9 Best Ways You Can Absolutely Make Money

With job postings still scarce, job security dissipating, and wages seemingly stagnant at best, many people are trying to establish some security by creating multiple streams of income. It’s a smart strategy, but if you have trouble leaving your home or primary position to get to a second job, you’ll find yourself frustrated and stressed out.

Perhaps you’re raising kids and you’re committed to not using daycare. Maybe you’re a little older and can’t commit to a full-time job. Or you might be injured or disabled, making it difficult for you to leave your home each day. Whatever your reason is, if you’re stuck at home most of the day, you’ve probably thought about the income you could be making by taking a work-from-home job or running your own business.

Good news: There are plenty of legitimate ways to earn extra money sitting right where you are right now. Some of them involve starting your own small business, while others mean working for someone else using your home as an office.

These endeavors aren’t without traps and challenges, though, so before we take a look at some legitimate ways to make money from your home, let’s review a few things that you should avoid. Unfortunately, if you want to earn an honest living from home, you’re also a common target of scammers, especially in these economically tough times. But if you keep these simple rules in mind, you won’t become a victim of one of the many work from home scams.

Legitimate Ways to Make Money from Home

Let’s look at a few real ways you can work from your home and make the extra cash that you and your family need.

1. Downsize and Declutter: Sell Your Unwanted Stuff

Before you really roll up your sleeves and monetize your personal or professional skills, why not right-size your life? Selling your unwanted stuff is a great way to downsize and declutter your life while earning some income on the side. If you’re transitioning to full-time work-at-home status, that income could provide a critical boost to your plans for a proper home office, or allow you to maintain your lifestyle during lean times without resorting to voluntary simplicity.

When it comes to at-home income, selling your unwanted stuff is the definition of “low-hanging fruit.” Even if you’re resolutely intentional in your purchasing habits, you surely have possessions that you can do without: old kids’ clothing and toys, disused sporting goods, out-of-fashion wardrobe accessories, electronics, entertainment, valuable but non-sentimental keepsakes such as watches and jewelry, broken-in furniture, dusty tools and outdoor equipment, and perhaps even big-ticket items like a motorcycle or second car.

The real question is: how and where do you sell all that stuff?

Sell Your Old Stuff Online With Decluttr

Start online.

One of the best places to sell unwanted personal possessions is Decluttr, a website that buys used items directly from consumers. Unlike trade-in marketplaces such as Gazelle and auction websites such as eBay, Decluttr doesn’t act as a middleman between buyers and sellers. Rather, it’s best understood as a bulk buyer: an enterprise with deep pockets and an unsatiable appetite for used consumer products.

Decluttr specializes in entertainment (digital and analog) and consumer technology: books, DVDs, CDs, Blu-rays, games, tablets, laptops, smartphones. That makes it an excellent choice for folks looking to reuse and recycle technology products and reduce electronic waste, which is particularly damaging to the environment and human health.

Decluttr is easy to use. Grab an unwanted item, check that Decluttr buys it (for instance: CDs are great, old clothing is not), and enter its barcode into Decluttr’s “valuation engine” or use your Decluttr smartphone app (iOS and Android) to scan your item directly.

You’ll receive an instant price quote that you can accept or decline with no obligation. If you accept, just pack your items into a box large enough to fit them, slap a free Decluttr shipping label on it, and bring it to any authorized UPS location (including drop boxes, if your box contains fewer than 25 items). D

issues your payment the day after your item arrives by PayPal, direct deposit, or paper check. There’s no practical limit to the number of items you can sell: each order is technically limited to 500 items, but you can create as many orders as you like in any given timeframe.

Decluttr has some crucial advantages over other online selling platforms:

Next Day Payment: When you sell on Decluttr, you receive payment within 24 hours after the sale completes and the item arrives at the new owner’s address. That’s substantially faster than many online consignment platforms, which tend to have more flexible payment terms. And it’s much more predictable than auction sites or venues for third party sellers (including Amazon), which typically allow buyers and sellers to work out their own payment arrangements.

No Sales Commissions or Auction Fees: Since it acts as the sole buyer of products sold through its website, Decluttr doesn’t have to charge commissions on completed sales, nor auction listing fees. When you sell on an auction site, you need to accept both types of fees – and, in many cases, a steep haircut on your take-home earnings.

Free Shipping: You don’t have to pay to ship your sold items to Decluttr. Shipping costs are factored into the price Decluttr is willing to pay for the items it buys. All you need to do is box up your item and drop it at a UPS location.

