37 Awesome Things to Sell and Do to Make Extra Money Now

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Things to Sell and Do To Make Extra Money Now

When I first started this blog, my goal was to document all the different things I did to make extra money. You see when I stopped working to raise my son, I still wanted to contribute to the family income, or at least be able to cover the cost of the extras I enjoyed (like my Mocha from Starbucks:) In addition, I still wanted to add money to a retirement account.

In Order to Make Extra Money, Hold Yourself Accountable

To hold myself accountable, I set up a business checking account (I did register myself as a business first) and committed to having $200 a month withdrawn from that account and automatically deposited into a SEP IRA a financial advisor set up for me. I needed to make money in order to have that money in the account every month.

Start a Blog to Document Your Progress and Give Yourself a Purpose

I encourage you to start a blog first if you don’t have one yet in order to hold yourself accountable and to document your experience. I found that starting a blog was therapeutic and gave me a purpose. Not only that, it enabled me to make even more money with the skills I learned. You can follow my step-by-step instructions in setting up your own blog HERE if this is something you want to do.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the time or the skills to set up a blog yourself. Visit Fiverr and have a freelancer set one up for you for a reasonable fee.

Below are the different ways I made money to fulfill my obligation to myself. I included other ways to make money as well. I hope you find something on this list that will inspire you!

Make Money Online By Selling Things

Repurpose items from Goodwill. A fun and a possibly lucrative way to make money online are purchasing things at Goodwill and Thrift Stores that can be repurposed and resold. If you have some basic decorative painting skills, you can turn other people’s junk into new treasures! Read Sell Hand-Painted Items on eBay Even if You Can’t Paint.

Offer one or more of your skills on Fiverr. There are all sorts of services being offered for hire on Fiverr that people are willing to pay $5 or more. At one time, I offered about 3 or 4 different services. I offered keyword research, blog article writing, product reviews, and blog post editing. Get more information by reading Here’s a Way to Make Money – $5 at a Time.

Sell your unused gift cards. No reason to keep gift cards you won’t use. Sell them at CardCash.com and get cash for your gift cards.

Learn easy DIY projects you can make and sell. There are plenty of instructions and plans on how to make projects that are in demand and can be sold on Etsy or eBay (or offline as well). Or, maybe you have a DIY project that you think you could sell for extra cash. Check out 11 Best DIY Project Ideas to Make and Sell Now for Extra Income.

Sell physical coupons. You won’t get rich doing this, but if you have access to a lot of Sunday paper inserts, you can sell coupon “lots” on eBay. In addition, you can sell percentage or dollar off coupons like the ones from Bed, Bath and Beyond. For more information read What to Sell on eBay. Easy to Find Items That Put Cash in Your Pocket!

Sell DIY project plans. If you know how to build something, you can put those detailed instructions for sale on eBay and/or Etsy like this awesome DIY project plan. There are a lot of handy and crafty people out there that look for detailed DIY project plans for something they want or need. They want to save money by building it themselves. They just need your plan to do it!

Sell high-profit toys on eBay. There are many profitable toys that can be sold on eBay for a nice profit. For instance, if you have access to or can find Littlest Pet Shop toys (LPS), they are a favorite on eBay. There are many eBay LPS listings so you will need to go through them to see what sells best. Rare Littlest Pet Shop toys bring in the most money. This toy is just one example. Do a little research and you just might find you’re sitting on a goldmine right in your own home!

Make Money Selling Books

Sell used books on Amazon. I started selling used books on Amazon by selling what was on my own bookshelves. The very first day I listed a bunch of books, two of them sold! That’s all it took for me to be convinced this was a great way to make extra money! Read Sell Used Books on Amazon For Money – Great Home Business!

Learn how to make money selling new books. It’s possible to purchase new books at a big retail store and resell them online for a profit on eBay or Amazon. Read How to Make Money Selling New Books From a Book Store.

Make money tearing up old books & magazines. This is a pretty cool idea. There’s money in old books and magazines but you have to know what you’re looking for. Read Easy Things to Sell on eBay: Learn How to Tear Up Old Books & Magazines for Maximum Profit.

Other Make Money Online Ideas

Start a blog. If this is something that interests you, starting a blog is a great way to learn many different online skills. Yes, you can make money with a blog but it takes commitment and time. However, you’ll find that you’ll quickly learn some specific skills that could make you an expert in those skills. A lot of local businesses are in need of someone to help them with their online marketing. You can be that person! Read how to start a blog HERE.

Become an online teacher. You don’t have to have a teaching degree to teach with VIPKID. Earn $14-$22/hr teaching English online. Teaching with VIPKID includes part-time teaching with a flexible schedule!

Sell digital goods. You can make great extra money selling digital goods like ebooks, videos, photos, sewing patterns, DIY plans, software, courses and any other type of digital download through your own website using SendOwl.

Earn part-time income writing online. When I first started writing online, it was through the blogging platform, HubPages. By writing on articles on HubPages, Google Adsense ads will be placed on your “Hubs” and you can share in the ad revenue generated from the clicks on the ads if you have a Google Adsense account. You can also include Amazon affiliate links in your articles as well. Read Earn a part-time income writing for Hubpages.

Become a virtual assistant. This is one of my favorite things to sell and do to make money on this list! If you have admin, social media, research or other types of skills that are in demand, why not start your own Virtual Assistant business or another freelance business for that matter? Visit FreelanceU, the one-stop learning platform for all your virtual assistant and freelance business training needs!

