9 Side Hustles to Help You Make $150 Fast
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Unprecedented inflation and a looming recession are making it tough for many people to make ends meet. Some have found themselves out of work completely, rendering them unable to buy essential items. As a result, many are likely to turn to some form of debt, like using their credit cards more often or taking out a personal loan. A few may even have no choice but to sign up for a payday loan, which is extremely costly and have a short duration (often just a few weeks).
And this is where a side hustle comes in. Gig economy is on the rise as changes wrought by the pandemic begin to harden. Statista estimates that the projected gross volume of the gig economy should reach $455.2 billion in 2023. These jobs don't have a set schedule, and you're your own boss, which means you can work as much or as little as you'd like. Of course, you can earn a lot more if you dedicate a few hours to your side hustle daily.
Here are a few ways to earn extra money and skip a trip to a creditor if you find yourself in financial peril.
In this article
Ways to make $150 fast
Become a delivery driver
If you own a vehicle and are looking to earn easy money, you can do so by becoming a delivery driver. To achieve this, you could consider either Instacart or DoorDash, which offer ways to make money quickly.
Instacart
There are two ways to make money via Instacart:
- In-store shopper: As an in-store shopper, you'll be a part-time employee of Instacart, which means you'll have a set schedule each week. In-store shoppers are only responsible for purchasing the items, not delivering them. You can expect to work at least 15 to 20 hours weekly, including Sundays or Mondays. According to Indeed.com, in-store shoppers make about $14.84 per hour.
- Full-service shopper: In true gig economy fashion, you'll be an independent contractor as a full-service shopper. The job entails purchasing items as well as delivering them to customers. However, to do that, you'll need a car, which adds to your costs considerably. A full-service shopper at Instacart makes about $22.84 per hour, according to Indeed.com.
DoorDash
DoorDash is an online platform that delivers food from restaurants to your doorstep. But unlike Instacart, which requires that you own a car, DoorDash doesn't have any such requirement. You can deliver on a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle if you want, although this depends on the city you're working from. You must be 18 years old, agree to a background check, and have a valid driver's license and insurance if you want to deliver for DoorDash. Money-wise, Dashers (as these delivery drivers are known) make $15.65 per hour, according to Indeed.com. The company, however, says its drivers make $25 per hour nationally, including 100% of tips.
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Make small investments and watch them grow
One of the biggest stock market myths is that having vast swathes of capital or being The Wolf of Wall Street (Jordan Belfort spent about two years in prison for stock market manipulation) are prerequisites to success. But many apps now are looking to make investing accessible for everyone, not just an affluent few.
Acorns
Acorns is a micro-investing and robo-investing app that was founded to promote incremental and passive investing. With Acorns , you don't need a lot to begin investing. When you connect your debit or credit card with Acorns and make a purchase, the app rounds off the purchase to the nearest dollar and invests the rounded amount. For example, if you make a purchase $60.41, the card will transact $61 and invest the difference.
Acorns' main features include:
- Acorns Invest: This is what we just talked about. When the app rounds off your purchase to the nearest dollar, the difference is invested in an exchange-traded fund.
- Acorns Early: Looking to save for your children so they can start on solid financial footing? Acorns Early combines investment, retirement, and checking accounts, and you can set up recurring investments of as little as $5.
- Acorns Found Money: This feature lets you earn cash back on eligible purchases.
- Acorns Checking: Get a checking account and access a network of fee-free ATMs.
Stash
Stash is another popular micro-investing app that combines saving, budgeting, and investing under one roof. If you're a low-cost investor that likes playing safe and taking it slow when it comes to building wealth, Stash may be worth considering. Investment options include individual stocks, cryptocurrency, and ETFs. The best part? You don't have to worry about trading fees or commissions. In addition to investing:
- Stash Retire can help you save for, well, retirement.
- Stash Kids Portfolio lets you buy stocks and ETFs for your children, who can access their new-found riches when they turn 18.
- The company also has an FDIC-insured digital bank account with a network of more than 19,000 fee-free ATMs.
Fundrise
Buying real estate not seem like a traditional way to earn money but passive income strategies allows you to sit back and earn money without doing any physical labor. Investing money you've earned is a pillar of personal finance. And real estate investments can amplify returns in a relatively short time. Fundrise, for example, aims to bring real estate investing to the masses. The company currently manages over $1 billion of equity on behalf of over 300,000 investors. You can start your investing journey with Fundrise for as little as $10, but the company's $5,000 investment product is its most sought-after product. And if you'd like to invest more, you can — Fundrise accepts up to $100,000 in investment, but this option is only available to accredited investors.
Play games
Too good to be true? Not really! If you have a knack for gaming, you can turn that into a money-making venture. Bingo or solitaire, whatever your genre of choice is, you can be sure there's an app you can use to play your favorite games and earn a little money at the same time. Looking to break into the big leagues? You can go pro and potentially earn as much as $187,000 in a year, according to Comparably. But pro gaming has its drawbacks, like a short career and health issues.
The most famous and successful real-money games leverage the Skillz app for the cash reward part. But your options are essentially endless; just open the Apple App Store or Google Play, and you'll know. Some of these real-money games also hand out a few dollars worth of welcome bonus; we're talking free cash! InboxDollars, Swagbucks, and Mistplay are three platforms that let you make money online in various ways, including gaming. These apps' games can be played on your phone in your free time. And you can cash out your earnings via PayPal or gift cards.
