10 Clever Ways to Make Money on Your Lunch Break

If you’re looking to earn some extra money with a side hustle, making use of any extra time in your schedule is important. For many people, an hour-long lunch break can be put to good use for something other than running out to get lunch at a restaurant.

While a one-hour break isn’t a lot of time, there are still several realistic options that you can pursue if you want to make money during your lunch break.

If you have a full-time job, you probably work more than 200 days out of the year. That’s more than 200 hours that you could use for a side hustle!

In this article we’ll look at 10 possibilities, as well as how you can get started. For a bigger collection of ways to make money, see this huge list of side hustle ideas.

Ways to Make Money on Your Lunch Break

1. Start a Blog

My favorite way to make money online is blogging. I’ve been blogging since 2007, so I know that it can be a great opportunity.

Building a blog part-time is very realistic, and on your lunch break you could write articles, research for upcoming posts, use social media, participate at forums or Facebook groups that are popular in your niche, reach out to other bloggers and do other networking, respond to emails, and anything else that is involved with running a blog.

The most common task associated with blogging is writing. But if your environment at lunch isn’t ideal for writing (if there are too many distractions), doing other things like using social networks or responding to emails can still be a good use of your time.

Why It’s a Good Option:

Blogging is a great side hustle, but there are a lot of small tasks that can take time away from your writing. If you work on your blogging tasks during your lunch hour you can free up other time to focus mostly on writing. For example, write your articles in the evenings or on the weekends. Then use your lunch hour for promoting your content, networking through social media, replying to emails and comments, and other tasks.

Unlike some other side hustles, blogging offers the potential to grow into a full-time income. Build your blog during your lunch break now, and you may be able to replace the income from your job in the future.

2. Build a Niche Website

Creating a niche website is another great way to make money online. A niche website will have content focused on one particular topic. For example, you could create a website on camping.

Many niche websites are monetized with affiliate programs, and articles that review products or offer “best” lists are extremely popular. For example, if you created a camping site you could have articles like the “Best Family Tents Under $200”, and then list or review 5 – 10 items. You could link to the products on Amazon and use Amazon Associates (Amazon’s affiliate program) to earn a commission when one of your visitors makes a purchase.

Although affiliate marketing and product reviews are really common for niche websites, there are other options for making money. I had a niche website that made the majority of its income from selling my own digital products. Some others use display ads through networks like Mediavine or AdThrive.

Why It’s a Good Option:

One of the nice things about creating a niche website is that you probably won’t need to publish content as frequently as a more traditional blog. It’s possible that you could use your lunch hour to create content for the site and just build it slowly.

3. Take Online Surveys

Taking short surveys is a great way to make extra money when you have a little bit of spare time. There are a number of reputable websites that will pay you for sharing your opinions. Most of the surveys take just a few minutes to complete, so it’s a perfect fit for making a little extra money on your lunch break.

This is definitely one of the easier options on this list. You can sign up at a few of the sites listed below and start taking surveys right away. The income potential from surveys is lower than some of the other options listed in this article, but the ease and convenience are very high.

Why It’s a Good Option:

Some days you may only have a few minutes of your lunch break that you can use for a side hustle. The first two options that we looked at, blogging and creating niche websites, will require a larger chunk of time. But by taking surveys you can make a little extra money even if you only have 10 or 15 minutes.

Taking surveys is also easy and convenient. All you need is an internet connection and you can use a mobile phone or tablet.

4. Test Websites

Did you know you can get paid to test websites and provide feedback? It’s true. There are actually several websites where you can sign up and find these opportunities.

It’s important to note that this may or may not be a good lunch break option for you depending on your situation. Many of the gigs will involve recording yourself using the website and sharing your thoughts. Depending on your situation, you may or may not have a quiet place where you can do this at lunch.

Why It’s a Good Option:

Many of the tests will take somewhere around 20-30 minutes, which tends to be a really good fit for a lunch break. You won’t get rich testing websites, but you will make real money. How much you make will depend on the site you’re using and the specific gig or assignment, but in most cases you’ll earn at least $5 – $10 per test, sometimes much more.

