Hi everyone! The following is a guest post by my friend Jason over at Financial Sumo. Please join me in welcoming him to Color Me Frugal today! Note: this post contains affiliate links.
Looking to earn some extra money but don’t know quite where to start? Need something that you can do in your spare time? If so, you need to get moving on what most people call “side hustles.”
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on them, we may be compensated.
The whole premise of side hustles is that you can earn money in your spare time. Whether you have a job, kids, or other commitments, let’s face it – we are all busier than ever! If time is short but you want to earn a few extra bucks, then consider some of the options below. I am quite confident that anyone can find side hustles on this list that would interest them.
Skilled Side Hustles
If you have a special skill (any kind) then you will want to make that your competitive advantage and use that to create side hustles. We all have skills of one kind or another – maximize them! Here are some examples:
Create a course using Udemy
Are you good at Photoshop, accounting, computer programming, photography or about anything else you could imagine? Then you might choose to use Udemy to create an online course. According to their website the average earnings for a course instructor is $7,000. This is a great option if you have a skill that others would want to learn.
Explore the world of freelance writing
Are you a decent writer? If so there are plenty of opportunities to sell your service. At the low end you can earn around $7.00 per 500 words on a site like textbroker.com. However, if you have special knowledge in a certain area (like finance, computers, etc.), you can earn quite a bit more on a site like Elance. Again, the key is to maximize the skillset you already possess and make money in the process.
Tutor high school or other students
Whatever you know, there is definitely a student out there who wants to learn it. Perhaps you speak fluent Spanish? There is a high school student just waiting to pay you by the hour to tutor them. The same is true with math, science, writing, etc. Most tutors make between $10.00 and $40.00 per hour depending on the subject and geographical area. You could easily find your first paying client by putting up flyers on a college campus or putting an ad on Craigslist. Or anyone with a college degree and some experience with kids could apply to be an online teacher for a company like VIPKid, to teach English to kids overseas for $17-22 per hour.
Sell your photos to stock photography sites
Are you a good photographer? If so, you can sell your everyday photos to sites like iStockphoto. Initially they will pay you 15% of the sales that you make with the opportunity for more once you start making sales. You might be surprised at the things they need and the types of pictures you can make money with. Pictures of farm animals, trees, city lights, and anything else you can think of have a market and someone who will pay money for them.
Online Side Hustles
These are especially attractive side hustles to those of you that can’t take a part time job or have other commitments that keep you in the home. All you need to get started is a computer and a little motivation.
Be a “user experience” reviewer
Got 20 minutes to spare? If so, you can use a service like UserTesting.com to get paid $10.00. They will provide you a website that you will visit, have you perform a series of tasks, and then you discuss how you felt about the experience of visiting that site. Easy enough right?! Believe it or not companies pay for this service as a way to make improvements on their websites based on the user experiences of visitors. And if that’s not easy enough for you, you can always just take online surveys through sites that will pay you for your opinion, such as Harris Poll Online or Earning Station.
Selling your junk on eBay
Have extra stuff laying around your house that you no longer want? Sell it! Not an earth shattering idea but many people forget that they can turn their useless “stuff” into cash by selling it on eBay. Trust me, someone wants, and will pay for, that “thing” that you have laying around.
Start a Fiverr gig
There are literally an unlimited number of things you could offer on Fiverr. Without getting specific, just browse their site yourself and see what you could create. Think making $5.00 isn’t going to get you very far or you can’t quite figure out what service you could offer? There was a woman who used her pet parrot to make over $10,000 using Fiverr so I’m guessing you can come up with something in the way of side hustles here.
Random Side Hustles
Sometimes you might not be able to figure out a way to maximize a current skill you have, or you might not be interested in pursuing an online opportunity. In this scenario here are some “oddball” things you can do to make a few bucks on the side.
Start a vending machine business
I think this definitely qualifies as “random.” This can be quite lucrative if you are able to find places to put your machines. Although we wouldn’t consider this a passive type of income, it is fairly close. After you get the machines installed, it is simply a matter of visiting the machines, refilling them with product, and taking the money out. Here’s a quick overview if this option interests you.
