25 Realistic Ways To Make Money While You Sleep (2024)

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Making money while you sleep is also known as passive income. That’s because once you set up the initial work, it doesn’t require much (if any) additional effort to keep making money.

It can be a great way to secure financial freedom and get money in the bank without working more hours.

You can make money while you sleep with some passive income apps, new side hustles, and more. Let’s discuss 25 different ways to make money while you sleep:

Quick Picks

Passive income can come from some of the best side hustles out there!

Here are our favorite ways to make money while we sleep- tried and true by us savvy folks:

• Best Passive Income Stream – Blogging
• Best Stock Platform – Robinhood
• Best Savings Account – Chime
• Best E-Commerce Store – Shopify

Make Money While You Sleep

1. Blogging (Affiliate Marketing)

Blogging is a great way to earn passive income. Set up your blog on a web host likeBluehost, and then you can start creating content about topics you’re passionate about- like we do on our personal finance blog.

There are a few different ways tomake money blogging. You can partner with companies you love and think your readers would find value.

You can also make money while you sleep with ad revenue, sponsorships, and your own e-commerce store.

Check out theMaking Sense of Affiliate Marketingcourse if you want to learn more about affiliate websites.

2. Shopify Store

E-commerce stores are a great way to make money passively, and if you sell crafts, artwork, jewelry, etc., you have an excellent opportunity to make money online.

With custom orders or your work for sale, you can easily set up a Shopify store and start earning money immediately.

Shopify makes it easy to open your own business. You post products, and Shopify takes care of the rest, processing sales and shipping orders. All you have to do is sit back and watch the money come in from your own site!

OurShopifystore has been highly successful! It is exciting to wake up to over $1,000 in digital product sales overnight.

3. Online Courses

Creating an online course is a great way to share your knowledge with others and make some money at the same time.

With an online course, you create a course teaching others how to do what you do and then sell it online. Once the course is created, you don’t have to do anything else except promote it and make sales.

We’ve made online courses as a side hustle for ourselves, and I’ll be honest – it’s an incredible way to generate passive income! You can create a course on literally any topic, and people are willing to pay to learn what you know.

We recommend takingSix Figure Creatorto learn how to create and launch a successful online course.

4. Printables

Printables are one of the most popular items to sell, making them a great way to earn money while sleeping. You can create printable products like honey-do lists, grocery lists, and activity sheets that people can purchase and download again and again.

Download thisFREE Printables Workshop from Gold City Venturesto get started. It includes tips and tricks for creating successful printables that people will love.

5. Stock Market Investments

Stock market Picking the best investments mean you can earn money passively. You can invest in the stock market, easily buying and selling individual stocks to start accruing wealth.

Some of the online platforms that you can use to invest in the stock market for you include:

• Robinhood – Robinhood is an excellent option for beginners who want more control over their investments. They’re even offering free stocks when you sign up!
• Acorns – Acorns offers investing in fractional shares of stock through its round-up option.
• M1 Finance – M1 Finance allows you to invest in pre-made pies that fit your risk tolerance. Looking for information about M1 Finance? Be sure to read our review to learn more!
• Betterment – With Betterment, you can take a more hands-off approach as it will automatically rebalance and alter your portfolio. Check out our Betterment review, where we tell you more about this Robo-advisor.

6. Real Estate Investing

With real estate crowdfunding, you can invest without doing any work yourself. With real estate crowdfunding, you invest in a real estate project or fund, and the company takes care of your management and logistics.

Commercial properties may be the way to go if you want a consistent income stream. Platforms such asFundrisemake it easy to invest in commercial real estate through a real estate investment trust or REIT.

7. High-Yield Savings Account

A high-yield savings account is a short-term investment that will earn you more interest than a standard savings account or your regular and put into your bank account dividends.

You would not want to put all your money into this one investment, but a portion of your savings could go into this account to earn more money while you sleep.

Online companies usually pay a higher interest rate than traditional brick-and-mortar banks. ChimeandCIT Bankare great options for high-yield savings accounts.

8. Investing In Small Businesses

Maybe you have a little extra cash that you’ve wanted toinvest in small businesses?

By investing in businesses like breweries, salons, clothing shops, restaurants, and gyms, you can help them make a difference in your community.

Some small businesses can be high-risk, but they can be an excellent way to get paid while you sleep!

For just $100, you could potentially make 1.5X or more of what you invested back! Not to mention, you would be helping out small businesses in your community that might otherwise not make it.

Mainvestis a top pick if you want to invest in your local community.

9. Renting Your Rooms

Airbnbis an online marketplace that connects hosts who want to rent their property for a short time to people looking to rent a property.

Hosts control how much they charge for their rental, what rules guests must follow, and when their property is available.

