A popular topic in personal finance is passive income.

Income that doesn’t require you to trade your time for money is “the dream” for many people.

There are many different forms of passive income, but the ultimate passive income is dividend income.

Dividend income comes from owning dividend-paying stocks. Not every company pays dividends. If a company is focused 100% on growth, they are going to use all their earnings to continue to grow their business.

With that being said there are many large companies that are focused on growth that pay a dividend. In fact it would almost be silly for a publicly traded company to not have a growth strategy.

Many of the large blue chip companies pay dividends, though their dividend yield (Amount paid out in dividends annually divided by current stock price) can vary. For example, Best Buy has a relatively high dividend yield of 4.18%, while Visa has a modest 0.80% dividend yield.

Even if you have other financial priorities that take precedence, learning and being aware of the opportunities that come with dividend income can motivate people to save more money, pay off debt faster, and make more money so that they can take advantage of all the benefits that come from dividend income.

With that in mind, let’s get to the real question here: how much can you make in dividend income?

How Much Can You Make in Dividend Income?

 
The first thing I need to say before answering this question is this: it’s not easy to make a sizable amount of dividend income. If it was easy no one would work and everyone would simply live off of their passive dividend income.

Using the spreadsheet I created, let’s look at what you would be able to make annually from dividends if you invested $5,000 in 3M stocks:

 
Okay so you’d only make $123 each year. Now that may not feel like much, but remember it’s also reasonable to expect 3M’s stock to appreciate over time. Also, don’t forget how great dividend income is: you are getting $123 by simply owning $5,000 worth of 3M stock! No effort required.

Let’s take a look at a higher investment amount: $100,000.

 
Nearly $2,500 a year – not too bad! You can see why dividend income is so attractive, especially to those looking to retire early or who don’t want to spend down their assets in retirement.

Quick math shows that owning $1 million of 3M stock would yield $25,000 a year in entirely passive income. Do you have $2 million to invest? double it up to $50,000 a year.

I don’t know about you, but this sort of scenario analysis is incredibly motivating to me.

I spend most of my free time working on side hustles to increase my income, and while paying off debt is the primary goal right now, long-term I would love to regularly funnel “extra” side hustle income into dividend-paying stocks.

If you are an entrepreneur or want to be an entrepreneur, dividend income just might give you the motivation needed to put in the long hours and hard work to build your business. After all, if you are able to sell for a couple million dollars – or more – you very well could live off of passive dividend income the rest of your life.

We hear about side hustles all the time, but have you ever wondered what people are actually doing to make money on the side?

I’m a big fan of research because it’s data-driven and objective. When it comes to side hustles the two biggest questions are: how many are doing them and what are they doing? Perhaps the biggest question is: how much are they making?

CareerBuilder recently released research on side hustles that I thought was insightful. Today I want to talk about the most popular side hustles according to research.

Let’s take a look at the list.

The Most Popular Side Hustles According to Research

 
Below are notable side hustles per CareerBuilder Research:

• Survey taker

• Babysitter

• Chef/baker

• Dog walker

• Blogger

• House sitter

• DJ

• Bartender

 
What stands out to me when I read this list is the general lack of “technology-based” side hustles. Survey taker and blogger are really the only pure “technology-based” side hustles on the list.

I wasn’t surprised to see survey taker mentioned, as it’s long been a way to make a (little) extra money on the side.

I was happy to see blogging on the list, especially with blogging being one of the most mentioned and talked about side hustles. Depending on the niche of the blog, bloggers can work anytime, anywhere.

While dog walking and house sitting may seem like “old school” side hustles, I think it makes sense. Technology, specifically sites like Rover.com, have made it easier than ever before to become a dog walker and/or a dog sitter. You don’t necessarily have to go out and attract clients, as the website does some of the work for you.

We have a rental apartment and our renter’s side hustle is dog sitting and house sitting. It’s something that is easy to do on top of a 9-5, and once you have regular clients it’s easy to continue the side hustle without having to constantly land clients.

I think the demand for dog walking and house sitting will only increase over time. More and more people are opting to have dogs instead of kids, or at least are delaying children and are, in turn, adopting dogs. I also am convinced that social media is a boon for the security industry, as people like to post real-time, including while on vacations. A house sitter adds an additional layer of security.

The other side hustles listed are also “old school” in the sense they have been around for a long time. Bartending will always be in demand, and the demand is typically nights and weekends. Same goes for DJS. And while we may think of babysitting as something 20-somethings and 30-somethings don’t do, there is probably more people doing this as a side hustle than we realize.

How Side Hustles are Changing

 
Side hustles are, for the most part, about supply and demand. The list that CareerBuilder put out makes sense: there is constant, if not growing, demand for these services.

But how will side hustles change over the next few years? Or even the next ten years?

I think we’ll always see the location-based side hustles that are popular today, but as we saw from both blogging and taking surveys making the list, the world of side hustles will continue to evolve. Virtually everyone is, at minimum, intrigued by the idea of a location independent option for making extra money in their spare time.

12 Income Streams You Can Create By Starting a Blog

As someone who has blogged for nearly a decade and run Young Adult Money for more than six years, I have seen more and more content out there, and the quality does seem to be increasing. With that being said there seems to be a nearly unlimited demand from businesses and consumers for content, so those who “cut their teeth” blogging are going to be well positioned to work on content full-time, consult on content marketing, or some other upside from the huge demand for content.

Here’s a few other examples of side hustles I think will become more prominent over the next few years:

• Freelance Writer

• Graphic Designer

• Photographer/Videographer

• Social Media Manager

• Virtual Assistant

• Uber/Lyft Driver

• Programmer

The first few that I listed above go along with the content theme. They also are side hustles that give the individual performing the service a large degree of freedom. You could argue a videographer/photographer have less freedom, but they ultimately have say over what type of work they do, how often they work, and where they work. I don’t foresee demand slowing down for freelance writers, graphic designers, photographers, videographers, and social media managers anytime soon.

Virtual assistants are going to be in higher and higher demand as the economy becomes more digital-based. We already have millions and millions of people going into jobs where they sit on computers all day. If business owners took advantage of the huge savings they can realize from a mobile workforce, virtual assistants will be swept up in the wave. I also think the rise of freelancers and contractors will inevitably lead to demand for virtual assistants.

While all the talk is on automated driving, the reality is that automated driving is still years down the road. There is actually a huge shortage of Uber and Lyft drivers, and Uber is actively recruiting drivers as we speak. This demand goes beyond traditional Uber drivers and includes things like UberEats, which is really looking to staff up drivers. As there is more and more demand for Uber and Lyft, prices and convenience of being a driver will cause people to consider taking it on as a side hustle.

Finally, I think programming will continue to rise in popularity as a side hustle. While many programmers only work their 9-5, there is a whole subset of full-time programmers who are working on an app idea, or partnering with others on business ideas. The demand for programmers won’t slow down anytime soon, and I think programming will be an extremely popular side hustle the next 5-10 years, and beyond.

Since I started blogging a little over ten years ago I have consistently made more than $10,000+ a year while working a full-time job.

It’s been a perfect side hustle to diversify my 9-5 income, but it’s become more than that. It’s led to getting a book deal and writin books, interviews on local and national television, and becoming an expert in something that is totally different than what I do for my full-time job. It’s something that I can work on from anywhere, which is important to me.

The extra money I’ve made has not only allowed my wife and I to make progress on our student loan debt, build an emergency fund, travel, and make some major house renovations.

None of this would have been possible if I didn’t make the leap and start a blog.

In short, blogging has had a huge impact on my life – both financially and otherwise. I am not the only one with a story like this. There are many people who are consistently making thousands of dollars a month from their blogs, or who even make enough money to quit their job.

Because I’ve been a blogger for over ten years I’ve been able to see some of these remarkable stories play out. From creating a side income – whose impact shouldn’t be understated – to seeing people build a brand and business from nothing to a six figures, it’s incredible the opportunities out there for those willing to put in the effort.

The one thing all these successful bloggers have in common is this: they started a blog. Without taking this critical first step it’s impossible to make money blogging. It’s easy to think about “someday” starting a blog, but honestly the sooner you start one the better. By starting a blog today you are already far ahead of the millions of people who have the idea of blogging but have not (and may never) take the critical first step of starting a blog.

There are free blog options such as “Blogger,” and many people make the mistake of starting a blog on one of these free platforms. The problem with free hosting options is that advertisers do not like them. They like the self-hosted blogs and do not take the blogs on free hosting seriously.

I’ve seen many bloggers go through the headache of transitioning from a free hosting platform to a paid, self-hosted one like Bluehost and some have spent an entire weekend going through the process and working out bugs. Don’t make that mistake! The process can be so complicated that I completely abandoned one of my Blogger blogs instead of go through the headache of transitioning to Bluehost.

I have started a number of websites over the past 10+ years and helped many others get started. Since switching to Bluehost for web hosting I have always recommended them to people who are looking to start a blog. They are highly rated, offer affordable pricing, and make starting a WordPress blog extremely easy with their 1-click WordPress installation.

If you want to start a blog that makes money you are going to want to start one on Bluehost. Bluehost offers many advantages, including:

• Affordable – by using my link you get hosting for just $2.95 per month, which is less than $36 a year.

