Do you have a full-time job but are still looking to make money on the side? You are not alone. Nowadays, 1 in 3 Americans has a side hustle. More and more people are looking for ways to supplement their full-time income, or to have something extra to do while making some additional dollars.
Here are the best ways to make extra money on the side with a full-time job.
1. Completing surveys
Completing surveys is one of the easiest ways to make money on the side while holding your full-time job. Most survey companies allow you to complete surveys online. Surveys also come in various lengths. This way, you can choose the formats that fit your personal preferences or time availability. Many of these apps and sites pay instantly through PayPal or gift cards, making it super easy and convenient for you to get rewarded for your hard work.
Here are my top recommended survey sites:
Survey Junkie
Doing surveys with Survey Junkie is one of my favourite ways to make extra income on the side with a full-time job. Not only can you earn some cash, but you can also share your opinions to help brands deliver better products and services. Survey Junkie is a well-established community with over 20 million members. I highly recommend that you join the community and start earning extra money. Sign up here for Survey Junkie.
In addition to surveys, Survey Junkie also operates SJ Pulse, which allows you to make extra cash by sharing your digital browsing behaviours. This is a great opportunity to earn passive income. Sign up for SJ Pulse here!
KashKick
Who doesn’t love to make extra cash in your pocket? KashKick will deposit cash directly into your PayPal account for all the fun money-making things you are doing to earn money online!
Doing online surveys is the best way to earn cash on KashKick. Other than surveys, however, KashKick also offers other earning opportunities. They include finding great deals, surfing the web, and watching videos. Sign up here for KashKick today!
Check out my KashKick review to learn more!
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is another popular way to earn extra money on the side with a full-time job. You can earn points, called SBs, by completing short tasks. The tasks include shopping at your favourite store, searching the web, answering surveys, watching videos, or playing games.
The payouts of the tasks differ based on the difficulty of the tasks. You can then use the points to redeem for retailer gift cards or cash via PayPal.
If you’d like to learn more about Swagbucks, check out my complete review on Swagbucks!
Sign up here for Swagbucks to start earning cash today!
Related: Sites Like Swagbucks: Best Swagbucks Alternatives
Toluna Influencer
Toluna is another popular survey app that you can use to make side income while holding a full-time job. It has a mobile-friendly app that alerts you when there are surveys available, so you can take them online whenever you want. The platform also offers online focus groups and product testing options. You can leverage these additional earning opportunities to increase your earnings further.
Toluna offers a wide variety of rewards, including PayPal cash and gift cards at popular retailers!
Check out my Toluna review to learn more!
Sign up today to become a Toluna Influencer!
- Desktop users: Sign up here
- iOS users: Sign up here
- Android users: Sign up here
2. Get cashback while shopping
Shopping is an integral part of our lives. Why not earn some cashback with your regular shopping trips, either online or in-store? There are many cashback sites and apps out there that you can take advantage of. It is a very low-effort thing you can do to make some extra spending money on the side with a full-time job.
Here are some of my favourite cashback options:
Rakuten
Rakuten, formally known as Ebates, is another popular online cash-back shopping site in Canada and the US.
Using Rakuten is very simple. All you need to remember is that if you want to make an online purchase, you go to Rakuten’s website first, from where you select the desired merchant. Rakuten will then automatically redirect you to the merchant’s official website.
Rakuten has more than 2,500 stores from a wide array of categories listed, including many well-known brands like Dell, Walmart, Chapter-Indigo, and Amazon.
I have been using Rakuten since 2016, and have always remained a happy member!
To get a cash bonus with your first qualifying purchase:
- If you are in the US: sign up here.
- If you are in Canada: sign up here!
Honey browser extension
Looking for an easy way to earn some cash-back and discounts while you shop online? Honey is the answer for you. Honey is a browser extension that can easily help you find coupons online. It also automatically helps you apply the coupons to your purchases so you can always get the best deals!
Sign up for Honey today and get 500 Gold ($5 free cash) with your first qualifying purchase!
Ibotta
Ibotta (iOS or Android) is a popular free cashback shopping app in the US. You can earn cash-back for all purchases made through ibotta.
- iOS users: sign up here!
- Android users: sign up here!
Check out my ibotta review to learn more!
Drop app
The Drop app is another one of my favourite cashback rewards platforms. For every single purchase that you make through Drop, you get a discount! Drop has more than 2,500 stores from a wide array of categories listed, including many well-known brands like Amazon and Starbucks.
Sign up for Drop here, or check out my Drop app review to learn more! Don’t forget to link your card to maximize the perks available!
Use a cash-back credit card
Using a cash-back credit card is probably one of the oldest ways to earn some money back while you shop. Even better, you should use a cash-back credit card to pay for purchases made through the above channels to get double the reward!
If you are looking for a Canadian credit card, you may want to consider signing up for the no-fee Tangerine Money-Back credit card. It is my primary credit card that offers cash-back on every purchase, including 2% for three categories of your choice. I use the card on a daily basis, and I cannot recommend it enough.
Sign up for a Tangerine Money-Back credit card today, or check out my Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card Review to learn more!
Of course, no matter which method you choose to adopt, remember to always be a responsible shopper and do not spend beyond your means!
3. Investing
One of the best and most well-known ways to make passive income on the side while you have a full-time job is by investing the money you already own. You can look at residential or commercial real estate investing if you have a large enough capital, or investing in stocks.