- InboxDollars: There are quite a few real-money games on offer. You can choose from Solitaire, Candy Jam, Fortune, Casino, or Poker. But to win money, you'll have to spend real money to enter tournaments. Overall, big winnings are hard to come by, and even if you win, you're not just given cold, hard cash. Instead, your winnings go toward your Scratch and Win progress, which lets you scratch a virtual lottery ticket to win cash.
- Swagbucks: Angry Birds and Tetris are arguably two of the most addictive casual games, and you can play them to win money via Swagbucks. As with these apps, you don't win actual money. Instead, you'll earn points, which can be redeemed for cash.
- Mistplay: Once you've created an account on Mistplay, the app will choose and download a game for you. The free app pays in units, which you accumulate depending on how much time you spend playing a game. So the more you play, the more units you earn, which translates into more winnings. Mistplay lets you redeem these points for gift cards, but not cash.
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Complete surveys
If playing games isn't your thing, surveys are a great option to make a little money if you have some spare time to kill in the evenings or even between breaks at work because they only take up a few minutes of your time. Some of the top survey sites are:
- Survey Junkie: Arguably the biggest name in the burgeoning online surveys space. Each survey takes less time than estimated by the app. You're asked a few questions during the sign-up stage, which helps the app give you appropriate surveys. You'll need 1,000 points, or $10, to redeem your winnings.
- InboxDollars: Each survey on InboxDollars pays between $0.01 to $5 and takes a few minutes to complete. You'll have to fill out a short questionnaire, for which you'll be rewarded $0.50. Each survey you qualify for shows the exact dollar amount they're worth, so you know exactly how much you'll make for completing that survey.
- Swagbucks: Taking surveys on Swagbucks fetch you between 40 and 100 points, depending on how long the survey will take to complete. Earn point is worth $0.01. You can also complete a daily poll that takes a few seconds to complete and earn an extra point.
Sell your services
Anybody with a comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft Office or Google Workspace and internet knowledge can potentially earn a lot of money via a data entry gig. This job entails organizing, listing, and updating data into spreadsheets to arrange and make the information look presentable and coherent. Data entry clerks make $17.50 per hour in the U.S., Indeed.com estimates. The work is neither too time-consuming nor stressful but provides great earning opportunities. To begin, you can create a profile on Fiverr, Upwork, FlexJobs, or Remote OK and look for jobs there.
You can also leverage these platforms to offer your services as a virtual assistant or a blogger. Indeed.com says the former makes $24.10 per hour, while as a blogger you can make $19.53 per hour. From a job responsibilities perspective, you'll do the same work as you would in an office setting. For example, as a virtual assistant, you could be responsible for making social media posts, managing subscriptions, and updating content.
Drive for Uber or Lyft
Working part-time as a driver can be a significant source of income and a legit side hustle that brings in extra cash each month. Uber and Lyft are two of the biggest ride-hailing platforms. Uber drivers typically make between $31,102 and $45,702 each year, according to Salary.com. People driving for Lyft make about $33,000 annually, according to Indeed.com.
Both ride-hailing companies also offer a sign-up bonus for new drivers. At Uber, you can earn up to $1,000 when you apply to drive for Uber Eats or Rideshare as long as you meet certain criteria. Lyft offers a $2,000 welcome bonus for new drivers who give 170 rides in their first 30 days.
Sell your things
Sometimes, in order to make money, you don't need to look beyond your home. Chances are you have a few things you can live without in the attic. Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and eBay are three of the most famous online marketplaces. If you have something to sell, you'll likely make a quick buck if you sell through these services.
Like to create things? You can sell them on Etsy. The website doesn't limit your creativity because you're free to create anything legal and sell it via Etsy. This means you can sell practically anything and earn some extra income.
Want to go even bigger? You could consider setting up shop on Amazon. Selling on Amazon gives you access to hundreds of millions of potential customers, which could be a great way to expand your business' reach and increase profits.
Become a pet sitter
If you love caring for a furry friend, you might want to create a profile on Rover and sell your pet sitting or dog walking services there. To become approved on the platform, you'll have to pass a background check and be at least 18 years old. In addition, a team at Rover will personally look at your profile and approve if they think you'd be a good fit. Earnings-wise, sitters can make up to $1,000 each month, but dog boarders can make twice as much. In essence, the more services you're willing to provide, the more you can earn. Rover takes a 20% commission from your earnings.
Rent out extra space
If you have extra space in your home that you aren't using, consider renting it to someone in need. Most people rent out extra space in their homes via Airbnb to generate passive income. How often you rent out space and how much you charge influence how much money you can make from the platform. Ideally, you shouldn't charge too much, and to ensure you do just that, Airbnb provides a pricing tool you can turn to for help. Airbnb hosts (people who rent out space) make about $924 a month, according to Earnest.
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- Cash tournaments not available in AR, CT, DE, LA, and SD
The bottom line
Side hustles are quickly becoming a must in the current economic situation. Playing to your strengths and choosing the right side hustle can help you earn quick cash. And there's no shortage of money-making ideas: you can sell your things or services, make food delivery, play games, or take surveys. Granted, some of the ideas in this article may require you to dedicate a considerable amount of time to reach the $150 goal, and thus may not be the fastest way to make money. On the other hand, a few ideas may earn you $150 with only a few hours of work. Ultimately, it depends on your skillset and how much time you give.
Related: How to Get Paid for Testing Websites
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Writer
Jasir Jawaid is Joy Wallet's Assistant Editor. He has more than 13 years of experience as a journalist covering Wall Street, equities, financial policy and regulation, and cryptocurrency and blockchain.
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