A good “side hustle” makes you money NOW
SO. I need to be honest – about “side hustles” – for a minute before we start.
Most bloggers are looking to make some money (myself included) and blogging is our number one “side hustle”.
( I can not even begin to describe how much I hate the term “side hustle”, and so I’ll have to use it in quotation marks to make it bearable for myself. Anyone else have a word that just gets under your skin and bugs the crap out of you? Another for me is “self-care”. Yuck.)
Anyhow.
Blogging is our number one side hustle (or full-time thing) but it’s not one of those things you can start today and make money tomorrow – or even next week. (Read the truth about starting a profitable blog.)
So it bugs the crap out of me when I do a search for “side hustles” and all I find are a bunch of recommendations that say start a blog, and they promise it will be FAST cash. (It’s not.)
If you have time to invest, go ahead and do that – by all means! I make over $5000/month blogging – but it took me 9 months of hard work to get here.
Related: How I Quit My Job to Blog Full Time (in Less Than a Year)
Most people looking for “side hustles” are probably looking to make some money soon (today or at least this month… you know, bills and stuff).
So for that reason, blogging is not on my “make money fast” list. But I have some other “side hustles” that make pretty good money QUICKLY.
(THIS POST PROBABLY CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. OUR FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY IS REALLY BORING, BUT YOU CAN FIND IT HERE.)
For you today, this is my list of “side hustles” that you can see results from (almost) immediately. (These are all things I DO or have done in the past.)
You’ll also notice something else missing from this list… recommendations to join heaps of pay-per-search or pay-per-click or pay-per-survey websites. There’s a reason most “side hustle” lists preface those recommendations with “you won’t get rich doing this but…” It’s because they are not a way to make substantial income quickly! It’s one thing if you love doing that stuff, or want your voice heard, another if you’re trying to make some REAL money, real fast.
If you just really love to do surveys (or if you have some free time) then I recommend joining Survey Junkie if you want to do a few paid surveys for fun – (Survey Junkie is awesome for that) or you can find a larger list of legit online surveys that pay here. (But remember – mouse clicking is not a “side hustle” that will pay your mortgage when your job goes south.)
My top 5 (low stress) “Side Hustles” to make money ASAP
1 ) House Sit / Pet sit.
People going on vacation who need someone to look after their homes (and pets) will pay to have you do this. Sometimes my husband and I house sit for up to a couple of months at a time. Yes, it can feel inconvenient to be relocated, but there’s also lots of times when it feels inconvenient to go work. You do what you gotta do because you gotta do it.
We especially love house sitting to make money immediately because you can work your full-time job while you do it. (As long as you’re house sitting in a location near enough to your work – which is what I’d recommend.) You can put out an ad that says you’re available to house sit and what you’ll be charging. Or just put it up on your Facebook wall if you only want to work for people you know!
2) Baby-sit
I pay my baby sitter instantly. (Well, actually that’s not always true – she comes regularly, so I pay her every week. But if she ever asked me for the cash that day, I’d give it to her.)
It’s not glamorous, but it’s instant.
When you need money NOW, you do what you have to do to make money NOW.
3 ) Mystery shop.
I must have applied to 10 different mystery shopping companies and was insanely disappointed in almost all of them. There are ALOT of scams out there. I found ONE though, that has made me real money (and is most definitely NOT a scam). BestMark runs mystery shops in the USA and in Canada and they pay cash (not gift cards or points) in exchange for you doing either an in person or over the phone “shop” and then filling out the survey that goes with it.
Last year I got a free oil change AND I got paid for having the oil change done. I mention that one because I actually made more than I would have for the same amount of time at my day job. You can also make 5 minute phone calls and earn $5-15, which can really add up – without ever leaving your home.
Bonus, once you are singed up and have applied for a shop, you have an actual human to contact at BestMark when you have questions. They give you a referral link and if you get your friends to sign up and do shops, you can earn money for referring them. Apply here to become a mystery shopper with BestMark.
