Yes, you need to manage the money that you make.

Yes, you need systems to maximize your money.

But the fact is, these systems only work when you feed them.  

If you don’t have enough money coming in, you’re always going to feel like you’re struggling just to make ends meet. And you’ll never be able to make meaningful progress towards your big picture goals.

While you can always look for new ways to cut back, scrimp and save, eventually, you’re going to run out of things to cut back on. Your capacity to earn more, however, is unlimited.

 

[clickToTweet tweet=”Your capacity to earn more is UNLIMITED!” quote=”Your capacity to earn more is UNLIMITED!”]

 

Which is why I’m SUCH a fan of making more money.

And not just someday, but as soon as possible. Like NOW!

Wherever you are on the income scale, an investment banker earning six figures or a barista making $10 an hour, know that you can earn more money. And you don’t have to wait on anyone or anything to start.

Here are 40 ways to make more money now. Pick and choose which strategies work best for you, your goals and your timeline.

Just don’t make excuses…

 

Make More Money Now: At Work

 

1. Ask for a raise. This is the most common and direct way people make more money. They ASK for it from their employers.

And most of the time, they’re successful.

 

75 percent of people who ask for a raise, benefit from some sort of salary increase.

 

Unfortunately, only 43 percent of people have ever asked for a raise in their current field. Which means that most of us are leaving money on the table!

• If you think your work is adding significant value to your organization and you’re not being fully compensated for that value
• Or if your role has expanded far beyond what you were originally hired to do
• Or if you’ve exceeded expectations, contributing substantially to your employer’s bottom line…

… Consider asking for a raise.

But before you knock on your boss’ door, do some market research and consider your negotiation strategy.

 

 

2. Raise your rates. If you’re a freelancer or self-employed, consider raising your rates.

Not only will this net you more money, it’s also great way to practice your negotiation and client-management skills.

In fact, consider raising your rates even if you don’t need the extra money. Without the added pressure of needing the money, you may find it’s easier to ask for more. And c’mon, who doesn’t want more?

 

3. Get a new job. The average raise a salaried employee could expect in 2017 was just 3%.

But switching jobs can net you an average pay increase of 10% – 20% (or more!)

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Might be time to update that resume!

 

4. Become an entrepreneur. If getting a new job is the easiest way to explode your earnings, becoming an entrepreneur is probably the hardest.

But is it the most rewarding? I certainly think so.

And if your goal is to create passive income, becoming a digital entrepreneur could be the way to go. (Starting a blog is always a good place to start.)

 

5. Take part in work perks.  Check with your manager or HR department to learn about potential cash perks for getting certifications, taking additional trainings or being a top performer.

And whatever you do, don’t dismiss the value of your benefits!

 

The value of insurance, retirement plans, employer matches and other tax-deferred savings plans can add as much as 30 percent to the value of your salary.

 

Find out what you have access to so you can take full advantage of it!

[clickToTweet tweet=”The value of employer benefits can add as much as 30% to the value of your salary. Make sure you’re taking advantage!” quote=”The value of employer benefits can add as much as 30% to the value of your salary. Make sure you’re taking advantage!”]

 

Make More Money Now: In Your Spare Time

 

6. Become a Turk. Amazon Mechanical Turk is a service that pays you small amounts of money to do simple tasks like taking surveys and answering questionnaires. But keep in mind, it’s hard to crack minimum wage working as a Turk.

Consider using Turk tasks as a way to make use of time that you’d otherwise spend playing candy crush or scrolling through Instagram (think on the bus or waiting in line).

 

7. Take online surveys. If you’ve ever wasted time taking quizzes like Buzzfeed’s “Which Hot Sauce Are You?”, you might like this one. Sites like SwagBucks, Opinion Outpost, Nielsen Digital Voice and PineCone Research will pay you to take online surveys.

Again, this shouldn’t be your sole income strategy, but it’s a good way to make more money in your otherwise idle time.

 

8. Proofread. If you’re a master proofreader and editor, you can work remotely, correcting documents on Scribendi.

 

9. Work on TaskRabbit. Have any basic handyman, lawn care or personal assisting skills? TaskRabbit is a service that connects people who need help with someone like you.

You can offer services that range from furniture assembly to standing in line for the latest iPhone.

 

10. Deliver groceries. According to Postmates, you can earn up to $25 an hour delivering food. And that doesn’t include tips. (Or the pleasure of smelling pad-thai for twenty minutes as you drive across town).

 

11. Drive around. Become an Uber or Lyft driver. The pros: convenience, flexibility, easy entry into the field.

Cons? Hidden costs, safety risks and increased road rage. My friend Martin at Studenomics shares more on the ins and outs of making more money with ridesharing.

