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Thought you misread the title? No, I’m being dead serious. You can actually earn cash without having to lift a finger! Well, almost.
“Ling, are you scamming us?”
No, no, I’m not.
I know that this sounds too good to be true and that there’s no such thing as free money, BUT there are quite a few “loopholes” that allow you to make a few bucks out of doing things you already normally do, such as shopping, sharing reviews, or even sleeping! That said, there are a few ways you can receive cash without lifting a finger.
Honestly, it almost feels like a cheat code in life. But I’m not gatekeeping these opportunities because I believe we all deserve a break from working almost 24/7 while still making money.
So, if you’re part of the 54% of Americans working a side hustle, check out these “hacks” on how to get paid to do nothing. Don’t worry, all of them are totally legal, easy to do, and almost anyone can do them. Even I’ve tried a couple of these tips and they work amazingly!
You can thank me later when you aren’t busy doing… Nothing, haha!
PIN THIS: I’ll be updating this post so make sure to pin this image here and save it to your Pinterest board. That way you’ll be able to come back to this page for the best ways you can get paid to do nothing!
1. Share Your Opinions
If you love sharing your product reviews with friends and family on social media, then why not start earning money out of it, too? You’ll find a lot of the best survey sites like Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, and MyPoints providing rewards and PayPal cash just by answering questions or sharing your personal reviews on products and services.
What’s great about it is that you can do this during your free time and most surveys can be done within minutes. Instead of doom scrolling (who else is guilty?) on your phone while in bed or on lunch break, make a few bucks without feeling like you’re putting any effort at all!
Plus, if it’s your first time trying to answer surveys for cash, you can get a welcome bonus of $5-10 upon signing up for an account in Swagbucks, InboxDollars, Honeygain, and more! Now THAT’s earning money with just a few taps on the phone!
Still don’t believe you can get paid to take surveys? I was hesitant at first but I tried Swagbucks and managed to make $2-5 a day doing a lot of surveys, you can earn even more than that by trying high-paying offers but do note this takes a bit more time. Sure, $5 a day may not sound much, but that’s a cup of joe in Starbucks, so it’s an awesome way to fuel your guilty pleasures! You can check out my Swagbucks review here and learn more about how I earned from the platform.
2. Get Paid to Shop
Excuse me, did you just say get paid to SHOP? You would think you’re losing money shopping!
You can earn some of the money back after shopping for essentials (or non-essentials, shopaholics unite) through using cash-back sites! I sometimes think of it as getting a discount on my purchases, but if I’m buying necessary items like groceries, cashback is like free money!
Some of the more popular cashback websites are Rakuten, Fetch Rewards, and Ibotta. I can attest to Rakuten, which I’ve used for cashback for my online shopping pleasures. If you just started, you can receive a welcome reward and earn an extra 10% cashback on purchases within the first 7 days of signing up!
It may not seem like a lot but if you’re planning to make big purchases over $1,000 in certain online shops, such as Expedia, Macy’s, Target, or Walmart, then you receive a whopping $100! It’s a great way to save more money, but personally, I sometimes use my cashback to shop for more items!
3. Invest Your Money
If you want to learn how to make money doing nothing, stocks are usually one of the first options! Currently, it’s a great time to start investing, with analysts projecting a 10.8% S&P 500 earnings growth this year.
I highly recommend investing in dividend-paying stocks, which give money every few months. In layman’s terms, you’re purchasing a small part of the company. Since all you need to do is invest and wait for the money to arrive, you’ll do nothing but still earn a good amount of money, depending on how much you invested in and the company’s performance!
You may also want to invest in a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), which I can best describe as buying a small piece of real estate without having to manage it. Just make sure to research the recommended REITs to invest in, as well as to opt for companies with good histories.
4. Sign Up for a Rewards Credit Card
Similar to earning money through cashback sites, your credit card can actually make you money! People can either earn points or cashback thanks to purchases they would already buy, so it’s essentially free money or points to use for more shopping!
If you don’t have a credit card yet, it’s your sign to apply for one now to enjoy the awesome signup bonuses! Some credit cards may give you extra cashback for a certain period, while others grant you rewards points as a welcome gift! For instance, the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card offers a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 within 3 months, while the Citi Custom Cash Card rewards you with 20,000 ThankYou Points after spending $1,500 for the first 6 months of opening an account.
I have a couple of rewards credit cards that have helped me earn more points to use to pay for groceries, bills, and even traveling. That’s right, you can get free vacations thanks to your credit cards! One of the most interesting offers comes from Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card, which offers a whopping 75,000 bonus points that you can redeem for travel!
Just please don’t follow the path to Confessions of a Shopaholic. I don’t want anyone needing a frozen block of ice with an emergency credit card inside their freezers just to buy more stuff than they need!
5. Open a New Bank Account
If you haven’t considered a high-yield savings account yet, now’s the time to do so, especially if you’ve got some money you can keep in the bank! I like to think of it as an investment that can pay way more than your typical bank account.
Look at it this way – Regular savings accounts would have a 0.01-0.35% APY, while you can find high-yield savings accounts with as high as 5% APY, such as Laurel Road, M1, and BaskBank. You can even sign up for banks that offer welcome rewards or referral bonuses so you can earn even more!
