20 Ideas to Make Money from Home

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Due to the coronavirus crisis, many people are getting used to working from home. Working from home has a lot of benefits. You can save time on commuting, spend more time with your family, and you can even work in your pajamas. It doesn’t matter if you are a student or housewife wanting to make some money from home; or if you have a full-time job already but looking for ways to make some extra cash on the side. In this article, you will find many different ways to make money from home.

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Table of Contents

Some common ways to make money from home

Babysitting is one of the most common ways for people to make some extra cash. This is especially popular for students, housewives, or retired people. You can find many different babysitting jobs on websites like Betreut.de. Once you find a babysitting job, you can discuss more details with the parents about how you want to do it. For example, it is also possible that the parents bring their kids to your place so that you can take care of them from your home.

Besides babysitting, there are many other ways to make money from home. For example, you can simply look for a company that offers a home office contract. In this article, we summarize some more ideas on how to make money from home.

Make money from home with no specific skills required

The below is for you if you don’t want to spend much effort but still make some extra money from home. You don’t really need any specific skills, as long as you know how to use the internet.

1. Online surveys

Do you know that you can make money from home by taking online surveys? Although you won’t become rich by taking online surveys, it is an easy and quick way to make money from home. It is especially popular among students who can earn some pocket money in their spare time.

Many companies are willing to pay to learn about their target customers’ motivations and preferences. That is why research companies are looking for people to answer online surveys or test new products. Your opinions are valuable to these companies.

The good thing about taking online surveys is that you can do it at home whenever you want. Depending on the survey, it can take a few minutes to half an hour to complete. You can do as many or as few surveys as you want. The best is to sign up with multiple survey companies so that you can have more opportunities to earn.

Below are some of the online survey websites you can sign up to start making money from home:

TGM Panel

Swagbucks

2. Paid search queries

If you are doing online searches on the internet anyway, why don’t you register to make money by doing paid search queries? You will not earn a lot for each search. However, since you are anyway going to conduct searches every day, it is not a bad idea to earn some money from these searches.

You can register on different platforms like Swagbucks and start earning for each completed query. This is one of the easiest ways to make some money without making almost any extra effort.

3. Website testing

Many companies are willing to pay people to test their websites. Your tests help them to improve the user experience of their websites. It is an easy way for you to make some money from home. For example, you can register at User Testing and visit a website or an app. Afterward, you need to complete some tasks to express your opinion on the website or the app. You can get paid after you complete the tasks.

4. Product testing

The opinion of the customers is very important for companies. Many companies want to test their products before introducing them to the market. That’s why they are looking for product testers. As a product tester, not only that you can make some money from home, you can also keep the test products for free in most cases. What you need to do is to use the product and answer some related questions afterward.

The products you test can be in many different categories, including electronics, cosmetics, groceries, homewares, etc. Below are some websites where you can register to start testing products and earn:

Make money from home when you possess certain skills

Nowadays, many companies like to hire freelances to perform different tasks. As a freelancer, you can find such tasks on microwork websites like Fiverr. You can basically find any kind of tasks on Fiverr: writing and content creation, graphic design, programming, music creation, consulting in any field, etc. Just sign up for free and offer your work to the global audience. You will receive orders and get paid after you deliver your services.

If you possess skills in the specific areas below, you can consider these options:

5. Freelance writing

If you like writing, you may consider making some extra money from home by creating online content. If you are a beginner, it is good to start with some freelance copywriting platforms like Textbroker. You can sign up as a freelance writer for free and take a writing test. Once approved, you can begin accepting jobs from the platform.

The writing tasks can be for websites, blogs, magazines, etc. And you can be writing product descriptions, press releases, blog posts and more. It is a good way to make some money while practicing your writing skills. You may even start a freelance writing career in the future with the help of these writing experiences.

6. Freelance consulting

If you are an expert in any field, you can consider making money from home by counseling other people on their personal or business goals. An easy way to start is to set up a free account on platforms like Clarity, where you can set up a free profile to promote your consulting services. Others can find you on the platform and book a paid session with you.

In fact, people are searching for experts in many different categories, including financial consulting, management or software skills, and even dating advice. If you possess the skills and like to help others, at-home consulting can be a great way to make money. Besides, working on freelance consulting can also turn into a full-time job. Once you create your own client base, it is possible to set up your own consulting business.

Read also:

7. Translating

Although there are many different automatic translation programs nowadays, there is still a market for translators. Many translating companies online are looking for freelancers to help with the translation tasks. If you are fluent in another language, you can make money from home by picking up these tasks.