4 ) Wait tables.
As a “side hustle”, yes. I have a desk job, but I also have a restaurant I used to work at that calls me when they need help. It’s difficult for small restaurants (and golf courses, cafes etc) to keep a full time staff that would be sufficient for special occasions like Mother’s Day and Valentine’s day.
Most small restaurants are more than happy to have a list of qualified, willing people they can call when they are stuck on weekends and special occasions.
The best part is that on top of the check they’ll write you, you usually take the cash home with you THAT NIGHT. Talk about an immediate moneymaker! And it’s actually fun too when you don’t do it every day.
5) Exploit your hobbies.
Whatever you love to do, there’s probably a way to make a little money at it. I love photography and took a night class on it after high school. I saved up and bought an amazing camera. Now I take wedding photos, grad photos, family portraits, etc… and (again) I make more money doing that than I do at my day job. Maybe you love animals and want to walk dogs in the evening, or maybe you’re awesome at doing make-up and could be an artist for hire on Saturdays for weddings, etc.
Are you at home in the gym? Become a personal trainer.
Maybe you love to make things… SELL those things! Farmer’s markets are full of people selling their own stuff. (And, now that we live in a big online world, Etsy is basically a world wide farmers market…)
Whatever your hobby is, tackling it as a “side hustle” could actually turn it into a full-time thing, and then you’ll always be doing what you love!
Now, If you have a few months to work towards making money – or if you want to make MORE money than the above side hustles will allow, then I’d suggest looking into:
1 ) Starting a blog
I make over $5000 / month from home, blogging. BUT it is not for the faint of heart (or poor of grammar. It’s just not.)
2 ) Sell a product that you actually love.
The big problem with multi-level marketing? The reason so many people fail at it? Because they get into it to make money and try to sell absolute crap.
Multi-level marketing works for me because I am with 2 companies that I LOVE and got into because I use the stuff, not because I was looking to make quick cash. When you actually love and use the thing you’re selling, it’s not really like selling. It’s like helping other people and telling them about a thing you love.
I am a distributor for Young Living Oils, and this is my favorite company to work with because they don’t require you to sell a minimum amount of product to be a “distributor”. Once you are a distributor you can purchase your products at the wholesale rate (ummm – the reason I became a distributor in the first place!) and you can receive all sorts of freebies (different ones every month) just for ordering. My friends know that I am a distributor and they actually ask ME when I will be placing an order, so they can get their order in.
Another company that I find has products that practically sell themselves is Norwex.
I have a close friend who has had amazing success (I’m talking free cruises and a car kind of success) selling Tupperware. Why? Because she loves Tupperware.
Sell something you love, and it will be easy. Try to sell a bunch of diet pills you’ve never used? Failure waiting to happen.
3) Buy Discounted Products And Resell Them On Amazon.com
If you love to find bargains and can’t get enough of the clearance aisles, then selling on Amazon may be for you!
Jessica from TheSellingFamily.com was able to take her love of finding deals and turn it into a 6-figure side hustle in just 1 year (soooo a couple hundred or more in less than a month is NOT an unreasonable expectation!) You can grab a free 7 day email course right here and she will explain everything you need to know about how it all works and help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
4) Transcription
This is a 100% work from home job, and the average median annual income for a general transcriptionist is currently $45,000 USD.
This is more than double what I made before in my crappy shift work jobs. Legal transcriptionists can earn around $60,000 USD — and that’s not even the tip of the iceberg for people willing to work hard. The instructor of the course Transcribe Anywhere , Janet Shaughnessy, has personally witnessed transcriptionists growing their businesses to six figures. I didn’t know THAT was possible when I was younger, or I’d be a transcriptionist now! Learn more about the Transcribe Anywhere course here.
