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Scrambly: How to Make Money Without a Job: Top Alternatives (2025)

by Laura Green
Jul 21, 2025
11 min. read
Image of person counting money on top with calculator app open on their phone showing 2 and paperwork underneath. Center is logo of Scrambly, and underneath is the text "Scrambly: How to make money without a job: Top alternatives (2025)"

Want to know how to make money without a job? You’re not alone. The trend for flexible, ‘non-conventional’ earning patterns is growing as the economy changes.

The good news is, there are plenty of ways to make money without a job, whether you’re seeking flexibility or between roles.

It’s possible to make money without a job online or in your community, depending on your skills, time, and resources. Start small and target a dollar income, and grow your earnings over time!

In this article, we’ll cover what you need to know to start making cash fast, without that traditional 9-5.

How Much Can You Earn Without a Job?

It’s possible to earn anything from a dollar a day to thousands a month (in time), depending on what you do and how much skill and effort you invest. For example:

  • Want a few dollars, fast? Quick cash apps like Scrambly, Swagbucks, or InboxDollars will make you $100 a month if you put the time in.
  • For medium earnings, turning your car into a mobile advert with Wrapify will potentially earn you $400 a month.
  • For bigger earnings, consider routes such as affiliate marketing. With a presence and engaged follower base, successful affiliate marketers earn thousands of dollars a month. Similarly, successful digital content creators produce a video course once and then sell it multiple times for recurring income.

For many people, the holy grail is passive income, using existing assets or business models to generate more money. See the table below to find out more.

The best advice? Start small, commit to learning and developing your skills, and grow your job-free earnings sustainably.

Why People Choose to Earn Without a Traditional Job

People look for ways to make money without a job for many reasons. For example, they may want:

  • More flexibility around family and caring responsibilities and schedules
  • Greater independence to pursue a portfolio career
  • The ability to work even if you experience health constraints.
  • The chance to leverage passions and pursuits into income sources.
  • Financial resilience in a challenging economy and job market.
  • Multiple earning streams to diversify your income.

Best Ways to Make Money Without a Job

Looking for inspo on how to make money without a job? Check out the table below:

Earning OpportunityUseful PlatformsEffort LevelPotential IncomeSetup Time
Sell items you no longer needeBay, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, MercariLow$50–$1,000+ (one-time)Low (same day)
Use quick cash apps like ScramblyScrambly, Swagbucks, InboxDollarsLow$5–$100/monthVery Low (minutes)
Test websitesUserTesting, TryMyUI, TestbirdsMedium$10–$60/testLow (a few hours)
Take surveysSurvey Junkie, Prolific, TolunaLow$1–$300/monthVery Low (minutes)
Rent out your garage, a room, or propertyAirbnb, Vrbo, NeighborMed–High$200–$3,000+/monthMedium (a few days)
Rent your car on TuroTuro, Getaround, HyreCarMedium$300–$1,500+/monthMedium (a few days)
Wrapify your carWrapify, CarvertiseLow–Med$100–$400/monthMedium (a few days)
Try P2P lending or micro-investingLendingClub, Prosper, Acorns, RobinhoodLow–MedVaries (risk-dependent)Medium (a few days)
Get into matched bettingOddsMonkey, Profit AccumulatorMed–High$500–$1,000+/monthMedium (a few days)
Learn day tradingThinkorswim, Webull, TradingViewHighHighly variableHigh (weeks/months)
Put your money into high-interest accountsAlly, Capital One 360, DiscoverVery Low$10–$200/year (passive)Very Low (minutes)
Use cashback sitesRakuten, Honey, TopCashbackVery Low$10–$300/yearVery Low (minutes)
Get into affiliate marketing Amazon Associates, Impact, ShareASaleMed–High$100–$10,000+/monthMedium (weeks)
Create digital productsGumroad, Etsy, PayhipHigh$100–$5,000+/monthMed–High (weeks)
Earn from referralsPayPal, Cash App, Coinbase, various appsLow–Med$10–$500+/monthLow (same day)

Sell items you no longer need

Sell items you no longer need for several hundred dollars per sale. If your closet is full of clothes you never wear, do a clearout and list your unwanted items on Poshmark, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace.

Alternatively, do an old-fashioned closet sale. You’ll earn more for new and designer items. For maximum success with online platforms, take great photos and write full descriptions. Offer competitive shipping and build positive reviews.

Poshmark homepage still, with an animated screen landed on a young blond woman showing a colourful peach cardigan with a tropical print, in a smartphone screen. Small circular profile pictures surround the image on a gradient background of pale blue to peach.
Poshmark homepage still, with an animated screen landed on a young blond woman showing a colourful peach cardigan with a tropical print, in a smartphone screen. Small circular profile pictures surround the image on a gradient background of pale blue to peach.

