Plenty of people are doing it tough during the coronavirus pandemic. The unemployment rate hit a 21-year high of 7.4% in June 2020, with the Reserve Bank of Australia forecasting it could reach up to 10% by December.
Many of us will continue to struggle even when the world is recovering from the aftermath. So, as restrictions tentatively lift, now is a great time to think about how to make extra money from home.
If you’ve lost your job or had your hours cut due to COVID-19, here are some ideas for how to earn extra money to help you get by until things turn around.
Become a Virtual Assistant
If you’ve got the experience and/or administrative talents to pull it off, a virtual assistant role could be right up your alley during the pandemic. The demand for virtual assistants was already on the rise before COVID-19 struck, due to the increasing trend of people working remotely and with flexible schedules.
Prior to the pandemic, some experts were already predicting the number of virtual assistants to grow in 2020. Now, as all businesses are forced to reconsider their status quo, virtual assistants are almost guaranteed to become essential components of more organisations.
If you’ve got secretarial skills or experience as a PA or receptionist, freelancing as a virtual assistant could be a great temporary role to help you make extra cash. You may even like it so much that you decide to make it a permanent career change!
Download Some Money-Making Apps
Yes, there are apps out there that will pay you for your time, opinions, and efforts. We covered some of Australia’s best money-making apps in this article, where we looked at:
- Pureprofile (get paid to complete surveys, watch videos and visit websites)
- Cashrewards (get cash back when you shop at over 1,200 retailers including Woolworths)
- Twenty20 (submit photos and get paid whenever a subscriber licenses your pics)
- Field Agent (take on jobs like mystery shopping and comparing grocery prices)
- Receipt Hog (upload receipt photos to earn coins and turn them into gift cards).
Depending on the apps you choose, you might discover how to make money on the side without even leaving your couch!
Start a Blog
Blogging has been around for a while as an alternate way of making money. But in recent years, this pursuit has become more mainstream (and more lucrative) for Australians.
One of the more popular blogging niches is travel, but this isn’t a particularly viable direction in today’s climate. However, if you have expert knowledge, experience or passion in a specific area, you may be able to turn that into a thriving blog. Here are just a few of the 101 niches that Blogging Explorer nominates as potentially profitable:
- Nutrition and supplements
- Mindfulness (very important in today’s socially disconnected world)
- Gardening
- Arts and crafts
- Exotic cuisine (imagine a guide on making different countries’ signature dishes at home)
- Video game tutorials
- Frugal living (pertinent right now as many people are unemployed or on reduced salaries)
- Relationship advice
- Pregnancy and parenting
- Home-schooling (especially relevant at the moment).
Become a Delivery Driver
When you’re thinking about how to make extra cash during the coronavirus pandemic, the answer might be right in front of you – literally on your doorstep once a week (or more often for some of us!).
You’ve probably noticed that Uber Eats and Deliveroo drivers own the streets at night right now. If you’ve got a bicycle, motorbike or moped and free time during the day or evening, delivering food around town could be a tidy way to pad your pockets with extra money.
Alternatively, if you’ve got the qualifications/confidence to drive a truck, you may even consider becoming a driver for larger deliveries. With people turning to online shopping for their groceries and household items in unprecedented numbers, the demand for delivery drivers is high.
Sell Stuff Online
Feeling a bit cramped at home now that you’re stuck there more often? Wondering how to earn extra money? Take care of two birds with one stone by selling some of your non-essentials online.
While physical garage sales may not be a great option thanks to COVID-19, selling some things on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree could be a great way to clear some space and make some extra dough during the pandemic.
As you can see, there are quite a few routes to consider when choosing how to make extra money from home during the coronavirus pandemic. If you need a quick cash boost to help you get by while exploring one of these ideas, a fast $1,000 loan might be the solution.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that Cigno Loans’ articles do not replace advice from an accountant or financial advisor. All information provided is intended to be used as a guide only, as it does not take into account your personal financial situation or needs. If you require assistance, it is recommended that you consult a licensed financial or tax advisor.