Every minute that you’re not working is time wasted, right? You don’t need to be an absolute workhorse, spending every waking minute hustling away just to save up for that vacation or pay off student debt.
But what if I told you that you could earn money while you snooze away? Today I’m sharing with you how to make money while you sleep.
While you’re not going to get rich overnight (sorry to burst your bubble), this extra money can be a nice little trickle of cash or even a decent level of side income. To make money while you sleep, you’ll need to start thinking about passive income ideas.
Passive income is any kind of income that doesn’t require any extra labor to accomplish and takes minimal time. If you don’t have any passive income streams, then let’s get you on the bandwagon!
Traditional Ideas On How To Make Money While You Sleep
High Yield Savings Accounts
One of the lower-risk forms of passive income, a high yield savings account (HYSA), allows you to earn interest on money that you already have. Due to inflation, you’re actually losing money by letting it just sit in a normal bank account!
While you won’t be making tons of money in an HYSA, it’s still better than letting it sit and collect dust.
Most of the time, the interest rate is above 1%, but they’re lower than normal at the moment. Most brick-and-mortar banks will have an HYSA, but you will get the best rates with online banks as they have low overhead costs.
Shop around for the best rates on savings accounts below:
Stock Market Investing
When it comes to learning how to make money while you sleep, this is the most popular method by far. Out of all the ideas on this list, it will make you the most amount of money the quickest.
That being said, there is a higher level of risk involved in stock marketing investing. But the longer you let your money sit, the less risky the investment is. This is a great investment option for younger adults.
Signing up with a robo-investor allows you to watch your investments and be in control. “Robo investor” is a fancy way of saying your investment management is automated, based on your age, goals, and other algorithms.
Want a bit more control? Investing in ETF and index funds are great places to start for beginners.
I highly recommend taking the Personal Finance Club course. It teaches you everything you need to know about how to amass wealth by investing in index funds.
If you create a diversified portfolio and hold onto your investments for a while, you’re sure to start earning money.
Credit Card Cashback And Rewards
If you’re spending the money anyway, you might as well make some of it back. If you have a credit card that isn’t offering any kind of reward incentive or cashback, then it may be time to get a new one!
Depending on your priorities, you can earn different kinds of rewards. Some earn you travel points while others give you a store discount. A good option is always to go with a cashback card. This is where you earn a certain percentage of anything you spend back.
Just remember, only spend money that you already have when it comes to credit cards. And always pay off your monthly balance in full. This is much easier said than done – check out my own story about credit card usage here and see what I mean.
Rent Out Your Space
Don’t ever let empty real estate go to waste. Having a rental income is the absolute best way to pay off a mortgage. If you have a spare bedroom or suite, you can rent that out instead of letting it sit as extra storage.
If having a roommate doesn’t sound fun, you can consider renting out your whole house as an Airbnb. While you go away on vacation, let someone else take a vacation in your house. Sounds like a win-win to me!
Of course, if you have money to invest, a second property meant solely for renting earns you income every month. Depending on what you prefer, you can rent it out to one person/family or through Airbnb or another vacation website. Real estate investing can earn you monthly rental income or you can sell the property for a profit once the market is up.
Buy A Small Business
If you have money that you’re looking to invest, this may be a method that will work for you. Many business owners aren’t actually involved in the day-to-day operations of their business. For example, anyone with a fast-food franchise is likely not going to be stopping by and working the register.
Consider some of your favorite franchises and do some research. Maybe it will be a good fit for your community.
Creative Ideas On How To Make Money While You Sleep
Blogging
If you’re here reading this, then you know I’m a fan of this passive income method! Through ad revenue, sponsored posts, and affiliate marketing, you can make money by starting your own blog.
This is a clear example of why it’s not a good idea to get into those get-rich-quick schemes. You can’t expect to make a ton of bucks by instantly blogging. It takes time to build up a following and get readers. But if you’re consistent enough and stick with it, blogging can be an excellent form of side income. This is especially true if you enjoy writing and have a topic that you’re passionate about!
Write An eBook
Imagine getting to add being an author to your profile! When people think of writing books, they imagine loads and loads of pages to write, and it just seems too daunting. But it doesn’t have to be like that at all. Now with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, anyone can self-publish a book.
Write about what you know best. It can be on anything from how to take care of houseplants to a social media best practices guide. While you have to put in the hours to write and get the book ready, the sales can trickle in while you’re tucked away in bed.
Create An Online Course
If writing an eBook sounds too daunting, you can also share your knowledge by creating an online course through platforms like Skillshare, Teachable, and Thinkific.
I host my own course, Budget 101, over on Thinkific, and it’s a great platform. If you’re looking to create a custom budget that works for you, you can learn more about my course here.
Try Affiliate Marketing
As I mentioned earlier, affiliate marketing is one of the ways you can make money on a blog. Essentially, you share products or services that you like, and any time someone signs up or buys a product using your link, you earn a small percentage of commission.
Beyond a blog, you can use affiliate marketing on social media or through email marketing. As long as you have a fan base of some kind, you have someone to share your links with.
Subcontract Work
This is one of the many go-to methods that seasoned entrepreneurs teach others how to make money while they sleep. Let someone else do all the work for you!
If you get hired for an online gig, you can take them on, then hire someone else to do the work at a lower price. This way, you’re acting as the middle man and taking a cut.
You can hire those looking to gain experiences such as students or recent graduates or look at platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr for assistance.
Rent Your Items
Nowadays, you can rent out just about anything. The beauty of the internet means you no longer have to buy everything you need when you can just rent it at the click of a button!
Outdoor enthusiasts may want to rent a paddleboard or camping gear. Someone may want to rent a sewing machine to try out the hobby before investing. Websites for peer-to-peer rentals include Loanables and Fat Llama.
You can also consider renting out your car or RV if you have one. There’s been a huge boom in camping lately, and you could likely rent it out every weekend in the summer. RVezy is great for RVs, and Turo is wonderful for car rentals.
Sell Stock Photos
If you have an eye for photography, you can sell your photos online using stock photography websites such as Shutterstock or Alamy. Many businesses turn to stock photography to include on their websites, in their advertising, and for social media. That’s a lot of pictures needed!
Every time someone downloads one of your photos, you earn a commission.
Make On-Demand Products
You don’t have to be a graphic designer or know the ins and outs of Adobe to make your own graphics. With free programs such as Canva, designing everything from business cards to t-shirt designs can take a matter of minutes.
Once you have your design, you can upload it to many different kinds of websites that will do the printing and shipping for you. Anytime someone orders an item with your design on it, you earn a percentage of the income. Some great sites include Amazon Merch, Redbubble, CafePress, and Printful.
When it comes to learning how to make money while you sleep, this list is just the tip of the iceberg. If you have any other passive forms of income that you love, feel free to share them in the comments down below!
