Surprising Ways to Make Extra Money During a COVID-19 Pandemic
If the novel coronavirus shock has slashed your income, you’re not alone. And like every other affected American, you want to find financial security in these uncertain times.
The traditional route, of course, is to join the masses attempting to apply for unemployment and snatch up one of the few available jobs. But that’s not an option for everyone — and even if it is, you don’t want to twiddle your thumbs while you wait to hear back from potential employers. You need to start making money now!
We’ve collected some of the most unexpected, easy, and fun ways to make money — even during a pandemic. These aren’t get-rich-quick ideas, or even get-rich ideas. Instead, these sources can get you a little bit of income fast.
What are these magical money makers? Here are some of our favorites.
Passive Income
Do you have an extra parking space? Rent it out on Pavemint or ParkStash. You don’t have to lift a finger! True, events and travel have come to a standstill at the moment — but you should still sign up, because you never know who wants to pay you to park their car long term!
Do you have an unfinished basement, a garage space, or maybe a spare room? Rent it out as storage space! Neighbor and Store At My House both let you list your extra space as available for people’s stuff. Storage units cost $100/month; wouldn’t it be better for everyone involved if someone paid you $50/month to keep their junk in your basement instead?
Sniffspot matches people with dogs to people with yards. This might be an excellent time to sign up if you have a decently-sized yard, especially if it’s fenced. With public parks and dog parks closing, doggies need grass to run in!
Rent out your car when you’re not using it on Turo or HyreCar. Sure, people don’t have as much of a need to go out nowadays, but you never know who might need to rent a car in a pinch! And it’s so easy to sign up!
Selling stuff
If you’re like us, you have a big pile of stuff that you need to get rid of — and there’s stuff in that pile that you haven’t donated because you just know it’s worth something. Well, now’s the time to list your items online and start making extra money.
When you’re selling your stuff, there are two big hassles: pricing and shipping.
Pricing can be a pain. If you list something for what you think it’s worth and don’t get any bites, you’ll end up slowly lowering the price over a period of weeks — which will get you the highest value, but it takes a lot of time. If you’re desperate for a little extra cash, bite the bullet and take a lowball offer.
Shipping is always a hassle. You can avoid the expense, packaging, and going to the post office if you’re dealing with a local buyer and listing the item in a local group. But there are two big downfalls to a local group: One, fewer people will see your listing than they would on, say, eBay; Two, we’re supposed to be social distancing, not visiting our neighbors’ houses and exchanging virus-saturated cash.
So for now, we recommend sticking to online transactions: eBay, for example.
Starting a business
Take this with a grain of salt.
Given the economy, any “business venture” you undertake right now should have low overhead, low investment, and a relatively quick payout.
Don’t start any business that requires you to take out a loan, pay rent, or hire employees. In this situation, we strongly recommend against partnerships with companies that allow you to sell their products on commission. At least in most cases, the investment can be steep and the risk high. This isn’t what you’re looking for when you’re trying to keep the bills paid.
If you do want to sell a physical product, make something yourself. People want to buy homemade, and you can list and sell your products online. The only investment costs are supplies for what you make. There are thousands of ideas! Here are a few to get you started:
36 Things You Can Make at Home and Sell for Extra Cash
75 Crafts to Make and Sell for Extra Money
20 Easy Things to Make and Sell Online for Extra Cash
Or just browse etsy for inspiration!
Even better than selling a physical product is selling a service. You don’t have to buy supplies, store inventory, or calculate shipping costs. And if you have a skill that doesn’t require a physical presence, you’re set for making money while on lockdown!
What remote skills could you offer that someone would pay for?
Maybe you were an accountant; well, perhaps people would be interested in your services as a financial advisor, assistance filing for unemployment and financial aid, or investment advice.
Have a legal background? Just by knowing certain terminology, you’re better equipped than most to help people fill out their court forms, write statements, and understand their documents.
Or learn a new skill that doesn’t require a full-on class. Learn how to design a WordPress page, a Wikipedia page, or how to format an eBook for publication. Clients on freelance sites like Upwork and Freelancer request this sort of thing often.
Entertainment
Has this pandemic turned you into a screen zombie? If so, you may as well monetize your online time!
Twitch — Of course, every gamer wants to earn money playing live on Twitch. And the most lucrative players have expensive equipment like fancy cameras and green screens. You definitely need a certain personality to be successful on Twitch — and a network — but it’s a fun, risk-free way to try something new. And who knows, you might be really good at it!
Video-watching can be an interesting one. There are a range of sites, tasks, and types of rewards they give. The general consensus is that no one gets rich from them, but they’re not scams. They also have minimum payout thresholds, so don’t expect to get a paycheck right away. See “12 Legit Ways to Make Money Watching Videos”.
Some sites pay you to take surveys, with the same stipulations as video-watching sites. See “The Best Paid Online Survey Websites”.
But be warned.
Before you sign up with a website, make an agreement with a client, or partner with a company, do your research. Check out reviews, terms and conditions, and what’s really required. There are scams out there!
So.
Do you feel inspired?
How are you going to make a little extra money today?
We hope this jump starts little streams of income to maintain an emergency savings fund, keep the lights on, and have enough toilet paper on hand to help your neighbors in need!
Have fun!
