7 On Your Side tips to earn cash amid soaring inflation, rising consumer prices

NEW YORK (WABC) — Consumer prices are up nearly 8% year to year, costing average families hundreds more a month. But how can you put all the green you lost back in your pocket?

7 On Your Side’s Nina Pineda has some ingenious inflation busters that can help you raise a bundle of cash.

First, do you tend to overshare? Are you a person who likes to chime in an opinion on everything? If so, you can get paid for it.

“You could get paid anywhere from $25 up to $500 for your time,” consumer expert Andrea Woroch said.

Woroch test drove a session on “20/20 Panel,” and for two hours of participation in a virtual focus group, she earned a $150 gift card.

“It can be as simple as joining in on a group chat to share your opinion,” she said.

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You can also get paid to review products online, rate music, or just take online surveys, and there are a lot of different sites that offer this.

“One website, Slice the Pie, they’ll pay you to rate music, so I find that’s a fun one for music lovers,” Woroch said. “Then there’s websites like Inbox Dollars, and you can take online surveys and you earn points, which you then redeem for cash back or gift cards.”

Next, if you have cars sitting in the driveway because you’re not going into the office, they could be earning your money. And if you are commuting, why not pick people up and offset your gas and toll costs?

Make passive income on your parked car with vehicle sharing. Sites like Turo and Avail ensure your ride and offer customer service. Depending on the car, you could make at minimum $20 a day for doing nothing.

And while your cars being driven, why not rent your parking spot?

“Your parking spot is valuable, and you can rent it by the hour through SpotHero,” Woroch said.

A lot of us are going back to work and need someone to take care of that pandemic puppy, so the next tip is pet sitting and dog walking. If you’re going on a walk anyway, you might as well get paid for it.

“Pet sitting through Rover.com, the site says you can make up to $1,000 a month,” Woroch said.

Other side hustles: Try virtual tutoring, or grocery shopping or running errands through services like Instacart or Postmates.

You could try online chat customer service. Indeed.com has hundreds of postings for reps who can work from home.

And look in your garage. You may have stuff people may want to rent instead of buy. Items like baby gear, including gently used cribs and strollers, are becoming big business for families on the move.

“Check out BabyQuip.com,” Woroch said. “You can become a baby gear rental company, like your own little business platform through the site.”

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Finally look at your available space. Consider renting a spare room, or your entire house, through VRBO or AirBnB.

When you go on vacation, people are also willing to forego the house and just rent the pool.

“If you have a swimming pool in your backyard, you can rent it out by the hour or by the day through Swimply.com,” Woroch said. “That’s a fun, unique way, and it comes with insurance.”

And it’s a great way to make a splash with extra cash.

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