For example, you can find translating tasks on platforms like Gengo and Unbabel. Both of them are good for entry-level translators.

8. Website design

Many visitors to a website leave shortly due to bad website design. That’s why websites need to have good design. If you like to design and have experience in image editing programs like Photoshop, you can make money from home with these skills.

Companies are looking for people to help to design their websites. You can register at platforms like 99designs, where you can find a wide range of tasks like logos or brochures design. Some tasks can be very well paid.

What you need to have is professional software which can create good graphics. Even students or housewives who have experience in graphic design can make money from home by doing these tasks. If you are good, some companies may want to have a contract with you directly and you can charge even more. It can turn into a profitable side business for you at some point in time.

Make money from home by selling products or expertise

Below are some ideas if you want to make money by selling your products or expertise from home.

9. Selling photos online

Do you know that you can make money from home by selling your photos online? There is a high demand for good quality photos on the internet. When bloggers or website owners need some photos to use for their sites, they cannot just take the photos freely from Google due to copyright. Most people pay to use photos from online platforms instead.

Therefore, if you love making photos, selling your photos online can help you to make money from home. There are many stock photo sites. You can see some example below:

Shutterstock.com

Istockphoto.com

123rf.com

Don’t worry if you are not a professional photographer. In many cases, a quality photo taken by your smartphone is good enough to sell online. Try to be creative and think about photo subjects that do not have much search results while you think there should be some demand for them.

10. Selling your own stuff

Sometimes, it is a good idea to tidy up your house. Have a look at your basement and see if you still need everything there. Do you have baby clothes or toys that you don’t need anymore? Or books that you have not touched for years? Selling your unused stuff will not only give you more space at home, but it will also give your stuff a second chance to be used while you get some money in return.

Selling your old stuff

There are different online platforms where you can sell your stuff. For example, you can sell basically anything on eBay or eBay-kleinanzeigen. Craigslist is another free platform where you can sell all sorts of things. You can even post on Facebook groups now to find your potential buyers.

Books or DVDs

If you have some old books or DVDs, it is best to use platforms like rebuy or momox. These platforms are specialized in selling books and media so that you can sell your stuff quickly.

Artworks

If you are an art person, you may be able to make money from home by selling your artworks online. These can be crafts, painting, photos, etc. You can also design your own printables like downloadable stickers, coloring pages, diaries, etc. and sell them online. The good thing about printables is that you design them once and you can make money from them over and over again.

Etsy is a great platform to turn your hobby into potential business. You can sell your artwork or printables easily there.

Another popular way is to sell them on Amazon. You may not know that you can sell things on Amazon. But yes, you can. Amazon is charging a relatively high fee to sellers comparing to other platforms. However, it is a trust-worthy platform that everyone knows.

11. Online tutoring

Virtual tutoring is becoming more and more popular nowadays. With the help of our technology, there is no more physical boundary where you can teach and learn. Tutoring is different than an online course because it is one-on-one teaching and there is an interaction between the tutor and the student.

There is usually a high demand for language learning. Being an online tutor allows you to make money from home easily, especially if you are a native speaker of a popular language like English.

Besides teaching language, you can also share your expertise in other subjects. For example, high school students and college students are sometimes struggling with their studies. You can consider becoming an online tutor if you have the required educational backgrounds.

One way to do it is to register at websites like Preply. You can then teach and make money from home anywhere in the world. At Preply, people are looking for tutors in languages and other subjects from schools and universities.

Make money from home by investing

You may also grow your money in the form of investment. Remember that investment does not guarantee a profit though. And it can also result in a total loss of your money. So, never invest in an amount that you cannot afford to lose.

12. Stock trading

If you have some extra cash, it may be good to find some way to invest instead of putting everything in your bank. The money in your bank is not growing. Instead, it will lose its value due to inflation. Stock trading may be a good form of investment which may help you to make some money from home.

You may start with relatively small capital like a few hundred or thousands Euros. If you don’t have any experience, you may also consider using a demo account first. It means that you can trade with fake money which lets you experience the trading platform without having any risks. Once you learn enough and feel comfortable, you can start trading with a real account with actual money.

There are different platforms you can use for stock trading. Some platforms allow you to open a demo account to try it out for free. Some other platforms in Germany have a very low handling fee. To find the best platform for you, check this out: Best Online Broker in Germany – Top 5 Comparison.

You should be aware that there are always risks involved in an investment. You can make money from home by stock trading. On the other hand, you can also suffer losses if you don’t do it properly. You should make sure you are investing a comfortable amount that you can afford in case of losing.

