Strapped for Cash? 7 Surprising Ways You Can Earn Money Around the Home

If you're looking for ways to earn some extra cash, you might think that a part-time job or freelance gig is the only way. However, you'd be surprised at the number of things you have lying around your home that could potentially make you money.

Whether it's old clothes, electronics, or even plants, there are plenty of ways you can earn money without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. 

In this post, we'll explore some of the most surprising ways you can make money around your home.

Rent Out Your Parking Space

If you live in a busy area with limited parking space, you could earn some extra cash by renting out your driveway or parking spot. Some websites allow homeowners to list their parking spaces for rent, which drivers can then search and book online. 

Depending on the location, you could earn anywhere from a few extra dollars a week to hundreds of dollars a month.

In addition to renting out your parking space, it's important to keep it well-maintained. Make sure the area is always free of debris and that you have clear signage indicating that the space is available for rent. This will help you attract customers and ensure a smooth rental experience. 

Additionally, providing renters with easy access to the space (such as a keyless entry system) can greatly increase customer satisfaction.

Finally, be sure to check with local authorities to ensure you are compliant with any applicable regulations. These simple steps will help ensure your parking space rental is as successful and profitable as possible!

Sell Your Old Clothes

If you're looking to declutter your closet, consider selling your unwanted clothes online. Many websites allow you to sell your clothes to others, either for a fixed price or through an auction-style bidding process. 

You can make a surprising amount of money selling clothes, especially if you have designer items or pieces that are still in good condition.

Rent Out Your Outdoor Space for Events

If you have a large backyard or outdoor space, you could earn money by renting it out for events like weddings, birthday parties, or even fitness classes. 

There are websites that allow homeowners to list their spaces for rent, and you can set your own prices and availability. Depending on the size and location of your outdoor space, you could earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars per event.

To maximize the potential of your outdoor event space, you may want to consider investing in a few amenities. For example, portable furniture like chairs and tables can be helpful for hosting parties or dinners. 

If your space is large enough, you may also want to invest in lighting fixtures such as string lights or a stage. These things will help make your space more inviting and appealing to potential renters. 

You can take your outdoor event space from ordinary to extraordinary with just a few simple upgrades!

Sell That Old Scrap Car

If you have an old car that's been sitting around gathering dust, it may be time to sell it. Many scrap yards, such as Texas Junk Car Buyer, will pay good money for cars that are no longer running, as the parts can be reused or recycled. 

Scrap yards usually pay by weight, so the amount you get will depend on the size and type of car. It's also a great way to get rid of a car without having to pay for expensive repairs.

Sell Your Unwanted Electronics

If you have old electronics lying around your home, like laptops, smartphones, or gaming consoles, consider selling them for cash. 

Many websites will buy your old electronics from you and pay you in cash or gift cards. You could earn a surprising amount of money by selling your old devices, especially if they're still in good working condition.

Once electronic devices have been used for a few years, they can start to wear down and become unreliable. If you're considering selling an older model of a device, it may be wise to do some research first. 

Generally speaking, anything over five years old is likely too outdated to be resold in today's market.

It's important to check the specs before attempting to sell your device, as this will help you determine the true value of it. 

Additionally, it may be beneficial to look up similar devices online and compare prices before making a decision. This way, you can ensure that you get the best price for your unwanted electronics.

Grow and Sell Plants

If you have a green thumb, consider growing and selling plants from your home. You can sell plants online or even set up a roadside stand to sell them locally. 

Depending on the type of plants you're growing and the demand in your area, you could earn a decent amount of money from this side hustle.

Host a Garage Sale

This is a classic way to declutter your home and make some extra money. Go through your closets, garage, or basement and gather all unnecessary items that you no longer use. 

On a Saturday morning, post signs in your neighborhood advertising that you're hosting a garage sale. It's an excellent way to get rid of excess clutter and still make money.

There are plenty of surprising ways you can earn money around your home, from renting out parking spaces to selling your unwanted clothes and electronics. 

By taking a closer look at the things you have lying around your home, you could potentially earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars without ever leaving your house. 

So if you're looking to earn some extra cash, consider giving these home-based money-making ideas a try!

4 Items in Your Home You Didn't Know Could Be Worth Good Money

Most of us can find useless things around the house that we want to get rid of. The good news is that there may be buyers waiting to pay cash for your unwanted possessions. 

All you have to do is market them online and be prepared to mail the items or have them ready for pick up when the deal is confirmed. Here are four surprising things you might own that could be worth a fair amount of money.

Books and Toys

People who take good care of former toys and collectible sets can often sell them for surprising amounts of money. Some buyers are looking for toys that were popular decades ago and will pay a good price for those in great condition. 

