In today’s world, ability to make some extra money is critical to your financial health. Infact, given what has taken place over the last couple of years and months, you should find ways to earn extra money. If you live in Houston, Texas, you could be wondering; what are the easy ways to make extra money in Houston?
Let us start by saying we are living in a digital era where technology s playing a big role in how we do business. This also provides new opportunities to make money more than ever in our history.
It is not difficult today to earn some extra dollars. You will be required to think differently and also figure out when you want to start your journey towards making money today. The earlier you start the better.
The world is shifting to the on-demand economy of the individual, which presents fantastic opportunities for entrepreneurship, wealth creation, and work from home online jobs, and time freedom.
21 Ways to Make Money Online in Houston Today
Here are some of the best ways that you can make some extra money in Houston;
- Selling images
- Affiliate marketing
- Starting a Blog
- Doing Surveys
- Small Virtual Events
- Drop-shipping
- Become a Freelancer
- Becoming a Social Media Influencer
- Creating a YouTube channel.
- Drop-Servicing
- Sell Your Stuff Online.
- Have a Garage Sale.
- Sell Handmade Items.
- Consignment Shops.
- Thrift Store Flip.
- Sell Your Old Books.
- Pet Sitting.
- Babysit.
- Drive People Around
- Deliver Packages
- Start a Side Hustle
Now, let us dive deeper into these opportunities on how to make money in Houston. You can pick the one that will work for you the best.
I am very keen to ensure you have a great personal financial health.
Interesting Ways to Make Extra Money in Houston Today
Houston is known for many things, including as the oil and gas capital. If you are living here, then you should consider creating an additional income in the following ways;
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Selling Images Can You Income
If you are a talented photographer with impeccable photo and video editing skills, you should know that various online platforms offer you a great opportunity to earn passive income from your work.
A nice place for you to be is Shutterstock; it is one of the biggest marketplaces where you can sell your photos and videos for a good sum of money if you know what you are doing.
It’s essentially a bridge where people looking for high-quality videos and photos on practically anything meet with skilled photographers looking to sell their works of art.
Shutterstock is a global marketplace where people trade high-quality videos and photos. It was launched back in 2003 and is headquartered in New York.
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Affiliate marketing.
This is actually the number one way most people make money online. It may be the easiest way if you know what you are doing and if you have the right traffic source for what you are selling.
But, it can also be the hardest thing if you decide to go into affiliate marketing and you have not done enough research.
Affiliate marketing is all about generating tons of profits without any effort, right? At least that is what a quick Google search would have you believe, but as usual, the truth is a little more complex than that.
Yes, you can make money through affiliate marketing. Good money. And, yes, you can even make money while you sleep.
Affiliate marketing is when an online retailer pays you a commission for traffic or sales generated from your referrals.
It is essentially classic advertising in a less intrusive way. Rather than promoting a product on your website with visual advertisements.
This is how affiliate marketing works:
For now, you simply need to know the basics with how affiliate marketing works:
You recommend a product or service to your followers through your website, blog, or email list.
Your followers purchase the product or service using your affiliate link.
You get paid a commission for the sales made using your affiliate link.
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Starting a Blog.
Blogging is one of the best ways for passive income. Because you can do affiliate marketing in your blogs and also still make money from Google Adsense or other advert networks by running ads in your blog.
But before creating a Blog, you need a website. You can simply create and host your own website at $2.95 monthly with Bluehost. I personally started with Bluehost as it is pretty cheap and works great.
Once you have your own Blog, you need to know how to rank your articles on search engines like google for free organic traffic.
Is it possible to make money online blogging today?
Absolutely, but only if you treat it like a blogging business. Yes, you can start your blog as a side project and you can slowly grow it in the background.
It is also possible for you to turn your blog into a source of passive, full-time income that eventually lets you quit your job, travel, spend a lot of time with your family, whatever you want to do.
But like anything worthwhile, it’s hard work getting there. You have to study. Practice. Master your craft. Put in a lot of work. Hustle.
If you love writing, I can’t imagine a better business, though. Not only is blogging a great way to get your writing noticed, but it’s a great way to connect with people around the world.
These are people who need you, teach them what you know, and get paid pretty damn well in exchange.
Get started with Bluehost today.
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Make Extra Money in Houston Doing Surveys
One of the easiest ways to make money online is to take surveys. There’s little more to it than signing up, filling out a profile, and giving your opinion on ads, products, services and more.
The big question is just how much money can you make and how much work is involved.
