1. get paid for work, invoice in xmr

- freelance boards like TaskFair, nodespace gigs, subreddits r/moneromarket & r/freelance_for_xmr

- open-source bounties on monero-ecosystem repos

2. swap stuff you already have

- https://xmrbazaar.com/ – peer-to-peer market, zero kyc

- atomic swaps btc→xmr or eth→xmr via unstoppableswap / sideshift.ai

3. run a service

- sell files, art, code snippets via xmr-btc paywall (btcpay + xmr plugin)

- relay/exit node for i2p or tor, accept xmr donations

4. mine it (cpu-friendly)

- p2pool-mini keeps variance low, works on any spare ryzen or epyc box

no faucets worth the clicks, no staking, no yield farming – monero’s just money you earn or trade for.