Toys that still have their original packaging are especially valuable for many collectors. Before giving away your grown kids' old playthings, look through them to see if any might be worth selling. The same holds for vintage books of any genre. Browse your titles online to see what they might be worth.

Dishware and Kitchen Equipment

Complete sets of authentic china in good condition, particularly those by renowned companies like Wedgewood, can fetch a tidy sum from interested buyers. Antique cookware and kitchen utensils handed down over several generations also attract interest from dishware collectibles. 

Certain types of kitchen equipment, like brand-name deluxe blenders and old-fashioned stoves, are frequently in demand. Before taking pictures to market your items, clean them up, and make any minor repairs. Indicate whether they still work the original way or if they have been modified for modern kitchen use.

Vehicles that Don't Run

Cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, and just about anything on wheels, whether it runs or not, is likely to attract interest from people who rebuild cars or need a used part for the vehicle they are driving. 

Just put up a sign or post an ad that says "buy my junk car," and you may be surprised by the number of calls, emails, or texts you receive.

Cosmetic Jewelry

While valuable gemstones are often available from someone's inheritance or an estate sale, costume jewelry is growing in popularity as well. 

Retro-style necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are in demand by drama troupes, film companies, and those looking for accessories to complete their Halloween costumes.

Don't let your marketable goods go to waste. Set aside the best ones and advertise them to the appropriate market to earn money on what you might have otherwise given away.

Running a Profitable Side Hustle As You Are Aging

The side hustle has become much more popular as many people in all demographics understand the chance to make money online. Those with specific skills can start earning nearly immediately in the cases of virtual assistants, content writers, and web designers. 

A side hustle can be extremely stressful for a person who is starting to feel their age more and more daily. The side hustle is not a main source of income which can help reduce the stress with many older people just wanting something to do with their free time. 

The following are tips to help run a profitable side hustle while keeping your age in mind.

Decide How Much You Are Willing To Work

A side hustle will help you fill the time but you have to decide how much you are willing to work. Those who are a bit older might be technically retired or partially retired. An important detail to look up is how much money can be made before it impacts social security benefits. 

Once you have reached this cap then working could take away your monthly check until you are under the required income. Once you have set a cap on how much you can earn and want to work then a game plan can be written out. 




Hiring other freelancers to complete work is also an option while taking a little bit off of the top. Managing people is different work than writing an article but it can be just as profitable. 

While you might not be able to write 100 articles in a week, you can edit these then submit all of them. Your profit per article is not going to be as high but the number of articles should take care of that.

Expand Client Base Consistently

Freelancers need to constantly expand their client base as clients disappear or simply do not need work completed during certain times of the year. The expansion of the client base will also give a freelancer the ability to choose the easiest and best paying clients they want to work with. 

Freelancer platforms like that of Upwork do take a percentage for bringing the client and freelancer together but it protects both parties in the case of low quality, incomplete work, and failure to pay/refund. 

Taking less money than you think your work is worth might have to be done to establish a high rating on these platforms. Once your profile is established prices for services and work can be increased incrementally. 

Clients are also willing to pay freelancers they work with consistently a bit more as they know their quality of work.

Keep Your Overhead Low

The best thing about working online to supplement income is that internet is reasonably priced. A computer or even tablet with a keyboard attached can help you start earning quickly. 

One mistake that people make is thinking they need a large office so they can concentrate on their work. A virtual office is a much better option as it is more affordable but it also comes with the perks of an office. 

A live receptionist as well as business address comes with the virtual office package. The ability to rent out offices and meeting spaces can allow a side hustler to bring clients to pitch or simply meet with.

Take the time to write out expenses and the ROI each of these expenses bring back in terms of revenue. This will allow you to truly see where the money it going and where the money turns into more profit. 

Keep in mind that business expenses can be written off come tax time so this will provide a little financial relief when it comes to overhead.

Constantly Find Ways To Optimize Work Flow

Working for yourself can allow the freedom to tweak processes to see what works best. Increasing productivity even by 10 percent can lead to that percentage resulting in complete profits. 

A great productivity tip that many professionals in general can benefit from is limiting the checking of email. While client emails are important, they can be answered at the rate of once an hour without issue. This gives a freelancer the ability to keep their train of thought without being derailed by a pushy or angry client. 

Check email once an hour and do the appropriate replying then jump back into your work. This gives clients the ability to email back and forth numerous times in a day without impacting productivity to a very large extent.

Building a decent side hustle as you age can allow for more financial freedom than you have had in the past. In even better cases this extra income can allow you to retire early. Side hustles are here to stay, find one you can profit from today!

