You might be daydreaming about a long road trip more than ever right now. With summer and good weather on the horizon, it might be time to sit down and plan that road trip. Unfortunately, you might realize it’s going to cost a lot more than you thought. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a list of easy ways to make money at home from your couch. You can earn this money outside your full-time job to help you save up for your next road trip.
Blogging
If you enjoy writing and feel passionate about a particular subject, it might be time to write down your thoughts and upload them to a blog. Blogs are an easy, fun way to get paid for expressing yourself.
To start making money from a blog, you first need to pick a niche. Make sure it’s a topic you have a lot of knowledge and passion for – if there’s no passion behind your writing, your readers will know. Some of the most profitable niches are food and nutrition, wellness and fitness, travel, making money or saving money.
Once you figure out your niche, pick a name and create your website. You should also create social media pages specifically for your blog. To make money from your blog upfront, you can set up ads and use affiliate links. The larger the audience you build, the more likely brands will sponsor or pay you to run their ads on your blog. Although this isn’t the fastest way to make money from home, it can turn into a lot down the line as your audience grows.
Sell Things You Don’t Use Around Your Home
When’s the last time you went through your home to get rid of items you no longer use? Some of those items might be worth a pretty penny if you sell them online. Go through your home and make a pile of things you want to get rid of and then list them online on websites like OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. You don’t have to leave your couch to make the sale. You can even have your customers pick up their purchases from you. Not only do you get to declutter your home, but you get to earn money for your road trip in the process!
Stream Yourself Playing Video Games on Twitch
If you enjoy video games and don’t mind people watching you while you play, turn your nightly hobby into a profit. Twitch is a streaming platform made specifically for gamers. All you need is a webcam to record yourself playing to get started. To start earning money on Twitch, you need to build up your followers. When you have a decent number of followers, you will earn money from advertising revenue and being sponsored. You can also sell merchandise through Twitch to earn money!
Sell Handmade Goods Online
If you’re a crafty person, put your artistic skills to use by selling handmade goods online. You actually don’t even need a natural knack for art; you can learn how to make homemade soap, bath bombs and other goods that don’t require a special set of skills. Once you create something to sell, head over to Etsy or Handmade by Amazon; you can even create your own website. There are endless ways to make money from home from selling handmade goods.
Publish an eBook
You don’t need a literary agent to get one of your books published. If you’ve always wanted to write a book or have a collection of short stories or poems you would love to publish, take the self-publishing route. Aside from taking the time to format an eBook, it won’t cost you anything to publish your work in this medium. You can purchase printed copies of your book to sell on various websites, too. After you publish your book, every sale that comes in will act as passive income. If you’re wondering how to make money sitting on the couch, writing and publishing an eBook is the perfect way to do it.
Work as a Freelancer and Make Money At Home
If you have writing, editing, graphic design, web development or programming skills, taking up freelancing on the side is one of the best ways to make money from home. Search for freelancing opportunities by mingling with local business owners or marketing yourself online. You can also find work by applying to freelance positions offered by companies. Once you have a steady number of clients, you will have a side income ready for you to save for your upcoming road trip every month.
Social Media Influencer
A social media influencer is someone on social media who has enough followers to make companies want to sponsor them. So how many Instagram followers do you need to make money? It depends. Some companies only want to work with people who have millions of followers, while others will work with those who have more modest followings. It really comes down to engagement. If you have fewer followers but high engagement, you’re a more ideal sponsored influencer than someone with tons of followers but no engagement.
If you want to become a social media influencer and make money, decide what niche you want to grow a profile of. You don’t have to post endless selfies to become an influencer. You can create a page that’s nothing but memes, or post daily pictures of your super-intelligent dog. The key to gaining followers and sponsorship is sticking to one field. To find brands to work with, sign up for one of the many influencer marketplaces to find a match.
Aside from sponsored posts, you can also make money from your couch by using affiliate links or selling clothing or items in an online store. You can also use your influencer status to direct your followers to your blog or handmade goods you’re selling. Becoming a social media influencer opens up a lot of ways to earn money on the side.
Take Online Surveys
Another way to make money from your couch is taking paid surveys online. Online survey companies – like us here at Branded Surveys – pair up with big companies who need panelists to take their surveys. These companies need responses to their surveys to conduct market research. This market research is then used to make important business decisions related to creating new products, changing marketing strategies or getting to know their target audience better.
When you create a profile with us, you will answer a series of questions about yourself. We use your answers to these questions with our Survey Matching Engine to pair you with surveys you’re qualified to take. These surveys will then pop up on your dashboard. After completing the survey, you will be awarded a certain amount of points. Best of all, you can take surveys from home at any time you want!
We also offer other opportunities to earn points fast. Our members can refer their friends to work with us, answer daily polls, participate in challenges or complete service offers. Once you earn at least 1,000 points, you can redeem your points for gift card rewards or cash to put toward your road trip.
Getting paid for your opinion is a fun and easy way to earn extra money to save. What are you waiting for? Hop on your couch and sign up for an account with Branded Surveys to get started!