 

12. Clean. Use your house-cleaning skills to make cash. Check out services like Handy where cleaners can make up to $25 an hour.

 

Like other service apps (Uber, Lyft, TaskRabbit, Postmates, etc), you get to decide where and when you work by choosing the jobs that are the best fit for your skills and schedule.

 

13. Teach a class. Fluent in Spanish? Have an accounting degree? It’s time to brush up on your skills and start make money for sharing what you know.

Local community centers and online programs are always looking for experienced, knowledgeable professionals to teach courses. More of a gym rat? Consider teaching a bootcamp or Zumba class.

 

14. Become a tutor. If you have previous teaching or tutoring experience, it’s easy to make up to $40 an hour doing online or in-person tutoring. Advertise on Craigslist, tutor.com or wyzant.

 

15. Become a virtual assistant.  If you don’t have the time to become a personal assistant, or you want to make money on your own time while lounging around in your pajamas, consider becoming a virtual assistant.

Starter VAs can make $20 – $40 an hour from the comfort of their couch. Check out this e-course on becoming a VA.

 

16. Make cocktails. Or wait tables. Or serve coffee. Working in service is a flexible side gig and, depending on where you work, can pay really well. A bartender’s average hourly wage is $11.59. But that doesn’t take into account the tips. And tips. And tipsssss$.

Even if you’re not planning on spending every night slinging cocktail shakers, this is a reliable way to line your wallet on free nights and weekends.

 

17. Babysit. I made anywhere from $15-25 an hour when side hustling as a babysitter. The best part was, when the kiddos were in bed, and I got paid to hang out and work on my blogging side hustle.

 

18. Make some furry friends. Here’s a great resource on how you can make $400 a week as a pet sitter.

 

19. Be a house sitter. Live like a millionaire, and get paid for it. Find out how to get paying house-sitting gigs here!

 

20. Get artsy. If you’re the kind of person who brings her knitting project into the movie theater, or is always making handmade gifts for her friends, consider making your hobby into a profitable (and tax deductible) business.

Worst case scenario, you still get to write off your yarn.

 

21. Resell on Amazon and eBay. There are plenty of people out there who make money by finding products and reselling them on Amazon and eBay. In some cases, you can even become a wholesaler and get access to lower pricing by purchasing large quantities of a product then selling them for more individually.

 

22. Start a blog. This isn’t exactly a get cash quick strategy, I admit. But speaking from experience, starting a blog is one of the most flexible, low cost ways to build a sustainable extra income stream.

Check out my free 5 days to a better blog email course to get started on the right foot.

 

23. Sell your media. And they say that social media is waste of time! If you’re an Instagram celebrity, now’s the time to make it work for you. Sign up for Twenty20 and get paid for your pics.

 

24. Offer a digital gig. What can you do for $5? Design a logo, record a quick voice over, make a customized meal plan?

Whatever it is, try listing it on Fiverr to make some $$ in the digital ‘gig economy.’

 

25. Buy real estate. You have to spend money to make money, isn’t that what they say? Well, if you’re feeling motivated to spend a lot of money, think about buying an investment property.

If you do it thoughtfully, you could build a nest egg for your retirement AND start bringing in additional monthly income right now.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not an expert on real estate investing. But my dear friend and real estate investment extraordinaire Paula, from Afford Anything is – check out her amazing post on income properties.

 

Make More Money Now: At Home

 

26. Get a roommate. Having a roommate is a great way to make more money  in New York City (and/or save on your rent), but even if you’re not a big city dweller, renting out an extra room can be a major money maker.

 

27. Rent out your garage. Not only will you make money by renting out your garage, but you’ll be forced to go through all the stuff that’s been piling up in there since the 90’s. Who knows, you might even be able to rent our some of the items you unearth… (See #31).

 

28. Become a vacation host. If you know your house is going to be vacant for a certain period of time, consider renting it out on VRBO or AirBNB.

Or, if you have a friend or significant other to bunk with, sublet your apartment on the weekends, or when you take vacations.

Just be sure to check the housing rules and regulations in your state and city.

 

29. Rent out your car. This is a genius way to make more money off your car that would otherwise be sitting around, unused.

Using a sites like Getaround, you can rent your car directly from your office parking lot.

While you’re on vacation, you can rent it out for weeks at a time, making more money to help offset those vacation costs.

 

30. Lease your parking spot. Depending on where you live, parking spots can net you big bucks. Check out Spot in most major US cities and Parklee in NYC.

