Are you trying to figure out how to make money without a job? Or maybe you’re tired of your 9-to-5 job and yearn to do something else with your life. Thankfully, the 9-to-5 job is on its way out because you don’t need to work a boring desk job to make a living anymore!
And even if you do have a full-time job, there are plenty of side hustles that can help you earn some extra cash to use towards paying off your debt and bulking up your savings accounts.
When I say job, I mean the desk job that makes you work particular hours. For instance, working at a bank or grocery store. However, there are so many other ways to make a living on your own schedule when you want to know how to get money without a job.
Top 29 ways to make money without a job
Some of these ideas are web-based, and you can work from anywhere. Others might require special skills or that you live in a specific location. You can use these ideas as a springboard to come up with even more ideas for how to make money without a job.
1. Become a freelance writer
Do you enjoy writing? Maybe you used to have a blog, or you’re always correcting your friend’s spelling mistakes when they text you. If so, then you might want to think about becoming a freelance writer.
Freelance writing is one of the best ways to earn money without a job because it’s lucrative and flexible. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for freelance writers is $69,510 a year, or $33.42 per hour.
Also, you don’t necessarily need an English or journalism degree to begin. You can often find businesses looking for writers on social media sites like Twitter and job boards like Indeed and build your portfolio that way.
All you really need is an internet connection. And best of all, since you’re a freelancer, you get to set your own hours and decide who you want to work with.
2. Start a blog
Blogging is an interesting way to make money online without a job. So if you’re passionate about a specific topic and are good at writing, becoming a blogger can be a great option for you. You get to be your own boss, writing blog posts about whatever you want and whichever topics you enjoy.
For instance, if you prefer a variety of topics, then you could start a lifestyle blog. And it’s really easy and cheap to set up using a blogging service like WordPress.
You can make a lot of money with blogging, especially if you have a lot of followers and use affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is when you link to products, and that company gives you money for every person who buys those products after clicking on the link on your blog.
However, blogging can be a lot of work in the beginning. You’ll need to know about things like SEO, marketing, and promoting your articles on a social media account or two.
You can also add Google AdSense to earn ad revenue. Blogging is a lucrative side hustle and can be fun too.
3. Earn cash back
Who doesn’t love free money? When you use cashback apps or cards, you basically get paid to do your regular shopping. Several banks and credit cards offer this service, so check to see if yours has this offer.
You can also check out sites like Rakuten, which gives you a discount or cashback when you shop at any of their thousands of partner stores. Others, like Acorns, let you earn cashback when you shop and put that money towards your investing account. And the great part is this takes less time than a part-time job, but you can earn a bit of money.
Be careful not to spend money on things you don’t need or can’t afford. While cashback is a great way to earn extra money, it’s designed to get you to spend more cash. And going into debt just to earn a bit more money is not a strategy I would recommend.
4. Become a virtual assistant
A virtual assistant is someone who works for others as an assistant, but virtually. For example, they might help organize schedules, set up phone calls, handle social media, manage blog content, and more. Best of all, it can all be done from the comfort of your own home.
It’s easy to get started. Just figure out what skills you think you can offer your clients.
Start with just a few, like social media management or email management. Then, you can look for work at places like Upwork and slowly build up your skillset and clients from there.
5. Become a dog walker or pet sitter
Are you an animal lover wondering how to get money without a job? Then why not get paid to spend time with some furry friends!
You can earn money by offering to walk dogs and pet-sit for pet owners in your city or town. Pet sitters make around $36,188 annually or possibly more, depending on your location.
Start by advertising around your neighborhood and using social media. Find groups of animal lovers on Facebook in your city. Or you can join pet sitting sites like Rover to make money fast.
6. Housesit
If you want to travel and don’t want to pay for a hotel, then think about house sitting. You not only get paid to stay in a nice house, but you can also use the opportunity to travel or visit an area you’ve been thinking about moving to.
There are several sites to find people looking for house sitters, including TrustedHousesitters and Nomador. You may need to take care of the owners’ pets, water the plants, and clean the house, but it’s not that bad of a deal considering those are things you would probably do in your own home.
7. Sell handmade items on Etsy
Do you like to craft or paint? You can sell your handmade items on Etsy. Etsy is an online marketplace for users who make and sell their own creations.
