15+ Legit Ways to Make Extra Money When Cash is Tight

When money feels tight, the stress hits fast. Bills don’t pause, kids still need what they need, and cutting back only goes so far. Sometimes the answer isn’t budgeting harder—it’s finding ways to bring in a little extra income.

If you’ve been wondering how to make extra money this year, you’re not alone. Life is expensive, and once you factor in family, everyday responsibilities, and the lifestyle you’re trying to maintain (or work toward), extra cash can make a real difference.

That’s why I put this list together. I’m sharing legit, realistic ways to make extra money—no gimmicks, no scams. These are options I’ve personally tried or know people who’ve successfully used to bring in extra income.

Whether you need quick cash or something more flexible you can build on, there’s something here to help ease the pressure and give you more breathing room.

Ways to Make Extra Money

1. Cutbacks

This is first on my list because it’s the easiest way to keep extra $ in your wallet. If you look at some of the things you buy that are not a necessity, you will be surprised what cutting back will do. It can be as little as:

eating out less
renting movies on online (instead of going to the movies)
getting a locked or unlocked firestick (as opposed to paying to cable)
less or no mani/pedis and facials
cancel monthly subscriptions that you don’t need
basically cut back or cut out anything that is not a necessity

2. Affiliate Marketing

This is a great way to promote products and/or services that you genuinely love and use . . . all while earning money to do so. Most companies have affiliate programs or partnerships that will allow you to earn commissions on sales that are made. You are assigned a unique url code that you would share with friends, family and/or your mom tribe. That code tracks any sales that are made. Each company is different but the commission rates are anywhere from 2% – 45% (of the actual sale amount). Affiliate marketing basically allows you to recommend things you know and use to others.

Side Note: Some individuals recommend products and/or services that they either have not use or know nothing or little about. I personally wouldn’t suggest you do this. I certainly don’t.

3. Home-Based Customer Service Representative

Work-from-home positions are in high demand nowadays. With so many options out there, you will want to do your research! Be VERY careful with the companies/agencies you decide to work with. The very first home-based customer service company I worked with was Arise (back in 2004). Arise has been around for a long time and they offer some good opportunities.

It can be somewhat of a lengthy process to get approved with Arise, sign up with clients and then complete training. It takes about 4-6 weeks (give or take) from the time that you initially sign up with Arise until you actually start receiving income. There are 2 different options when signing up to work with Arise. If you sign up and list my friend (Hanse Telecommunications) as the source that referred you, you can contact us for one-on-one assistance to get set-up.

4. Every $5 bill

I have gotten in the habit of saving $5 dollar bills for quite some time now. I actually save any time of bill (ex. 5s, 10s, and 20s). Originally discovered this way of saving money in the Dream Catchers: Live Richer w/ The Budgetnista Facebook group (created by Tiffany ‘The Budgetnista’ Aliche.

I usually don’t really keep cash on me however I make sure I save every $5 bill that I come across. I purchased a money bank box (which I LOVE) and started getting cash back when I go grocery shopping to help me fill it up. My money box is the best!!!

This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I’ve recommended – at no extra cost to you, of course. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my disclosure here.

Now, of course, you don’t have to buy a money bank box/piggy bank. You could find something around the house and use that instead. The money is always visible and reminds me of my goals. If you do decide to buy a money box, I wouldn’t recommend paying a lot of money on it.

I actually bought mine from Facebook marketplace for about $10 (which I highly recommend you look locally first to see if you can find a deal). Mine is very sturdy but it has ‘honeymoon fund’ on the front of it. I keep saying I’m going to remove that print and replace it with “Travel Fund” but I haven’t gotten around to doing that yet.

5. Ebates

Ebates is the PERFECT way to earn a little extra cash if you already shop online. You basically get paid to shop! I personally didn’t start using Ebates until recently and I must say that I like it. Not only do you get a sign-up bonus but you earn cashback on each purchase that you make.

6. Sell Your Things

The amount of money you make from selling your things will vary according to how much you have to sell and what you are able to sell them for. You can get very creative and sell things that you don’t need (ex. clothes/shoes, baby/kid items, furniture, household items, etc).