If you don’t mind having a short-term guest, you could list your empty room on Airbnb on a weekly or monthly basis. You can also list your entire home on Airbnb if you’re away for an extended time.

10. Renting Your Closets & More

Maybe you have an empty spot in your yard that can earn rental income by renting to people looking for RV storage space.

Or, perhaps you have space in your yard where people could store their cars and boats? Why not earn passive income each month by renting it out?

Now you can by listing your space with Neighbor Storage. Neighbor Storage is a company that connects property owners with unused space in their houses or yard with people looking for storage in their neighborhood.

Property owners can create listings for their space and then charge monthly rental fees. Check out ourfull Neighbor reviewto learn more about how it works and how much you could earn each month.

11. Streaming Videos Online

Did you know that you can make money by streaming videos online? You can start by making a YouTube channel and streaming things like playing video games, opening toy purchases and reviewing them, makeup tips, and much more!

You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment to get started- just a webcam and microphone to record your gaming sessions. Once you start your channel and build up your following, you can start making money by selling advertising.

We recommend taking theMastering YouTubecourse to help you learn more about running your YouTube channel and help your monthly cash flow by making a few thousand or more from it each month!

12. Social Media Influencing

Why not use those social media skills as a social media influencer? You will manage your social media account and post regular updates as a social media influencer.

After gaining a following, you can make money from affiliate marketing, sponsored products, freebies, and other merchandise. Be creative and engaging to get started.

People follow people who share interesting things, like incredible photos, fabulous recipes, and helpful how-tos. To build a following, you don’t have to be limited in what you share.

Once you have followers, you can start making money fast from affiliate marketing or selling products or freebies.

13. eBooks

Writing an eBook can be an easy way to make money while you sleep. Take that good idea for a story and turn it into something people can read on their commutes or before bed.

Not only do you not have to worry about printing costs, but your book can reach people worldwide by being sold on digital retailers like Amazon.

It doesn’t take much to get started. You need a computer and an internet connection if you want to write the book yourself!

If you’d prefer to hire a ghostwriter, that’s fine too. The important thing is to get your story out there for people to enjoy.

14. Amazon FBA

Amazon FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) is a great way to sell products online.

With Amazon FBA, you ship your products to an Amazon warehouse, and Amazon takes care of all of the shipping and handling for you. This process is handled automatically, so you don’t have to worry about any of the logistics yourself.

You want to research to find items that will sell quickly, like books, retail arbitrage wholesale items, DVDs, and movies.

You’ll be charged fees for storage if your products don’t sell right away. Additionally, there are referral fees associated with Amazon FBA sales.

With thisFREE flipping workshopby Flea Market Flipper, learn how to flip products for a profit.

15. Drop Shipping

Dropshipping is another side hustle idea that is a lucrative way to make money by selling products you don’t stock in your store.

You arrange for you and a supplier who ships products to your customers on your behalf. This way, you don’t need to worry about inventory or fulfillment.

You can list and sell products to customers by creating an online store. Customers order from your store, and you contact the supplier. The supplier handles shipping the product directly to the customer.

16. Webinars

One of the most popular ways to earn passive income while you sleep is through webinars.

We’ve all signed up for webinars at one time, only to find out they were a recording. You know the ones I’m talking about – the webinars where you can pick a time to watch that’s convenient for you.

You can make passive cash from creating webinars for people! Just create your expert webinars, charge a fee, and make money over and over from your recordings.

Automated webinars run 24/7, so people can sign up whenever they want to learn. So why not start making money in your sleep today helping others learn?

17. Photography

A creative way to make money while you sleep is to sell your photos. If you are a professional photographer or take pictures for fun, there is a market for your work.

There are many ways to market your photography skills – whether it be through physical prints, digital files, or even becoming a freelance photographer.

Stock photos are a great way to get started, as you can submit your photos to sites like Shutterstock and iStockphoto. These sites will then sell stock photos for you, and you’ll earn a commission on each sale.

Another way to make money with your photography is by taking and selling photos of your feet. That’s right! People buy photos of other people’s feet on sites likeFun with Feet.

18. Creating Apps

Apps help make our lives more convenient in many ways. Check out the available apps, and you’ll find apps for managing your money.

While many people think of apps as only for gaming or entertainment, a wide variety of useful apps can help you make money.

If you have a clever idea for an app, you may be able to make some money by designing and launching it yourself. With some coding know-how, you could create simple money-making apps that people can use to improve their lives.

19. Peer Lending

Peer-to-peer lending is a great way to make a passive income while you sleep if you’re willing to build new financial relationships with others.

You provide a loan to someone who doesn’t qualify for traditional financing, and they will pay you back with interest. You can invest as little as $25 to get started on Lending Club, and you can expect to earn an annual return of 4% to 7%.

