When I reviewed my goals after Q2, it struck me how far behind I was on my goal to earn over $1,000 in “Other Income” during the year.   My goal review article talks about it at length, but what I realized is that the means in which I was trying to earn income were very time-consuming.   It takes a while to buy video games, list them, ship them to the buyers, and so on.  You get the drift.   When you travel for work like we do (although my travel is way less than Lanny’s travel load), it is difficult to cram the necessary steps for many “other” activities in the weekend.  Especially when you want to catch up on as much blogging as you can on your days off.   For me to hit my goal, I am going to have to change my approach to earning other income from a labor intensive operation that requires a home base to a mobile operation that can be performed from anywhere.  So here I am, in my hotel room, brainstorming 5 ways for earning income online.  As you  all know, we love Top 5 lists on this website!

For some of you, you may read a few of these items and say…DUH.   Of course all of those options are available.  However, I wanted to highlight a few of the plans that will be front and center and occupy some time of mine each evening as I try  to increase my top line as much as possible.    If you know of any ideas, PLEASE add them to the comment section of this article! Warning, there will be affiliate links for a few of the items.

Method #1 – Swagbucks –   Lanny and I have talked about Swagbucks a lot on this website and it has produced a good amount of income/gift cards for both of us.  Swagbucks is really easy to use and you earn points by searching using their browser, watching videos, answering polls, participating in surveys, or participating in random contests/activities on the website.  They also offer daily bonuses and additional Swagbucks for heavy users that meet their daily goal.  So if you commit to it, the bonus Swagbucks can add up quickly.   This has been my most preferred method of earning income online while traveling since it is simple and fun.   We also wrote a review of Swagbucks a few years ago that we recommend you check out.   As mentioned earlier, here is our affiliate link if you do decide to sign up and give it a whirl!

Method # 2- Online Surveys – Another low investment method for earning online income.   Even though Swagbucks has a survey function, it doesn’t offer as many opportunities to earn income as your powerhouse survey websites.    I recently signed up for Toluna Survey Center and have enjoyed using the website so far.  The cost per survey isn’t as high as Swagbucks though, but it gets the job done.  What I love about the concept of online surveys is the mobility of it all.  If you want to earn income one night, all you need to do is open your laptop, hop on the wifi, and log in.   The one downside is that the time per earnings ratio isn’t as high as other methods.   So this may not be the best option for some people.  Some of the other websites to consider include Vivatic, MySurvey, and OnePoll.  However, I haven’t checked those websites out yet so I can’t give you my opinion.

Method #3- Inbox Dollars – Lanny introduced me to this app last year and I haven’t been using it that much recently. Similar to Swagbucks, it is an app that rewards you for participating in surveys, engaging in activities, and even just watching advertisements through the website.  It is easy to use as well.  So now, I just need to hop on the hotel’s wifi and start (Link to the right) Inbox Dollar-ing while I am just lying around.

Method #4 – Exercise Apps – I’ll be honest with you, this one was new to me and now has me really excited.  As I was researching ways to earn money and brainstorm for this article, I stumbled across the concept of apps that will pay you to exercise.  Who would have thought that you can convert your steps into cold hard cash (or gift cards).  Luckily for me, I pace when I do everything so my step count can accumulate rapidly throughout the day.  I would love to be able to generate cash without having to change my habits.   I still have some more research to do and have to find the best fitting app.  But this article I read on Money Pantry will be a great starting point.  If any of you use such apps that can connect to a Fitbit, please let me know in the comment section!

Method #5 – Good Ole Fashion Blogging – Well, this technically isn’t a new source of income.  However, part of me thinks that I should focus my time spent on a hotel on writing articles, interacting with the community, following new people on Twitter, and trying to grow our new Facebook page.   We have advertisements on our website and as you know, the best way to increase advertising revenue is to increase your page views.  So maybe I should spend this precious time in the evening focusing on interacting with all of you in the community because let’s be honest, I love this community.  So many great ideas are shared among each other.  I could use that time I was spending on a survey to find the next best stock, add to my watch list, and so on.  You get the drift.  Focus on the things that will impact me personally, financially, and most importantly, are the most fun to me.   After our wedding, my wife and I have been trying hard to focus on doing the things that we get the most enjoyment out of.  I know that sounds basic, but that hasn’t always been the case as we speed through our busy lives.

summary

So there they are, 5 ways I am going to try to maximize the ways I am earning income online while travelling for work.  During my last goals review, I found I was behind on my other income goal because I didn’t have the time at home to generate income through flipping or other means.   So these five methods of earning income online are my potential solution to the problem.  Will they work?  Will I be able to make a decent amount of income from these sources?  Will the amount earned be worth the time spent earning the income?  Who the heck knows!  But you know what, there is only one way to find out….right?  As Lanny always says, every freaking dollar counts in our relentless pursuit of financial freedom!

Do you use any of these websites?  How do you generate income online?  Are there other methods for earning income online that I am not considering?  Do you use an app that pays you for exercising?  If so, what are your thoughts about the program?  Please everyone, let me know your thoughts!

-Bert