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13. Social Trading

If you are interested in stock trading but do not want to spend time analyzing the stock market, social trading maybe something for you. Social trading is also called copy trading. It means using an automated system that copies trade transactions between two different accounts. How social trading works is that a user registers on a special trading platform and chooses his signal trader.

A signal trader is another trader on the same platform who is supposed to be more experienced and successful in trading. The user can choose to subscribe to the signals of this signal trader, meaning that whenever the signal trader does a transaction, the user’s account will automatically follow and make the same transaction in its’ account. On the other hand, the more subscribers a signal trader has, the more commission he is going to earn.

Check out this post for the best social trading platform to use.

The benefits and risks of social trading

The benefit of doing social trading is that you don’t need to spend time doing technical analysis on your own. Instead, you just search for someone who is an expert in the area and follow his move. It is especially suitable for inexperienced traders as they can benefit from the professional decisions of more experienced traders. You can view every single transaction made by your signal trader and place restrictions on what trades you want to follow or not. Or you can just follow all the transactions from your signal trade.

Social trading can generate a passive income as you don’t need to spend time and effort to study about trading. You can also diversify your risk by choosing multiple expert traders to follow. It is also beneficial for people who tend to make emotional trades.

Similar to stock trading, social trading has its own risk. Nobody can always predict the market. While you can make money by social trading, don’t forget that you can also suffer from the loss. You should consider carefully if you can afford the risks in the case of losing money.

14. P2P Lending

“Peer-to-peer” lending allows people to invest their excess capital. You can lend your money to individuals or businesses through an online platform that matches lenders with borrowers. Since the online platform cuts out middle-man and operates with lower overhead, it can provide its service cheaper than a traditional bank. Therefore, it can offer a much higher return for the lenders, while the borrowers can borrow money at a lower interest rate.

For example, you can earn up to a 15% return by depositing your money into online platforms like Income Marketplace, while your money earns almost nothing in a traditional bank account.

The interest rate you earn depends on the loan originators and other factors. The good thing is that you can start with as low as a 10 Euro deposit. It is a really easy and relatively low-risk way to make money from home.

Like all other forms of investment, P2P lending has its own risk. Make sure you understand all the risks before joining by reading thoroughly the terms and conditions from the online platforms. Never invest any funds that you cannot afford to lose.

Check out Income Marketplace now!

Disclaimer: This article does not give any investment advice or and it is not an investment recommendation. You are responsible for your own risk if you decide to participate in any form of investment. No investment can guarantee a profit. Every investment is associated with risks and can lead to a complete loss of your invested money.

We cannot give you investment advice or financial services. If you need more details and specific advice on your personal situation, we would highly recommend you to consult a financial adviser and a tax adviser.

Make money from home for the long term

If you are thinking more for the long term, you may want to consider the below ideas. These require more time and effort. However, it may actually turn into a business for you. You will also learn new skills along the way if you do not have experience in these areas before.

15. Blogging

If you like writing or sharing your insight, blogging may be for you. You will be surprised how much one can earn through blogging. You can start blogging as a hobby. And it may grow into a business later. The good thing is that you don’t have to be an excellent writer to be a blogger. You also don’t need to have any technical background to start your own blog.

In my case, I didn’t have experience in writing before. I had also no IT background and knew basically nothing about websites and coding before. Nowadays, blogging can be very easy. Anyone can blog and learn along the way. The only thing you need to do to start is to buy a web domain, design your site, and plan your content.

Blogging requires also a super low investment. Basically, the only thing you need to pay to start is to purchase your hosting. For example, it costs less than 4 EUR per month when you purchase hosting through Bluehost. You can then start your website within 20 minutes afterward. Besides, you also get a free domain for the first year. Bluehost also provides 24 hours support for you. So, you don’t have to worry if you don’t know anything about websites or coding.

The most difficult thing is actually to make up your mind and start. It took me a few years until I finally decided to make it happen. And I am happy that I did.

Once you set up your website, there are different ways to monetize it. Below are some ways:

Selling ad space

Once you have traffic to your site, you can monetize your traffic by putting ads on your site. There are many different ways to do it. One way is to rent out your space to brands and receive income regularly from them. For a beginner, the easiest way is to use Google Adsense.

Once you set up with Google Adsense, you can choose a setting so that the ads will display automatically on different locations of your site. This way you don’t need to manually decide on the location and insert coding. The more people see and click the ads, the more money you are going to earn from Google Adsense.

Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a common way to monetize a website. The way it works is to recommend a product or service that you trust to other people by putting a link on your site. When someone buys through that link, you will get a commission from the sale.

Many brands are offering affiliate programs to bloggers. There are also many affiliate platforms with different brands that you can join. For example, the Awin network or the Amazon partner program is very popular among bloggers.

