thousands of people who would be willing to take it off your hands… or, out of your closet. Just make sure you check for any damage or pit stains before selling them.

You can sell your old clothes two ways: online and at local consignment stores such as Plato’s Closet and Uptown Cheapskate.

87. Get rid of old textbooks

Those textbooks you still have from college? Yeah, they may be worth a lot more than you think. It may be time to sell them and make some extra cash. And make your next house move lighter.

88. Sell something on Fiverr

Good ole’ Fiverr. Some people hate it, some love it. Typically, the people who love it are the people making extra income from it. That can be you. Fiverr has a category for almost everything. Graphics, writing, video, audio, programming, business… the list goes on. It’s super easy to create a gig on Fiverr. Once you do that, you just wait for people to purchase your gig. You don’t have to go to them, they come to you. So in a way, it’s sort of like passive income. Semi-passive income.

89. Get paid to lose weight

Excuse me? You’re telling me I can get paid potentially thousands of dollars to lose weight? Where can I sign up?

Head over to HealthWage to learn more. When you win a competition, send me a kickback, will you?

90. Sell your gold and silver

If you have gold and silver laying around, you can potentially earn hundreds or thousands of dollars selling it. I don’t recommend you take it to one of those “we buy gold” places. Instead, take it to a gold dealer or jeweler. You’ll likely get more money. You can also sell it online on sites like Worthy if you’d prefer to do it online.

91. Sell bottled water at events

This might seem elementary, but you can honestly pull a massive profit doing this. Let’s crunch the numbers really quickly. You can buy a case of 28 16oz water bottles for about $2 in most big box stores. Avoid brands like Dasani, Fiji, and Nestle. Instead, go for the off-brand water (it’s just water after all, no one will care). If you sell all 28 water bottles for $1, that’s $28. After your expenses ($2 for the case of water), you’re left with $26 in pure profit. Not so elementary anymore, right?

92. Become a mystery shopper

Becoming a mystery shopper is an awesome way to pull in some more income. If you really wanted to improve your bottom line, you could become a food mystery eater (is that what their called?) Not only would you get paid for doing your mystery job. But you’d also get to eat for free which means more money saved on food.

93. Play video games on Twitch

Similar to starting a YouTube channel, this will certainly not be a quick way to increase your income. Rather, it’s a long-term investment that can pay off massively if your Twitch channel is successful.

If you are a gamer, why not kill two birds with one stone and stream your gaming at the same time? Who knows what could happen.

94. Write a book

Writing a book will take some time. But if you are able to promote your book and get it in front of the right people, you could potentially see yourself in a similar situation to J. K. Rowling. You know, the author of the little ole’ book series Harry Potter. If you can learn anything from her success, it’s that she never gave up. Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishers before the 13th publisher finally accepted it. Imagine if she gave up after the 12th rejection.

95. Get paid to write online

I don’t necessarily mean starting a blog. Although that is definitely an option. What I do mean is writing for online publishers or blogs. Many will pay per article. And if your article gets a lot of views, they’ll pay you a bonus. Other than other publishers and blogs, you could also write on Medium.

Medium is unique in that you get paid based on the performance of your posts. Similar to a YouTube channel that gets paid based on views.

96. Real estate photography

Real estate photography is a very specific photography niche that can give you a nice income boost. Whenever someone is trying to sell a house, they hire professional real estate photographers to take the pictures.

97. Participate in research studies

If you have a university or research hospital near you, you can get paid extra cash to participate in research studies. These studies typically don’t last long. They’re also flexible because they know people have to work. This is perfect for you because you can continue working your regular job, but increase your income by earning the extra money.

You can also use ClinicalTrials.gov to find research studies near you.

98. Be a DJ

I knew a few DJs personally during college. They would only work on weekend nights. But they would easily earn a few hundred dollars each night. When you hear the word “DJ” you might think you need to know how to disk scratch and what not. But frankly, many modern “DJs” are just playing songs from a pre-programmed playlist. You can DJ at clubs, graduations, weddings, and even children’s parties. If you want to find DJing gigs, check out Gigmit.

99. Bug bounty programs

Pretty much every big tech company in the world has some sort of bug county program. Tech giants such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft will (obviously) pay very large amounts of money.

Take a look at this Tripwire article on the best bug bounty programs.

100. Sell t-shirts using Merch by Amazon

I know earlier I mentioned that you can boost your income by selling t-shirts using Teespring. It’s worth mentioning a service that most people don’t know about… Merch by Amazon.

What’s so amazing about Merch by Amazon is that (similar to Teespring) all you have to do is design your t-shirt. Amazon takes care of the rest. But, what’s even better is that your t-shirts are sold on Amazon… as Amazon products.

101. Invest In Yourself

This isn’t going to be your typical “read books and find mentors” response. There’s a better answer.

Although there’s nothing wrong with reading books and having a mentor, I believe you have to dig a little deeper. You see, it’s fine to read books and have a mentor to educate you.

But what if you don’t take action on the knowledge you just learned? Then you’re right back where you started. Confused, frustrated, and discouraged. Wondering why you aren’t winning yet.

Investing in yourself has nothing to do with the books you read or the motivational YouTube videos you watch.

I’ve read the books. I’ve seen the videos. I’ve sought mentors. But, I began seeing the biggest results in my life when I tuned out all the noise and instead began taking action.

It’s fun reading self-help books and feeling motivated. It feels great, and I’ll be the first to admit that. But those feelings go away as quickly as they came.

You can’t depend on that. Accept the feelings. They’ll always be there. That’s what makes us human. But don’t let them control your destiny.

Investing in yourself means working so hard on your dreams that you don’t have time to feel discouraged. There’s no possible opportunity for discouragement to get in your way because you’re taking action.

And do you know what happens when you take action? Things start to happen. Doors begin opening. Nothing can replace hard work.

If you have a dream, the only thing in your way is you. Do you want to increase your income? Take action. You’ve read this blog post, I’ve given you a ton of ideas. 

Now invest in yourself by taking action.