While you probably cannot make a full-time living taking online surveys, they can leverage your spare time to earn a bit of cash. Or, you might use surveys to get other perks, like free products
Why Do Companies in Houston Pay for Surveys?
You might think that getting paid to take a survey seems ridiculous. Why would anyone pay you for your opinion?
In truth, most companies rely on consumer feedback. Companies that don’t have a department to run consumer surveys and panels hire survey companies to do it for them.
Consumer feedback helps companies make more money by tweaking products and advertisements before they release them publicly. That is why companies will pay you for your time when you take a survey. The information you give them is crucial to their success.
How It Taking Online Surveys in Houston Works
Taking online surveys is simple, though getting started can take a bit of time. Here are the steps involved:
Find a company to sign up with. For example, Swagbucks or Ysense.
Create and fill out a profile. You’ll need a separate profile for every company you do surveys for, and you’ll want to fill out each profile as completely as possible. Each survey is targeted to a particular demographic, so the company won’t send you a survey unless they can tell from your profile that you fit the demographic they want.
Get surveys. Most survey companies will notify you of available surveys by email. Some are immediately available for you to take. For others, you may have to spend a couple of minutes answering presurvey questions to ensure that you fit the demographic. If you do, you can go on to take the survey (and get the reward). Other times, you may get products in the mail that you’re meant to review.
Take surveys. Just answer questions. Sometimes it’s as simple as answering a few multiple choice questions. Other times, you may need to type out long-form answers to more specific questions.
Earn rewards. The rewards process varies dramatically from one company to the next. Some companies give you points, which you can redeem for cash or other rewards. Others transfer money immediately to your PayPal account, and still others enter your name into a sweepstakes drawing.
These steps vary from one survey company to the next, so be sure you understand how the process works when you sign up.
How Much You Can Make by Doing Surveys in Houston?
Like I said, you’re not going to make a fortune taking surveys online, but you can make some extra money for fun, for paying off debt, or for investing.
Monetary survey rewards vary from less than $1 to more than $20, though they’re usually on the lower end of that range, $1 to $5. If you can take several a day, you can earn quite a bit of money in a month.
Ysense is actually the best paying survey site as you can also do small tasks instead.
Simply click the link to sign up.
Other companies don’t give you cash. But they may help you save money by offering you free products, often full-size products, which you need to test for the survey.
Obviously, this can be a great way to get free household products, personal care products, diapers, and other things you use regularly.
Still other companies will enter you into a sweepstakes drawing when you take a survey. The more surveys you take, the more chances you have to win.
These can be a little frustrating, since you don’t necessarily get a reward right away. But they can pay off with some great prizes, including gift cards, products and cash.
How much you can make depends on which companies you sign up with, how many surveys you take, and which demographic you fit.
If you’re in an often-surveyed demographic, you may get more opportunities to make money, thus upping your survey earning potential.
Some companies, like Swagbucks, also offer prizes, points or cash for referring others to the service, so this is another aspect of survey-taking to check out.
The key is that you can use surveys to make money when you would otherwise not be doing anything. You are certainly not required to take any surveys that land in your inbox, but you can do so if you find 10 or 15 minutes where you would otherwise be checking your social media activities.
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Small Virtual Events.
Another way you can earn extra money in Houston is by hosting or facilitating small virtual events.
The world today is utilizing the power of virtual solutions or platforms for social and business meetings.
This provides a great opportunity to someone like you to create an virtual event and earn some money.
I know this works as I have organized and hosted several virtual events including the oil and gas virtual summit. Therefore, you can bet I understand what am talking about.
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Drop-shipping
Want to make money dropshipping? Of course, this is the most beneficial manner for making money online. So here is the ultimate guide for dropshipping online and making money out if it.
In 2020, the unprecedented situation has harmed many conventional businesses. Many people worldwide got unemployed. Savings of many are on the verge. Many are at disposal of their governments.
This chaotic situation has raised a question in the head of many insecure people. Many who were not favoring online businesses in the past are now thinking about it.
But everyone has anxiety of their own. This is true if you have not done any business in their life. People are thinking about making money online.
Yet, you are reluctant. There is a fear of loss, uncertainty, initiative, and inexperience.
People worldwide are in search of the easiest options online to make money. We have seen a surge in search terms like Dropshipping.
Remember though, that you are not risking your money upfront. You will pay only when you sell any of the products from these.
Despite the thinner margins, you can still make a profit as a dropshipping business. If you want to increase your profits, you can raise prices keeping in mind the competition.
You can also sell more volume. And you can always contact your supplier to negotiate a lower handling fee.