How Your Used Assets Can Put Money in Your Wallet

Do you need to save money for something? Perhaps you want to go on a family vacation. Maybe you’re planning on moving into a larger home. Either way, you need to have the finances. 

Don’t assume that there’s nothing you can do to be more proactive about getting them, either. Your used assets may actually help you save, believe it or not. Your “trash” may just be another person’s treasure.

Organize a Garage Sale

Organizing a yard sale can be a wondrous way to quickly earn some extra cash. It can be a fantastic way to clean your home and free it of any pointless clutter as well. It can even be a fun event for the entire family. 

Garage sales enable people to speedily unload. Do you have old artwork that just doesn’t interest you anymore? Do you have clothing that’s too small for your children? Hold a garage sale on a pleasantly mild day. Be sure to advertise it in your community, too.

Sell Your Used Assets on the Internet

You don’t have to have a big yard to get rid of your used assets. That’s because you can sell your used assets on the Internet in this day and age. Internet auction websites can be excellent for people who are looking to sell or auction off their unwanted items. 




Internet classified listing websites can be just as effective and convenient. You can sell anything you want online nowadays. You can get rid of an old piano that’s taking up way too much space in your living room. You can get rid of a bicycle that you no longer ride as well.

Sell Your Old Car

Do you have an old vehicle that’s simply wasting valuable space in your garage? Why not sell it to earn some cash? There are many reputable companies that give people cash for their old cars. 

Selling your old, used car is a simple process for most people to take on. They often purchase vehicles regardless of factors such as condition, mileage, and features as well.

Head to a Pawn Shop

Do you have used jewelry that no longer captivates you the way it did in the past? You can probably sell it for cash at a nearby pawn shop. Look for reliable and credible pawn shops in your area. Pawn shops can make fine choices for people who want to rapidly get their hands on cash.

Something that’s useless to you may be gold to another person. If you need to save cash, take a look at all the things around you that you just don’t need or use.

Having Trouble Paying for Education? Try These Offbeat Ideas

An organization called Affordable College Online found that by the year 2020, it may cost an average student more than $20,000 to attend a four-year university. It’s also unsettling to realize that the price tag is on the rise, yet an article in the Fremont Tribune says that since 1990, the amount of college debt has ballooned by 511 percent. One of the aims of the Obama administration is to make college more affordable, but until it is, consider trying some of the odd but worthwhile ways of raising money below.
Sell Your Video Game Accounts

In the same way frustrated gamers often purchase “cheats” to help themselves progress past a challenging level, some might be willing to buy established video game accounts, especially if you are very skilled at a rampantly popular game and have accumulated a lot of weapons, points, spare lives or other indicators of success that would mean a lot to a gamer. As reported by Geek.com, one lucky individual was able to sell his Steam.com gaming account and the associated 139 games for $1,000 on eBay.
Be a Liquor Store Auditor

You’ve probably heard of opportunities to be a secret shopper, where you get paid in cash or gifts to do things like eat at restaurants or go to the cinema and then report back about certain elements of your experience. Similar kinds of jobs exist at liquor stores, too. You’ll usually have to get hired by a third-party company, and would later be assigned a task where you attempt to buy liquor at a retailer and see whether or not the cashier asks you for a form of identification. In most cases, there are age limits for this job, meaning you probably won’t be accepted if you already look obviously old enough to drink legally. However, if you’re lucky enough to still look youthful, you might be able to earn as much as thirty dollars for an assignment that could take less than an hour to complete.

Try Competitive Eating

If you’re a dedicated food lover, the curious world of competitive eating might be for you. The Associated Press recently reported about Eric Dahl, a University of Wisconsin computer engineering student who is taking part in eating competitions to finance his studies. Impressively, one instance of winning a challenge earned the student $250 for finishing nine pulled pork barbecue sandwiches in six minutes. If you’re ready to sign up for a competition in your area, bear in mind a fair amount of preparation is probably required. For example, Dahl has carefully altered his diet so he’s able to maintain a slim figure despite his excessive caloric consumption. However, he also stretches his stomach prior to a match by eating ten pounds of cabbage or broccoli along with large quantities of water. Surprisingly, although Dahl walks a few miles a day, lifts weights twice weekly and plays some intramural sports for exercise, he hasn’t had to become the kind of gym enthusiast you might expect to avoid massive weight gain.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can earn money to get or stay educated, and they don’t all involve donating plasma or doing something that might get you in trouble, such as selling essays or test cheat sheets. Consider these ideas now no matter which stage you’re at in your education.

Brett Harris is a full-time blogger. You can read his most recent article on the Top 10 colleges for a cheap online degree 2013 here.