I started a new job in January and I absolutely love it! It utilizes my skills and passions, and I enjoy getting up to go to work every morning. Another upside is that I have a 5 minute commute to work each morning. With such a short commute, I am able to put in my 40 hours of work a week in just 4 days-meaning that I ended up with an extra free day while Jacob was still at work! I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to work a little extra, or have a “side hustle.” A couple weeks into my new job, my old boss emailed me asking if I’d be interested in working 5 hours a week from home to help out with his business. It was a perfect opportunity for me to work a little extra and bring home a little bit more income each month.
Jacob and I are very diligent and gazelle intense right now when it comes to paying off our student loans. We take every extra dime we have at the end of the month and put it straight to our debt. While we’re able to budget for this with our regular incomes, having an extra side hustle gives us some extra cash to reach our goals quicker! Whether you are working on paying off debt or trying to save for something great, a side hustle is a great way to boost your income. If you have extra time in your week, why not work and make a little bit of extra cash? Here are a few side hustles you can start this week:
1. Uber/Lyft Driving
If driving strangers doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable, Uber or Lyft is a great way to make some extra cash. You get to work when you want, which makes it very flexible. And working during peak hours can mean that you make twice as much as normal due to surge pricing. You need to have a car that is 10 years old or newer though. If our cars weren’t 16 and 19 years old, I’d definitely have Jacob do this!
2. Babysitting or Pet Sitting
When you’re out of college, you may feel so done with babysitting if you’ve been doing it since you were 12. But the truth is that parents can pay a whole lot to people who take care of their kids. Babysitting one or two nights a week isn’t a huge commitment but will bring in a great chunk of extra change. And kids are just so darn cute! Similar to babysitting, many people will also pay a lot for someone to take care of their furry babies.
3. Open an Etsy Shop
If you are crafty or artistic, use your skills and abilities to open your own easy shop! I haven’t done this personally because I am neither crafty nor artistic, but I have friends who do this! I have even had friends who made products and sold them on social media to contribute financially to a mission trip they were going on. Whether it is for a specific trip or extra cash for meeting your personal financial goals, embrace your skills and abilities to open up your own small business!
4. Sell things on Ebay/Craigslist
When my husband was a senior in college, he lived off campus in an apartment with 3 other guys. To furnish this apartment, they got free couches, chairs, tables and dressers off of Craigslist. And let me tell you, they were extremely ugly. I mean, they were free for a reason! But my smart husband (being the business major he is) turned around and sold all this free furniture for a profit at the end of the school year. Not too much of a profit, but we still laugh about that ugly furniture shared by 4 single 22 year old guys. If you have random things around your home that you need to declutter, sell it!
5. Become a Jack of all Trades
When you’re really trying to reach your financial goals, you’ll probably say yes to any extra income opportunity that comes your way. For Jacob and I this has included modeling wedding dresses for someone to sell, painting, hanging closet shelves, and anything in between. If someone is willing to pay you for something you may know how to do, always say yes!