Charging membership fee

When you write in your blog about something that you are passionate about, you can attract others who have the same passion to read your blog. Slowly with time, you are going to build an online community. If you have a loyal and stable online community, you can consider charging a membership fee. It means that your readers need to register as a paid member before they can read more content.

Selling your website

When you have good traffic to your website, your website will worth more and you can sell your website potentially. In fact, some people create their websites to sell them later.

In that case, they create and grow their websites. But they do not plan to own their websites for the long term. Instead, they wait for a good opportunity and sell their websites for a good price.

The above are just some of the ways to monetize a website. There are too many ways to do that. A good thing about blogging is that you can create a form of passive income. Your blog is helping you to earn money even when you are sleeping.

16. Develop an app

If you know software programming, there are tons of opportunities online for you to make money from home. One way is to develop an app. You need a good idea to make an app that people would like to use.

Similar to making a website, you can earn by placing ads in your app or selling your app for a good price afterward.

17. Youtube

Everybody knows about Youtube. But do you know that you can also earn money by uploading videos to Youtube?

Youtube is trying to encourage people to make more high-quality videos by introducing the Youtube Partner Program. With this program, you can receive a part of the advertising revenue by uploading videos to Youtube.

Similar to blogging, you can also earn from affiliate marketing when people buy by clicking your links. Besides, you can get paid from brands by making a sponsored video in which you introduce their products.

Nowadays, people watch more videos on Youtube than doing searches on google. So, if you like making videos, Youtube can be a fun way to earn some money. YouTubers with many subscribers can earn quite a lot in exchange for their time and effort. Some video ideas include tutorials, musical performance, playing with your cute pets or just something funny.

18. Paperbacks, eBooks or audiobooks

If you are good at writing, maybe you can think about publishing your own books. The good thing about publishing your own books is that it can help you to generate a long term income. Yes, it takes a lot of time and effort to write your book. But once it is done, it is a good source of passive income for you. You can receive revenue from sales for years to come as long as someone buys your book.

Publish your own book

You won’t believe how easy it is nowadays to publish your own book. The easiest way is to do it through the Amazon kindle store. Just register a Kindle direct publishing (KDP) account at Amazon and anyone can publish his own Books. With a KDP account, you can choose to publish paperbacks or eBooks. You can upload your content, set your own price, and earn your royalties from Amazon. If you choose to publish paperbacks, KDP will print your book on demand. It means that you don’t need to pay any costs beforehand or carry any inventory.

You can find all the tips here: HOW TO WRITE AN EBOOK: In Less Than 7- 14 Days That Will Make You Money Forever

Turn your book into an audiobook

If you have a book already, you can also turn it into an audiobook so that it can help you to reach more customers. You can use platforms like ACX to find someone who can help to record your book and turn it into an audiobook.

Record other people’s books

In case you are a trained voice actor, you can also earn money by recording other people’s books. On platforms like ACX, you can find audiobook recording jobs. Depends on the agreement, you can earn a royalty and also per hour work of recording.

19. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a good option if you want to own a store without investing a lot or having a lot of risks. With the dropshipping model, you don’t need to store any inventory. Actually, you don’t even need to own your inventory. After you receive an order, you buy your needed product directly from a third party, who is usually a wholesaler or manufacturer. This third party will then ship the product directly to your customer to fulfill orders. This way you don’t need to handle the product directly. You can sell without actually seeing or shipping the items. The profit you get is the difference between the price you charge your customer and the cost of the product that the third party charges you.

Dropshipping is a relatively easy way to start your business. Anyone without any business background can start it. You can use an e-commerce portal like Volusion to start your own dropshipping business. With Volusion, you also get a free 14 days period to try it out to see if it is what you want to do.

20. Offer online courses

If you have some insight on a topic and would like to share it with the others, you may want to think about offering online courses. You can take advantage of platforms like Skillshare or Udemy to reach your target audience. These platforms allow you to create an online course and upload it. And you will get paid forever when members are watching it.

You can choose almost any topic. For example, cooking, design, photography, freelancing, and many more. The best is to choose a topic where you have some credibility. For example, if you are a cook, you can teach about making different dishes. If you are an accountant, you can teach a class about tax preparation.

It is important to find your niche and plan your curriculum. Make your class useful and interesting. You can promote your course through your social media accounts, as well as your personal and professional networks. Once you accumulate some students, you can get more through their referral if they like your course.

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Have you tried the above ways to make money from home? Do you have any other ideas about how you can make money from home? Leave a comment below and share your ideas!