How To Make Money Doing Everyday Things

What if I told you that you can make money doing everyday things?

We can always use some extra money, whether it’s to buy the newest gadget, save for a rainy day, or invest in a fund to get even more money.

You might think that to get extra money, you’ll have to do an extra job.

But what if I told you that you can squeeze some dollars from your ordinary, daily tasks?

And you wouldn’t have to make drastic changes in your lifestyle?

Well, it’s true!

In fact, here are 16 ways to make money doing everyday things.

16 Ways To Make Money Doing Everyday Things

Here are some everyday things that you can make money from without exerting much effort or changing up too much of your routine.

1. Listen to music online.

Yup, just plug in your headphones, listen to some music, and get paid!

You can either download an app from a market research company and listen to your usual music. The app will let them know what type of music you normally listen to.

Or you can listen to internet radio with ads and get a portion of the ad revenue.

Here are a few ways you can get paid to listen to music.

2. Do simple online tasks.

Swagbucks is mainly known for its surveys, but it offers points for doing so many other everyday tasks.

The easiest way is to switch your default search engine to Swagbucks instead of Google. This way, you can start racking up points for surfing the web as you would normally do.

It’s simple to start, too: create your free account, claim your signup bonus, choose a task, and start earning points. At a certain point threshold, you can exchange these points for cash or gift cards.

3. Take photos on your phone.

If you love taking pictures on your mobile phone and can find ways to make even the most mundane moments look interesting, you might find the Foap app interesting to use.

The Foap app (available in the App Store and in Google Play Store) provides a platform for amateur photographers to upload their photos and videos, where companies, advertisers, and website owners can then buy these photos for royalty-free use.

If you sell a photo on the app, you get 50% of whatever the buyer pays, which can be anywhere from $2 to $60, and even $80 for photos that get transferred to Getty Images.

Read more about how you can get paid to take pictures with your phone using Foap.

4. Go shopping.

Market research companies want to know what people are buying and what people want, and that’s why there are plenty of cashback apps around that you can sign up for.

These companies are willing to pay you in exchange for your shopping information.

An example of an app that gives you cash for your purchases is Ibotta. Not only does it look for coupons and discounts for you but also, it will give you cashback when you take a picture of your receipt.

Remember to only enroll in cashback programs and apps that include stores that you really buy from. It defeats the purpose if you have to go out of your way to shop at stores you don’t normally shop at.

5. Unlock your Android phone.

How many times do you unlock your phone and see if there are any notifications?

Just made you look, didn’t I?

Why not earn some change from unlocking your phone?

Download the S’more app on your phone and earn points from looking at relevant ads and content on your lockscreen. Exchange points for gift cards from major retailers.

6. Drive.

Have to drive to town every day to get to work, or occasionally to run an errand? Are you planning to go on a road trip soon?

Why not drop off a package while you’re at it and earn some cash?

Sign up as a driver with Roadie and get matched with gigs that are going on the same route as you are and earn discounts and cash for your trouble.

Since you’re only driving packages, not people, you don’t need to give up an inch of your personal space and privacy.

Plus, you get to choose which jobs to take; you can make money every day of the week, or choose a few days a week to drive and deliver packages.

If this interests you, check out how you can get paid to deliver cars as well.

7. Watch or stream on your phone or smart TV.

Netflix and chill?

How about Netflix and earn?

Download the TV-TWO app on your phone and smart TV (Samsung or LG), watch your usual videos, shows, and movies, and earn cryptocurrency for every second you watch.

8. Walk your dog.

If you have a dog and you’re going on a walk, why not find other dogs in your area that need to be walked?

You can simply promote your service to your neighbors, or sign up on an app like Rover as a dog walker.

9. Exercise.

Everyone wants to be a little bit (or a lot) healthier this coming year.

If you’re trying to build that habit of exercising daily, you might as well get paid to lose weight.

Apps like DietBet and stickK allow you to set goals, bet a certain amount of money that you’ll achieve those goals, and then win money for achieving those goals.

The catch is that if you don’t achieve those goals, you’ll lose the money that you bet. That’s the motivation for you to achieve those goals.

Or, if the thought of possibly losing money doesn’t motivate you, sign up for Achievement instead. You don’t risk any money; this app rewards you with points for doing healthy things for yourself.

The great thing is that exercising is not the only behavior it rewards.

You get points for keeping a food diary, meditating, and answering health-related surveys that give you some insight into your own health.

These points can be exchanged for cash or donated to charity.

10. Play video games.

If you love playing video games and are good at it, why not squeeze a few dollars from it?

Sign up for an account on Twitch and start streaming yourself playing your games.

To earn a few dollars, add a donation button (at least at first), collect subscribers, and earn ad revenue as you continue playing.

11. Hang out in other people’s houses.

Being a house sitter allows you to make money from what you normally do every day, just in another person’s house.

Of course, you’d probably have to do activities out of your normal routine, such as basic housekeeping (i.e., don’t be a pig), pet sitting, watering plants, getting the mail, and other menial tasks.

Applying as a house sitter will take some time and effort, but once you’re hired and staying in the house you’re taking care of, it doesn’t demand much from you.

12. Download an app.

You download apps for many other reasons.

How about downloading an app that pays you $50 just to download their app?

The Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel only asks that you install their apps so they can collect your (non-personally identifiable) internet usage data.

In return, they’ll give you $50 if you keep the app installed for a year. You’ll also get entered into their sweepstakes, where it’s possible to win $10,000 a month.

Who knew downloading an app and using the internet as you normally do can be possibly this lucrative?

13. Read.

For someone who likes books and loves getting to read books by new authors, getting paid to read books sounds ideal.

Apply to be a reviewer on a per-book basis on sites such as Online Book Club and Writerful Books to not only get free books but also to get paid $5 to $60 per review.

14. Recycle.

Helping save the environment is good.

Getting paid to do it? Even better!

Take a look at what you consume and discard every day: glass bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard boxes from your online purchases (not judging!), egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, and many more.

From now on, think twice before you throw away this stuff. Here are some ways you can get paid to recycle.

15. Be a friend.

People are increasingly becoming isolated, and meeting new people and making friends has been difficult. The recent pandemic certainly didn’t help.

Websites such as RentAFriend make it easier for lonely souls to find people to spend time with or even just to talk to once in a while. Sign up to be a friend and get paid for your time while getting to meet new people and experience new things.

If real-world interactions aren’t your thing, or you’re concerned about your safety, you might feel more comfortable signing up to sites such as RentaCyberFriend where the interactions are all virtual.

Keep in mind that these aren’t escort sites, adult sites, or dating sites. The interactions here are strictly platonic.

16. Sleep.

Of all the everyday activities you can be paid for, this may be the most unexpected.

Paid sleep studies help researchers study sleep-related problems and disorders so that treatments could be developed for them.

Look for ongoing sleep studies in ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of paid clinical studies currently being done.

Most of them require that you’re onsite for the whole duration of the study, but some studies allow you to stay out and then go back to the facility to sleep.

The Bottom Line

Of course, in terms of earning a steady income, nothing will ever beat getting a great online job or starting your own online business.

But it’s nice to know that one can make money from doing everyday things and that you can earn extra cash without stressing out too much.

Have you ever tried to make money from everyday stuff? Which one of these ways I enumerated above sounds most interesting? Sound off in the comments!