Trying to pay bills and build savings with limited funds is an all too common dilemma. Sometimes there’s just not enough money to go around.
A 2024 Pymnts report found that 62% of consumers lived paycheck to paycheck, including 36% of those with annual earnings of more than $200,000.
To relieve that pressure and get ahead, take action to bring more cash into your budget.
There are many legitimate ways to increase your income in your spare time — often with little to no commitment. Here are 10 options to get you started.
1. Join a Focus Group
Brands want to know if their product or service is really appealing to customers, and if not, how they can make improvements. One way they find out is by contracting with third-party businesses that assemble people for objective focus groups. Some companies to check out: Focus Group, User Interviews and Probe Research.
Participating in focus groups can be a fun, interesting and profitable way to give your opinion, either online or in person. For example, User Interviews advertises that the typical pay for a focus group is $75 per hour, so if you do four a month you’ve just upped your income by $300.
[Read: Best Websites to Make Money Online]
2. Be a Research Subject
If you’re interested in contributing to scientific discovery while also making extra money, you may consider enrolling in a paid clinical trial.
Depending on factors like the number of required visits and length of time the trial takes, it can be quite lucrative. For example, Velocity Clinical Research offers between $75 and $4,500 to participate in its paid research studies.
To find out what’s available in your area, visit ClinicalTrials.gov.
3. Take on a Side Hustle
Even if you have a full-time job, you may be able to pick up some additional work in your field of expertise in the early mornings, evenings or on weekends.
Whatever skillset you have, there’s a freelance gig you can do. Platforms like Upwork, Freelancer and Fiverr can connect you to people who need projects done.
How much you can make depends on what you do and the price you negotiate. As an example, Upwork reports that web designers can make $15 to $30 per hour, while average hourly bookkeeping rates are $11 to $25.
[READ: 7 Things to Know Before Starting Your Side Hustle]
4. Become a Subject-Matter Consultant
If you have a high level of knowledge on certain subjects, from finance to technology, other companies may come to you for advice.
With consulting firms like Gerson Lehrman Group and AlphaSights you can create a profile with an overview of your resume and your availability for a consultation.
Once you do, you’ll be notified when another company would like to have a professional conversation with you. The conversations are typically done by phone. Depending on demand and your experience level, consultant rates can be hundreds of dollars per hour.
5. Sign Up for Surveys
Want to earn a little cash while you’re standing in line at the grocery store or waiting for your turn at the post office? By taking online surveys, which you can do from anywhere and at any time via your mobile phone or other smart device, you can add a few dollars to your budget.
Check out legitimate, free online survey sites like Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, and Opinion Outpost. You won’t get rich (according to Swagbucks, members can earn a couple hundred to a couple thousand extra dollars a year) but when you’re pinching pennies, even a few extra bucks can help.
6. Watch Videos
Watching shows and commercials is another way to bring in supplementary cash. Sign up with a company like Nielsen and you’re ready to go. You can watch everything from movie previews and television programs to advertisements.
In exchange, you’ll receive points, which you can redeem for cash via PayPal or gift cards from different retailers. Nielsen says that participants can earn up to $60 in points each year.
7. Help Your Neighbors
People in your community may need assistance that you can provide, for a fee. Whether it’s feeding and walking pets while they are on vacation, child care, helping somebody move or weeding gardens, the opportunities are virtually endless.
Just set a fair price and do the work, and you’ll build a reputation and get more work.
Use a community platform such as Nextdoor to see what people are looking for and let people know that you are available. Facebook groups are another good resource to connect with your local community — and don’t be afraid to spread the word to your friends, too.
Or, sign up for a service that will match you to neighbors needing assistance. Rates vary by location, but as an example the average Care.com hourly rate for pet sitting in San Francisco is $20.
8. Sell Things Online
Although plenty of people have the occasional yard sale to make money from purging items that they don’t need anymore, you can turn it into a side business any time of the year.
Either have friends and family members donate items like clothes and accessories, or pick them up on the cheap at other peoples’ garage sales. Sell them for a profit using popular apps like Poshmark and Depop.
[READ: Best Buy and Sell Apps for Used Stuff.]
The amount you can earn varies by what you sell and how often, but Gigworker reports the average seller makes roughly $500 a month on Poshmark.
9. Refer Your Friends
Some businesses — from credit card companies and banks to retailers and travel sites — will pay you for referring your friends to their products or services.
It works by getting a unique referral code or link from the company, which you share to your network of friends or family members. When they use that code or link, you benefit.
Referral program opportunities are typically listed on a company’s website, but you may also see an email invitation. Chase Bank, for example, has a program that gives you $50 for each person who opens a qualifying Chase checking account with your referral code (there’s a limit of $500 per calendar year).
10. Drive, Deliver and Earn
Why not make money when you’re and about? You can do it by using your car to take people where they want to go with companies like Uber and Lyft.
The upside to driving for cash is that you can incorporate it into your daily routine, so if you’re on your way to or returning from your regular job and don’t mind a little detour, you can pick someone else up along the way.
According to Salary.com, the national average hourly pay for an Uber driver in 2024 is $19 per hour.
Be Open to All Reasonable Possibilities
Money-making opportunities abound. Think creatively and hone your entrepreneurial spirit.
When you do, you can soothe some of the anxiety you may experience when covering expenses and saving money feels impossible with only your 9-to-5 job.
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10 Legit and Easy Ways to Get Free Money originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 09/27/24: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
