Do you think it’s possible to make $100 a day without investing a small fortune in the stock market or changing jobs? There are many creative ways you can make extra money in your free time. It’s possible to even earn passive income while you sleep.
Starting a side hustle either online or in your community can give you the cash you need to pay off debt, save for the future or start investing. After all, who can’t put an extra $100 to good use?
Like anything in life, some ideas pay more than others because they require a special skill or more effort. Don’t be afraid to try a couple of these ideas to maximize your free time and see which one is the best for you.
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Make $100 a Day (or More) Locally
Your personal network can be the quickest way to make money fast. It’s not always what you know but who you know. But not every local side hustle requires you to know the right friend, family member or co-worker to find your first clients.
Keep in mind that you can also offer your services on mobile apps to connect with your community members.
1. Sell Unwanted Items
Your house, garage or storage unit can be filled with valuable things you no longer need. List your items on Craigslist and the Facebook Marketplace for free. Then you can meet interested buyers at a public place to make the sale.
Maybe you’d enjoy flipping used items for a profit. If so, you can shop local yard sales, thrift stores, and Craigslist listings to buy items at a discount. These items may need basic repairs or a good cleaning to increase their potential selling price.
You may also consider selling some of these items online at Amazon or eBay.
2. Tutor Students
Tutoring can be an easy way for college students and working adults to earn extra income. In most cases, high school math and college entrance exam tutors can charge the most money. For example, the most qualified SAT Prep tutors charge up to $250 per hour.
Even if you’re not ready to charge the highest hourly rates yet, most tutors charge at least $15 to $25 per hour regardless of the student’s grade level.
To launch your tutoring business, consider making copies of a flyer. That way, you can distribute them to school guidance counselors, libraries and community centers.
You should also advertise your services on social media and ask your friends for word-of-mouth referrals.
3. Teach a Class
Art, fitness and prep classes for college entrance exams are three of the most common classes people teach for extra money. Although, it’s possible to teach any subject students are interested in taking. You might teach from your house, a local business or a public place.
When teaching the initial classes, determine if they have an interest in advancing their skills with future classes. Offering beginner and advanced level classes is an easy way to expand your teaching income. It may also help you retain students for future classes.
4. Babysit
Watching several children each day is your best option for making at least $100 a day from babysitting. That might be serving as a nanny, daycare or watching children after school.
You may know enough parents within your personal network. Another option is listing your services on Care.com.
5. Be a Pet Sitter or Walker
You have several different ways of getting paid to care for pets. One option is to provide pet sitting services when an owner travels.
Another option is to offer grooming services. Some owners may also hire you to walk their dog or play with their pets during the work day.
It’s possible to land gigs by joining Rover or Care.com.
6. Mow Lawns
If you only need seasonal work, especially during the summer, mowing lawns is one option. The easiest way to start can be mowing lawns within your neighborhood. Having access to a truck and trailer gives you the chance to expand your range.
In addition to mowing lawns, you can offer basic landscaping services and snow removal. These tasks aren’t complex but require time and physical exertion that a homeowner may not have.
7. Pressure Wash Houses
Pressure washing exterior siding, decks and driveways are other tasks homeowners may pay you to complete. Like other local side hustles, you can ask family and friends to be your first clients. Another option is asking older residents of neighborhoods.
8. Complete Handyman Tasks
You can make a decent wage by completing home improvements and repairs. Also, you can do tasks such as assemble furniture, install TVs or help people move into a new house. TaskRabbit is one platform you can join to help your neighbors complete these difficult tasks.
9. Clean Houses
Cleaning houses can be another flexible income option. To make $100 a day, you would probably need to clean several homes a day.
Or if you live in a vacation destination, you could clean vacation rentals in between tenants. To find clients, look for leads on Craigslist and other local sales boards.
10. Rent a Spare Room
Airbnb can be one of the best ways to make extra income. You only need a spare bedroom but can earn more by renting an entire house.
Most “nice” hotel rooms cost over $100 a night. Airbnb is becoming popular with travelers because it can be cheaper and have a more relaxing environment.
But to earn more than $100 a day from your guests, you will need to rent multiple bedrooms. Private rooms usually cost less than $100 per night even in large cities like New York City.
Another way you can earn $100 a day from Airbnb is by offering experiences. You can charge a small fee for each person. If several people sign up, you reach that $100 mark with some of these experience ideas:
- City walks
- Food tasting
- Art classes
- Concerts
- Sporting events
- Photoshoots
To reach more potential guests, also consider listing your property on VRBO.
