Working from home does not have to mean being tied to an electronic device many hours per day. The reality is that sometimes it does, but there are a few remote earning possibilities that allow you to earn money from home without being on a computer or the phone.
You will still need to interact with technology in some sort of way as most entities use apps to connect with their workers. It all depends on what you can do, what you are willing to do, what resources you do or do not have, and what you can do with what you have.
These jobs will allow you to have your base of operations as your home instead of going to an office. Most times, you will be able to choose how frequently and steadily you want to work. These positions can offer a little more flexibility and freedom, in my opinion, than most other work-from-home type jobs.
Some of these options are:
- Data collector
- Delivery
- Farmer/flea market
- Mystery shopper
- Pet boarding and care
- Renting your space
- Rideshare
Table of Contents
1. Data collector
A data collector sounds exactly like what it is, someone who collects data. Generally, you will be sent on an assignment from the hiring entity to gather information from a retail store.
At the store, you will be expected to obtain data on pricing, shelving, availability, and other variables, record this information, and then send it back in. You will need enough computer and tech-savvy to be able to use whatever app is utilized and a computer to communicate and transmit data.
Who will pay you to collect data:
Retail Data LLC
This position is available in all states, primarily in the major city for that state. You will need to have a GED or high school diploma, a valid driver’s license with reliable transportation, and vehicle insurance.
Your schedule must allow you to work 15-25 hours per week, using a handheld data collection device to obtain data from major retailers. The role is good for someone who is a self-starter, able to move around with ease, sometimes standing on your feet for long periods of time, and tech-savvy enough to use the handheld device to collect the data and a computer to transmit the collected information.
Westat
The data collector position is a little different for this employer. Their site shows that they are currently recruiting for several different projects. Each project’s data collection position compiles different types of information in various settings, using different methods.
There is a project to do medical records abstracting for DAWN (Drug Abuse Warning Network), education and testing assessment for NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Programs), information collection for PATH (Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health), and a project for NOPUS (National Occupant Protection Use Survey). Each project has different tasks, responsibilities, and requirements and is available for different time periods.
2. Delivery or Shopping
Whether you are delivering groceries, a pizza, or a bottle of wine, delivery jobs are all basically the same. The deliverer (you) pick up an item from a restaurant or store and delivers the item to the customer.
These jobs allow you to pick and choose when you work, where you deliver, and how often you work. Unlike a regular delivery job where you have to commit to a schedule, these roles will allow you some of the same autonomy and freedom as other work-from-home opportunities.
Different apps have different requirements for you and your delivery vehicle, but they are all basically the same – sign into the app, make the deliveries, and get paid about once per week.
- Postmates
- Doordash
- Ubereats
- Instacart
- Shipt
- Grubhub
- Saucey
- Caviar
3. Farmer’s Market or Flea Market Booth
If you have a small garden at your house and want to sell the excess produce, you can take it to your local farmers market to earn some extra income. Farmer’s markets also have products for sale, jams, jellies, homemade products, and other various sundries.
Locate a farmer’s market close to you, go check it out in person, find the individual you are to work with to bring your product to market, and go from there.
The same concept applies to the flea market scenario. Whatever products, supplies, clothing, crafts, etc. that you have at home and want to turn into cash, try a local outdoor (flea) market.
4. Mystery Shopper
A mystery shopper is a paid consumer who goes into a store, establishment, business, or wherever they are assigned to go to collect information on their experience with that entity. Their mission is to go in, observe, interact, and report back.
For example, I did a mystery shopper gig awhile back. I was hired by Company A to investigate how all their apartment leasing agents were performing. For this job, I had to make recorded calls to each of the apartment properties. I was scoring each call on a list of criteria such as, “Did they answer with their first name and the name of the property?” and so on. Then, I went in person to these same properties and did the same in person.
Every business that hires mystery shoppers will have different qualifiers, tasks, and things to look for depending on the assignment, the timeframe, and the client.
5. Pet Boarding and Care
Do you have a reciprocal love vibe with animals? Turn it into some cash by caring for other people’s pets. Tasks you could do might be walking the dog, keeping the cat while they’re away, feeding the animal, or giving a pet a bath. Most of the sites are geared towards dogs as they seem to need more intense, personalized, consistent care.
Pet walking, boarding, pet sitting, drop-in pet visits, pet daycare, and pet grooming are among the tasks you can take on to earn money from home. All these services have been turned into money-making opportunities for those animal lovers out there.
6. Renting your space
Boarding houses started the trend of renting out one’s personal space as a way of earning money a long time ago. This trend continues today, in so many ways. Whether you have an RV for rent, an extra bedroom, a garage, office space, or even just a parking space outside, there is a way to rent that out to someone who needs to make use of it.
You will need to interact with a website or an app to become vetted (verified) and to meet/attract your clientele. The actual work involved will be in maintaining and cleaning the space and in interacting with the individuals renting out your space.
The modern-day taxi is the rideshare concept. In case you haven’t heard of Uber, this is how it works. Someone logs onto a rideshare app to request a ride from place A to place B. You, the driver, being also logged into that app, pick up that person, drop them off at their destination, and then get paid for it via the app.
If you have a newer vehicle, a valid driver’s license, vehicle insurance, enjoy driving, and have a personality that will allow you to deal with all walks of people in a variety of scenarios, then this could be a money-making venture for you.
This type of work is not for everyone, but it can provide another source of income that doesn’t involve going into an office or having to adhere to a schedule other than the one you create for yourself.
There are other rideshare companies available, but they are more of a pay-per-ride carpooling service and only available in certain cities.
Final Words
Now that you know what kinds of part-time jobs you can work from home to make money, you might start your job searching on FlexJobs. FlexJobs has been featured in Time Magazine, Forbes, USA Today, and Bloomberg.
This company provides online resources to help job seekers find positions that suit their lifestyles, according to its website.
FlexJobs makes finding a job from home easy in almost any industry. The job board includes remote jobs, freelance opportunities, and part-time positions.
FlexJobs screens each job posting by hand before listing it on its website or through an employment agency, where companies post jobs on their sites or through employment agencies.
A resume may be uploaded to FlexJobs with the help of the resume-building tool. Samples of your work can help you stand out as a candidate.