Whether it is because we are feeling lazy, we’re ill or facing other health issues, working from our bed sounds like the ultimate dream. You might not think that you can really make money from the comfort of your own bed, but the good news is that there are plenty of ways to earn an income from bed – and none of them involve anything of an adult nature. Here are 10 ways to make money from bed.
Test websites to earn money from bed
WhatUsersDo is a website that pays you for user testing other websites. An example of this would be popping onto a holiday website, browsing the website and answering specific questions about the website and yours thoughts. This gives the website owner(s) some useful user feedback and you can earn money in the process. Each test takes about 20 minutes to complete and you can earn money for every test you complete. You can also complete website tests using your smartphone and tablet to boost your earnings.
All you will need is a microphone to record your thoughts – if you don't have one then you can pick one up cheaply from Amazon.
This is a classic example of work that comes in waves – some months I don't do website tests, and some months I do quite a few. I can't rely on income from this every month, but by staying registered with them I get alerts about any jobs going.
WhatUsersDo also have a referral program, which is a great way to boost your earnings with them.
Become a virtual assistant to make money from bed
A virtual assistant or VA is someone who provides professional help to clients remotely. Virtual assistants offer a wide variety of services including carrying out administrative tasks, writing blog posts, working on social media and many other tasks. Virtual assistants are incredibly useful no matter what the size of your business. I have even hired virtual assistants to help me out with a few tasks along the way. Click here to read more about becoming a virtual assistant, as well as 30 ideas for services you can offer.
Start a blog
Blogging is a hobby that many people have been able to monetise, sometimes being able to leave their full time job to blog (that’s what I did!). Blogging is great, whether you want to write about something you are passionate about as a hobby, or you are looking to make some extra money. Some bloggers are making serious cash from their blogs. Check out how bloggers make their money to find out exactly how bloggers earn money.
If all of this sounds good and you aren’t put off by hard work (this stuff doesn’t happen overnight) then you might want to consider making your own blog and seeing how you can successfully monetise it. There are 5 steps to earning money from blogging:
- Decide what to blog about
- Build your blog – here’s my full tutorial for creating a WordPress website
- Create useful, awesome and amazing content
- Get visitors to your blog
- Start monetising your blog
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- Free blogging checklist
- 100 legitimate ways to make extra money
- Free daily money making checklist
- How to make money selling printables
Complete surveys to make money from bed
Surveys are a great way to earn extra cash when you are just starting out, but I will be completely honest with you – there are now only 3 survey websites that I still use. Completing surveys to earn extra money is something that isn’t worth my time any more, but I’ll still participate in surveys when I’m travelling or having some down time.
Surveys aren’t going to make you rich and they can be a pain to complete, especially if you get screened out. I have found the three survey websites that consistently work for me and I have stuck with them.
Here are my top 10 survey websites, in order:
- Prolific Academic – never be screened out of a survey again!
- MintVine with a low $10 threshold.
- OnePoll
- Pinecone
- Valued Opinions
- Global Test Market
- Gift Hunter Club
- Viewsbank
- Instagc
- Swagbucks
Remember that this list comes from my experiences – you might find that different survey websites work better for you based on your demographics.
Write for others
Articles writing, or even blog writing, can be a fruitful side hustle. You will need the ability to write and proofread your work, as well as the ability to work to deadlines. You can pitch articles to relevant publications or offer your services on websites such as People Per Hour or Freelancer
Match Betting to make money from bed
Despite the name, matched betting is not gambling, but rather is a way to make some serious guaranteed profit by utilising the free bet offers that bookmakers offer. It has turned into one of my favourite side hustles because it is tax free and risk free! Even The Guardian have written about matched betting. I earned £12,000 completely tax free within my first 12 months of matched betting, and I continue to earn money every month.
