15 Side Hustles

If you are always short of money, maybe you need a side hustle. This article suggests 15 ways you can earn extra money – legally.

What is a Side Hustle?

First of all, you may be wondering what a side hustles is.  Simply put, it’s a way to make extra cash.  In some cases, it’s quick cash, in others it’s a longer term strategy to bring in passive income.  I know, all of that sounds complicated, but stick with me, here.

How often does your money run out before your month does?  It doesn’t matter if you’re still working or retired, sometimes life just happens:  you need a new roof; your daughter is getting married and wants the “fairy tale” wedding; you want to surprise your spouse with a special vacation; or medical expenses are mounting.  Whatever is going on in your life, where do you turn if you need more money?

Whatever your reason, a side hustle might be the solution you need.

Thirty years ago, side hustles were called “moonlighting” and there weren’t many options.  Sure, you could work as a hostess or waiter at a restaurant, park cars, learn to do medical transcription, or perhaps work at a retail shop on the weekend.

Side Hustles Are Available EVERYWHERE!

Today, there are an almost unlimited number of side hustles available to people who need a little extra to make ends meet:  stay-at-home moms, retirees, college students who don’t want to have massive student loan debt, and full-time employees who have more expenses than they anticipated – pretty much anyone who needs extra money. With many of the opportunities from the list below, you can make as little or as much as you like – depending on the amount of effort you put into the business.

In some cases, all you need is a car (Uber driver), a spare bedroom (Airbnb), or a computer with network connections and some writing skills (blogger).

In this article, I share 15 opportunities that could be your ticket to financial freedom, or at least provide extra money in your pocket.  They are not listed in any particular order.

Before you get started, let me say some of the links in this article are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase through through one of those links, but you may get a better deal than going straight to the website of the affiliate.  I only recommend products & services that I love and use myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands. Ok . . . legal stuff completed. 🙂

1.Take surveys  

Some people have made thousands of dollars over the past few years from taking surveys online. There are a handful of companies that reputable and can earn cash back into your PayPal account, as well as reward points that you can use at places like Target, Walmart and Macy’s.  Listed below are a couple that I’ve tried:

Swagbucks You can earn gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, Starbucks, Walmart – basically places at which you already shop.  You can shop online and Swagbucks lets you watch videos that earn you points! These points can then be exchanged for gift cards and cash back.

Ibotta is a cell phone app that lets you earn cash back rebates from your purchases. The money can quickly be transferred into your PayPal account.  You can use it every single time you go to the grocery store or places like Target or Walmart. You just scan your receipt, see what items you purchased have a rebate, and then redeem the rebate. Many of the rebates aren’t brand specific, so you might find a rebate that is for something like “$0.50 off any brand of milk” or “$0.75 off any brand of bread” – which is great, since you might not use the brand they usually have on sale.

Ebates.  You can make cash back every time you shop online with Ebates. They even give you a $10 cash bonus when you sign up. The cash back adds up really fast.

2.Start a blog  

Everybody’s doing it, right?  Have you ever wanted to start a blog?  It’s fairly simple to start one, especially if you use good tools.  Click on this link to find out if starting a blog is something you should consider. If the answer is “YES”, click on this link to get the basics on how to get started.

Bluehost is my hosting website.

WordPress is my content provider.

I use BluChic as my WordPress template. They have several templates to choose from . . . I use the Isabelle theme.

Affiliate Marketing.  Refer website visitors to buy products online and earn a small commission on each sale. This probably won’t make you rich, but can be a viable side business. Please do me a favor and don’t buy into anyone’s sleazy affiliate marketing “program” or “system.” There are unfortunately a lot of slimy salespeople out there making their living taking advantage of newbies.

If you want to monetize your website, get signed up with Google Adsense and Media Net. These are your basic ad companies but they may require a lot of traffic to your website before they will approve you.

Once you start to get more page views each month, look for a private ad company like AdThrive!  They generally won’t be interested in advertising on your page until you have about 1000 page views each month.

For a newsletter and email subscriber list, I use  ConvertKit   Mailchimp is also a good option for free.