 

31. Rent out your tools. Use sites like Zilok or Loanables to rent out your lawnmower, your sewing machine or even your Xbox. You can rent out just about anything.

 

32. Rent out your clothes. If you’ve got any designer labels hanging around in your closet – tops, shoes, dresses, handbags – you can rent them out for extra cash on the fashion sharing platform, StyleLend.

 

33. Do some spring-cleaning. Ready to downsize or get rid of that unopened Cuisinart sitting on your pantry shelf? Well, feel free to give it to me sell it.

For DVDS, CDs, books, games and tech, try selling on Decluttr to make some quick cash. If it’s old clothes you’re trying to get rid of, try selling on Swap.com.

For the odds and ends there’s always Craigslist (and garage sales).

 

Make More Money Now: Odds and Ends

 

34. Become an expert thrifter. If you’re already spending your weekends digging through thrift shops and vintage stores for amazing finds, it might be time to take your skills to the bank.

Find brand name clothes and rare vintage collectibles, then resell them online on ThredUp or Poshmark.

 

35. Resell concert tickets. This is for all you music geeks out there who always know about the hot new artists before I do. Buy tickets to shows that are going to sell out, then resell the tickets before the show at 2-3x the price you paid.

Here’s how to do it – legally.

 

36. Participate in a focus group. Instead of sharing your unsolicited opinions for free on Facebook, start sharing your opinions for money.

Companies and research centers pay a lot for focus group participants. All you have to do is show up and talk.

 

37. Be a mystery shopper. Get paid to hit up restaurants, fast food joints, big box retailers, car dealerships, and more by answering a few questions about your shopping experience.

My friends over at His & Her Money share how they made over $400 as mystery shoppers in this video.

 

38. Lay down the law. Help lawyers identify flaws and strengths in their legal cases by serving as an online juror. Here are some sites to get you started.

 

39. Be a long distance driver. Take Uber on a road trip. A new service called Roadie connects long distance drivers (or road trippers) with items and pets that need delivery.

In other words, you can paid to go on trips you’re already planning!

 

40. Become a tour guide. Offer an insider’s guide to your home city by becoming a tour guide with a unique offering on Vayable.com. Here in New York, offerings range from Chinatown food tours to sunset sails on the Hudson. Consider what kinds of experiences you can offer visitors – and get paid!

 

When Is Making More Money Worth It?

 

I know that might seem like a strange question, but it’s important to note that not every opportunity for extra income might be right for you (even if it means saying no to more money).

While a side hustle can be a great way to supplement your income, there are a few considerations to keep in mind.

 

First, consider the goal of your extra income endeavors.

 

For example, if you’re having a wedding in a year, maybe you decide you want to earn an extra $200 each week by babysitting on the weekends to afford your dream dress.

Or if your goal is to break into a new industry, maybe you do some virtual assisting for someone already working in that industry so that you can learn the lingo and the landscape.

Or if your goal is to increase your income in a meaningful way long-term, you may choose a side hustle that doesn’t bring in much in the beginning, but lays the groundwork for a scalable revenue model in the future, honing your unique skills to meet the needs of your specific client base.

In other words, your side hustle goal should inform your side hustle approach.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Your side hustle GOAL should inform your side hustle APPROACH.” quote=”Your side hustle GOAL should inform your side hustle APPROACH.”]

 

Second, remember, extra income is not the same as ‘get rich quick’

 

Many of these additional earnings opportunities require  a lot of hard work and sometimes, it can take a long time before you even get paid and start seeing a real return (like blogging).

That said, some side hustles have the potential to become extremely lucrative (also like blogging).

But serious income growth doesn’t happen overnight, so align your expectations accordingly and be prepared to put in the work.

 

 

Finally, remember that choosing what you do next doesn’t mean choosing what you’re going to do forever.

 

Like any extra earnings endeavor, you don’t need to know exactly how you’re going to arrive at your income goal to take the first step towards it.

 

[clickToTweet tweet=”You don’t need to know exactly how you’re going to arrive at your income goal to take the first step towards it.” quote=”You don’t need to know exactly how you’re going to arrive at your income goal to take the first step towards it.”]

 

So dive in, have a willingness to get started, then pivot as you learn.

Ultimately, the best opportunities don’t arise until you’re already in motion.

Consider your extra income goal and use the resources above to research two or three side hustles that might help you get there, using these side hustle criteria to decide which, if any, added earnings prospect will be the best fit for meeting your extra income goals in 2018.

I’m confident you can use at least ONE of these ways to earn more money this year!

 

Let me know which looks the most appealing to you in the comments, and give me a shout out if I’ve missed one of your favorite ways of making extra cash.