5) Proofreading transcripts for court reporters
There is an amazing course available to learn t proofreading. Hosted on Proofread Anywhere, Transcript Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ it’s the only course available for this particular niche of proofreading. The Proofread Anywhere team does something really honest and unusual for students: they don’t allow anyone to pay for the entire course at once. Everyone moves through in stages to keep costs — and the risk of overwhelm/failure — way down.
Similar to the Transcribe Anywhere course, Proofread Anywhere also offers a free intro course that will help you decide if you’re cut out for proofreading. After that, you can purchase the course in “chunks” starting at just $77, so you get to decide if it’s for you or not before you’re “all in.”
6) Become an English Teacher
If you have a neutral English accent, a bachelor’s degree in anything, and have an interest in being a teacher – this could be a good fit for you. This job entails teaching English to young children in China, and usually pays pretty well.
There are plenty of companies you can apply to. Apply to more than one to increase your chances of getting hired. Some of the most popular organizations include VIPKID, gogokid, HAWO, and EF Education First.
7) Becoming a Virtual Assistant
The more people working online, the more people hiring other people to do work online for them. I’ve used a VA myself from time to time.
8) Becoming a Freelance Writer
I write almost all my blog posts at nap time. And I LOVE to write, so it doesn’t even feel like work. An easier way to guarantee that you get paid for writing, though, is to write for other people as a freelance writer.
Before you tackle any side hustle…
Ask yourself this question: Is this really worth my time? Clicking away at online surveys to gain 300 “points” towards my 10,000 “points” that will add up to 10 dollars some day might be fun, but if I need to pay a bill by Monday, it is not a good use of my time.
Neither is slaving away at some hideous task that I can hardly wait to finish. I have a family to spend time with, dishes to wash, laundry to put away. If I didn’t have those things, I would still have a body that needs exercise, a long bath to relax in, and a glass of wine that needs drinking while I watch the sunset.
If you are desperate for cash, you probably need a whole overhaul on your spending (or thinking) and a solid budget plus a new plan for money… not a way to make 50 extra bucks in the evening. (Check out Jessi Fearon’s Real Life Money Plan if this sounds like you. She can help.)
When you do side hustle, make it something that isn’t stressing you out, is worth real money and is not soul-sucking.
Just saying. Make sure you’re not prioritizing having a little extra money over living your life.
Panties…..I hate the word panties. It’s UNDERWEAR! Great post 🙂
Bahahaha – see, we all have those words that just get to us! Thanks Rachel 🙂
I hate it when people say, Bahahababab….like some sort of retard goat!!! It’s not even a real word or real sound of a human – only a goat does!!
LOL I have never seen it written with the babab at the end but totally – that’s SO weird!
Carly, this is the BEST article on “side hustles” that I’ve ever read!!! No exaggeration. Thank you!
HI Imani – Wow I really appreciate that (also no exaggeration! 🙂 ) Thank you for reading, and thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it!
My favorite side hustle? Dog sitting- I was in between jobs recently and was killing it dog sitting – charged $40 per day per dog. At one point I had 3 dogs at once for a week. Owners supply food you just supply hugs and walks – and pick up their shot of course 🙂 I was turning away business because it got so busy and I realized 3 was my limit in my little apartment
As for other tips, all I can say is “a penny saved is a penny earned”. If you are running out of ideas to make money, start saving. Some quick “low hanging fruit” tips to save some quick cash include – switch to MetroPCS or Boost for cellphone (I only pay $20/month), switch auto insurance to Insurance Panda ($25/month), and start using GasBuddy (saves me like $100/month at least. I drive a lot).
Great tips Eloisia! Thank you!
I don’t know where you are from, but I’m thinking of starting that service here. Can you give me some idea of what you would charge in a small town for in my home, in their home, and to just walk their dog twice a day? Any suggestions would be appreaciated
I just want to say I agree with you, Imani! I’ve been looking for side hustle information and suggestions recently and this really is the best one out there! Thanks, Carly!
