45 Ways To Turn Your Laptop Into A Money Making Machine

What if the answer to your lack of income each month could come from something you already own? What if I told you your laptop could bring you in hundreds to thousands of dollars each month?

I hope you will believe me because it is true. I have been using my laptop for years now to make anywhere from $50 to as much as a full-time income in one month.

How have I earned this much? And how can you do the same?

45 Ways to Turn Your Laptop Into a Money-Making Machine

(Links in this post are affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking those links. See my disclosure page for more information)

This list contains forty-five ways to use your laptop to make money from home. However, each way will not be an excellent fit for everyone. Read over the list, think, and pray about which idea would suit your talents and passions best.

Don’t forget about time commitment too. Some of these ways require more time than others–truly take a good hard look at your schedule before jumping into something you don’t have time for.

One last word of caution, there are a lot of work-at-home scams out there. Please take the time to do your research as to the validity of all companies before you sign up to work with them. I did take a small amount of time to make sure each company I don’t already use myself that I mention in this article is valid, but if you plan to work with them, take the time to research them for yourself.

1. Point Programs and Surveys

I started using point rewards programs and survey companies to earn a few gift cards each month over ten years ago, and I still use them.

Point reward programs and survey companies are great for people who don’t have much time to earn money from home and want a small amount of cash each month in return for a few hours each week spent here and there whenever they can fit it in.

Here are some of the ones I have used and liked

Point Reward Programs

Swagbucks (If you are only interested in signing up for one company, I would recommend Swagbucks)
InstaGC (What I like about InstaGC is payouts are instant, and there are a few ways to earn points)
MyPoints (I have been using MyPoints to earn gift cards for over 15 years! My MyPoints Tutorial)

Survey Companies

Paid Viewpoint (Simple, short surveys are what I love about Paid Viewpoint)
Survey Junkie (here is a tutorial I wrote about how to earn gift cards with Survey Junkie)
PrizeRebel (PrizeRebel offers several ways to earn and you get your payouts in around 24 hours)

Another great way to use these programs is to save up the gift cards you earn to purchase supplies to start a larger business venture. Many companies offer PayPal as a cash-out, allowing you to spend money on supplies for your business venture wherever you want. Those that don’t offer PayPal often offer Amazon gift card codes, which you can use to purchase just about anything you need for that business you want to start.

Other Survey Sites With Good Ratings

These sites have good ratings on Trustpilot.

InboxDollars–earn by reading emails, answering surveys, playing games, using coupons
OpinionInn–offers online surveys. Has a PayPal payout option.
LifePoints–the only way to earn is through surveys. They do offer a few points if you do get disqualified.
Survey Club–Offers payouts via PayPal, Amazon, or check
Survey Roundtable–offers payouts via PayPal, Amazon, and a large selection of other gift cards.

2. Online Craft Sales

The only way I have ever sold crafts online is through a Facebook album since I knit for pleasure and want to earn just enough money to keep me in therapy (AKA yarn 🙂 ). However, if you want to break into earning a side income or even a full-time income from your crafting talents, here are three platforms you can try.

Etsy

Etsy is a large marketplace of crafters. Not only does it offer a large pool of buyers, but it also offers a huge network of other sellers that you can learn from.

However, the downside of using Etsy is that their fees do add up. It costs twenty cents to list an item for four months. If your item sells, Etsy takes a small commission from the sale.

For a person learning the platform’s ins and outs, you could spend a lot of listing fees before you make significant sales.

Shopify

Shopify allows you to start your online store for a monthly fee. They offer three different options, Basic, Shopify, and Advance.

You can open your store with Shopify for just $1 per month for three months (this offer could change at any time).

Shopify makes every step extremely simple, with support available 24/7. Plus, they offer free podcasts and marketing tips to help you. They even have a mobile app so you can easily manage your business when you are on the go.

For more ways to sell your handmade items, read this post: Places To Sell Handmade Crafts: Plus Tips To Help You Sell More Items.

Ko-Fi

If you already have customers for your handmade items, you could set up a Ko-Fi shop. Ko-Fi charges zero fees to list items, but does take a 5 percent commission off sales. You will also pay credit card fees and PayPal fees.

If you want to see what a live Ko-Fi shop page looks like, here is a link to mine.

3. Reselling Items

When my children were young, I often resold the clothes and toys they outgrew through many different avenues. I also tried my hand at buying items at yard sales and reselling them on eBay and paid for their sporting activities and lessons this way.