You can see all my previous matched betting income below. Please note that from January 2017 I have been focusing on growing my business with a provable income, with a lot less time to dedicate to matched betting:
- Month 1 earnings – £1,430
- Month 2 earnings – £1,619
- Month 3 earnings (including a Q&A) – £849
- October 2015 earnings – £1,105 (Remember that month 3 also overlaps into October 2015 as I switched to reporting it per calendar month.)
- November 2015 earnings– £915
- December 2015 earnings – £1,347
- January 2016 earnings – £777
- February 2016 earnings – £393 (on holiday for 2 weeks)
- March 2016 earnings - £701.64
- April 2016 earnings - £622.36
- May 2016 earnings - £1,019.16
- June 2016 earnings - £447.18 (away for a week)
- July 2016 earnings - £689.52
- August 2016 earnings - £491.86
- September 2016 earnings - £279.29
- October 2016 earnings - £691.85
- November 2016 earnings - £773.74
- December 2016 - £0.00 (took a break)
- January 2017 - £473.43
- February 2017 - £514.97
- March 2017 - £214.12
- April 2017 - £394.76
- May 2017 - £481.25
- June 2017 - £249.68
- July 2017 - £158.73
- August 2017 - £301.58
- September 2017 - £427.61
- October 2017 - £203.83 (away for 2 weeks)
- November 2017 - £45.84 (away for most of the month)
- December 2017 - £187.24
- January 2018 - £349.54
- February 2018 - £223.39
- March 2018 - £493.01
- April 2018 - £189.31
- May 2018 - took a break
- June 2018 - took a break
- July 2018 - £139.32
- August 2018 - £301.65
- September 2018 - £121.94 (on holiday)
- October 2018 - £328.51
- November 2018 - £459.31
- December 2018 - £258.45
- January 2019 - £148.37
- February 2019 - £199.84
- March 2019 - £579.54
- April onwards - paused for a mortgage application
Become a social media manager
If you are a dab hand at social media, have you considered offering your services as a social media manager? Plenty of companies and bloggers are looking to outsource their social media, so you might as well get a slice of the pie!
Write a book to make money from bed
In 2015 I published my first ever e-book, 50 iPhone Apps To Earn Cash, and since then it has been ticking over, generating a small but steady income every month. The whole process was a real eye opener and I could not have done it without reading How To Make Money Writing and Publishing eBooks from Disease Called Debt. This is easily one of the best guides I have read on the topic and it helped me immensely throughout the whole process.
A book can be written on almost every topic, so you can easily turn your passion for your favourite hobby into a great and profitable e-book, as well as fiction and poetry. I turned something that I am passionate about (earning money) into an e-book and now I get monthly royalties from the sales.
What’s more, if you are already an Amazon affiliate then you can link to your e-book as an affiliate, making an affiliate income for every sale that you drive.
Create digital products
Are you a pro at making a spreadsheet? Or perhaps you can create some printables? If you can create a downloadable product that there is a demand for then you can set up an automated process where a buyer purchases your product and then receives a digital copy as soon as they have paid. Here your investment is your time – the time it takes to create a great spreadsheet, printables or something else that will serve a purpose. Recently I have seen a blog income spreadsheet for $20 that I am considering purchasing, so there really is a need for everything!
Attend flu camp
I know I said make money from your bed but seriously please don’t rule this one out.
How would you like to be locked up for 14 days, with access to WiFi, gaming consoles and help to advance science? Oh, did I mention you would be paid up to £3,000? FluCamp helps to focus on testing new treatments on real people within a safe, controlled environment. Whilst medical research isn't for everyone, why not take a look at the FluCamp website and decide if it is something you could do.
You might also like these ways to make money without leaving your house.
Join my 6 week free money making course
Are you looking to boost your income with genuine work from home opportunities? In this free 6 week email course I help you to find ways of making extra money that fit in well with your lifestyle – meaning that you can make money, save money and live the life you want. No matter what your financial goals are, there are tips for everyone. Perhaps you want to boost your funds for Christmas or a holiday, you want to work less so that you have more time for your family or you just want to give up your job altogether, there is something for everyone in the course.
