We are all looking for ways to come up with extra cash. It’s hard for a lot of people because they are already working full-time jobs and don’t have the time to spare to generate more income. That’s why finding ways to make money with little to no effort is ideal.
If you’re looking for how to make money without working, you might find a couple of options here. Nothing that will completely supplement your income though.
I’m going to provide you a list of some odd ways to make money without having to use up a lot of your time. There are things here you may not have even thought of and could potentially be a great fit for you.
Check out this unusual list and see where you should start.
1. Donate Plasma
If you don’t know what plasma is, it’s what makes up the liquid portion of your blood. It contains proteins and helps with clotting and fighting infections.
Plasma helps with the creation of life-saving medications all over the world. In order to develop and test these medicines, they require an abundance of plasma.
Donating your plasma can bring in a couple of hundred dollars each month on average if you can handle the process one goes through in order for them to retrieve it from your blood.
Check your local area for donation centers and see if this is a good fit for you.
Personally, this was one of the hardest ways for me to earn extra money on the side as I hate needles.
Can Someone Who Recovers from the Coronavirus Donate Plasma?
The answer is yes. You will have to wait to have fully recovered from Covid-19 for at least two weeks before you can donate.
This is highly encouraged because it contains antibodies that can help save the lives of people currently fighting the coronavirus.
2. Lose Weight
When you think about losing weight, did you ever think, ‘I wonder how much I could get paid to do it?’ Well, you can and will earn some money if you can do it before your set deadline.
You choose the terms which are a win-win. You decide:
- how much weight you want to lose
- what the time frame is in which you have to do it in
- how much money you want to wager
Check out, Healthy Wage for more details. Who doesn’t want to get paid for losing weight, gaining back more energy, regaining more self-confidence, and looking better in their clothes?
This money can be easily earned just by making lifestyle changes.
3. Buy Discounted Gift Cards
Here is one of the more creative ways to make extra money. This may sound more like you’re spending money instead of making it but listen up.
You can shop for a variety of well-known retailers that you most likely shop at already. Why not buy discounted gift cards for those retailers and save yourself some money?
As an example, you may plan on spending $20 at Starbucks this week. Let’s pretend the gift card is on sale for 7% off. You’d only be paying $18.60 for a $20 gift card. You save $1.40. Over the course of a year, you’d save $72.80.
I know this example seems like a small amount but imagine if you are using this strategy buying gift cards for multiple stores that you will be purchasing from anyways. Why not keep that money in your pocket instead of putting it in the retailer’s pocket?
They also make great gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, and holiday presents.
This is one of the best money savers around without having to make major changes in your spending habits.
Where to Buy Discounted Gift Cards?
Check out Gift Card Spread and see what they have available. This is my favorite place to buy discounted gift cards online.
You can also look at:
- CardPool.com
- CardCash.com
- GiftCards.com
4. Scalp Tickets Online
I’ve done this and it was quite lucrative. I only had a handful of transactions but it was well worth it and it put quite a bit of extra money in my checking account.
What Does it Mean to Scalp a Ticket?
Scalping a ticket or ticket flipping means reselling a ticket for admission to an event.
Is Ticket Scalping Illegal?
It can be if you’re not doing it through the proper channels. The way to do this legally is to do it through an approved secondary ticket market where the sale of the tickets can be properly taxed.
I used both StubHub and Ticket Network. You want to make sure you are doing this legally and not landing yourself in jail. That wouldn’t be a winning strategy.
How to Scalp Tickets?
What you want to do is buy tickets to events that you feel are going to be in high demand and most likely sell out. Concerts and sporting events are what I focused on.
When you see the hottest artist coming town or the top sports team playing against each other, be sure to buy tickets right when they go on sale.
If you pick the right artist or sports event, it will most likely sell out. This means the chances are high that people will be looking for ways to get tickets. They usually are willing to pay a higher price for them and you’ll be making money selling them at that higher price point.
You will create your account on StubHub or Ticket Network and list them for sale.
