You Can Get Paid for These 13 Things You Already Have

Looking for an easy way to bring in extra cash? You might already own things that other people are willing to pay to borrow, rent, or buy. From parking spaces to your hair, plenty of things you own have earning potential. If you're hoping to pad your budget with minimal effort, these overlooked assets may be the way to go.

You're unlikely to be able to build real wealth through selling these items, so treat the figures below as potential ranges, rather than guarantees.

That being said, here are 13 things you already own that are worth money.

Your pool

Apps like Swimply let you rent out a backyard pool by the hour if it's sitting empty most of the time. Most hosts price it between $25 and $100 per hour, with the platform average landing around $45. You keep roughly 70%-85% of the booking after fees.

With only a few days a week, you could bring in around $1,000 a month.

Your hair

Do you have long, thick hair that everybody compliments, but it's too much to handle? Buyers on marketplaces like HairSellon pay for long, healthy, chemical-free hair used in wigs and extensions.

The general cutoff is 10–12 inches. Most buyers don't bite below that length. Price scales fast: 12 inches might fetch under $100, but 25–30 inches of thick, "virgin" hair has sold for $1,000 to $2,500 or more.

Breast milk

You may think selling breast milk is illegal in the U.S., but it's not. It's just largely unregulated. Commercial processors typically pay $1 to $2 per ounce after screening donors with blood tests and questionnaires. Peer-to-peer sales through parent networks could bring up to $5 an ounce.

If you could pump a few extra ounces daily, you could realistically add several hundred dollars a month. Buyers generally want milk from healthy, non-smoking donors.

Your time

How you spend your free time may be key to earning money. Clinical trials pay wildly different amounts depending on the phase and the protocol's intrusiveness. A short outpatient or observational study might pay $50 to $500 per visit, while Phase 1 trials that require healthy volunteers to stay in a residential research unit for 3 to 14 days can pay $1,000 to $10,000 total.

Each study has its own eligibility requirements.

Eggs

You don't need a coop to sell these eggs. If you're roughly between 21 and 34 years old, pass a medical and genetic screening, and commit to several weeks of hormone injections and monitoring, you can sell your own.

Egg donation compensation typically runs $7,000 to $15,000 per retrieval cycle. Donors with sought-after credentials (ethnicity, age, or proven fertility) could make much more.

Surrogacy

You could go one step further from donating your eggs and choose to carry a pregnancy for someone else, something also known as surrogacy. As a surrogate, you can earn between $60,000 and $75,000, on top of monthly expense allowances.

Usually, you need proof of a prior uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery, being in a stable living situation, and passing medical and psychological screening to qualify.

Sperm

Commercial sperm banks pay $35 to $300 per approved sample, with donors visiting one to three times a week on a commitment that runs six months to a year. Earnings depend heavily on the bank: California Cryobank, the highest-paying of the majors, averages $200 per donation and advertises up to $2,400 a month at its maximum of three visits a week — most donors going once or twice land closer to $650 to $1,200.

To donate, you need to be 18 to 39, free of genetic and infectious disease, and able to clear the bank's count and motility thresholds. Samples that don't clear usually aren't paid.

Plasma

Plasma is the most accessible paid donation. Centers like BioLife or Octapharma pay $50 to $100 per visit for returning donors, more during first-month new-donor bonuses (sometimes $500–$1,000+ total). Donating twice weekly typically amounts to up to $800 a month.

Donors generally need to be 18 or older, weigh at least 110 lbs, and pass a health screening and blood test at every visit. Pay increases with body weight since heavier donors give more plasma per visit.

A garage, driveway, or storage space

Platforms like Neighbor.com let you rent out unused space to neighbors needing storage or parking. Rough monthly ranges include:

• Driveways: $150–$300
• Sheds: $75–$200
• Garages: $150–$500

Garages converted into workshops or small offices sometimes command $1,000–$2,000 a month in tight urban markets.

Your car

If you have a car you don't use, list it on peer-to-peer rental apps like Turo, which bring in $600 to $900 a month before the platform's cut. Hosts typically keep 70%–90% depending on their protection plan.

Your whole home

Airbnb income spans an enormous range. Airbnb's own broad figure (including casual spare-room hosts) shows the median host making around $15,000 a year. More active, professionally run listings average closer to $44,000 annually, and top performers in strong vacation markets can clear much more per property.

Your photos

Microstock sites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Dreamstime pay a small royalty every time someone downloads one of your images (typically $0.10 to $5 per download). Exclusive or premium images can pay $50 or more each.

Stock video pays considerably better per clip than stills — often $20 to $100+ per download.

Your opinion

Paid survey platforms like Swagbucks or Survey Junkie pay $0.25 to $5 per completed survey, with each typically taking 10–20 minutes ($3 to $8 an hour if you stick to well-reviewed platforms). It's one of the lowest-paying entries on this list.

For better pay, platforms that connect people to academic research or usability testing, like Prolific or UserTesting, pay several times more than typical consumer survey sites.

Bottom line

Making extra money doesn't always mean learning a new skill or working longer hours. Sometimes, the quickest way to boost your income is by taking a fresh look at what you already own. Whether you decide to rent them out, sell them, or put them to work, these things could help you earn cash without any investment.

Another way to make extra money is to list your old belongings online. Before doing so, compare prices for similar items in your area. A little research can help you set a competitive price and improve your chances of finding a buyer or renter quickly.

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