Staying at home alone can be fun. But sometimes it can also get boring, especially when you have nothing to do. Of course, you could always watch your favourite streamer on Twitch or play a video game.

But for those days you feel bored and not interested in doing what you are used to, there’s a way out. Try these ten activities to entertain yourself, kill time and make money while at it.

Play Games with benefit

Taking a break from your favourite video games doesn’t mean quitting gaming altogether. When you need to kill time, sign up on PCHgames, Swagbucks or InboxDollars to play browser games in exchange for money.

In many cases, browser games are simple puzzle or arcade games you could play while half asleep. They are entertaining, nonetheless. Some could also be addictive enough to motivate you to play them repeatedly. And considering you get paid, albeit pocket change, the games are worth it.

Read Books for benefit

So, you enjoy reading books? Take a break from bestsellers and try out some old books on sites that pay you cash to read them. You probably won’t care about the money once you find some engaging book titles.

But if you can read an entire book and publish a detailed review, some sites will pay you up to $100 for each review. Anysubject.com and onlinebookclub.org are two well-known sites that pay people to read and review a collection of books.

Similar to getting paid to play games, there are no guarantees of a steady income on sites that pay you to read books. That makes them exciting only for killing time and entertaining yourself when you have nothing else to do.

Play and get real money

Gone are the days when gambling was an expensive adventure for those who could afford to travel to Las Vegas. These days, you only need a smartphone and a reliable mobile banking app. Creating an account at most online casinos is free, and you can bet as little as you want.

What’s more, most casinos have an extensive range of different games. You can play new slots online and marvel at their outstanding graphics, frequent bonuses and immersive gameplay. Alternatively, you could have fun at the poker tables by playing against fellow gamblers in real-time.

The best casinos award you bonuses regularly to help minimize your real money expenses. If appropriately used, bonuses can also help magnify your casino profits tremendously.

Focus your search

The gig economy is one of the best things to have happened this century. With a few quick searches online, you can find dozens of jobs you would enjoy doing and get paid for them. Do you love taking photographs? Bid for a job to take someone’s wedding photos. So, you love cleaning? Find a gig to clean someone’s home for an hour.

The number of jobs you could find at gig sites is unlimited, from singing to drumming, tutoring to drawing. The best part about online gigs is that they pay up decent sums of cash. You could get paid $100 to design a logo or $200 to teach someone how to play Fortnite.

Depending on your career plans, you could also survive through gig sites. Of course, you would need to identify high-paying jobs. Finding recurring clients could also help you earn consistent revenues. And based on how things work out, you could start your site and find independent clients.

Stream Games on Facebook

There’s no doubt Twitch is the best streaming networks for gamers. But creating a channel and working on it to earn a fan base and start making money can take months. That’s why more and more casual gamers are streaming on Facebook.

Facebook not only helps new streamers find an audience, but it also pays them. The social network enables you to stream to a wide range of people from all countries around the world. However, it asks viewers to give stars to your streams as a sign they love your work.

For every 100 stars you earn, Facebook pays you $1. It’s not much. But considering the network does most of the hard work to promote your streams, you could easily earn a lot of money streaming casually. Facebook also allows you to earn through subscriptions, similar to Twitch.

Design Marketable Items and sellable items

Whether you love designing logos or creating hilarious cartoons with Photoshop, you can develop plenty of stuff you could later sell for money. As we had mentioned, you can quickly find well-paying clients on gig sites for just about any design-related topic.

But before you think about money, spend your time designing items you think people would love. Try out lots of ideas in whichever design field you prefer. Afterwards, show your designs to your friends and work colleagues.

Your friends might not immediately buy your designs. But if they love them, you could build on that motivation to create items for people willing to buy them.

Work on your Blog

Sure, blogging is not the first thing that comes to mind when most people talk about ways to entertain themselves. But if you’ve been dreaming of starting a blog to express yourself or publish stuff you love, do it in your free time.

Blogging can give you the same sense of fulfilment as a home garden. You’ll need to write and optimize content. You have to deal with marketing and even advertising. But with time, it flourishes into something beautiful.

You gain traffic from people interested in your content. Some of them even become your friends. But more importantly, you get a platform to address a broad audience. And if you monetize it, you could earn some extra income passively.

The Takeaway

There are numerous ways to kill time without spending a lot of money. In fact, you could also make money while having fun doing things you love. Whether you enjoy reading or coding, photography or music, use the tips above to find platforms that pay you to cherish your leisure time.