How to Make Money in Skyrim

There are several strategies for making money in Skyrim early on aside from exploring dungeons and spelunking that one can use without resorting to cheats.

1. Smithing and Enchanting Iron Daggers and Jewelry

One method to make money is to create iron daggers or jewelry at a blacksmith's forge, enchant them and then sell them.  This method has the added benefit of building up smithing and enchanting skills.  Finding the transmutation spell can help by more easily allowing the creation of gold jewelry. One limitation at least early on is the difficulty of procuring good soul gems for enchanting.

2. Chop Wood

At a lumber yard like the one in Riverwood one can chop wood and then sell it. A consistent but slow and repetitive way of making money.

3. Create Potions

If one knows the recipes for certain potions one can collect the ingredients, make the potions and then sell them for profit.  Alchemy skill is improved and if one knows how to make fortify smithing and fortify enchanting potions, one can take those potions to significantly boost the results of the smithing and enchanting method.

4. Hunt Giants, Mammoths, and Dragons

When one is strong enough, hunting down giants, mammoths and dragons may be an attractive way to earn coin.  These large beasts respawn after around 20 days and leave behind respectable loot.  One will also have to find the various locations where they can be found first though.