11. Drive for Uber or Lyft
If you own a car, you can get paid to drive people around in your spare time. Uber and Lyft are the two largest rideshare companies. The onboarding process is not complicated. You usually need to be at least 21 years old, have a clean driving record and a four-door vehicle.
As a rideshare driver, you can choose the hours and routes you drive. When you are ready to drive, you can check the rideshare app for available rides.
It’s also possible to earn more money driving during peak hours. And your passengers may even add a tip to the fare.
12. Deliver Restaurant Orders
Restaurants partner with delivery companies like DoorDash, Postmates and Uber Eats to transport meals to homes and offices.
The driver and vehicle requirements are more lenient for delivering food than being a rideshare driver. For instance, you can be 18 years old and deliver by car, scooter, bike or on foot.
Delivering food doesn’t tend to pay as much as being a rideshare driver. But it’s still a way to make money while having flexible hours. If you are a rideshare driver, you may consider delivering food before accepting your next route.
13. Deliver Groceries
If you own a vehicle, delivering groceries as an Instacart shopper is another way to make money. How much you earn from each delivery depends on the order and current shopping demand.
You will have the best chance of exceeding the $100 mark by delivering multiple orders on peak days. Instacart states it is possible to earn up to $25 per hour during peak times.
14. Start your Own Personal Shopping Business
You may enjoy being a personal shopper for busy executives and elderly shut-ins. They may pay you to buy groceries and run personal errands.
It’s a good idea to promote your services on social media, local community centers and your own network. Shopping apps can give you cash rewards that boost your profit potential.
Tip: Get a $10 cash bonus when you make your first $25+ purchase using Rakuten.
Make Money Online
The Internet has more purposes than being paid to watch videos and using social media. In fact, you might prefer making money online because you only need a computer and internet access in most cases. This means you can earn extra cash during your lunch break, while traveling as a digital nomad or working from home.
1. Participate in Research Studies
Online surveys are an easy way to make money. But you will have a hard time making $100 a day unless you receive a focus group invitation. One way you can earn more for your time is if you participate in research studies.
One site you might join is Respondent. They match your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles to relevant researchers. How much you earn depends on the study topic and required time commitment.
Studies with a narrow scope can pay at least $100 an hour. Other studies might pay between $10 and $40 an hour (which still pays more than the standard online survey).
2. Sell Textbooks Online
It’s possible to sell almost anything online and make a profit. Selling textbooks is one of the quickest ways to earn at least $100. This is because in-demand textbooks can retain most of their purchase value.
3. Sell Handmade Items Online
You can also sell digital and physical goods you make online. Digital items the buyer can print or download can be more profitable than selling physical items. It saves you money since you don’t have to buy materials or pay shipping costs.
Of course, not every handmade item will be digital. It’s possible to make a profit by selling items like furniture, clothing and decor on sites like Etsy, Amazon and eBay.
4. Create Custom Clothing
Creative minds can also create custom designed clothing and gifts on sites like CafePress or Redbubble. The platform prints and ships the item to the buyer upon purchase.
This means you don’t have to take the time to produce and ship each item. So you can spend that time creating more designs to reach more potential customers.
You can put your designs on these items:
- Clothing
- Hats
- Drinkware
- Home decor
- Phone cases
- Stationery
- Stickers
It’s also possible to make custom designs for customers that enjoy your current designs available for sale.
5. Dropship Items
Dropshipping is another popular way to make money selling physical goods online. To make money from this idea, you partner with a product supplier. Then you list the item on online marketplaces including Amazon and eBay.
When the buyer makes a purchase, the supplier ships the item from their warehouse. So you earn a commission, and never touch the product.
The quickest way to connect with suppliers is to use a service like Shopify. Some suppliers require a small cash investment to buy their inventory. You will recoup this initial cost as the products sell.
6. Sell Photos Online
Photographers can sell their photos and short videos online to stock photo sites like Shutterstock. This can be a fun way to monetize your hobby and share your experiences with others.
7. Tutor Online
Busy students may not have the time to meet an in-person tutor. So they may look for an online tutor instead. This can also be a good online job for college students who don’t have a car or large blocks of free time to travel off campus.
Since every session takes place online, you can tutor any day or time of the week. It’s possible to have students from all over the world.