I’d suggest listing the tickets a little closer to the event when you have more people trying to find tickets last minute. Worst case scenario, you have tickets to the hottest concert in town.
Keep in mind, this can be one of the more stressful ways to make extra money. You have to be willing to get stuck with paid, unused tickets can be the worst.
5. Look For Your Lost Money
Finding money that you didn’t even know you had is great. This could include but not limited to an old paycheck that was never picked up or overpayment from an old car insurance policy you used to have.
If you left any money behind, you can easily find it.
How Do I Find Unclaimed Money in My Name?
Go to unclaimed.org and see if there’s any money waiting for you. I’ve done this twice, about 7-8 years apart and both times I had money waiting to be claimed by me.
It’s your money and if it’s out there, this website will show you exactly how to claim it.
This is easy money because it’s just sitting there waiting for you to claim it.
6. Sleep Study
What if I could tell you, you could be paid to sleep. On average, you can be paid $100-$300/night. You will need to sleep in the facility where the study is being held but you can go about your day as you normally would.
You will want to make sure it is a legitimate study but why not get paid for something you do every single day? If I didn’t have kids, I’d be all over this opportunity trying to make money as often as possible.
Where Is There a Sleep Study Near Me?
If you want to find a sleep study near you, go to sleepeducation.org and find one. It’s a great way to earn additional income without having to give up your weekends or your other spare time.
7. Sell Old Baseball Cards
Make money by selling your old baseball cards. Do your research and find out how much your old cards are worth at cardmavin.com/category/baseball. It’s a very popular website used to find the current value of sports cards.
My cousin called me about a month ago and told me he got $400 for one of his old cars. I need to dig mine out and see what I have laying around.
This is a great way to make extra cash fast.
8. Cancel Unused Subscriptions
Look at your credit card statements and see how many subscriptions or services you are paying for that you don’t use anymore.
It could be a streaming service you don’t have time to watch, an online magazine or a newspaper subscription you don’t have time to read anymore.
Just check. You’ll be surprised at the amount of money you will save on a monthly basis by cancelling anything you are no longer using.
9. Walk and Earn Money
Did you ever think you could make extra money online by walking?
Signing up for Sweatcoin is free and it will track your steps from your phone so make sure you have it on you wherever you go. You want to make every step count.
Your steps can then be cashed in for goods, services, and experiences. Why not redeem your steps and get free stuff for doing something you do every single day?
10. Utilize Your Credit Card Offers
This one is fairly easy if you’re already using your credit cards to shop. Many cards have a set rate of return. This is usually 1-2%. A lot of other cards have bonus offers that run 3 months at a time.
What Does This Mean?
This may mean getting up to 5% back shopping certain categories such as wholesale clubs, gas stations, grocery stores, and cellular phone companies within the designated time frame for that particular promo.
It only seems to make sense to make money on things you’re already buying.
Personally, I find this to be one of the easiest ways to make extra money. I make back hundreds of dollars each year just for using my credit cards. to make basic purchases.
If you know how to manage your credit cards and can control your spending every month, start taking full advantage of your credit card benefits today.
11. Sell Your Stuff
I’m sure like everyone else, you have a bunch of things lying around that you no longer use or want. So why not sell it and earn money on the side? This is one of the easiest ways for females to make money online.
There are a variety of places you can sell your stuff. Some examples are:
- Letgo
- Mercari
- OfferUp
- Poshmark
- Ebay
- Facebook Marketplace
- Craigslist
Or do it old school and have a garage sale.
Yes, those are still a thing!
However you decide to sell your stuff, it can be a very quick way to make money.
12. Use Rebate Apps
There are a lot of apps out there nowadays that give you cash back for shopping for items you already planned on buying.
Be aware that they each have a set minimum amount you must reach before you can withdraw the money you’ve earned back. But, they are easily attainable.
Here are the two apps I use religiously.
First is Ibotta (don’t forget to use my referral code lqwtwoc). I always make sure my shopping list lines up with their current offers.