You can sell anything from crocheted dolls to paintings, house decor, vintage items, and jewelry. And with a little bit of SEO knowledge and marketing, you can even make a living out of it.
8. Sell your used items to make money without a job
Selling your unused items is how to make money without a job; it’s easy, and it will declutter your home too! So if you have gently used items, you can sell them using apps like Vinted and Facebook Marketplace.
You can sell pretty much anything – your old clothes, electronics, old furniture, books, and even shoes and purses. So why not turn that clutter into cash!
9. Invest in real estate
Real estate is one of the more traditional ways to earn money. If you go the traditional route of buying a property and renting it out, you will need a lot of upfront capital. But you can generally get your mortgage covered and then have a little bit of extra money leftover.
But not everyone wants to be a landlord. So instead, you can invest in real estate through crowdfunding services like Fundrise and Roofstock. You can even invest for as little as $500.
The platforms take care of operating the properties while you earn money through quarterly dividends. And you’ll also gain money as the properties you’ve invested in appreciate in value.
10. Babysit
Babysitting isn’t just for high schoolers. If you love kids or even have a few of your own, you can set up a babysitting or nanny service.
You can ask family members, friends, and even your neighbors if they need a sitter. There are online sites like Care.com where you can find babysitting jobs in your area.
11. Invest in dividend stocks
Wondering, “how can I make money without a job?” One of the best ways to grow your wealth over time is to invest in stocks. While investing in the stock market often takes time, you can accelerate that growth by investing in dividend stocks.
Dividend stocks are shares of a company that gives you income for holding onto their stock, often on a quarterly basis. So, you are rewarded for holding onto the stock.
You will need to do research on investing to find the best dividend stocks for you.
12. Become a transcriber
Do you type really fast and are a good listener? Do you remember everything, even when it was said years ago? Then transcribing might be perfect for you because these are the skills that can help you succeed in this role.
A transcriber converts audio into text, and the average hourly rate for transcribers is $16 an hour. You can choose your hours and work from home or anywhere there is WiFi. All you need is a reliable computer and fast internet service.
You can use sites like Crowdsurf, Transcribme, and Rev to find transcribing gigs.
13. Make YouTube or TikTok videos
It’s easy to create and upload videos on YouTube and TikTok. All you need is a bit of creativity and a smartphone. If you’ve always wanted to have your own show or a daily vlog, it’s easy to do so by making YouTube videos for your own YouTube channel.
You can also get paid on YouTube through ads and affiliate programs. You’ll need to reach a certain amount of subscribers and views to start earning money.
TikTok is another platform where you can earn money through affiliates. Again, you’ll need to have a decent number of subscribers.
The key to both YouTube and TikTok is to create quality content consistently. You’ll also need to use the right keywords in your title and description, as well as interact with viewers to foster your community.
14. Rent out your home on Airbnb
This is a great hack for how to make money without a job. If you have a spare room or guest house, renting it out on Airbnb could be an easy way to earn money without a job.
All you need to do is sign up on the platform, take good-quality photos, decide how much you’ll charge and how many people you can accommodate, and go from there. Help people have a great vacation and make some cash.
You can choose your own dates for when you want to have guests. It’s relatively inexpensive to get started, but you will need to pay Airbnb fees and either pay to have a cleaner or take care of the cleaning yourself.
15. Write eBooks
Have you always wanted to write a book? You no longer need to have a million Instagram followers or a publisher to have your own book. In fact, the total revenue from eBooks should soon reach $13.62 billion, so writing one can help you with how to get money without a job.
With Amazon, you can publish your book on Kindle without having to pay a dime! While eBooks are priced lower than traditional books, there are no overhead costs. And with the number of people buying eBooks through Amazon, you’ll likely earn some extra money, especially if you promote your book yourself on social media.
16. Make money without a job flipping items
Have you heard of house flipping? Well, you can do the same thing with other items. Flipping is when you find cheap items, improve them, and sell them for a higher price.
You can find cheap items at thrift stores, restore them, and then resell them for a higher price. For example, you can find old furniture, repaint it (perhaps with a unique design) and then sell it online. You can even sell your items on Etsy or use Craigslist, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace to sell to people in your area.