Ok, so I have a confession . . . I might be somewhat of a packrat. There’s so much stuff that I’ve been saying I want to get rid of that all of my stuff has piled up. My intentions are to take good pictures of all the items and posting them on Facebook marketplace, Offer Up, Let Go, Craigslist, Poshmark, etc.

After recently signing up and using Poshmark for the first time and I must say that it is one of my go-to platforms to get sale clothes and shoes. If you use my code: SHALONALONDON to sign up, you will get a bonus.

What I don’t like about most of these platforms is that a lot of people will try to low-ball you in order to get you items for little to nothing – even if it’s a valuable item. When selling used items, you have to remember that just because you paid top dollar for something doesn’t mean someone else is going to.

Just be sure to take great pics at different angles, add a good detailed description and set a “good” price. Price it low to get rid of quickly or you just know that you will probably have fewer inquiries from individuals who actually want to purchase your items.

Sell Your Thing to Make Money and Turn it Into a Business

If you’re really into this, you could really take it to a whole other level by going to garage sales and thrift stores, buying stuff for very little and selling it to make a profit. Dionne Dean does this kind of thing all the time and she’s REALLY good at it. She also has a YouTube channel and offers affordable courses that teach you how to make money from thrifting with fashion.

7. Full-Service Shopper

Have you gone to the store and noticed there are shoppers going throughout the store picking up groceries and crossing off a list? Well, there are companies that provide consumers with a service that does your shopping for you and then delivers the items to your doorstep.

Instacart and Shipt are really popular. Instacart is harder to get in with and harder to get hours. Shipt offers lots of flexibility. Both usually conduct video interviews and pay weekly via bank account. The process to sign up takes about 3-4 weeks (give or take) to complete the approval process and actually start working. How much you make really depends on your availability and how quickly you can complete each assignment. A friend of mine currently works for Shipt and says she averages about $10-$14 an hour.

8. Receiving Gifts?. . . Ask for Money Instead

Anytime that a friend or a family member wants to buy you a gift, you can ask them to give you cash or Visa/Mastercard/AMEX gift cards. These will eventually start to add up. Even if you don’t get a lot, it could cover some of the expenses of a trip (ex. food, transportation, entertainment, etc).

9. Petition Circulator

Also known as a circulator, signature gatherer, or signature collector who basically asks citizens to sign petitions. Anyone can become a petition circulator. For each petition that you get signed, you get $1-$4 dollars per petition – paid DAILY or WEEKLY. Depending on where you go to collect signatures and how good you are with connecting with people will determine how much money you will actually make.

The person signing the petition has to be a registered voter or register to vote with you on the spot. There are many different petitions. Once you choose the office to sign up with, you will be required to go through a short 1-hour orientation to obtain all the information and material that you will need – and then you can start right away. You determine what and how many hours you work. Apply to be a petition circulator via ad online employment platforms or you can ask any that is already one for the contact info for their office.

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Ways to Make Extra Money

10. Online Surveys

Online surveys are very popular however, they aren’t for everyone – me included. I signed up and used Survey Junkie for about a month or so. I like their system because it makes it very easy to use and keep track of new and completed surveys. Each survey is worth a certain amount of points and those points convert to dollars. Each survey is different and so they are looking for specific specifications that you are not going to know – you will not qualify for all the surveys that are offered.

Once you get to a certain threshold (a minimum of $10), you can request a payout. I would suggest online surveys if you are ok with giving your opinion by answering a lot of questions and doing enough to make it worth your wild. There are many online survey companies out there but be careful you do your research and look at reviews from other people to see what they are saying.

Swagbucks is another rewards program that gives you free gift cards and cash for the everyday things you already do online. Earn points when you shop at your favorite retailers, watch entertaining videos, search the web, answer surveys and more

You basically earn gift cards without having to do much. Swagbucks is just like using Google to do your online searches, except you get rewarded points called SB for the things you do through their website. Then, when you have enough points, you can redeem them for cash, gift cards, and more.