The second app I use is Dosh (don’t forget to use my referral code AMYW324). I did all of my kid’s Christmas shopping last year with the money I got back from these apps.
I have made hundreds of dollars using both of these apps. Click my links and sign up today. It’s free and another super-easy way to earn money.
13. Shop Using a Rebate Website
In regards to online shopping, you need to check out Rakuten. (If you are wondering about Ebates, it was acquired by Rakuten years ago.)
This is another way I’ve made hundreds of dollars off things I planned on buying anyway.
If you sign up through my link and spend $25, you get $10 for yourself. Give it a try!
First, start out by going to the website and checking if the retailer you plan on buying from has any current offers.
If you see the desired retailer, click on the link for that retailer, shop, and complete your purchase. Once you do, you will receive a rebate for the designated amount associated with that retailer’s offer.
Keep in mind, it costs the same price as it would if you went directly to the retailer’s website. Rakuten just pays you in the form of a rebate for your purchases made through their app or website.
This has to be one of my favorite ways to earn money online, especially when I already plan on shopping from these retailers.
14. Become a Surrogate or Donate Sperm
This one may seem a little out there and one of the most unconventional ways to make money, but it can be very lucrative. (I’m speaking about surrogacy but men can also make some money donating sperm.) This is the perfect way for women to make a lot of money if they are physically and emotionally up to the task.
Do your research. You can find a reputable agency to work with online and start the process to find out if you’re a good candidate.
I personally know a few people who have done surrogacy multiple times and it afforded them the opportunity to pay off a massive amount of their debt.
They made a large sum of money for carrying the baby. In addition to that, all of their appointments were paid for, they were given an allowance to cover food costs, and also anything else related to the baby was paid for.
The added bonus here is that they also had the regular job that they were making money at as well.
15. Upcycle Old Furniture
I did this for years and easily earned $500-$1000 each month just by working this hobby on the weekends. The best part was, most of the furniture I upcycled, I got off the side of the road for free. The only cost I incurred was the products I used to upcycle the items I found.
If you’re reading this and thinking you’re not super crafty, check out some videos on YouTube. You’ll be surprised at how easy some of the techniques truly are.
There are plenty of videos on there that can motivate you and show you exactly how to turn old furniture into pieces that people will pay big bucks for.
You can easily work on a piece while you’re kids are playing in the backyard or while you’re waiting for the laundry to finish its cycle.
16. Sell Old Video Games or Electronics
A lot of people tend to hold on to old gaming systems and old electronics for a few reasons:
- they think they will use it again at some point
- they are afraid to throw it out in case it’s not truly broken
- they think it will be worth money in the future
If they are laying around being unused or packed away in the back of the closet, why not get rid of them and make some money on the side? They may be worth more than you think.
If you’re considering selling them and think you have something of value, do your research. Regardless though, get rid of it. There’s no point in letting these items collect dust when you can make money fast from selling them.
How Can I Sell My Old Video Games?
Again, eBay is a great place to sell things like this. You can also sell them on:
- Craigslist
- Decluttr
17. Stay in Bed for Nasa
Here’s one of the most uncommon ways to make money. This is far-fetched as few people can get into this program but someone has to be chosen. They usually only take a couple of dozen people but the payoff is huge.
The study is usually 60 days so if you can take two months off from your life, it’s definitely something to try and look into.
Staying in bed is one of the best ways to make money in my mind. (Anyone want to take a couple of toddlers for a few months so I can apply?)
18. Pick Up Dog Poop
I know this sounds crazy but I pay for this service at my home and am so glad I do. It’s something I don’t want to do and am willing to pay someone else to do it for me. They come once/week and make good money off of me.
If you can bear the smell, you can determine the hours you work and how many homes you service.
They are in and out in about 10-15 minutes. Definitely one of the oddest ways to make money but one of the easiest ways too.
Check out my article, Why Starting A ‘Dog Poop Removal Service’ Is A Great Gig To Make Really Good Money, and learn a lot more about this VERY profitable side gig!