• Free Domain Name – you will get a free domain name when you sign up for hosting on Bluehost using my link

• Extremely Easy WordPress Installation – Bluehost has a “one-click” WordPress installation

• 24/7 Tech Support – Bluehost tech support is available 24/7 and has been outstanding every time I’ve used them

• Attractive to Advertisers – having a self-hosted blog is attractive to advertisers and will make it easier to make money blogging

• 30-Day Money Back Guarantee – if you cancel within 30 days you receive a full refund on your hosting service

• Extended Money Back Guarantee – if you cancel after 30 days you receive a prorated refund for the remainder of your hosting term

As you can see there are a ton of benefits of using BlueHost to start your blog. With their money-back guarantee there is very little risk of starting a blog through BlueHost, and so much potential for making money blogging.

1) Choose a Hosting Option

 
Once you have gone to BlueHost you will see the various hosting options. I highly recommend using the “Starter” package. Even though there are two higher-priced packages, there is nothing in the higher-priced packages that you need.

Keep in mind that this option is very affordable for self-hosting a website and comes with a money-back guarantee. If you decide within 30 days blogging isn’t for you, you can get your full payment refunded. Even at 10, 11, or however many months in, if you decide you don’t want Bluehost web hosting you will get refunded for any months you paid for but haven’t used yet.

You can also always upgrade to the other accounts if you reach any of the space limits from the basic account.

2) Choose a Free Domain Name

 
When you sign up for Bluehost using my link you get a free domain name. This is an ~$15 value if you had bought the domain name.

Once you click on the Starter package in the previous step you will be brought to a screen where you enter the domain name you want.

I will be the first to admit it’s not easy to choose a domain name. I got lucky by finding Young Adult Money, as many domains with “money” in it are already taken. But even Young Adult Money isn’t a perfect domain name.

It’s easy to overthink a domain name, but in all honesty the value of your blog will not be in the name but in the content you put out. There are many hugely successful blogs out there with obscure domain names.

It will almost for sure take a few attempts to find a domain name that isn’t already taken. Think of something unique (or not unique – i.e. Young Adult Money haha) and once you find one that is not taken, grab it. Just think of something that sounds good to you and you are good to go!

Once you have a free domain, you simply need to complete your registration and you officially have a blog! I would choose none of the extras on the last screen as they are just going to increase the cost of starting a blog.

The only one that I would consider is the $0.50 a month for “Domain Privacy Protection.” It’s not necessary, but it does shield and protect your information as a website owner.

Note: you can skip the section below and go straight to “Install WordPress” if you are registering a free domain name.

Already have a domain name?

If you already have a domain name that you bought on a site like GoDaddy, it’s easy to connect your domain name to Bluehost. Instead of registering a new domain, just choose the second option on the page and enter the domain you would like to be linked to your Bluehost hosting.

Here are the directions for connecting your GoDaddy domain to Bluehost:

To modify, add, or delete name servers (DNS) for your domain(s):

• Log in to the GoDaddy.com Account Manager.

• Select Manage Domains from the Domain Names drop-down menu or the Manage Your Account list.

• Select the domain name you wish to modify using the checkboxes and then click Set Name Servers.

• Enter your updated name server information in the spaces provided under the blue Name Servers heading on the right side of your page and click Save Changes at the bottom. Your entries should look like this:
  ns1.bluehost.com
  ns2.bluehost.com

This can all be done within the cpanel once you have purchased hosting. If you run into issues do not hesitate to email me. When I first got BlueHost I already had a domain, so I’ve personally gone through these steps a few times.

3) Install WordPress

 
Once you have signed up for an account, login to your Bluehost account and go to hosting -> cpanel.

Once on this page, scroll down to website builders and find the Install WordPress icon.

Once you click the Install WordPress icon, you simply need to click install and choose the domain you are installing WordPress to. You will then set up your login information.

To log into your WordPress blog, go to your domain name and add /wp-admin to the end of the domain. This will pull up the user and password fields that allow you to log into WordPress.

Just like that you have a living breathing WordPress blog. Congrats!

Remember, if you have ANY questions at all do not hesitate to ask. I am happy to help you with any blogging questions just as I’ve helped many others set up a blog.

Blogging Tips for New Bloggers

 
As I said earlier, I have over 10 years of blogging experience and have made thousands of dollars blogging. I do not say that to brag, but to make it clear that I can attest to the fact that it is possible to make money blogging. If I can do it, you can too.

Here are area few tips I have for new bloggers:

• Commit to 6 Months – While I don’t have a statistic to prove this, a common quote that floats around the blogosphere is “most bloggers quit within the first six months.” When you start your blog, consider making a a deal with yourself to blog for at least six months. If you still want to quit, you can, but at least you gave yourself a decent amount of time to build up content and truly give blogging a try.

  If you are hesitant about starting a blog on Bluehost because of the potential that you won’t like blogging, remember that they offer a refund for unused months that you already paid for. Even if you decide to quit after 3, 6, or any number of months you will get a refund for the remaining months you already paid for. There is very little risk in giving Bluehost – and blogging – a try.

• Connect with other Bloggers – The biggest mistake new bloggers make is thinking that traffic will simply appear. The reality is that getting ranked in search engines is difficult for established blogs and unlikely for brand new blogs. The best way to get some initial traffic and links to your site is by commenting on other blogs in your niche. This is extremely important for new bloggers!

• Plan ahead whenever possible – Many established bloggers do not write their posts on the fly. Instead, they plan their posts. This helps in situations where something unavoidable – an illness, a late night at the office, etc. makes it difficult to write a post the night before it goes live. Consider using an editorial calendar to plan posts in advance.

While this isn’t a comprehensive list of all the tips I would give to new bloggers, it should provide a good start for those who are looking to start a blog. Remember, it’s more important to actually start your blog than to have it be perfect from day one.

If you have any questions about Bluehost or blogging, do not hesitate to send me an email. I have been blogging for years and have helped many people start a blog, so I’m happy to help you as well.

One of the oldest ways to make extra money is through sharing your opinion. This used to be done primarily through in-person focus groups or telephone polls. But things have changed.

Today there are a ton of websites that will pay you to take surveys and share your opinion.

We’ve mentioned survey and opinion websites elsewhere on the site, most notably our monster post of 50+ online and at-home side hustles.

The purpose of this post is to have one big list that is updated semi-regularly of all the websites where you can make extra money from surveys.

Let’s get to it!

Our Big List of Websites to Make Extra Money from Surveys

• Swagbucks – Swagbucks has been around for years and is more than a survey website. You can also watch videos and use their portal to earn cash back. You can even use their search engine to gain rewards.
  
  I’ve personally used Swagbucks for years and have redeemed my points for gift cards (typically Starbucks and Amazon for me, but there’s tons of other options.

• Nielsen – When you think of Nielsen you probably think of TV viewership ratings. With more time spent on our phone, laptop, and other devices, Nielsen is trying to measure provide meaningful research beyond just the television.

• PineCone Research – PineCone Research is one of the leading consumer research companies. You can get paid to take surveys and occasionally test products as well.

• Nielsen Beta Panel – Another Nielsen option. This one is specifically meant for mobile devices. You get $5 for signing up and installing, and $5 for each month you are a user.

• Sample Hawk – This isn’t a survey website, but I figured some of you may also be interested in getting free samples, which is what Sample Hawk specializes in.

• Survey Junkie – Survey Junkie has been around for a long time. Like most sites that pay for users to take surveys and share their opinion, Survey Junkie is a market research company. Without opinions from consumers, they don’t have a business. That means Survey Junkie is willing to pay consumers – like you – to share your opinions on products.

• MobileXpression (mobile only) – MobileXpression is similar to Nielsen. Their goal is to track trends and how individuals use their mobile devices. User behavior is an important thing for companies to understand, so instead of filling out surveys they track your usage.
   
  Check out the full FAQs before you sign up to make sure you agree with what data the company is tracking, but here is a snippet that I found useful: “Maintaining our panel members’ privacy is our number one priority. Therefore, we do not collect or view the text or other personal content in any of our panel members files. This includes the actual content of text, email or instant messages, image files either downloaded or captured via the camera on a phone, or contact, address book or calendar entries saved on the phone or tablet computer.”

 
You won’t get rich taking surveys and sharing your opinion, but it’s something that can be done easily (and dare I say lazily?) from the comfort of your home, or really wherever you may be.

My suggestion is to give some of the sites a try and see which ones are worth your time and which ones aren’t. There’s plenty of options.

You’ve come to the right place if that describes you.

My goal here is to share a simple personal finance checklist. This won’t cover everything, but it will hit on some key actions to take to start managing your financial life better.

Here is the simple personal finance checklist, followed by more details on how to actually do each of these things:

• Review Your Income and Expenses from the Past 3 Months

• Create a Budget for the Next Month

• List Out your Debt

• Make a Plan to Address your Debt

• Make a Plan to Build an Emergency Fund

• Check your Credit Score

• Calculate your Net Worth

Let’s dig into each of the items on the personal finance checklist, including ideas of how to accomplish them.

Review Your Income and Expenses from the Past 3 Months

 
If you want to make positive changes to your finances – or confirm you are making the right ones – you need to understand where your money is going.

First you will need to track your income and expenses for at least three months. You can do this by pulling your income and spending information from your bank and credit card statements. If you use cash often you will need to capture that going forward and should estimate the past three months for the time being.

I track my income and expenses by using Tiller, which pulls all your income and spend data from your credit cards and bank accounts automatically. The key word here is automatically. I used to do it manually, but I’ve found Tiller to save me a decent amount of time each month so I’ve used it for a few years now.

When you have three months of data in front of you, it’s time to reflect on it.

Are You Spending More than You Earn? If you are spending more than you earn it could be due to a couple things. You may have too much coming out of your paycheck each month for your retirement or Health Savings account. The other reason is you are simply spending too much for your income.