One of the best tutoring sites to consider is Chegg. Hourly rates start at $20. And you may have the chance to tutor middle school, high school, college and professional students.
If you enjoy teaching English online to international students, you may also consider teaching on a platform like VipKid.
8. Freelance Online
There are lots of digital skills you can complete online for clients including:
- Writing
- Graphic design
- Videos
- Voiceovers
- Coding
- Customer service
Two freelancer platforms that make it easy to connect with clients are Upwork and Fiverr. How much you make depends on the gig.
There might be some days when you can make $100 from one client and other days when you may need several clients to make $100. Depending on the client, it’s possible you can secure an ongoing relationship to earn recurring income.
You get to decide how many hours you want to freelance online. And you can also try networking with others in your industry.
These relationships can provide more consistent work as your online reputation grows. With each new client, you may be able to increase your rates, so you have to work fewer hours to make $100 a day.
9. Be a Virtual Assistant
If you have strong organization skills, you might consider being a virtual assistant for online websites. How many tasks you perform varies from website to website. Common tasks can include:
- Social media management
- Editing and scheduling blog posts
- Customer service
- Invoicing
- Website management
You can “cold pitch” various websites asking if they need a virtual assistant. Or you can use a freelancer platform like Upwork. When pitching, make sure you emphasize your strengths and any relevant experience.
Another way to improve your virtual assistant skills is by taking Kayla Sloan’s $10K VA course. With several years’ experience as a virtual assistant, Kayla makes more than $10,000 a month. She shows how you can grow your online income too.
10. Write Resumes
We all know how valuable a stellar resume can be in a competitive job market. If you excel at writing or updating resumes, CVs and cover letters, you can easily charge over $100 per client. For instance, some of the highest-rated resume writers on Fiverr charge up to $250.
11. Proofread
If you have an eye for grammar, sentence structure and spotting various spelling mistakes, you may find your calling as a proofreader.
Authors, blogs and companies use proofreaders as a second pair of eyes to look for any errors before publishing an article, book or white paper. If you have technical experience, you can earn more proofreading court reports and transcripts.
12. Start a Blog
Starting a blog can require more effort than some of the other income ideas listed here. But it’s possible to earn passive income as your readership increases. Other tasks require you to continually work to make money.
In other words, you can earn regular income from posts you wrote in the past. This is done through ads and referring your readers to purchase specific products or services by using the affiliate links in your content.
Your website can also be an ideal platform to sell a course, book, product or service you create. Combining these different income streams can help you earn at least $100 a day.
13. Create a YouTube Channel
As internet speeds increase, more people use the internet to watch videos. If you’re not camera-shy, you can make money starting a YouTube channel. Being a “vlogger” is another legit way to earn residual income.
People are posting videos daily about almost every topic under the sun. You can make money with ads, sponsors and affiliate marketing.
Besides YouTube, you may also create a vlog on niche platforms. For instance, video gamers can make a regular income on Twitch.
14. Create a Course
Online courses are another way you can teach people a new skill. Once again, most courses are video-based. But if you have an in-demand skill or have information that’s too complex for a free YouTube video, a course can be the best way to profit from your knowledge.
You might consider offering your course on learning platforms like Udemy or Teachable.
With these self-directed courses, you make the videos once, and students can enroll and complete at their leisure.
Although, from time to time, you may update some videos if the basic information changes. Overall, these courses are less time-consuming than teaching live classes.
15. Write an Ebook
If you have a love for writing, self-publishing an ebook can also be rewarding. Like blogging, this income idea can require a lot of upfront effort. It’s also a good idea to ask your friends and colleagues to review the book to help generate interest.
Once you publish the book, you can earn royalties indefinitely if there is still an interest in the book’s topic.
The largest ebook marketplace is Amazon Kindle. Uploading your book is free. But it’s worth the small investment to hire a freelancer to produce an eye-popping cover design. Contrary to the old mantra of “never judging a book by its cover,” shoppers are more likely to research books with an appealing cover design.
Also, make sure you have a proofreader or editor look over each chapter for typos and content flow. A polished book is more likely to generate positive Amazon reviews. More reviews help your book rank higher, so it can be easier to sell more copies going forward.
Summary
There are many ways to make a $100 a day with the resources and skills you already have. So consider dedicating some of your free time to projects that may not produce immediate income, but can have long-term income potential. By pursuing both, you can earn a steady side income to improve your finances.
How are you going to start making a $100 a day? Let us know your favorite idea on our Facebook page.