9 ways to earn cash in your spare time

For as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to think of clever ways to come up with extra money. At first, it was to pay down debt. Now, it is to save for retirement, and for my first home.

Here are nine interesting ways to make money, without having a set time commitment – perfect for those who are too busy for a part-time job!

Sell your arts & crafts
This can be done at local craft fairs, through consignment stores, or online through websites like Etsy or eBay. If you are particularly keen, you can open up your own website dedicated only to selling your products. Need some inspiration? You’d be surprised at what kinds of things people are buying – so check out Etsy for the best handmade crafts online.

Rent out your parking spot
A friend of mine who doesn’t own a car, rents out the driveway to her house for $250/month. Multiply that by the two spots she has, and that’s an easy $500/month she’s bringing in.

Be a referee
If you used to play a sport that required a referee, why not consider being one yourself! Games are usually in the evenings and weekends, and if you’re lucky, you will get placed in a tournament where you can make money refereeing multiple games in a short time span.

I used to be a field hockey referee for years. The league scheduler would call me a week before a game and ask me if I could work. If I were free, I would take it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t. It was a great job because it absolutely worked around my schedule, and the better you got at it, the more you made.

I first started out making $15-25 per game, and I have friends that referee in other sports that make between $40-80 per game.

Bake for money
How many times have you had to contribute money at the office in order to buy somebody a cake for a special occasion? The next time that happens, offer to bake something instead. It will mean more to the recipient because it was home made, and you will end up with some cash in your pocket!

A friend of mine took a half-day course on making cupcakes and icing. Now, she runs a small side business baking cupcakes for co-workers, parties and friends.

Virtual call centre agent
Instead of working a part-time job at a call centre, many companies are hiring at-home agents. This means your schedule is flexible down to the minute, you can still do what you need around the house, and you can get paid anywhere from $8-20 an hour. Check out Working Solutions or West at Home for job opportunities. 

Sell your photography
If you’re a professional photographer, or even a wannabe pro who takes amazing photographs, why not try to sell them online? You can earn royalties selling photos on a stock photo website like iStock, or you can ear commission (plus a referral structure program) through websites like Shutterstock.

If you want to take it one step further, you can sell prints of your photography online by creating an online portfolio. This can be done by creating your own website, or creating a storefront on websites like Printroom or PhotoShelter.

Mystery shopping
I was a mystery shopper for years. As someone who worked in customer service throughout high school and college, it was fun getting paid to evaluate other people doing the same type of jobs. Not only would you get paid for your visit, but sometimes you would also get a purchase allowance in order to buy something from the store you were evaluating.

Check out Sassie Mystery Shopping or Consumer Connection to sign up.  

Sell virtual money
If you are into online video games, then you probably know all about selling virtual in-game money or items for cold, hard cash in real life.

I used to be really into a game called The Sims Online. In that game, you could do different tasks to earn “Simeoleans,” the in-game currency. Out of the game, I successfully sold the money I made to other people who played the game. I had fun playing the game and made extra money on the side – the perfect win-win situation in my opinion.

Design t-shirts online
Get those creative juices flowing by creating t-shirt designs and selling them online. Check out Café Press or Zazzle, where you get to set the price that your t-shirt sells for.

Threadless is another option, where you submit your design for the website community to vote and comment on. If your idea is selected for print, you will receive $2,000 in cash and $500 in gift certificates – not to mention more cash ($500 to be exact) each time your design is reprinted. 

What other unique ways have you been able to earn money?

Krystal Yee is a marketing and graphic design professional living in Vancouver. She also blogs at Give Me Back My Five Bucks.