48+ Side Hustles That Will Help You Make Extra Money (2024)

For your convenience, many of the products I link too are affiliate links which means I may earn money if you purchase a product I recommend.

Let’s get real for a few minutes before we start this post. When I talk about side hustles, I’m talking about legitimate secondary income streams that require a little bit of work.

If you aren’t interested in working, then none of these ideas are going to pan out for you.

However, if you are like most Moms. You are living on a fairly tight budget and would love a little bit of extra income each month to use for sport/dance/music lessons for your kids. You may just want to earn a little bit of extra me money so that you can finally buy that dress you’ve been eyeing at Nordstroms without feeling guilty.

48 Side Jobs Anyone Can Do To Earn Extra Money

Sell crafts or printables on Etsy – If you have any type of artistic skills Etsy can be an amazing way to earn extra cash. I have many friends who sell T-shirts, home décor, and baby items online. What many people don’t realize is that you can also sell digital printables on Etsy. If you have any type of graphic arts skill I highly recommend checking it out. Programs like GetStencil and PicMonkey mean you don’t need expensive graphics software to create some pretty amazing printables.
Sell crafts at local craft fairs or farmers markets – If you want to avoid the internet, there are craft fairs and farmers markets that allow a variety of crafts, food and other items to be sold. You will typically need to pay a small fee for your booth rental.
Virtual Assistant – Becoming a virtual assistant is a growing field that covers a lot of areas. If you have skills in word, excel or graphic arts programs you can become a virtual assistant. Many virtual assistants focus on social media, particularly Pinterest. I’ve hired people multiple times to help me with various tasks related to this blog. If you become a specialist you can make very good money.
- Check out How to get started as a VA or check out this book – The Bootstrap VA for information on how to get started. Most Virtual Assistants find work on sites like Fiverr and Upwork until they develop their client base.
- If you are struggling to figure out what VA services to offer, check out this free resource – 150+ Virtual Assistant Service Options.
Social Media Support Staff/Manager – This job takes a bit more skill and you typically have to show a certain level of personal skill in social media. Many small companies need help with their social media platforms. Most don’t have the money to hire a full-time employee and just need someone to post, share and respond to questions a few hours a week. If you use social media extensively and love posting and sharing content this may be a great field to pursue. I recommend starting small. Contact a local small business, blogger or shop owner and offer to develop some of their content. If you have a flair for social media, you can make a decent amount of money in your spare time. My sister does this for a blogger called Maskcara and loves it. She responded to Instagram comments and eventually began helping with their emails. She was able to work 1-3 hours a day and could spread her time out over 10-15 minute chunks of the day. It has been a perfect job for a mother of three kids.
Social Media Influencer – If you have skills in photography and can write captions that interest people you can potentially become a social media influencer. All you need is to develop a following on platforms like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. A lot of ordinary people have discovered they have a knack for collecting followers. Once you have the followers it is relatively easy with sites like Izea to connect with brands to make money. I made $80 from one tweet last month and I only have 5,868 followers on Twitter. Another social influencer platform is Linqia. I just signed up with them, so I can’t give you specifics yet but have heard good things about them from other influencers.
Pinterest Influencer – Pinterest is not a typical social media platform which can be good or bad depending on your skills. If you are a Pinterest user with a decent amount of followers, I highly recommend looking into becoming a Pinterest influencer. You can begin by signing up with MagicLink (my current favorite), Mavenx & Shop Style Collective. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can make money if you have the right Pinterest audience. My Pinterest audience isn’t large enough yet and most of my posts aren’t shopping related, but I still consistently make $1-2 dollar per week. If I focused on this area, I know I could make even more. If you are interested in learning to monetize your Pinterest account I highly recommend this course by McKinzie Bean –Pin to Profits: Affiliate Marketing Made Easy. I took it an have slowly begun implementing her recommendations. It isn’t a quick-rich scheme but is very doable if you are a Pinterest lover.
Graphic Design – If you can design logos, printables, Pinterest graphics or books covers you can make money with your graphic arts skills. Although Adobe Illustrator is the best program for creating these type of designs, programs like Canva and PicMonkey mean that the cost of entry isn’t as high as it used to be.
Walk Dogs – I’ll admit, I’m not a pet person, but there are a lot of pet people out there who will shell out a lot of money on their pets. If you like animals, this can be an excellent way to earn a little bit of extra money. One of the best ways to find clients is tocreate an account with Rover. This link will also give you $25 off if you need services for your pet as well.
