Perhaps my favorite way to pay off debt, is the side hustle. Many, if not most of us, have regular jobs. Jobs that maybe we even love. But maybe we’re not quite making enough to fund that emergency fund. Or we need to pay down debt. Or we wanna take that once in a lifetime vacation.
Well never fear, cuz side hustle is here!
What’s the definition of a side hustle? A side hustle is a way to make some extra cash while pursuing specific goals. Maybe it’s your hidden passion, that you can secretly work at without quitting the day job.
In any case, it’s a way to bring in some extra funds to the bank account. Here are some of my absolute favorite!
- Uber or Lyft– If you’ve ever traveled or even needed a ride to the airport, or home from the bar, chances are you’ve tried Uber or Lyft. They are great! A rideshare service, used thru a smartphone app. You have a car, they need a ride. Bingo! It’s simply sign-up for both companies, you provide proof of insurance, they check out your car and your good to go. By far the quickest and easiest way to hustle your way to some extra cash. Oh, and did I mention they pay weekly??
- Airbnb House– Airbnb you’re home is a natural if you’ve got extra space. Simply apply to the website, enter info and pics, and you’re ready for some guests. Be sure to check your local zoning ordinance though. Not all neighborhoods allow for commercial work out of your home.
- Earn Money with Credit Card Rewards– You’ve got credit card debt right? Well lots of those cards, come with rewards. Sometimes you can trade in that debt for cash/payments, and sometimes you can get free stuff. And you know what you can do with that free stuff? That’s right, sell it!
- Delivery Service– There are many delivery services around these days, such a UberEats, Doordash, and Postmates where you can sign up to deliver items, mostly food to its customers. Not a strong hourly wage, but if you’re good and friendly, lots of potential tips can be made.
- Notary– Notaries are needed everywhere. It’s a simple and easy process to become one. Make sure you meet the qualifications, submit an application, pay the fee, get trained and pass the exam. It’s not terribly expensive to become one, and there are companies that have traveling notaries that make quite good money. A great skill to have in your back pocket.
- Babysitting– Here’s a tried and true favorite. Who hasn’t babysat? Now if you don’t care for children, then keep looking, but if you do, there’s plenty of cash to be made!
- Dog Walking– Dog walking is a great side hustle. I worked as a dog walker/pet sitter for years, and it’s a wonderful job. Low stress, great exercise, and did I mention dogs?? You can do this for your neighborhood, or even get hired on part-time with an established pet sitter who needs more help. Did I mention there are dogs??
- House Sitting– Along with pet sitting comes house sitting. It’s a great gig. This can be done for your friends or neighbors, or you can even be hired by a company. Most professional pet sitters offer this service, and will either require you to get bonded and insured, or you will be covered by their insurance. Great gig, and you get to stay in some cool places.
- Yard Work, Mowing Yards– Got a lawnmower? Well, you’ve got a way to make some cash. Notice that a busy family doesn’t have time to keep their yard up? Go over and offer to help them in exchange for a small payment. You’d be surprised how easy it is to get these jobs. They’re often the last thing on a to-do list and the thing that most don’t wanna mess with.
- Becoming a VA– Virtual assistants are the wave of the future. Seriously, it’s the future! TaskEveryday, Upwork, and Davinci Virtual are all sites where you can sign-up and start immediately looking for work. If you’ve got skills, you’ve got a way to make some cash
- Taking Surveys– Survey taking is a little know gem of side hustle. Yes, it takes time, and patience, but money can be made. Sign up a Swarbucks, SurveyJunkie and Opinionoutpost are some of the most common survey sites. Be prepared though, it’s time-consuming and easy to lose interest in.
- Cleaning Houses– This is by far NOT my favorite, but it can be a great job. Develop relationships within your neighborhood and make great clients. Easy and cheap, the only expense is buying some of your own supplies.
- Cleaning Windows– This is another job, that I’m not particularly fond of, but there’s plenty of work. Be forewarned though, it can include ladder work, which is just scary in my opinion!
- Vending Machines– Vending machines have long been a great side hustle. There’s an obvious investment in the machine and the snacks, but it’s pretty painless after that. Just re-stocking and collecting quarters!