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Become a Freelancer.
This is by joining a site Like fiverr. Fiverr is an undoubtedly one of the powerhouses of the freelance global ecosystem.
Not only did it establish credibility within a short span of time but it also has emerged as one of the go-to platforms for the freelancing starters.
Still, people do struggle in figuring out what to do and how to do it on Fiverr to earn money online.
These are the ways to make money on fiverr:
Offer ebooks or reports you have written
Most of the services on Fiverr require that you work on a custom job for you to get paid. In other words, the client sends you specifications and you produce fresh materials based on those specifications.
One of my most favorite ways of making money online turns that business model on its head. Instead of you working on new materials for every $5 order that comes your way, you can instead write a book or report once and sell it again and again to different customers.
As long as you clearly spell out that you’re not selling resale rights to your work and that you retain all copyright, you should be good to go.
Offer social media services
It is not a surprise that a huge chunk of services offered on Fiverr involve Twitter posts, Facebook promotions, or Google Plus promotions.
People are desperate to get traffic to their websites and they don’t mind paying $5 to drive traffic to their web pages.
Write quickly and get paid
If you are able to write very quickly, you can get paid handsomely.
Seriously. if you are able to knock out 400 words in 12 minutes or less, you can rack up a base rate of $25 per hour.
Not too shabby. The key is to write high quality materials so your buyers will keep coming back
Use marketing software to get paid
There are all sorts of traffic generation software that you can use for a few minutes to promote clients’ sites.
If the software doesn’t take much work to set up, you can make $5 for as little as a minute. That leads to a gross rate of $300 an hour.
Create digital drawings
If you know how to use automated photo-based drawing tools, you can create digital drawings in no time flat. People are always looking for custom graphics based on their pictures.
Research
Get paid to use Google for a research project. As long as you make sure that your research is tightly focused, you should be able to do research in a very short period of time.
Become a virtual assistant
As a resident of Houston in Texas, you can probably make a decent living selling an hour or two of your time doing virtual assistant work for clients you find on Fiverr.
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Becoming a Social Media Influencer.
Influencer marketing is a hot marketing phenomenon that everyone is talking about.
It has become a mainstream marketing tactic and is no longer limited to a select few brands or agencies.
Almost every major industry has seen a rise in influencers. And brands are leveraging them now more than ever.
Being an influencer has become so lucrative that it’s no wonder that everyone wants to be one in their respective domains.
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Creating a YouTube channel.
YouTube is another way in which you can earn money in Houston.
The idea is simple. Create a YouTube channel and offer value through content creation. You can discuss or talk about topics that are of interest to you with a view of either educating or informing your audience.
Once you reach the required threshold, you can monetize your channel and start earning money.
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Drop-Servicing.
Drop servicing is a business in which you sell services.
Instead of doing the service yourself, you head over to freelance marketplaces such as Fiverr and buy it for a cheaper price. The difference between the two price points is your profit. It’s also known as service arbitrage.
What Services Can You Drop Service
You can drop service virtually any service. I mean, all you are doing is selling the service for more than you purchase it.
- Graphic Design
- Web Design & Development
- Writing
- SEO Services
I would recommend only sticking to one niche because then it is easier to advertise yourself in front of your target audience.
How to make money online with drop servicing today.
First, you need a website:
The cheaper way is creating your website with Bluehost but it will cost you more because you’ll need to setup payments, you will need to pay for an email marketing provider and your work will still not be easy.
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Sell Your Stuff Online.
Check for community garage sale groups, like bookoo.com. BooKoo divides communities into sections so you can easily post pictures and sell items according to where you live.
Another option for selling your items is craigslist.org. Nora points out that selling websites like ebay is an option, but you will have to pack and ship the item, so there is an added time and expense.
Totspot is a mom-to-mom mobile marketplace for buying and selling gently used or new children’s clothing. All transactions are handled in-app.
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Have a Garage Sale.
If your neighborhood allows it, a garage sale is probably the easiest way to make extra money.
Here are my top tips: organize items in clear view on tables and place in categories like clothing, kitchen items, etc.
I would also recommends not putting price tags on everything, sometimes people will offer more than you had in mind.
Another option is to hire someone to help you.
Grand Slam Garage Sales is a company that manages the garage sale for you, and they keep part of the profit.
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Sell Handmade Items.
Do you have a talent such as watercolor painting or sewing? Consider selling your homemade goods on ETSY.com. You can open a virtual store on ETSY and sell your items. There is no fee to join, but the website will take a cut of your sell.
