How to Make a Living Without a Job

Co-authored by Benjamin Packard

Last Updated: February 4, 2024 References

If you've lost your job or just don't feel like holding down a traditional job, you still need to find a way to pay your bills, right? There are actually lots of ways to make small amounts of money that you can use to support yourself. As long as you don't expect to live like a millionaire, you can totally support yourself without having to hold down a traditional job. Small tasks and saving money are the key!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Finding Sources of Income

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The fact of the matter is that anything you do that makes money is going to take time. And time + money = a job. No matter what you're doing in order to make enough money to support yourself, it can technically be considered a job, even if it isn't a job in the traditional way. If you just want to avoid a job you hate or that feeling of working too hard, turn your favorite hobby into a job. No matter what you do, there is a way to monetize it. ^{[1]
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There are a number of websites that will let you do quick tasks for small amounts of money. The most popular is Amazon's Mechanical Turk, but Short Task is also a good option. Keep in mind that the amount of money you get from these tasks is very small, but you should be able to do them easily while doing other tasks (like watching tv, using the toilet, or riding on the bus). ^{[2]
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When people go away on vacation or for business, especially if it's for a long time, they will often want to make sure that nothing goes wrong in their home or with their pets so they'll pay someone a small amount to live in their home or to take their pets until they get back. Start by house sitting for people that you know to build up references, they advertise online and in newspapers. ^{[3]
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Go to garage sales or hang out on websites like Craigslist and look for free or low cost items. Oftentimes you can slightly clean up an item or refurbish it a bit and get a lot more money when you resell it. Sometimes you don't need to do anything at all: people will often sell their items for less than they're worth if they just want to get rid of it quickly or they don't know what it's really worth. ^{[5]
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Rent your home. If you own a house, you can rent a small, cheap apartment for yourself and then in turn rent out your own home. If your home rents well, your temporary apartment is cheap, and your mortgage is paid off or low, then this can be a good way to make some money. It can either be a very short-term thing (such as for conventions or special events) or it can be more long-term. ^{[6]
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- Just make sure to check your cities rules regarding rentals. You can get in a lot of trouble if your city doesn't allow them without a permit.
You can sell your hair or be a test subject for cosmetic studies. (Remember to be sure that it's legal in your country) ^{[7]
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Lots of people have quick errands or chores that they need done but don't want to do them or don't have the time. This can range from picking up groceries to mowing the lawn, a ride to the doctor to delivering a package. A good place to find such tasks that need doing is TaskRabbit. You will usually need a background check and a car, but as long as you have those you should be able to find lots of quick ways to earn cash.
When websites, magazines, or other media need images, instead of taking them themselves they'll often pay a small fee and license someone else's pictures. This is called stock photography. Using a high quality camera, take some good pictures and then license them through Flickr or other stock photo websites. Get enough of them and you'll make money without having to do much more. ^{[8]
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If you know how to do something pretty well (for example, you were really good at math in school), you can take quick and easy tutoring jobs to help kids do better in school. You can find lots of advertisements for tutors on sites like Craigslist. You'll probably need references but the money can be good for almost no work.
There are lots of opportunities to make money by helping companies with things like advertising. You can get paid to take part in focus groups and surveys. You can also sometimes find work as a secret shopper, after which you can resell the products you buy to make money. 20|20 Panel is a common place to find opportunities like these.
If you've got Photoshop and basic art skills, you can make money be designing some t-shirts and other products and selling them online through special retailers. Websites like Society 6 and Redbubble allow you to make clothing and household items. They'll sell, produce, and ship them for you (in exchange for a cut of the profit), but you'll still make a good chunk of money off your sales.
Lots of websites will give you money for producing content for them. Listiverse and eHow will pay for articles you write, for example. This requires that you be able to write content quickly, though, in order to be worth the effort. Have something to say and good command of your keyboard!
This can get pretty job-like but if you have fun and do it in a way that you enjoy then it won't be that big of a deal. Find a topic that you understand and enjoy and make blog posts, Youtube videos, etc. Ads places on your site and videos can make you a pretty tidy sum and tools like Google Ads makes it really easy to do too. ^{[9]
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Part 2

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Saving Money

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We think that we need all sorts of things that we really don't, and these things can quickly suck up a lot of money. You want to make all those little bits of money that you made by following the first section stretch even more, right? Look at what you think of a need and reevaluate. Cell phone? Land line? TV? Candy? Fast food? gym membership? Online subscriptions? Internet? Different people need different things, depending on how they live. Just look at everything you spend money on and think: do I actually need this to survive? If you make your money through something like the internet, than the answer might very well be "yes".
If you're young, live at home. This can save you a lot of money and help you build up a financial cushion so that you can more responsibly move out at a later date. If you help your parents out around the house and are generally respectful and loving, they won't even mind too much. Just make sure that they see you trying to save money and be responsible.
Look at your monthly spending or bank statements. See any big numbers that stand out? When you look at your statements, you'll often find purchases that you really didn't think about or that you really didn't need. Paying attention to how you spend your money can make you a more conscious spender and save you lots of cash.
Plan how you'll spend your money and stick to the plan. This will save you tons of money in the long run. A lot of the time the money we make seems to disappear, because we excuse all sorts of little purchases. Give yourself an allowance, but otherwise strictly budget your income in order to save as much money as possible.
Clothes, food, household items: everything you buy should be at a discount. Don't go for any sale, however, that encourages you to buy something you weren't already going to buy anyway: this leads to to spend more money, not less. Get your clothes from Goodwill or garage sales. You can save a lot on food by shopping at grocery outlets and similar stores.
Avoid credit cards or any other kinds of loaned money. This money comes with interest that you have to pay, which means that everything you pay for with the credit card actually costs more than what you're already paying for it. This can really end up costing you a lot over time. If you need a credit card to pay for something, then you either don't need it or you're living beyond your means.
Using public transport can save you a ton of money on bills. If you have a long commute, an unlimited bus pass often costs less than just your gas bills alone. Once you factor in car payments, car maintenance, insurance, and other fees, public transport saves a ton of money. Plus, you'll have time to just relax while you get around or even use a 3G device to make even more money by doing online tasks or updating a blog while you commute.

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How can I make money online?

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Try making a blog or something similar. If you pay a little bit of money for your own domain and Google ads then you'll make money super quick! On the side, there are also jobs as simple as booking people's flights.

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How can I avoid being jailed for child support while waiting for disability approval?

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Just pay the child support while your waiting and until you are cleared for disability.

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Should I be speaking to people on public transportation in order to live without a job?

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You can tell people about what you are doing and promote your services. (If you can afford it, have a t-shirt and/or business cards made.) You might find more work that way, someone might know of someone who wants a pet-sitter or a photographer or whatever it is you are doing. If you are making a job out of your hobby and it's something like knitting that you can do on public transportation, by all means do it -- that's more promotion. Advertising and promotion are always the key.

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Tips

If you live home alone, you'll most likely get evicted or be low on your bills.

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Make sure you try to get money the second you move in.

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Warnings

Try to stay with a buddy if your parents don't want you to move in with them.

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Do not see this lifestyle as a long term solution. Even if you can pay all your bills, you need to keep in mind things like paying into unemployment, paying your taxes, and saving for when you're older. People usually have to save money for their entire life if they want to retire at a reasonable age.

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