41 Quick Money Making Ideas That Actually Work

Looking for easy and quick ways to make money that actually work?
We’ve got you covered!
I have compiled a list of money making ideas that you can use to earn an extra $10, $20, $50, or even $100 fast.

1. Swagbucks

Wouldn’t it be nice to get paid for doing things you already do online?
Swagbucks pays you for doing what you already do online — watching videos, shopping, playing games, signing up for websites, etc.
It is a great way to earn a good amount of income on the side in your free time. You can easily earn an extra $50 a month or so (although there are some people who manage to make way more than $50 a month.)
To increase your earnings, refer your friends and family. You get paid for every person you refer to the site.
By the way, visitors of MoneyPantry get a $5 sign up bonus now.
Use this link to Get Your $5 Sign up Bonus!

2. BookScouter

If you ever asked yourself “how to make 50 dollars in an hour”, this is how.
This is probably the easiest way for anyone to make quick cash. It is so easy that even a 13-year-old kid can do.
How many old and unused books you have sitting in your basement or bookshelves getting dusty?
Plug them into BookScouter and instantly see who, out of 40 or so book buy back sites, will pay you the most for each one. All it takes is entering your book’s ISBN and hitting enter. Click on the highest paying offer, visit the site and request a free prepaid shipping envelope to send your books in. In a few days, you will receive your money.
You can take this one step further and make it a nice side business that earns you extra cash month after month. I wrote a detailed guide on how to buy and sell used books here.

3. Claim your (lost) money

This is probably one of the easiest ways to get some quick cash that actually belongs to you that you may not even know it.

Simply visit Unclaimed.org to check if the state where you have resided holds money that you failed to claim – think old paychecks, rebates, refunds, etc.
It’s like getting free money.

4. Fiverr

Five or $5 at least for each task. Tasks like writing a love letter for someone special or for attempting to consume one tablespoon of nutmeg while being filmed.
Advertise and sell your services for $5 or more.

5. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk is the place where you can earn cash by doing various gigs.
Tasks can be things like creating product descriptions, choosing the best picture for a given product, and whatever else the client needs to get done.

6. UserTesting

Look and search through somebody else’s website and earn some cash.
You’ll need to determine what part or aspect of the website can be difficult or confusing for the normal user of the website.

7. Get Paid to Take Surveys

Market research companies pay people to participate in their online surveys. You can earn anywhere from $1 to $50 or more per survey.
You can find a list of cash paying survey sites here.

8. Get Paid to Test Products

Product testing is real. Not only you get the product for free to test, you also receive compensation.
Companies like Concepts Consumer Research pay $20 to $1000 for performing product evaluations.

9. Become a Secret shopper

Getting paid for shopping may sound like a scam (and there are mystery shopping scams out there), but it is a legitimate and real industry.
To avoid scams and find legit mystery shopping companies check out North America’s Mystery Shopping Providers Association

10. Babysit

Hey, this job isn’t limited to teenagers only. Browse through sites like Sittercity and Care.com to land your baby-sitting job.

11. Petsit

Imagine playing with a puppy or a cat and getting paid for it. Ask within your circles such as your friends and family members to take care of their pets for a fee.
You can also join a national service like Fetch! Pet Care.

12. TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit is the site which hooks you up with those that will shell out money for different chores within your locality.
These tasks vary, from light carpentry to getting those take-out food at restaurants.

13. Agent Anything

This site creates “ agents” out of university students who do tasks for a fee.
According to the site, they have in the last 2 years made these students or “ agents” do tasks such as being the errand boys or girls of busy working moms, testers of beta for startups, short term workers for small businesses.

14. eBay

The grandfather of all selling websites. You can auction almost anything of value at eBay.

15. Craigslist

Just like eBay, one can sell almost anything and everything from shoes to cars. Try hooking up in person with the buyer and get cold cash.

16. Hold a Garage Sale

Holding a garage sale is one of my favorite ways of making quick cash. De-clutter your home, get rid of the stuff you don’t need and earn money.

17. Sell Used Games, DVDs and CDs

Grab those stuff such as video games, DVDs and even CDs and bring them to your local resellers.
Or try selling your used DVDs, CDs and even video games on one of these sites.