I hate the work “hack” i don’t think it should be interchangeable with “tips” or “tricks”
Great article, pretty much sums up what’s wrong with 90% of people’s tips for making extra income. No one really comes out ahead on those rebate apps. It’s no fun being paid $0.10 per hour to run ads on your phone, and it probably costs you $0.10 in electricity to recharge it haha.
GOOD POINT! Yes, my time is worth more than 10 cents per hour – and I think that’s a healthy attitude to have, not an entitled one 🙂 (I’m actually not too sure if I love the word hack either lol.)
Thank you! I, too, hate the word “hack” when used in place of tips. If someone uses that word, or the ubiquitous “will blow your mind”, I close the window.
LOL Regan – forgive me for my recent use of the word hack!! But I do understand what it’s like to be driven nuts by a horrible word.
Something kept telling me to blog blog blog..and your article just confirmed it .thank you thank you thank you
O Alicia that’s so exciting! Blogging is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, you’re gonna love it. (Most of the time! lol)
Love the idea of house sitting which made me think of pet sitting as well… Thanks great work????
Hey Helena! I’ve heard of people house sitting in amazing exotic locations too, for a “free” holiday – but I didn’t include that ‘cus to me a “side hustle” is one where you are working your full time job too. Pet sitting would be an awesome option! Thanks for reading 🙂
I started an in my home dog boarding business. I had the option to take as many dogs as I wanted, but I usually kept it at 2-3 dogs as long as they got along. I LOVE dogs, I LOVE my home and it worked out great for me. I joined a few on-line companies that get jobs for you, but after awhile I started getting repeat customers and didn’t need them anymore.
The first year I made a little over $500 and last year I made $1,400. You have to be prepared to be busier at certain times of the year and you’ll have to decide if you want to take dogs on holidays (which I did). You can charge a holiday rate if you want, but I didn’t. I’m a softy and felt bad that my customers had to pay hundreds to go away on vacation and then pay me. If you think this is something you’d like to try, I’d be happy to answer any questions. Just email me.
What a great idea Barbara – and it sounds like you make REAL money doing something you love, which is more than most people can say. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Can you give me an idea of what you charge to dog sit in your home? or at their home? or to just dog walk their dogs? I’m thinking of starting this service here in my home town, but I live in a small town. Any tips would be appreciated.
Great article!!! Thanks for being so transparent! I am going to start blogging in August! I have a website and I just need to do it! Lol! I love talking and writing. I get paid for both. Time to step it up!
Hey Mia! YES!! GO FOR IT! You will love it so much – and come on back to check out the series we have starting Aug 1st on building a profitable blog 😉
I am doing what I love. I’m a quilt maker. I opened a store on my front porch and do the faii love doing this r every year with my hubby who is into wood working. My niche are quillos. That’s a quilt that has a pocket and the quilt folds into the pocket. Surprisingly not many people know about this. I love doing this and have a variety of items for every budget. I’ve only been doing this for a year (the store) but I have had a lot of response.
HI Clair 🙂 I TOTALLY have a quillo! My grandma made it years ago – so I know exactly what you’re talking about. It’s so fantastic that you are getting to do something you love – I wish you MUCH success!
Thanks for the article. I am contemplating ways to make extra money and I have spent some time clicking and getting nowhere fast with some of these crazy schemes. Your article challenged me to stop wasting my time on these except for those that I really enjoy. “Definitely” will continue to look until I find something that is a good fit for me.
Hi Michele – thanks for reading – definitely is a really hard word LOL. (I’m assuming I’ve spelled it wrong again somewhere in here…) Good luck finding a profitable side hustle! They are out there 🙂
Carly it’s 5:21AM and I guess I was really meant to find your article and find something to motivate me to change my life. I LOVE this article. I really need your help, do you have IG I think it’ll be easier to follow you but anyway I need help on how to start. What’s a more direct way to reach out to you!! Thanks in advance.