- Writing an Ebook– Are you an expert in something? Do you have a story to tell? Well, nows the time to get writing. Never before has it been so easy to sell our stories.
- Translating– Know another language? Then you can translate. Many, many VA jobs online are looking for translators.
- Affiliate Marketing– Affiliate marketing in simpler terms means selling someone else’s products for a commission. This can be a tedious and technical startup, but many, many people have started sites and sold products for companies like Amazon.com, Commission Junction.com, etc.
- Teaching Yoga– If you’re a yoga expert, then nows your time. Many gyms and yoga studios are looking for extra teachers. Don’t mind getting up early, or teaching after work, this is a perfect side gig.
- Teaching an Instrument– Like yoga, if you know an instrument and are capable of teaching, there are many students looking for help. Think Craigslist or even your local school for weekend and after-school lessons. Or even teach that neighbor of yours that wants to be a guitar god!
- Teaching a Language– If you’ve got a teaching certificate, or are proficient at teaching language, this is a great job. There are academic study centers, private tutoring, or even schools that are looking for more language teachers.
- Writing Software– If you’re technically inclined this can be a great way to make extra cash. Tedious and technical, it can have big rewards.
- Designing an App– Like writing software, app design is the new future. If you’re interested in app design, but not sure you have the skills, hop on over to Udemy.com and look for app building courses. They’re cheap and there’s a ton of them.
- Becoming an Umpire– If you’ve played sports or are just very interested in them, chances are you might be able to become an umpire. While you’ve got to go to umpire school for professional gigs, you can usually umpire or referee local and high school games with a certification from an umpire school.
- Taking Pics with Camera– Do you like to take pics? Are you talented in Photoshop and photo editing software? Do you have professional equipment? Well, you can make a job of it. Start out practicing on friends, family, or things you’re interested in. Once you become competent, skies the limit. Dance recitals, family portrait, pet parties. Everyone loves pictures.
- Personal Chef– If you’ve got food schools and you understand food safety and menu planning, you’ve got a side hustle. This can take some time to develop, but word of mouth goes a long way. Specializing in a certain cuisine, such as diabetic, or gluten-free to lead many personalized chef plans.
- Personal Trainer– Do you like to work out? While you probably won’t be able to waltz into a gym without proper exercise credentials, you are more than welcome to train your friends, family, and neighbors. Most people are looking for an accountability partner who can keep them motivated and on top of it!
- Mystery Shopper– Mystery shopper is one of those jobs that I’ve always dreamed about but never done. You get paid by a company to go shop at a store, and then write an evaluation of service. Check out Bestmark, Secretshopper, and MarketForce for mystery shopper jobs. Have fun!
- Helping Someone Move– This can be something as simple as a neighbor paying you a few extra bucks to help move, all the way to being hired by a moving company for extra work on the weekends. Look it’s moving, so that’s no fun. But you are getting a workout in!
- Modeling– Modeling can be a great side job if your comfortable in front of cameras. If not, well then don’t waste your time. Careful when replying to modeling ads, that it’s the right kind of model. If you get my drift!
- Delivering Newspapers– Delivering newspapers is a perennial favorite. I mean we used to do it as kids. It’s not great paying, but if you’re an early riser that would rather leave your nights and weekends for kids, it’s a great way to make some cash.
- MLM Sales– MLM might be the bane of my existence. We’ve all seen it, the FB friends that go on and on and on about the latest thing they’re selling. Whether its face cream or sports drinks, make sure you use it and agree with it. There’s plenty of money to be made from great products, but don’t be that irritating FB friend. Please.
- Junk Hauling– Junk hauling is a great deal if you’ve got a truck and some muscles. Plenty of people around just want to get rid of stuff. Sometimes they want it thrown away, and sometimes they don’t care what you do. This is a great opportunity to find hidden treasure that could be sold. But don’t become that hoarder guy that keeps everyone else’s stuff cuz you think you’ll make a million dollars on it. Be smart about it.
- Laundry Service- One of the easiest ways to make cash, is just to offer friends, family, even co-workers, laundry service. This can be anything from actually doing their laundry, to making pick up and drop off’s to dry cleaners. Oh, but make sure you know how to do laundry before you start this. Nobody wants you to ruin their cashmere sweater!