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Consignment Shops.
A consignment shop takes everything from clothing and handbags to scarves and shoes. Typically you drop off items at a consignment shop and return later after the items have been sold to collect your cut of the sale. Depending on where you go, the consignment shop will
keep part of the profit, usually it’s between 20-40%. Some resale/consignment shops like Once Upon A Child, Plato’s Closet and Buffalo Exchange will give you cash on the spot for your items.
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Thrift Store Flip.
Thrift stores are full of items that you can’t buy anymore. While you may pay $1 for a random plate, someone in Chicago could be looking for that one plate to complete a set and be willing to pay big bucks for it. Stop by thrift shops and pick out items you think may sell on EBay.com or in the vintage/antique section of ETSY.com. Items that work great for flips: dishes, tupperware, old toys, paintings, shoes, jeans, graphic T Shirts, gadgets, tins, clocks and books.
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Sell Your Old Books.
Empty out your bookshelves and fill up your wallet! bookscouter.com compares book prices from 58 different book-buying websites and finds the one who will pay the most for your books! You can get paid easily through Paypal, print out the free shipping label and mail your books straight to the buyer.
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Pet Sitting.
Consider walking dogs or pet sitting. DogVacay is an online bank of pet sitters.
Rachael King, with DogVacay, tells us there is a huge need for dog sitters in the Houston area. Potential sitters go through a five-step vetting process that includes a phone interview, background screening, references and training.
“They get to set their own rates and schedule. Millions of dollars have been paid out to DogVacay sitters — our top sitters make over six figures a year!” said King.
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Babysit
If you have kids of your own, this may actually work great for you. You already have toys and probably have a great idea of what kids need, so why not get paid to help out another family?
Advertise your babysitting services for free on care.com or sittercity.com. You can also post your services on your own social media sites, you never know someone else who may need help.
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Drive People Around
Get paid just for helping people get around town by using Uber (uber.com). You use your own car and set up appointments to drive people around. The pay is $15 per hour, but you have to pay your own tolls and gas bill.
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Deliver Packages.
Think Amazon delivery meets the Uber model of business. With Amazon Flex, you can earn $25 an hour by delivering packages your neighbors order from Amazon.
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Start a Side Hustle
Have professional skills you can put to work?
All About People (allaboutpeople.net) is a company that helps people find jobs. Owner Ray LaStrape says there are options that fit just about any schedule.
“We have clients who may host a weekend training or marketing event and need professionals to help out on a Saturday and/or Sunday,” said LaStrape.
“We may have a client who has a heavy workload and need someone to come in a few hours each day to help catch up. Many of our clients present opportunities that are ideal for someone looking to earn some extra income with limited availability.”
Some of the hottest jobs out there for the holiday season include: executive assistant, payroll manager, property manager and call center workers. These are easy ways on how to earn extra money in Houston.
Conclusion
In conclusion and to respond to your question on how to make extra money in Houston, the above twenty one ways will help you if you live or intend to move to Houston, Texas.
However, you still have to make the choice of taking action and making it work.
The opportunities to make money this year are many and you have every chance to improve your income.
It is actually a way in which you can get productive, if you lost your job or if your business is not performing as earlier projected.
Related: 21 Ways to Develop Passive Income Streams
I hope you have learnt something good from this article.
Frequently Asked Question
What is a good salary in Houston?
According to Forbes, The average income needed to live comfortably in Houston in 2017 is $56,223; by 2018, that number jumped to $69,405 – a nearly 25 percent increase
How can I make a lot of money in Texas?
Here are some interesting ideas on how to make extra money in Houston;
- Find a Work-From-Home Job.
- Get money to Share Your Opinion.
- Earn to Watch Videos.
- Share What’s in Your Fridge.
- Earn Extra Money as a Bookkeeper.
- List Your Extra Room (or Tent or Couch) on Airbnb.
- Get income to Watch Movie Previews.
- Save a Horse, Drive a Lyft.
Is 100K good salary in Houston?
The folks at the personal finance site GoBankingRates are looking at where a $100K income would be considered “good” in America’s 50 largest cities.
Houston was one of them. That means if you want to join this group, you need to learn how to earn extra money in Houston.
Houston ranks No. 9 on the list of cities with the most take-home pay on a $100,000 salary, despite a relatively high housing cost.
What is the highest paying job in Houston?
Here are the top three highest paying jobs in Houston;
- Anesthesiologists – $249,420
- Chief Executives – $248,900
- Surgeons, Except Ophthalmologists – $226,090