19. Sell Antique Dolls Online
Dolls are highly collectible if you have the right ones and have been able to keep them in mint condition.
Not opening them and leaving them in the box can seem like torture. Especially as a child, that could be really hard to do, so finding these items in great condition can be quite difficult.
If you were able to do so successfully, they could be worth a lot of money.
What Dolls are Worth a Lot of Money?
Some of the dolls that people pay top dollar for are:
- Cabbage Patch Dolls
- American Girl Dolls
- Barbies
I personally own all the original American Girl dolls and have been looking into selling them. I did a quick check on Ebay and I saw them for sale on there for $2,200.
Do your research and see if you’re sitting on a small (or large) fortune. Be sure to check and see what other people are selling theirs for online and don’t be afraid to search for a doll appraiser in your area as well. They will be able to verify exactly how much your dolls are worth and how much money you could potentially make.
Where Do You Sell Antique Dolls?
I’d suggest listing them on Ebay, an auction house, or finding an antique dealer in your area that specializes in dolls. They will be able to get your items in front of the right buyer willing to pay top dollar.
20. P2P Lending
Most people think of Lending Tree and know it’s a place to go to get loans.
But…
Did you know this is also a place you can lend your money just like a bank?
If you have money to spare, why not consider making interest off of it?
Check out Lending Tree for more details and see if this could be a fit for you.
21. Run Errands
If you enjoy driving and looking to make some extra cash, running errands might be a great side gig for you.
This could include a variety of tasks depending on what apps you sign up to work through. For example, you could possibly do food delivery or be asked to move a large piece of furniture.
It really depends on what’s jobs are available and which ones you’re willing to do to generate extra income.
Check out my post, 8 Ways To Immediately Make Money With Your Car to see more money making options!
22. Rent Out Your Home
If you plan on going out of town this year, why not rent out your place?
I live in a trendy tourist area, so people are always looking for a place to stay, especially around the holidays. There are also lots of special events that take place year round and local hotels are usually booked out far in advance.
Knowing this, people tend to rent out their homes at a premium during certain times of the year and put quite a bit of extra cash into their bank account by doing so.
It’s definitely something to consider. Imagine being on vacation and still making money.
How Much Can I Rent My Home for?
That’s going to vary based on a variety of factors including:
- location
- time of the year
- size of your home
- features of your home
- accessibility (near the beach, downtown area, etc.)
- demand
23. Sell Coins for Cash
Selling old coins can be quite lucrative if you understand what you have.
Whether it’s the coins passed down from older generations or the jar of coins you’ve been saving up to take to the bank, be sure you check them out carefully.
You’d be surprised what you can find when you actually stop to inspect the coins you have on hand.
What Determines the Value of a Coin?
This can vary greatly based on a number of factors including:
- the condition
- rarity
- bullion value
- demand
One example is the 2005 Kansas state quarter. There are versions of this quarter out there that say, ‘In God We Rust’ instead of ‘Trust’. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on one of these, it can go for up to $100.
Another example is the 2004 Wisconsin state quarter. There are some that have an extra leaf on them by the corn husk. These can go for up to $300.
This could be one of the most unusual ways to make extra money. Not only cashing in on old coins but coins with flaws on them can earn you some serious side cash.
Where are the Best Places to Sell Old Coins?
There are a ton of places that you can sell your old coins but I’ve listed some of the most popular places to list them online. These companies are well-known, which makes them a place where a lot of people go and look to purchase coins.
The more exposure you can give to your coin collection, the better chances you have at getting top dollar.
My Thoughts
These aren’t ways to bring in a residual income. They are great options if you need to come up with some extra cash though. Sometimes things come up and we need some more money to make ends meet. I think that’s the best time for you to turn to some of these options.
If you’re looking to find a more steady income working from home, consider Jobs That Allow You to Work From Home.
If you have any other ideas of ways to make extra money that might be considered nontraditional, please comment below. I’d love to hear your ideas!
Also, if you found this article helpful, please share it on your social media and Pinterest!
Pin It