If you are spending too much, take a look at each category. Are there things that stick out? Is your rent or mortgage way too high? Do you have a $500 car payment? Do you spend too much on restaurants and take-out? Or perhaps your grocery budget is too high?

You will also want to think about what you actually want to spend money on. I personally don’t think a latte a day will kill your finances, so if you enjoy spending money on it then by all means continue to do so. But your car loan or lease of $600 could be pushing your finances over the edge. It may be time to sell and purchase a more reasonably-priced vehicle.

Create a Budget for the Next Month

 
Using your three months of spending data you now have a good idea of how much you spend on various categories in an average month. Using this information combined with what you discovered when you reviewed your spending, you are now ready to make a budget for the next month.

I use a budget spreadsheet for my budget. Some people use apps. Test out both and use whatever is easiest for you.

We have a free automated budget spreadsheet that you can download. This budget spreadsheet uses Tiller to populate the “actuals” data. A typical monthly budget sheet looks like this:

 
Setting a budget isn’t difficult when you have your past three months – or more – of expenses to help guide you. Set a reasonable budget for each category and challenge yourself in categories where you are spending more than you would like to.

There are a number of expenses that are difficult to change, think housing and car payments or leases. Even though you can’t change these costs immediately, don’t let them fall off your radar. If your housing costs are way too expensive for your income make it a priority to find more affordable housing. If you have a vehicle that is keeping you in debt because the payment is $500, consider selling your vehicle and buying something more reasonable. These aren’t the easy wins, but they are the big wins that have the potential to drastically help your financial life.

List Out your Debt

 
Do you have debt? If you have debt you should, at minimum, know these things:

• Type of Debt (Credit Card, Student Loan, etc.)
• Amount
• Interest Rate
• Whether the Interest Rate is Fixed or Variable
• Remaining Number of Payments (for Installment Loans like a mortgage)
• Minimum Required Monthly Payment

If you’ve never done this, take a deep breathe. When my wife and I listed out our student loan debt it was more than we expected. This was especially true after my wife finished her master’s degree and we had her undergrad loans in deferment for a few years while also taking out additional student loans.

In our free Student Loan Spreadsheet we have a couple of sheets where you can drop in the details of your debt. One tab is specific to student loans while the second tab is for all debt.

Once you have your debt listed out, move on to the next step: make a plan to address your debt.

Make a Plan to Address your Debt

 
When it comes to debt everyone’s situation is going to be different. $30,000 of debt at 3.25% interest is different than $30,000 of debt at 23.0% interest. $10,000 of debt for someone making $125,000 a year is different than $10,000 of debt for someone making $20,000 a year.

With that in mind, there are a few strategies that may be relevant to your situation:

 
Make a Strategic Student Loan Plan

If you have student loan debt there are a number of paths you can take. You can refinance your student loans and pay them off as quickly as possible. You can pay them off on the standard ten-year repayment plan. Or you can strategically repay your student loans on an income-driven repayment plan and head down the path to student loan forgiveness (either income-driven loan forgiveness or Public Service Loan Forgiveness).

I go into much more detail on student loan repayment and broader personal finance in my book Student Loan Solution: 5 Steps to Take Control of Your Student Loans and Financial Life. My wife and I are going the strategic repayment route. I talk about our personal situation in my post I can afford to pay off my student loans, but I won’t: here’s why.

 
Lower Your Interest Rate

The reason credit card debt can feel so crushing is because of the interest rate. Credit card debt is double-digits in most cases. It can easily reach the high-teens or the low 20s.

When your interest rate is high you end up putting a lot of money towards interest before you make progress on the principal. The lower your interest rate the better. Typically the higher your credit score the lower the interest rate available to you. We’ll go over credit score in more detail soon.

One strategy is to open a 0% APR credit card. With these cards you can transfer your credit card balance and pay 0% interest for a period of time. For example with the Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card you get 15 months of 0% interest on both purchases and balance transfers. You can use this time to make as much progress as possible towards the principal balance of your debt. You may even be able to knock it out entirely. Here’s our picks for the best 0% APR credit cards.

We already mentioned student loan refinancing, which I highly recommend for any private student loans. You can get rate quotes from multiple companies through Credible. For credit card and personal debt you can see what rates are available if you refinance through a personal loan.

 
Get Help

The last thing I want to mention is that it makes sense to reach out for help if you are overwhelmed. This may mean reaching out to a certified credit counselor or working with a debt attorney (I interviewed a debt lawyer about what prospective clients should expect when working with one.

Regardless of what strategy you take, the sooner you confront your debt the sooner you will have a plan for taking control of it. A couple additional posts you may find helpful are how to deal with debt on a low income and options for dealing with a large unexpected expense.

Make a Plan to Build an Emergency Fund

 
One of the most basic and repeated pieces of personal finance advice is “build an emergency fund.”

I know, I know, it’s easier said than done. But it is important.

As I mention in my book Student Loan Solution, a better and more inspiring name for an emergency fund is a F*** Off Fund. When you have no cash savings you are in a vulnerable position. You may put up with an abusive manager longer than you should because you need money, right? When you have an emergency fund you can say F*** off to those who need to hear it.

As far as importance, building an emergency fund is on par with making a plan for your debt. There is simply nothing more empowering than having cash in the bank.

Instead of getting fixated on a goal that may seem unattainable today, such as having three or six months of expenses in a savings account, I encourage people to focus on what they can accomplish today. $100 a month is better than $0 a month. Whatever you can manage is what you should be setting aside. For more details, read our post build an emergency fund $100 at a time.

Check your Credit Score

 
A credit score impacts, for better or for worse, your ability to take out a loan or open a credit card. It also can impact the interest rate you receive.

Here is a general guide to how creditors will view your credit score:

• Less than 500: Very bad
• 500-549: Bad
• 550-599: Poor
• 600-649: Average
• 650-699: Good
• 700-749: Very good
• 750 or Higher: Excellent

You can check your credit score for free with most credit cards through the online dashboard when you log in.

If you have a bad credit score, don’t panic. Nearly a third of Americans in total and 43% of millennials have a poor or bad credit score, which is defined as a credit score of 600 or below.

If you want or need to increase your credit score, read how this blogger increased their credit score 150+ points in 8 months and 5 ways to fix a bad credit score.

Calculate your Net Worth

 
The final item in this simple personal finance checklist is calculate your net worth. Calculating your net worth, at a high level, is really simple: you take your assets and subtract your liabilities (i.e. debt). That’s it.

In practice it’s a bit more difficult because the amount in your bank account changes often. If you have retirement savings that also moves around daily. The value of your house and the outstanding principal on your mortgage changes. The debt you have goes down (or up).

To get an accurate picture of my net worth I use Personal Capital. Personal Capital is a free tool that links to your accounts and pulls in your data real-time. Once you do the initial setup work you can get a real-time look at your net worth whenever you want.

 
Checking your net worth may not be the most uplifting experience. Let’s say you just finished grad school and have $225,000 of student loan debt from undergrad and grad school. You worked, but any money you made went towards your living expenses. In this case your net worth will be negative.

If you find yourself less-than-inspired by your net worth my recommendation would be to not check it that often. Instead focus on what you can control today. You can budget. You can create a strategic student loan repayment plan. You can create a plan for eliminating debt. We didn’t talk about it, but you can also focus on increasing your income at your 9-5 or through a side hustle, and you can start socking away money in an investment account.

By proactively making these money moves you can set yourself up for success. Years go by quick and before you know it all your hard work will translate into a net worth that puts a smile on your face.

By working through this simple personal finance checklist there is a chance you will drastically improve your financial life. With that being said, taking control of your financial life can take time – don’t get overwhelmed! Realize that even tracking your income and expenses is a huge step towards owning your finances.
 

Increase Your Savings

 
1) Open an online savings account with a higher interest rate. Online savings accounts, like CIT Bank, are able to offer a higher interest rate because they do not have to spend money keeping up brick-and-mortar locations. Consider making the switch and earning a few extra dollars in interest.

2) Set automatic increases. You can increase your retirement savings easily by setting auto-increases every year or so. You likely won’t even notice an additional 1% being deducted out of your paycheck, but that little extra contribution can add up overtime.

3) Automate your savings. The easiest way to meet your savings goals is to automate your savings. You can have money automatically set aside into a separate savings account each month. The important thing is to not touch it once it is there.

4) Keep a budget. Budgeting can be time-consuming, but it’s a habit that can have big implications for your finances. Check out our free automated budget spreadsheet if you don’t currently keep a budget.

5) Start an emergency fund. An emergency fund can save you and your loved ones from financial disaster. Make it a goal to set aside at least 3 months of living expenses in an emergency fund.

6) Meet your employer’s retirement match. If your employer offers to match a portion of your retirement fund contributions, make sure you are contributing enough to receive the full match.

7) Contribute to an HSA. If you are on the high deductible health plan, you are eligible to contribute to a health savings account, or HSA. HSAs offer huge tax advantages and can cover any health related expenses you may have. The best part is that they carry over from year to year, so you can build it just like a regular savings account.

8) Utilize catch-up contribution limits. For anyone over the age of 50, you are eligible for catch-up contributions, meaning you can contribute more to both an IRA and 401(k).

9) Save for your child’s education. A 529 plan allows you save for your child’s education while providing you with tax advantages.

10) Consider whether you should rent or buy. Depending where you live, it might make more sense to buy a house. If you are in an expensive city, you may not be able to afford to purchase a home right away. You’ll need to compare your financial position and personal priorities to make the best decision for you.