Bulk Selling: For all practical purposes, you can sell as many items as you like on Decluttr. If you reach the 500-item-per-order limit, just start a new order. This is a big advantage for folks staring down huge boxes of old DVDs, CDs, and textbooks. And it’s a distinct competitive edge on retail trade-in platforms, which may require users to enter their items one at a time.

User-friendly App: Decluttr is a mobile-ready platform made for selling on the go. The mobile app is a great help when you’re hunched over miscellaneous boxes in your dank basement or sweltering attic.

You can use the app to scan in your items directly and utilize Decluttr’s “valuation engine” to quickly and easily see exactly how much you can earn. Many popular online selling platforms, including eBay and Amazon, are designed first and foremost with desktop and laptop users in mind.

Other Digital Options
Decluttr is a great way to quickly offload large volumes of old stuff at a fair price, but it’s not the only digital selling option in town. Depending on the amount of effort you’re willing to give and your preferred sales model, these alternatives are worth considering:

eBay: eBay is one of the most popular websites in the world, period. That means it’s a great way to attract lots of eyeballs to your unwanted items, fast. Initially designed as an auction site for DIY sellers, it’s now primarily a venue for fixed-price (though often heavily discounted) sales by professional merchants.

Still, as long as you include high-quality photographs and thorough descriptions in your product listings, you can likely break through the noise. eBay’s fee schedule is complex, but as a general rule, expect to lose 10% of your final selling price to the site’s commission.

Amazon: Many people don’t realize that Amazon is a haven for third party sellers, including regular Joes and Janes cleaning out their attics and garages. If you plan to sell more than 40 items per month on Amazon, consider registering as a professional seller.

You’ll need to pay a $39.99 monthly subscription fee, a referral fee that usually ranges from 6% to 20%,  and a $1.35-per-item closing fee for media items. You won’t pay the $0.99-per-item selling fee, however. Alternatively, register as an individual seller. The fee schedule is the same as for professionals, except you do have to pay the selling fee and don’t have to pay the subscription fee.

Craigslist: Craigslist is definitely the scrappiest of the major online resale options. The advantage of Craigslist is its enticing profit potential, thanks to the total lack of listing and selling fees for most items. The disadvantages are many, but include potential safety risks and higher chances of nonpayment. If you do choose Craigslist, keep your wits about you and use the buddy system.

Trade-in (Resale) Marketplaces: There are plenty of other places to sell your stuff online, especially if they’re electronic. Popular and reputable online resale marketplaces include Gazelle, USell, and MaxBack. Major retailers such as Best Buy have extensive trade-in programs as well, as do national carriers such as Verizon and AT&T.

Hold a Yard or Garage Sale
Prefer to do things the old fashioned way? Sell whatever you can’t or don’t want to offload online at a garage sale instead.

Set a Popular Time and Date: Most garage sales happen on weekends, and for good reason – that’s when the most people are out and about, seeking great deals on great finds. To maximize your exposure, consider a three-day event over a long weekend. If you live in a cold climate, wait until the weather warms.

Make Sure You’re Legal: Before setting up your sale, make sure it’s legal to do so in your community. There’s a good chance you’ll need a permit, but getting one is usually a formality and rarely requires a substantial financial investment.

Advertise Locally: Advertise your garage sale in appropriate local venues: your city’s Craigslist page, community social media sites such as Nextdoor, your local newspaper (online and in print, if applicable), and any relevant local publications (such as neighborhood magazines or your Patch outlet).

Put Up Wayfinding Signs: Don’t assume that every prospective buyer will find his or her way to your place via Google Maps or Waze. Put up wayfinding signs in visible locations around your neighborhood, ideally on main roads leading to your street and multiple street corners in your home’s immediate vicinity.

Research Pricing (And Set Fair Starting Prices): Before setting prices for each item, research your local Craigslist website and (if possible) nearby yard sales to get a sense of how to price them.

Remember that many buyers will try to haggle – so set prices a bit higher than your bottom dollar, but not so high that you’ll scare off first bids. 10% to 15% is a good rule of thumb. Consider bunching low-value items, such as old CDs, into lots of five or 10, or offer x-for-$y deals.

Accommodate Multiple Forms of Payment: Many deal-seekers carry cash, but you want to accommodate every potential buyer. So, in the days leading up to the event, consider purchasing a point-of-sale system that can accept credit cards. Square is a popular and relatively cost-effective option:

It doesn’t cost anything upfront and bundles credit card processing fees into its own per-transaction fees, resulting in a net expense of 2.75% for most transactions (net of $97.25 for every $100 charged). This is a small price to pay to capture the ever-growing cashless consumer demographic.

On the day before the sale, visit the bank and grab $100 in small bills and coin rolls to ensure you’ll have enough change for buyers who do prefer cash.