Become a dog sitter
Sounds kind of funny doesn’t it? However, by signing up with a site like dogvacay.com you can watch a pet for an hour a day or longer. According to their website you can earn up to $1,000 a month by “watching puppies.” Sounds fun huh? The beauty of side hustles like this is that you can choose when and how often you will work. This might be perfect for someone who only has a few extra hours per month.
Rent a spare bedroom
Not for everyone I’m sure! However, if you have a spare bedroom that you aren’t using why not rent it out on Airbnb?? I used the calculator on their website and it said I could expect $308.00 to rent out a room in my San Diego house for a week. What would a room in your city rent for?
As you can see there are quite a few ways to earn extra money via side hustles and this is certainly only scratching the surface of what opportunities are available. In fact, Dee has written about other ways here and here. Whether your goal is to pay down debt, increase your savings rate, or save money for a rainy day, you should “get hustling” on your side hustles today!
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Great list! I recently lost my job and started dog sitting just to make some extra cash while I look for work. I’m an animal lover and a lot of people are taking trips this summer, so it’s working out really well!
Awesome! That’s an especially great side hustle because you get to get outside and exercise while you’re at it. You really can’t beat that!
Great list…..although I know someone that created a course and put it on Udemy. She spent a ton of time putting the course together, and hasn’t made squat. Udemy sets the price for the course, so you have very little control over how much you make. 🙁
Hi Brock,
I guess there are two sides to every coin. I have a friend who did an Excel course and he said he makes “good money” – whatever that means. You can’t always believe what people tell you but SOMEONE is making money on Udemy or they wouldn’t get people to create courses for them. I guess it’s just like anything else, it totally depends on what course, what the demand is, etc.
Great suggestions! In the past, I’ve made extra cash by waitressing and doing product demos. Each of these paid at least $20/hr – so a way better way to make cash than working at the mall!
That sounds like a great side hustle Pira! I had a friend in college who worked part time as a bartender, and he really made a killing in tips some nights…
I’ve heard of Udemy but I didn’t realize that someone off the streets like me could create a class. Thanks! I have this notion in the back of my mind of creating a value investing class.
Hey, there you go! I think creating a course like that would be super cool if you’ve got the knowledge and desire. Good luck!
Babysitting. My mom went back to school, and she started doing some sitting. She was getting more than $10 an hour. Parents are just so thrilled to have a grownup around instead of some tiny little 13 year old.
And if you take evening jobs, the kids are asleep a large part of the time. More time for you to do some freelancing, right?
Babysitting is an awesome side hustle! I had a gig in college where I babysat overnight for a nurse who worked nights at the hospital. I only got paid $3 an hour, but literally all I had to do was sleep! The kids were usually already in bed by the time I got there, and their mother got home in time to get them up and ready for school. That’s probably the only time in my life I’ll get paid to sleep, but it was pretty cool 🙂
I am creative and like to make objects from key chains, small cosmetic bags, holiday pillows, holiday ornaments, etc. I have made some money but not much. I also save money grooming my two shih Tzu dogs. Hubby likes to remove snow in winter and cut grass for others. He is great repairing lawnmowers and other things.
It’s a great help and making money no matter how little or how much is an investment in oneself and helps to cut back on the normal living expenses of life. I am retired and moving south. Wish I could do more, but for now it works for me.
I’ve also begun to appreciate that the little things really can add up. I’ve started making my own Pledge and trying to find alternatives to a lot of chemical products in our home (or go without), and I’ve noticed a much less frequent need to go to places like Wal-Mart. These days I mainly shop the grocery store and that’s it. I’ve found that doing enough “little things” like that can really make quite a difference in the overall big picture, and it helps me become more self-sufficient as well!
I agree. Times are hard but we are survivors. Shop in off shops where you can find something you need for much less. Right now I am dying to make a cover or bag to hold those grocery bags we collect. The ones I have seen in the supermarket are so bland and boring.
The holidays are coming right around the corner. Buy or make your own gifts early. I keep gifts hidden away in a closet. Make a list of what gifts you do have and check off the rest as you go along. I enjoy making things and get to enjoy making a nice gift at the same time.
Keep bringing the good ideas.
Great article. I started my blog over a month ago and focusing on that. If it results in a side thing, so be it. The more the merrier.
Cheers
MrRicket
You have to blog for a while a build up a solid inventory of content before you really start to see money typically, but if you enjoy blogging it can be a fun and worthwhile endeavor!