11) Compare car insurance rates. Get quotes from other insurance companies periodically. They may be able to offer you a cheaper rate for the same level of coverage.

12) Avoid ATM fees. ATM fees are ridiculously expensive considering that they are essentially charging you to access your own money. If you frequently use ATMs, locate machines that are free to use. If your bank does not offer free ATM use, consider switching to a bank that does.

Frugal Living

 
13) Meal plan. Planning out your meals can not only save you money in groceries, but it can save you a ton of time as well. You can plan out your meals, cook them all at once and be ready to go for the week.

14) Use a cash-back site. If you frequently shop online, Ebates will give you cash back for your purchases. It is free to use and sign up.

15) Turn off items electronics when not in use. Why spend money on things you are not even using at the time? You can save money by unplugging items when not in use.

16) Sell items you no longer need. Not only will selling household items declutter your home, but you can make good money by doing so. Take a few photos of what you are trying to sell and post it to sites like Craigslist, LetGo, and OfferUp.

17) Buy used or go thrifting. By buying used, you are saving money and helping the environment. You might be surprised at what you can find in a thrift store for cheap.

18) Adjust the temperature. You can save money every month by adjusting your thermostat by just a few degrees. To really save money, consider installing an adjustable thermostat. Many of the new thermostats allow you to control it from an app on your phone.

19) Plan gifts in advance. If you tend to frantically look for gifts last minute, you likely aren’t finding the best deals. You can save money (and prevent stress) by shopping in advance.

20) Consider cheaper hobbies. Everyone should invest in their hobbies, but some hobbies can drain a budget really quickly. Consider finding a few cheaper activities and splurging on your expensive hobby less frequently, or find a way to make money on your hobbies

21) Pay for maintenance. By prioritizing maintenance for the most important things (such as your house, health, or car), you are saving money in the long run. By doing regular maintenance, you are saving money in the long run by improving efficiency.

22) Learn to DIY. If you have the time, skill, and resources to do it yourself, you can save a sizeable amount of money.

23) Prolong purchasing anything new. If you tend to be an impulse shopper, make sure you are taking time to really evaluate the value of your purchase. After doing this practice, you will likely find that there are actually very few things you need.

24) Use less. With most things, you can get by with using less of a particular item. Using less is a practical way to save money in the long-run. For example, you can use less toothpaste, makeup, paper towels, or cleaning supplies with each use.

25) Make coffee at home. You can make your own coffee for literally pennies after you purchase a coffee maker. You can find a decent coffee maker for around $30. If you consider that each speciality drink at a coffee shop costs $4 to $5, you will quickly earn your money back.

26) Purchase discounted gift cards. Raise.com allows you to buy gift cards for less than what they are valued. Likewise, if you have gift cards you aren’t going to use, you can sell them on Raise.

27) Carpool. Carpooling to work can save you 50% of gas and will prevent wear-and-tear on your car. In some cities, you even get the added advantage of using the carpool lane, which results in you spending less time in traffic.

Career

 
28) Improve your soft skills. You can improve soft skills, such a public speaking, organization, and communication by participating in free organizations and classes around the area.

29) Take on additional responsibilities. By taking on additional responsibilities at your full-time job, you can show your boss that you are serious about the work you do. Management is more likely to give you a raise after clearly seeing the value you provide.

30) Organize yourself at your job. By prioritizing organization, you are ensuring that you are always prepared and operating efficiently.

31) Network, network, network. The best opportunities come through networking since everyone you know has a network of their own. If you are nervous about networking, you can read some tips here.

32) Make use of LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great tool to collect with other professionals in your industry and community. Best of all, it is free to use!

33) Ask about remote opportunities. You are able to save money in gas and time if you are able to work from home even a few days a week. Plus, you may find that you actually increase your productivity. Talk with your boss to discuss the possibility of working from home.

34) Get certified. By getting certified in your field, you are able to better your chances for a raise or promotion.

35) Join professional groups. Professional associations and other organizations keep your skills sharp while simultaneously giving you plenty of opportunities to network within your field.

36) Consider switching jobs. If you feel stuck at your current job both professionally and financially, then it may be time to apply for new jobs.

37) Keep your resume up-to-date. You never know when the right opportunity may open up.

38) Always keep a business card on you. You should always be prepared. You don’t want to lose out on a potential connection simply because you didn’t keep a business card on you.

39) Spend less on accounting. If you are a business owner, you can save money by switching to Freshbooks for your accounting needs. They typically offer lower fees than many other software.

40) Take advantage of all employer benefits. Does your employer offer a 401(k) match? Free gym membership? Tuition assistance? Cell phone reimbursement? Failure to take advantage of employer benefits means you are leaving money on the table, so be sure to make use of everything your employer has to offer.

Pay Off Your Debt

 
41) Create a debt payoff plan. Before you can become debt-free, you have to know what you are up against. Make a list of all of your debt, the balance, interest rate, and the minimum monthly interest rate. This free spreadsheet was made to list out student loan debt, but you can use it for any debt.

42) Utilize the debt snowball method to pay off debt. The debt snowball is a very effective method of paying off debt. Essentially, you pay off your smallest debt first, even if it has a low interest rate. The psychology behind it is once you pay off one debt, you’re more motivated to pay off another.

43) Refinance your student loans. You may be eligible for a lower interest rate on your student loans through SoFi.

 
44) Refinance your credit card debt. If you have credit card debt, refinancing may help you to pay it off more quickly. Check out SoFi to see if you are eligible for a lower interest rate.

45) Avoid taking on more debt. Save for purchases ahead of time to avoid falling into a debt pitfall.

46) Settle on your car. Cars lose value the second you drive them off the lot, so they are not a wise investment. Settle for a less-expensive car and pay it off as quickly as you can.

47) Refuse to carry a credit card balance. Credit card debt has high interest rate and it can be one of the most difficult financial holes to crawl out of. Prevent credit card debt by paying off your credit card every single month.

48) Calculate your debt to income ratio. To calculate this ratio, add up your minimum monthly payments on all of your debt. Divide that amount by your monthly net income. If this percentage seems high, you should focus on either lowering your debt or increasing your income (or both!)

49) Make multiple debt payments. Instead of paying your minimum debt payment every month, split that amount into a few smaller, but more frequent payments. For example, instead of paying $400 once a month, pay $200 twice a month. This lowers the amount of debt you owe, so ultimately, you are paying less to interest.

50) Call your creditors. If you are struggling to meet the minimum debt payment, call your creditors. They might be willing to worth with you to setup a payment plan.

Make More Money

 
51) Start a blog. Blogging can be very profitable if you keep at it. Best of all, you can blog about any topic that is of interest to you.

52) Earn money through freelance writing. If you can write well, create detailed content, and meet deadlines, you can earn money through freelance writing.

53) Drive for Uber. Driving for Uber is perfect for anyone who is looking to make some extra cash in their spare time.

54) Rent out a room on AirBNB. If you have extra space in your home, you can rent it out on AirBNB. You can choose the days you are willing to rent out your space and charge as you would like.

55) Take surveys for extra cash. Surveys won’t make you rich, but it is a good way to earn a few extra dollars while sitting in front of the television. A few of our favorite survey sites include CrashCrate and Earning Station.

56) Evaluate your productivity. They say time is money, so it’s a good idea to know how much time you are spending on various tasks. RescueTime is a great tool to help you track your productivity.

57) Become a virtual assistant.Virtual assistants are administrative assistants that work from home. They might work for a large company or for a single business owner. Common virtual assistant tasks include scheduling, updating social media, coordinating travel, answering client questions, and more.

58) Earn a raise at work. Don’t forget that you can make more money at your current job. If you are trying to get a raise, here are some good tips.

Lifestyle

 
59) Read financial blogs. Blogs are a great way to learn a few personal finance tips as well as to stay on top of the latest personal finance news.

60) Have a mentor. Do you have someone you can talk to about your financial situation? A mentor can help guide you and hold you accountable.

61) Purchase a few personal finance books. Reading is such a great resource, and there are so many good personal finance books out there. Here are a few of our favorites.

62) Take free classes. Sites like Coursera and Udemy offer online classes from real colleges for free.

63) Find a financial community. Finding a community that prioritizes finances provides a huge advantage. So few people want to talk about money, but it’s holding everyone back. Maybe you find a financial class at your church or within your city, or you join the personal finance blogging community.

64) Keep a planner. Keeping a planner helps you keep your finances organized, ensuring that you never miss anything.

65) Write down your financial goals. Did you know you are over 40% more likely to accomplish a goal if you write it down first? Write down your goals and keep them somewhere visible to help keep yourself motivated. Here’s 15 financial goals to consider

66) Teach yourself something new. As we get older, we tend to stop teaching ourselves new things. Learning new skills or tasks keeps our minds sharp, which in return helps us make wise financial decisions.

67) Avoid FOMO. FOMO, or fear of missing out, can push a lot of your financial decisions if you aren’t careful. Keeping up with what everyone else has is not cheap, and you don’t want to be spending money on things that aren’t a high priority for you.

68) Listen to podcasts. Podcasts are a great way to learn about any topic. You can download podcasts for free on your phone and listen to them at the gym, in the car, or while at work.

69) Hold yourself accountable. Don’t let yourself slack on meeting your goals. Figure out how you can hold yourself accountable. Maybe you need to set small incentives for yourself, or maybe you need to find an accountability partner.

70) Stay healthy. By eating well, working out, and sleeping plenty, you are helping to lower your overall healthcare costs.

