"This is your year!" - Said every YouTube life coach ever.

Seriously though, this is your year... to start a side hustle!

Side hustling in addition to your full-time job is one of the quickest ways to better your financial situation. You can use that extra money to build an emergency fund, pay off your student loans or even better, start a new career and life.

A lot of people focus so much on cutting expenses in their budget to save more but if you look to creative ways to make more money and increase your income, you will see your options bust wide open.

However, working a side hustle you hate just for the sake of more money isn't going to get you anywhere but burnt out. I rather start a side hustle for a passion I have but I know that just isn't the case for everyone. Some of us are in less than ideal financial situations and seriously need that extra money.

Don't settle for something that sucks the life out of you, no matter the number of dollar signs it could bring. And more importantly, watch out for scams.

Some of the side hustle ideas listed below are easier to start than others and some require a specific skill set to pull off. All are also scam-free.

Let's discuss each one a little deeper, shall we? Who knows, by the end of this article you might have a groundbreaking idea (with a little motivation) for your next venture.

1. Sell items on eBay and Craigslist.

Selling items on eBay or Craigslist is one of the easiest side hustles you will see on this list (and also why it is listed first). It requires little investment and is low risk.

Items that sell easily on eBay include collectibles, brand name clothing and accessories, electronics, computers and accessories, antiques, etc.

Things that do well on Craigslist include larger things like car parts, fish tanks, gaming consoles, etc.

Honorable mention: If you have a lot of electronics you need to get rid of (including phones, tablets, DVDs, video games, etc), maybe try out Decluttr. On Decluttr you can easily sell tech and ship to Decluttr for free!

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Related: 12 Sites Like Craigslist to Buy and Sell Anything

2. Rent out extra space on Airbnb.

If you have extra space to rent out in your house or on your property, Airbnb is for you. Depending on where you are located, you can easily make an extra $2,000 a month from renting out your space.

If you can outsource the cleaning and maintenance of the rental space, you can turn your Airbnb side hustle profits into passive income!

Related: How to Become an Airbnb Host (& Host Like a Pro)

3. Become a local travel guide in your area.

Did you know that you can also become a travel guide through Airbnb? Just create an Airbnb 'Experience' to list on the app in your local area and you are in business.

Searching through tour guide associations through the different city, state or national levels can get you some good job prospects as well. You can look for tour guide associations here.

Related: 31 Ways To Save Money When You Travel

4. Deliver for DoorDash or UberEats.

A reliable source of transportation, a valid driver's license and car insurance is all you need to pull off this side gig.

DoorDash is one of the easiest food delivery services you can work for. Earn more money in your spare time delivering food with your car, scooter or bicycle. DoorDash pays fast and you can get your first check in your first week.

Now with Uber Eats, there is more opportunity added to the playing field. If you don’t have a car, you can still deliver food with Uber Eats using a scooter or a bike, depending on your location.

Sign up here to deliver with Uber Eats.

Sign up here to deliver with DoorDash.

Related: 3 Ways Driving with Uber Can Help You Save Up For a Trip

5. Write an eBook.

Do you have an awesome idea for an eBook or an e cook book?

Maybe you have a success story about your life or a specific skill set you want to share with others to improve their own lives or careers?

Write an eBook about it and self publish it on Amazon!

Read how this guy was able to become a millionaire from his book idea.

Related: 19 Passive Income Ideas to Stop Trading Time for Money in 2019

6. Walk dogs or pet sit.

If you are an animal lover, getting paid for dog walking or pet sitting might be the perfect side hustle for you.

Apps like Rover allow anyone to apply to be a dog walker, a daily pet sitter, provide overnight boarding for dogs, and a wide variety of other pet-related services.

You can set your own rate and availability in the app. I have seen some dog walkers listed for as much as $20 per half-hour walk.

------> Check out my review of working for Rover in this Rover Sitter Review of how I made money doing what I do best, rolling around with cats.

