Last Updated on December 19, 2020 by Rebecca Lake
Creative Ways to Make Extra Money Now
Need extra cash? Try these creative ways to make money now!
And if you want a quick and easy way to make money, get paid to take surveys with Survey Junkie and Swagbucks!
Do you have some creative skills that are gathering dust?
As a freelance writer and blogger, I love having a creative job. And I’m still amazed every day that I get to make money from home doing work that I’m passionate about.
And chances are, you’ve got some creative money making skills or knowledge that you could easily monetize.
Making extra money is easier than ever because there are so many ways to do it. And you can:
- Be creative with your time, since you can set your hours
- Earn money doing things you’re good at and enjoy
- Take control of the way you spend and save money
Sounds good, right?
If you haven’t started a side hustle yet, there’s no better time than now. And if you need a few ideas, here are some of the best ways to start earning extra cash!
Related read:
25 Legitimate Ways to Make an Extra $1000 a Month Online (and Offline)
Creative Ways to Make Money Online
There are so many ways to make money online. Taking surveys, for example, is an easy way to score some cash.
Since the theme of this post is all about creative ways to make money, here are my favorite ideas for earning an income online using your innovative skills!
1. Sell on Etsy
Etsy is one of my daughter’s favorite places to shop online. She’s way into anime and Etsy is where she finds all kinds of handmade stuff for her various fandoms.
If you’re into making things by hand, setting up a shop on Etsy could be a perfect way to make extra cash.
Some of the things you could sell on Etsy include:
- Handmade greeting cards
- Custom wedding decorations
- Party favors
- Candles
- Custom mugs
- Original artwork
- Stationery and notebooks
- Handmade stuffed animals
- Christmas ornaments
- Decorative wreaths (I bought my mother an Outlander wreath from Etsy for Christmas and she loved it!)
That’s a really short list of creative ways to make money selling on Etsy. If you’re ready to get started, open your Etsy store today!
2. Get paid to write
I couldn’t write a post about creative ways to make money without mentioning writing. As a full-time freelance writer, I know firsthand this is one of the best ways to make money online these days.
For example, you can make money writing:
- Articles
- Blog posts
- Social media content
- Website copy
- Brochures
- White papers
- Research reports
- Grant proposals
- Resumes
- and much more!
So what do you need to be a freelance writer?
When I started, all I had was a laptop and some basic writing skills. I more or less learned everything I needed to know along the way.
But that’s the hard way to do things. If you’re looking for an easier way to break into freelance writing, check out my FREE intro course to getting paid to write.
And here’s a post that explains how to become a paid blogger for brands!
Bottom line, freelance writing is one of the best and most creative ways to make money if you love to write.
3. Design logos
I love visiting blogs that have beautifully designed logos. Mine is still a work in progress, as you can see. 🙂
If you’ve got serious design skills, you could turn that into a money-making side gig from home.
You could start a blog to market your design hustle and connect with would-be clients.
If you don’t have the budget for that, you could create a free account on Fiverr to sell your freelance design services.
Also, check out Facebook groups for bloggers to find leads for design gigs.
I belong to quite a few of these groups and there are always bloggers who are looking for someone to help them with updating a logo or improving their site design.
4. Sell printables
Not only is selling digital printables one of the most creative ways to make money, but it can also be extremely profitable. Sarah Titus, for example, makes an absolute killing selling these things in her Shopify store.
Creating your own mini-empire is a two-step process. First, you have to design your printables. Then you have to find a place to sell them.
As far as the creating part goes, you can do that with Canva Pro. I use this tool to create my Pinterest images and I absolutely love how easy it is to use!
And once you’re ready to sell your printables, you’ve got options:
- Start a blog and sell them on your own website
- Sell them through Etsy
- Open a Shopify store
- …or try all three!
There’s a huge demand for printables so if you’ve got creative skills, this is a great way to turn them into real income.
