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More than ever before, parents are stretched to their limits with the demands of careers and families. We all would love to make more money and provide some extra financial freedom for our families, but how do you do that without driving yourself crazy? What can you do to make some extra money easily that won’t take up too much time?
While I wish it was that simple, any kind of part-time job, side hustle or investment will require some kind of time commitment, and possibly a financial commitment too, in order to get started. Some side hustles will require more time and effort than others, while some of them take time up front to set up and then it gets easier. Let’s look at 26 smart ways parents can make more money.
1. Freelance Writing
Have you ever thought about becoming a writer? Think about all the content online. Someone had to take time to create all of it and often websites hire people to research and write content. While you don’t necessarily need to have a journalism background, it helps to have good research and writings skills.
Editor's Note: Check out my interview with Cat Alford who is making over $100,000 working from home as a writer. She's inspiring!
2. Blogging
Along the same lines, you can always create your own blog and write content on whatever subject you like. As you build a following, you can monetize your site through affiliate marketing and advertisem*nts to create passive income for your family.
Editor's Note: I took Michelle Schroeder-Gardner's affiliate marketing course last year and it helped me earn an extra $2,000!
3. Rental Properties
A good way to generate extra income is to buy property and rent it out. You can manage it yourself or use a property management company. Find good tenants and you can make some serious money.
Roofstock is making the process easier by connecting you with available homes that are rent-ready.
Related Podcast: How Real Estate Investing Allowed My Wife to Stay at Home with our Kids
4. Rent Out Rooms in Your House
Another way to make money from property you own is to become an AirBnB Host. Instead of renting to someone indefinitely or annually, you control when people can rent your property.
5. Become a Rideshare Driver
If you like driving, have a decent car and a clean driving record, sign up to drive with a rideshare program like Lyft or Uber. What’s great about rideshare driving is that you make up your own hours and can drive as much or as little as your schedule allows.
6. Rent your Car
If you have a reliable vehicle but aren’t interested in driving around random strangers, why not rent out your vehicle using the Getaround App. Getaround is a peer-to-peer car sharing app that allows you to rent your vehicle locally.
7. Virtual Assistant
If you have good administrative and organizational skills, becoming a virtual assistant could be the right side hustle for you. You really can offer just about any services as a virtual assistant. You simply provide services remotely to business owners looking for support.
Check out Kayla Sloan's “$10K VA Course“. She's helping parents make more money from the comfort of their homes.
8. Public Speaking
While many people list public speaking as their biggest fear, if you are comfortable speaking in front of groups of people, you can make money as a public speaker. You can get hired by events, conferences, schools, universities, corporations, and more.
9. Digital Products
Have ideas for an e-book or products like resume templates, guidebooks and other digital products? Create this digital product and sell it online, either through a third party site or your own website.
When it's digital, there's very little cost associated with production and distribution. More money for you!
10. Sell your Stuff
If your family is like mine, you’ve become masters of the art of buying items you don’t really need. It’s time to clean house and sell some of these items.
You could organize a garage sale or just sell items on websites like eBay, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. Not only will this help you make some extra money, but will also keep you from being featured on “Hoarders” in the future.
11. Personal Shopper
If you enjoy shopping, why not try being a personal shopper through Instacart? You can be a full-service shopper, who shops and delivers groceries (requires a car) or be an in-store shopper who only shops.
12. Sell your Graphic Designs
If you have graphic design skills, you can sell your services online through websites like Fiverr. You can get hired to create logos, websites, and tons of other creative designs.
13. Teach English Online
Many companies, like VIPKid, will pay you to teach English to children and adults in other countries. Teacher requirements vary from company to company so be sure to check before applying.
Related Podcast: It's Time To Make More Money – with Grant Sabatier
14. Make YouTube Videos
Perhaps you have ideas for a blog, but don’t like writing. Why not become a Vlogger instead? Create your own YouTube channel and start making videos. You can earn money from advertising, sponsorships, merchandise and more.
15. Resell Free Items from Craigslist
If you’ve ever looked at the free items section on Craigslist, you’ve seen that sometimes people give away items that are in great condition and still have value. Search for items that you can pick up for free and flip quickly for a profit.
16. Become a Sneaker Reseller
Sneaker resale is a billion-dollar industry. Most shoe companies have release date calendars that show when the latest shoes are dropping. If you are lucky enough to purchase anticipated shoes before they sell out, you can flip them for huge profits to sneakerheads who missed out on purchasing them directly.
You can sell them using eBay or sneaker sites like StockX, Goat, and Stadium Goods.
17. Work as a Tutor
If you are a teacher or just smart at particular subjects, you can work part-time as a tutor to kids, teens, and college students looking for extra help. An added benefit is that it'll keep you sharp as well!
18. Become an Officiant
You can be part of a couple’s special day and get paid for it by becoming a wedding officiant. It’s relatively easy to become ordained online and then you just need to follow guidelines within your state to receive a license.
Editor's Note: I did this for one of my best friend's weddings, it was a blast!
19. Sell your Photographs
Are you a skilled photographer? You can make extra money selling your photos to royalty-free websites like iStockPhoto or Shutterstock.
20. Become a Referee
I’ll be honest. As a parent of kids who have played organized sports at the recreation, travel, club, and school level, I am not sure why anyone would want to become a referee or an umpire. Sports parents, coaches, and even players can be ruthless. Perhaps they do it for the love of the game!
However, you can easily make a hundred dollars by refereeing a few games in your spare time.
21. Selling Your Own Handmade Crafts
If you are crafty and love to make handmade goods in your spare time, why not turn that hobby into some extra cash for your family? Create an Etsy store and sell online or rent space at local craft fairs and sell your goods.
22. Event DJ
Becoming an officiant isn’t the only way to make money at weddings. Start your own DJ service. You can work at weddings and other events playing music and acting as the Master of Ceremonies.
23. Proofreader
If you love to read and love grammar (or love to correct other people’s grammar), you can make money as a proofreader. This could be writing like online content, novels, e-books, dissertations, essays, white papers, and more.
I meen how hard could it bee?
24. Become a Social Media Marketer or Influencer
Did you know you can make money just by being good at using social media platforms? Companies big and small need to have a presence online and with social media. If you have the ability to create captivating social media content and grow a social media following, companies will hire you to help them do the same.
If you have already established yourself on social media and have a large following, you can leverage that and get paid for sponsored posts.
25. Investing to Earn More Money
Maybe you aren’t looking to get a part-time job or create a website or products to sell. There are still plenty of options for making extra money. Here are my favorites:
Invest in Index Funds
If you are new to investing, why not start out simple with index funds? They are easy to set up and generally have low fees.
High-Yield Online Savings Accounts
Why put your money in a standard savings account at your local bank when you can make more by throwing it into an online account? Most savings accounts have low rates around 0.01% APY to 0.05% APY. However, an online bank like Ally can earn you up to 2% APY.
While it’s tough to find ways to make extra money without a serious time commitment, some options require more than others. Explore the list above to find the right options for you and get to work making extra money for your family this week!
26. Start a Podcast
Andy earned $4,000 last year from his podcast! And from what he tells me, he really enjoys it.
Find a topic that you're really passionate about and start a conversation. It's amazing how many people are out there listening to podcasts and how many advertisers are willing to sponsor your show. Money is only one of the compelling reasons to start a podcast.
