Across the United States, many people are just trying to stay afloat financially. The key is to diversify your income and find ways to bring in money faster than it goes out. With layoffs rising and prices climbing, many are wondering: What’s the easiest way?
Your best bet? Find a side hustle. A little extra income can make a huge difference — especially when every dollar counts.
A side hustle is something that can be done on your own time, to bring in more money in addition to your 9-5 job. Employers plan to only give an average of 4% pay raises this year. Let’s say you earn $40,000 annually. That means your raise will only be about $1,600 for the entire year. Meanwhile, if you select the right side hustle, you could be earning that much every month—maybe even doing something you love.
There’s never been a better time to take control of your pay. The cool thing is there are many different types of side hustles to choose from. You could earn good money in a few hours a day while you engage in something you are passionate about. These ideas help you to start earning more money fast and level up your income.
1. Flip Items for Profit
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—flipping items for profit was my go-to side hustle when the debtors were knocking down my door during my personal time of financial distress. It still is when I want cash fast. It’s never been easier to resell used items, and you can make quite a bit of money doing it.
How much you can earn depends on the types of items you sell, but I made over $1,000 a month doing it in my spare time. (It’s almost as much as that annual raise may be.)
You can start this side hustle by selling items you already own, then reinvest it by purchasing used items from auctions, yard sales, and flea markets to resell. Here are some items that are easy to resell:
- Jewelry
- Clothing
- Household items
- Electronics
- Toys
- Collectibles
- Vintage items
The great thing is that you can sell locally, nationally, or even worldwide, depending on which selling platforms you use. What types of items you sell will also determine which platform will be best for your side hustle. For example, Etsy allows you to sell vintage items, hand-made products, and craft supplies. OfferUp is an easy-to-use app where you can list all sorts of items and sell locally or offer shipping.
I utilize a few different sites so I can sell all types of items without being limited. So, I’ll sell vintage items on Etsy, clothes on Poshmark, and miscellaneous items on eBay. This helps me unload stuff much faster and earn more money.
2. Become a Virtual Assistant
A side hustle with plenty of opportunities is working as a virtual assistant. According to Indeed, the average base pay for a virtual assistant is $27.15 an hour. Most virtual assistants will start by charging an hourly rate, then switch to a per-project fee or monthly retainer. That way, the faster you work, the more money you make. Pretty great, right?
This is going to blow your mind, but companies paid me to be their Pinterest Virtual Assistant. This is actually one of the highest-paid virtual assistant niches to break into. I took a course to learn everything I needed to have a competitive edge. However, if your finances are tight, there are many vlogs and blog posts where you can start learning for free.
There are hundreds of different types of services you can offer. Here are some of the top ones to try out:
- Social Media Management
- Email Management
- Customer Service
- Project Management
- Marketing
- Data Entry
- Calendar Management
- Graphic Design
- Administrative Services
The list goes on and on. Basically, companies outsource various tasks to you that they need done.
If you decide to become a virtual assistant, you may want to set up a Limited Liability Company (LLC) to protect yourself. Having your own website is also a good initial investment, as it promotes you as a serious professional. You can list your services and rates on it, and clients will eventually come to you.
3. Open an Etsy Shop
If you love crafting or are notorious for making handmade gifts, then you should consider launching an Etsy shop to sell your items. There are so many different items you can create and sell, such as:
- Jewelry
- Candles
- Home Décor
- Custom Furniture or Repurposed Furniture
- Paintings and Wall Art
- Clothing
You can even create and sell digital printables; an excellent way to earn passive income. Planners, trackers, and invitations are just a few of the top-selling printables marketed on Etsy.
Keep in mind that how much you will make drastically depends on what you sell.
However, I went the other route and sold vintage items which would bring in a few hundred dollars per month, and I wasn’t listing consistently. So, the income potential can be much higher if you work at it.
4. Pet Sit or Walk Dogs
I believe one of the best side hustles for us animal lovers is pet sitting. How cool is it that you can make money hanging out with cats or walking dogs? According to Indeed, the average base pay for a pet sitter is $15.87 an hour. But you can boost your earnings quite a bit once you get your pet-sitting business going and increase your wage by offering boarding or overnight visits.
To protect you and your business, invest in general liability insurance. If, for some reason, a freak accident happens, such as Fido taking off and getting hurt or causing an accident, you will have to pay out of pocket unless you have coverage. Other than that, your start-up costs are relatively low if you begin by offering drop-by visits or dog walking.
You can start by offering your services to friends and family. Sites such as Rover and Wag make finding gigs much easier, but they take a cut of your pay. So, keep that in mind when pricing your services.
5. Become a Freelance Writer
Are you a wizard with words? If so, freelance writing is one of the best side hustles to dive into. According to ZipRecruiter, freelance writers earn an average of $23 per hour. But trust me, you can earn way more than that once you get your name in the game. Once, I made $82 an hour, writing an article.
How? The topic didn’t require much research, so I could write it fast. And since I charged by the article instead of an hourly rate, I got paid more than I would have at some jobs. It may be difficult out of the gate getting started, but it can be a very lucrative side hustle if you do it right. Here are some profitable writing services you can offer:
- Ghostwriting
- Content creation
- SEO services
- Copywriting
- Newsletter writing
Before you begin, consider taking a freelance writing course to learn the tricks of the trade and stand out from the crowd. Of course, there are free resources you can tap into, such as blog posts or YouTube videos.