Clean homes – If you can clean, then you will always have a job. Most people find jobs through Facebook, Craig’s List or word of mouth.
Start a blog – Blogging can be an excellent way of earning money but isn’t the money-making revenue stream that many advertise it to be. If you go this route, expect it to be 6-12 months minimum before you start making money. Of all of the items on this list, I think that blogging has the most potential for long-term income, but also requires the most work and dedication.
Take Survey’s – Taking Survey’s isn’t going to make you a ton of money, however, if you have a lot of phone-free time, it can be a great time filler. I have a lot of friends who do them while nursing or during park time when they have free time, but can’t do anything major. You won’t make a ton of money, but it can help pay a few bills. One of the better ones is Survey Junkie. I’ve done a few surveys and earned a few dollars. My problem is that when I have downtime on my phone, I’d rather do social media for my blog.
- If you want to learn more about making money with survey’s check out this post – 13 Best Places To Take Online Survey’s for Cash.
Become a Lyft or Uber Driver – This one is pretty self-explanatory. As long as you have a new model car and a smartphone, you can make money with your car. This is a great weekend side hustle since most of your driving is done in the evenings.
Paid Designated Driver – Like Uber or Lyft drivers all you need to get started is a car and a license. I’ve known people who posted ads on Craiglist or Facebook and made pretty decent money.
Buy and sell household items – If you have an eye for reselling items you can make a decent amount of money purchasing items at yard sales, thrift stores and in your own home. In the past, most people resold items on E-bay.
- If you are reselling CD’s, DVD’s, games, books & certain tech items (stuff like cell phones) you need tocheck out Decluttr. With Decluttr, you can scan barcodes and get price estimates right on the spot. They will send you a shipping label and a few weeks later you get money in your account. It is pretty cool!
Teach English from home – I didn’t know this, but there is a huge demand for English teachers. Depending on the program you join, you are required to have a bachelor’s degree or one year of teaching experience. My understanding is that they are pretty liberal in their definition of “teaching experience”. Either way, the teaching companies supply the platform and the students which makes it a very simple money making method.
List a room in your house with Airbnb – One of my neighbors lists her home on Airbnb and has absolutely loved it. She made $350 last month and has met people from around the world. I’m not sure it is something I would be interested in doing, but if you are a friendly person who loves strangers, it can be a great extra source of income.
Sell your photos – This is a surprising way to make money, but there are tons of stock photo sites who are always looking for photos to sell to their subscribers. Two of the popular ones are Snapwire and Smugmug.
Deliver Pizza – This one isn’t exactly an entrepreneurial idea, but you make great money! It is an easy job that requires a little bit of time and a car.
Babysit or Nanny – I pay my babysitters anywhere from $5-10 dollars an hour depending on age and experience. Depending on your geographic area and number of kids this amount could go up or down. My regular babysitter has three of her own kids and takes on 1-2 other kids because she is absolutely amazing and loves kids. It is a great source of extra income for her and allows her to stay home and do stuff with her other kids. If you want to easily find babysitting jobs check out UrbanSitter and create a profile.
Animal Sitting – Taking care of other people’s animals can be very lucrative. People are very particular about their pets and are willing to spend money on them. This can include taking them for walks, pet clean-up or just checking in on animals while owners are away from home. If you love animals and enjoy spending time with pets this could be a dream set-up for the right customers. Check out Rover and create an account to find clients.
Yard Maintenance – I’ve known some people who became very wealthy starting yard maintenance businesses. You can start small by mowing lawns and then move upward from there. If you don’t have the equipment, find someone who does and borrow or rent it from them.
Handyman repairs – This is not a job I could do. I can barely manage to use a hammer without smashing my fingers. If you can fix stuff, you need to find people like me who desperately need a bit of help around the house. You can easily start by asking your friends and neighbors for small projects. If you do a good job, you’ll end up with more work then you can handle just through word of mouth.
Home organization – This is different from home cleaning. There are people like me who desperately need help organizing their pantry, garage, office, laundry room or kids play area. If you have a knack for creating order out of chaos this may be the perfect job for you.
Proofreading – If you have a knack for writing and editing, I highly recommend looking into the possibility of proofreading. You can find jobs through the typical sites like Fivvr & Upwork, but I recommend being a bit braver. Reach out to a blogger you like and offer to proofread a post for free for them. If you do well and provide value you can quickly gain work.
