12 Ways To Make Money Without a Job
Wondering how to make money without a job? A real job? Well, by “real” job, we mean your classic 9-to-5, Monday-through-Friday desk job.
Unless you win the lottery or strike inheritance gold, you can’t really live without an income. But you might be able to replace your day-to-day with more flexible side gigs and forms of passive income.
Whether you’re unemployed, disabled, a stay-at-home parent, retired or simply want some extra income, here are ways real people have made money without a typical job.
1. Let This App Pay You up to $83 When You Win Solitaire Games
Lots of us already play Solitaire on our phones for fun or just to pass the time. Want to see if you can win money at it?
There’s a free iPhone app called Solitaire Cash that lets you play for real money. You could get paid up to $83 per win.
You might be thinking: There’s got to be a catch. This is definitely one of those spammy apps, right?
Wrong. There really isn’t a catch. Most of the games are free, but cash players can join higher-stakes tournaments for bigger cash prizes. But there’s no pressure — there aren’t even any annoying ads.
With each game, you’ll battle it out against at least five other players. Everyone gets the same deck, so winning is totally a matter of skill. The top three players who solve the deck fastest can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $83.
Over on the App Store, it has over a million downloads and more than 15,000 ratings, averaging 4.7 stars (out of 5).
To get started, just download the free app and start playing your first game immediately.
2. Grow Your Money 125x Faster — Without Playing the Stock Market
Figuring out how to invest and grow your money is complicated. There are get-rich-quick scams everywhere, and all the legit high-yielding investment options are only for the ultra wealthy.
As usual, the rich get richer. But a company called Compound Banc is actually trying to level the playing field for us — it can grow your money 125 times faster than the national average.
It’s created a simple app that gives everyone — not just the 1% — access to high quality real estate bonds with a fixed 7% APY compound return. And it only costs $10 to start investing.
Compound bonds are backed by real estate. No crypto, no stocks, no NFTs. Why? Because real estate is one of the largest and most stable alternative assets around.
There are no fees, and no fixed-terms for how long your money needs to stay with Compound Banc. Seriously, you can withdraw your money any time, and you’ll get it back right away.
To get started, sign up for your free account, then sit back and watch your wealth compound daily.
3. Killing Time on Your Phone? Play Bingo for up to $83 Per Win
Our smartphones are the world’s greatest time-killers. Browse Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or Instagram. Watch a video on YouTube. Play some Minecraft or Roblox.
Oh, and there’s bingo. We found a free iPhone app called Bingo Cash that lets you play for real money. You could get paid up to $83 per win.
You might be thinking: There’s got to be a catch. This is definitely one of those spammy apps, right?
But there really isn’t a catch. Most of the games are free, but cash players can join higher-stakes tournaments for bigger cash prizes. But there’s no pressure — there aren’t even any annoying ads.
The game is based on a classic Bingo format. You’ll battle it out against other players at your same skill level. Everyone gets the same board and sees the same Bingo balls. The top three players in a game can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $83.
Over on the App Store, it has a 4.7-star rating (out of 5).
To get started, just download the free app and start playing your first game immediately.
4. Get Paid Up to $140/Month Just for Sharing Your Honest Opinion
If you’re turning blue in the face waiting for a raise at work, it might be time to quit holding your breath and start speaking your mind to someone who wants to listen.
Brands want to hear your opinion to help inform their business decisions on everything from products and services to logos and ads — and they’re willing to pay you up to $140 a month for it.
A free site called Branded Surveys will pay you up to $5 per survey for sharing your thoughts with their brand partners. Taking three quick surveys a day could earn up to $140 each month.
It takes just a minute to create a free account and start getting paid to speak your mind. Most surveys take five to 15 minutes, and you can check how long they’ll take ahead of time.
And you don’t need to build up tons of money to cash out, either — once you earn $5, you can cash out via PayPal, your bank account, a gift card or Amazon. You’ll get paid within 48 hours of your payout being processed, just for sharing your opinions.
They’ve already paid users more than $20 million since 2012, and the most active users can earn a few hundred dollars a month. Plus, they’ve got an “excellent” rating on Trustpilot.
It takes just a minute to set up your account and start getting paid to take surveys. Plus, right now, you’ll get a free 100-point welcome bonus just for becoming part of the community.
5. Earn $300+/Month in Passive Income with Your Extra Space
If you’re like us, your garage probably isn’t doing much of anything at the moment. Maybe you have some tools in there, or maybe it’s home to your boxes of odds and ends, collecting dust.
But with a website called Neighbor, your extra space — whether it’s a spare room, an empty garage or a parking space — could be earning you an extra $300 a month in totally passive income.
Neighbor works by connecting people who need storage space with hosts who have the room to spare. The average host makes about $300 a month, but some people have earned up to $50,000 a year just by letting people park on their property.
It takes less than 10 minutes to get started. Just answer a few questions about your space, take some pictures and set your asking price. Neighbor will recommend a dollar amount based on your location and type of rental, but the final listing is up to you.
Neighbor even gives you up to $1 million in free protection as a host and offers protection plans for your renters, giving you both peace of mind.
Neighbor is an easy source of passive income, and it’s easier than most side hustles. It’s free to list your space, and you’ll only be charged a 4.9% processing fee from the profit you make each month, so there’s no risk to you.