HI Alexandra! I believe I’ve replied to you on FB but just in case you don’t see that, please feel free to email me at admin@carlyonpurpose.com or private message me on facebook . Thank you for reading – I’m so glad you enjoyed this post!! Have a wonderful day 🙂
I have been looking for something to make some extra money at for several months now. I am disabled with MS and need to bring in some extra income. What you said really hit home with me. The survey thing is a bust. You can sit for hours and make pennies. I have thought of blogging but just can’t wrap my head around how to get started. I’m going to look you up on Facebook and see what you have there to offer. Thanks so much for the above article. You really nailed it!
How refreshing! Thank you for your honesty and solid advice (which I’m totally taking!) You made a subscriber out of me. 🙂
Hi Kristi! And thank you! I’m so excited to have you on my email list… good luck in the search for a side hustle that’s right for you 🙂 (& please pop back and let me know which one you find that you love!!!)
Wow! I get swept into the hole surfing the web and find it challenging to keep my focus when working on any thing outside the daily job, have you had that issue and if so how did you conquer it?
HI Verna! Do you mean specifically with the surveys-for-money online or just with any of the side hustles? AS far as the surveys go, yes I’ve tried them all at one point or another… until I realized what a complete waste of time they were. And then I just made a rule – no more surveys! But for the other side hustles, none of them are things I can get too “not focused” on. The photography, the mystery shopping and the restaurant work all require me to be completely present… no internet around to distract me 🙂 and the house sitting and selling essential oils / norwex are things that just sort of happen while life is happening, so distraction isn’t really an issue there either! But if you have a hard time focusing because of the internet, perhaps set a no internet rule while you are trying to work!
Great advice n great ideas. But I love your real talk the most..???? you’re good at what you do Carly ???? 1st time reader of yours.. and look forward to reading what you have to say in your other blogs ????☕ Inspired. THANK YOU
AW this comment me smile! Thank you!! I really appreciate your kind words…
Hi Carly!Love your article! I’m actually guilty of doing stuff that I don’t like which in turn, wastes my time and I never really earn anything from it. Lol! Anyway because of your words, I’m inspired to do things that I like which can earn me money, not really quickly but I think would be worth a try.
Hi Jessica! I think we are ALL guilty of that from time to time! I’m so glad to hear that you’ve decided to give something you like a try – good luck in whatever your venture might be 🙂
Hey Carly! I’ve been reading your posts for the past couple of days and I’ve got to say, it’s so inspiring to see you follow your dreams of being a SAHM!I’ve been so terrified of following my own dream of become a personal finance blogger but with all of these success stories (like yours) I did it! I created my blog the other day! I saw the above post about side hustles and it inspired me to write about my successful side hustle experience after I got laid off from my job (and was living paycheck to paycheck…scary!) I made a $1000 in a week with this side hustle.
http://www.myworkmoneylife.com/2016/09/28/howimade1000inaweek/
Your posts have reminded me that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and more than one way to be successful (as opposed to the 9-5 grind). I am a firm believer that God let me see your posts around the same time I’ve been doing this. Hard work really does pay off and I can’t wait to see the fruits of my (upcoming) labor!
HI Catherine! I LOVE this comment! Thank you for sharing that with me… I am SO excited for you – blogging is an absolutely wonderful but scary thing to do… and I can’t wait to see how the journey goes for you. I’ve started a blogging resources page (in case you haven’t found it) an you should defenitly check it out. just click on the “Start a blog” button on my menu. And please feel free to ask questions. (And I gotta say lady, you hit the NAIL ON THE HEAD with your blog post title. People will read that… well done!)
Thanks Carly! This has been a great start. I hope people do read it and help them as much as it’s helped me when I needed it.
