The world is facing an unprecedented scenario at the moment, with a global pandemic keeping many people at home and in isolation. In an effort to control the spread of the virus, businesses are closed, non-essential shops are closed, schools are closed, and many people are now out of work. It can be a stressful time as there is no clear timeline of when you could be earning money again if you are unable to work from home. Even if you can do your day-job from home, you may find that you have a little extra time on your hands to make some more money from home to ensure stability and some financial independence.
If this sounds like you, and you’re either out of work right now or have more time to be maxing out your earning potential, then here are some ideas for you of how you can earn some money from home, during this COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.
Take Surveys & join in with consumer case studies
Although this isn’t something that is going to make you a millionaire, a little time taken to do some surveys, or be part of some product testing or research panel, can be the difference between having enough money for your bills, or not. There are a variety of different sites online that allow you to do this from home, you just need to take a little time to register with them. Some sites will send out invites when surveys or panel research is needed, and others will allow you to just log in when you have time, do some surveys, and then log out, getting paid as and when. You don’t need to commit much time unless you are serious about making a proper income from it. Either way, it is a flexible option that can help you to make a little extra at this time.
Sell stock photography
If you have an interest in photography or have the time on your hands to learn some basic skills and get snapping, then selling your photos can be a good idea. When you sell photos to stock sites, then you can get paid for everyday pictures, and even staged and posed pictures. Stock photography sites are known for their co-op model where any contributing artists co-own the business. You can earn up to royalties of up to 75% and potentially more, based on how many people download your images. To do this well, you do need to have a creative flair and eye to detail, and at least a basic knowledge around lighting for photos. Look at stock images sites to see what is already on there, and then have a play around. With blogs for business sites, as well as personal blogs, requiring stock images, there will always be plenty of demand.
Trading Forex
If you don’t already know about Forex, then it is all about buying and selling foreign currencies. Placing a trade in the foreign exchange market can actually be quite simple, which is why it could work for you during this lockdown period, especially if you want to learn more about trading in general. The ins and outs of a trade are similar to those in other financial markets, such as stocks and shares. So if you know a little about this then it can help and mean you’ll pick things up pretty quickly. There are many Forex trading platforms online, but the object of it all is to exchange one currency for another currency, with the idea that the prices will change. You want the currency that you buy to increase in value, compared to the one that you have sold.
In this time of global pandemic, some currencies are becoming much stronger than others, such as the USD compared to the GBP. So choose wisely, especially at a time that is unknown.
Food and grocery delivery
We all know that the grocery stores are still open, as they are classed as essential businesses. If you are healthy and well in this lockdown, and in a position to help your community with food deliveries, then you could use this as a way to generate a small income. You could get a list of shopping from someone, go out to buy it for them, and deliver it for them. Of course, they will cover the costs of the groceries, and then the way you make money is by the delivery fee. You could charge $10 for delivery, and if you get ten orders to deliver a day, then it is one trip to the store, ten drop-offs, but $100 in your pocket. Advertising with your local community or leafleting can be a good way to get your name out there and hopefully get people in touch with you for the delivery. There’s no guarantee, but it can be worth a try.
If you wanted to do this, but have it guaranteed, then using delivery sites to sign up with like Uber Eats or Deliveroo can be a good idea. You are likely to get paid less, but the income will be there and pretty much guaranteed.
Create an online course or e-book
If you want to create something that you are expert in, even if you’re not able to work doing it at the moment, then creating an online course can be a good idea. This could then be sold online through a website, or able to download for a fee, from a blog, for example. If you look to do something like this, then it can be a great way to diversify your revenue stream and it can carry on, even after the lockdown. Turning your knowledge into an eBook or online course can be something that is really valuable, especially if you have expert knowledge that people will want to learn from. Ideas could be around working out, event planning, trading in shares or Forex, cooking, baking, and many more; there are so many options for you, depending on what you have experience in, of course. Learn how to launch your first course in 30 days in my e-course on this topic.
