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Easy Ways to Make Money College Students Need to Know
Making money while attending college is a great way to get ahead on student loan debt. Mainly though, it’s just nice to have some extra spending cash.
But:
Being a full-time student can make it challenging to hold down a full-time or any kind of typical job!
Between attending classes and studying, it’s nearly impossible to find a regular job that will work around school hours.
However:
This doesn’t change the fact that sometimes you just need a way to make some extra money in college.
That’s why I put together this list of 9 flexible and easy ways for college students to make money. When you’re down to your last dollar, having options like these can be a lifesaver!
Also Read: 8 Legit Ways to Make Money in College Without a Job
Easy Ways to Make Money in College
1. Try Your Hand as a Freelancer
Do you have a talent or skill that you can sell to others?
You might want to consider freelance writing, photography, foreign translation, transcription, or graphic design. There’s even a market for freelance makeup artists!
As a freelancer, you get to decide how much work you take on and when you get it done. This makes it a very flexible option for making extra money and all-around ideal for working around a busy college schedule.
You can market your skills on…
Those are just a few places where you can sell your talents – there are loads more marketplaces!
For more ideas, check out this post with 50+ websites to find online freelancing jobs.
2. Rent Out Your Stuff
Got a bike, DSLR camera, or a guitar? Maybe a bike, sporting equipment, or camping gear?
You could generate money by loaning that stuff out to people who want to use it! Because when it comes to easy ways to make money as a college student, it doesn’t get any better than passive income ideas like this.
And even if you don’t own any of the examples I mentioned above, there are still opportunities for you to make extra cash by putting stuff that’s just lying around (like your old prom dress) to good use.
Let’s go over some ideas for possessions you can rent out and where to get started.
Use these peer to peer platforms for renting out pretty much anything:
And if you have a bike you’re able to part with from time to time, you can rent it out on:
Maybe you live on campus and could do without your car for a weekend. Or perhaps you carpool and don’t need your car every day of the week. For renting your personal vehicle try these marketplaces:
If you’re feeling ambitious, you might even try starting up your own rental business. Bubble machines, bounce houses, party equipment, and tents, for example, have a relatively low upfront cost for the kind of money you could start bringing in.
3. Consider Becoming a Tutor
Does your college have a tutoring center?
If so:
You might want to see if they’re looking for tutors!
Requirements will vary according to college, but you typically need to earn good grades in the subject area you would like to tutor in. Tutoring sessions will work around your schedule, which makes it a nice choice for making extra money.
But:
If your college isn’t looking for tutors, you could become an online tutor through a website like tutor.com.
Or circling back to freelance work, you could even spread the word about your tutoring services to family and friends with children.
4. Sell Items You No Longer Need
Do you have textbooks you no longer use? Will you never read your collection of Stephen King novels again?
Do you have clothes that haven’t made it into your weekly wear rotation in a while?
If you have anything that’s just collecting dust or taking up space, it could probably better serve you by being sold for extra cash.
Websites like eBay, Craigslist, OfferUp, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace are going to be your best friend when it comes to reselling used items.
5. Become a Pet Sitter or Dog Walker
While your schedule might not allow you enough time to be a babysitter, you could probably work in pet sitting!
Plus:
There’s nothing better than spending some quality time with pets, am I right?
Cats, in particular, just need to be fed, watered, and given attention. Dogs may require you to go to the house a few times during the day to walk them, but you might be able to fit this in between classes.
SearchCare.com or Rover (or even good ol’ Craigslist) to find out what pet sitting services are needed in your area. This post offers insider tips for making extra money with Rover!
6. Drive for Uber or Lyft
Not only can you earn some decent cash, but you’ll also be able to set your own hours.
But:
Before signing up, make sure to check to see if these companies have any bonus codes (AKA extra $$) for signing up. These offers usually vary by area.
Also:
If you’ve wanted to drive for Uber or Lyft before, but it wasn’t available yet in your area – check again! Uber & Lyft are now in my area, and I don’t even live in a major city.
7. Become a Personal Shopper
When trying to figure out how to make money as a busy college student, gig-type jobs are one of your best options.
With Dumpling, Fetch, Shipt, Instacart, and Thumbtack, you earn money by doing in-store shopping for customers and dropping off their orders. It might be a grocery store run, a visit to a pet store, or a drug store pickup.
The beauty of gig jobs like these:
You have control over what hours you want to work and for how long.
This is super useful as a college schedule isn’t always consistent. With a side hustle like this, the extra time you have on your hands between semesters becomes a great time to cash in and build up your savings.
8. Do Handy Work
Lawn mowing, yard maintenance services, gardening, or snow shoveling are great ways to make extra money when you have time. Some colleges even hire students to shovel snow.
Of course:
You’ll have to wait until someone’s grass needs to be mowed or snow needs to be shoveled, but when you’re got a list of repeat customers – the money is good!
9. Flip Items on The Side
Now:
This last easy way to make extra money in college takes a little creativity and specialized knowledge on your part. However, it’s still a beginner-friendly option for poor college students.
When you flip items (also known as flipping), you buy something at a low price and then resell it for a profit. More often than not, this entails buying items in need of TLC.
For example, you might score a name-brand recliner for a heavy discount at Goodwill. It’s grungy and has stains, but it’s nothing you can’t fix with some elbow grease and the right tools.
After sprucing it up, it looks like a completely different recliner! See this post here for a satisfying before and after of what one can accomplish with hot water extraction.
Now you can sell it on OfferUp or Craigslist for more than you bought it. Cha-ching. Rinse, repeat, and profit!
Thrift store furniture is one idea, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There are countless items you can flip for extra cash.
This online community for flipping is a great place to start – you’ll find more ideas, plus tips and helpful information.
Conclusions on how to make money as a busy college student
These are just some ideas on how you can make money in college.
Be sure to give your college bulletin boards a look to see what other unique opportunities may be in your area.
Do you know of any awesome ways to make extra money in college? Let me know about it in a comment!
Related:
- Budgetingfor College Students – 12 Simple Tips
- 8 Seriously Easy Ways to Make Money in College Without a Job
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