11. Use CashApp

Most people are very familiar with CashApp. If you are not – it’s a great way to send/receive money to/from people. . . . And it’s FREE to send/receive money. For every person that you refer to CashApp, download and use the app for the first time, you and that person will receive a $5 bonus.

It’s great! I’ve had it for a while and I use it often. You can also request a prepaid card that allows you to use the funds from your Cash App balance.

12. Get Paid to “Test Run” Websites & Apps

After businesses create their websites and/or Apps, they want individuals to “test run” them and then give them feedback. You’re paid $10 for each review that you complete. It takes about 20 minutes to complete the online review. This can really be profitable but only if you take the time to complete the reviews and are flexible – since it is on a first-come, first-served basis.

They actually record your screen and your voice while you go through a test run of their site. In order to do this, you must download their program to your computer and/or phone. It’s not a difficult process but not everyone wants to download anything. From my experience, the 3 main good companies are TryMyUI, UserTesting and Userlytics.

13. Field Service Representative

Retail companies hire data collectors to collect data product information throughout each retail & drugstore (ex. Publix, CVS, Walgreens, Winn-Dixie, Walmart, Target, etc). This data is used to assess, compare, and optimize in-store performance. Scanscape is the one that I worked for. They started at $11/hr and is somewhat flexible. You can apply via indeed.com or local job platforms.

14. Become a Virtual Assistant

This is one of the fastest ways to earn income from the comfort of your home. The most challenging thing about starting out as a VA is finding clients. I recommend joining multiple FB groups, start networking, and tell everyone that you know that you are offering VA services.

If you want training on how to become a successful VA you can sign up for VA Bootcamp (with Abby) or The Virtual Assistant University (with Neka Williams). Both of these ladies are very good at teaching you how to become a VA and start making money however, depending on your preference and budget, you may want to look at both options and decide which might be a good fit.

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15. Create and Sell Digital Products

Turn your passion into an e-course, ebook or any other digital product.

eCourse – Research and decide which of your passion(s) are profitable. Create, market and sell your e-course. This can be a really lucrative choice however it takes some time to create the e-course and build your audience (if you don’t already have one) in order for you to be successful. Teachable is an excellent option for creating an e-course.
eBook – Research and decide which of your passion(s) are profitable. Great way to make good money and automated it so that it doesn’t take time to manage. You can create your e-Book with Canva, Picmoney. SendOwl is a great option for selling a digital product.
Teach Online
Online Tutor

16. Sell Your Services

Offer Consultation Services
Childcare
Dog Walking
Tour Guide
House Sitting
Home/Office Organization
Home Improvement/Design
Residential/Commercial Moving Services
Auto Detailing
Personal Assistant
Home Health Aide

17. Move to a Foreign Country and Teach Abroad

It has always been a dream of mine to live aboard. I thought about moving abroad and teaching a long time ago but never did it. This is something most people won’t decide without much thought but this could be a great way to save and travel.

Of course, you would need to determine where you will decide to relocate to and what your skill set is to obtain a good teaching position. A friend of mine is currently living in Bahrain and she’s living her BEST life! She recommends going through Teachaway.com. Living aboard will open many opportunities and allow you to travel the world.

18. Start a Blog

Being a blogger myself, I highly recommend you consider starting a blog. If you would like to turn your passion into your career this could be a great choice! Just know that it takes a lot of work to become a successful blogger and it won’t happen overnight.

When I say overnight, I mean that it may take up to 2 years (give or take) to earn a full-time income. Everyone’s journey or success story is different – don’t compare anyone else’s situation to yours.

Final Thoughts

When cash is tight, even a little extra income can make a big difference. Whether it’s covering a bill, building a cushion, or giving yourself some breathing room, having options puts you back in control.

The key is choosing something that fits your lifestyle, schedule, and energy level. You don’t have to do everything—just start with one option and see where it takes you.

If this list helped spark an idea, save it for later, share it with a friend who could use it, or drop a comment below and let me know which option you’re thinking about trying.

15+ Legit Ways to Make Extra Money When Cash is Tight