MAKE EXTRA CASH WITH THESE SIDE HUSTLES
Ever wish you had extra money to:
Pay off your debt faster
Stop living paycheck to paycheck
Get out of credit card debt
Go on vacation
Invest
Retire early
Before my husband and I met, each of us had done our fair share of side hustles.
When we got engaged and had to pay for our wedding we took it up a notch.
We tried a variety of ways to make money inside our home and out.
If you want to earn some extra cash to achieve your own financial goals sooner read on!
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BLOGGING
I put this side hustle first because it’s the one I currently dedicate most of my time to.
Since I started blogging less than 2 years ago I have made anywhere from $0 to over $1,000 a month working on it part-time.
It’s a long-term hustle, but the profit potential is worth the extra time building the right foundation.
Here are the important steps to take if you want to start your own money making blog.
Blogging opens up the opportunities to make money doing:
-Sponsored posts
-Product reviews
-Influence programs
-Referrals
I currently make money blogging without getting a lot of Pinterest traffic using the tips I learned in this Stupid Simple SEO course.
SURVEYS
Surveys will not make you rich, but one year I was determined to pay for most of our Christmas gifts with money I made instead of taking money out of our pockets.
I earned over $400 in cash and gift cards in just a few months.
Survey Junkie, Pinecone Research, Swagbucks, and MyPoints are just a few of my favorite. Check out more survey sites.
EBATES
Make money shopping. It almost sounds too good to be true, but with Ebates I do just that.
Ebates offers cash back from tons of different retailers online and in-store. Get a $10 sign-up bonus and earn when you refer family and friends.
Read my full Ebates review to see how it works.
FOCUS GROUPS
Want to get paid $150+ for 1 hour?
My husband and I do a few focus groups a year.
Most pay very well to get your opinion on different topics and/or products.
In the past I did one on air fresheners and greeting cards. Pay varies, but they tend to pay more compared with online surveys.
Find focus groups by typing in “paid focus groups in your state” into Google and see what pops up. I’ve also found a few through the survey sites I’m a part of.
HAIR MODEL
In college I saw a classified ad that said “HAIR MODELS WANTED”. I called them up and asked what it entailed and how much I would be paid.
I was paid good money for a college student to sit and get my hair styled all different ways. They didn’t dye or cut it, but that was fine by me.
Regularly check places such as Craigslist and Facebook for different side gigs. Of course be wary of scammers.
DATA ENTRY
Another gig I came across in college was a data entry project. It paid $20 an hour cash!
I was really excited because I used the money to buy my older sister an IPod.
You may be able to find a regular data entry job, but the projects tend to pay more because they have a lot of data they need inputted in a short timeframe.
SELLING JUNK
We’ve had a few garage sales over the past few years and never make less than $1,000. If you want to make the most money selling your own stuff here are my best garage sale tips.
There are so many places to sell your junk these days and a lot don’t even require you to leave the comfort of your own home. We sold our stuff on Ebay, Amazon, Facebook, Craigslist, auction houses and more.
Selling our way out of debt was our main side hustle, but figure out which venue works best for you.
Don’t forget to pin for later!
BABYSITTING
Parents are always looking for someone reliable to watch their kids, I should know.
Having a car, knowing CPR, and previous experience are all benefits to getting the job.
I used to babysit some of the neighbors’ kids when I was living at home, which was not only convenient, but I also didn’t have to worry about spending money on gas.
PET SITTING
Not a fan of people? Pet sitting is a great side hustle.
I’ve pet sat at my home or at the pet owner’s home and dog walked. Pays fairly well and can be a lot of fun too.
CLEANING HOUSES
Growing up, my mom had up to 3 jobs at any given time. One of those jobs was as a cleaner. She cleaned commercial and residential locations.
In high school I occasionally helped her and it taught me a lot about hard work.
I’ll be sharing my mom’s tips to clean your house quickly in an upcoming post.
Related post: Tips to clean your house with kids
HOUSE CLEANOUTS
Don’t confuse this with cleaning houses.
My husband and I would get paid to remove furniture and household items that didn’t sell after the homeowner had an estate sale.
Sometimes we would remove the items for cheap/free because there were a lot of good items that we could sell to make a profit. 1800GotJunk is an example of what we did, but at significantly cheaper prices.
AUCTIONS
The hubby has a lot of personal experience flipping items for a profit.
He would get items to sell from garage sales, auctions, flea markets, and the trash.
Knowing what items to buy and sell has become a lot easier with Amazon, Poshmark, and the internet in general.
Rob and Melissa of Flea Market Flipper make over $100k a year flipping items they buy and sell. The best part, they teach other’s how to do it too in Flipper University.
SIDE GIGS
Craigslist and Facebook are great places to find side gigs.
My friend got to test out an airplane emergency side.
One time we both worked the concession stand at a baseball game for some extra cash.
As always, check references and be on the lookout for scammers.
SELL HOT ITEMS
People go crazy, especially around the holidays for items that are hard to get.
Tickle Me Elmo, Hatchimals, and the Nintendo Classic all come to mind.
This is definitely not my favorite side hustle and with all the others we do now it has become a thing of the past for us.
When the NES game console came out and each store only had a limited amount, people were willing to pay a lot more to get their hands on one and avoid waiting in line.
A few times my husband and I went to Target, Best Buy and Toys R’ Us to snag one. We resold some online and some at the flea market for a nice profit. It really helped us bank some extra cash to pay the bills.
Warning: People will call you mean names. Scalpers, jerks, losers, etc.
If someone is willing to put in the work to make extra money and others are willing to pay for the item then it’ll always be a thing. People pay for convenience. However, I understand when people get annoyed seeing people brag about scoring so many of these items when people are trying hard just to get one for themselves.
NowInStock was a great resource to track items down before the majority of the public.
SELLING GIFT CARDS
Maybe you received a gift card you’ll never use or found one in your last house cleanout 😉
Raise lets you buy and sell gift cards at a discounted rate.
PROOFREADING
If your you’re a stickler for grammatical erros errors and spelling, this is a great way to make extra money for you. See what I did just there lol.
Caitlin Pyle of Proofread Anywhere, teaches people how to make money proofreading.
Not sure if it’s a good side hustle fit for you? Watch Caitlin’s free 76 minute webinar to see if proofreading is for you, how to get clients, what it pays, and how to land gigs.
AUTOMATE
I saved this one for last because it isn’t a true side hustle, but No matter what our income our expenses I always automated our savings, trying to squeeze out more and more money into savings each week.
Before we went into debt, I managed to save over $10,000 (twice). One time I used that money to buy a car and another time for a down payment on our home.
I am constantly on the hunt to make more money.
Let’s be honest, if you want to get ahead, get out of debt or in fact retire early, having more money is just one of the things you need to do. It’s about having more money that can work for you.
What are your favorite side hustles or which ones do you plan on trying out? Let me know in the comments below!
