For some people $100 is pocket change however for a lot of people earning an extra $100 can mean a lot. It can mean a proper meal or some new clothing or shoes. You might be a student in high school or at college and looking for a little income boost or your budget might be tight and having an extra $100 will really help.
As part of our series on “Ideas to earn an extra $100 to an extra $100,000”, below we touch on some simple ways to make an extra $100.
Street Performing or Busking
You might be a budding musician looking for a couple of bucks or you might be a singer who enjoys karaoke and figured you’ll try busking to earn a little extra money. Providing you live in a place where there is a decent population, why not give busking or street performing a go?
Check the relevant legalities of doing this in the location that you are based (most cities and large towns require you to complete an application) however if you are good enough there’s no reason you can’t raise at least $100 from your efforts.
For those looking to build a career in the music industry or as a performer this can also be a great way to boost your experience of performing in front of others. If singing or playing an instrument isn’t your thing, you could look at something like magic, acrobatics or juggling.
Reach out to your local town or city administration to find out more information and what paperwork (if any) is needed.
Enrolling in a focus group or medical research
Depending on where you live you might be able to enroll in a focus group, an academic study or even for a medical study. Depending on whether you are suitable for the relevant study, you can make some nice additional income from these studies.
It’s not unheard of for suitable applicants to be paid at least $100 per hour for their participation.
Depending on where you live, Google the terms of “paid focus group” or “paid medical research”
Focus Group and Respondent are two websites that offer a list of potential focus group/studies opportunities that should allow you plenty of opportunities to find something suitable while the medical research website Rare Patient Voice has lots of medical research opportunities.
Make sure you do your research on what you are volunteering for particularly for any medical studies.
Sell any old textbooks or school uniforms
You could be a college student with a lot of old textbooks that are collecting dust for you but could be valuable to others. Yes more and more studies are going online however there is still a significant market for used textbooks.
Start with your college to see if they have any 2nd hand options either on campus or online or look at websites such as Bookscouter or even Amazon to offload your older textbooks.
There is also a strong second hand uniform market. This could be as simple as a school polo t-shirt all the way through to a school blazer. If you have outgrown a school uniform or have recently graduated and no longer have use for these, have a look to see if your school offers a secondary market or you or your family may know of younger students at your school (or previous school) who would be happy to pay you for your uniform.
Canvas the neighborhood for verge collection opportunities
Some cities offer several verge collection opportunities for their residents where any unwanted items are left on the verge for either collection by the public or if unwanted items get picked up by the local council. If this is offered where you live, there are plenty of potential money making opportunities.
Simple ideas include finding run down pieces of furniture that might need a coat of varnish and some small repairs that you can quickly do then look to sell yourself. Alternatively some people are too lazy to do anything with some of their unwanted stuff (such as children’s toys) and dump them on the verge to either be collected by their local council or for pick up by someone with an eye for a bargain.
Alternatively some residents place unwanted items on their verge to see if anyone wants the item before moving this on to a waste disposal site. If you are handy enough you might be able to rejuvenate some old furniture, if you are electrically minded you might be able to fix up electronics that you can sell for a profit.
Or you can make a simple profit by selling good working items that others can’t be bothered doing anything with. Have a look at your local council website (or nearby council) to see if they offer this or alternatively cruise around your neighborhood or nearby neighborhoods for potential opportunities.
Be respectful of your neighbors and local regulations if attempting this.
Sign up to be a movie or television extra
This one is more location dependent however you might be living in a big city that has many movie or television productions. If that is the case and you are flexible, why not throw your hat in the ring to become a paid movie or television extra.
Extras on bigger productions can earn from $50 to $100 per hour plus meals (in the USA this can fluctuate depending on if you are a member of the SAG-AFTRA union) if you are lucky enough to score a gig. This requires people to be flexible i.e college student schedule however it is a cool way to earn money and you can easily earn over $100 a day doing this.
For those interested in this (and based in the US) check out websites such as Central Casting, Advanced Casting or Extras Management (note these organizations may need you to appear in person for headshots) for any movie/television extra opportunities.
These are just 5 examples of the many ways to earn an extra $100. Hopefully this list above will open up your creativity and give you some other ideas to boost your income or even to build a side hustle or business. If you can add an extra $100 to your earnings, why stop there? Why not go for an extra $500 or even $1,000?
Why not look to start building your investment portfolio (either active or passive) such as an income producing affiliate website or an online business. Alternatively you might have a penchant for shares and want to build an income stream from this or an investment property.
Remember the quicker you start building your investments, the quicker your path to financial independence!