Related: 15 Side Hustle Apps to Make Extra Money

7. Start a blog.

Are you passionate about something that you can write at least 100 articles on it? That's blogging in a nutshell.

Well, and you have to be somewhat likable to your audience. If you want to be able to successfully build a following and monetize your blog for the long run, take some tips from the Sell Me This Pen riddle.

I make over $2,000 (and that continues to grow) with my blog as a side hustle (this blog right here) and it has been such an amazing experience. Because of this blog I have been able to work with big-name publications, amazing brands and have been able to meet some amazing people along the way.

Related: Blogging as a Side Hustle: My Mid Year Checkin

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8. Create a course.

Do you love to paint in your spare time and have a unique way of painting that people love? Create a course on it.

You could sell that course for around $200 (this depends on what the course entails). Sell it to 50 people and you will be $10,000 richer.

Platforms like Teachable make online course creation idiot proof and offer tons of tips, guides, etc to help you through the entire process.

Related: How to Hack Your Future By Getting a Side Hustle

9. Answer other people's questions on JustAnswer.

Justanswer.com is a site where you can get paid for answering other people's questions.

People come to this site to ask questions to a variety of different categories of experts. How much you can make per answer you provide as an expert depends on the amount that the person is willing to pay for the answer.

Related: 28 Ways to Make an Extra $100 a Day

10. Teach English online.

If you have a bachelors degree, high speed internet connection and a headset, then you could make up to $26 teaching English online.

Companies like Magic Ears and VIP KID allow you to work remote as little or as often as you like as an online teacher.

Apply here to become a teacher with Magic Ears.

Apply here to become a teacher with VIP KID.

Related: Teach English Online: 10 Companies That Will Pay You to Teach and Work From Anywhere

11. Rent out your car.

You can literally get paid now for renting out your car in a similar way to renting out a space in your home on Airbnb.

Turo is this amazing app that is basically the Airbnb of cars.

The basic idea is getting paid for other people to rent your car instead of them renting cars from services like Enterprise or Hertz. What you can make in a month with your car depends on it's market value.

If the market value of your car is low to average you can easily make $300-$600 or more a month renting out your car. If you have a car with a somewhat-high market value, you can easily make $1,000 or more.

Related: 12+ Side Hustle Ideas to Make Extra Cash This Month

12. Freelance skills you already have on Fiverr.

Let's say you have experience with web design, web development, copywriting, PR, etc. You could freelance your skills on Fiverr and set your own rate for each project.

For example: If you enjoy writing and can show some sample work on your Fiverr profile, you could easily sell your freelance writing skills on Fiverr.

Related: How to Calculate Your Freelance Rate (Taxes Included)

13. Review books online.

Another way to make extra money as a freelance writer is by reviewing books online. The U.S. Review of Books pays people to write book reviews for their site.

The average review range from 250-300 words and should summarize the book. Book reviews should also include insights drawn from the reading.

Book reviewers that are accepted by the U.S. Review of Books are paid monthly.

Related: Get Paid to Read Books: 12 Ways to Make Money as a Bibliophile

14. Get a part time job.

You can get a part time job as a bartender, cutting grass, cleaning houses, doing front desk work, catering, etc.

I once had a part time job (mainly on the weekends) as a brand ambassador for Bacardi. It paid $25 an hour to give out free samples of Bacardi at liquor stores, grocery stores and bars. It was a fun time and a great side hustle for extra cash.

Related: Steady App Review: 10 Side Hustles That You Can Do Through The Steady App

15. Become a social media manager or virtual assistant.

If you are great with social media and know how to reach people on various platforms, you could start your own social media management side business.

Virtual assistants can also be social media managers or they can just be used to complete admin tasks such as email and customer service.

You can start out by joining Facebook groups aimed at website owners, bloggers and other small business owners. Go through them looking for people that might need social media management or virtual assistant services.