I clicked on your blog resource page and I just have to say thank you! I have made made my professional email for my site, set up an ‘about me’ and ‘contact me’ page, and got rid of all of the generics of the site. Your blog post really helped! 🙂
On a semi related note, I noticed that you have some articles regarding anxiety. I know ALL about that! I have let it cripple me in the past (from work, relationships, you name it!)…but not anymore! I’ve decided I’m going to write articles about things that have helped me with my anxiety (what I believe stemming from growing up with a paranoid schizophrenic parent). If you don’t mind me asking, do you know (or would be willing to share…if you don’t I completely understand and hope this isn’t offensive/embarrassing to you) what the root of your anxiety is? I’m always curious to know how this has come to be with other people.
HI Catherine! I’m SO happy you enjoyed the blog resources, I plan on adding more in the future – I just haven’t QUITE gotten around to it :p but be sure to check back! All that stuff you did was important stuff, and now that it’s done you can more or less forget about it for a while (yay!).
The anxiety stuff is really near and dear to my heart, I know it doesn’t fit in as well on the blog as the money stuff or the housekeeping stuff, but I think it’s so important the we share the things that help us the most with our biggest strugles with other people (and I’m so excited that’s what you are going to do too!!). I don’t mind talking about my anxiety at all – but the tricky thing is there doesn’t seem to have been a “cause” for mine. I’ve had it literally as long as I can remember, starting with night terrors as a kid. I think some of us might just be born pre-disposed. I do believe that as I got older blood sugar issues played a big part in compounding it. And that of course, creates new bad habits (in our brains, bad neural pathways) that make anxiety easy to fall into. I see it sort of like a snowball effect, if that makes sense??
How do you even start a blog? I love to write but the process seems terrifying and that in itself scares me… With 5 children I need to get it started. Please help!
HI Natalie – I’ve sent you an email 🙂 starting a blog CAN seem daunting, but just take it one step at a time. I do have a post on how to start a blog (and a whole series of posts on what to do next, that you can find here.) Feel free to shoot me an email with questions!
May I get that information also? I am in my 60’s, have no retirement monies to live on in the future and the work I do it hurting my body so this may be something I could do and take the stress off of my future. Thank you so much.
HI Dorene – I’m sorry – which information are you reffering to?
You got one thing right Carly, there’ a whole lot of SCAMS out there. I have “Been there and done that” and got burned so many times. My interest is photography. Maybe it’s time I focus on that. Thank you Carly. Like they say ” if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life”
HI Anna! That is SO great – I love photography and it doesn’t even feel like work when I shoot a wedding or portraits or whatever. (And it’s DEFINITELY not a scam.) Good Luck!
Wow, I must have read thousands of blogs by now and in most I can tell people are just putting stuff together to “sell”. Carly you seem really down to earth and sound more like your willing to help then make a buck off of your readers…this will be the first for me, but I will follow you especially since I want to start a blog of my own and you are quite inspirational. Thanks…
HI Mark! Your comment made me so happy this morning! Thank you so much 🙂 Don’t get me wrong here, I am making money, but I believe you can make money AND be useful – which I get the feeling you will do with your blog. Good luck on your venture – it’s such an incredible journey (scary & challenging, but wonderful too). Looking forward to see what you create – stop back and drop off a link here when it’s up and running.
Great and easy to implement tips on how to make extra money!
Thanks Tyler 🙂
Love the post on “Side Hustles” Carly, practical ways to make money instead of some of the normal #BS you see out there.. Nice blog..
Thanks so much Keith!! I get sick of the BS too! (It’s hard to keep it from creeping in a little bit, but generally it IS my goal to keep it out lol).
Hi Carly, your blog is awesome. I love that you are Canadian (is it just me or are we not well represented in the blogosphere?). I am reading everything I can get my hands on with the plan to start a blog and you are a great resource.
Hi Amanda – we are TOTALLY not represented lol. I’d love to see your blog when you get it up and running. Stop back and let me know how it’s going!! Blogging is so awesome, (hard sometimes, but awesome!) and you will LOVE IT.
Hi there, I’m definitely going to try all of your suggested ways to earn extra money. Thanks for posting them.
HI Micheal – I hope they work out for you! Thank you for reading 🙂