Use quick cash apps like Scrambly

Easily earn a few dollars a day by downloading quick cash apps like Scrambly, InboxDollars, or Toluna.

Watch ads, play games, and take short surveys for easy money while you’re sitting on the couch or waiting for an appointment. These are fast and fun, and by stacking up your apps you easily maximize earnings.

Organize them in a folder on your smartphone homepage and check back daily. With Scrambly, the cashout threshold is only $1.

Scrambly.io graphic showing animated orange and white cartoon fox with black facial features, dancing in a cloud of rotating golden coins, against a blurred backdrop of hazy game icons.
Scrambly.io graphic showing animated orange and white cartoon fox with black facial features, dancing in a cloud of rotating golden coins, against a blurred backdrop of hazy game icons.
Create a free account with Scrambly!

Test websites

Test websites on UserTesting, TryMyUI, Testbirds, and earn up to $60 an hour. No experience is needed, and these are interesting, short jobs.

Apply regularly for opportunities to maximize your chances of receiving work. Ensure your profile is complete too. Why not build your skills and consider training to become a full-time games or software tester if you enjoy it?

Testbirds tester landing page, featuring a trio of illustrated characters sitting and using screens to test. Pale green background, mid green main menu bar and text, white sign-up box.
Testbirds tester landing page, featuring a trio of illustrated characters sitting and using screens to test. Pale green background, mid green main menu bar and text, white sign-up box.

Take surveys

Earn up to $300 with Prolific and other survey sites, including Survey Junkie, Prolific, and Toluna. Prolific is by far the highest-paid, but it also has a waiting list.

The key to regular survey income is to be consistent and have a fully populated profile so that you are reliably matched to new opportunities. Sign up for alerts to your phone, too, to grab opportunities as they go live.

Toluna surveys and influencers’ homepage featuring a video still of a young woman in a white vest and dark fitted jacket, smiling at her smartphone indoors. White background, black text, and big brand logos.
Toluna surveys and influencers’ homepage featuring a video still of a young woman in a white vest and dark fitted jacket, smiling at her smartphone indoors. White background, black text, and big brand logos.

Rent your assets

Rent your garage, room, or property for up to $3,000 a month on sites such as Airbnb, Neighbor, or Vrbo.

This is an interesting passive income opportunity if you already own quality assets that other people want to hire.

For success, read the small print carefully, particularly about insurance.

Neighbor homepage with mother and child walking hand in hand, smiling, in a green tree-lined driveway area towards a wooden garage with a jeep parked inside. Gravel in foreground.
Neighbor homepage with mother and child walking hand in hand, smiling, in a green tree-lined driveway area towards a wooden garage with a jeep parked inside. Gravel in foreground.

Rent your car on Turo

Rent your car for up to $1,500 a month on Turo, Getaround, or HyreCar. This is ideal if you’re not using it yourself and wish to monetize an asset that’s otherwise depreciating in your garage!

Turo homepage featuring a large background image of a man and woman crossing a road and holding hands in winter clothing. Red car in the background, parked next to a row of large redbrick properties.
Turo homepage featuring a large background image of a man and woman crossing a road and holding hands in winter clothing. Red car in the background, parked next to a row of large redbrick properties.

Wrapify your car

Allow Wrapify or Carvertise to wrap your car with advertising for an easy and passive $400 a month. Simply drive around your local neighbourhood as usual!

Wrapify drivers’ landing page with black text on white and graphic image of two smartphone screens, with a popout image of a red car.
Wrapify drivers’ landing page with black text on white and graphic image of two smartphone screens, with a popout image of a red car.

Try P2P lending or micro-investing

Earn through peer-to-peer lending platforms such as LendingClub, Prosper, Acorns, and Robinhood.

Earnings vary greatly, and it’s important to do your research, but P2P lending offers an interesting passive form of income with low effort. Just begin with a small kitty and see where it takes you.

Acorns homepage with smartphone graphic showing a green investment graph. Green coins float around the screen. Black background with white text and green CTA buttons.
Acorns homepage with smartphone graphic showing a green investment graph. Green coins float around the screen. Black background with white text and green CTA buttons.

Get into matched betting

Earn up to $1,000 a month on sites like OddsMonkey, Profit Accumulator with matched betting.

Matched betting involves placing bets that cover all odds and then benefiting from free bookie offers. It’s NOT gambling, and when done correctly, there are no risks.

Begin with the free offers and expect to provide ID verification with bookmakers. Go slowly, read the training carefully, and engage with the active and supportive matched betting forums to help your earnings journey.

