10 Weird Ways to Make Money (Legally!) In 2023

Finding weird ways to make money is something I’ve been doing since I was a kid. Whether that was buying and reselling fundraiser candy, selling birdhouses I built, or even selling the gold I made in video games.

That was decades ago, and nowadays there are far more side hustles out there, and plenty of them are pretty weird. But the problem with most lists like this is that they're full of ideas for selling bodily fluids or cuddling with strangers. That's why we've compiled a list of weird but not too weird options to put some extra cash in your pocket.

Here are the best totally weird but 100% legal ways to make money

1. Start a blog

Blogging is my absolute favorite weird way to make money, and believe it or not, you can actually make a good amount of money with a blog (my blogging business did 7-figures of revenue last year alone!). And as a professional blogger, I get a lot of questions about what I do… especially from confused neighbors and older relatives.

Before I explain more, let me be very clear about something — blogging certainly isn't a get-rich-quick business model… I don’t think any legit ways are. It takes time to build an audience and monetize your website with ads, affiliate products, online courses, etc.

Once you do get it going… it can get wild! I work from home most of the time, but I can work nearly whenever and wherever I want from my laptop. I know plenty of bloggers who even travel full-time while they run their sites.

Interested in starting a blog? Here's what to do next:

• Learn the exact steps to start your blog in How to Start a Blog: The Easy Step-by-Step Guide.
• Check out Bluehost — this is the same blog hosting platform I used to start my blog, and you can start for less than $3/mont. Plus, Bluehost with WordPress for free, which is the world's most popular blogging platform
• Let my team set up your blog with Launch That Blog. This service is free when you sign up for Bluehost through my unique link, and my team will handle the entire installation process, from plugins, themes, training resources, and more.

2. Buy and deliver booze

You can make $15-$25 delivering booze, takeout, groceries, and more for DoorDash and Instacart. Out of the weird ways to make money on this list, this isn't the weirdest, but it's still a relatively new side job!

Here's how these two companies work:

Delivering for DoorDash

DoorDash drivers deliver for local and chain restaurants and convenience stores. Drivers schedule their hours in advance or can hop on the app and work if it's busy, and one of the weirdest parts about this job is that you can bring a friend while on delivery! Drivers are paid weekly. Learn more in our full DoorDash Driver review.

DoorDash Disclaimer: Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from peak pay, tips, and other incentives.

Shopping for Instacart

Instacart hires two different types of shoppers: in-store and full-service. In-store shoppers are part-time Instacart employees who work in-store only, while full-service shoppers shop for and deliver groceries to people's homes. Read our full Instacart shopper review to learn more.

3. Be opinionated

Online survey sites will legitimately pay you to give your honest opinions and feedback about different products and services. A lot of people think that's a weird way to make money, but survey sites are paying you for valuable market research data that helps companies improve their offerings and create better marketing campaigns.

You're not going to make a ton of cash taking online surveys — think $1-$3 per survey — but it's a super-easy way to put a little extra money in your pocket.

If you're interested, here are two of the best online survey sites to get started with. Both pay in points that convert to cash via PayPal or direct deposit to your bank account, and sign-up takes 10 minutes or less:

• Branded Surveys
• Survey Junkie

4. Fill up your gas tank

One of the weirdest ways to make extra money IMO is getting paid to do everyday stuff you're doing already, like getting gas! And considering how high gas prices are these days, who wouldn't want to make money filling up their tank?

The Upside app (formerly known as GetUpside) will pay you up to $0.25 back on every gallon of gas you purchase. It's free to sign-up, and the Upside app works at over 50,000 locations in the U.S.

5. Store stuff for people

If you have extra space in your house — a garage, closet, attic, garage, carport, or basement — or even an empty storage unit or unused plot of land, a weird way to make extra money is renting out that space to store other people's stuff.

Okay, maybe not super weird, but it's definitely unconventional!

Neighbor is like the Airbnb of storage, and you can make a somewhat passive income renting out your space. The amount you make varies based on the type of space and where you live, but there are some ideas of how much extra money you can make with Neighbor:

• Garage $75-$300/month
• Driveway $35-$100/month
• Parking lot $35-$200/month
• Basement $25-$800/month
• Bedroom $15-$100/month
• Shed $40-$75/month
• Warehouse $100-$350/month
• Closet $15-$90/month
• Attic $70-$200/month
• Street parking $25-$200/month
• Unpaved $50-$130/month
• Carport $30-$190/month

6. Share your car

If you're looking for more somewhat passive weird ways to make money, you might want to check out HyreCar, a peer-to-peer car rental platform. The way it works is that you list your car, when it's available, and what your rates are. Food delivery and rideshare drivers who need a temporary car for work, then rent your car out through the platform.

HyreCar checks out every driver with a criminal background and driving record before they can rent, and you're covered with up to $1,000,000 in liability protection on every rental. HyreCar says most cars are listed for $35/day. Learn more in our full HyreCar review.

Want even more ways to turn your car into a money-making machine? Check out Ways to Make Money With Your Car in  2023.

7. Play with pets

Dog walking, pet sitting, boarding — these are all ways you can make extra money with Rover. You can set your rates and earn more by providing additional services like bathing and grooming, pick-up and drop-off, and so on.

This is an excellent side hustle if you love playing with pets... okay, it would be weird if you didn't love pets. And here's an idea of how much money you can make with Rover:

• Dogwalkers can make around $12-$25/walk
• Dog boarders and overnight pet sitters charge $20-$60/night
• For drop-in visits, you can make $12-$30/visit

Learn more in our full Rover app review.

8. Sell your junk

There's a saying... one man's junk is another person's weird way to make money... or something like that! Selling old electronics on Decluttr, flipping furniture you find on the side of the road, or reselling flea market finds — these are all legit ways to put extra cash in your pocket.

One of the easiest ones to start with is Decluttr. This site takes used video games, game consoles, computers, tablets, cell phones, and even textbooks and Legos, and pays you cash. Decluttr refurbishes and resells them.

9. Watch videos

Would you believe that companies will pay you to watch videos? There are legitimate market research companies that pay people to watch short ads, trending news videos, music videos, and more. You're not going to get rich, but it's a weird way to make a little extra money.

If you're interested, check out:

• MyPoints: Make money watching videos, taking surveys, playing games, and more. Users earn up to $2.50-$3.50/day watching videos.
• InboxDollars: Watch videos that range from 3 minutes to half an hour long, and users make anywhere from $20-$100/month.

10. Make and sell virtually anything on Etsy

Not to yuck any yums, but there is some weird stuff on Etsy! We're talking deer teeth jewelry, Nicolas Cage fan art, soap shaped like body parts, and so much more.

While you can sell pretty much anything on Etsy, one of the best things to sell are printables. These are digital files that you design for invitations, home decor, planner pages, sticker sheets, thank you cards, party games, and so on.

This is an excellent business idea because you can sell your products virtually indefinitely with no additional work. Remember, these are one-and-done digital files that require no storage or shipping.

The final word on weird ways to make money

We're huge fans of finding unconventional ways to make money — you've got to make that make paper however you can! There are all sorts of ideas these days, but if you want to make an extra $1,000/month or more, we highly recommend delivering for DoorDash. It's not the weirdest idea on this list, but drivers get paid $25-$25/hour and can work whenever they way. Want something even faster? Then taking online surveys for Branded Surveys or Survey Junkie is an excellent option, and you'll make around $1-$3/survey.