6 Super-Simple Ways To Make Money On The Side

No matter how hard we work, sometimes having just one source of income is not enough.

Whether it’s to help make ends meet or to fund something exciting like the purchase of a new car or a vacation, there are few among us who would turn down the opportunity to earn a bit more money. But the one thing that many of us don’t have a lot of is time.

As such, we set out to put together a list of side income sources that don’t eat up a lot of time yet have a decent pay-off. These are easy enough that they won’t detract from your full-time job, whether that’s at an office or at home taking care of kids.

Read on and start earning extra cash today!

1. Do And Find Things You Enjoy On The Side, Like Taking Surveys

Bet you didn’t know that you don’t have to do unenjoyable tasks to make passive income. For instance, with Swagbucks, people do a variety of things, from taking surveys to participating in focus groups. One woman even took her grandson to Disney World for a week and funded the entire trip through Swagbucks!

2. Get Cash Back And Perks With Credit Cards

We have talked about credit card perks (and warnings) before, and it’s worth bringing up again. If you are not using credit cards with rewards, it’s time to change that. Many rewards cards let you earn 1-5 percent back on your money. For instance, with the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card, after you spend $4,000 with the card within 90 days, you’ll be rewarded with 50,000 points worth $500 in cash (or $625 in airfare or hotels). If your spouse is an approved user on the card, you get another 5,000 points. Easy, huh? And for the first year, the annual fee is $0. So, honestly, you have nothing to lose.

Of course, other companies have rewards cards, too, and we recommend comparing and contrasting before you sign up. For instance, there’s the American Express^® Premier Rewards Gold Card and the Capital One^® Venture Card, too, but their cash, airfare and hotel value amounts are less.

3. Drive For Uber While You Are Out Running Errands

You probably know people who drive for Uber, either part-time or full-time. The great thing is, they do it on their own schedule. Even though they have an Uber boss someplace out there, Uber drivers make their own hours, driving as few or as many as they’d like per week.

One driver told me he only Ubers to and from work to make extra money. He leaves his house a bit earlier than usual and puts in his work destination address. He heads that way, then picks up a rider or two. He does the same thing on his way home. And the sweetest part? The money is automatically desposited into a fund for his wife and kids, since his wife stopped working to raise their kids. But, point being, Uber gives you flexibility.

4. Sell Your Design Ideas To Companies, For Items Like Coffee Mugs And Tee-Shirts

Do you have witty ideas and images floating around in your head or on pages of your notebook? Well, there are companies out there, like CafePress and Threadless, that could pay you for them. Yes, you can submit them for a chance to make extra money.

With CafePress, you just create and upload a design, they put that design on items such as coffee mugs and pillows, and you make money. Simple! Unlike other online stores like Etsy, you don’t have to manage your store—you allow CafePress to do the work for you.

Threadless, the company that makes cool T-shirts (and iPhone cases, etc.) based on everyday people’s ideas, is another route to go. With Threadless, you submit your design, the Threadless community evaluates and scores it and your design may be selected to be printed on Threadless items—i.e., money will be made and you can sit back and relax.

5. Put Your Photos Online

Did you know that aside from friends and family gushing over your photos on social media, people on photo sites can, too, and you can make money from your pictures? Yep, it’s true. Just check out sites like iStock and Fotolia. For instance, with iStock, they pay various amounts for photos depending on what kind of contributor you become. They pay contributors a base royalty rate of 15 percent for each file downloaded with credits, while exclusive contributors can earn up to 45 percent (!). Others get flat royalty fees when images are downloaded by subscription. Or, if you become an exclusive contributor, you can make a higher royalty rate.

On Fotolia, their website states that you can earn royalties of up to 63 percent. “There are no registration or portfolio management fees and you could potentially earn thousands of dollars every month,” they say.

Sounds like uploading pictures to photo sites is definitely worth a try. If you don’t have photos that you think fit the photo-selling bill, you can always spend a day taking some with a friend, and you can both submit some. A win-win.

6. Use Your Car For Advertising

You know those cars you see with ads on them? Well, that could be you! Explore services, like Free Car Media and Carvertise, to see how you can earn money each month—just by driving around with an advertisement on it. With Free Car Media, you can earn up to $400 per month. Once you fill out their registration form, they match you with an advertiser’s criteria and voilà! Some advertisers wrap your car in a vinyl decal while others put an ad in the rear window. But, think about it, up to $400 per month means up to $4800 per year. Think of what you could do with that extra money. (I know we will!)

Carvertise is another company that’ll pay you to turn your car into an ad-in-motion. You could make anywhere from $300-650 per ad campaign. Just be at least 21 years old, answer some questions about your driving habits and have a car that’s from 2005 or newer. You can be on the road, so to speak, to more money in no time!

With the above ways to make passive income, there are no excuses for not making some extra money on the side while exerting little effort.