Perfect Your Budget

 
71) Always pay your bills on time. To avoid late fees or a potential negative impact on your credit score, it’s important to pay all of your bills on time.

72) Practice good record keeping. You want to be sure to always keep receipts and organize your finances. In case a mistake was made on a bill or taxes, you want to ensure that you have proof and documentation of each situation.

73) Track your net worth. Your net worth gives you a snapshot of where you stand financially. We recommend using the free Personal Finance app.

74) Cancel services that aren’t a priority. You can cancel services like cable, subscription boxes, and magazines to save money.

75) Analyze your budget every month. No two months are the same, and you won’t have a perfect budget right away. It takes some trial and error, especially in the beginning. You may find you regularly have a higher spending in one specific budgeting category and need to reallocate money to that.

76) Use a cash-only budget if you do not respond well to credit cards. Some people find credit cards too tempting. If you have racked up credit card debt in the past, it may be better for you to stick to an all-cash budget.

77) Figure out which budgeting system works best for you. Some people like to write their budget with pen and paper. Other people prefer spreadsheets or apps. However you decide to do it, the important thing is to just track your finances.

78) Like spreadsheets? Use our free automated budget tracker spreadsheet to keep track of your finances.

79) Use Personal Capital. Personal Capital is a financial software that puts all of your finances in one place. It essentially gives you a snapshot of your overall financial health. And it is free to sign up.

80) Learn to say no. Saying yes to everyone can result in a lot of unexpected expenses and can cause you to stress. By learning to say no, you are able to dedicate your time and money to things that are truly valuable to you.

81) Negotiate your bills. A quick phone call to your providers can save you money every month. You can negotiate almost any bill, including cable, car insurance, and internet.

82) Enroll in autopay. Autopay is an easy way to make sure all of your bills are paid. Some bills, like federal student loans, even give you a small discount if you enroll in autopay. Plus, it saves you time.

83) Check your tax withholdings. Though it might be nice to get that big tax return every year, you are essentially giving the government an interest-free loan by doing so. You also don’t want to be on the opposite end of the spectrum and owe the government money come tax time. Double check your withholdings to make sure they are correct.

84) Talk to your significant other about finances. Whether you are newly dating or married, you need to be on the same page with your finances. Be open and honest with one another.

85) Consider how to give back. Giving money away might not seem like a typical financial tip, but by donating your time or money, you are reminding yourself of the value of a dollar while improving the lives of others.

86) Budget for fun. Your budget won’t be very successful if it’s all work and no play. Be sure to set aside some money for entertainment and hobbies.

Use Credit Wisely

 
87) Open a credit card that is a good fit for you. Everyone has different financial priorities, and it’s important to find a credit card that works best for your lifestyle. You can compare the best credit cards here.

88) Learn about credit card travel hacking. You can take free trips across the world by learning how to travel hack.

89) Don’t open up lines of credit just for the deal. How many times have you been told you could save 20% on today’s purchase by opening a credit card at the checkout line? Avoid signing up for any credit card just for its short-term rewards.

90) Keep a credit card open. You can increase your credit score by having older lines of credit, so it’s always a good idea to keep your oldest credit card open, even if you rarely use it.

91) Have a low credit utilization. Credit utilization is another factor that makes up your credit score. By utilizing a small amount of the total credit available to you, you are working to increase your credit score.

92) Monitor your credit score. You can have peace of mind by monitoring your credit score with Credit Sesame.

93) And your credit report. According to the FTC, 1 in 3 consumers find an error on their credit report. An error on your credit report could result in a lower credit score, which may be costing you money by increasing the cost of borrowing. By checking your credit score, you are protecting your finances.

Secure Yourself

 
94) Get life insurance. Even if you are young, you never know what could happen. Life insurance is a way of providing financial security and peace of mind to your family. If you don’t already have life insurance, you can get a free quote to see how much it would cost for various levels of coverage.

95) Backup your computer. If your computer crashes, you might not realize what you have lost until it is gone. To prevent losing important data, backup your computer files regularly.

96) Keep important files in a safe place. You want to make sure you have all of your most important and private files locked away in a fireproof safe.

97) Get a will. Writing a will isn’t a fun thing to do, but failure to do so can result in big financial consequences for your family should something happen to you. You can contact a lawyer to start the process.

98) Compare your insurance premiums. If you have adequate money saved in an emergency fund, then it doesn’t make sense to pay extra in premiums to have a lower deductible. Consider the effects of having a higher versus a lower deductible, and you will be able to save money while still securing yourself.

99) Give instructions to your loved ones. If something were to happen to you, you will want your loved ones to have access to all of your important documents.

100) Change your account passwords frequently. You do not want to risk anyone getting access to your private information. You can prevent this by changing your account passwords frequently.

 
 
What are your best financial tips? Which of these tips has made the biggest impact on your finances?
 
 

In my book Hustle Away Debt I talk about how you can pay off your debt faster through side hustles. Side hustles are essentially ways to make extra money outside of your 9-5 job.

While the book is focused on all sorts of side hustles, not just ways to make extra money from home, I have a soft spot for making money from home. There is nothing quite like making money without leaving the comfort of your home.

This post shares 50+ legitimate ways to make extra money from home. A large majority of these are ways to make money online from your laptop (my ideal way to make money!).

The upside of some of these side hustles is huge. For example, if you start an Etsy store you just might end up with a business that brings in a full-time income on a part-time schedule, as described in one of the case studies in Hustle Away Debt. I know there are many parents reading this who would love to work from home 20 hours a week running their own business!

Making extra money changed my life by offsetting my $1,000/month student loan payment, and then surpassing that as my monthly online income increased over time. It’s allowed me to write a book (through a publisher) and has greatly helped my financial situation.

Making extra money through a side hustle just might change your life, too.

1) Start a Blog

 
I’ve been blogging for over eight years and today blogging is my primary way I make extra money. If you are unsure what sort of side hustle you should start, I almost always recommend blogging. I have a whole post explaining exactly how to start a blog.

Blogging is a great side hustle because you can blog wherever you want and whenever you want. Are you an early morning person? You could fit in an hour of blog work before work. A night owl? Crank out a couple hours of blog work each night.

Blogging also has potential to become a full-time income. Many people I know have started a blog from nothing and are now full-time bloggers. But blogging doesn’t have to be a full-time gig. You can do it on the side, like me, and use the money to pay off debt, invest, travel, or whatever you want to use your side income for. Did I mention you can do this all from home?

Actually, forget about working from home: blogging can be done from anywhere in the world!

If you’re interested in blogging as a side hustle I would recommend you check out my post about how to start a blog. If you go to that post and use my unique Bluehost referral code you will get an excellent deal on hosting. Bluehost makes it very easy to set up a WordPress blog.

2) Freelance Write

 
Many people think that freelance writers don’t get paid much because “everyone can write.” I can assure you this is not the case. I have friends who are making so much freelance writing that they quit their full-time jobs. Some make six figures off of freelance writing alone.

As someone who hires freelance writers I can tell you that freelance writers vary greatly in their skills and experience. I can also tell you that I will typically not even consider hiring a writer who doesn’t have a blog of their own. A blog acts as your portfolio for prospective customers.

No one wants to take a risk on someone with no portfolio, so to get those first couple freelance writing jobs you will want to have something out there for potential clients to see. Every single client I’ve written for has found me through my blog.

Besides starting a blog, how do you break into freelance writing? Read our post on How to Get Started in Freelance Writing.

3) Write a Book

 
I’ve talked to many people who have ideas for books. 99%+ of people who have book ideas will never actually write one. There’s a few reasons why.

Soon after I got a book deal for Hustle Away Debt I wrote a post on how I was able to get a book deal.

In this post I talked about how having a blog – and in turn, an audience – helped make me an attractive writer for the publisher. You don’t have to own a blog to write a book, but if you don’t have some sort of audience to sell to publishers will see you as a huge risk and be less likely to work with you.

You could self-publish, but if you go that route you will absolutely want a blog or some sort of audience to sell the book to. It’s not enough to simply have a book idea or even to write a book – you need people to sell the book to!

Writing a book is a great side hustle because it has additional upside in the form of passive income. While a lot goes into actually creating a book, you could make money off of it for years to come.

4) Become an Editor

 
In the same way websites need freelance writers, websites also need editors. After all, someone needs to review posts for errors, add things like affiliate links, and plan and schedule posts.

Many blog owners act as editors, but many blog owners would also be open to having someone else edit and schedule content. I myself recently looked into this option and not having to edit all the posts would be a huge relief.

How do you get started in editing? The easiest path is to first be a writer. If you own a blog that has freelance writers contribute posts then you will get a lot of experience editing posts, whether you want to or not!

5) Create an Online Course

 
There are online courses today for everything. Whether you are looking to learn about how to program in Java, speak a different language, or learn how to coupon, there are online courses for you.

One of my former contributors, Cat Alford, put together a course to help others get started in freelance writing. She turned freelance writing into a very lucrative career and has been able to stay at home with her twins because of it.

If creating an online course sounds like something you’d enjoy, first you’ll want to check out courses that others have made. You can find courses at Lynda.com to test out and see what has worked for others.

6) Freelance Programming

 
I have a number of friends who are programmers for their 9-5 job. Most of them have done some type of freelance programming to make extra money at home.

One of them took a website that had initially been outsourced to programmers in India and cleaned up the code and did some of the more advanced coding that the site needed. Another programmer coded a website for a huge corporation. Both did this from the comfort of their home on nights and weekends.