Those who make the most money doing this generally stick to one category of items to sell, such as vintage electronics (think old cameras, TVs, etc.).

Facebook Buy & Sell Groups And Facebook Marketplace

Here is a post I wrote explaining how to best sell items in Facebook Buy & Sell Groups

Craigslist

Although not as popular since Facebook Marketplace came on the scene, Craigslist is still a valid platform for selling large items. Here is a post I wrote about how to sell items through Craigslist safely.

eBay

Here is a post I wrote sharing the best eBay tips I learned when I used to sell on eBay years ago. Some might be outdated, but others are still very relevant.

Amazon

You can sell more than your old books on Amazon. People make a full-time income buying highly discounted new items and reselling them on Amazon. Here is a post about a family doing just that.

If reselling isn’t your thing, keep in mind that it is a great way to raise money to start the business venture you want to dive into.

Visit my reselling resource page for more tips.

4. Blogging

I have been blogging since January 2012.

I spend roughly 15 hours a week on average working on my two blogs. I blog around life–not the other way around. I am not a six-figure blogger, but I earn a great income for the part-time hours I put into it.

If you love writing, sharing tips with whoever you meet, and learning, then blogging might be a good fit for you.

How To Start A Blog Is As Simple As Following These 4 Steps

Pick a domain name (blog name) and register it: I personally use GoDaddy.
Pick a Web Host: I recommend using BigScoots. I have been very happy with my site speed and their customer service.
Get started on WordPress.org: I started with a free WordPress theme and saved up money until I could afford Genesis with the Prose child theme.
Start writing blog posts: I jumped right in (yep, that is my first post. It makes me cringe, but I did it). I learned as I went.
If you want to earn money from your blog right away: check out this post

Prefer a bit more help starting your new blog? Let a very successful blogger help!

The course 5 Days to a Successful Blog Launch was created by Crystal Paine of the successful blog Money Saving Mom. This course is an inexpensive way of getting the help you need to get a blog up and running. You can find out all about the course over at this homepage.

5. Selling Your Services

Are you great at social media? Do you know your way around HTML? Can you create amazing eye-popping graphics? Are you great at teaching others? Then perhaps selling your services online would be an excellent fit for you.

Fiverr

Known as the freelancing marketplace, Fiverr offers thousands of different ways to make money using your laptop and your skills. From creating logos to product photography to cyber security and more. You keep 80 percent of what you make.

Virtual Assistant

Bloggers and online entrepreneurs use virtual assistants to help them schedule social media, proofread articles, create graphics, and more.

Gina Horkey wrote the well-reviewed best-selling book on Amazon, “Make Money As A Virtual Assistant: Gain Flexibility And Freedom By Offering Services Online.” The book is an excellent guide for those who want to get started in this field.

Be A Virtual Teacher Or Tutor

Do you love to teach? There are several places online where you can get paid to either teach or tutor.

Three ESL Companies To Work For

Cambly
Preply (you can also teach other languages here)
Novakid

Three Tutoring Companies To Work For

Skooli (various subjects)
Yup (math tutors)
TutorMe (hires online tutors for numerous subjects)

Three Teaching Companies To Work For

Outschool
TakeLessons
AllSchool

6. Sell Digital Products

Do you make up printables for everything you do? Do you take amazing photos? Are you always creating stories in your head? Then perhaps making money from home through selling digital products would be a good fit for you.

Teachers Pay Teachers

If you have teaching experience, you probably know exactly what they need to help them with teaching in the classroom. Combine that with a love of printables, and you just might be able to create and sell your teaching aids through Teachers Pay Teachers. Here is an interview the Work At Home Wife did with someone who makes money using Teachers Pay Teachers.

Stock Photos

There are sites out there where you can list your photos for a per-download price for website owners and bloggers to use on their sites. Here is a list of 13 places to sell your photos by the Work At Home Wife.

eBooks

Do you love to write fiction or nonfiction? Did you know you can write and sell your own books on Amazon through Kindle Self-Publishing? It helps to have a blog following first, but I have read about people who are having good financial success at this without a blog.

I wrote a book on how you can live a life of more for less and published it this way and it is a small, but steady income stream.

Printables

Making printables for teachers is just a tiny portion of the HUGE market for printables. To find what could become your profitable niche, think about all the areas of your life where you make lists or use printables. Could you create similar ones to the ones you are using, ones that are just a bit more polished or useful?