18. Zaarly

Zaarly is one of those sites that link workers with people within their community who will pay for different tasks and errands to be completed.

19. Bonanza

You want to get rid of your used and new items?
Then try this marketplace. You even dictate your own selling price for the items, while they get a minimal fee for each item you sell through them.

20. Half.com

It is a website that’s owned by eBay, and is a convenient platform for you to sell your books, textbooks, DVDs and other small items.

21. Sell Unused Gift cards

Do you have those gift cards that are of no use to you anymore?
Get rid of them and get paid by going to resellers like CardPool or CardCash.

22. Craft Fairs

Are you the artsy-crafty type?
Then head to your local craft fairs and start selling your wares.
Alternatively, you can all check FestivalNet.com for the dates of events within your locality.

23. Rent out Your Room

You can have your room rented out or even that couch of yours to travelers.
Check out sites like Airbnb. But make sure to check the regulations within your community as some do not allow renting out rooms.

24. Sell on Amazon

Another buying site to sell off items that are barely used. You can sell your slightly used or new and unopened items here.
Take note, that there are fees for selling which starts at 99 cents per item.

25. Clean gutters

During the fall season why not ask your neighbors if they want their gutters cleaned out.

26. Rent out Your Home

Are you going out of town for a few days?
Then why not have someone use your home while you’re away and get paid for it?
Maybe you have another house that you don’t use. You can convert it to a vacation house for travelers. Find guests through sites like HomeAway.

27. Shovel snow

Shoveling snow for money is a great way to make some cash in winter. If there’s snow, then ask around for those who want to have their driveways and walkways shoveled for a price.

28. Housesit

Similar to baby sitting except that you look after a house. Do you have friends or even neighbors who have to temporarily leave their homes?
Why not try asking them to look out for their houses, collect their mail or take care of the plants while they are away?
And if you don’t know anyone who’s going away, you can try looking online at job portals such as Mindahome.com.

29. Sell Your Artwork

Etsy is a growing venue for the artists and crafters that lets you sell anything from paintings to knitted scarves.
And if Etsy isn’t enough, check out this list of Etsy alternatives.

30. DeviantART

Market your photographs, classic prints, and digital works.

31. Sell Your Old Cellphone for Cash

Why store your unused smartphones? Might as well sell them to one of these sites.

32. Clean Pools

This could be a big money maker if you know how to make and keep the pool water sparkling.

33. ArtFire

You can sell your art works on this site.

34. Sell Plasma

Donating plasma for cash can earn you an extra $260 a month. Local blood banks or even hospitals are good places to check.

35. RedBubble

Are you an artist, then RedBubble will help you turn your creation into posters, T-shirts and stickers.
You design, and they will take care of the marketing and shipping.

36. Society6

Similar to RedBubble but offers more variation like tote bags, throw pillows and laptop skins.

37. Sell Your Hair

Yes, you can actually sell your hair. There are sites that pay good money for good hair.

38. Participate in Clinical Trials

Participating in paid clinical trials is a great way to earn extra cash. Medical researchers will shell out money if you take part in their clinical tests.
Depending on the study, you are paid anywhere from $50 to $10,000 or even more for longer studies.
Browse ClinicalConnection.com for more info.

39. Mow Lawns

The perfect quick money making idea for college students and teenagers.
The only equipment you’ll need is a lawn mower, then go find your customers. You can start by going around the neighborhood to offer your services.

40. Be a Mover

If you’re an owner of a truck, then ask your friends to move stuff for them to earn cash.

41. Gigwalk

As long as you have a smartphone, then you can earn additional bucks with this one. You will be doing small tasks such as mystery shopping, testing apps, or taking photos.

Final words

There you have it, 41 ideas for making some quick cash.
Now, “quick” is a relative term here.
A lot of the ideas mentioned here aren’t for making quick cash as in “make $100 in one hour”.
The main purpose of this post is to show you that there are tons of options out here.
Hopefully, you have found a few money making ideas that can earn you fast cash, or at least this post has gotten your creative juice flowing so you can come up with your own quick and easy money making ideas.