There are several resources I found on Pinterest.  Most people who have blogs end up writing at least one article on how to set up your blog.

3.Rent out your space on AirBnB  

AirBnB’s have grown in popularity over the past couple of years and many people are using them now. People can save a ton of money, and that makes them very attractive. Have you ever thought about renting out a room in your home or maybe even your whole house for a weekend?

If you have a second home in a prime, destination location (a ski town, a popular lake, the beach) you may be sitting on a gold mine.

You can learn more about this opportunity at AirBnB.

4.Petsitter  

You can sign up to be a professional petsitter on Rover.  This was a great side hustle job at the time as I was working from home and could really commit to this. First of all, this job is not for everyone. I feel strongly that you must love pets or it is not fair for everyone involved.

5.Test products  

As a product tester, you might have the opportunity to test shampoo, body wash, mascara, foundation and more – from high end, well known brands.

Each study pays between $10-$25 and is an easy way to make money from home and test out products!

Some of the companies that offer this opportunity are: Vindale, National Consumer Panel (Nielson), Pinecone Research (Nielson), American Consumer Opinion.

You can find more opportunities by searching on “testing products at home”.

6.Dog Walker  

This is a really great side hustle that can be pretty consistent. You can start with Rover, but if you also put up signs in your area, you may get more business than you need. 30 minutes of walking a dog could bring you $20. And many clients will need you several times a week. What a deal! You get exercise and you get to spend time with dogs! Many of your clients will become regulars, so you have a fairly steady source of income each week.

7.Freelance in similar field of work  

If you have skills from working in one or many different types of jobs, you may be able to earn extra money helping companies update their records, renew certifications with the state and filing paperwork. Jobs can range between 10-15 hours and pay around $300, depending of course, upon the type of company and the type of work you’re doing.

8.Customer Service

Some companies are now employing part-time customer service representatives to work from home and handle incoming phone or live chat service requests. During holiday seasons, the demand for extra customer service help grows. Take advantage of that timing. 🙂

9.Driving

If you’re free nights and weekends, you can earn extra cash driving your fellow citizens around. Sign up with Lyft, Uber, or another driving service to get started.

10.Dropshipping

Dropshippers set up their own storefront and process sales, but never touch the actual product. Instead, the items are shipped directly to the customer from the manufacturer or wholesaler. Do a search in Pinterest for dropshipping and a host of blogs and advertisers will pop up, ready and willing to teach you everything you need to know about the subject. All you need is a computer and an internet connection . . . and money to pay for the training. 🙂

11.Ecommerce

Sell products online through your own store or through Amazon or eBay. Are you crafty? Do you love creating things but need an outlet to sell them? Check out Etsy, Amazon or eBay as outlets to get rid of your stuff.

12.Freelancing

There are millions of people supplementing their income by freelancing in their spare time. You’ll find them on sites like Upwork. I Googled “freelancing” and 517 million entries came up. You have skills you may not even realize you have. Look through a few of the freelancing websites that pop up and you may find something you’d love to do. As a freelancer, you can pretty much set your own hours. What freedom!

13.House Sitting

I’m more intrigued in house sitting as a way to get free accommodations while traveling, but I guess it can be a way to supplement your income at home as well. You can find opportunities in your city, state, and in other countries. What a way to discover new areas!

14.Renting Out Your Car 

In select markets, you can rent out your car on a daily or hourly basis to earn extra cash through companies like GetAround and Turo. According to their site, the average car sits idle 22 hours a day, so their service is a unique opportunity to capitalize on those idle hours. The company handles all the insurance.

15. Babysitting or Elder Care

If you have grandkids, you could get paid to babysit them if you are the primary sitter. Check regulations, but your child can pay you in most cases as the daycare provider.

If you are the primary caregiver for your elderly parents, you should check with Medicare to see if their policies provide for in-home care. If so, you may be compensated for your care from Medicare or supplemental insurance coverage.

Did any of these ideas spark an interest? For even more ideas, check out Pinterest or Google.

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