11 Detailed Ways to Make Extra Money in Canada: Think Differently

Are you looking for some fun and interesting way to make extra money in Canada? I think most of us would like to have a little extra padding in our checking accounts.

Maybe you want a little extra cash for an upcoming vacation, or to spoil yourself after a recent accomplishment.

I started writing to make extra money while taking a hiatus from work, and it’s now turned into a full-fledged career that I couldn’t be more fulfilled by. 

Today, I’ve put together a list of some detailed ways to make extra cash in Canada. Some of them are a bit different and this is mostly to show potential avenues for making money when you start thinking outside of the box.

Ways To Make Extra Money In Canada

Come Up with a Plan to Make Extra Money

Is this something you want to do permanently or is it going to be temporary?

Why do you want to make this money and what are you going to do with it? Is there a defined goal as far as a dollar amount?

This plan is going to be different for everyone. It’s easy to get blinded by extra money but there is no such thing as infinite upside.

There are going to be pros and cons for everything you do.

11 Ways to Make Extra Money in Canada

1. Photography

Freelance photography is a fairly saturated market. The biggest problem is many photographers do not diversify their income streams. There are several ways to make money aside from your freelance cash.

  • Start a Photo Blog – Affiliate marketing and ad revenue can pay just as much as clients
  • Stock Photography – This is going to be a small figure, but extra money is extra money. Every photographer has a library of photos that aren’t being used for anything else. You can turn it into cash.
  • YouTube – You can make a successful channel with the photography skills you likely already possess

Income Potential:

Freelance photographers in Canada typically earn between $20-$25 per hour. Once you start blogging and selling stock photography, you can increase your overall income substantially. Not only that, but blogging and stock photos are promotional tools

Use them to bring in new clients, sell prints, and much more. One photographer used his free Upsplash profile to land a ton of new clients and increase the money he was making.

2. Care.com

In a previous post, I mentioned my friend who quit her full-time job to start a cleaning business. Most of her clients were found through Care.com, which is a website used to find work cleaning, babysitting, and a host of other service-based gigs.

If you’re interested in walking dogs, housesitting, and more, check out this website. It’s a great way to earn extra money in Canada without having to get a part-time job. You can do work regularly or it can be a one-off.

Income Potential:

If you’re just starting out, charge a minimum of $20 an hour. Cleaning supplies and gas aren’t cheap. As you fill up your client roster, raise your rate. Within a few months, you could be earning as much as $30 an hour.

3. Video Games

Some people just want to get off work and chill. Maybe they want to relax with a glass of wine and some Netflix, or maybe they want to get online with friends and play games.

If playing video games for money piques your interest, there are now several ways to turn your love into a payday. You can stream on multiple platforms, racking up cash from ads, affiliate marketing, subscribers, donations, and even brand deals.

Income Potential:

When you first start out, you’ll be making exactly zero dollars an hour. Streaming is a lot like blogging. You have to start small, create amazing content, and then promote this content.

But where and to whom do you promote? Find your tribe. Most serious gamers have a good idea of the websites, message boards, and social channels other games use. Combine promoting with making new friends and now you have a tribe.

The most successful streamers on YouTube and Twitch earn seven to eight figures a year.

4. Blogging

I started blogging in 2019, and it’s been an incredible journey. I’ve connected with many other bloggers and am proud to say that Wealth Awesome is one of the most-read finance blogs in Canada now.

For many people, blogging is the ultimate side-hustle. You build your website, create your own brand, and monetize to your heart’s content.

Most successful bloggers tell people it’s a lot of work. In the beginning, it’s a labor of love. You should try it for fun and because you like writing

I started out with the simple thought of wanting to help people by sharing my knowledge. The folks that blogged for the right reasons are the ones who’ve found the most success.

Income Potential:

You start with nothing. It might even be in your best self-interest to not monetize at all when you first start writing, and it could take many months before making any money. However, a lot of people who start blogging with income in mind find they’re making at least $1,000 a month by the 12-18 month mark.

5. YouTube

I started a Youtube Channel as a creative outlet and to supplement this Wealth Awesome blog. I wasn’t expecting it to be so much fun! People engage with you much more on Youtube than on a blog.

YouTube has changed a lot of lives over the years. It takes a while to build a tribe, as there are so many videos uploaded on a daily basis. The key here is to study and master the art of search engine optimization on the platform.

The best part about starting your own YouTube channel is you can learn new skills but you can also use ones you already have. It’s a great promotional tool for bloggers, as you can repurpose your content.

Photographers, videographers, and everything in between can use the equipment already in-house to create new income streams.

Income Potential:

Your income depends on several factors. How often you post, quality of the video, length of the video, search engine optimization, and so on. Even your niche can affect how much money you can potentially make.

I like to use a tool called Social Blade. It’s completely free. All you do is plug in the name of the channel and you can see stats, subscribers, and estimated income.

Check out the channels in the niche you want to be in. Look at the small, medium, and largest channels and then go to Social Blade to get an idea of potential income.

This will be ad revenue only and only for YouTube. If they have websites/blogs/and monetized social channels, they could be making much more.

6. Proofreading

You can find proofreading gigs all over the web. Unlike blogging, YouTube, and streaming, this kind of work will pay you by the hour.

If you have a knack for discrepancies in written work, then consider this option as a way to make extra money in Canada. Bloggers, magazines, and content mills all make for great proofreading clients.

Proofreading as a side-hustle will give you the freedom from working at home as well as the ability to work when you want. There won’t be a timeclock or set hours. It’s perfect for someone looking for an evening or weekend gig.