5. Be a stock photographer
I love stock photos for creating Pinterest images because honestly, I suck at taking pictures.
A lot of the stock photo sites you can use as a blogger offer free pics but other sites pay photographers for their work. Creative Marketis one; Shutterstock is another.
The cool thing about selling stock photos is that it can be a passive income stream.
Meaning, you take your pictures and post them to the site you want to sell them on. People buy them and the money comes in.
It’s a flexible and creative way to make money that doesn’t have to tie up a lot of your time, which is huge!
6. Start a money-making blog
Blogging just might be a perfect fit if you’re looking for creative ways to make money from home.
There’s so much creative work that goes into blogging. For example, you have to:
- Decide what kind of content you want to create
- Choose images for your content
- Brand your site with your preferred colors
- Pick an eye-catching theme
And in terms of making money, there are lots of ways to do it.
For example, I earn an income blogging through ads and affiliate marketing. But you can also make money blogging with sponsored posts, products or offering freelance services.
The best part?
Starting a blog is something almost anyone can do, even if you’re not a super techie.
If you want to try blogging, check out this ultimate beginner’s guide to starting a blog.
Or skip over that part and head straight to Siteground to get your new blog up and running in minutes!
7. Teach online at Outschool
Everybody and their cat is teaching English online these days. And that’s a great way to make extra money but there are so many other avenues open if you want to teach or tutor.
As homeschoolers, we do a lot of learning online. One of my favorite resources for online classes for kids is Outschool.
The best thing about this site is that you don’t need to be a certified teacher to create a course. Outschool also welcomes adults who have an interest or passion they want to share with young students.
You decide what you want to teach, when you want your class to meet and how much to charge. Parents register their kids and pay right through the site.
It’s super-flexible and one of the most creative ways to make money if you’re looking for a VIPKID alternative.
⇒Read my full Outschool review to learn how to get paid to teach!
8. Set up a POD shop
POD just means print on demand. It’s a money-making outlet that could be great if you’re the creative type who’s into designing shirts, coffee mugs or just about anything else you can print something on.
Here’s the quick rundown of how it works:
- You create your designs
- You outsource the print work to another company
- People visit your POD shop, place their orders and pay
- The company that does the printing puts your design on whatever it is the person ordered and ships it out
It’s a super-easy way to make money from home!
You can use a tool like Canva Proto create your designs. And there are plenty of places you can set up shop to sell, including:
- Shopify
- Redbubble
- Printful
- Printify
Just keep in mind that those sites will take a cut of your earnings. So it pays to factor that into your pricing.
9. Start a YouTube channel
If the marketing experts are right, video is the wave of the future. So why not make money off that trend with your own YouTube channel?
The great thing is that you don’t need a blog to make money with YouTube. But if you already have a blog, YouTube can easily become another income stream.
You do need a channel and a following to make money with YouTube. So the sooner you get started making videos the faster you can start making money!
YouTube has a great guide to starting and monetizing your channel if you’re like me and don’t have a clue how to do it.
10. Write and sell ebooks
If you don’t want to work as a freelance writer or blogger, you can make money from your writing skills another way.
You can write and sell ebooks online and potentially make a great passive income. If you’re wondering where to sell your ebooks, my pick is Amazon.
It’s easy to set up shop, list your ebooks for sale and get paid all in one place.
11. Become a Pinterest manager
Pinterest is pretty much the bane of my existence and I would love to hand over pinning duties to someone else.
So if you know how to make eye-catching pins or you’ve got the Pinterest algorithm down, then you could make money as a Pinterest manager.
The creative part comes in when you’re designing pins. And you also have to be creative when it comes to managing your clients’ accounts.
But there are plenty of Pinterest managers out there who are making great money while helping their clients grow their businesses!
If that sounds like a good use for your creative skills, check out this helpful post that explains how to get started making money as a Pinterest manager.
12. Become a virtual assistant
Before I became a freelance writer, I spent a year or so working as a virtual assistant. And it belongs on the list of creative ways to make money if you’re the expert multitasking type.
