I’m the Queen of the side hustle. In college, I worked as a waitress to pay rent. But I also tutored at the school, did a few freelance gigs, babysat, and even taught for a semester.
Even now, as a mother, MBA student, and consultant, I still find the time to make a little extra cash on the side. I still babysit, do freelance gigs, and tutor at the school, but I also help out around my neighborhood and apartment complex, and I recently put my apartment on the market for a roommate (they will be heavily vetted).
While it may seem like I am pretty busy, there is always enough time over the course of a month to get everything done, and it’s worth it because I know that what I am doing now is helping to build a better life for both me and my daughter.
So what can you do to make a little extra money? The list below is filled with jobs that pretty much anyone can do, so check ‘em out and make some money.
Tutor
School wasn’t a strong point for everyone, but there are people out there looking for help. Maybe that person is you. If you have a strong grasp of a subject, offer up your services. A great site to do that on is Tutor.com. After you complete their online application, subject exam, tryout session, background check, and another exam, you could be making $10-14 per hour and you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home.
Rent out your car
This doesn’t sound nearly as willy-nilly as it sounds. Check out Lyft.com. This app matches you with people that are looking for rides in your city. You can choose your hours, rate the passengers after the ride, and Lyft even provides the insurance for the rides (up to a certain point).
Rent out a room
This is one of the most old-school approaches to the side hustle in the books. In fact, there are a ton of people that do it as their main form of income. The bottom line here is that if you’ve got extra space in your place, you can rent it out to someone who is looking for a place to stay. The more resourceful you are, the better. Even if you stay in a one bedroom apartment, you can still make it happen… you might need to sleep on an air mattress for a few nights, though.
Be an assistant
I equate this one to being like the Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) from The Devil Wears Prada. Hopefully it’s not as bad as that, though. There are busy people all over the place that need help doing basic things like going to the grocery store, running errands, or making small deliveries, so why not be the person that helps them out… for a fee, of course. Check out a site like TaskRabbit to get started.
Help around the neighborhood
This can mean many different things. Some people are good at lawn care (or just watering plants). Others might be better at walking dogs or babysitting. The key to the side hustle is identifying what people need and providing that service – what better place to do that than in your own neighborhood?
Here are a few resources for the various different jobs you can probably take care of around your neighborhood:
If you’re into helping out pets, check out Dogwalker.com, Care.com, or DogVacay.
If it’s babysitting that interests you, check out Care.com, SitterCity.com, or BabySittingJobs.com.
Use your skills
Maybe you’re really decent at photography (notice I said ‘decent’ and not ‘great’). Maybe you are a whiz when it comes to restoring furniture. Maybe you can write. Maybe you can cook or have a green thumb. Whatever your skill is, you can tap into it and provide it as a service. Put out flyers. Go door to door. Craig’s List. Call people. You can make money doing the things that you’re good at. So do it.
Help cater
Catering companies are usually on the lookout for people to help out with events, especially the larger ones. If you’re into food and parties, you should probably consider this. The service industry isn’t a glamorous life, but it can certainly help pay the bills.
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