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30 Ways To Pay Bills From Home

Shannon September 30, 2018

Imagine never having to set an alarm clock again. Wake up at any time, and pull out your laptop to start working from home in your pajamas while you lay in bed and sip a cup of coffee.

Okay…Not all work-from-home jobs are actually that relaxed, but you would be surprised to find just how many jobs exist where you can make your own schedule and eliminate a lot of stress from your life. Here are 30 legit ways to make money from home.

Many companies allow their employees to do phone customer service at home. Credit: Pexels

30. Phone Customer Service

Working as a telephone customer service operator can be challenging, but if you are good with people, it might be a really good option for working from home. In most cases, you may have to receive some training before you will be allowed to work from home. Companies like Amazon hire extra work-from-home customer service reps during the holidays.

If you have a great voice, you can make money from narration. Credit: Pexels

29. Do Voice Overs With At-Home Narration

Has anyone ever told you that you have a really nice voice? Companies like ACX connect business owners and authors of books with people who are willing to do voice-overs for commercials, or narrate an audio book. Acting experience is a huge plus. Keep in mind that in order to get these gigs, you will need a really high-quality microphone. You will also have to go through loads of auditions before you actually land a gig.

You can make money watching commercials in your pajamas. Credit: Pexels

28. Watch Commercials & Take Surveys

On Swagbucks, you can earn money just by watching videos. You only earn a few cents to complete a video playlist, however, you can download both the app and the website to run videos at the same time. There are also larger bonuses for completing surveys and signing up for monthly subscription services. Just remember to cancel your free trial, and you can still get your Swagbucks credit. After watching enough videos, you can trade in your points for gift cards or a cash deposit into PayPal.

If you are good with your hands, you may be able to make some extra cash. Credit: Pexels

27. At-Home Hand Assembly

If you live near a factory, it may be worth checking to see if they have any products that need to be assembled by hand. For example, attaching pins on the back of buttons or fastening a plastic ring inside of a cap

Keep in mind that if you find an assembly gig on Craigslist, it may be a scam, so be careful. Most of these jobs are not advertised online, because they are typically given to friends and family members of people working in the factory, or offered as an optional way for employees to work from home.

You can also work for Amazon Home Services and the TaskRabbit app, where you can show up at people’s houses to help them put furniture together, hang TV’s on walls, and other handy tasks.

If you have skills in accounting, you just may be able to work from home.Credit: Pexels

26. Be a Bookkeeper

If you have experience in accounting, you may be able to provide your services from a home office. At the end of the day, business owners just care that their bookkeeping gets done properly.

People who are hearing impaired need to read closed captions. Credit: Pexels

25. Type Out Closed Captions

For people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, it’s very helpful to have subtitles and descriptions of sounds to read. These are called “closed captions”. Google tries to automatically insert these closed captions on YouTube, but they are usually not accurate. YouTubers and TV stations both need this type of work, and they usually don’t care if you get the work done from home.

Transcriptionists write out what they hear in various forms of media. Credit: Pexels

24. Writing Transcriptions

Similar to closed captioning, there are some businesses that need people to type out transcripts of speeches, podcasts, and videos. These transcripts are used for search engine optimization to help people find their work. Most of the time, this work is done remotely.

As a petsitter, you usually visit people’s homes to help feed, walk, and play with your client’s pets. Credit: Pexels

22. Watch After Furry Friends With Pet Sitting

For people who travel and work a lot, they want to make sure their dogs and cats are well taken care of. Start out by offering your pet sitting services on Facebook to your family and friends. If you do a good job, they will begin to recommend your services to others.

Vintage and antique items can be sold on eBay. Credit: Pexels

21. Sell Your Old Stuff On eBay

If you have valuable items around your house, you could possibly sell them on eBay without ever leaving your house. Some people also flip items they find in a thrift store, if they know they can make a profit. You can get it all done on the eBay app, or on your computer.

