Want to Quit Your Job? Here’s What You’d Have to Do to Make $73,480/Year

Something’s bubbling up inside you. No, it’s not from your fifth cup of coffee. It’s anger, frustration or maybe just extreme boredom.

You’re dying to do something else, to escape the grips of management, to pursue your passion.

But you also need an income.

Deciding to quit your job is no willy-nilly decision, but it’s important to know you have options. There are ways out.

Here’s What You Could Do to Make $75,988/Year

We’ve talked to dozens of people who’ve quit their jobs to pursue their passions, set their own schedules and carve out a lifestyle they’ve always dreamed of.

No, it’s not always easy (usually it’s not), but there are ways to replace your salary.

To show you it’s possible, here are five ways real people have earned substantial money through side gigs.

If you were to do them all, you could potentially bank an extra $75,988 a year.

1. Watch Videos Online for an Extra $2,700/Year

It might sound too good to be true, but InboxDollars will actually pay you to watch videos. We’re talkin’ movie previews, celebrity gossip, cooking tutorials and brief news segments.

We interviewed Sarah Houston, a college student who easily made an extra $600 through the site in about three years — averaging $200 a year. If you really dedicate yourself, though, InboxDollars says you can make up to $225 a month, or $2,700 a year, watching these segments.

I mean, no, they’re not as enthralling as the latest Netflix hit, but earning money through InboxDollars is simple and mindless enough!

2. List Your Backyard Tent for an Extra $8,280/Year

Have a spare room? Or even a backyard tent? Try to earn some money by listing it on Airbnb.

Yep! We found a guy who earned $46 a night listing a backyard tent on Airbnb. Renting it out for half the month for a full year could earn him $8,280.

Get started with some of these basic tips:

• Make your space available during high-demand times in your area. Think: concerts, conventions and sporting events.

• Be a good host, and stock your place with the toiletries you’d expect at a hotel — toilet paper, soap and towels.

• Be personable. A lot of travelers turn to Airbnb for the personal touch they won’t find at commercial properties.

Use the Airbnb calculator to find out how much you could potentially make by listing your spare room, couch or that backyard tent.

(Hosting laws vary from city to city. Please understand the rules and regulations applicable to your city and listing.)

3. Take the Dogs out for a Walk for an Extra $12,000/Year

If you love hanging out with dogs, Rover might be your perfect gig.

The online network connects dog walkers and sitters to local dog owners through its 4.9-star-rated app, so you don’t have to staple flyers on every utility pole across town.

Rover says sitters can earn as much as $1,000 a month. One stay-at-home mom wrote about how she makes $6,000 just working when she wants and is available.

Rover dog-sitter requirements vary by location. In general, you must:

• Be 18 years or older.
• Pass a background check.
• Have access to the Rover app (iOS or Android).

Here’s how it works: You’ll create an online sitter profile where you’ll answer questions about your experience with puppers and your schedule availability.

You can choose to offer a variety of services, including dog walking, overnight boarding at your home or theirs, and daycare. Boarding is the app’s most popular service, so offering it can get you more gigs. You set your own rates. (Rover keeps a small percentage as a service fee.)

Dog owners will reach out to you. Accept which gigs you want, then start snugglin’ pups. As soon as you complete a service, you’ll be paid within two days.

4. Create Your Own Online Business for an Extra $50,000/Year

Do you have a passion? Whether it’s crunching numbers, lines of code, writing or designing, you can strike up an online business and work for yourself — when you want and from where you want.

Meet Daniel Honan, a former military officer who decided to start his own bookkeeping business. He took an online course, Bookkeeper Business Launch, which walked him through the entire start-up process.

When we interviewed Honan, he was on track to make $50,000 in his first year of business.

This isn’t unheard of in other industries either. Jamie Cattanach is another great example. She quit her full-time job as a writer and started freelancing full time. In her first year of business, she raked in $50,000 — that was more than her full-time salary.

5. Get Cash Back on Your Purchases for an Extra $500/Year

All right, so there’s no guarantee you’re going to make money with this free tool, but it’s worth a try, especially if you stock up on items online.

That’s what single mom Aimee B. does. In the past two years, she’s recouped $1,000 while shopping online.

Her secret weapon is called Paribus — a tool that gets you money back for your online purchases. It’s free to sign up, and once you do, it will scan your email for any receipts. If it discovers you’ve purchased something from one of its monitored retailers, it will track the item’s price and help you get a refund when there’s a price drop.

Plus, if your guaranteed shipment shows up late, Paribus will help you get compensated.

“My time is worth a lot,” Aimee says. “An hour of my time saved is absolutely worth its weight in gold.”

Or, at least, $1,000 back in her bank account.

Disclosure: Paribus compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide.

Bonus: Hit the $10,000 Jackpot

It’s everyone’s dream to hit the lottery, right? Never work a day in your life again.

We’re not going to suggest you go out and invest in lottery tickets. Instead, play free scratch-off tickets through an app called Lucktastic.

Each day, it releases a new assortment of digital scratch-off tickets. Lucktastic says instant wins range from $1 to $10,000. You can also earn tokens that you can exchange for free gift cards to retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s, Sephora and more.

And, yes, you can actually win money. We interviewed Oniel Campbell, a single dad who won $5,000 through Lucktastic, which he planned to use toward a down payment on a home.

The app is supported by advertising, which allows it to keep the payouts high and the games free. For more info, check out our full review.

Carson Kohler (carson@thepennyhoarder.com) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

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