2. Start Investing

If you’re not investing, you’re missing out on some serious income. The typical online savings account gives you anywhere from a 1% to 2% return on your money; by contrast, the stock market has returned an average of nearly 10% over the past century.

While it’s important to have your emergency fund in a high-yield savings account, you’re missing out if you’re not investing the rest. By opening an investment account with a broker such as Ally Invest, you’ll allow yourself to earn a much higher income each year.

Make sure your investment portfolio is well-diversified. This means you should invest in both stocks and bonds as well as different sectors like technology, banks, and consumer goods. Also, consider alternative investments like real estate through a platform like DiversyFund. You can also use Masterworks gives investors the opportunity to invest in fine art, which has outperformed the S&P 500 by more than 250% since 2000.

One fast-growing investment trend is micro-investing. Micro-investing helps you get into the market at a much lower entry point. Investing apps such as Acorns round up every purchase you make and invest the difference, and you can choose a portfolio that matches your risk tolerance. Sign up for Acorns and receive a $5 bonus.

3. Freelance Writing: Sell Your Words

I may as well start with something I know well. When I started out as a freelance writer 20 years ago, things were very different. I wrote mostly for magazines, and I had to rely on snail mail to send out drafts and queries. I’d wait weeks for a response from my editors. Not many people had the patience for it, and few stuck around long enough to ever start earning a real income from it.

But the Internet has changed everything. Today, you can decide to become a freelance writer and, if you’re fortunate, get an assignment that very same day. Obviously, the better your skills and training are, the better your projects and freelance writing rates will be.

Today’s freelance writers can choose from a variety of markets. You can write for magazines, either online or in print. You can blog by setting up your own site, or by writing for someone else’s. The market for new articles on the Internet is vast, and there’s plenty of work to go around.

Additionally, book publishers are always looking for the next big book. People need sales letters, white papers, website copy, and e-books. In other words, there’s an ocean of work to do, and if you’re an ambitious writer, you can dive in and profit.

There are even online courses available that will teach you how to make a full-time living from writing.

If you want to work from home as a freelance writer, consider this checklist before you get started:

Samples. You’ll need some samples before you can really begin marketing yourself. Figure out which market you want to approach first, and then find or create some related samples. For instance, if you want to try your hand at blogging, study some successful blogs, and then write a few posts of your own to use as samples. Do this for any and every market you’d want to write for.

Tools. You don’t need much to work as a home-based freelance writer, but there are some tools that you must have. The most important will be your computer. Get the fastest Internet access that you can afford. It doesn’t matter what kind of computer you get. Just make sure you’re comfortable enough to spend a lot of time with it.

Most clients will request that you submit your work as a Microsoft Word document, so make sure that whatever programs you use are compatible. In addition, because you’ll be spending so much time at the computer, make sure that you have a good work area with proper lighting.

Some clients will want to be able to reach you by phone or Skype, so have both set up and accessible. You’ll need an invoicing program, such as Quickbooks Payroll, and a good bookkeeping system to keep track of sales, orders, and accounts receivables.

Job Boards. When you’re first starting out, you’ll have to go looking for work, and the best place to do that is on one of the online job boards. Places like  Fiverr, Elance, Freelancer, and oDesk are today’s writers’ best friends.

They allow individuals and businesses to post projects, and freelancers to bid on them. Take a look around the sites, sign up for the free access in the beginning, and then begin to place bids on the projects that interest you. It will take some trial and error to find your groove, but once you do, the jobs will start to roll in.

Persistence and Commitment. You’ll need to have a good amount of persistence while pursuing freelance writing gigs. This business is subjective, and while one person may love your writing, another may not. Do your best to always produce good, solid copy and hold on to your commitment to do the best you can for your clients. Just by committing to do those two things, you’ll be miles ahead of your competition.

4. Start Taking Paid Surveys Online

Paid surveys won’t replace your full-time income, but they are a great way to earn some extra cash on the side. Depending on how many companies you choose to work with and how many surveys you take each month, you could make hundreds of dollars.

The best part is that you can complete surveys almost anytime. Take them while you’re watching TV or waiting at the doctor’s office. If you use public transportation to get to and from work, take a survey while you’re sitting on the train or bus.

If you want to increase your earning potential, it’s best to sign up for several survey companies instead of picking one. Most survey companies will even give you a small bonus just for signing up

Are you ready to start earning money from paid surveys? Here are a few of the more popular options to check out

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of our favorite survey companies because of how easy they are to use. Just sign up and wait for an email with all available opportunities. After you’ve completed a survey, you earn points you can cash in for gift cards or cash right to your PayPal account

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is probably the most well-known survey company. They have paid out over $338 million to their members. When you sign up, Swagbucks gives you a $10 bonus to get you started.