How do you find these jobs? Similar to freelance writing it’s always easier to get noticed and to come off as a legitimate freelancer if you have a websitehighlighting your work. This could be a blog or something similar that highlights what programming languages you know, projects you’ve worked on, and other things that you want potential clients to know.

Word of mouth and social networks like LinkedIn also work wonders for those looking for freelance opportunities. There is huge demand for programmers so if you have programming skills you can absolutely make extra money at home doing freelance work.

7) Spreadsheet Consulting

 
One side hustle I’ve done in the past that I’ve really enjoyed is spreadsheet consulting. I was hired by a friend who owns a business to improve some of their financial reporting. I improved some of their existing reporting and created new reporting as well.

This was a great side hustle for me because I was able to work on and improve skills that were used in my 9-5 job as an accountant. Usually you have to pay to improve your skills at your 9-5, but this side hustle allowed me to flip the script and get paid to develop my technical skills.

A majority of people either have no spreadsheet skills, hate working in spreadsheets, or both. The problem is virtually every single business will have to deal with spreadsheets at some point. If you are skilled in spreadsheets this could be a lucrative way to make money from the comfort of your own home.

8) Create and Sell Excel spreadsheet Templates

 
We’ve already established that many people do not enjoy spreadsheets or are not good at using spreadsheets. This not only poses an opportunity for people to provide spreadsheet consulting services, but also spreadsheet products.

If you create good Excel spreadsheets for your own use there is a good chance that others would benefit from using it as well. While I give away my coupon database spreadsheet for free, there is a big opportunity to sell Excel spreadsheet templates for money.

If creating and selling spreadsheets sounds appealing to you – or if the idea of buying pre-existing spreadsheets sounds appealing to you – I encourage you to check out Savvy Spreadsheets. Janet has created some great templates that range from budgeting spreadsheets, wedding budget spreadsheets, calendar spreadsheets, and more.

9) Database Consulting

 
Everyone loves spreadsheets, but there is arguably even more demand for people who can create, maintain, and upgrade databases. There are entire new fields and careers centered around databases and data management.

If you are skilled in data management you could offer your services to small businesses and freelancers to start. The more data the business deals with the better. Typically smaller businesses are unable to hire someone to manage their data full-time and it can quickly become expensive to outsource to a company that specializes in data management.

This creates an opportunity for someone who works a 9-5 job but would like to make more money. You could spend as little as 5-10 hours working on databases and managing data for a small business. It works out well for the small business, too, as they don’t have to pay a full-time employee to manage their data.

10) Pinterest Management

 
I’ve been on Twitter for years and feel like I have a good handle on it. The problem for me as the owner of a growing blog is this: a lot of traffic can be gained by having a strong Pinterest presence. But I don’t know anything about Pinterest and don’t have time to devote to managing a Pinterest account.

I’m not the only entrepreneur with this dilemma. This creates an opportunity for anyone who has a good understanding of how to run a businesses’ Pinterest account. I outsourced mine to Kristin from the blog Believe in a Budget and she does a wonderful job. I pay her to run the account, she shows me that her efforts are resulting in traffic to my site, and we both win.

Any skill that can provide value to a person or a company is an opportunity to make extra money. Pinterest is no different and is obviously a wonderful option if you are looking specifically for opportunities to work at home.

11) Social Media Management

 
Pinterest isn’t the only social media site out there today. There’s Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube…the list goes on. Brands and businesses need people to run these accounts.

This presents social media savvy individuals with an opportunity. You may have to start by providing pro-bono work to build up a portfolio and references, but once you’ve gained experience running social media you can take on more and more clients, eventually making a nice side income out of it.

12) Run a Twitter Chat

 
Have you built a strong presence on Twitter? Do you focus on a specific topic or niche like music, books, or sports?

Twitter chats may be a lucrative side hustle for you.

Twitter chats are essentially scheduled chats that happen on a weekly basis. For example Chelsea Krost hosts her weekly chat, #MILLENNIALTALK, each Tuesday evening.

Brands potentially will sponsor Twitter Chats if you gain enough traction. They aren’t easy to get going, but once you have some momentum they can provide you with some nice extra income.

13) Create Graphics for Blogs and Websites

 
Some may be surprised to know – or perhaps not surprised in the least – that I outsource all the graphics work on my site. I used to create graphics for my posts but I realized that it’s best to outsource it to someone who is more skilled in that area.

Many websites outsource their graphics work. Considering the fact that there are likely millions of blogs this presents a golden opportunity for anyone with graphic design experience. Even landing a handful of clients could keep you busy all month long.

My advice to anyone looking to do this is to first have examples of their work readily available for clients to view. Besides having examples it also make sense to have a good handle of where free stock photos and images are available. If you don’t have a good handle on that you won’t know where to look for photos, which is the whole point of being hired in the first place.

14) Create Logos for Websites

 
Every brand needs a logo, and there are new brands created every single day. Whether it’s a large corporation that is re-branding one of its products or a new blog that has come online, there is a ton of opportunity for side hustle income for anyone who has graphic design skills.

Most website owners have little graphic design experience. Even if they have some experience, they likely aren’t good enough at graphic design to create logos. Logos take specialized skill and creativity that most people simply do not possess.

Like with most side hustles, having a website or blog highlighting your work is a key first step.

15) Design Websites

 
As someone who spent over two years looking for a qualified designer to create my new website I can say that it’s very difficult to find a qualified designer to create your website. In fact, it seems nearly impossible! I spent hours searching and even emailing with potential designers. Most simply did not have the portfolio or experience I was looking for.

I eventually did find a good designer to create my website and I am forever grateful (contact me if you need a referral).

If you are reliable and good at designing websites there will always be a market for you. Even people with really small blogs are going to eventually want a facelift, and most will realize they are in over their heads if they try to go the DIY route.

16) Code Websites

 
Some people design and code websites as either a full-time gig or a side hustle. But what I’ve seen more established freelancers do is specialize in either the design side or the coding side.

As I said I paid someone to design my website and they did a great job. They stick to designing and do not do any coding. I also hired a coder (again, contact me if you need a referral). They did a great job and now that I’ve gone through the process I’m so glad that I had someone else do the coding.

Similar to the design aspect of websites, there will always be a need for someone to code websites. In fact this may be even more lucrative as people are constantly changing their websites or looking for upgrades and enhancements.

17) Sell Tweets to Advertisers

 
I’m an investor in a company called IZEA, but until last year I was simply a user of their service. Basically IZEA brokers deals between social media users and advertisers. This could mean a paid tweet, blog post, or instagram post.

If you have a social media account I would highly recommend signing up for their free service. It certainly can’t hurt to throw your accounts out there for advertisers to see, and you can even bid on campaigns.

Obviously the more followers and engagement you have the more you can charge per post/tweet/etc. They have virtually every social network integrated onto their platform so the potential for working out deals with advertisers is huge.

18) Use Your Credit Card Rewards

 
You may have a credit card, but do you actually take advantage of the rewards that come with them?

If you’ve had the same credit card for years and haven’t looked at what else is available, you may be missing out on a more lucrative rewards program. Not to mention many cards today come with a bonus. These bonuses can be worth hundreds of dollars and make travel more affordable. Here’s our picks for some of the best travel rewards credit cards.

19) Buy and Sell Tickets to Popular Concerts

 
A few years back I bought tickets to an Incubus concert in Chicago. This was a show that sold out quickly and people who didn’t get tickets right away were out of luck.

At least if they were looking to pay face value for tickets. Closer to the date tickets were being sold on sites like StubHub for hundreds of dollars.

While there are still old-school ticket scalpers out there who buy and sell tickets the day of games and concerts, it is much more popular today to buy and sell tickets online. There is obviously risk in this, especially with such high fees charged by sites that broker the resale of tickets. You aren’t guaranteed to profit doing this, and you may even lose money.

20) Open Bank Accounts

 
Banks are starting to realize that it’s difficult to differentiate themselves. It’s also difficult to get new customers because it’s so easy to keep your checking account instead of switching everything to over to a new account.

But if you’re willing to spend a little bit of time and effort you can get some decent bank account signup bonuses without much effort. I signed up for a Discover checking account and received $50 when I deposited $100 and kept it in the account for a certain number of days.

21) Tutor

 
The internet has opened up so many opportunities to make extra money working at home, and tutoring is one of them. There are a ton of online tutoring websites out there where people are getting paid to tutor on a wide variety of topics from IT, to music, to language.

If you’re an expert in a given skill or area there’s a good chance that you can make money tutoring. Gone are the days where you have to be physically present to tutor. While on-site tutoring still happens, there is a lot more opportunity today tutor remotely.

A few sites that you can take a look at are Chegg, TutorVista, and Tutor.com.

22) Produce Music

 
I have a friend who produces music for businesses full-time. He is an employee of a larger company that does this sort of work. Even though there may be some bigger companies out there in this space, there is no reason you can’t produce music as a side hustle.

This is a particularly good way for people to make side income because it focuses on something they enjoy: creating music. Who doesn’t want to get paid to do something they love?

There’s a lot of upside with producing music as a way to make extra money because of the ever-increasing demand for video content. Video content is great, but videos need music.

23) Work as a Virtual Assistant

 
When you hear the words “virtual assistant” you likely pick up on the fact that the job is assisting others virtually. But what do they really do?

Virtual assistants do almost anything that can be done remotely to help a website owner, professional, executive, or any other number of people. This may include sending and replying to emails, working on social media, or doing some of the behind-the-scenes work on a website.

