Mark Zuckerberg is now apologizing for censoring conservative views during the pandemic. But the real shocker? He claims it was under pressure from the White House.
15 out-of-the-box ways to make extra cash from anywhere
By now, you probably know that you don’t have to leave home to make money. After all, many companies sent employees home to work during the pandemic. But even if you aren’t a salaried employee, you can still make a living from the comfort of your own home.
All you need is a computer, a phone and a solid foundation of internet know-how. Some jobs are straightforward, like working for a call center from your home. But not all jobs have to be dreary and bereft of fun.
For instance, you can work as a professional dog groomer or even an artist who creates items from home. Apps like Etsy, Rover, Dolly and more have sprung up to empower you to become your own boss and work flexible hours. Here are 15 money-making opportunities that put you in the driver’s seat of your work life — sometimes literally!
Bolster your bank account
A few names get the most headlines when it comes to the gig economy. There’s Uber, Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash.
Good news if you don’t want to drive around the city, carting strangers and their food. There are many ways to make extra cash without surrendering to the 9-to-5 corporate world.
We collected some exciting ways to put extra bucks in your bank account. Save yourself some research time and check out our favorite resources:
- Sell your skills: Whether you like writing, drawing, dancing, voice acting or doing celebrity impressions, you can do anything on Fiverr. Some people will even throw a message in a bottle or speak with other people’s pets telepathically … or so they say!
- Pet sit dogs from your own home: Want to pet sit but don’t want to leave the house? Rover pays you to take care of strangers’ pets while they’re away.
- Transcribe audio: Put your ears to work by typing down the words from audio recordings at waywithwords.net.
- Be a mystery shopper: Check out BestMark and SecretShopper to start.
- Rent your car: If you aren’t using your car right now, rent it out through Turo.
- Decorate your car: Companies like Stickr.co and Wrapify give you decals with advertisements. Drive around with them to make sure people see the ads.
- Watch TV: If you love sitting in front of the silver screen, good news: there are sites that pay you for watching.
- Sell your friendship: Tons of people are lonely since the pandemic drove us home for a year and a half. Rent-A-Friend lets you connect with others for cash.
- Test products: Do you love free stuff? Sites like Toluna, Nielson and Johnson & Johnson will pay you to test products.
- Listen to music: Audiophiles can head to Slicethepie to make a few cents for every song they listen to and rate.
- Test medicines: If you want to be a part of medicinal progress, join clinical trials.
- Rent your swimming pool: Swimply lets you sell access to your pool by the hour.
- Rent out extra rooms in your house: We aren’t talking about roommates. Some folks just want cheap storage space. If you have rooms, rent them out through storeatmyhouse.com or neighbor.com.
- Sell your hair: If you have luscious locks, let it grow out to at least eight inches in length and chop it off. Sites like HairSellOn, OnlineHairAffair and WorldofWigs will be happy to take it off of your hands.
- Cook for your neighbors: Here’s a way to turn your love of cooking into cash…without working in the hectic environment of a restaurant kitchen. EatWith is a meal-sharing app that lets you host, cook dishes for people and even sell baked goods.
While many of these jobs are fun, you’ll probably have to put in a lot of hours and hard work to make a significant chunk of cash.
If you want to widen your net to find as many job opportunities as possible, we recommend heading to our sponsor, LinkedIn. It’s the No. 1 social media site for job seekers, employers and more.
You can find a ton of great gigs on LinkedIn
On the flip side, if you’re hiring, there’s no better place to put a job listing than on LinkedIn.
Need some extra cash? 15 jobs you can do from home
Working remotely isn’t suitable for everybody. But in the wake of the pandemic, it has seen a considerable boon globally. Tap or click here for legit ways to find work-from-home jobs.
If you’re interested in earning a living from home, there is no better time to get involved with the right opportunity.
Zuck’s singing like a canary: The question is why? Mark Zuckerberg finally admitted Facebook censored conservative views during the pandemic, citing pressure from senior White House officials. Posts criticizing the COVID-19 vaccines, mask mandates or suggesting the virus was created in a Chinese laboratory were deleted.
20% reduction in printing
Compared to pre-pandemic times. That’s what HP boss Enrique Lores told investors. Yeah, things aren’t pretty in the print hardware division; revenues have been down nine quarters in a row.
How to rock a remote interview: Tips for shining over the phone or on video
Remote interviews are the present and the future. Why? The pandemic forced many companies nationwide to move to a remote system nearly overnight.