Freelance Writing – There is a huge need for GOOD content writers online. The trick is connecting with the right people. Most content writers find clients in two ways. They are either bloggers themselves and outsource their services or they use specialized sites to find clients. Most freelance writers have to start out small, typically at $30-40 for a 300-word post and then can begin moving upward as their portfolio increases.
- If you are interested in freelance writing check out this free resource – 200+ Writing Niche Options – You need to know your writing style before you can begin marketing yourself. I also highly recommending checking out Grammarly. It is seriously the most amazing free proofreading program available.
- I currently write for GoBankingRates and make an extra $100 per month for a 600-800 word post, that typically takes me an hour to write.
Provide SEO Services for Businesses – This is a job that requires a little bit of training and a whole lot of skill. You’ll need to start small by working with a small company or blogger to learn the ropes. Once you understand SEO and can help websites rank for specific search terms you can make some serious money.
Editing Videos – This used to be a field that required extensive equipment and training. It still does for the high-end stuff, but you’d be surprised what you can accomplish with the basic software that comes with your computer (especially if you have a MAC). Most teenagers now days can create amazingly simple videos on their phones. If this is a skill you have, I highly recommend cultivating this skill. People pay quite a bit of money for videos for wedding, graduation, birthday, retirement and other major events. Just make sure you get your pricing right since sometimes the time involved can be more than you expect.
Publish an eBook – I know you are probably thinking, I can’t write a book. I am here to tell you that anyone can write a book. I’m half-way through my first book and never imagined I would want to write a book let alone actually go for it. Self-publishing is surprisingly simple (the problem is actually selling your book). However, if you are a decent writer and interested in publishing, I really encourage you to pursue your dream. This one won’t immediately make you money but could be a lucrative future route.
Design an e-course – E-courses are super simple to design and sell nowadays. It literally takes an iPhone for video, some minor editing and you have a course. A good course takes a bit more, but again, designing an e-course is surprisingly simple and can be very lucrative. I recently published my first course and in the 2 months it has been available have made almost $200. My course is on finding and eliminating spending leaks in your budget. Not exactly something everyone is searching for. It took me around 15 hours to create and at this point is completely passive income. If you are interested in creating an e-course, I’d look into the following companies – Udemy and Skillshare.
Create a Youtube Channel – This side hustle isn’t as lucrative as it used to be since Youtube changed their advertising minimums to 10,000 hours. However, if you are in it for the long game and love making videos, YouTube can be a money-making machine.
Web Design – There are multiple levels of web design. If you are a hardcore web person who knows coding the sky is the limit. Most “web designers” now days are people like me who have taught themselves basic coding and know how to use a prebuilt theme to create websites. I am seriously the most non-technical person out there and I’ve managed to create this site.
Testing Websites – This is one that my sister does frequently and really enjoys it. She typically makes $15-20 an hour. She currently is using UserTesting, and have been very happy with their service. You typically start out small, but once they have a level of trust in your work, you’ll begin making more money and getting more opportunities. To test the websites, you are typically asked to do a screen recording of yourself with audio doing a review of a website. You’ll be asked certain questions about the site typically related to site navigation and flow.
Bookkeeping Services – If you have an accounting background, providing bookkeeping services for other small businesses can be a great side hustle. In most cases, it can be done on your own time and from home. To get into this field you need to be able to show a proficiency in Quickbooks, PeachTree or Freshbooks. To find clients you’ll need to visit local companies near you to offer your services. Getting your first client will probably be difficult, but once you have a strong reputation you shouldn’t have a hard time finding other clients.
Financial coaching – This is another specialized field that will take a bit more work to get into. You can provide basic coaching services without a license, but to provide any type of investment advice or recommend certain products you’ll need licensing. Most people who begin financial coaching start by helping people set up the budget, manage their bills and organize their personal financial life.
Become a Brand Ambassador – This one really only works if you are in a large city and in most cases if you are young and honestly above average looking. This is particularly profitable for college students. Brand Ambassadors are the people you see handing out Monster drinks or Power bars at various large events. It is a great way to get into major events for free and earn a little bit of cash on the side.
Rent out equipment that you own – Sometimes extra sources of income are stuck sitting idles in our garages. I’ve known people who have rented out the ATV’s, Mobiles homes, Boats and other large equipment. Just make sure you have the proper insurance set up.
