The past several years have been a financial challenge for many Americans. Rising costs have made many feel like they can’t make any headway towards achieving their goals. If you’re at wits end of what to do, a side gig can be a fantastic way to help make ends meet, or even allow you to make solid progress towards reaching a goal. If you want to optimize your finances this year, here are 12 awesome side hustle ideas to consider trying.
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Sell Printables
Selling printables is a fantastic side business option that offers many ways to make extra money.
The beauty of selling printables is that they are low-cost, high-profit products that you can tailor to various niches.
Plus, you can create most for free using Canva or other editing software. Whether it’s planners, wall art, or checklists, there is a large market for digital downloads that you can print off at home.
With platforms like Etsy or Gumroad, setting up an online store and marketing your products to a worldwide audience is easy. And they handle inventory and shipping.
Freelancing
The world is moving online, and the gig economy continues to grow by the day. Now, when businesses seek short- and long-term work for important projects, they turn to freelancing sites like Fiverr or Upwork.
If you have experience in a niche such as writing, coding, or graphic design, you can translate those skills into a side hustle through a freelancing platform.
These platforms facilitate reliable, protected connections between hard-working freelancers and prospective clients.
The benefit is that you have the flexibility to choose which jobs are right for you and set your rate and hours.
Consultant
Chances are you have some valuable skills acquired over the years, either from your career or personal interests. Now is the time to use these skills to make some extra money by helping others.
For example, if you are a nurse, you can use your skills to teach new mothers basic first aid care.
If you are a finance person, you can coach people to help them improve their financial situation.
Take a few minutes, list your skills, and then find people who need your help.
Dog Walking
Dog walking is a fun side gig if you don’t have the time or resources to set up a doggie daycare.
Most dog breeds need 30-60 minutes of exercise daily, which can be challenging for owners who are away at work or have other commitments.
Like with pet sitting, you can network in your local community to see who could benefit from your services.
Not only do you get the exercise of walking, but you can enjoy the company of man’s best friend while you’re out and about. Rover is a helpful resource to use if you need to locate clients for this side gig.
Blogging
While freelance writing is a great way to earn extra money, you only make money when you produce content.
Running your own website, however, allows for the potential for passive income. This means that after you write content, you can continue getting paid.
So, if you have a knack for sharing information, whether it’s about travel, food, gaming, beauty, fashion, or architecture, blogging is a great way to express yourself to your audience. You can make money via ads, affiliate marketing, and more.
It’s not difficult to start a blog, but it does take work to achieve success.
Babysitting
Babysitting and childcare are highly profitable services that are constantly in demand. If you’re good with kids, there’s a market for you.
It’s also a very low-cost side hustle that requires very little investment, and gig management websites like Care.com, SitterCity, and UrbanSitter can help you attract clients and manage payments.
Word of mouth is also very powerful when it comes to babysitting. Demonstrate your skills and cement yourself as the go-to sitter over time
Senior Sitting
Senior sitting is the obvious flipside of the coin.
As in-home senior care advances through remote monitoring, more families are trying to keep their loved ones close rather than opting for an assisted living facility.
This opens up opportunities for companions to come alongside while primary caregivers are away from home.
As with babysitting, certification can bolster your reputation and make you a more attractive candidate for a companion.
Make Money With Your Body
Here is an often overlooked but lucrative way to make easy money: your body.
Most people know they can donate blood plasma and get paid $50 to $100, but many don’t realize there are more opportunities than just this.
If you recently had a child, you can sell your breastmilk to other mothers or bodybuilders. Or you could become a surrogate and make $20,000 or more.
Personal Assistant
Professionals in many fields have many day-to-day tasks they must complete. If you enjoy the hustle and bustle of everyday life, you can help them complete their checklist on time.
That might include tasks like taking the kids to school, shopping for groceries, or other errands.
Time management skills are important; you’ll likely need a vehicle to launch a personal assistant side hustle.
If you’re competent with organizational and administrative tasks, you can expand your assistant career to become an executive assistant, helping company executives manage their time and tasks.
Car Washing
If you love the look of a squeaky clean car, then a car washing service might be your ideal side hustle. You can offer your service to neighbors and businesses.
Some businesses, like taxi services, have fleet vehicles that need washing and cleaning regularly.
Contact some potential candidates in your area to see how you can get started.
You can secure reliable, long-term work if you have competitive rates, timely service, and perform quality service.
To start a car washing side gig, you will likely need, at minimum, the appropriate cleaning tools and a sturdy vacuum.
Tutoring
If you’re creative, then odds are that you like to share your creativity with the world.
Whether you’re a proficient musician, artist, or athlete, tutors, and personal instructors are always in high demand.
Tutoring is especially relevant to college students, who may benefit from the flexibility that tutoring and coaching offer.
You can market your services directly to parents looking for sessions for their kids.
Moreover, you can readily fit tutoring sessions into your schedule, allowing you to be flexible.
Don’t forget that adult learners can be part of your side gig, and their availability might fit better with your schedule.
Startup costs are virtually nonexistent if you have a musical instrument already, although you might choose to invest in another instrument so that your students can play concurrently.
Platforms like Wyzant, Skooli, and TakeLessons.com create a support network for gig-focused tutors and coaches.
Narrating
With busy lives, more people than ever are turning to audiobooks as they can listen faster than read.
As a result, there is a demand for people to narrate books. This is where you come in.
If you have a good voice, you can be the person reading aloud. The best place to find work is ACX, which is owned by Amazon.
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I’m John Schmoll, a former stockbroker, MBA-grad, published finance writer, and founder of Frugal Rules.
As a veteran of the financial services industry, I’ve worked as a mutual fund administrator, banker, and stockbroker and was Series 7 and 63-licensed, but I left all that behind in 2012 to help people learn how to manage their money.
My goal is to help you gain the knowledge you need to become financially independent with personally-tested financial tools and money-saving solutions.
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