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A reader wrote to me asking for side hustle ideas, and I thought I would ask around for things that were cool, unusual, easy, well paying, any side gig that wouldn’t particularly come to mind to anyone.
So here is the first batch of side hustle ideas, courtesy of my blogging buddies. Enjoy!
Tutoring university students
When I was in grad school, I was on a pretty strict stipend, so I would tutor high school and university students in general science, chemistry, math, and physics. I just posted an ad online saying I was a PhD student looking to tutor, and the emails came flooding in. The going rate around here was anywhere between $25 – $50 per hour, depending on the subject level. I would just plunk myself in the university library or campus coffee shop, and schedule my students back-to-back a night or two per week, that way I minimized downtime (the hourly rate was great, but it could be sporadic). In the last year of my degree, I made an extra $2,500 per term for 5 – 10 hrs per week. And the experience then helped me with my teaching skills, and getting more students to tutor. Talk about a win-win!
– Alicia from Financial Diffraction
Grandpa sitting
I have and interesting side hustle – “Grandpa Sitting” This sounds crazy, but I and my husband have provided services for older individuals who need someone to constantly supervise them while their spouse or children work. Normally, these individuals would have a home nurse, but the people we stay with are not far enough gone that insurance will cover the nurse. Instead, we charge about $60 a day – and are allowed the perk of bringing our daughter with us – to give the individual their medicine on time, and generally keep them out of trouble and away from harm. It’s very easy money, we get to bring our daughter, and the older people love seeing our 10-month old! Believe me, it’s some of the easiest money I’ve ever made!
We started with one older neighbor, and then we just kept getting jobs through word of mouth.
In the last year, we’ve made an average of $600 a month, working two weeks out of every month. We’re hesitant to take on any more work than that, but if we were there would be as much work as we wanted!
– Gretchen from Retired by 40!
Science documentary and exotic pet breeding
Possibly my best side hustle was helping behind the scenes with a science documentary some years ago. I was on a discussion forum related to the subject, where I often hung out, and got approached by a researcher who had a few questions.
After emailing back and forth, and speaking to his boss, they offered me a freelance position answering their questions, discussing the script and introducing them to useful people. All this came from simply following my passions and keeping my ear to the ground.
Frankly, it was so fun I would have done it for free but for a few short evenings replying to their emails I earned several hundred dollars from the gig.
Another side gig that has been as much for fun as it is money revolves around my passion for exotic pets. Numerous times over the years I’ve bred my tarantulas, leaf insects, praying mantis or whatever and there’s a surprising market for such things!
A baby tarantula can sell for $10 or more here in the UK, and when a single female can produce 100+ babies a single breeding can be very profitable indeed! You can sell them on dedicated forums, or put postcards in shop windows (with their permission) because while it’s not as profitable, I always find it is a great way to meet new people with similar interests.
While they may be the most unusual side gigs I’ve used, I’ve also done a fair amount of web design over the years. It seems that as soon as most people discover you know about “all that internet stuff” they reveal an idea for a website they’ve had and ask if I can help them build it. Some of them balk at the quotes I give but quite a few follow through and get me to build their site in my free time.
– Richard from Frugality Magazine
Ride share driver
I first found out about Uber when my friends told me about this new mobile app that allowed you to call a taxi. The neat thing was though that Uber drivers weren’t taxi drivers. They were ordinary people just like you and me. I eventually signed up as a driver and haven’t looked back since. It’s been 4 months since I started driving and I even developed a blog and podcast to chronicle all of my experiences.
The money isn’t going to make me rich but you can definitely make some decent coin during the week. And on holidays and Friday/Saturday nights, I’ve made up to $40-$50/hr! The best part about the job though is that it’s so flexible and it’s actually fun. I can drive whenever I want and I get paid to meet new people, talk to them about their lives and drive them around for a bit. What could be better than that?