Print On Demand

This is a great stream of income for a photographer or a graphic designer. Upload your pictures or designs to sites such as Printful, Spring (formally tee-spring), and even Amazon.

More Ways To Make Money With Your Computer

Since I first wrote this post in 2016, remote work that can be done fully online has exploded! New side gigs and full-time job opportunities that can be done wherever you can find wifi are popping up all the time.

Some require that you put the time into an on-location position before going remote. Others may require anywhere from a certificate you can get in a few months to a doctorate, but there are still plenty of ideas on this list for the true novice willing to learn as they go.

I also realized I left out a few obvious ways to make money online, like creating a YouTube channel. These two things led me to decide to update this post so that it is more helpful for those wanting to generate an income stream from their laptop and their internet connection.

7. Create YouTube Videos

You don’t need a fancy camera to get started as a YouTuber. Your smartphone camera will do, or even your computer’s camera can be used to create talking head videos.

Much like a blog, you don’t earn money from day one with YouTube. You have to be willing to put a lot of time in before your channel can generate income from the Google Adsense program.

8. Play Video Games

Stream yourself playing a popular video game on Twitch.
Become a quality assurance tester.

9. Review Websites

Get paid to give honest and helpful feedback about Websites (and sometimes apps). Most companies pay $4 or more per test.

Userlytics
Usertesting
Testerwork

10. Be A Microtasker

Performing microtasks in your spare time will generate a micro stream of income. The tasks that you are asked to perform are generally short and simple.

Clickworker
Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

11. Translate

If you are bilingual, translating could be a profitable sid-gig.

BLEND Express
Unbabel
TextMaster

12. Transcription

Becoming a transcriptionist could work for you if you are a fast typer with high accuracy. You convert audio files into text. You may need to buy a few items to get started.

If you are having problems getting a position, you could try taking a course in transcription at your local college or online. You can specialize and become a medical or legal transcriber.

Allegis Transcription
Rev–Pay is lower but is said to be a good starting point for those wanting to break into transcribing
Transcript Divas

13. Build A Membership Site

To make a membership site a decent income stream, you need to build up an audience somewhere that will want to join your membership site. You also need to offer a library of some type, such as printables, or be willing to go deep into a topic, such as how to become super successful at affiliate marketing.

Here are three platforms for your membership sites once you have an audience and a reason for people to subscribe:

Patreon
Ko-Fi
Memberpress–great for those with a WordPress blog

14. Sell Recipes

You can sell your recipes to magazines, and food companies, create Kindle cookbooks, enter online recipe contests, and offer various recipe-related services on Fivver.

15. Compose And Sell Your Music

The two most popular ways to make money with a laptop composing music are through either uploading your music to royalty-free subscription sites such as Pond5, where you earn a commission every time it is downloaded, or through subscription streaming services such as Itunes.

16. Data Entry

If you are a whiz at Microsoft Word and Excel, have fast typing skills, and have the ability to research and collect data, the online world of data entry could be for you. You can get a certificate in data entry, but it isn’t necessary to get started in the field. Many people start with companies such as Mturk and then work their way into jobs found on Upwork.

17. Customer Service

More and more companies are hiring remote customer service agents, including Walgreens, CVS, Progressive, United Health Group, and U.S. Bank.

18. Travel Guide

You can find job listings for remote travel agents through Flexjobs and Indeed. And if you are a cruise lover, Carnival Cruise Lines hires remote travel coordinators.

19. Telephone Nursing

Yep, even RNs can work at home from a computer. However, telephone nursing generally is not a remote job from day one–most companies will require you to get your initial training in the office.

20. Medical Coding

This is another job that starts in the office, but can transition to being an at-home job. Many medical coders were once medical assistants who put in several years of in-office work before they were able to obtain a fully remote medical coding job.

21. Edit

I am not just talking about editing writing; you could edit YouTube videos, photos, and more.

22. Coach or Consult

If people are constantly picking your brain about a topic you are talented in, charge them for access to it.

23. Be A Mock Juror

I had no idea that you could be paid to be an online mock juror until I started researching for this post update. Two sites to consider are EJury and Online Verdict.

24. Create Software Or Plugins

Computer programmers looking to supplement their income can do so by creating software or WordPress plugins that solve problems or increase productivity.

25. Create Online Courses

The topics for online courses are endless. Seriously whatever you are an expert in or willing to research until you are, you can create an online course about. You can sell it through Teachable or other sites like it where you keep most of the sales and drive most of the traffic, or through Skillshare and other sites like it, which uses a more complicated royalty pool system to pay course creators, but takes a more active roll in driving traffic for you.