To start, you will need to have some writing samples for potential clients to see. You can build a portfolio with a blog or on a site like Medium. (It’s only $5 to join, and it is totally worth it.)
Another expense that is worth its weight in gold is professional indemnity and general liability insurance. These insurance policies protect you and your assets if a claim is made against you. Plus, large publications may require you to carry these policies to write for them, so it’s best to have insurance in place from the beginning.
Although writing requires some start-up costs and time, it will be well worth it once you get going.
6. Sell Online Courses
One of the best side hustles I plan to pursue in the future is selling online courses. If you have knowledge of a certain topic, you can create a course about it and sell it using platforms like Teachable or Udemy.
This is also an excellent way to earn passive income because once the initial work is finished, you can keep earning from it. You may have to update it as you go, but the brunt of the work is already done.
The amount you can earn varies significantly, and how fast you can earn will depend on how well you market your course. For instance, if your course is $49 and you have twenty people enrolled, you would earn $980. Some courses sell for as low as $29, and some are priced at more than $1,500.
While some platforms may offer free trials, you will have to pay to sell on certain platforms or if you want to have access to the best tools and resources.
Some sites like Teachable may offer tiered packages, so you can start small and invest as you grow. Similar to blogging, you should also invest in insurance to protect yourself. This could become a lucrative side hustle if you prepare and market it correctly.
7. Start a Print-On-Demand Store
Print-on-demand stores can rake in quite a bit of cash. ZipRecruiter reports work from home print-on-demand shops average $3,275 a month. A print-on-demand store is when you use a third-party site to print and ship the items you are selling.
For instance, you can use a site such as Printify to design the products you want to sell and link them to your e-commerce shop for people to buy. Some examples of items you can sell are:
- T-shirts
- Coffee Mugs
- Notebooks
- Stickers
- Totes
You can set up a store using sites such as Shopify or WooCommerce, and in some cases, you can even link your Etsy store to it. The start-up costs vary depending on the platform, so make sure you choose which is best for your budget.
You also need to be careful about what you make and sell. If you aren’t the artistic type, you may have to invest in hiring a graphic designer from sites such as Fivver to create illustrations for you.
Of course, you can always sell items with funny sayings or something of that sort. But you must be careful about plagiarizing anyone else’s content. Another great reason to invest in professional indemnity insurance. Selling print-on-demand items is an excellent side hustle that can create passive income for you.
8. Deliver Food or Groceries
If you need a side hustle that pays cash quickly without much hassle, consider delivering food or groceries. The best part is that you can start quickly using apps on your phone, such as Spark or DoorDash. The app you decide to work with will determine how much you earn and how quickly you can start.
According to ZipRecruiter, food delivery jobs can pay as high as $25.24 an hour. It varies depending on base pay and the amount of tips you receive, but it can be a pretty decent-paying gig. It can take 5-14 days before you can start working, so the sooner you apply, the better.
9. Tackle Tasks for Cash
Another side hustle that can earn you money fast is performing tasks for others. Sites like TaskRabbit allow you to sign up as a tasker and get paid to do various odd jobs for people in your area who are looking for help. These tasks may include cleaning houses, yard work, moving, organizing, etc.
The pay depends on the job you perform, but these sites have a tool that shows you how much you should charge for the type of task you are doing based on your location. You will need to download the app, create an account, and get verified before you can begin taking on tasks.
As far as start-up costs are concerned, they depend on the type of jobs you want to do. Again, as with most side hustles or businesses, getting liability insurance is always a good idea.
If you’re in a pinch and need cash fast, you can also check with friends or family to see if they will hire you to do chores for them until you start your side hustle.
10. Start a Blog
Blogging takes quite a bit of work, and you don’t make money as fast as the other side hustles, but if you treat your blog like a business, you can grow it into a lucrative side hustle or even make it your full-time job. In fact, a survey by Productive Blogging shows that 34% of bloggers make a full-time income within two years of starting their blog.
Bloggers earn between $16.83 to $60.34 an hour, according to the latest data on ZipRecruiter. However, there are people that have become six-figure bloggers. When it comes to blogging, there are various ways you can earn income from it, such as:
- Affiliate Marketing
- Ad Revenue
- Sponsored Brand Posts
- Selling Products, Courses, or ebooks
- Selling Additional Services
A blog does come with some start-up costs, and the amount depends on things such as the platform you use and domain costs. Like freelance writing, you should also invest in professional indemnity and general liability insurance.
Side Hustle Your Way to Financial Success
What I love most about side hustles is you can start small and build it into a money-making machine. You can begin with just a few hours a week and work it when you have time. Most of these side hustles don’t have set hours you have to work either. DoorDash even allows you to choose the days you want to work.
A few of these side hustles can even be combined to make your efforts more profitable. For example, blogging or freelance writing can easily be supplemented by creating and selling courses once you are established as an expert. Or vice versa.
Start diversifying your income today. Try one of these high-earning side hustles to boost your bank account fast. You will be side-hustling your way to financial success in no time.