If you get gubbed over time (blocked at bookies), consider moving to casino offers.

Oddsmonkey homepage with blue background and golden yellow CTA boxes, with a video still showing a man in a black t-shirt delivering an explainer. Trustpilot box and quality mark.
Oddsmonkey homepage with blue background and golden yellow CTA boxes, with a video still showing a man in a black t-shirt delivering an explainer. Trustpilot box and quality mark.

Learn day trading

Day trading involves profiting from tiny fluctuations in financial markets. It’s a specialized form of digital market trading, focusing on currencies, crypto, and stocks. Some people make a fortune from day trading, and others lose the same!

If you’re intrigued, look at Thinkorswim, Webull, TradingView, and learn how to hit the sweet spot of positive and reliable $$$ earnings.

Focus on consistent learning and skills development, use of the test environment, mental control, and trades with money you don’t mind losing.

TradingView homepage with futuristic graphics featuring an astronaut looking out over a volcanic planet, with violent and green electric lights against a black sky. White text and sign-off box. Image of Scott “Kidd” Poteet in a bubble.
TradingView homepage with futuristic graphics featuring an astronaut looking out over a volcanic planet, with violent and green electric lights against a black sky. White text and sign-off box. Image of Scott “Kidd” Poteet in a bubble.

Put your money into high-interest accounts

Earn $200 a year in passive income by moving your money to the highest interest-bearing bank accounts. Not strictly money-making, but most Americans have their money in accounts that don’t even keep up with inflation. Don’t be one of them!

Check out the highest paying savings and cash accounts at Ally, Capital One 360, Discover, and through comparison sites, and then move your savings into the highest payers.

Keep a spreadsheet of your current deals and their expiry dates so you know when to begin the switch process again.

Capital One homepage for products that include high-interest savings. Background image of a young woman with thick curly hair, wearing a cream knitted top, smiling at a smartphone. Plants in the background and sunshine from the window illuminating the cream interior.
Capital One homepage for products that include high-interest savings. Background image of a young woman with thick curly hair, wearing a cream knitted top, smiling at a smartphone. Plants in the background and sunshine from the window illuminating the cream interior.

Use cashback sites

Simply click through Rakuten, Honey, and TopCashback to earn $300 a year when you shop online.

Again, this is a completely passive income earner that very few people know of, and it’s as simple as clicking through the relevant offer on your chosen cashback site before you shop! Download the app version to your phone for mobile shopping.

Honey.com cashback site with graphical illustrations showing screen functions, laptop screen, and a hand catching green notes. White background, pale yellow offer buttons, rust orange CTA button.
Honey.com cashback site with graphical illustrations showing screen functions, laptop screen, and a hand catching green notes. White background, pale yellow offer buttons, rust orange CTA button.

Get into affiliate marketing

For higher-earning ways to make money without a job, look at affiliate marketing.

Successful affiliate marketers earn thousands of dollars a month, but first, they put in the groundwork by building up their own content channels and engaging their following.

Start with a YouTube account, pick your niche, create quality content, and slowly build a following before seeking sponsorships, advertising deals, and affiliate arrangements to monetize your work.

Affiliate marketing program aggregators such as ClickBank are useful for finding new opportunities.

Clickbank.com homepage with blue and black illustrated graphics of people working on their affiliate business, against blue to navy gradient backgrounds. Violet through grey gradient colour main header with white contrast text. Pale grey homepage background with blue and black text.
Clickbank.com homepage with blue and black illustrated graphics of people working on their affiliate business, against blue to navy gradient backgrounds. Violet through grey gradient colour main header with white contrast text. Pale grey homepage background with blue and black text.

Create digital products

Potentially earn thousands of dollars a month by creating digital products. With digital courses, downloadables, e-books, and videos, you only create the asset once and then resell it for passive income.

Choose your niche, create your digital product, and market it well. Top-selling categories include personal development, printables, budget planners, and entrepreneurship.

Look at sites such as Gumroad, Etsy, and Payhip to begin your digital creation journey.

Gumroad homepage with pink and black illustrated coins moving over a pale grey backdrop. Black text and CTA boxes with a “start selling” callout, and a search box.
Gumroad homepage with pink and black illustrated coins moving over a pale grey backdrop. Black text and CTA boxes with a “start selling” callout, and a search box.

Earn from referrals

Earn $200 a month with smart referrals from the brands you already shop with. Financial services products are great earners here, and you’ll find many have referral deals of c. $30 per referral link clicked.

If you’re wondering how to make money without a job, whilst relaxing on your sofa, this is a good one! Many schemes allow unlimited referrals, too. If you have a blog or create your own digital newsletter, include your referral link to monetize your content.

