21 Little Ways To Make Some Extra Money

I spent a good part of my adult life scraping together pennies; and as a result, I've discovered that there are tons of little ways to make some extra money. There was once a time when a cup of coffee from the gas station was a splurge, groceries were kept to an absolute minimum, and writing that rent check every month absolutely tore my heart out. When the going gets tough, it's time to find ways to make extra cash — so that's exactly what I did. And these days, with smartphones and new apps coming out constantly, we have even more options when it comes to making easy money.

Let me be clear that these things will not make you rich. But they're so incredibly easy to do that it's silly not to do them. You might be surprised to learn that you can make money doing things that you're already doing every single day. So, while these things probably won't buy you a new car or pay for your college education, they certainly can help take the pressure off when it comes to grabbing a bite to eat or filling up you tank with gas.

Now, enough talking. Go make some money.

1. Participate in surveys. It's easy to do in your free time.

2. Watch video trailers. AppTrailers is great for this.

3. Return your recyclables to the grocery store.

4. Get a haircut. Long and healthy hair can be valuable!

5. Shop online. Ebates will give you cash back.

6. Complete easy "gigs" in your area and get paid.

7. Sell your unused gift cards. You won't get the exact value, but it's worth more than the card sitting at the bottom of your drawer.

8. Sell books you don't need anymore.

9. Become a mystery shopper.

10. Play with your phone. You could get paid every time you unlock the screen.

11. Take pictures of your receipts. Yes, people will pay you for this.

12. Surf the internet. You're already doing it anyway.

13. Get paid to be healthy. If you needed more motivation, there you go.

14. Sell your old clothes. Apps like Poshmark make this ridiculously easy.

15. Watch TV. Some apps will pay you for it.

16. Get involved in ride-sharing. Drivers can make some serious (and seriously easy) cash.

17. If you use a credit card, get one with rewards. I get cash back when I use a specific card to buy groceries, gas, etc. Free money!

18. Use your car to help companies advertise.

20. Rent out your property — whether it's a room, your garage, or even your driveway. (Just make sure you double check the laws in your area first.)

21. Sell blood or plasma. The pay varies, so check in your area.

Images: andibreit, JESHOOTS, fancycrave1, sabinevanerp, DariuszSankowski, tpsdave/Pixabay