Strange ways to make money

15 Strange (But Legal) Ways to Make Money

Interested in learning some strange ways to make money? Maybe a few moneymaking ideas that not everyone has tried? Well, you’re reading the right article!

Out of the many ways to earn extra cash, you’re about to discover some odd, yet legit, earning ideas. You’ll most likely find them interesting (like I did).

Unusual Ways to Make Money (Online and on the Side)

If you’re ready to start exploring, here you go.

1. Cuddling with strangers

You can make money cuddling with strangers as a professional cuddler. You’re essentially getting paid to be there for someone.

Professional cuddling jobs mostly suit women as lots of clients are men. But you can also be a male cuddler and take advantage of any paid cuddling opportunities you get.

The basic requirement is that you should be a caring and understanding person. You’re also required to be hygienic.

While there’s no specific education needed, it’s good to get some training. This way, you get certified and it becomes much easier to find gigs through agencies.

Cuddlist is an example of a cuddling company to check out. Once you train with them and qualify to be a member, you’re good to start working.

Another way to find cuddling jobs is to work independently. You could create a website, promote your services on social media, and charge around $50 per hour.

2. Virtual babysitting

Virtual babysitting or childcare is a relatively new way by which parents can hire someone to keep their kids busy virtually from a remote location. It might be that the parents are working from home and need some time to focus.

If you’re good at babysitting, this might be an easy way for you to make some money. The good thing is that the traditional qualifications to become a babysitter may not apply much.

When you find such an opportunity, you can video chat with the parents in advance. Suggest the games and activities you’ll engage their kids in. Whether it’s playing a spelling game, offering homework help, or reading them a story.

One site that can be useful for finding such gigs is Veebee. You’ll also need an account on a video conferencing platform like Zoom.

Before each session, you only have to notify the parents of the time, payment process, cancellation policy, plus any other details via email. You can make $10-20 per hour.

3. Selling feet pictures

Selling feet pictures is yet another strange way to make money online. But you might be interested because many people, including guys, are doing it and making a fortune.

It’s legal to sell photos and videos of your feet in most countries that don’t have strict religions or laws. As long as you’re of legal age and own the pictures you want to sell, you’re good to go.

Feetify is one “feet only” photo-selling site where users can offer feet content for payments. You can use social media sites like Instagram to promote the side hustle too. Also, stock photo sites are great for selling images including those of feet.

Some tips to be successful include taking high-quality pictures, promoting your service on more platforms, and delivering what the buyers need. You can charge $5-100 for one or more photos.

For more tips on how to sell feet pics, read this guide on the same.

3. Donating blood plasma

As you may know, plasma is one important component of blood that can’t be synthetically produced. Doing donations for free can help save many people with critical conditions. But you’re also free to sell it if you’re in desperate need of cash.

Many private organizations can pay you for donating plasma. The requirements include good health, weight, and sometimes a specific age like 18.

Go to Donatingplasma.org to find a plasma donation center nearby. Search for centers that offer compensation by checking their reviews.

Earnings depend on factors such as your location, blood type, and how many times you donate. Expect payments ranging from $20-100 plus bonuses per donation. You earn more when the demand is high.

As long as your weight is great and you don’t fear needles, you can do it frequently to make more money.

Related: How to Make 500 Dollars in a Week or Less

5. Offering poop scooping services

Like dogs and don’t mind picking up their poop? This may just be how you should be making money on the side.

Removing waste isn’t a dog owner’s favorite thing. Many of them require a hand for that. If you want to start a pooper scooper business, you just need a vehicle, dog waste bags, and some scooping tools.

What you charge depends on several factors. They include how many visits a client requires, the number of dogs, and other factors that may make your job a bit challenging. It can be $10-30 per hour for each client.

Similar to other businesses, poop scooping can be quite profitable if you put in the effort to establish it.

7. Losing weight

Looking for inspiration to lose weight? How about the fact that you could get paid for it?

Losing weight can be quite challenging. You have to exercise a lot and refrain from eating certain foods.

That’s why websites like HealthyWage offer prizes to people for their weight-losing efforts. Several people have their success stories shared on the site.

The first step is to choose how many pounds you want to lose plus the number of months. You then enter an amount for your bet. HealthyWage’s calculator will determine your prize range.

If you actually achieve your weight loss goal within the set period, you win the prize.

7. Taking part in clinical trials

Participating in clinical trials is another unusual way to make money. While not the best idea, it’s suitable for generating fast cash.

Pharmaceutical companies strive to make their drugs safe for patients. And so, they pay willing people to take part in the trials. Well, that sounds a bit (or very) terrifying.

However, it’s important to note that these drugs will have undergone other tests before such a stage. That’s to ensure they’re not harmful, at least to someone not in a critical condition.

Each clinical trial has its own requirements. Some common ones are good health and not having smoked or gotten drunk within a particular period. If you want to take part safely, it’s best to be honest.

It’s worth mentioning that some tests have the needle part. You shouldn’t be someone who’s afraid of taking one into the arm or wherever.

Many trials are offered by educational and medical institutions. Do a local search to find them.  You can earn $50-300 per session.

8. Getting paid to be a friend

Did you know that you can make money as a rented friend? Simply put, someone pays you to be their friend for a specific period.