Related: 15 Remote Jobs That Pay More Than $15 Hourly

16. Sell your designs on Threadless.

Threadless is a site where you place current designs and artwork of yours on a variety of products including clothing, home decor, mugs, etc.

After you get your shop set up, all you have to do is submit your design and what you want to sell with your design on it. Threadless takes care of all the marketing, packaging, shipping, and even customer support.

Related: How to Make Money as an Artist

17. Sell your handcrafted items on Etsy.

So many people now utilize Etsy to sell their uniquely crafted goods and digital products.

Are you aware of something in high demand within a certain niche?

Let's say you know how to make gorgeous costumes and see that the certain costumes you make aren't yet listed for sale on Etsy by other sellers. There is a gap you can fill and thus be able to really stand out on Etsy.

Down the line, you could turn your Etsy side business into your full-time day job.

Related: 10 DIY Crafts to Sell for Extra Money

18. Narrate audio books.

If you love to read books and have a voice that people love listening to, try audiobook narration.

To get started narrating, you will need:

A mic
Pop screen
Headphones
Recording and editing software
A quiet space and a computer

With the rise of Audible, the demand for audiobook narrators is climbing so it will be fairly easy to find work. To start looking for work, you should start networking in Facebook groups and online forums where people are audiobook narrators.

19. Get paid to listen to music in your spare time.

Musicxray.com is a site that pays users $12 per hour to listen to music online.

After you sign up, they send music straight to your inbox. You get 10 cents for every 30 second audio. This adds up to $12 an hour if you consistently go through the audio they send you, without interruptions.

Related: 10 Summer Money Making Ideas for College Students

20. Complete tasks for others on TaskRabbit.

If you are handy and can fix things easily or can perform manual labor without complaining too much, TaskRabbit will pay you for it!

On TaskRabbit, people list the chores or tasks they need completed and you sign up for the ones you want. You can set your own rates and your own hours.

Honorable mention: Handy is another app that you can get paid for completing tasks for others (usually house cleaning, home improvement, furniture assembly tasks, etc).

Related: How to Make an Extra $1000 This Month With Your Phone

21. Make videos on YouTube.

You can literally make MILLIONS on YouTube. Not from day 1, but eventually.

Currently a 7 year old is the highest paid YouTuber at $22 million dollars. Seriously. He does toy reviews.

Take a page from that play book. If there is something you have an interest in whether it be makeup, movies, fashion, cars, etc and start recording reviews of products.

Related: Blogging for Beginners: 30 Blogging Resources to Create and Maintain a Profitable Blog

22. Sell stuff on Facebook Marketplace.

Facebook Marketplace is like the upgraded version of Craigslist. It makes it possible for you to list and sell items in your local area and keep all the communication within Facebook so you feel safer when going to meet up for the exchange.

We recently sold a base amp on Facebook because it was too large to sell on eBay that the shipping costs would have been astronomical. We made $300 off the sale.

Related: 22 Creative Ways to Turn Your Clutter Into Cash

23. Make money off of your photography skills.

Shutterstock will pay you up to $120 per image download of your photos. Over time, the more you earn increases how much you earn per image.

If you are a seasoned photographer, this is a great way to earn extra income passively. Take a photo once, earn from it multiple times.

Shutterstock will also pay you for referring other photographers to the site.

Related: 40 Easy Ways to Make Money Online

24. Resell brand name clothing on Poshmark.

You can buy designer brands for cheap from stores like Clothes Mentor and resell them on Poshmark for full price.

Brands that do well on Poshmark are Kate Spade, PINK and Coach.

Related: How to Start A Dropshipping Store

25. Resell electronics on Gazelle.

You can instantly sell your mobile device, tablet or laptop on Gazelle. Enter what you want to sell on the site and Gazelle will give an offer in less than a minute.

After that you ship it to them for free and wait for your payment.

Related: The Best Ways to Sell Your Stuff Online and Actually Make Some Money

26. Create a smartphone app.

If you have mobile development experience and knowledge of a current gap in the mobile app market, create your own smartphone app.