As a VA, I did all kinds of tasks online, from data entry to copywriting to creating PowerPoints.
Being a VA is a flexible way to make money since you can set your own hours. And it’s creative because depending on your clients, no two workdays may be the same.
If you don’t know how to get started as a VA, check out my guide to starting a virtual assistant business.
Then, take a peek at the Fully Booked VA course from Gina Horkey. It’s hands-down the best course around for learning how to break into the VA biz as a beginner!
13. Start a subscription box business
Subscription boxes are something we’ve done in the past as part of our homeschool. It’s always fun opening the boxes to see what’s inside!
Surprisingly, it’s easier than you might think to start a subscription box service. And you can be creative with what you fill them with.
Our favorites are the science boxes and reading boxes but there are so many other options and themes you can try.
If you want to learn how to start your own subscription box business, check out this guide from Cratejoy.
14. Get paid to write greeting cards
Have you ever wondered where the sentiments inside greeting cards come from?
Getting paid to write greeting cards is a real thing and it’s one of the easiest creative ways to make money in your spare time.
Depending on which company you’re writing for, you could get paid to write poetic greetings, romantic greetings or my personal favorite — snarky, sarcastic greetings.
If you’re wondering how to get started with being a pro greeting card writer, scope out this list of companies that will pay you to write.
15. Sell custom fonts
Playing around with different fonts is one of my favorite things ever when designing pins for Pinterest. And those fonts have to come from somewhere, right?
If you’re the creative type who’s into creating fonts or hand lettering, you could turn that into a profitable side business. Sites like Creative Marketmake it super easy to open up a shop and sell your custom creations.
You just have to sign up, decide what you want to sell and set your prices.
It’s that easy to start making money selling everything from fonts to graphics to custom design templates!
16. Get paid to shop online
If you’re doing your holiday shopping online or any other online shopping, why not get paid to do it?
One of my favorite creative ways to make money is as simple as downloading cashback apps to your phone.
Cashback apps pay you back a percentage of what you spend when you shop at partner stores, restaurants, airlines and more!
The great thing about using cashback apps to make money is that there are so many good ones to choose from. If you need some suggestions, these are the apps I use to earn cashback every month:
Rakuten
Rakuten is a must-have cashback app if you shop online at big-name stores like Macy’s or Home Depot.
You can use this app to earn cashback online or in-stores. Cashback earnings can be as high as 40%, depending on the deals you decide to take advantage of.
Plus, you can save even more with special promo codes and discounts.
⇒Sign up for Rakuten now to get $10 back on your first order!
Ibotta
Ibotta is my favorite cashback app for earning money back on groceries.
If you want to save money on groceries this app is essential!
I love Ibotta because you can use it with Instacart if you prefer to grocery shop online. And you can score some pretty sweet bonuses when you download the app and make your first purchases!
⇒Download Ibotta and get up to $20 in cashback bonuses now!
Dosh
Dosh lets you earn cashback on dining, travel and shopping.
This app is great because it’s super easy to use.
You just link your debit or credit cards to the app and Dosh applies cashback to your account automatically when you shop partner merchants!
⇒Get the Dosh app and start earning cash!
Creative Ways to Make Money From Home
Besides making money with online side hustles, there are other ways to make money from home in your spare time.
Here are a few ideas to try if you want a low-stress side hustle option!
17. Get paid to listen to music
Like music?
I’m a HUGE BTS fan and I could listen to them all day. (And sometimes do. 🙂 )
If you’re into music, you could get paid to listen to it with Slice the Pie.
It’s really simple. You sign up, listen to music and share your opinions.
You may not get rich listening to music but you can put some extra cash in your pocket doing something you already enjoy anyway.
⇒Join Slice the Pie to start making money!
18. Get paid to read
I love to read and I can’t believe getting paid to do it is an actual thing. But it totally is.