– Harry from Your PF Pro and The Rideshare Guy Blog and Podcast
Selling used goods and wedding photography
Although blogging is my biggest and highest paying side hustle, I did try earning money by flipping used goods. I am no longer continuing this any more to spend more time on my blog. I created an inventory of items we purchased on garage sells, from craigslist and from eBay purchases. We sold them in Craigslist and eBay with good margin, sometime for double the price. We earned around $400 per month on average through this route.
Also, my wife has a side gig of Photography. She’s a wedding and event photographer and charges flat $100 per shootout and $50 per hours on top of that. She usually gets 2-3 orders a month.
-SB from One Cent at a Time
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!
This post was featured on How to Save Money Guru, thank you!
While I’m willing to do an awful lot for a chance to make some extra money, I couldn’t handle the exotic pet sitting 😉
Stefanie @ thebrokeandbeautifullife recently posted…Four Tips for Decorating On a Budget
I am with you on this one. Woke up once with a scorpion on my back, there is no amount of money that would make me do it for a living!
I like all of these….especially driving for Uber. I haven’t used it yet but I know a lot of people who have. It’s a great business concept.
Holly@ClubThrifty recently posted…Watch Out for Scams on Expedia.com
Yea I was surprised how much you can make for just driving people around 🙂 All of the mileage deductions make the pay great for side income-rs/stay at home/work at home types.
Harry @ The Rideshare Guy recently posted…Get Your Lyft New Driver Sign Up Bonus Before It’s Too Late
I am going to start breeding tarantulas right away. What a great idea. Some very interesting and not often thought of suggestions here.
Brad @ How To Save Money recently posted…Cut Your Travel Costs
haha, good luck with the new business!
Thanks for including me Pauline 🙂 I am not very interesting at all, compared to exotic pet breeding, or “grandpa sitting”!
Thanks for including my input! Wealth of resource here from everybody
Interesting ideas! I’ve never heard of “grandpa sitting,” but it makes perfect sense and is something I’d enjoy doing. Thanks for sharing!
Mrs. Frugalwoods recently posted…Behind the Scenes of a Happy Frugal Marriage
I like the grandpa sitting idea. I would love to help out someone in need while at the same time pick their brain and gain some wisdom.
I’ve also thought about being an Uber driver, but haven’t jumped in yet. It sounds like it could be interesting.
Aldo @ Million Dollar Ninja recently posted…7 Tricks Supermarkets Use To Get You To Spend More
Honestly, it’s pretty fun. I love talking to and meeting new people so it’s great for someone like me who sits in front of a computer screen all day!
Harry @ The Rideshare Guy recently posted…Get Your Lyft New Driver Sign Up Bonus Before It’s Too Late
I would not mind doing pet sitting at all. Exotic pet sitting, not sure though, even though my son owned two lizards as a kid.
debt debs recently posted…I Just Paid Off my Cash Advance Credit Card
A friend of ours sells used goods on Facebook and makes a good amount of money. In fact I think she put a down payment on house 2 and 3 with the cash she made online. I don’t think we could provide rides in Ontario without risking getting sued if something were to happen. I’d likely consult with an insurance company here before embarking on that adventure. No amount of money is worth losing it all because someone gets injured or dies while you are behind the wheel providing a service you are paid for. It’s great though if that’s not the case to earn extra money… use at your own discretion type service. I liked the tutoring side hustle which clearly worked out well for him.
canadianbudgetbinder recently posted…Couple’s happy retirement on hold until son moves out
Story: One of the most tender moments of my hospice volunteer work was watching an elderly couple as the wife lay dying.
Devote time each day for your spouse and let him know that he is in your thoughts all the time.
Yet, why so many individuals tend to take this part for granted.
loading… recently posted…loading…
Harry’s got a great idea with the ride share programs Lyft and Uber. I’ve been looking into them myself and it seems to be a great way to earn some quick cash. The only catch is that you need to go through a security check so it could take a little time before you’re able to earn any money.
Thomas recently posted…Get Discounted Phone Service
The background check is pretty much instant, thank you internet haha! I was actually approved and ready to drive with Lyft within a day or two.