Income Potential:

Proofreaders usually start off making roughly $15-$25 per hour. Some potential clients may have some testing you need to pass before they bring you on. If this is a concern, consider taking a course. I recommend the Proofreadanywhere course created by Caitlyn Pyle.

7. Driving

Driving gigs are in abundance right now. You can check out ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft. Food delivery is also an option. The most popular choices right now are Grubhub, Doordash, and Uber Eats.

You can also deliver groceries with apps like Instacart. Doordash is currently doing some testing with this in some of their markets as well.

The sign-up process for any of these apps is painless. All you need to do is sign-up, give them basic information, and then wait for them to do a background check.

Income Potential:

Many people report earning $20-$25 an hour with these apps. People who have mastered the art of “multi-apping” and doing it full-time are making a nice income. If you’re willing to multi-app and work a full eight-hour day, you can expect to earn between $40,000 and $50,000 a year.

However, these apps are perfect for people who only have a couple of hours available after their full-time job or maybe one day on the weekends. If you’re just looking for an extra $100-$200 a week, then I recommend checking out these apps.

8. Virtual Assistant

If you don’t want to be stuck with the same task every day, consider becoming a virtual assistant. You could be responsible for a variety of things, depending on the client.

You may work on a client’s calendar one day while finding yourself proofreading blog content the next day. On Monday a client may need help with emails and on Tuesday a different client might need you to book them a hotel or rental car.

Income Potential:

Virtual assistants can make anywhere from $10-$40 an hour. Factors like experience and recommendations from other clients can play a big part in how much you can earn.

If you want some help with training, think about taking a course to get your foot in the door. I recommend the 90DayVA course. I had a friend who landed a full-time gig less than two months after finishing this course.

9. Sell Stuff

Selling your own stuff is great if you need money fast. Unfortunately, you won’t have your stuff anymore once it sells. This is fine if you’re looking to downsize or you’re finally embracing minimalism.

But what if you like all of your stuff? You can sell other’s people’s stuff!

Go to places like Goodwill and department stores during sales. Buy items for cheap and then flip them online on websites like eBay. This is known as retail arbitrage.

What if you prefer to make the stuff you sell? Then selling your crafted products on Etsy might be the move for you.

Income Potential:

There is a pretty big swing in figures I found online. On the low end, casual practitioners of retail arbitrage are making around $300 a month. However, the folks who take it seriously and do it often are making $2,000+ a month.

Selling stuff this way can take a lot of work. You have to buy the items, then list them on your online platform of choice, and finally, you ship them out.

If you’re a hardcore shopper and you love scouting deals, it could be a solid way to make extra money.

10. Do Nails and Hair

Everybody has nails and hair, so the market for this job is huge! With the world almost back to normal now, events will be going into full swing soon. Weddings, black-tie affairs, graduations, and the list goes on.

If you want a piece of this pie but don’t want to deal with the competition surrounding photography, then look into this side-hustle.

Income Potential:

Full-time freelance hairdressers earn an average of $47,000 a year while freelance nail techs earn an average of $58,000 a year. These are US figures but the data is still relevant and these markets are not saturated in Canada.

11. Cooking and Baking

Private chefs, caterers, bakers, and cake designers really rack up the “dough”. Not only can you cook for individuals, families, and get-togethers, but you can also hustle boxed lunches at farmer’s markets and in locally-owned shops.

If you make the best hummus in town, why not turn your talent into profit?

Income Potential:

The average private chef pay in Canada is nearly $40 per hour. There are plenty of ways to make extra money in Canada under the table and out of your home. This isn’t one of them.

The first thing you should do as a private chef is acquired all of the proper licensing and make sure your cooking areas meet health code standards.

You Can Start Making Extra Money From Nothing

I had a friend who lost his job out of the blue. Not only did this cause a strain on his finances, but also on his marriage.

He started side-hustling to make ends meet until he found another job. One of these jobs was a side-hustle power washing people’s driveways, homes, and decks. Even after finding another full-time job, he kept the side-hustle. As someone who did well for himself, I asked him why.

He said, “I don’t know what it is about power washing, but it calms me down. Helps me to stay focused. I figured as long as it helped me to find my zen, there was no point in stopping.”

My friend still has his side business, using the extra money to boost his brokerage account.

How do I Make an Extra $1,000 a Month?

Any side-hustle can potentially make you an extra $1,000 a month. Let’s take the $20 an hour figure, as it seems to be fairly common with many hustles. This comes down to 50 hours per month or 12.5 hours per week.

The real key is to figure out which of these options is worth 12-15 hours a week of your time. What do you enjoy and what hours are you available?

I think work from home jobs like proofreading, blogging, and freelance writing are going to be the best options if someone asks me “How do I make an extra $1,000 a month”. You get the freedom to work when you want from where you want and the earnings per hour are solid.

How can I Make $100 a Day Extra?

If someone were to come to me and ask “How can I make $100 a day extra?” I would tell them to check out service industry jobs.

Part-time gigs doing hair, nails, and catering are solid choices. You know you’re going to get paid. This is the biggest problem with online work for individual clients. Sometimes you get ripped off.

However, what takes the cake with some of these service jobs is the networking opportunities. They are a great way to meet new people who can turn into referrals and future clients.

11 Ways to Make Extra Money in Canada – Some Final Thoughts

Making extra money can be exciting. But don’t just think about the money.

Think about everything else you’re getting out of the experience, from networking to learning new skills. You never know where a new skill or a new face may take you in the future.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this post. I did not cover eCommerce in this article. If you’d like more information on that, check out this one on how to make money on Shopify.

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Author Bio - Christopher Liew is a CFA Charterholder with 11 years of finance experience and the creator of Wealthawesome.com. Read about how he quit his 6-figure salary career to travel the world here.

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