I do not currently have a virtual assistant, but I can easily think of a list of things I could potentially hand off to one. There is so much that goes into running a blog or any other business, and all that work creates demand for virtual assistants or “VA’s” as most refer to them as.

24) Create a Product to Sell on Amazon

 
I’m in the process of creating, manufacturing, and selling my first physical product on Amazon. It’s an audio product and I’m so excited to see how it does.

There have been literally millions of products created and sold on Amazon over the past decade. It’s essentially what Timothy Ferriss recommends in his book The 4-Hour Workweek.

Creating a product and automating the production and shipping process has never been easier. You can utilize Fulfillment by Amazon to have your products shipped as part of their 2-day Prime Shipping. And you can track inventories so that another batch of your product can be ordered at just the right time.

Overall I think there is huge upside to creating a product and selling it on Amazon. I’d highly recommend looking into this if you are willing to take a little risk in exchange for the chance of a potentially bigger payday.

25) Open a Niche Store

 
Opening a niche store that features products that are a little more specialized and targeted is another way to make extra money working at home. Just thinking off the top of my head, you could have an online store that sells specific types of beauty products, or sells supplies/clothes/etc. for people who have horses. Really anything goes here.

I should caution you that simply setting up a store typically isn’t going to do it these days. You need some sort of content to rope in potential buyers. Not surprisingly starting a niche store works best when it is done in tandem with starting a blog on the same topic.

One tip on this – Amazon has some good functionality if you want to set up an “Amazon Store” on your site. This can be a great option because who doesn’t use Amazon these days?

26) Enter Giveaways

 
Every single week there are hundreds of giveaways starting and ending. The number is probably closer to the thousands or tens of thousands, but most people never hear of 99%+ of them.

For a couple years my wife and I used to enter anywhere from 50-300 giveaways a week. We’d exclusively enter online giveaways and we even published a weekly giveaway roundup on our site.

We stopped because she started grad school and the blog took up more and more of my time. But in those couple years we won some incredible things including two trips (one to Hawaii).

Entering giveaways can be an easy and stress-free side hustle. If you win something you don’t want, you can sell it! We’ve won all sorts of things that we’ve sold including a $400 lawn mower, a kid’s book shelf, an expensive kitchen faucet…the list goes on.

Check out our post explaining how to make money entering giveaways.

27) Start an Etsy Store

 
One of my favorite stories in my book Hustle Away Debt is one where I talk about starting an Etsy store as a side hustle.

In the book I talk about a friend of mine who started an Etsy store with her college roommate. The Etsy store continued to grow and it now is the full-time income for both of them. They have a warehouse and a few employees who work for them, leaving them more time to spend with their children.

There’s no promise that your Etsy store will grow into your full-time income, but clearly it’s possible to make extra money by selling things on Etsy. If you are creative and have an idea for a product or, even better a product line, consider giving Etsy a try.

28) Create and Format Newsletters

 
Pretty much every blog and content site has a newsletter. Heck, most businesses have some sort of newsletter they send out. And that means somebody has to format and update the newsletter.

For the first few years my site existed I spent little to no time on my newsletter. Now that it’s a focus of mine, I’m realizing just how much work it can be. Creating and formatting newsletters may fall under the greater virtual assistant” umbrella, but it could also work as a specialized side hustle.

A few months ago I was nearly begging other bloggers to recommend someone who is skilled in creating and formatting newsletters in MailChimp. I received no recommendations. There’s a need here that you could fill – all while working at home.

29) Translate

 
Are you bilingual? There’s an opportunity to translate.

There are a ton of websites out there that will pay you to translate from the comfort of your home. A few of them are:

• Unbabel – Translate anytime anywhere starting at $8 an hour. You can work your way up to $18 an hour.

• Gengo – Another website that allows you to work translation jobs whenever and wherever you want.

• One Hour Translation – Yet another website that pays you for project-based work. Work on whatever projects you want, whenever you want.

Making extra money at home is all about identifying what skills you can leverage. If you speak multiple languages translating can be a great option.
 

30) Transcribe

 
Many companies need audio transcribed for many different reasons. Whether it’s company earnings calls or the need for audio transcribed for the hearing impaired, this demand creates a great opportunity for making some extra money working at home. It’s possible to make $15-$25 an hour transcribing audio online.

A few sites that will pay you to transcribe are TranscribeMe, Quicktate, and Rev. Keep in mind that some of these companies will require you to use special transcription software.

31) Write and Edit Resumes

 
A few months ago I helped my brother completely overhaul his resume. This may sound odd but I actually really enjoyed the process. I am a detail-oriented person so critiquing everything and selectively adding, deleting, and rewording things to give him the best possible presentation was a lot of fun for me. Seeing his reaction at the end of the process didn’t hurt, either, as he was really pleased with how it ended up.

After reading about my experience some of you are probably thinking of your own experience or experiences helping others with their resumes. You can probably relate to the enjoyment of helping someone put their best face forward on their resume.

If you have free time and want to make money from home consider helping people write their resumes and/or edit resumes that are pre-existing. There is a ton of demand for this and many people haven’t updated their resumes for years and are overwhelmed at the idea of updating or creating one.

32) Become a Career Coach

 
Career coaches do a lot more than overhaul someone’s resume. They help people in all aspects of moving forward in their career or landing a interviews and, hopefully, a job in their field.

When I think of a career coach I think of someone who helps someone with all sorts of career-related things, such as:

• Resume updating
• Interview practice and coaching
• Networking skills and coaching
• Helping with job applications
• Skills inventory and analysis
• Creating an action plan for career advancement
• Creating a plan for acquiring and improving skills

If you’ve had some success with your career or simply have a great knowledge and understanding of what people need to do to advance in their careers, consider becoming a career coach. You could make a huge difference in someone’s life and make some extra money in the process.

33) Do User Testing

 
With so much time and attention given to websites these days, many companies simply can’t afford to have anything but the best user experience. But how can they know if there is some aspect of the site that users do not like or that is not functioning as expected?

UserTesting is a site that companies like Zillow, CapitalOne, and Flipboard have used to gather information about how consumers view the user experience of their website. And not surprisingly, they compensate people to test their websites.

If you like to test out websites and give your opinion, UserTesting may be a good option for you to make some extra money at home.

34) Give Your Opinion (Surveys)

 
Businesses need to know consumer problems and preferences, and they’re willing to pay a lot of money to get that information. And that’s why surveys exist.

Companies are absolutely willing to compensate consumers who are willing to take time out of their day to give their opinion. While I didn’t pay people to take it, I had a survey on the site in the past to gather information and it was extremely helpful.

Here are some of the survey websites out there:

• Swagbucks
• Nielsen Digital Voice
• Harris Poll Online
• American Consumer Opinion
• Opinion Outpost

I know many people who have had a ton of success with Swagbucks in particular. One of my friends has literally made thousands on the site. I’m not joking – thousands! He’s very committed to going on the site each day and filling out surveys, using it as his search engine, and doing everything he can to gain points. There’s no reason you can’t do the same if you’re motivated enough to make extra money from home.

If focus groups sound like your thing, consider checking out my friend Kristin’s e-book The Ultimate Resource Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Mystery Shopping and Other Side Hustles, which focuses on mystery shopping, panels, and focus groups.

35) Pet Sitting

 
When I was doing research for my book Hustle Away Debt I spent some time looking into pet sitting as a side hustle. You’d be surprised just how many people are making a side income – or even a full-time income – watching people’s pets.

Some people just walk dogs or pet sit when people are out of town. Others run “daycares” where people can drop off their dogs for the day (or night). In fact a friend at work does this on days where both he and his wife’s schedule overlap and they both work long hours.

If you like pets you might want to consider getting into pet sitting. Not only do you get to spend a lot of time with pets, you also get to make some extra money while you are at it.

36) Play Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)

 
Now before you accuse me of encouraging people to gamble for side income, I do want to say that I personally know people who make money playing Daily Fantasy Sports, or DFS. DFS, in case you aren’t familiar with it, is essentially a way to play fantasy sports in one day or over the course of a few days instead of a full season.

It’s become a big industry and has had it’s fair share of controversy. I wrote a blog post a little over a year ago about whether DFS was a good way to make money or not.

An even better way to make money on DFS? Start a blog about it. I have a friend who did this and he now has a team of writers and even appeared on an ESPN segment discussing DFS. I think I forgot to mention – he did all of this in his spare time. From home.

37) Create PowerPoints for Businesses

 
In the same way that businesses need people to create and improve spreadsheets and databases, they also need people to create and improve PowerPoints.

Creating good-looking and well-designed PowerPoints may seem easy, but it’s actually pretty difficult unless you are used to working in PowerPoint regularly. Many people who work in offices spend hours and hours creating and improving PowerPoints. I know I spend a lot of time in my corporate job working in it, and it’s taken some time to learn the ropes and create good-looking designs.

Not every business has the luxury of a large workforce, though. If you are skilled at creating attractive PowerPoints and you are able to find even a few clients who would be willing to pay you to create and improve PowerPoint decks, this could be a great work at home side hustle for you.

38) Create an App

 
Okay, I know what you’re thinking: am I seriously suggesting you create an app as a side hustle?

Creating an app obviously won’t be something a majority of people reading this will be able to do, but there will likely be a number of people who come across this post who have programming skills or who want to learn or improve their programming skills. App development is in huge demand both as a full-time job and as a freelance job.

I have a friend who programmed apps as part of his full-time job a couple years ago and once he had the skills to create apps he went ahead and created a few in his free time. He’s been able to make some residual income from his apps as they are subscription-based so users pay a monthly fee to use it.