So, let’s say you opened a high-yield savings account from a bank offering a 6% APY and deposited $10,000. That’s $600 a year without paying a cent! Sure, $50 a month may not seem like much, but it’s essentially free money, so it’s more than enough in my book.
The only very minor issue is that these types of accounts are usually only offered by online banks. It’s not a big deal if you’re just looking for a place to “park” your money to earn extra money without doing anything.
6. Get Paid to Sleep
“Wait, did I read that correctly? Get paid to SLEEP?”
Yes, you did! No need to spend all-nighters working to earn more money when you can earn money while getting some well-deserved shuteye. It sounds like a dream come true!
How does it work and where can I get paid to sleep?
Certain jobs would pay good money for you to sleep, though. For instance, you can work as a travel blogger or hotel mystery shopper, where you can get free hotel accommodation in exchange for a review. I can just imagine blogging about hotels, where I’ll be more focused on reviewing the comfiness of their beds!
You can also consider participating in studies related to sleep, where you can earn as much as $4,000. The higher-paying studies may involve clinical procedures and for you to stay in their laboratory for a few days to weeks. If that doesn’t sound fun, you can also try at-home sleep studies, which pay anywhere between $150 to $500, which is still great money while enjoying the comforts of your bed!
You can find sleep studies to sign up for from websites like Harvard Medical School or NASA. Not only do you get to snooze, but it’s all for the sake of science as well!
Be right back folks, I’m going to doze off a bit for the sake of research (and cash)!
7. Get Paid to Walk
Get your 5,000 steps a day in while earning money from it! It’s a win-win situation where you get paid to walk while staying fit.
I mean, it’s something we all do every day, so it’s essentially doing nothing for extra cash!
You would think that the only job that allows you to earn money through walking is dog-walking, but that’s not the case! There are at least a dozen ways to do this, and some apps even pay you to just walk around!
One awesome example is Evidation, an app that pays you to just walk. You earn points based on the number of steps you do, and once you earn 10,000 points, you get $10! Not only that, but you can also earn points by doing other activities, like logging your food, reading health articles, or weighing yourself. It combines my two needs: Cash and wellness!
Besides that, another creative way to earn while walking is to work as a tour guide and offer your services online, which is the best job for someone passionate about their city and its history! So, here’s your chance to get your steps and cash in while meeting new friends from around the world.
8. Rent Out Extra Storage Space
Renting storage can be quite pricey for some people but it’s a necessity for many! So, if you’ve got an empty garage, parking lot, barn, or shed that no one’s using, then you can use it to earn some cash. I even came across a story of how a woman earned $26,000 a year renting out her extra yard space without having to work or spend on anything!
One of the more popular ways you can earn money renting extra storage space is through your garage or shed, which some of you may already own. If you plan to rent out your garage, it’s best to have an unattached one to exclusively reserve it for renters who need to park their vehicles or store items. You can earn anywhere between $100-600 a month for this!
You can also rent out your empty shed or barn for people who need to store their tools, equipment, or sporting equipment. This one pays a little less at about $80-140 a month, but this is almost like free money from an area in your home that you don’t use!
If this sounds like a good plan, then offer your space by posting it on social media or putting up flyers within your local community. You can even ask your neighbors if they know anyone interested in renting storage space. There are also platforms you can consider posting your storage rental in, such as Neighbor, STOW IT, and Stache, all of which are like AirBnB for storage space.
9. Rent Out Your Home
When you have a separate unit in your property or an empty room that’s collecting dust, it’s worth considering renting a part of your home out for good money! A lot of people are looking for affordable places to stay in, especially if you live in a city near schools, offices, and other facilities.
I actually earn money through this as well and rented out a separate unit in my house, and honestly, I don’t feel too much workload! Sure, there are a few hiccups here and there, such as tenants complaining about broken appliances, among other minor issues. But in the long run, it feels like I’m earning passive income.
You can post your room or unit for rent on online platforms like Apartments.com, Zillow, or even Craigslist. Just make sure that you screen your potential tenants very well and that all agreements are put into writing because you wouldn’t want any issues with rent payments or have to compensate for any damages made to your property.
When it comes to pricing your rent, you’ll want to be fair to yourself and the tenant, so it’s best to do some market research on rental prices in your area and to consider the room or unit you’re renting out, such as its size, furnishings, amenities included, and the like.
After the initial effort into renting out your home, you won’t have to worry about anything else moving forward!
10. Get Paid to Read
Sometimes, I still can’t believe that we can get paid to do the most mundane things, like sleeping and walking. Now, you can actually get paid to read books! For bibliophiles, this is one of the best jobs where you get paid to do nothing since all you’ll do for work is to curl up in bed with a good book.
There are multiple ways you can earn money to read, and my favorite one has got to be a full-time book review blogger! As a full-time blogger myself, I can attest to the potential earnings as long as you learn how to strategize well and market your content! That way, you can choose whatever book you want to read in exchange for a review.
If blogging isn’t your cup of tea, how about being a micro-influencer and joining “BookTok,” TikTok’s literary community? For those comfortable in front of the camera, you can talk about your book reviews for fun! Once you establish a following, publishers can either send you free books or pay for promotions!
Another awesome way you can get paid to read is by proofreading books, if you have great editing skills, or by becoming an audiobook narrator if you have voiceover experience. You can work as a freelancer and find these opportunities from platforms like UpWork or Freelancer!
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