Create Pinterest graphics for bloggers. Have you heard? Pinterest is enabling bloggers to get crazy amounts of traffic to their blogs! If you have some basic graphic design skills, you can offer to make beautiful Pinterest Pins for bloggers and website owners. Market your services in Facebook Groups, through your own blog or website, social media and/or forums. Read Pinteresting Strategies by Carly Campbell to learn SO much about Pinterest! In fact, after reading this ebook, I changed my whole Pinterest strategy. You’ll learn what makes a great Pin in Chapter 5.

Become an online instructor. This idea is one of the more lucrative things to sell and do to make extra money! If you have knowledge in a specific field (or more than one field), consider sharing your knowledge and reaching millions of students around the globe through Udemy. Once your course is live on Udemy’s marketplace, students will be able to discover and purchase it. You earn money every time a student purchases your course. Check out Udemy for a full list of course categories.

Part-Time Side Hustles to Earn Extra Money

Become a Secret Shopper. This is one of the most fun things to sell and do to make extra money! Becoming a secret shopper or mystery shopper as it’s also called, can be a great way to earn money if you’re a stay-at-home mom or dad. Secret shopping can be done on weekends, and often while kids are in tow. If you hold a full-time position outside the home, mystery shops can be completed at lunchtime if near your place of work. Read Become a Secret Shopper – Best Work at Home Job For Stay at Home Moms and Dads.

Become a face painter. You don’t need to be a professional painter or even a professional face painter to make money by face painting. Read Small Face Painting Designs on Kids – Great Home Business!

Start a pet sitting business. Turn your love of dogs into a money-making opportunity! This is one of the best and easiest ways to earn extra income from home. My sister has a great part-time pet-sitting business and has a full-time job. This is a great way to earn money to pay down debt, add to a savings account, or to pay for something you want or need. Read Start a Pet Sitting Business the Easy Way.

Sell your designer clothes and accessories. There’s always a demand for gently used designer clothing at great prices. Sell your designer clothing and accessories on TheRealReal.com or Tradesy.

Make money with discounted gift cards. We all know we can save money with discounted gift cards. How about learning to MAKE MONEY with discounted gift cards? Read Discounted Gift Cards Can Make You Money.

Sell things you make with a Cricut machine. Making money with Cricut machines is virtually limitless! If you don’t already own a Cricut cutting machine, you would have to invest in one. It wouldn’t be hard to make your money back quickly once you learn how to use your machine, and what Cricut projects to sell. Read Cricut Projects to Sell: Cricut Explore Air Business Ideas to Make Extra Money and 5 Best Cricut Vinyl Projects to Make and Sell.

Practice arbitrage. Learn the practice of arbitrage to buy and sell items for a profit. Read The Practice of Arbitrage to Earn Extra Cash From Home.

Sell your clothes at Plato’s Closet or Style Encore. I like these two places because they pay cash on the spot, however, if you don’t have one of these stores near you, consider selling your clothes and accessories at a local consignment shop.

Deliver pizzas. Delivering pizzas is a great part-time side hustle to make extra money. My son decided to deliver pizzas over winter break from college and earned just shy of $1,000 which was his goal. In fact, Dave Ramsey often tells people on his radio show to deliver pizzas as a way to earn extra money to get out of debt!

Even More, Money Making Ideas

Take a work-from-home part-time job you find on Craigslist. Check out these savvy techniques for part-time job seekers!

Be a tutor. Do you have expertise in a specific subject or are you a teacher looking for a way to make extra money in your spare time? Are you a retired teacher, or teacher turned stay-at-home mom? One-on-one learning is a popular choice for many students who are having difficulty in school. Check out Wyzant.com, an amazing platform to connect tutors with students. Wyzant is an easy and effective way to build and manage your own successful tutoring business.

Become a delivery partner with UberEats. If you prefer to deliver food instead of people, check out UberEats and deliver food in your community. It’s kind of like Uber but you would be delivering food from local eateries!

Sell home-baked goods. If you love to bake, consider turning this fun hobby into a part-time money-making job! You can offer cookies or other baked goods for sale in your own home baking business. Read Homemade Cookies for Sale – Great Home Business For This Engineer Turned Baker.

Creative Money Making Ideas

Host an experience on Airbnb (Yes, you can rent a room through Airbnb, but did you know you can get paid to host an experience?)

Rent out your car. Check out the site Turo if you’re interested in this extra money idea.

Participate in medical research. I did this in college and you can make decent extra money from this! Check out Clinical Connection and see if there are any studies you qualify for in your area.

Sell Vision Board Making Classes. Learn how to make a Vision Board and teach classes to others in your community on how to make their own. Get your feet wet by learning all you can about making Vision Boards, then offering a free class to family members or friends. Check out The Complete Guide to Vision Boards.

Offer your musical talent at weddings. Do you play the violin, flute, trumpet, piano, harp, or organ? These instruments sound great in the church at the ceremony, or at cocktail hour before the reception begins.

Host an art or creativity camp or classes for kids. Turn your expertise and talent for art or creative thinking into a money-making venture.

Sell what you make or sew at your own home parties. For instance, I have a friend who sews unique purses and scarves and holds home parties in her house around the holidays and Mother’s Day to sell them.