Harry @ The Rideshare Guy recently posted…Get Your Lyft New Driver Sign Up Bonus Before It’s Too Late
Whew! Finally made it over here to see all of the different side hustle ideas! I admit I’m a bit scared of exotic pet sitting, but I would probably try Uber! Some great ideas!
Gretchen recently posted…Spent: Looking For Change – a Critical Look at US Banking System
I’m a little biased but I think Uber is great. The coolest thing is if you hate it, you can just quit and you really haven’t invested anything. Not many jobs that pay for you to ‘train’ 🙂
Harry @ The Rideshare Guy recently posted…Get Your Lyft New Driver Sign Up Bonus Before It’s Too Late
You must be really smart being able to tutor college students for chemistry and math. I’d also love to venture tutoring students to get extra income and to refresh my knowledge. Hope to manage it well.
Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank recently posted…What is the best way to invest $10,000
Wow! What an interesting list of side hustle ideas. I’ve never thought or heard of some of these before. I do lots of different things to make money, but nothing really outside of the ordinary (PT job, direct-selling business, freelance writing, VA, etc).
Kayla @ Red Debted Stepchild recently posted…Only Get What You Need
Great list so far…looking forward to seeing the other great ideas. Many of the ones listed I haven’t tried and some I’ve never even heard of!
Jon @ Money Smart Guides recently posted…How To Make Money As A Writer
This is an awesome list! I’m not much of a people person so I’m not sure how well I’d be at “grandpa sitting” haha. My favorite side hustle has been entering giveaways. I’ll try to remember to shoot you an email about it for the next post!
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted…How to Make Money Entering Giveaways
These are pretty cool — I actually took my first Lyft rides this weekend (as a passenger) and met 3 awesome side hustlers who were my drivers. They explained the ins and outs and ups and downs, including how they could earn $100-250 on a good night, but sometimes they had to deal with obnoxious drunk people or people would not be ready when they showed up and then only want to go a few blocks, meaning a very low fare. It was pretty fascinating to hear about!
Nick Loper recently posted…How I Got My First Sale in 6 Different Businesses
Right on Nick, I’ve got some good stories for you too about the people I’ve met. I’m married but it would be a good gig for a single guy 🙂
Harry @ The Rideshare Guy recently posted…Get Your Lyft New Driver Sign Up Bonus Before It’s Too Late
If there is a will, there is a way. There is an unlimited amount of ways to make a bit of money.
No Nonsense Landlord recently posted…My Air Conditioner Does Not Work. Help!
Great side hustles mentioned here. I was at the airport a few weeks ago, and I saw a black SUV with an Uber sign on the window. I guess its really growing as a hustle.
EL @ Moneywatch101 recently posted…Withdrawing from the 401K
I LOVE this blog post! What a great round up, thank you for this.
What I’ve found to be an AMAZING side hustle is Brand Ambassador/Promo work.
It’s a very flexible, fun, and lucrative side hustle if you have a friendly and outgoing personality. Basically you represent your favorite brands at awesome events (e.g. handing out Red Bull or demoing new products at high foot traffic areas) and it pays $18-$45/hr depending on the event.
I created an entire resource website on how to succeed in this industry called “Brand Ambassador World”. It has everything from resume designs, to super helpful tips and tricks, to where to find promo gigs, to a comprehensive list of agencies, etc.
You can check it out at:
http://www.brandambassadorworld.com
I hope you all find it helpful and feel free to let me know if you have any questions at all!
Kenny Azama recently posted…How Being a Brand Ambassador Adds Years to Your Life
Great post! I am a huge fan of diversifying streams of income, and a side hustle is the best way to do this. I drive for Lyft and Uber, and write a blog that helps new drivers learn how to apply to each company, all in my spare time. Always looking for new side gigs!
Interesting article. I also drive for Uber and Lyft in my spare time, it’s an awesome side hustle to make extra cash, I wouldn’t want to do it full time though.
Jason whit recently posted…How to apply for Uber
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