Creating even a simple app would take a lot of time and effort, but there is a lot of upside to it. You may create a passive/residual income, as my friend has been able to, or you may be able to sell your app to a third party company.

Remember you can also outsource your skills to other businesses as part of a freelance/contract arrangement. You don’t have to create an app yourself if you prefer to work on someone else’s app and charge them hourly or a project fee instead.

39) Surf the Internet (Use Swagbucks, Bing Rewards)

 
I already mentioned earlier what a great website Swagbucks is for making extra money online, but it’s worth separately pointing out their search engine. If you use their search engine instead of Google you will receive Swagbucks that can be converted into cash or gift cards.

Another site that offers you rewards for surfing the internet is Bing Rewards. Bing essentially rewards you for choosing to use their search engine instead of Google.

While it technically isn’t a search engine in and of itself, if you install the Qmee browser add-on to Chrome you can get paid for clicking on their results instead. Basically how it works is Qmee will sometimes show up on the side of Google or Amazon searches. Next to their results are how much you will get paid for clicking on the results. It’s an easy way to make a few extra bucks each month and is non-intrusive to your regular browsing activities.

40) Play Online Games (InboxDollars)

 
I thought playing online games was worth mentioning separate from the other opportunities because it’s such a unique way to make extra money.

InboxDollars.com is a website that pays you for your online activities, including playing online games. It may sound hard to believe but there really are games you can play on there for money.

This isn’t the only thing InboxDollars.com has to offer. Like Bing Rewards they also will pay you for taking surveys. They have a shopping portal as well that will give you rewards if you make purchases through their portal instead of going directly to the business’ website.

41) Use Ebates

 
Ebates is essentially an online shopping portal where you get cash back for shopping at a wide variety of retailers. I just went to the site and saw offers for 8% cash back at Macy’s, 7% cash back at Amazon, and 6% cash back at Kohls.

While you do have to spend money to “make” money, Ebates has a ton of retailers that people shop at anyway. Over time you can make hundreds or even thousands of dollars by simply going through their portal before making a purchase you would have made anyway.
 

42) Coupon

 
My wife and I have saved thousands and thousands of dollars over the past three years through couponing. When we were dating in college we never used coupons, but since getting married and dealing with our huge amount of student loans, we now coupon every single week when we get groceries.

If you are new to couponing or have never started, consider reading our post 12 tips for beginner and new couponers. We’ve taken couponing pretty seriously in the past and I’ve even created a system for organizing coupons in an Excel database.

You don’t have to be an extreme couponer to save money couponing. Using coupons for groceries and going out to eat is a great way to save a lot of money over time because you will consistently buy groceries or go out to eat. If you can save $100 a month by using coupons, you’ve just freed up over $1,000 of cash flow each year.

43) Flip Things on eBay

 
You’d be shocked at how much some people make buying and selling things on eBay. There are a few bloggers who do this who sometimes make hundreds of dollars a month.

One blogger in particular stands out with this side hustle: Jason Butler of the The Butler Journal. I’ve followed Jason’s posts about flipping things on eBay for over a year now and it’s always impressive to hear of his success stories.

This side hustle is best done if you go to thrift stores and purchase things to sell on eBay. It’s not a “pure” work at home side hustle, but you still can do most of the work from the comfort of your home. If you enjoy shopping and looking for things at thrift shops or garage sales, this could be a perfect fit for you.

44) Flip Things on Craigslist

 
There are people on Craigslist who are making hundreds or thousands a month simply buying and selling things on Craigslist. One of the neighbor’s in my parent’s neighborhood makes a full-time living flipping furniture on Craigslist. A lot of people are looking to get rid of old furniture and she has become very good at fixing it up and selling it for a profit.

You can sell virtually anything on Craigslist – nothing is too big or too small. One strategy you could consider using is buying things at garage sales or thrift shops and turning around and selling it on Craigslist for more money (or vice versa). The secondhand goods market is a great place to exploit the fact that people just want to get rid of stuff, regardless of how much they get in return.

There is also a lot of free stuff available on Craigslist. While a lot of it is random stuff like dirt, firewood, or landscaping rock, there is some stuff on there that can be flipped for a profit. Remember to always stay safe when buying and selling on Craigslist.

45) Flip Websites

 
We’ve talked about eBay and Craigslist, but what if you want to take flipping to the next level? No I’m not talking about house flipping, but flipping websites.

Flipping websites essentially involves purchasing a website, improving it, and selling it for a profit. This happens all the time as people want to sell their websites because they are difficult to maintain, people lose interest, or any other number of reasons.

Some people have made and continue to make a significant amount of money doing this. I wouldn’t recommend attempting this, though, until you have the started a blog of your own and proven to yourself that you have the patience and knowledge to build and improve a website. Not surprisingly most people who flip websites first started by creating their first website from scratch.

46) Start a YouTube Channel

 
I’ve said many times that I’m jealous of people who are good at making videos. It’s not one of my strong suites (my brother got those genes and produces videos professionally).

While there is a ton of opportunity with written content and I only see more and more written content being demanded by companies, if you can create video content you are going to be more in-demand than those of us (like myself) who focus on written content. More and more companies are focusing on video content these days.

So what does this have to do with YouTube? Besides the obvious revenue you can make on YouTube through advertising and selling products to your viewers, companies like Facebook are trying to get YouTubers to put content on their social networks. This is creating a bidding war where video producers are being offered better and better deals to publish their videos on various networks. Not a bad situation to be in.

47) Become a Customer Service Rep

 
Customer Service Reps work on the phone. This makes it one of the easiest jobs to offer to people who want to work from home. There really is no reason to have employees come into the office when they will just be working on the phone all day.

Many major corporations – and even smaller companies – will outsource their customer service activities to third-party companies. These third-party companies typically allow flexible hours including part-time arrangements.

A couple of the companies that hire employees to work at home are Arise and LiveOps.com.

48) Sell Your Photos

 
Every day it seems like there is more and more content online, on TV, and on apps. All these media sources need photographs.

If you enjoy taking photographs this is good news for you. There are many photos available online in the public domain, but even small blogs run out of new ones to use for their posts. At some point most websites are willing to pay money to have access to more photographs.

Companies that accept photos and pay photographers are Shutterstock, Fotolia, and iStock Photo.

49) Moderate Forums

 
Forums can be great resources for like-minded people or people who work in a specific niche or area. I’ve spent quite a bit of time on the “Mr. Excel forums” and learned a lot from other Excel power users. There also is a poker forum that I used to frequent quite a bit when I played online poker a few years back.

The problem with forums is that they need rules and structures. They also are big targets of spammers. That presents an opportunity for people looking to make extra money at home because forums need moderators.

Virtually every forum I’ve visited has at least one moderator, if not many moderators. If you want to be a moderator the best way to get started is by participating in forums. Moderators typically end up being chosen from the group of people who use the forum the most.

50) Invest in Stocks

 
Sure, investing in stocks requires money in the first place but the potential that stocks have for passive income is huge and I think it’s definitely worth mentioning in this list. If you have extra money in a savings account it might make sense to put it to work in an investment account.

You can also use a strategy that I’ve implemented. While my side hustle income has mainly gone towards paying down my wife and my student loans or funding house projects, I’ve also been able to use some of it to invest in stocks. This is a great use of side hustle money because it’s “extra” money to start with but investing it in stocks sets you up for even more money through stock appreciation or dividends.

Here’s our post on how to get started investing in the stock market.

51) Scan Your Receipts for Cash Using Ibotta

 
Ibotta is an app that gives you cash back when you scan your receipts. If you’ve used Target’s Cartwheel app, Ibotta is similar.

Ibotta has a bunch of products listed on it’s app. If you find a product you plan on buying or recently bought, you can “unlock” the offer and get cash back after scanning your receipt.

This can be a great app for anyone looking to make a little extra money without putting in a ton of hours or extra effort. Plus, if you sign up using my link you will get $10 when you redeem your first offer. Not a bad way to get started!

52) Rent a Room on Airbnb

 
Do you have an extra bedroom, or even an entire separate space that you could rent out? Do you like hosting people? You might want to consider renting out space on Airbnb

Airbnb is a website that brokers the rental of all sorts of accommodations all over the world. Accommodations can range from an air mattress on the floor of a living room all the way up to a mansion overlooking the ocean.

Want to test out Airbnb as a traveller? You can get $20 for free when you sign up using my link.

53) Be on an Online Jury (http://www.ejury.com/)

Lawyers can make a lot of money, but they also take on a ton of risk because each case is so important. They will do whatever they need to do to win a case, so it’s not surprising that lawyers like to test out their case on mock juries.

Lawyers are willing to pay you to be a part of a mock jury, and it can be done completely from home. If this sounds like something you are interested in consider checking out eJury.com. They pay $5-$10 depending on the length of the case.

The Benefit of Side Hustles

 
As you can see there are a ton of things you can do to make extra money working at home in your spare time. Side hustles, especially starting a blog, have had a huge impact on my life.

While this list might give you some good ideas for side hustles to start, it’s important to think about the things you should do before you start a side hustle and consider what side hustle will work best for you and your lifestyle.

I wrote my book Hustle Away Debt to give you the information you need to successfully start a side hustle. The upside with side hustles is huge and you could even end up starting a new career or business because of it. At the very least you should see your income increase.

What is your side hustle? What have you done to make money at home? What on this list sounds like something you’d consider doing to make extra money at home?