Have you ever wondered if you could make some extra cash for you and your family, without having to leave home? Some people start a home business to replace their full-time income that they would have got from a traditional job. Other people want to be able to access extra cash, but they don't know how to get a standard career when they have a child to look after or other challenges to handle.

The good news is that whatever the reason you're considering making money from home, you might find that the route to getting extra cash in your pocket is easier than you'd think. Here are some of the quickest and easiest ways to make money from home.

 

1. Sell Your Unwanted Items

If you want to simultaneously make some extra money from home and also cut down on the amount of clutter you have lingering throughout your house, then this is a great option for you. With resources like eBay, Facebook Groups, and Gumtree, you can sell the products that you no longer want or use online with a matter of minutes. All you need to do is snap a picture of the item you want to sell and upload it to your website of choice.

If you really want to attract as many buyers as possible, do your best to share a compelling description of the item, be honest about its quality, and share the link to the page on your social media feeds.

 

2. Become a Freelancer

You might have noticed terms like “freelancer” and “gig economy” being thrown around a lot more frequently these days. There's a good reason for that. Today, many of the businesses that would otherwise have simply hired someone to do the work that they wanted in-house, now prefer to turn to freelancers and one-off contractors for help.

The good news is that this new working environment opens up plenty of new opportunities for people who want to make money from their own home. All you need to do is set up an account on a site like Elance or Upwork, and you can start looking for jobs immediately. Just make sure that you choose jobs you feel comfortable doing so you can deliver a great result every time.

 

3. Get Paid to Shop

Plenty of us enjoy retail therapy from time to time. In fact, our love for shopping is what gets some of us into trouble with our finances. The good news is that you could benefit from your willingness to shop in today's digital world. While mystery shopping might not give you a regular source of income like being a freelancer, you can earn some extra cash from time to time and have a little fun too. The important thing to remember is that a sign-up for a mystery shopping website should always be free.

Remember, a lot of companies that use mystery shoppers will require plenty of professionalism from the shopper and a lot of details in their reviews. You can't just buy something and expect to get paid. You also need to ask a lot of questions, visit specific departments in a store, and submit a detailed report about your experiences.

 

4. Get Paid for your Opinion

These days, most companies know that if they want to get on the good side of their customers, they need to understand those customers inside and out. That's why plenty of businesses spend a serious amount of money on finding out what their target market wants from them. As part of a focus group, you can offer feedback on products and services, and help businesses to make the right decisions about what they put out into the marketplace.

Some focus groups will be held in person, so you may need to be willing to travel if you want to take part. However, there are online focus groups out there. One thing worth noting is that the focus groups available online aren't always as well-paid as the ones you attend in person.

Take paid surveys

 

5. Get Paid to Take Surveys

Finally, another way that you can get paid to work from home, and also to offer your opinion, is to take part in surveys. There are plenty of survey sites that will give you free items, gifts, and money for doing surveys for their clients. While you might not be able to earn a huge income from surveys, it's a fun and simple way to make some extra cash while you're sitting on the sofa.