20. Rent Out Your Car

If you have a car you’re not using, renting it out can be a great way to make some cash. Sites likeTurolet you list your car for rent by other drivers, which can be a great way to bring in some extra income.

You can list your car on their website and set your rental rates. Turo takes care of all the details, so you can sit back and relax while your car brings in money.

This is a great option people can use to make some passive income to help pay a car payment or other monthly expenses. And, it’s a great way to use your car to make money while you’re not using it.

21. Advertise On Your Car

Another way to make money with your car is to rent the space outside the car for advertising.

Yes, gettingpaid to advertise on your caris a real thing!

You can sign up with a company that will pay you monthly to have their advertising vinyl wrapped on your car.

The amount you earn will depend on how much traffic you get and how many people see the ad while you drive your car as you usually would.

They may even ask you to drive a route where people are in the demographics they’re trying to reach.

Passive Income Apps

Passive income apps are those that earn you money. You can watch videos, shop online, play games, and much more for easy cash!

22. Survey Apps

Survey apps won’t make you money while you sleep, but they are a great way to add a little passive income to your earnings.

Survey apps work by offering companies market research data in exchange for a cash payout.

Companies are always looking for ways to understand their customers better, and survey apps provide an easy way for them to get the information they need.

While you won’t get rich completing surveys, it’s possible to make some cash on the side. Some of thebest survey appsare:

• Swagbucks
• InboxDollars
• Opinion Outpost
• Survey Junkie
• Pinecone Research
• MyPoints
• PrizeRebel

23. Cash Back Apps

Cash back apps are a great way to make a passive income while you sleep. All you have to do is sign up for the app and then shop as usual. The app will track your purchases and give you a percentage of your spending back as cash.

Several different cash-back apps are available:

• Honey
• Swagbucks
• Rakuten
• Ibotta

Capital One Shopping helps you save money by automatically applying coupons to your cart, price drop notifications, shopping rewards, and more with their 100% free tool. Learn more in our Capital One Shopping review!

24. Cash Back Cards

There are various cash-back cards to choose from for your regular everyday purchases, so you need to find one that offers the best return on your spending. Some cards offer 5% cash back on every purchase, which can add up over time.

Be sure to read the terms and conditions of the card before signing up, as there may be restrictions on what types of purchases qualify for cash back. For example, some cards may exclude grocery store purchases or travel expenses.

25. Weight Loss Apps

If you’re looking to earn passive income while you sleep, weight loss apps could be an option. There are several apps available, and many of them pay their users to keep track of their weight and progress.

One such app isHealthyWager. This app allows you to set goals and then pays you for reaching them. Learn more in our review showing how to earn money with this app.

FAQs On Passive Income

Can I actually make money while I sleep?

Yes, you can make money while you sleep. Passive income is a great way to earn money and not have to do any work. There are many ways to make passive income; some are more passive than others.

What is passive income vs. active income?

Passive income is money you make without having to work for it actively. This comes from sources like rental properties, stock dividends, index funds, mutual funds, or business sales that are automatically generated without additional effort.

On the other hand, active income is earned through wages or salary paid for work you do yourself. It’s the more traditional way to make money and requires more ongoing effort on your part.

Can passive income from investing make me rich?

There’s no guarantee that you’ll become one of the wealthy investors like Warren Buffett through passive income, but there’s a good chance you could see significant financial gains.

Several millionaires attribute their success to passive income. So if you’re looking to build wealth and increase your net worth, it’s worth considering!

Are there passive income ideas that require no real work?

Most of them require a little real work to get the basics started. You need to create things to then earn passive income from them.

This is because passive income streams generally require some time or money to set up, but once they’re up and running, they continue to generate money with little to no additional effort on your part.

Even when you start to invest, it requires a little work at first. You need to research the best platform for you and determine what you should be investing in.

While surveys like Swagbucks don’t require much work, they take a little time and thought to complete.

What are some active income side hustles?

Many active income side hustles can help you make more money. Here are a few examples:

1. Offer freelance services on Fiverr such as design, writing, or marketing
2. Drive for Uber or Lyft
3. Offer lawn care or snow removal services
4. Manage a rental property
5. Work as a virtual assistant

Our Thoughts

Making money while you sleep is the ultimate dream for many people. It promises a life with less stress and more financial freedom.

While it’s not always easy to achieve, there are ways to make this a reality, like investing with Robinhood, starting a blog, and creating an e-commerce shop.

In this post, we’ve outlined 25 different passive income ideas to help you make money without doing much work. You can start investing, creating online courses, blogging about your life, and more to earn money from here on out without working nonstop.

So whether you want to quit your day job and start working on your schedule or find a way to make some extra cash, we hope this post has given you some helpful ideas!