9 Odd Ways to Make Money from Home

By Holly Reisem Hanna

I guess you could say that I was born with the entrepreneurial bug. Since the age of six — I’ve been exploring different ways to make money. I've gone door-to-door selling arts and crafts to neighbors, hosted lemonade stands, collected salamanders and sold them to the local pet shop, as well as participated in many garage and yard sales.

As I got older this trend continued, I provided babysitting services to friends and family; I sold stuff to consignment stores, I even participated in pharmaceutical research studies. If there was a way to make money — I found it.

Well, not much has changed.

To this day, I still get excited when I find a new way to make money. So if you're looking to make some extra cash here are nine odd ways you can make money from home, or on the side.

1. Do you like to test things out?

Become a product tester and reviewer, and you can earn free products, services, gift cards, and sometimes even cash for sharing your opinions.

Check out these companies to get started:

• Toluna
• Vocal Point
• Swagbucks
• Respondent

The Product Review Mom has more sites that offer free products for review and payment.

2. Do you have the latest and greatest in tech gadgets?

Then sell your old smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers on Gazelle. Simply find your gadget on their website, answer some questions, ship it off for free and get paid via check, Amazon gift card, or PayPal. Gazelle has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

3. Do you love taking photos with your smartphone?

Make money by selling your photos on Foap. Simply download the Foap application to your smartphone and upload your photos. Once your image receives five positive ratings from other Foap users – your photo will be published for sale. You will earn $5 each time someone purchases your photo. Payments are made via PayPal when the user requests a cashout.

Check out this article for more ways to make money with your smartphone.

4. Are you a know it all?

Share your knowledge in a particular area on PrestoExperts.com. This unique service connects individuals who have questions to people who are qualified to answer them. Here’s how it works, PrestoExperts has all the backend tools in place, so once you’ve completed your application and set your fees, you’ll be connected to people who need your expertise. Answers can be delivered via live chat, email, or phone. Once the action is completed PrestoExperts takes a percentage of the fee you charged then pays you the rest via check on a monthly basis.

Here are some other platforms where you can sell your expertise for moola.

5. Is your car just sitting around?

Rent out your car when you’re not using it at GetAround.com. Here’s how the program works, simply list your car for free and manage rentals via the GetAround.com website. You set your own rates, hours, and who you want to rent to. Rental earnings are paid on the 15th of the following month, and GetAround.com takes a 40% commission on rentals to cover insurance and customer support.

Do you have a class A, B, or C motorhome? What about a pop-up, travel trailer, or fifth wheel? Then put your recreational vehicle to work when you're not using it. RVshare is an on-demand platform that connects RV owners with renters. It's completely free to use and according to their website, you can earn $120 – $365 a day! Booked rentals include 24/7 roadside assistance (so you know your RV is in good hands) and RV rental insurance. RVshare has been featured on CNN, the New York Times, NBC, Huffington Post, along with numerous other publications.

Now that your driveway is empty consider renting it out too. Parklee is a match-making service for property owners and drivers. Here’s the premise, we all know that at certain times of the year parking can be a nightmare. Parklee connects drivers with household owners who have extra parking space to spare. Simply create an account, Parklee will do the matchmaking, and you’ll earn some extra money for allowing individuals to park at your house.

Did you know you can rent a ton of stuff for money? Check out this post for items and places to rent your stuff for cash!

6. Do you like to share stories, tips, recipes or jokes?

Magazines are constantly looking for new content that’s why many publications are willing to pay for short stories, recipes, reader tips, poems and even jokes. Here are just a few publications that pay for submissions. As a side note, I haven’t submitted tips to any of these sources, so I’m unable to comment on the validity of them.

• Country Magazine
• That's Life UK
• Cuisine at Home
• PANK Magazine
• Family Handyman
• FineScale Modeler

The Thrifty Couple has more tips for submitting tips and photos to magazines.

7. Do you love surfing the web?

Then make money testing out websites, apps, videos, ads, ideas and more on Userlytics. Sign up for a free account and then wait for an invitation to give feedback. User tests take about 10 – 20 minutes to complete, and payment is $10 or more per test made via PayPal. Userlytics is open both to US and International residents.

Another company that hires website testers is User Testing. Here you can earn $10/$15 per test. To become a tester – submit your email address and apply. Testers must take a sample test before receiving any assignments. This gig is open to US and International residents alike who can accept payments via PayPal. Each test takes about 15 – 20 minutes.

Looking for more companies that hire website testers, check out this article.

8. Do you enjoy walking around town? 

GigWalk is a mobile workforce of individuals using their smartphones to connect, explore, and earn a second paycheck as they go about their day. Simply register, apply for an assignment and then complete the task (usually verifying roads and street signs, geographic landmarks, transportation options or store inventory with your smartphone’s camera). According to their testimonial page, one gig Walker made $1,200 in a week; more realistically it looks like the average assignment pays between $3.00 – $50.00. Jobs are available in the main cities across the United States. Membership is free.

Enjoy being outdoors? Here are a bunch of random jobs that let you enjoy the great outdoors!

9. Do you LOVE sharing great deals on social media? 

You're already sharing your favorite products and services on social media, why not get paid for it?! Here’s how Share Magnet works. Companies create “magnets” for their goods and services on Share Magnet. Individuals create an account and browse the available magnets and share which ones that interest them. Each magnet has a certain monetary value assigned to it, ranging from .02 cents to $2.00 per share. Once you find something you like, you share it on one of the various social media channels, like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. So what kind of businesses are advertising on Share Magnet? I found sites like Sitter City, Hudson Jeans, Zulily, and Working Mother Magazine. While you’re not going to get rich sharing magnets, it is a fun way to earn some extra pocket cash from home, and it’s free to join!

Looking for more ways to make money with social media? Check out this list of ideas and job opportunities!

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Originally published April 2, 2014. Content updated on April 25, 2017.

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