The economy isn’t in Beer Money a good place right now. Many people face this reality and must start saving money by cutting expenses. But before you start unsubscribing from Netflix or cutting your weekend fun budget, you can instead look for alternative ways to earn.

This is the idea behind beer money. It’s an online movement that aims to help people find easy and non-time-consuming methods of earning money on the side. You will not earn a living from such side hustles, but they can help you maintain your quality of life while saving money. Let’s take a look at whether it’s worth your time.

Origins of Beer Money Activities

The term’ beer money’ was coined by the soldiers in the British army. It described an allowance given to soldiers for unnecessary spending. Unsurprisingly, most of such funds were spent on beer. Thus, we have the name of beer money.

The important part is that such allowance is added to the soldier’s main wage. They could increase it by serving their main duties well or performing some additional tasks. With the economy getting rougher each year, such colloquialism is also gaining popularity among the general public.

The most widespread use refers to beer money as an income one sets aside periodically for entertainment. For a long time, it used to refer to small sources of income one would acquire from a neighbor or a local business. However, the internet has transformed such practices.

How the internet changed the game

A quick Google search will reveal a couple of YouTube channels, several Reddit communities, and forums dedicated to this topic. They reveal further what this concept is all about – low-skill, low-effort, non-time-consuming online activities that don’t require any investments. Any critically thinking reader will notice this is a breeding ground for scams.

Many platforms offering such jobs simply want to acquire free online labor or infect participants’ devices with malware. Mowing law for your neighbor might not be very profitable, but you can be sure you’ll get paid. The human connection provides some safeguards, after all. But the internet is free for all, so you must be extra careful.

I’m not saying that there aren’t any legitimate ways to earn money, but anyone willing to do this online must stay vigilant. The communities cannot be entirely trusted as there are plenty of associates from fraudulent platforms praising their products. The best course of action is to research the main methods before starting.

Main beer money-earning methods

Surveys

Paid online surveys are the default beer money option. Much of the popularity of this phenomenon can be attributed to it. The reason is simply because there is money to be made. One online survey costs about $1 and takes about half an hour to complete.

This isn’t much, but you should consider that online surveys can be completed almost anywhere. I had the most success completing them on my daily commute. I waste my time in the subway anyway, might as well make a few bucks while I’m at it.

The best part is that you don’t need any qualifications to participate and earn some extra cash. After reaching the payout threshold (anything above $10 is unreasonable), the money can be paid to you via gift cards, PayPal, or cryptocurrencies.

The best platforms for online surveys are constantly changing as they tend to lower after getting much traction. Pawns.app has a frequently updated list of the best survey sites I recommend to check out.

Cashback and games

You can’t avoid spending your money on groceries or other essentials. What you can do is receive a percentage of your spending as a reward or cash. The idea is to incentivize you to spend more or more money in particular stores. Lately, many such programs collected your personal data for marketing purposes.

Games that pay a small amount in points or real currencies also fall into this category. Usually, these are smartphone games, and they can be quite fun if you are into such things. I don’t recommend pursuing this if you aren’t a gamer, as they are quite time-consuming.

Some would not agree with me on this, but if you want to earn with online games, you will need to spend money on them. That’s why I consider them to be a variation of cashback. Albeit, a more fun one.

Watching ads

This one’s very straightforward. You watch ads and get a very small amount for each. Usually, it’s something like $0.0001. Some better-paying platforms might ask you a couple of questions about the ads you see or rate them in some way. If you have a spare device that can be run 24/7, this is a viable way to earn some beer money.

Bandwidth sharing

A popular method that doesn’t require any skill or even your time is bandwidth sharing. You simply install software on your device, allowing others to use your internet connection. There are more technical details to it, but the idea is that you help others access the internet without restrictions in other regions.

One device running 24/7 can earn you around $9 per month. You can earn more by setting up more devices, but your costs will also rise. The main drawback of such apps is that you potentially expose your connection to being abused. Taking some security precautions, banning certain websites, and installing anti-virus software on your network help minimize the risks.

Other methods

The list above is by no means exhaustive. Reselling items, dropshipping, selling your crafts, becoming a virtual assistant, testing software, and many more are associated with beer money. However, they all require more skills and are less popular among beginners.

Conclusion

Beer money-making methods are legitimate, but as with everything on the internet, you must do your research first. Starting with the methods mentioned in this article is more than enough to understand how this side hustle works. Good luck!