Sign up here and see how much you could earn.
6. Let This Free App Save You $340/Year on Gas and Food
It’s no secret that the cost of living is on the rise — especially when it comes to everyday expenses like groceries, dining and gas.
But an app called Upside can help you earn real cash back every time you dine or fill your tank — to the tune of $340 per year for frequent users.
The Upside app uses a map feature to show you local gas stations where you can beat the pump price by as much as 25 cents per gallon. Regular users earn an average of $106 per year on gas alone.
On top of that, Upside can help you earn an additional $234 each year with cashback offers at thousands of restaurants and grocery stores, making your everyday expenses even more manageable.
Just download the Upside app and create a free account, then browse the map to find participating locations. Claim an offer, pay normally with the physical card that’s also linked to your Upside account and follow any additional steps in the app
Upside will keep track of all your cash-back earnings. You can cash out any time via your bank or PayPal account, or exchange them for a gift card for brands like Starbucks and Amazon. You’ll get your money in two days or less.
Join the millions of people who earn more than $300 annually just for buying what they need. Download the Upside app to get started — it’s completely free, and gets you cash back at more than 50,000 businesses.
7. Earn up to $69/Hour Working From Home
We get it. There are kids to drop off at school, errands to run and dinner to cook, so the idea of getting a full-time job without any flexibility just doesn’t work for a lot of people.
Truth be told, life would be a lot easier if you could just make money without leaving the house. But that’s not something most employers offer. But have you considered bookkeeping? It’s the No. 1 most profitable business, according to an article in Inc Magazine.
And you could earn up to $69 an hour by starting your own bookkeeping business, according to Intuit, the creator of QuickBooks.
You don’t have to be an accountant or good at calculus to be successful at bookkeeping. As long as you’re motivated, a company called Bookkeepers.com will teach you everything you need to know. It’s one of the leading training courses in the field, and it even gives you the first three classes for free.
It’s helped thousands of people launch their own businesses, including Daniel Honan, a military veteran and former painter. He never considered starting his own company, but he signed up for Bookkeepers.com, and now he’s making $50,000 a year.
It only took him three months to get started, taking one class a week. Oh, and he makes his own schedule, earns up to $69 an hour and is able to spend more time with his wife than ever.
If you’re just a little curious, you just have to submit your email address here to take the first free class. If you stick with it, you could be running your own business in just a few months.
8. Add $225/Month While Watching Movie Previews
If we told you that you could get paid while watching videos on your computer, you’d probably laugh.
It’s too good to be true, right?
But we’re serious. By signing up for a free account with InboxDollars, you could add up to $225 a month to your pocket. They’ll send you short surveys every day, which you can fill out while you watch someone bake brownies or catch up on the latest Kardashian drama.
No, InboxDollars won’t replace your full-time job, but it’s something easy you can do while you’re already on the couch tonight, wasting time on your phone.
Unlike other sites, InboxDollars pays you in cash — no points or gift cards. It’s already paid its users more than $56 million.
Signing up takes about one minute, and you’ll immediately receive a $5 bonus to get you started.
9. Get Paid to Lose Weight
Bottom line: HealthyWage will pay you to lose weight. How’s that for motivation?
Here’s how it works:
- Read our full HealthyWage review, and sign up.
- Define a goal weight and the amount of time you’ll give yourself to achieve it.
- Place a bet on yourself of at least $200 a month.
Depending on how much you have to lose, how long you give yourself to do it and how much money you put on the table, you could win up to $10,000.
Success story: Katelyn Pincock and her husband, Cort, bet $75 per month for six months. She wanted to lose 40 pounds, and he wanted to lose 60. They met their goals and ended up winning almost $3,000.
10. Search for Unclaimed Money
State treasuries throughout the U.S. have had more than $43 billion in unclaimed funds at one time, according to The New York Times.
To see if you have any unclaimed money, check with the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. (Beware: There are several look-a-like sites out there. Be sure you’re searching for legitimate ones.)
Success story: Penny Hoarder reader Kelli Howell heeded our advice, performed a quick search and found unclaimed money in her husband’s name. Sure, it was only $56 in an old insurance claim, but that’s not bad for an unexpected check, right?
11. Get Paid to House Sit (and Even Travel)
Are you obsessed with HGTV and those dream homes? Well, you could get paid to hang out in one with a house-sitting gig.
Choose to housesit in your neighborhood or find gigs across the world (free travel accommodations!). Check out these five house-sitting websites to get started. A few have annual membership fees, but the experience — and income — could be well worth it.
We talked to one Canadian couple, Dalene and Peter Heck, who traveled the world via house-sitting gigs — from Honduras to Paris.
12. Sell Flea Market Gems for Profit
If you frequent flea markets or the “freebies” section of Craigslist, keep your eyes peeled for items you can resell for a higher rate.
Before you buy, get an idea of how much the item can sell for so you’re sure not to waste money.
Success story: Rob Stephenson calls himself the Flea Market Flipper and has made up to $30,000 a year finding and selling flea market gems. Once, the Orlando, Florida, man found a $30 prosthetic leg and turned around and sold it for $1,000 on eBay, his go-to selling site.