Similar to EarningStation, Swagbucks rewards you for doing more than just filling out surveys. You can earn when you watch videos, shop online, search the Web, and more. When you’re ready to cash out your Swagbucks, you can redeem them for gift cards to places such as Walmart and Amazon. You can also choose to get cash into your PayPal account.

EarningStation

Another option for earning money with surveys is with EarningStation. Signing up is easy because they allow you to do so through Facebook. They also give you a $0.50 bonus after you finish the sign-up process; it’s not huge, but it’s a start.

Surveys aren’t the only way to earn money with EarningStation. You can also get paid for activities such as reading emails, watching videos, and shopping through their partners. The payout threshold is set at $10, which is less than many other companies’.

5. Become a Pet Sitter – Get Paid to Play With Pets

How would you like to get paid to spend time with a furry, four-legged friend? When you sign up with Rover.com, you can. Rover.com gives you the chance to earn up to $1,000 on average each month. You can choose to be a dog walker, host a doggy day care, or board dogs and cats overnight in your home.

As a pet sitter, you have the flexibility that comes with running your own business. You set your own schedule and choose how much you want to charge. Plus, you can even decide what size and age of animals you’d like to take care of.

Pro Tip: According to Rover.com, sitters who board dogs or cats overnight earn twice as much as sitters who provide other services.

6. Classes: Sell Your Knowledge

Another great way to earn money from your home office is to sell your skills or knowledge by teaching classes through Udemy or Coursera. For instance, if you’re an exercise guru, you might start an exercise class in a large spacious area in your home.

People are willing to pay to learn about many fields of knowledge, from cooking and gardening to soap or candle making. Playing a musical instrument, child birthing, dancing, dog training, yoga, and even foreign languages are all great topics for expert classes.

The key is to make the class sound unique and irresistible. Don’t just teach a cooking class; come up with specialty cooking classes. You might teach a class on how to make artesian breads, or cinnamon rolls that rival Cinnabon.

The possibilities are endless, and if you consistently offer educational and fun classes, you’ll have people signing up over and over again.

But being successful at hosting your own classes requires some serious planning and attention to detail. Here is an outline of the things you’ll have to consider:

Your Idea. It’s not enough to say that you’re going to offer an exercise classes. The people considering your classes will want to know exactly what they are going to get for their money, and it will be up to you to explain it concisely and effectively.

Understand that you’re basically giving a sales pitch to potential attendees. You’ll have to really narrow down your topic.

Your Schedule. Decide in advance how often you want to teach your class, and what times will work for you. If you’re teaching a foreign language, you will want to offer structured classes that meet at the same time every week.

But if you intend to offer cooking classes, where one lesson won’t run into another, you can be a little more flexible.

Remember that you’re making a commitment that will last weeks or months, and you won’t want to end up canceling classes. Pick a schedule that you can keep.

Furthermore, carefully consider your likely attendees, and what schedule would be attractive to them. For example, if you’re planning on teaching a tutoring class, you obviously couldn’t schedule it during school hours. Likewise, a class aimed at mothers of young children will either have to include babysitting services or be scheduled at night, when they’re more likely to have help with the kids. Find the delicate balance of times that fit your prospective students’ schedules as well as your own.

Your Price. When establishing a price for your classes, start by calling around and finding out what other choices your clients have. If you plan to offer cooking classes, call some commercial establishments and other in-home teachers. Compare your own talent and experience to what they’re offering, and set a price accordingly. You should always come in a little lower than classes offered by commercial establishments as that will be one of your selling points: expert information for less money.

Your Deals. In addition to establishing a per-class price, also offer packages to entice people to sign up for more than one class. For example, if you intend to host classes on making soap, offer the classes individually, as well as in a group. Someone could take a class learning how to use fresh flowers in homemade soap, or they could buy a bundle that teaches them how to use those, fresh herbs, and plastic toys for kid’s soap. However you decide to price your classes, remember that the buyer will want to feel like they’re getting a lot for their money. If you can provide that in a fun atmosphere, they’ll likely be back time and time again – and they’ll bring friends.

Your Ads. The key to success will be in your ability to get the word out about your classes. Word of mouth will play an important role in your marketing efforts because taking classes is something that friends like to do together. Don’t just rely on friends and family, though. Post fliers in supermarkets, churches, and school bulletin boards. You’ll definitely want to have an online presence so people who are searching your area for such classes will be able to find you. You can establish one by creating a website, and then using digital media to spread your message. And don’t forget your neighborhood as a source of business. Take some time to visit your neighbors, even if you just visit one block a day, and tell them about your new business.

