Whether you are a stay at home mom or a working mom, or wherever you’re landing on this blog post from, sometimes you need a little more cash flowing in. Here are 11 ideas of things you can do on the side to make some extra money.

1. Facebook Marketplace

This is my #1 favorite way to make extra money. Find things around your house you don’t want or need, and list them on Facebook Marketplace or your neighborhood page. Price it competitively if you need cash fast. I always start by listing on my neighborhood Facebook page and do porch pickups after taking payment via Venmo. Then if no one responds, I’ll add to Marketplace. Or you could cross post to both. I prefer selling to people in my neighborhood, though.

2. Dog sitting or house sitting

My husband and I have been dog sitting for years! It’s a great way to make some extra money. We already have a dog, so it’s not much extra effort for us to watch another dog in our home. Look up dog boarding places in your area to see what they charge per night, and charge the same or a little less. Most people would rather their dog stay at someone’s house and get more attention than at a boarding facility. In the past we used Rover, now we just advertise our services on our neighborhood Facebook page and get word of mouth referrals. Always do a meet & greet and make sure you are comfortable with the dog if you have small children.

3. Sign up for Shipt, DoorDash, or Instacart

Deliver food or groceries for Shipt, DoorDash, Favor, UberEats, or Instacart. This idea is great because it lets you work when you want to. Make sure it makes sense with how far you have to drive and the time it takes you though. I haven’t tried them all, but I have heard that Shipt and Instacart customers generally tip more.

If you are looking at using Instacart for grocery delivery, get up to $30 on your first order here.

4. Donate plasma

I haven’t personally done this, but if you need money fast and have a few hours to spare, look into donating plasma. On Google Maps type in “plasma center near me” to see what’s in your area, and go to one that has good reviews.

5. Photography

If you have an eye for photography, you can offer your services for headshots, families, kids, newborns, seniors, products, or brands. I have a home studio and take headshot clients on the side and do product photography.

Here are some things I bought to set up my home studio.

6. Crafting

Do you have a creative hobby? Can you make something someone would want to buy? Sell your products on Facebook, social media, or Etsy to make some extra money. (They could be physical or digital!) Make anything from wreaths, teacher gifts, keychains, laser engraved signs, Cricut crafts, calligraphy, custom name sweaters, quilts, whatever you like.

I used to have a calligraphy business back in 2015-2017 called Tenn Letters. I made custom signage for weddings & events! Check out my work for funzies here. I’ve also made & sold Starbucks cups with custom stickers that I made on my Silhouette machine. The options are endless, just find something you enjoy!

7. Baking

Do you enjoy baking? I don’t, but maybe you do! In my neighborhood there are people who will occasionally take orders for baked goods and sell them! It might not be consistent income, but it’s a little something extra. You could make cookies, cinnamon rolls, bread, cake pops, or custom cakes and sell them on your local Facebook page. People like supporting other local people.

8. Flip Furniture

My husband and I used to buy furniture for very cheap at thrift stores or on Facebook, then flip it and re-sell. We would either stage the item and sell as is, but with a better photo, or paint with chalk paint and re-list it. The profit margins were great! My husband did all the work on the furniture, and I did the admin work of sourcing the furniture to buy, taking product photos, and listing the item for sale and arranging the deal.

9. Start a blog

I started blogging a few years ago, and I now make passive income through affiliate marketing. My best advice would be to start writing about things you enjoy, then apply with LTK, Amazon Associates, or look into other brands you like and use to see if they have an affiliate program. Put links on your blog or social media, and if someone clicks and buys something through your link, you will receive a small percentage of the sale. I can do a deeper dive into this on another post if anyone is interested.

10. Become a Virtual Assistant (VA)

Many small businesses need help but don’t want to hire employees. They will contract out freelancers to do various tasks for them. Generally these are solopreneurs and people are like web designers, small business accountants, photographers, videographers, fitness coaches, etc. It never hurts to reach out directly to someone or look on Upwork for VA jobs.

11. Real Estate Investing

This is something I would love to get into. If you have the means, investing in real estate and renting out properties to tenants or as an Airbnb can be great semi-passive income.

Bonus!

One more bonus way to make easy cash (not a ton, but maybe some coffee money!) is to download the Upside app. My mom told me about this and I’ve used it 5 times so far and made around $13 just from getting gas. You simply download the app and use it when you’re getting gas for cash back. You can literally get cash sent to your bank account, or redeem it for gift cards at popular stores. I cashed out mine last week for a Starbucks gift card! My husband also uses it and redeems his for Starbucks too. Can you tell we’re Starbucks lovers? Use promo code 4VXVV to get an extra 15 cents per galloon bonus the first time you use it. You’re welcome!

I hope you liked these ideas on ways to make extra money! Make sure to follow me on social media and let me know if you have any questions or want a deeper dive into any of these ideas.

Other blog posts you might like:

Branding headshot photos from my in-home studio

7 Tips to being a happier & more productive mom

Postpartum Self Care Ideas