8 Ways to Earn Money Without a Summer Job

By Vivian El-Salawy on July 6, 2016

Travel, dining, excursions – it is called summer spending for a reason.  Money here, money there – soon enough, it’s all gone.  But this summer, you can just as easily turn your summer spending into summer saving.  Not many places hire students for part-time positions if they are only home for a month or two, but who says you need a job?  Here are a few ways to quickly earn some easy bucks this summer without having to put aside your vacationing:

Window Shopping

I know this doesn’t make much sense, but there’s an iPhone/Android application that pays you to go shopping in certain stores – and the best part about it is that you don’t actually have to buy anything.  Shopkick lets you earn free gift cards for shopping you already do and you can discover stores where you can earn points, which transfer into cash rewards.  That’s right, you can get paid for strolling through Target for thirty minutes while you shop for school supplies or for dropping through a nearby CVS without even buying a single item.  If you plan on dropping by an outlet mall during your summer vacation, you may really win the lottery.

Hold a Garage Sale

Image via Military Housing Assistance Fund

Let’s be real, there is always at least one week of the summer where you are home and have nothing to do.  Most of us have our very own, personal junkyard: the garage, the attic, the basement.  If you never got to do any spring cleaning, try to get rid of some old, unwanted items – anything from clothes, old DVDs, board games, no longer needed furniture, and so on.  Make some money through selling your items via a garage sale.  If you do not have enough items to have one on your own, invite your friends to bring some of their items and spend the day with them!

Make a Lemonade Stand

Image via The Benson Street

Cliché and childlike, yes – but who says you have to sell lemonade?  Mix it up: have a bake sale, make homemade ice cream, maybe you brew an amazing sweet tea that is perfect for a hot, sunny day.  Be fruity and make some minty fresh lemonade popsicles!

Complete Some Online Surveys

Yes, online surveys can be annoying, but many surveys have some sort of cash or gift card offer with your participation.  If you need to kill time at home or in a hotel room on vacation, replace an hour of potential Netflixing with completing an online survey and you can easily make some extra money.  While some surveys only offer $5-20 rewards, others sometimes offer $50 gift cards.  Complete a few surveys and you have got yourself a few hundred bucks!

Sell Your Textbooks

Image via Used Book Business

If you haven’t already kept up with selling any of the textbooks you have bought for class – go ahead and try to sell some of those over the summer while you have time!  Surely there will be some younger students trying to buy books early for their classes.  Better yet, if you have any old books that you feel you no longer need, sell those too!  Seriously:  eBay, Amazon, Craigslist (or maybe add them to that garage sale) – the money will add up!

Recycle Your Laptop, Phone, or Tablet

Sounds silly, but in case you didn’t know, you can actually get paid for recycling old technology – mostly cell phones and laptops.  Apple has a recycling program, Amazon will pay you for an old Kindle, and GameStop typically offers cash for trade-ins of anything from old video games and consoles to smartphones and tablets.  Depending on what kind of technology you have, if you do some research, there are plenty of local and national outlets that will offer you money for your no longer functioning devices.

House-sitting 

Image via Postaram Sa

Have any neighbors that are leaving for a short-term or long-term vacation?  Any family or friends that are saying a temporary good-bye to their home but need someone to watch their pets?  Offer to keep an eye on their house and their pets.  Often times, it is relatively easy money and a place to stay if you need a break from family.  Just be sure to respect their homes and respect any requests that they have.  While it is house-sitting to you, it is home-sitting to them.

Tutor Struggling Students

Image via The Odyssey Online

Whether you’re home or still in your college town, there are always kids in need of tutoring – whether they’re still in grade school or taking summer classes in college.  I think we can all admit that summer is the time where although we get a break from school, we tend to forget most of what we learned within the past year.  This can easily be a win-win situation: any struggling students taking classes over the summer will get the extra push they need, you will make easy cash in a subject you understand, and you will keep your brain juices flowing.

All in all, if you aren’t able to snag yourself a summer job – there are still plenty of ways for you to make some easy cash on the side.  Always be sure that if it’s an application or a survey, that you are not being scammed.  If you are providing a service of some sort, whether it is a bake sale, tutoring, or house sitting – be sure to provide a mutual sense of respect to those you are serving.  Whether you are just trying to keep busy over the summer months or are desperately in need for some cash, just be sure to always be safe about the way you make your money.

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