Need to come up with a little side hustle in Chicago? We can help. There are many ways to make extra money but not all of them fit into a busy schedule. This is why we have put together this little list of side jobs that you can do in Chicago to make some extra money. Jobs that you can do anytime that you want. Enjoy the money.
1) Get Cash From Surveys
Surveys are a great way to make some extra cash on your time schedule. The first thing that you need to do is register for a good paid survey website. We like Swagbucks. It is quick and easy to register and everyone is accepted. Once you register you will be asked to confirm your email address and then possibly be asked to complete a profile. The profile is normally optional but it will help them match you to better surveys. Once you get signed up, Swagbucks will even give you a free $5 bonus.
After you have registered, you can immediately start working. Do the studies that pay the most for the shortest time first. They will usually be well marked so that you can pick out the best ones. Just divide the reward by the time involved in minutes to find the best paying surveys for the time involved. Keep working until you earn what you want to earn for the day. You will be paid in points so you will then need to trade in your points for cash or cards. Cash out as soon as you can, you do not earn more money from holding your point online and saving them. Repeat this process as much or as little as you like, it is just that easy.
Sign up for Swagbucks here and claim your $5 bonus.
So how much money can you make with this work? Most people in Chicago will find that they can make anywhere between $100 to $500 a month taking surveys. It will not replace a full time job but for the time and effort involved, it is pretty good money.
2) Money For Shopping Online
If you are like me, you do most of your shopping online. You can make money just by doing that. One of our favorite websites MyPoints will pay you to do your shopping. You might think they are just trying to steer you to obscure websites to shop but this is not the case. You can get money from shopping at all your favorites like Amazon, eBay, JC Penny.
Once you are done shopping, make more money taking product surveys, reading email and watching videos They give you a lot of different ways to earn and you should add them to your money making plan.
Visit MyPoints now and get started.
3) Earn With Chicago Focus Groups
In person studies or focus groups are run by market research firms in Chicago and are really known as focus groups or discussion panels. They pay great but this great pay comes with a few catches. The biggest catch is that these jobs are hard to get. The people who put these panels together tend to stick to their regulars because they know that they are reliable. This means that it can be hard to break in to one of these jobs. On the flip side though, if you get in, you will probably get regular work. Another catch is that you have to do the survey at their place, on their time. This can conflict with your regular job or family time. If you would like to start participating in discussion panels, get your name on as many databases as you can. Here are some companies to start with.
- Focuscope Inc
312-467-1414 - Rabin Research
312-527-5009 - Smith Research
312-988-9011
If you are lucky enough to get the call, you will need to arrive at a set location at a set time. Hopefully, you have a flexible schedule. Once the group starts, you will be presented with a product, service or even an advertisement to review. Your opinion will be used to shape the final release of the product and you will be recorded.
Your reward for showing up for a focus panel is typically good. Expect to earn $30 to $100 for a typical focus group in Chicago. If you are a unique demographic or in a specialty field like law or medicine, you may be able to draw more money.
The only real problem with focus groups is that the jobs are not frequent. Regular work for focus groups might just be one job every couple of months. For this reason, you should use focus groups as part of an overall plan. Do online surveys for steady money and when you get a focus group, treat it like a bonus.
4) Make Money With Your Vehicle
Cars: If you have a car, you can use it to make money with Uber. Download the app, sign up as a driver and once you are approved, you can earn money on your time. Turn it on or off as you please, whenever you want to make some money. Another service is Lyft which allows riders to tip you for your services.
Trucks: Make money doing junk removal. Lots of people have things that they need to get rid of but do not have the means to do so. Not all cities offer bulk junk removal and those who do, limit it to certain days and times. You can fill in the gaps and offer junk removal for those who need it. Advertise your service on Craigslist in Chicago.
5) Chicago Plasma Donation
How do you feel about needles? If you are good with it, you can make several hundred dollars a month in Chicago by giving your plasma. Plasma is used to make a lot of life saving drugs and you can help. All you have to do is donate several times a month. Unlike full blood donations, plasma can be donated several times a month where full blood can only be donated once every two months. This is because your red blood cells are returned to you during the donation process. To get started, contact a local plasma center. Contact PlasmaCare Inc for details at (708) 459-9888.
More About Online Surveys
The Reliable Choice
Online surveys have gotten a bad rap because there are some bad websites out there that are only looking to scam you. The good ones will pay though and pay pretty well. They will not give you the same level of pay as a discussion panel, but there are far more of them. This means that you can easily make it up in volume by developing a routine. The best part of this type of work is tat you can do it whenever and wherever you are, as long as you have a computer. To make the most of online paid surveys in Chicago, you should form a list of as many quality websites that you can. Check out our favorite websites at the top of this page.
Chicago Survey Tips
The first thing that you should do is find as many websites as you can to do survey work. The more websites that you have, the easier it is to pick off the most financially rewarding surveys. Organize them into a browser folder and save your passwords so that when you have some downtime in Chicago, you can go right to work. Be sure to store the websites and password on your phone as well so that you can do them whenever you are bored.
Pay attention to the questions. It is easy to just start skimming the questions and answering them but make sure that you grasp what they are asking. Some surveys will have trick questions to make sure that you are really paying attention. They might, for example, ask you to enter a specific answer. If you fail the question, they will kick you from the survey.
Never pay for access to a website. Websites that ask you to pay for admission are never a good thing. You are in this to make money after all. Also avoid those websites loaded with advertisements. If you spot a blatant paid advertisement run.
Always look at the time estimate of a survey and use it to determine the best value for you. A survey may pay $20 but take 30 minutes and in that same time you could possibly do six $5 surveys. Maximize your revenue by taking the surveys that pay the most per minute. Figure this by dividing the reward by the time estimate.
Cash out as soon as you can. There is no point in saving up points. Survey websites do not give you more for your points if you accumulate them. Cash out early and often.
Increasing Your Chicago Survey Revenue
Want to make the most of your opportunity? Well, there are a few things that you can do to maximize your returns. For starters, you need to have as many good websites in your pocket as possible. The last thing that you would want to do is sign up for just one website.Why? Because if you have more websites to choose from, you can pick the highest paying surveys on each one, maximizing your revenue.
In addition, if you want to make the most money, you should try to set up some sort of a survey routine. Sure, you can do this work at any time and any place that you want, but if you make it a habit, you can make the amount that you earn each month more consistent.
Finally, if your survey website asks you to fill out a questionnaire or profile, do it. A filled out profile will let them match you with surveys tat are more geared to you. This could be higher paying surveys or it could simply be surveys that you are more interested in. If you are interested in a survey you will probably be able to do it faster.
This information should be useful for those in Chicago, Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, Kenosaha, Naperville, Arlington Heights, Berwyn, Bolingbrook, Cicero, Des Plaines, Evanston, Gary, Hammond, Mount Prospect, Oak Lawn,Oak Park, Orland Park,Palatine, Schaumburg, Skokie, Tinley Park, Waukegan or Wheaton in both Illinois and Indiana.