7. Start a Blog

If you love to write, freelance writing isn’t the only way to make money from home. You can also start your own blog. Do you have something that you’re passionate about? Maybe it’s healthy cooking, fashion, or even homebrewing beer. If so, you can start a blog to share your knowledge and expertise with others.

Starting a blog is simple. You can get a free domain name from Bluehost when you sign up for one of their hosting packages.

The best part about starting a blog is that it can lead to a sizeable income. It takes a lot of work and dedication, but it’s possible. There are a lot of bloggers who make five or six figures each month. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? To make this happen, you’ll need to understand how to reliably (and efficiently) monetize your blog. This article from DollarSprout has some great tips.

8. Bed and Breakfast: Sell Space in Your Home

If you have a spare bedroom and bathroom, and a high tolerance for other people being in your home, you may be able to make money from home by hosting people in your home. Overnight travelers are always looking for a comfortable bed and breakfast, especially since frequent travelers are often weary of hotels and motels.

Your home is certainly more attractive than the mainstream sterile environments and run of the mill decor. Savvy homeowners have been taking advantage of their spare space, and they’re making money by offering travelers a one of a kind experience in a warm, friendly environment.

The best part is that people who use bed and breakfasts are more likely to pay more for the experience. The challenge is that there’s a lot of competition in this field, so if you think earning money this way is right for you, you’ll have to set up your home in a way that makes for a memorable experience for guests. Here’s a checklist to get you started:

Location. The most successful bed and breakfasts are those that are convenient to airports, historic parts of town, or other tourist attractions. That’s because there are two types of guests who tend to frequent B&B’s: business travelers who are tired of sterile hotel rooms, and families looking for a unique experience. That’s not to say that you can’t develop a successful B&B if your home isn’t located in the perfect spot, but you might have to work harder to make it a success if it isn’t.

Comfort. Perhaps the biggest thing that you’ll need to do in order to create a successful B&B is to make sure that your guests are as comfortable as they can be. Remember, they’re paying more for the experience of being comfortable away from home. As a trial, spend a night in the room in your house that you intend to rent and view things from a guest’s point of view. Is the temperature comfortable? Is the bath in the room, or at least a comfortable distance away while still being private? Is the bed soft and inviting? The pillows? Is the bedroom interior design, including colors, soothing? Can you hear household noises, or do you feel that you’re in a world of your own? All of these are important questions to ask yourself, but the answers will determine whether or not your guests recommend your place, or come back for another stay. Think about all the minor inconveniences and discomforts that you’ve just gotten used to over the years, and remember that a paying guest might not tolerate those problems for a night. You may need to spend a little money to fix these issues.

Food. The second word in “Bed and Breakfast” is just as important as the first. Some B&Bs have tried to serve their guests muffins, juice, and coffee in the mornings, but the most successful hosts understand that the breakfast they serve will make a lasting impression on their guests. You can get creative and serve the type of breakfast traditional for the area that you’re in. For instance, if your home is located in the South, then eggs, grits, and biscuits may go over well, while Southwest guests may appreciate a traditional Tex-Mex meal. Whatever you decide, make it memorable and make sure that your guests feel welcome and appreciated. Make it memorable, and they’ll spread the word for you.

Service. Another key aspect of successful B&Bs is the level of service that the hosts provide. You’re not just offering room and board, but an experience. If they need help planning a day seeing the sites, offer to sit down with them and help them plan their itinerary. If a businessperson needs copies for a presentation, offer to go and make them. Remember, your job as host will be to make your guests’ stays as comfortable and pleasurable as possible. If you succeed, they’ll remember you the next time they travel through your town.

Advertising. You won’t have any quests until you get the word around about your room. Start locally by putting a sign in your front yard and spreading the word through friends and family. Next, build a small website and make sure that you attract the search engine spiders by using the keywords people would likely search for when looking for a place to stay in your area. In addition, there are sites that specialize in promoting specific areas and their attractions, such as HomeExchange, BedandBreakfast.com and Airbnb – your Bed and Breakfast should be listed there.

9. Start Investing in Real Estate

If you’re already investing in the stock market but want to diversify your portfolio, real estate is a great choice – and investing in real estate doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money.

Fundrise lets investors purchase real estate for as little as $500, and the average return on investment is between 8% and 11% annually. With Fundrise, you get all the benefits of being a real estate investor without the stress of dealing with tenants.

If you’re not interested in physically owning property, a company such as Roofstock is perfect for you. Roofstock is a marketplace that connects investors with property owners. They provide all the tools you need to analyze potential investments and even give you a guarantee that you’ll have a tenant within 45 days of closing.