- Be creative in this area, just because you don’t have large toys doesn’t mean you may not have gear that can be rented out. I have a ton of climbing gear, camping gear, fishing gear and bikes in my garage that could easily be turned into money. Think creatively on this one.
- One of the best sites I’ve found for renting your personal gear is Fat Lama. They have just expanded into the US, so you won’t find them in some of the smaller metro areas yet, but so far they have an impressive growth curve. The best part of Fat Lama is that they cover your gear under their insurance policy. Having your gear insured when you rent it out is huge!
Run errands for neighbors – I live in Phoenix which during the winter has a large snowbird population. Many of my friends run errands, serve as companions or act as chauffeur for our elderly neighbors. If you live in a large metro area, this can also be a great revenue stream if you can connect with the overwhelmed business types who don’t have time to run their own errands. Simple things like picking up dry cleaning, groceries & party supplies can be an excellent side hustle.
Sell Products on Amazon or eBay – This is something anyone can get into, but not everyone actually makes money. Most successful retailers have access to a discounted source of products which they then mark up and resell. Ebay is also a huge reseller of used products. Some of the successful eBay sellers are yard sale shoppers who have turned their hobbies into a lucrative side hustle. I hate shopping and know this isn’t something I could ever be profitable with. If you are a shopper, this could be a great way of earning extra money.
Catering – If you like to cook, this may be an excellent field to pursue. Before starting check out local and state laws. Depending on your state food handling can be heavily regulated and you don’t want to get yourself into trouble.
Teach music lessons – I took 9 years of piano lessons for our neighbor growing up. At the time my parents paid $25 a month, nowadays, one lesson is that expensive. If you have musical skills this is a great way to earn a little bit of extra money from your home.
Become a tutor – If you have a skill in a particular area, I can guarantee there is a kid in your neighborhood that needs help in that area. Let your friends and family know you are available for private lessons.
Teach Private Sports Skills or Become a Sports Coach – I’m about as unsporty as possible, but know a lot of parents who make a little bit of extra income on the side by helping coach sports teams, working as umpires or teaching private lessons. If you have athletic skills this could be a great source of income.
Personal Trainer – If you know how to motivate people and can teach them healthy eating and exercise skills then this could be a very lucrative business. This is something that you’ll need to get certified for if you want to be successful long-term. I know that most personal trainers at minimum have a certification through National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) or ISSA. Most personal trainers start with a basic certification, and then as they develop their client base pay for more specialized training.
Painting Services – I hate painting and will gladly pay people to paint for me. For some crazy reason, some people actually like painting. If this is you ask around and see if any of your friends need help. Unless you want to start a painting company, I see this more as a way to earn a little bit of quick cash here and there.
Mobile Car Washing and Detailing Service – If you love cleaning and washing cars this could be a great side hustle as well. It is very inexpensive to start and literally, everyone in your neighborhood is a potential client. One of my neighbors did this a few years ago and had her younger teenage kids helping out. I paid them 20 bucks and it took them less than 20 minutes to make my car spotless.
House Sitting – This is a personal favorite of mine. Who doesn’t like staying in someone’s home for the weekend? Typically you are responsible for feeding pets, checking mail, water plants, and other miscellaneous tasks.
Pet Grooming – If you love animals and are skilled with scissors this could be an easy side hustle.
Garbage Removal – One of my friends recently started a garbage removal business and loves it. He cleans out garages and backyards for people. He hauls away the junk and then resells items he collects.
Decorating for parties, weddings and major events – I’m thinking more small term here, not a full-blown event planner. I don’t have a creative Pinterest bone in my body and if I needed to throw a party would love to have someone around to help with basic decorations.
Become a Mystery Shopper – I’ve never done this, but just read an excellent post on how the whole mystery shopping process works. This example was for the banking world, but there are plenty of other mystery shopping opportunities available.

How to earn extra money on the side

I’m barely even scratching the surface of the side hustles available that will help you make extra money. There are literally hundreds of creative ways to make extra money on the side. You just have to think outside the box and be willing to try something new.

If nothing on this list appeals to you then sit down and write a list of your skills. Then add anything to the list that you are passionate about and would like to gain skills in that area. Look through your list and dig deep.

I can guarantee there is something on that list that could end up being a successful side job.

Sometimes you have to work a bit harder to find the perfect way of earning a bit of extra cash. I know it is difficult, but take the time to brainstorm and work through this list. There is always a side job anyone can do if you search hard enough.