Starting Your Side Hustle (No More Surveys)
Side Hustles have really gained popularity over the past years. They can help pay bills, save for an emergency fund, put a down payment on a house, or pay off debt quickly.
If you’re thinking I’m going to tell you surveys will get you there… that’s a hard no! I’m tired of surveys, I’m tired of spending time staring at a screen and seeing minimal side income.
After trying many times to make even $100 with a survey I didn’t end up qualifying to take, I almost gave up my dream of adding extra debt payoff each month.
I promise this isn’t one of those posts.
All the side hustles below myself or friends have made real income! Sure they might not be as simple as taking a couple surveys each day, or letting an app monitor my usage in the background. But, the greater your hustling is the greater your payout, right?
Let’s get to hustlin’.
01| Blogging
Of course, blogging is on this list for the same reason it’s on several lists: it can either be a great side hustle or grow to a full-time income. Not just a pipe-dream!
Below are the bloggers who have held my hand along this blog journey. And even though I have yet to make a solid income, their success is enough to keep me motivated!
Blogging Courses & Resources
- Startamomblog.com << Suzi’s teachable course is OUT OF THIS WORLD!
- Taylorstanford.com << Taylor’s income reports provide so much hope, and she has a new ebook!
- Makingsenseofcents.com << Michelle has so much knowledge of blogging, and her blog now makes $100,000+ per month!
- Billionaireblogclub.com << Free Bootcamp to whoop you into blogging shape!
- Chasingfoxes.com << Silas & Grace just have such a wonderful voice through their posts to help you really stay motivated!
- Fitnancials.com << Great advice on what she has learned from starting her blog and how you can do it too!
- Gatheringdreams.com << Sara is a new blogger who has really set herself up for success!
02| Flipping Things
Flipping Furniture & Clothes
Ethan and I flip trash in our spare time when things “fall” into our lap (or the curb in most cases). We repaint them, re-stain them, sometimes just give them a good cleaning… and immediately turn around and post them for a quick profit of $200+.
Some people are EXTREMELY successful in flipping items, and make it a career!
Thrift Store Flips
If you’re not so crafty, and flipping furniture sounds a bit daunting, try thrift store flipping! Personally, I have not done thrift flips… however, our friend has a great side hustle going of garage sale flipping!
Robert makes up to $45,000 a year for about 10 hours of work thrift flipping!
Textbook Flipping
If you have textbooks lying around as I did, you might be sitting on a great addictive side hustle! After scanning my textbooks with the BookScouter App, I made $300 in a matter of minutes!
From then, I’ve found textbooks to sell at garage sales and small bookstores that have made $20 here and $60 there. My favorite thing about using BookScouter is you have an IMMEDIATE buyer for your books! No more holding on to products in hopes that they sell quickly.
03| Small Handyman (or Woman) Jobs
Handyman jobs can be anything under the sun, and often times your clients are friends and family. A giant plus to Handyman work is getting to set the rate, hours, and scope of work before even starting a job!
What Handyman Services Look Like:
- Painting
- Small Appliances
- Lawn Care
- Window Washing
- Minor Plumbing
- Minor Remodels
- Small Repairs
Sarah and her husband have a stellar list of how to have a successful handyman business.
04| Cleaning or Organizing Houses
If you find cleaning and organizing fun, but don’t enjoy cleaning your own house… why not try someone else’s house and GET PAID FOR IT?
A great friend of mine actually does this on her days off. She sets aside time one or two days a week to clean houses and makes an average of $40/hour.
Organizing more your speed? If you’re looking for a place to start, there are endless organizing businesses and side hustles on Instagram and Pinterest! Meander over to there and start thinking of the possibilities.
People are busy, and coming home to a clean & organized house is something people will seriously pay for. Ask around friends, family members, church groups, daycare friends… get creative and you’ll find people.
Also, Medium Sized Family lays out a great list detailing the pros and cons of starting a cleaning business. If you’re considering starting a cleaning side hustle, I’d check her out!
05| Freelance Writing, Designing, or Naming
Freelance Writing
Perhaps you want to try your hand at writing before jumping into a blog. Or maybe you just really really like writing and want a chance to get your writing out for the world to read.
Great Freelance Writing Gigs Out There:
How to Start Freelancing:
- The 8-Step Guide to Starting a Freelance Writing Business
- 35 Ways to Find Your First Freelance Writing Job
- How To Become A Freelance Blogger: Making A Living From Writing For Others
Freelance Designing and Naming
If your creative powers are geared more towards design or branding, then give freelance designing and naming contests a go. I’ve participated in several naming contests with the potential to earn $100-$300 for the winning name!
Freelance Design:
Naming Contests:
06| Child Care
Babysitting may have been a solid hustle while you were younger (how do you think I bought all my Polly pockets), so why not look into the grown-up version of this side hustle!
If you’re a stay-at-home parent, providing child care for others can be a great way to earn a little extra each month while still being with your little ones!
You can still be in charge of your schedule, pricing, and how many kids you take on. By providing childcare services one day a week, I was able to charge $20/hour. Sometimes I was just needed in the morning, other times the whole day.
Care.com has short- and long-term care options you can apply for! Along with many more side hustle options!
07| Sell Crafts on Etsy
Selling homemade crafts on Etsy is a great way to earn a side income for arts and crafts! Personally, I’m still learning how to set up my own Etsy Shop, to start this hustle myself.
Here are a few things you can choose to create:
- Small Gifts
- Paper goods
- Printables
- Homemade Furniture
- Sewing Projects
- Floral Arrangements or Plants
- And anything else you can think of!
Before starting, however, you will want to consider inventory, shipping, and order fulfillment. Once you hammer these details down, you’re all set to keep your side hustle going!
08| Rent Out Your Room
Traveling can be expensive. People are always looking for ways to cut costs so they can see MORE places. Good thing you have a cozy place to provide them, along with your outstanding hospitality for an unbeatable price!
So what if your city isn’t deemed a “destination location”? People travel for all sorts of reasons: to visit family, be closer for big life events (like babies and elderly parents), attend a business meeting, or to get as far away from people as they can!
Most of these aren’t going to be in a destination spot.
I’m sure you’ve heard, or maybe even taken advantage of, Airbnb! It’s easy to plug in your rental information for an estimate of your monthly earning potential. When I plugged in our 3 bed, 2 bath house we had an earning potential of $1300/month!
Have fun starting your side hustle! Feel free to reach out to me with questions and successes. As I said, I love helping people feel the freedom of a little extra income.
It would mean so much if you shared this article to help others looking to start their own side hustles!
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These are wonderful ideas. I’m on the lookout for more work so one of these might be exactly what I need. I actually saw a house cleaner wanted ad in the paper today which I might check out. It’s awesome that there is the potential to be financially secure from such simple ideas.
Thank you for your kind words! House cleaning is a great gig. Plus, you can put in your headphones and listen to endless podcasts while you clean! 🙂