There are a ton of websites that will pay you to read and review books. Plus, you get the book for free which is even better!
I like this as a creative way to make money because it combines two of my favorite things: reading and writing. Plus, some sites can pay a few hundred dollars for each review you write.
19. Become a furniture flipper
Furniture flipping is kind of like house flipping. You find a piece of furniture that could you use a little TLC, buy it for cheap, then resell it for big bucks.
Not only is this a way to be creative since you’re basically taking something old and making it new again, but it doesn’t take a lot of money to get started.
If you’re willing to spend some time scouring Facebook or Craigslist, you could come across furniture finds on the cheap or even free.
You may have to invest a little cash in materials, such as paint or sanding tools. But otherwise, this is a creative side gig that has serious profit potential!
20. Start a home bakery business
Every time I bake it comes out in one of two ways: nailed it or failed it.Sometimes I can bake to perfection and other times it’s just a hot mess.
If you’re blessed with the baker’s touch, you could sell your homemade goods to make a side income.
For example, where I live we have a weekly farmer’s market and there are always vendors selling pies, cakes and other goodies.
If you’re going to try the home baking route, just check the laws in your state first. You might have to meet health code or business regulations before you can don your apron and get to work.
21. Make money sewing
So, sewing is not a life skill I possess.
Don’t ask me why I never learned how to do this, I just didn’t. Total #momfail, right?
But if you’ve got amazing sewing skills, you could easily turn that into a money-making home business.
You could stick with the basics and do things like alterations or sewing repairs. But there are some ways to turn up the creativity a notch.
For example, you could specialize in making children’s toys, pillows or blankets. Or you could get into embroidery work or set up a YouTube channel that features sewing tutorials.
22. Sell your knitting or crocheting
Okay, so I don’t know how to sew. And I don’t know how to knit or crochet either.
Seriously, what is wrong with me?
If I did know how to knit, then selling my handiwork is one of the creative ways to make money I’d look into. Because there are so many ways to make money with a knitting side hustle.
Plus, it seems like it’s really relaxing and what busy mom couldn’t use a little quiet time? Here’s some inspo for how to get your knitting or crocheting side hustle started.
23. Make custom jewelry
Growing up, my mom made and sold custom jewelry and I remember how creative and beautiful her designs were.
Jewelry-making is yet another skill I lack (sensing a theme here, right?) but it can be a profitable and creative way to make money in your spare time.
And you can sell your jewelry without leaving home through Etsy or your own website.
24. Get paid to lose weight
I personally could stand to lose a few pounds. (Thanks, 2020.)
If you feel the same way, then you could make extra money working out and getting fit at home.
I included this as one of the most creative ways to make money because think about it. If you can’t get to the gym to work, you might have to get creative about how you burn off calories at home.
So here’s where the money-making part comes in. It’s called HealthyWage.
This app lets you set up a weight loss challenge for money. If you win your challenge and hit your weight loss goal, you get paid!
It’s that simple.
To learn more about how it works, read my complete HealthyWage review.
⇒Or, head here to start your first HealthyWager!
25. Turn your clutter into cash
Got some extra stuff around your house that’s just taking up space?
You could easily sell it to pocket the extra cash!
If you want to sell electronics, check out Gazelle.
And if you want to sell books, try SecondSale.
For video games and gaming devices, head to Decluttr!
Related read:
27 Things You Can Sell to Make Money Without Leaving Home
What are your favorite creative ways to make money?
Hopefully, your creative juices are flowing after working your way through this list and you’re ready to start banking extra cash!
Do you have a favorite creative idea to make money?
Head to the comments and tell me about it. And don’t forget to pin and share this post!
Read these post next for more ideas to make money:
How to Make More Money in 2021: 21 Genius Ways to Grow Your Income
40 High-Paying Side Hustles for Moms Who Want to Make Extra Money
15 Best Survey Sites for Making Quick and Easy Money
How to Make $2000 a Month From Home With Flexible Side Hustles