On Etsy, people can sell their hand-made crafts. Credit: Pexels

20. Sell Your Crafts On Etsy

Do you love to craft? If you’re great and hand-making a product, you just might be able to sell it on Etsy. They also accept vintage items and craft supplies, as well.

Selling clothes on Poshmark is as easy as downloading an app and taking photos on your phone. Credit: Pexels

19. Sell Your Clothes And Accessories On Poshmark

Nearly everyone has some old clothes, shoes, and accessories lying around. If you have some great brands in your closet, you can sell them for cash on Poshmark. Just download the app, and take pictures right on your phone.

Craigslist has every type of gig you could ever imagine, but just be careful. Credit: Pexels

18. Find Gigs On Craigslist

Craigslist has both job listings and a section for short-term gigs in just about every industry. Be extremely careful of scams, and always play it safe. But sometimes, a gig can actually work out, and you can make a little bit of money from home.

Airbnb is a popular way for people to rent their rooms and entire homes. Credit: Pexels

17. Rent A Room On Airbnb

If you have an extra bedroom in your home, or if you just so happen to own a vacation property, you can make some additional income by renting out your space to travelers. If you live near a national park, tourist attraction, or metropolitan area, you will be more likely to get clients to stay at your place.

You can get free cash for items you already bought. Credit: Pexels

16. Download A Cash-Back App

If you are the type of person who holds on to all of their receipts, you’re in luck, because you may be able to get money back for items you have already purchased. Download Checkout51, Ibotta, and more to see if your recent purchases qualify for cash back deposited into your PayPal account.

Gigs on Fivver allow people to work from home in nearly every industry. Credit: Pexels

15. Find Gigs on Fivver

Even though the name of the website has “Five” in its name, that doesn’t mean you only make $5 per gig. Many experienced people can charge much more for their services. The greatest thing about Fivver is that it covers nearly every industry you can imagine. No matter what your skills are, you can probably find a gig.

With everything going digital, you may not mind trading in your old discs. Credit: Pexels

14. Sell Your Old Games, DVD’s, and CD’s

The number of old school video stores are few and far between, but they still exist. Game Stop trades cash or store credit for used video games, and your local small businesses may still have a similar policy. Just keep in mind that you will only get a very small portion of its original value.

If you have old textbooks lying around, you can trade them in. Credit: Pexels

13. Trade In Your Books To Amazon

You may already know that you can sell your used books on Amazon.com. Sometimes, you don’t even have to wait to find a buyer, because Amazon will buy it directly from you in exchange for a gift card. Keep in mind that Amazon only wants to buy books that are new and have a high value. If you are a college student, and you bought a brand new book last semester, you’re likely to be able to trade it in right away.

Data entry is easy, but it’s tedious. Credit: Pexels

12. Data Entry

Data entry is easy work, but it is boring and tedious, which is why business owners often hire someone to do this work for them. Sometimes, this job gets coupled together with being a virtual assistant. If you are new to the field, search for a reputable agency who can help you find a client.

Busy people sometimes need help from virtual assistants. Credit: Pexels

11. Become a Virtual Assistant

Some business owners are so busy, they have trouble keeping up with all of their e-mails, appointments, arranging travel, and phone calls. They need an assistant, but they don’t have an office for them to work from. Or, they may not have enough work to pay them for a full-time gig. This is where virtual assistants come in.

Before you sign up for a virtual assistant gig, make sure you are signing up for a reputable agency. Don’t try to find a gig on Craigslist, because assistant jobs have the most scams. This gig usually pays $15 to $20 per hour, so you may need to have multiple clients for it to add up to a part-time income. The Penny Hoarder as a lot of great advice for people who want to get started.

 

Every website and business uses stock photos. Credit: Pexels

10. Sell Stock Photos

If you are an amateur photographer, you might just be able to make money by selling your work as stock photos. Foap and Shutterstock allow you to sell your photography for bloggers and business owners who are looking to purchase stock images, and even the most random images may sell. Individual images sell for roughly $5 each, so don’t expect to make a fortune. However, some professional photographers take enough pictures to turn it into a part-time job.