Now that we’ve been operating remotely for a while, many employers have seen the positive benefits of having remote employees. Increased productivity is one of them.
GameStop shares surge again; investors lose big time
This is one of those stories you can talk about with your family and friends. A few years ago, has-been companies went viral with investors, and their stock prices went sky-high out of the blue.
Because everything is a cycle, it just happened again. After you read this, you’ll know why no one can shut up about GameStop, a company that sells video games, gaming platforms and accessories primarily from its brick-and-mortar retail stores across the country.
It’s a buyer’s market: During the pandemic, people scooped up boats, RVs and motorcycles at record rates. Now, they’re trying to offload them, thanks to rising costs and interest rates. Plenty of dealers are stuck with excess inventory, too. Your move — it’s time to score some deals on eBay and Facebook Marketplace!
$257 to $213
The average projected concert ticket price this summer compared to the summer of 2023. More major acts are canceling their tours as the post-pandemic live music boom cools down. Still, ticket-seller Live Nation hit $3.8 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2024. Bet they say a prayer for Taylor Swift every day.
6 crazy jobs that tech killed — and what replaced them
If you work in an office, your job probably didn’t exist 100 years ago. Yep, six out of every 10 jobs didn’t exist back in 1940!
Sure, there are the obvious ones like data infrastructure or email operations, but even jobs like conference planners and nail techs didn’t exist on record until the 1990s and 2000s!
$850 for a “Star Wars” Millennium Falcon Lego brick set
Guess it wasn’t a pandemic fad after all … Since launching adult sets in 2020, Lego has doubled its over-18 offerings to include fan favorites like an $899 Titanic set and a $469 Hogwarts set. There’s even a name for the diehards: AFOL, or Adult Fans of Legos. I’m more of an AFON myself — Adult Fan of Napping.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
10 surprising side hustles to make some extra cash
“Kim, how can I make money from home?” I’ve been getting this one for years and years. And guess what? Between new apps and the rise of the gig economy, it’s never been easier to make an extra buck.
Entrepreneur (paywall link) gathered some weird and wonderful side hustles, plus real examples of regular folks who make a pretty penny. Don’t worry, no Uber on this list — but I did include an option for those who love to drive.
Pay-per-prescription: Hitting up your doctor for a sick note or refill? Prepare to pony up. Once-free admin tasks could soon carry a price tag. Blame pandemic burnout and the telehealth boom for turning your doc’s inbox into a no-freebie zone.
7 ways to stop paying so much on streaming every dang month
Five years ago, Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu with Live TV would cost you around $56 a month. Not bad! Today, the exact services will run you over $106. How’s that for outrageous?
New research shows we’re more cutthroat than ever about what we pay to stream. Let’s look at some clever ways people save so you can, too!
Ahoy, matey! Streaming costs are bringing back piracy
How much do pirates pay for corn? A buck-an-ear! How much do they pay for streaming services? Uh, they don’t.
On a recent Friday podcast, Andrew mentioned all the services he subscribes to to watch football. A reader sent a note with a suggestion: “Just watch on an illegal streaming site. Oh, and be careful what you click.”
How NASA plans to backup data on lunar soil
Think the cloud is a safe bet for your data? In a world of increasing data breaches, hackers and threats, even cloud storage might not be enough. So, why not look to the stars — or, better yet, the moon?
NASA is partnering with Lonestar, a Florida-based computing startup, and the Isle of Man, that self-governing British Crown Dependency you might’ve never heard about.
The future is here: Amazing robots that cook, clean and carry your stuff
Did you ever watch “The Jetsons” and wish the robotic maid Rosey was real? She was responsible for many household tasks, including cleaning, cooking and caring for the family — George, Jane, Judy, Elroy and their pet dog Astro. And boy, oh boy, Rosie was built.
Just how much can my job monitor me?
If it feels like Big Brother is watching you work, it’s because he probably is. Today’s employee monitoring systems are getting fancier by the day, but are they legal?
The short answer (unfortunately) is yes. However, employees do have rights. Keep reading to find out how far your boss might be allowed to go.
To tip or not to tip, that's the question
Have you noticed that someone is asking for a tip everywhere you look? That fancy-schmancy payment popped up at coffee shops. Now, they’re at self-checkouts, stadiums and even fast-food joints. My plumber even had the option to tip him 20%! I’m glad I didn’t. The ice maker leaked all over 45 minutes after he left.