26. Help Kids Learn How To Read

BookNook pays their tutors $18 an hour to help children in kindergarten to grade eight with reading skills. This is a part-time job. The website states that, on average, their tutors work one to ten hours a week.

27. Social Media Manager

I have an at-home mom of young children that helps me with my Facebook page. I love the hours it frees me up to write super helpful blog posts for my readers like this one.

28. Become A Podcaster

If you like to talk and love engaging in deep conversations with people, research what it takes to grow a profitable podcast.

29. Build Websites

Website builders need good graphic design, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS knowledge.

30. Flip Websites Or Domains

If you love writing about specific topics, but get bored quickly, flipping niche websites might interest you. If coming up with great names is more your thing, look into flipping domain names.

31. Do Graphic Design Work

The different areas for online work for a graphic designer are numerous! Click on the “graphics and design” tab on Fiverr for a small taste of the ways you could make money online.

32. Become A Virtual Bookkeeper

Bookkeeping is another one of those positions where you don’t necessarily need a certificate to obtain a job, and you can’t necessarily get a virtual position before putting in some work as one in an office setting. However, once you have the experience, bookkeeping can be done from anywhere.

33. Create Facebook And Instagram Ad Campaigns

Those who are already earning their money in other ways online often want to hire this job out to others willing to take the time to become experts at it.

34. Review Software

Capterra offers its reviewers incentives to write reviews from time to time. You need to be an active member and wait for incentive review opportunities to arise. Two other programs are Gartner and G2Crowd.

35. Conduct Internet Research

On Flexjobs, I entered “researcher” and clicked “remote,” and over 5,000 jobs came up for various types of researchers. There were close to two hundred left when I clicked “entry level”.

36. Write And Edit Resumes And Cover Letters

Word of mouth and giving free advice seem to be the way to break into this field. Once you have a few people willing to write a review for you, consider creating a static webpage where you can share those reviews and list your services.

37. Become A Proofreader Or Editor

Are you a grammar queen or king? Try Wordvice, Catus, and Gramlee. Or offer up your services on Fiverr.

38. Be An Online Personal Fitness Trainer

Since the pandemic, job opportunities for online personal fitness trainers have exploded.

39. Create Presentations

Not everyone who gives speeches likes making their own slides. This is another job where you would look for clients through Fiverr and Upwork.

40. Help Name A Business

If you like coming up with business names and entering contests, here are two websites where you can do both at the same time.

Another company where you can earn money doing this is Naming Force, where the winning Namer gets $50 to $500

Remember, these are contests. There is no guarantee you will be paid for your time.

41. Answer Questions In Your Field

If you are an expert in your career or hobby, you could get paid to answer questions about it. JustAnswer seems to be the most financially rewarding, but you can also try Experts123 and Studypool.

42. Create A Paid Newsletter List

Like blogging for profit, creating a paid newsletter with a decent readership and, therefore, revenue is something that requires a significant amount of time before rewards are seen. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time and effort to pursue.

43. Freelance Writing

There are so many different ways to get started as a freelance writer, but a good place to start is FreelanceWriting.

44. Google It

What is your day job? If you like it and want to pursue it online, then I suggest taking the time to do your own research. Enter “online jobs for _____” or “remote jobs for _____”.

The online work world is constantly growing. Gone are the days when you could only work remotely if you were a freelance writer or photographer. Now, you can work remotely as a counselor, teacher, nurse, IT specialist, musician, artist, baker, and so on.

Sometimes, it requires you to think creatively. Say you are a dog groomer. Could you share your best ways to keep anxious dogs calm on TikTok? Could you create a blog that shares how other dog groomers can create their own mobile dog grooming company? Can you create YouTube videos sharing reviews of various dog grooming equipment?

45. Harness The Power Of Your Social Media Accounts

I left this one for last because, technically, it could be done just with your smartphone, which means it belongs on my ways to turn your smartphone into a money-making machine list. However, a great percentage of social media creation can be done on a laptop, and most people own both, so I think it belongs on this list, too.

If you are an online extrovert, making money from your Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok accounts could become a lucrative side hustle. You can monetize these platforms through brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, merchandise related to your niche, a paid membership group for your most loyal fans, etc.

19 Ways To Turn Your Smartphone Into A Money-Making Machine

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