7 Ways to Make Money in Your Spare Time

Have a few minutes to spare…then check out these 7 ways to make money in your spare time!

Need to make some extra money to pay an unexpected expense or to make it until the end of the month? Would you like to be able to make money during your free pockets of time?

The good news is that there are many companies that are in need of help from people like you that will allow you to work when and how much you want.

Note, there are many side hustles you can do that have the potential to make money, such as blogging, freelance writing, and more. For this article though, I’m focused on resources that you can access anytime to make money ASAP.

Will you make a full-time steady income with these options? No. But I have come across people who piecemeal several of these options to make up to a $500 to $1,000 per month.

If you’re ready to profit from your free time, here are some options that will allow you to make money in your spare time:

Get Paid to Do Short Tasks

Spare5: Spare5 is an app which allows you to earn money in your free time. At this time, it only has an iPhone app, but it does have a web browser version so you can work on your computer if you don’t have an iPhone.

Simply sign up, find and do tasks, and get paid through PayPal. The types of tasks vary from research (i.e. find celebrity Twitter handles), identify objects in a picture, make a list of keywords, and more.

Each task in and of itself doesn’t pay much (usually $0.01 to $0.20), but doing many tasks  you can earn up to $8 or $12 per hour. When you’ve been with Spare5 for a little bit, you can even earn referral income

SpareHire: SpareHire offers temporary or temp-to-permanent jobs for professionals. Most, though not all, jobs can be done from home. Because SpareHire is looking for people experienced professionals in a variety of areas, it tends to pay more than other microwork and task sites. You can find projects that pay up to $100 per hour.

Field Agent: This is a microwork-type site except instead of doing work at home, you do tasks on the go such as checking stock availability or prices, mystery shopping, and surveys. Pays in money. It appears to be available only on iPhone at this time.

Gigwalk: Register and get the app, then take on assignments that interest you. Assignments can include just about anything such as getting menu information, checking road signs, and more. Pays in money. App available on both iPhone and Android.

Roamler (European Countries): Get paid to do tasks.

Get a list of more short task sites here.

Get Paid to Listen to Music or Watch Videos/TV

SlicethePie: If you like music, this is a fun way to make some extra money whenever you want. SlicethePie will pay you to review music. Signing up  is free and then you listen to at least 90 seconds of a song, and leave a thoughtful review. While you don’t need to be a music expert, you do need to be able to describe various aspects of a song (intro, lyrics, voice, etc) in a way that’s helpful. If you enjoy watching The Voice or other talent shows with music, this can be a fun way to bring out your inner Simon Cowell.

Swagbucks: The great thing about Swagbucks is that it offers several ways to make money in your spare time. You can watch videos or do surveys. If you ever shop online, the Swagbucks browser applet will popup and offer you a rebate for participating businesses (note, if you use Ebates too, you can often get rebates from both during one shop!).

AppTrailers: Watch app trailer vidoes and earn points towards reward cards. iOS and Android

Instant Rewards: Get paid cash and rewards to watch app trailers, like pages on Facebook and more. iOS and Android.

Media Insiders: Earn points for giftcards or cash by watching TV. Android

Viggle: If you like TV and music, this is the app for you. Download the app (iPhone and Android) and then “check in” whenever you sit down to watch TV. Viggle can even tell you what’s on. You can also earn points when listening to music using song match, doing surveys, becoming a “fan” of shows, and referring friends. There is a social component that allows you to connect with other fans. Redeem points for electronics, trips, gift cards or entry into sweepstakes.

Get Paid to Take Surveys

GrabPoints: Earn points for surveys, watching videos, etc. Redeem points for gift cards or cash (PayPal). Earn more points by referring friends. iOS, Android, Amazon, Website

Inbox Dollars: Get paid to take surveys and more. Offers $5 sign up bonus and referral income

Here are a few more survey sites to check out…plus don’t miss WAHS full list of over 40 free survey sites!

• e-Poll
• FocusLine.com
• Global Test Market 
• Harris Poll Online
• Pinecone Research
• Survey Junkie
• Vindale
• VIP Voice

Get Paid to Test Out Smartphone Apps

App Down: Try out new apps and get points that can be redeemed for cash (PayPal) or gift cards. Earn more by referring others. iOS and Android

MyCrowd: Get paid to test apps. Also pays for website testing.

ShowBox: Get paid for playing games and trying other apps.

Perk: Offers a variety of apps that will pay you do stuff like watch videos or play games. Pays with giftcards, cash rewards and prizes.

Review for Dev: Get paid to review apps. Payment varies depending on whether you supply a text, video or text/video review.  Appears to be iOS only.

Get Paid to Answer Questions

1Q: Answer a question and earn $0.50. Apparently you can earn more by using one of the apps. iOS or Android.

Get Paid for Your Photos

FOAP: Get paid for your photos.

Snapwire: Pays for videos too.

Get Paid for Miscellaneous Tasks

Qustodian: Get paid a percentage of the advertisers cost to view ads. Most mobile devices.

Smart Panel: This app works in the background, collecting data that is used to “help your favorite websites, apps, and technology companies improve their services and features for everyone.” Sounds invasive, but you get paid $5 for qualifying and $5 a month for continuing to run the app. Plus you get a bonus every 3 months.

The Ride App: To be honest, I’m not sure of the purpose (i.e. why they want your mileage info) of this app or the source of money, but basically, this app will track the miles you travel by foot, car, bike, skateboard, etc and give you “Ride Points” that you can redeem for gift cards. It appears to be for iPhone only.

Have you used any of these resources to make money in your spare time? Do you have other resources to share? Let me know in the comments below!

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