If you are a talented, you just might be able to become a freelance writer. Credit: Pexels

9. Freelance Writing

Were you always the type of person who got straight A’s in your English classes? You may be more qualified to become a writer than you think. Freelance writing is an incredibly competitive field, but once you get your foot in the door, it can blossom into a full-time career. Check out websites like Upwork for opportunities.

If you are an artist, you may be able to make some money from your skills. Credit: Pexels

8. Commissioned Illustrations

Whether you went to art school or not, if you are talented at drawing, it could potentially lead to a career in illustration. Create an online portfolio on Instagram to showcase your work, and don’t be afraid to reach out to potential clients. A lot of freelance illustrators are very helpful with their advice on YouTube, like professional artist Fran Meneses.

If you’re smart, you can use your brain power to be an online tutor. Credit: Pexels

7. Do Some Online Tutoring

If you have a college degree, or if you are currently a student, you may be able to work as an online tutor. There are several different agencies out there that can hook you up with potential clients. There are way more opportunities for difficult subjects like math and foreign languages.

Credit: Pexels

6. Online Juror

Some people dread the thought of being called in for jury duty, because it means taking a day off of work and a lot of sitting around. There are a few of us true crime junkies who actually get excited at the idea of sitting on a jury. If you’re one of these people, you might want to look into becoming an online juror.

For big cases, lawyers sometimes hire a mock jury to listen to a case and hear a witness’ testimony before it actually goes to trial. This helps gauge public opinion, and gives lawyers the the opportunity to go back and make adjustments to their case.

There are several different websites that offer gigs for online juries. Just keep in mind that these opportunities are rare, so you shouldn’t expect it to be a consistent gig. You can also check your local county court house’s website or make a phone call asking if they need mock jurors.

If you love kids, you could start an at-home daycare. Credit: Pexels

5. Start a Home Daycare

If you are a stay-at-home mom, it may make a lot of sense for you to start offering child care services out of your house. Keep in mind that the laws around at-home daycare licenses will vary from state to state. Depending on where you live, you may have to take some classes and tests, and have an in-home visit before you are allowed to start taking in daycare clients.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of getting this license, most states do not require any type of certification if you are caring for five kids or less. You could still offer to babysit your friend’s children in exchange for compensation.

If you are a great cook, you may be able to make money from your skills. Credit: Pexels

4. At-Home Catering

Do you love to cook? Are your friends always telling you that your food is restaurant-worthy? Well, maybe you should think about starting an at-home catering business to make food for weddings, parties, and corporate events. The Balance has a great guide with lots of advice on how to start an at-home catering service.

 

If you’re willing to trust a stranger with your vehicle, you can make some extra cash renting out your car or RV. Credit: Pexels

3. Rent Your Car or RV

A lot of people rent a car or an RV when they go on vacation. With the internet, it’s possible for people to rent their own cars out to people on apps like Turo. For some people, this would not be possible, because they need their car on a daily basis to get to work. For people who own a second vehicle or an RV that they are not using, it may be a great opportunity to make some money. Just be careful, because you never know what will happen. Make sure your car insurance covers anything that could potentially go wrong before you rent your car to a stranger.

If you own property in or around a city, you can make money by providing a parking space. Credit: Pexels

2. Rent Your Parking Space

If you live in an urban area without a lot of places to park for free, you may be able to rent out a parking space to someone who needs to park their car for work. If you can offer a spot cheaper than local parking garage prices, someone may take you up on your offer.

You can trade in your old ink cartridges for Staples store credit. Credit: Staples

1. Recycle Ink Cartridges

The Staples Rewards program allows you to earn $2 for each ink cartridge that you recycle. This credit gets e-mailed to you every month in the form of a coupon, which acts like a Staples gift card. You cannot use it for cash, but you can get free stuff. Even if you don’t need business supplies, Staples sells items that everyone needs, like paper and kitchen products.

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