How to Make Extra Money in NYC — Reddit's Best Answers (And One They're Missing)
Search "how to make extra money NYC reddit" and you'll pull up the same handful of threads across r/nyc, r/personalfinance, and r/NYCapartments. The advice isn't bad — it's just incomplete. Most of the top answers assume things about your situation that may not be true.
Here's what Reddit actually recommends, what the real catches are, and one option that almost never shows up in these threads.
What r/nyc and r/personalfinance Usually Say
Food delivery (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Relay)
The most-upvoted answer in almost every thread. And in NYC, it's more viable than most cities — dense orders, no car required if you have a bike. But the realities buried in the comments: a decent e-bike costs $800–2,000+, you're riding in all weather, income varies by borough, and the work is physically draining. It's a real option if you already have a bike and the stamina for it.
TaskRabbit
Reddit's second-most common answer. Pays $30–60/hr for furniture assembly, mounting, moving help. But the comment section will tell you: it takes weeks to get your first job, you need reviews to show up in search, and you're going into strangers' apartments. Not a realistic "start earning this week" option.
Plasma donation
This one shows up consistently in "broke and need money fast" threads. $50–100 per session, twice a week, at centers in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. It's real money, and it works. The ceiling is low — maybe $400–600/month — but there's essentially zero barrier if you're healthy.
Renting your space (Airbnb, Neighbor, SpotHero)
If you have a spare room or parking space, solid. Most NYC renters don't, and many leases prohibit subletting anyway.
Tutoring and freelancing
Good long-term plays. Terrible if you need money this month. Building a client base takes weeks to months, and you're competing globally on platforms like Fiverr.
What Reddit Gets Wrong
The threads on r/personalfinance are skewed toward people who already have something to leverage — a car, a bike, a skill, or an existing client base. The advice sounds accessible but the comments tell a different story: the guy recommending DoorDash rides an e-bike he bought two years ago. The woman recommending TaskRabbit has 47 reviews.
If you're starting from scratch in NYC with no vehicle, no specialized skill, and limited free time, the realistic options narrow fast.
The Option That Almost Never Shows Up
Shift pays $20/hr to record everyday tasks — cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, running errands — using your phone. The footage goes to companies building AI systems for home automation and domestic robotics. You're not selling anything, delivering anything, or meeting anyone.
What you need: A smartphone. Your apartment. Your normal daily routine.
What you don't need: A car, a bike, a client base, a skill set, reviews, or a fixed schedule.
At two hours a day, that's $1,200/month. You record in the morning while you make breakfast, in the evening while you clean up. No commute. No weather. No customers.
The reason it doesn't appear in Reddit threads is partly because it's newer, and partly because it doesn't fit the usual gig-economy template. It's not a platform with a leaderboard or a referral program — it just pays a flat hourly rate for footage of domestic tasks.
The Honest Side-by-Side
| Option | What You Need | Realistic Monthly Max | Time to First Dollar | |---|---|---|---| | DoorDash / UE | E-bike, stamina | $1,500–3,000+ | This week | | TaskRabbit | Skills, reviews | $500–2,000 | 2–4 weeks | | Plasma donation | Healthy, nearby center | $400–600 | This week | | Tutoring | Expertise, clients | Varies | 2–6 weeks | | Shift | Smartphone + apartment | $1,200 at 2 hrs/day | This week |
NYC is expensive, and "a little extra" often means the difference between making rent comfortably or not. Reddit's answers are worth reading — but read the comments too, not just the top posts. The catches matter.
If you want the option with the fewest prerequisites, Shift is the one that's consistently missing from these threads.
Apply now and start earning this week.