It is time for another instalment of the awesome side hustle ideas series. Here is the link to part 2, part 3 part 4, part 5, part 6 and part 7 as well if you missed them. And today I have got some more for you! If you want to share your unusual, weird, unheard of or well paying side hustle with my readers, please drop me a line at tdmpauline at gmail dot com, thank you!
Delivering papers
When I needed money to begin paying down debt, I already had one full time job and another on the weekend to make ends meet. How would I ever find enough money to get ahead? I like asking my subconscious these types of questions, because it always seems that the spark hits if you just ask and then let it simmer….
It was less than 24 hours later that I realized that I wasn’t doing anything early in the morning. It didn’t pay a ton, but I delivered papers. I made only a few dollars a day, but it was a great way to use time that I didn’t realize I had available! Also, while I was walking up and down streets I spent the time thinking about ways to increase my income with my other two jobs. Within a few weeks I’d paid off one $4,000 credit card and had raised my weekly income by over $500. Cha-ching!
– Joe from Stacking Benjamins Blog and Podcast
Fiverr gigs
Aside from my main side hustle (freelance SEO services) I have been trialling some other online platforms including Fiverr. My latest gig? I will say your message and do a backflip. This alternative video greeting gig isn’t going to make me a millionaire but I can complete a single gig in just 10mins which theoretically provides an hourly rate of $24-$48 per hour (depending on the gig extras as some gigs pay double). I can certainly see how listing more gigs like this could provide a steady side income which provides plenty of opportunity to scale this revenue stream in the future.
The secret? – Utilise gig extras and only list gigs on Fiverr that you can complete in 15mins or less to ensure your hourly rate remains high!
– Joe from Budget Breakaway
Writing college overviews
Being a writer by heart, my side hustles have typically been writing gigs of one kind or another. There have been both some boring and interesting ones along the way. In one case, I had to write overviews of more than 200 colleges and universities for an online directory based in California. I earned (a whopping) $.02 per word, or about $8 per 400-word article. Lots of coffee inspired me through those articles. Another time, I worked for a law office summarizing depositions. The attorney was deposing the mechanic, pilot, and accident reconstruction specialist involved in the crash of a small propeller plane, which was pretty interesting.
– Taylor Brown from Repaid.org
Making jingles and websites for companies
It’s all about digging deep within yourself and asking, “what am I good at?” For me, it’s doing creative work like designing websites and writing songs.
I spent a lot of time just designing websites and writing songs for myself and putting my work out there for all to see. There’s a great book called Show Your Work which talks about this very thing. After a few weeks, I started getting contacted to design websites and making jingles for companies. I was able to sell all my creative services for more than $1,000 a job.
When work started to die down, I drove around in my car and found local businesses that I was familiar with and asked them if they needed any of my services. I was bringing in more than $3,000 a month just doing what I was good at, and what I was doing for fun already.
Nowadays, I turn down work because I just don’t have the time. I also charge a lot more for my services because I see the value in what I can do for people. The real challenge is pricing. I read another book called Book Yourself Solid, which opened my eyes to my true worth and got me the clients that I truly wanted to work with, without sacrificing my income.
Matt Giovanisci from Listen Money Matters
Sign up bonuses
The easiest side hustle that I’ve done recently is opening bank accounts that offer a bonus. I don’t sign up for ones that require too many hoops to get the payout, like direct payroll deposit or a ton of money as a minimum daily balance. I have signed up for accounts with Capital One, US Bank, and TD Ameritrade. All of these only required a minimum deposit and something simple like making a set number of debit card transactions or paying a few bills online. You do have to keep the account open for a certain amount of time, usually 6 months. The husband and I have snagged about $600 over the past year. It isn’t a huge amount of money, but for the time invested, it’s a pretty good return. We only use money that would be sitting in a savings account anyway, so it’s nice to get a little bit back to make up for the low interest rates.
– Kim from Eyes on the Dollar
How do YOU hustle? Let us know in the comments below or drop me a line if you would like to be featured!
Emily @ Simple Cheap Mom says
I’m loving reading these side hustle ideas. Who knew delivering papers paid so much!
Emily @ Simple Cheap Mom recently posted…Things I’m Thankful For This Thanksgiving
Joe @ Budget Breakaway says
Nice work Matt, I’ve just started designing websites for small businesses myself.
I didn’t imagine there would be a big market for making jingles but that’s the second time I’ve heard about that side hustle this week!
Joe @ Budget Breakaway recently posted…Budget Breakaway’s Liebster Award
Anne @ Money Propeller says
I like Kim’s idea! I’ve only ever done that for credit cards. It would be nice if the banks up here got into sign up bonuses! When I lived in NZ, I got a free MP3 player when I opened my bank account, it was awesome.
Anne @ Money Propeller recently posted…Healthy Snack Foods for Work
Kayla @ Red Debted Stepchild says
Opening bank accounts for the bonuses is a good idea!
Kayla @ Red Debted Stepchild recently posted…5 Tips to Lower Bills Before the Holidays
Myles Money says
This is a great series and it’s surprising how many innovative ideas people have for making money on the side. I love the idea that you don’t need a special talent to do most of them: you just use your skills and find a place to sell them. I need to give it some thought to consider what I could do for a side-hustle of my own. I have some ideas, but I don’t have the necessary smarts to pull them together.
Myles Money recently posted…RealVision – The Financial Revolution Will Be Televised
Kim says
Thanks for including me. I always love learning new ways to make money, especially those that are fun or don’t involve a ton of work. I’m really excited that I got accepted to do an interview about dry eyes next week. The company is paying me $300 to talk about something I could do in my sleep. It’s all about using your interests and talents and finding ways to get paid for using them outside the box.
Kim recently posted…How Many Years Of Retirement Will That Cost?
Taylor @ Repaid.org says
Thanks so much for including me, Pauline! These are so great!
Taylor @ Repaid.org recently posted…How Long it Really Takes to Boost Credit