13 Low Effort Ways You Can Generate A Side Income In 2024

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If you have a spare room, you can consider renting it out to a full-time tenant or even Airbnb guests. It's a low effort way to earn passive income from underutilised space.

If you don't want to have another person living with you, consider renting space for storage instead. That way, you're providing a safe place for someone to keep their goods without having another human in your home.

This works well if you and your partner have a car each that is used for your work commutes, but on weekends tend to only use one car together. 

Platforms such as FLUX, Moovby, and TREVO can help you get started.

Declutter your home and make some money by selling items you no longer need or use. Platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Carousell, and Mudah make it easy to sell everything from clothes and electronics to furniture and collectibles.

Not interested in using online marketplaces? You can advertise your pre-loved goods on your own social media accounts, sell them to thrift stores, or at flea markets.

You may be surprised to find that many of your items are wanted by friends, family, colleagues, and followers.

This can end up feeling like you have a second job, so to avoid that, sell small and at your own pace. Whether it's crafting, baking, cooking, or something else, set a limit to the number of orders you're taking every week or month. Once the orders are filled, close them. Only open orders when you want to.

For other hobbies such as photography or gaming, you can consider offering lessons or workshops to monetise your expertise through coaching or consulting.

Leverage your skills and expertise to offer freelance services in areas like writing, graphic design, web development, or social media management. Freelancing allows you to work on your own terms and earn extra income on the side.

Trusted freelance platforms worth checking out include eRezeki (under MDEC), Upwork, fiverr, and Freelancer.

Keep it simple by opening up this service to neighbours or friends. If they're going out of town, you can help visit their homes every day to care for pets or plants, as well as ensure their homes are safe.

Alternatively, you can open your home to care for pets while their owners are away. Do remember that this is a huge responsibility and not one to be taken lightly. Check out platforms such as PetBacker or join pet/house sitting Facebook groups to learn from the community.

Creating digital products may take some time. But the great thing about them is that once they're completed, you can sell them multiple times over with minimal effort.

Digital products include ebooks, printables, templates, digital art, and more. Sites where you can sell your products include Shopify, Etsy, and fiverr.

If you have a sizable following on social media, consider partnering with brands for sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, or product endorsements. You can earn money by promoting products or services to your audience.

You can sign up for influencer platforms that connect you to brands, or join influencer Facebook groups where jobs are regularly posted. Jobs can range from restaurant reviews and product reviews, to attending events and launches, and much more.

Earn extra income by delivering food, groceries, or packages through platforms like Grab, foodpanda, or Lalamove. You can choose your own schedule and work as much or as little as you want.

Many delivery riders and drivers do it part-time and use their time after office hours to do short deliveries in the area, while they wait for the rush hour jam to subside on major highways.

If you're a talented photographer, videographer, or even graphic designer, consider licensing your work through stock photography and video platforms like Shutterstock, Vecteezy, or 123RF.

You can earn royalties whenever your content is downloaded or used. That means you can continue to earn money for the same image for years, as long as people purchase it.

If you're fluent in multiple languages, consider offering translation or interpretation services to businesses, individuals, or organisations.

You can find clients through freelance platforms, translation agencies, or networking events.

Launch an e-commerce business without the hassle of inventory management by starting a dropshipping store.

You can sell products from suppliers and wholesalers, and they'll handle the shipping and fulfillment process on your behalf.

You're essentially in charge of marketing and advertising, which can be as simple as running an Instagram account to promote the products. The company will handle everything else.

Trusted platforms to check out include Sweet Home Planet, SaveValue2U, Dropship Malaysia, and CJ Dropshipping.

Cleaning homes isn't exactly low effort, but it is a good way to make a side income. Advertise your skills in your neighbourhood Facebook group or sign up for cleaning platforms such as MaidEasy. 

Cleaning fees start at RM25 per hour with a minimum of four hours. However, if you're an independent cleaner, you can set your own rates.

Not up for cleaning an entire house? You can offer services for specific home chores. An example could be doing people's laundry for them. Get customers to drop off their laundry at your home according to a schedule you have arranged. Then, wash, iron, and fold their laundry, and they can pick it up once you're done.