Of course, a tree does not become a tree without a seed first. We all have to start somewhere. If you are looking to make your first $1 from investing your money, you should consider a micro-investing app like Acorns. Check out my Acorns review to learn more!
4. Make money playing games
Do you know that you can make money playing games? There are many apps and sites out there that give out legitimate payment in exchange for your time playing games. Although you most likely won’t earn big bucks, it certainly is a fun way to make money on the side with a full-time day job.
The Android app Mistplay is an awesome Android app that allows you to play games and make money. It is as easy as downloading the app on your Android phone, playing games, earning Mistplay units, and cashing out on gift cards. Sign up for Mistplay here.
- If you are in the US: Sign up for Mistplay here.
- If you are in Canada: Sign up for Mistplay here.
5. Start a side hustle by becoming a pet sitter with Rover
Pet sitting is a great choice if you love animals and have experience living with them. Not to mention, pet sitting can be lucrative. Many people are willing to pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for their beloved furry friends to have a safe, loving, and fun home while they are away.
Rover is my top recommended site when it comes to pet sitting. Many Rover sitters earn $1000-1500 a month with just 20-25 hours of work. If you love spending time with pets, becoming a pet sitter with Rover is certainly a great side gig for you to make money in your spare time with a full-time job. Sign up here to become a Rover pet sitter today!
6. Rent out what you own
Want to generate extra money using what you already have? You can certainly rent out your spare room and/or your car. You might even consider renting out your clothes!
Here are some questions to ask yourself before you decide whether you should rent out your assets:
- Do you have items that can be rented out?
- Are you comfortable renting out your space/car/clothes/etc.?
- Are you willing to spend some time and money on preparing your items for rent? For example, you may need more maintenance and cleaning done to attract potential customers.
7. Have a second job
If you are seriously looking to supplement your full-time income, you may want to consider a second, part-time job in your free time.
There are many options available. For example, you can become a brand ambassador, a virtual assistant, a tutor, or a freelancer. If you are good at social media (e.g., Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook), you can help a local business with social media marketing.
All of these positions provide a certain level of flexibility (especially on time, location and workload) that will allow you to still dedicate most of your time to your full-time position.
If you decide to go down this route, you should make sure that you manage your time properly to avoid burnout.
8. Turn your hobby into a source of revenue
Instead of taking a part-time job, you can also turn your hobby into a source of income. This is a great side hustle that will allow you to earn extra income on the side with a full-time job, not to mention that you get to have plenty of fun as well.
For me personally, blogging is a fun hobby. Since I started two years ago, I have been able to slowly build my blogging from the ground up. So far, I have been able to earn some income from ads, affiliate marketing, and sponsored posts. It is certainly possible to make money blogging.
Here are the blogging tools that I use:
- Bluehost: perfect for beginners who want to upgrade from a free platform (so you can start monetizing) but who also want to minimize spending. Check out my Bluehost review to see why I chose it as my first hosting company. Sign up for Bluehost here.
- NameSilo: One of the most economical registrar and hosting companies out there. I stumbled upon this company and have been very happy with the service. It is my current registrar. Use promo code “bellawanana” at check out to get a special discount! Sign up for NameSilo here.
- SiteGround: This is my current hosting company. It is more expensive than Bluehost, but I like it for its SiteGround optimizer plugin, the free email accounts, and the better speed with my site. Sign up for SiteGround here.
- Ezoic: This is the ad network I have joined. It pays quite a bit better than Google AdSense. If you have over 5,000 pageviews a month, you should definitely consider applying for it! Sign up for ezoic here.
9. Become a ride-share driver
You can make money outside of work by becoming a ride-share driver. With the increasing popularity of companies like Uber, there are plenty of opportunities to pick up a shift here and there on your way to and from your full-time job.
10. Become a mystery shopper
Another one of the best side jobs is to become a mystery shopper. It’s common practice as a business to know how you’re performing from a customer’s perspective. Why not sign up to be their eyes and ears?
11. Start a drop-shipping business
Dropshipping can make you a thousand dollars a month or more, but it does require a little effort to get into. To get started, you will need to set-up an eCommerce store (we recommend Shopify or WordPress) and then start selling stock straight from the supplier. Instead of shipping the products yourself, yous imply purchase goods from a wholesale manufacturer, and then they package and ship directly to your customers.
Each platform charges a different amount, so it is essential to do your research before trying to create a dropshipping business as a form of passive income.
12. Teach English online
Teaching English online is a great way to make much money from the comfort of your own home. There are dozens of websites that help match you up with kids from all around the world who are looking to learn English. If you’re a native English speaker with a Bachelor’s Degree, teaching experience, and can pass a background check, what’s stopping you from becoming a teacher?
Last year, VIPKid was ranked as one of the Top 10 Places to Work by Glassdoor. New teachers in the program start out with a base pay of $7.50, but that amount increases as the number of classes you teach increase.
You can also check out DaDa, Magic Ears, or market your skills as a freelancer!
13. Start a YouTube channel
If you have the time and skills to create and upload videos regularly, starting a YouTube channel is a fantastic side hustle. You wouldn’t believe how much money YouTubers like Jacksepticeye and streamers like Shroud and Ninja are making thanks to ad revenue, affiliate sales, and sponsorships.
Conclusion
There you have it, the best ways to make money on the side with a full-time job.
Of course, if you are too tired, then don’t bother. However, if you feel like supplementing your full-time income with something extra, then you should give at least one of the above best side hustle ideas a try. You may be pleasantly surprised by how much more income it could bring!
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