It’s economic crunch time, and with the cost of living rising across the board for everything from housing to groceries, you may be wondering how to make money quickly. A side gig like dog walking or driving for Uber could be a solution, but there are other ways to pump some extra income into your bank account.
Check Out: 15 Games That Pay Instantly to Your Cash App Account
For You: 5 Unusual Ways To Make Extra Money That Actually Work
From food delivery services to completing online surveys, the possibilities for earning cash fast are endless. Here are 12 income generation ideas that can help you make money quickly.
Sell Your Gently Used Items on Online Marketplaces
- Earnings vary by item
Got any used items that are still in good shape but you no longer want? If so, it’s possible that someone — or several someones — would gladly will pay you for them. Take a few photos, write a brief description and post your items for sale on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.
You also can make a tidy profit by selling high-quality clothing and accessories on platforms such as Poshmark or Tradesy.
Trade in Old Gadgets and Electronics for Cash
- Earnings vary by gadget condition and model
For quick cash with minimal effort, try trading in your old, unwanted electronics for cash. Buyback services will purchase old gadgets and electronics like these online. Some electronics buyback services include ItsWorthMore, Decluttr, Gazelle and Trademore.
You can also use sites like eBay and other third-party marketplaces to price your items appropriately and sell them independently. Here are some items to consider:
- Phones
- iPods
- Fitness trackers
- Tablets
- Game consoles
- Laptops
Explore More: Get Paid To Watch Videos: 11 Easy Ways
Sell Unused Gift Cards
- Earnings vary by gift card value
If you have unwanted gift cards gathering dust in a drawer, sell them. You might not get full face value for them, but it’s not like you’ll take a loss. Remember, you didn’t buy them so it’s essentially free money in your pocket.
Sell unused gift cards on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or eBay. Or visit sites such as CardCash to see how much you can sell your gift card for and make the sale in just a few clicks. You can also offer gift cards on your social media accounts to see if there are any takers.
Work as a Freelancer
- Depends on the project
Fiverr is great for first-time freelancers looking to build experience and their portfolios. From logo design and animation to editing and voice-over work, you can find tasks suited to your skills. Prices start at $5 per project.
Once you accumulate feedback, referrals and experience, you can start charging much more. Some people have taken their Fiverr gigs full-time, with jobs paying as much as $10,000 per project, according to the company’s website.
Track Down Unclaimed Money
- Can range from a few dollars to thousands, depending on what’s owed
About one in seven Americans have unclaimed property that’s being held by state governments and treasuries, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. If you’ve ever rented an apartment, switched banks or insurance companies, changed jobs, purchased traveler’s checks or paid a utility deposit, you could be one of them.
Each state maintains its unclaimed money database, and you can search for free. The U.S. government maintains a web page, located here, that links to state sites as well as to federal government resources for finding unclaimed VA life insurance, FHA mortgage insurance, tax, investments, savings bonds and other funds.
Open an Online Dropshipping Store
- Average income of $20 per hour
Amazon and Shopify are two sites where you can open your store, automatically add products and have them shipped directly from the suppliers to your customers. You’ll need to do your due diligence when it comes to selecting products and suppliers and marketing your store, but both platforms have extensive educational resources to help you get started.
Shopify’s dropshipping app also has lots of information plus a profit margin calculator.
Become an Affiliate Marketer
- Up to $300 a day or more
Affiliate marketing involves sharing products online and earning a commission by joining one or more affiliate programs, like Amazon Associates, ClickBank or ShareASale. You’ll earn by promoting and selling those products through your blog or social media channels.
According to Affise, a performance marketing platform for advertisers, low-level affiliates can earn up to $300 a day, while high-level affiliates can earn more than $3,000 a day. Affiliate marketing can be an entire career — not just a side hustle — based on passive income, which is as close as most people will ever get to free money.
Complete Online Surveys
- Up to $16 an hour
It’s not the most exciting side gig, but there is money to be made by filling out online surveys. Many sites such as Survey Junkie and Swagbucks allow users to earn cash and gift cards.
You also can visit the website of the Columbia Business School Center for Decision Sciences to sign up for online research studies that pay about $16 an hour.
Become a Rideshare or Delivery Driver
- Average income of $21 per hour
Driving for a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft makes it easy to earn money in your spare time using your vehicle. Both services require a background check as part of their application process, but once you’ve been accepted, you can start driving right away and cash out multiple times each day.
Many rideshare options also open doors to delivery driving. Spark, Amazon Flex, GrubHub, Roadie, Uber Eats and DoorDash are just a few of the companies that pay drivers to make deliveries using their cars. Rules, pay and requirements vary by company and platform. However, you can stack delivery gigs to maximize your time. The average income is estimated to be about $18-23 per hour.
Tutor Students or Teach Classes Online
- Average hourly rate is about $18
If you have a computer, an internet connection and expertise in just one subject area, you can tutor students online. TutorMe hires tutors in more than 300 subjects and pays $16 an hour. Preply uses tutors in more than 100 subjects. Tutors set their rates and earn an average of $18.30 per hour, according to Preply’s internal data.
You could also record how-to video lessons about subjects you are well-versed in and post them online. Depending on how many clicks or followers you get, you could rack up a nice passive income.
Work as a Virtual Assistant
- Average income of $24 per hour
A virtual assistant can work for an individual or a big business, performing tasks that include responding to customer phone calls, setting appointments, assisting with travel or event planning, or posting to social media.
Since many people do these things daily as part of their agendas, they are well suited to virtual assistant jobs.
Become a Pet Sitter or Dog Walker
- Median income of $15 per hour
Sign up to watch pets while their owners are out of town. Pet-sitting sites, such as Rover, connect pet owners with sitters for a cut — 15% to 25% — of the sitter’s earnings paid by client users. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, pet sitters make a median of $15.31 an hour, or $31,830 a year.
Final Take To GO: What To Avoid When Looking for Fast Cash
Be wary of online jobs that don’t require any special skills, education or experience, but have a high rate of pay or generous perks. If an opportunity seems too good to be true, it likely is. Unfortunately, many online job offers can be scams.
However, if you’re looking for legit ways to make money fast and don’t mind investing some time, there are plenty of options available. Assess which methods align with your skills and resources and don’t hesitate to take the first step today.
Caitlyn Moorhead contributed to the reporting for this article.
More From GOBankingRates
- 4 SUVs That Will Have Massive Price Drops in Early 2025
- How Paychecks Would Look in Each State If Trump Dropped Federal Income Tax
- 6 Subtly Genius Moves All Wealthy People Make With Their Money
- 5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 12 Ways To Make Money Fast in 2025
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