Many people are looking for new friends but just don’t have time. Others find it hard to make friends. The good thing is that some people in both categories are willing to pay to have new experiences with someone.

Sites like Rent a Friend allow users to do exactly that. If you sign up to become a friend, you’ll have a profile on the site and be able to rent out your friendship.

When someone in need of a friend browses the site, they’ll see your profile and decide whether to contact you. You can then agree on the time, date, place, activity, and payment.

You’re free to charge an amount of your choice. It can be $20, $50, or any other pay per hour.

9. Becoming an ethical hacker

Now, this one isn’t that unusual. But still, many people associate hackers with malicious activities. You could be a “good” hacker and help the same people!

The requirements here might be tougher than in the other strange ways of making money. Getting a degree in Computer Science or a related field is essential. You have to learn the programming skills required to become a competent hacker.

It also helps if you can effectively spot, analyze, and find solutions to problems. Good communication and networking skills also go a long way.

Because there’s a demand for ethical hackers, you can quickly get hired if you prove your skills. You’re eligible to work in various industries, tech companies, and law enforcement agencies.

The average salary of a certified ethical hacker is over $100,000 per year. You can also do a variety of part-time gigs that pay well.

10. Selling your hair

If you have long hair, don’t make the mistake of cutting and trashing it. Instead, consider selling it to get extra money.

Human hair is required for making wigs, weaves, and hair extensions. Many people need those products for beauty and hair restoration purposes. The entertainment industry uses them a lot too.

And it’s not just an idea for girls and women. Long-haired guys can also sell theirs.

When planning to sell your hair, it’s best to keep it healthy. Use the right hair products and let it grow long.

You can list your hair on a hair-selling site like BuyAndSellHair.com. Another option is to use an online marketplace such as eBay. Other than that, you could start a YouTube channel, create videos on your progress, and attract the right buyers.

Prices can start from $100 to thousands of dollars if your hair type is in high demand.

11. Working as an online dating ghostwriter

Working as an online dating ghostwriter is another surprising way of making money online. You get paid to write dating content such as profiles.

Many online dating users don’t know how to craft appealing bio lines. Yet that’s an important element of a dating profile. If you’re good at matchmaking, you may want to explore your skills by writing dating profiles.

Freelance sites like Fiverr are great for finding such opportunities online. In this case, you may earn between $20 and $50 per hour.

You could also write for an online dating profile writing site such as e-Cyrano. Clients pay $78-120 to get their profiles written.

If you set up your own website to offer your services, you’re free to charge more money for each profile.

Related: How to Make Money Writing Online

12. Playing video games

Maybe you’re a gamer and have been wondering how to monetize your gaming skills. It happens that there are several ways to make money playing video games.

One way is to take part in gaming tournaments. Most of them have huge prizes for the top gamers. If you’re a highly-skilled gamer, do a quick search online to find esports tournaments and take part in your favorite ones.

Another option, which isn’t really surprising, is to stream video games on Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook. You make money through fan donations and subscriptions, ads, and promoting gaming products.

In case you have the required qualifications, you can also become a video game tester. Game testing jobs are mostly available on gaming studio websites and job boards.

13. Pet sitting (not your normal pet)

You’re probably thinking how finding jobs to care for cats or dogs using a site like Rover is strange. And you probably know that horse-sitting is also a common gig.

But how about sitting reptiles? Yes, you can take care of reptiles such as lizards, turtles, and even snakes if you’re courageous enough.

Some owners of reptilian pets need someone to take their reptiles for a walk when they aren’t around. And because many people see it as gross, that’s where you (and your guts) come in.

But unlike cats and dogs, these reptiles require hands-on care. You’ll have to be more involved in feeding, cleaning, and taking care of them. And so, you may need some training on how to handle such animals.

If interested, a site like Petsitter can be useful for finding such gigs. You only need to create your profile to get access to jobs. You can charge $10-25 per hour.

14. Donating sperm

Here’s another strange way to make money if you’re a guy. It’s an easy solution to making extra cash. But not everyone gets accepted to donate sperm.

You need to meet some requirements. They include being someone of a certain age, height, build, and even physical appearance. Also, you need to be in good health with no genetic problems in your family history.

Paid sperm donation opportunities are usually available at various clinics. Check out some websites of clinics in your area to learn more.

Expect to earn around $50 for every sperm donation. If you perfectly meet all the requirements, your samples could be worth more than that.

You may be required to do donations frequently. And that’s a chance to earn more money without stressing out.

15. Selling odd handmade items

While doing my research, I found out that some people are selling unusual stuff on the Internet. And they’re actually making sales!

If you’re skilled in making handmade items (weird ones in this case), you can make money selling them online too. It could be a scary mask, fake poop, or a zombie attack survival kit. You might be surprised by the number of people who can buy your strange items.

One of the best online marketplaces to sell handmade goods is Etsy. It’s a quick and easy way to set up an online shop and create product listings.

You’re free to price the items as you want. But checking out other sellers for inspiration goes a long way.

You also have the option to launch your own website for selling your homemade stuff.

Choose Your Strange Way to Make Money

Hope you found some ideas to help you make some money on the side. Feel free to try a few or even all of them to see how things play out.

While they’re odd and surprising ways to make money online and on the side, you’re likely to have a positive experience. If something is legal and makes sense to you, you might as well profit from it.

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