- Becoming a Personal Assistant– Similar to becoming a VA, you can become a personal assistant. This can be anything from technical and clerical work to more of a lackey who fetches groceries, picks up kids, and gets the dry cleaning.
- Handyman Work– If you’re handy and have some tools, this is a wonderful, and well-paying side gig. Most of us, don’t have anything but very basic homeowner skills. Fixing sinks, washers, and flooring is beyond our scope. This is undoubtedly one of the best side hustles out there because it’s so skilled orientated.
- Hype Girl or Guy– So this might restrictive on age, cuz I usually don’t see hype guys that are in their 50’s, but you get the idea. There are plenty of companies out there looking for hype guy/girls or brand ambassadors. Basically, you go to an event/location, give away swag and talk up the company/product. Only the perky need apply!
- Freelancing– If you work at a technical or skilled job that the majority of people can’t do, you should consider freelancing at it. Now beware, you should check with your boss/company to make sure you’re not breaking any rules. No one wants to lose their job over their side hustle!
- Dj’ing– Dj’ing is a great way to make extra funds, especially if you love music, have a good collection, and even some equipment. This can become a technical job depending on what people need, but can also work if you’re just helping a friend or even local church with tunes.
- Craigslist Gigs– Craigslist gigs are a toss-up. Sometimes they’re legit and great. Sometimes, they seem illegal and are downright scary. Watch out for modeling side jobs, which often are jobs without your clothes. But there are great weekend side jobs, like a server an event, a parker of cars, etc.
- Tutoring– Tutoring is a great job is your already a teacher and teach a subject that can be hard to understand. Think languages and math. Great side way to make some funds, and help people learn.
- Carpet Cleaning– Many people still have carpet. I’m not one of them, but I hear it’s nice. For those that have it, and you have a carpet cleaning machine. Have at it. You can even rent the machines and work it into a bid for a client. Cuz god knows most people don’t wanna clean a carpet.
- Building a Niche Website– Building a niche website is great if you’re a website designer. If you’re not, then don’t apply. These websites can be used by outside companies, or even for yourself. A perfect way to develop an affiliate website.
- Bookkeeping/ Tax Prep– If you’ve got bookkeeping experience this is an awesome side hustle. Cuz almost all small business people I know, need tax and organization help. This can often be done on nights and weekends and can become a steady form of income.
- Sperm/Egg Donor– So this always an option, although I’d tread lightly here folks. Do you want to know that 10 years down the road, there are lots of little you’s running around? Careful with this one, cuz it can’t be undone.
- E-commerce Site– E-commerce site are great, especially if you’ve got something to sell like, an e-book, a product, a craft, or even a service. They take a little leg work, but if done right, they can make some good extra money.
- Selling on eBay– everyone loves eBay right? I do! Look around your home, cuz there’s stuff you don’t need. Haven’t used and forgotten that you even had it. Get it listed and get it gone. Oh and hey, if you’ve been junk hauling, chances are you might have run into some stuff that you could sell. Have at it!
- Selling on Etsy– If you’re crafty, this is your place. It’s you’re mecca, your hall of fame. Wonderful place to sell crafts and things you’ve made. Go crazy with it!
- Taskrabbit– Taskrabbit is a service that you can sign up to participate in where you accept jobs from local people for immediate help with everyday tasks like mowing the yard, moving, handyman work, etc.
- Fiverr– Fiverr is an online service that connects freelance workers with customers who are needing technical services like graphic design, digital marketing, programming, etc. Customers put up a job with a budget and you apply for the job. Beware, this is a great service, but you’ll be making for less per service than you might be on your own.
- Making Udemy Course– If you’re talented and knowledgeable about a subject, then you could probably teach it. So the catch is that you have to have a video camera and a way to edit and put together, but this can be a great passive income. Sometimes the expense of producing it makes sense if you think it’s a subject that potentially thousands might buy.
So there you have it, you’re top 50 side hustle jobs to keep you working. If you’ve got some time, patience, and a good work ethic, these jobs can make you some fast cash. Use that cash for paying down debt, putting into retirement, or even a dream vacation. The sky’s the limit!