Key Skills to Help You Succeed

The best ways to make money without a job are opportunities that match your skills. Easy fast-cash jobs often require no skills or experience. Others, such as freelancing, require functional or expert skills.

These are all essential skills to help you succeed in your chosen route to make money without a job.

Time management

Time is money, and if you’re on someone else’s clock, you need to be reliable. One of the best ways to build a reputation for quality work is to be reliably on time. This attribute alone is likely to win you further work.

Self-discipline and consistency

Self-discipline and consistency will ensure you turn up and put in the work, even when it’s difficult.

These attributes alone typically make the difference when it comes to building a profitable income stream without a job, or… giving up.

Marketing yourself (even if you’re not selling directly)

Self-promotion is a key part of business. Most ways to make money without a job require you to have an online profile as a minimum.

Some people will pay for highlighted profiles or promotional spots and market their offer on social media sites and through other channels. Depending on your chosen route to income-earning, this is potentially a smart play for a better financial return.

As a minimum, ensure your online profiles are fully complete and optimized for search, include your profile image (with a true representation), and have positive reviews.

YouTube Creator Insider landing page with guides for creators. Featuring colourful video stills, and a main menu bar with black text and red/orange graphical illustrations laid out on a white background.
YouTube Creator Insider landing page with guides for creators. Featuring colourful video stills, and a main menu bar with black text and red/orange graphical illustrations laid out on a white background.

Financial planning

Get your tax affairs in order as soon as you start to earn cash. Save for taxes and track expenses. Keep your paperwork in good order.

Know what you want to do with your income and save or invest a proportion of earnings where possible. Consider saving for further qualifications that invest in your own skills to unlock further opportunities.

Mistakes to Avoid When Working Without a Job

It’s easy to make mistakes when looking for quick ways to make money without a job. Watch out for these common errors:

Overestimating income potential

If it were easy to make money without a job, everyone would do it! Be realistic about your earnings and look to grow over time.

For example, earn just a few dollars from Scrambly or InboxDollars games and surveys, while you build up your profile and small side-gig business in dog-walking, babysitting, or dropshipping.

Treat your side gig schemes seriously and put in the necessary work, and you’ll begin to make a real income.

Dropshipping landing page at Shopify. Smiling men and women working on their dropshipping businesses are shown in squares in the main menu bar. Pale beige background and black text. Yellow to mustard color gradient bar graphic toward the bottom of the screen.
Dropshipping landing page at Shopify. Smiling men and women working on their dropshipping businesses are shown in squares in the main menu bar. Pale beige background and black text. Yellow to mustard color gradient bar graphic toward the bottom of the screen.

Falling for scams or get-rich-quick schemes

The internet is awash with get-rich-quick schemes, so be on your guard against scams. Follow these good practices:

  • Don’t open emails from people you don’t know
  • Never share personal information or bank details
  • Check website links carefully
  • Keep your device security software up to date
  • Install two-factor authentication on your accounts
  • Use strong passwords
  • Keep up to date with the latest cybersecurity threats and scams to protect yourself.
FBI.gov scam avoidance homepage featuring black and blue text over a white background, with four information boxes with white text above blurred internet safety images. Black main header menu bar.
FBI.gov scam avoidance homepage featuring black and blue text over a white background, with four information boxes with white text above blurred internet safety images. Black main header menu bar.

Ignoring legal/tax obligations

If you have a side hustle of any kind, you must check your tax liabilities. Keep accurate records of your earnings and file your returns on time to avoid fees.

IRS.gov homepage featuring mid and navy-blue color header bars and text. The header image shows a young woman with glasses and a male with a beard smiling and looking at a laptop screen. Black text box with white text.
IRS.gov homepage featuring mid and navy-blue color header bars and text. The header image shows a young woman with glasses and a male with a beard smiling and looking at a laptop screen. Black text box with white text.

How to Get Started Today

Action generates results! Try these steps to get started today:

  • Decide on your preferred ways to make money without a job
  • Don’t try to do it all at once! Start small and progress with manageable, actionable steps.
  • Look at ‘layering’ money-making opportunities according to your time and resources. For example, while you wait for goods to sell on eBay, carry out quick tasks for cash on Scrambly.
  • Research the best platforms to make money according to your niche or target income source.
  • Set up a complete, well-optimized profile and focus on building reviews. Ask a friend or trusted contact to give you a small first job to get that all-important first review live.

How to Make Money Without a Job: Concluding Thoughts

There are many ways to make money without a job if you know where to look! Consider our ideas above, choose your target, and invest time, effort, and necessary resources into your earnings venture. Your financial future just got a whole lot more secure!

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