Make 2022 the year you reach financial freedom with these best money-making ideas of the year
These end-of-year roundup posts are some of my favorites every year. It gives me a chance to look back on the articles that helped readers the most and helped people reach their financial goals. I’ve always been a driven, type-A kind of person and love to put together money-making ideas. Sharing these ideas and readers’ experiences with making extra cash are some of the most read posts on the blog.
We spend a lot of time on PeerFinance101 talking about investing and managing debt but making a little extra each month is just as important. You can only skimp and save so much, and investment returns only start adding up after decades of investment.
It’s through money-making ideas like the ones below that you’ll start getting on your way to financial freedom. Make just $300 a month to invest, and you’ll have an extra $100k at the end of 15 years. Put your time in on your money-making idea, which could lead to a new career.
The Best Money-Making Ideas of the Year
I’ve compiled a short intro to the best money-making ideas and articles of the year based on readership traffic and feedback. Many of the articles were some of my favorites as well because they gave me the chance to share what I’ve learned about making money online over the past several years. Some ideas will help you make thousands, while others may only put an extra hundred or two in your pocket, but all are worth a look.
How to Make Money Freelancing
Freelancing is one of my favorite money-making ideas because it is something that everyone can do and can become as big as you let it. If you’ve got a skill or a hobby, there is a good chance that you can freelance a job around it. You can start freelancing in your spare time, working a few hours a week for individual clients, or can build out your client list into a full-time gig.
The post includes ideas on what you can freelance and how to look for jobs. I share my own freelancing story and nine website resources to help you build your business.
If you don’t feel like your skills are up to the level needed to freelance, check out Udemy
courses to learn a few new tricks. Video courses are from an hour to several hours, and the site is always running discounts of up to 95% on prices. I’ve used Udemy to learn how to promote my blogs on social media, and I know several others who have taken courses on the website.
How to Make Money Buying and Selling on Craigslist
Craigslist is replacing other online platforms like eBay and Amazon for money-making ideas because it is so easy to use. The advantage of Craigslist for making money buying and selling items is that it’s all local and completely free. You don’t have to pay the platform a commission and can make money in a few hours.
The post looks at four pro tips for making money on Craigslist, ideas I picked up talking to people that have made Craigslist their full-time job.
- Specialize in a specific product or topic to become an expert at values and selling
- Create an online store through Bluehost WordPress Hosting
to sell your products outside of Craigslist - Learn to play hardball and know when to walk away from a bad deal
- Cut down on travel by meeting several sellers at once on a planned route
Beyond the pro tips for making money, the article also looks at five proven business ideas for selling on Craigslist.
How to Create a Passive Income from Blogging
Six new blog posts are published every second; that’snearly 7.5 million blog posts annually to more than 74 million blogs. Getting your blog found in that sea of blogs is not easy and making money off your blog is even more challenging. More than 80% of bloggers make less than $100 monthly from their online sites.
But with a plan and a little hustle, you can make good money running your website blog. In just a year after starting my two blogs, I made more than $1,500 monthly from affiliate advertising and book sales. That’s nothing compared to some of the bloggers I met at a conference in September, where some of the veterans in the space are making between $5,000 and $10,000 a month on their blogs.
I detail how to set up a blog, what it takes to succeed in the post, and what you can expect from different revenue sources. I ended up revising the post and including it in my book, The Passive Income Myth, detailing how to create a stream of passive income from real estate, blogging, stocks, and bonds.
Make the Hustle a Part of your Life
This one isn’t a money-making idea but an excellent post for being successful freelancing or as an entrepreneur. I share my story of turning a new freelance hustle into a business that pays the bills.
Starting your freelance side hustle or any other money-making idea isn’t easy, but it can be a path to financial freedom if you make the hustle a part of your life. It isn’t about early retirement or working less but about working hard at something you love and becoming an expert.
How One Reader Made $4,000 on His Side Hustle Story
One of my favorite PeerStories is from Nelson Granger, a University of California San Diego student. Nelson was looking at student loan bills piling up and decided he needed to find a better way to pay for college. He used some of the money-making ideas from the site to put together a side hustle story to raise the money for the next semester’s tuition.
After creating a simple website with Bluehost WordPress Hosting
to profile his skills, you started tutoring and writing marketing content. He raised more than $4,000 over four months and shares what he learned and money-making ideas for the future.
Your turn! Which were your favorite money-making ideas of the year, and what would you like to see in 2022?