5. Run Errands for Others

For a lot of people, a lunch break is a time to run errands. But not everyone is able to run errands, and you may be able to make extra money by running errands for people who aren’t able to do it for themselves.

If you work in an office, you could run errands for your co-workers. Another option is to use the internet to find opportunities. Care.com has a section for errands, so you can create a profile as a service provider and find opportunities near you.

Task Rabbit allows you to make money as a tasker doing things like running errands, making deliveries, working as a handyman, furniture assembly, and more. Some of the tasks would be too time-consuming for your lunch break, but you may be able to find some quick errands near you.

Why It’s a Good Option:

There are many people who are willing to pay others to run errands for them, and that provides a great opportunity if you’re looking to make some extra money. Small tasks can be an ideal fit for your lunch break when you only have a short amount of time available.

6. Be a Delivery Driver

Lunch is a great time to work as a delivery driver because many people order food for their lunch. There are several delivery services (listed below) that allow you to sign up as a delivery driver, and then you can work at your convenience.

Why It’s a Good Option:

You may be able to make a few deliveries on your lunch break to easily earn some extra money. If you work in an area near a number of office buildings and restaurants, this is an especially good option. Some of the companies will even allow you to use a bike, which could be a great option in urban areas.

7. Mystery Shopping

A lot of people go shopping on their lunch break. It’s possible that you could actually make money by shopping during your lunch break.

Your ability to earn as a lunch break mystery shopper will depend on where you work, and the opportunities that are available close to your workplace. But in the right situation, you can complete tasks as a mystery shopper and earn a little something extra.

Why It’s a Good Option:

Many office buildings are located near shopping areas, so it could be convenient for you to get from your office to the place you need to go as a mystery shopper. The tasks are often fairly simple and don’t require a lot of time, so you may be able to complete some of them during a lunch break.

8. Walk

Getting some exercise is a great use of your lunch break. Not only will it help you physically, but it also helps to refresh you mentally. On top of that, you may be able to make money from it!

There are a few different ways that you could make money by walking on your lunch break. First, you could take some dogs with you and get paid as a dog walker. In order to do this, you’ll need to find some clients located close to your office (more on this in a minute).

Another option is to use apps like Sweatcoin and Achievement that will pay you for things like walking and tracking your steps. You won’t make a ton of money with these apps, but if you’re already walking it can lead to a little something extra.

If walking is a part of your weight loss plan, you can make a weight loss bet with HealthyWage and use your lunch break to burn calories and reach your goal (and win the bet).

Why It’s a Good Option:

Many people already like to walk on their lunch break. If that’s you, why not use Sweatcoin and Achievement to make a little something from it?

For better income potential, try walking some dogs near your office. You’ll get exercise, you’ll help the dogs and their owners, and you’ll get paid. It doesn’t require a lot of time, so you can easily do it on your lunch break if there are some clients near your place of work.

9. Perform Various Tasks

Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) makes it possible to make money by completing various small tasks online. This can include things like data validation, surveys, content moderation, and more. You won’t make a ton of money with this approach, but there are plenty of opportunities and anyone can do it.

Why It’s a Good Option:

This is another option, like online surveys, that allows you to make some extra money even if you only have a few minutes to spare. Most of the tasks are very short and quick, so you can do as much, or as little, as you have time for. You can also do the work anywhere you have an internet connection, so it’s extremely flexible.

10. Research

You may or may not be aware of it, but you can actually make money by doing online research. There are websites (listed below) that provide opportunities and you can do the research at your convenience, which means it can be done over your lunch break.

Why It’s a Good Option:

All you need is access to the internet and a little bit of time to spare. Since you have some time at your lunch break, doing online research is a great opportunity that will allow you to make some extra money.

As you can see, there are several possible ways to make money on your lunch break. Even if you only have a few minutes to spare, there are possibilities. Pick one that looks like a good fit for you, and follow the steps listed to get started.