Want to add some extra income to your pockets? If you’ve already analyzed one side of your cash flow with 15 Budget Trimming Tips [1], it’s time to focus on the income side and find more ways to bring in some extra cash.
Here are some ideas to bring in extra income. Some are quick, some take more time; some are easy, and some are complicated. The more ways you find to generate extra income, the more money you’ll earn.
Feel free to pick and choose the ideas you like that fit your style to generate some additional money.
How to Generate Extra Income
- Credit Card Bonuses. I’m always on the lookout for deals like the Chase $100 sign up bonus [2] and the Discover $50 bonus [3]
- Negotiate a Raise. Start with your current job and ask for more money. If you think it can’t be done because of the economy, or because of the way your job is structured, see how my husband Negotiated a Raise [4] for inspiration.
- Try it Out Incentives. Many companies are willing to give you a bonus to try out their service. The Lending Club $25 Sign Up Bonus [5] is a great example.
- Surveys. Answering surveys can be an easy task that you do while watching TV. Cash Crate [6] has a ton of surveys and offers that you get paid to complete!
- Bank Bonuses. I love signing up for bank bonuses, like the ING $25 Sign up Bonus [7]. Cheap money, and it takes very little time!
- Test Drive Cars. Have a Saturday afternoon free? Why not take a new car for a spin and earn some money for test driving a car [8]. (Update: A reader pointed out that many people are having trouble getting their rewards. You may want to skip this one for now.)
- Turn Your Hobby into a Business. If you have a hobby [9] you enjoy, explore ways to earn an income from it. For example, I turned my personal finance interest into a business by making money blogging [10].
- Get a Seasonal Job. Depending on your profession, you might be able to pick up a second job. Tax season for preparers, holiday season for gift wrappers, and summer child care all present lots of opportunities. Even if a second job doesn’t sound appealing, if you limit it to a month, it might not be that bad.
- Credit Card Arbitrage. Credit card bonuses not enough for you? You can always take it to the next step with Credit Card Arbitrage [11].
- Freelance Work. Freelance work isn’t limited to just writing! Elance [12] has all kinds of skill sectors for freelancers looking for work.
- Enter Contests. While it may not bring in a steady income (or any at all), entering sweepstakes [13] is a fun hobby. And if you enter enough, chances are, you might win something.
- Passive Income. I’m working on getting started in Real Estate Investing [14] to broaden the scope of our passive income.
What have you done to bring in more income?