Let’s be honest: it’s always nice to see some extra dollars dropping into your bank account. Extra earnings are a great way to treat yourself with little daily luxuries like Netflix or Audible subscription, start and top up your savings fund, or simply cover your usual everyday expenses.
If earning some extra cash on the side is one of your resolutions for 2022, look no further: we’ve scoured through hundreds of passive income and side hustle ideas and picked 10 effective ways for you to make more money without investing in expensive gear or training.
Rent your devices/space
The majority of us certainly have devices we don’t use on a regular basis – and if we don’t, we might at least have storage space. Have you ever thought of renting it out? A lot of people are looking to rent things like home repair tools or camera accessories on a short-term basis instead of buying, and people who are between homes or repairing a part of their home are looking for a place to store their stuff. This could be an easy way to earn some money without actively doing anything!
Tutor students
A lot of high school students, especially those preparing for their leaving examinations, are seeking extra help and undivided attention aside from their usual lessons, so if you’ve got strong knowledge of any school subject, you could tutor students and help them with their homework. For example, if you’re a programmer, you could probably teach students math – and depending on your preference, you could be doing this online as well as offline.
Print-on-demand business
If you have some artistic abilities, unleash your creative side by creating product designs and partnering up with a print-on-demand company. The idea is simple: you upload your designs, and people can buy stuff like T-shirts or tote bags with it. Since nothing is pre-made, you don’t need to pay for the inventory that might not sell, and the company takes care of every step from printing to shipping: all you need is to supply the designs.
Passive income apps
One of the easiest ways to earn extra cash is using various passive income apps that let you earn by filling surveys, watching ads, etc. While you’re not likely to make hundreds of dollars a month this way, you don’t actually put in a lot of effort either – in fact, with some apps, you don’t even need to work at all! Honeygain allows you to earn money by sharing your extra internet bandwidth and is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Setting up takes seconds, and you can choose to collect your payouts in PayPal, Bitcoin, or JumpToken.
Become a secret shopper
It’s hard for bosses to evaluate their staff’s performance since they don’t always work the same when the bosses aren’t around. That’s where secret shoppers come in! If you sign up with a secret shopping agency, you will get assignments where you will visit a certain establishment (most likely a shop, a restaurant, or a hotel), use their services, and fill out a report on the quality of assistance. Not only will your expenses be reimbursed, but you’ll also earn a little – and help improve service quality.
Sell advertising space on your car
If you drive a decent car and use it a lot, some companies might pay you for advertising their business on your car’s surface. Some send you ad stickers, and others refer you to professional wrappers that cover your car in a special film with the ad printed on them. It couldn’t be easier: you drive your car around the city as usual, and you get paid periodically. The fee may depend on the model of your car (i.e., the surface area), your location, and the amount of driving you typically do.
Selling digital products
Getting into traditional retail is a bit risky since it requires financial investments: even if you don’t set up a physical store, you must invest in not just inventory but also storage space. Selling digital products, on the other hand, is different: not only do they take no space, but you can create them once and sell them as many times as you wish. This includes (but is not limited to) various printables, templates, photo editing presets, e-books, and video courses!
Selling photos
If you’ve got an eye for photography, you can sell your photos in a photobank, such as Stocksy or 500px. Good original pictures are always in demand: they’re needed for news stories, book covers, magazines, etc. It doesn’t even have to be photoshoots done in professional studios – you could also sell interesting travel photos you bring home after an exciting trip, for example. They do have to be of good quality, of course, but it’s barely a problem when technologies are getting better every day.
Sell your old clothes
We all have clothes that are still in good condition but we just know we’re not about to wear them again. Maybe it’s our taste that changed, maybe it’s our size, and maybe it never really fit well, but we just forgot to return them in time. The good news is, these days, there are multiple websites that help you sell used clothes – which will provide you with both some extra cash and some extra space in your closet. They’re also great for selling the clothes your kids outgrow after only wearing them a couple of times!
Become a city guide
If you’re living in a city that’s full of tourists and you know it pretty well, you could become a city guide. Showing the best bits of your beloved city to the tourists and helping them discover its hidden gems is very rewarding – and it can also be a great way to earn money without investing too much of your time. A typical tour lasts an hour or two, so there’s plenty of time left for your other commitments and hobbies.
There’s a variety of options – now all you need is motivation!