17. Become a notary public
According to Zippia, there are approximately 9,000 Notary Publics working in the United States. Notaries play an important role in the U.S. by handling mortgage signings, notarizing trust documents, and more. It’s a good choice for how to make money without a job.
Notaries are independent contractors, so you can set up your own business. It’s also just a great skill set to have in your arsenal, and you can combine it with other services, like being a virtual assistant.
Keep in mind that each state has different rules for what you need to become a notary, so look up the rules for where you live.
18. Lose weight and make money
Want to lose a few pounds and need to know how to get money without a job? Why not get paid to do it?
With HealthyWage you can do just that. All you need to do is sign up with HealthyWage, and set a goal weight, and limit.
You can place a bet on yourself, from $20 to $500 a month. Once you achieve and maintain your goal, HealthyWage will pay you money, which can be as much as $10,000. Which is an excellent way to earn money and get healthy too!
19. Start a coaching business
Have you successfully started your own business? Do your friends and even strangers keep asking you for career advice? You can start a coaching business and get paid to help others achieve their goals.
There are many types of coaches, so first, you’ll need to decide which kind of coach you want to be.
For example, a life coach helps clients with their life goals, while a business coach helps entrepreneurs expand their companies. You can even become a financial coach to help others with their finances or a fitness coach and help others lose weight. So get started making money for your knowledge!
20. Rent out your car (Turo)
Need help paying your monthly car payments? You can earn extra cash by renting out your car on Turo.
You don’t even need to lend your car often. Hosts can cover their payments if they rent out their car as little as nine days per month.
Turo allows private car owners to rent out their cars via their online marketplace. It’s an easy way to earn money without a job, and you can even rent it out while you are working from home!
All you need to do is sign up for Turo, list your car, and determine your price. You get paid via PayPal within five days and earn 65% to 85% of the trip price.
21. Online surveys
If you’re serious about how to make money without a job, there are a lot of online survey sites where you can make money by taking surveys.
So try out Survey Junkie or Swagbucks and other survey sites and see how much money you can make as one of your side gigs.
22. Mystery shopper
If you like shopping for different merchandise, you can become a mystery shopper.
You can mystery shop and share your experience to earn some cash. It’s a great side hustle if you’re wondering how to get money without a job, and maybe you’ll get to shop in your favorite stores, too.
23. Sell your textbooks
If you’re a student looking to get a head start on the next semester, you can sell your textbooks.
Many people purchase textbooks used and will appreciate the opportunity to buy them cheaper. A good place to begin is Chegg.com.
24. Photography
Do you enjoy taking photos, and are you asking, “how can I make money without a job?” If you have a bit of talent and a camera, you can easily make money doing photography. Photographers make an average of $33,968 a year according to Zippia.
Do photo sessions for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and more. Or if you want to take photos and sell them without all the extra time involved, also try selling your photos to sites like Shutterstock.
25. TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is a site that connects people who need small, odd jobs done with people who can accomplish them. If you are a skilled gardener, can help people move things, or excel at home maintenance, you can make some money from TaskRabbit.
26. Rent out parking or storage space
If you have some extra space that’s just gathering dust, rent it out. A lot of people need a parking space during the day, and maybe yours is empty while you’re at work. And for those that have extra storage space in a garage, you can rent that too.
To get started, try an app to find someone to rent the space. However, always use caution and be careful about who you work with.
27. Deliver with Grubhub
Food delivery is fun and simple. You pick up orders for people, drive the food to them in your car, and make money.
You can also work whatever hours you want to with Grubhub, as well.
28. Make your own app
Those who have the knowledge can create an app and earn money. New apps are made all the time, so if you see a problem that can be solved with an app, such as habit tracking or financial organization, try it out.
29. Start a gardening or landscaping business
Your neighbors or friends might need someone to help keep their yards looking nice. Services like mowing a lawn, tending to a garden, and also watering flowers can make you some cash.
Try adding this to your skill set, especially in the spring and summer months.
You can make money without a job
So with a little bit of research and creativity, it’s easy to find out how to make money without a job. From pet sitting to writing services and selling used items, there is something out there for you.
So say goodbye to having to work from 9-to-5 and wondering, “how can I make money without a job”, and say hello to a flexible work schedule doing something you love!
As you try out these ideas, you can also research what to do with the money you earn. You can start investing and also begin budgeting to keep track of your income.