When it is completed you can bring it in front of companies that purchase apps to see if they might want to purchase yours.

Related: The Insurance You Really Need If You Have A Side Hustle

27. Invent something new.

Are you an idea person? If so, you could come up with an idea for an invention and then apply for a patent on the idea.

You can either go through with creating a prototype and selling that invention or sell the patent itself.

Related: 4 Side Hustles That Help Us Pay Off Debt

28. Sell your travel videos.

This idea for side income might make a suitable supplement for the digital nomad. If you are often traveling with a camera handy suitable for taking high quality videos, you can get paid for those videos.

You can create video ads for hotels, attractions and restaurants or sell your travel videos to tourism companies.

Related: Building Passive Income as a Digital Nomad

29. Sell your recipes to food magazines.

Did you know you can use your recipes as an income generator? Sites like Cuisine at Home will pay you for your recipe if chosen to be published.

Submit to Cuisine at Home and make up to $100 for published cooking tips.

Related: 26 Cheap Crock Pot Meals

30. Become a book keeper.

Book keepers perform a verity of tasks such as payroll and keeping track of spending. Being a book keeper can be rewarding as you can handle book keeping tasks remotely part time.

You do not need a degree to be a book keeper but you need to be familiar with accounting software and be certified.

Online remote book keeper jobs can be found on job boards such as FlexJobs.

Related: 10 Awesome Online Jobs for Stay at Home Moms

31. Invest in real estate.

Roofstock is where you can buy investment properties that you can start earning rent on as soon as you close on the property.

The property manager does the day to day operations of your property so you can sit back and watch the money roll in.

When signing up for Roofstock you get a $500 credit towards your investments.

Related: How We Made $2000 a Month By Renting Rooms in Our House

32. Promote items and brands on social media.

You can get paid in multiple ways by promoting your favorite stuff on social media. A Brand can pay you to post the content due to your following or hire you as a brand ambassador.

Affiliate links are the most common way to get paid for product promotion. This is when someone clicks your links and makes a purchase, you receive a percentage.

To explore how you can make the most money using affiliate links, I suggest this course on affiliate marketing from someone who makes more than $50,000 monthly.

Related: How to Make Money With Pinterest

33. Deliver groceries for Instacart.

Get paid to grocery shop for others with Instacart. The job is pretty simple and all you need is spare time and a car. You can set your own hours and make tips.

I personally use Instacart and love the service.

34. Test websites for UserTesting.com.

Test websites and apps online and get paid for it on UserTesting.com. If you pass their application process you can get paid up to $60 per test.

UserTesting will pay you via PayPal 7 days after the date of your completed test or tests.

35. Participate in focus groups and research studies.

Participating in online research studies, surveys and focus groups can be easy money if you can qualify. Earn up to $150 an hour by participating in clinical studies with Cashback Research.

Other companies that pay for your opinions include Pinecone Research and Toluna.

Related: 17+ Ways to Make Extra Money By Taking Online Surveys

36. Become a Proofreader.

Do you have a passion for words and reading? You could become an online proofreader and make money with that passion.

Caitlin the creator of the course Proofread Anywhere after she was able to create a living proofreading. She helps others create a remote lifestyle proofreading online and if you want to get started with this side hustle, I recommend her resources. This free workshop of hers is phenomenal!

37. Clean Houses.

If you are a neat freak and have extra time to put those skills to use, you can clean houses and businesses as a side gig.

The apps Steady and AppJobs list a variety of gigs based on your location looking for workers, including cleaning gigs. After you submit your location, browse for cleaning jobs you can get started with.

Or get with a couple of friends who also enjoy cleaning and see about creating your own side business.

Related: 14 Best Mobile Apps to Make Money When You’re Strapped for Cash

38. Get Handy.

Have you heard of the app called Handy? Handy is an app that connects people that need jobs done like carpentry, furniture assembly, cleaning, etc with workers who can fulfill those jobs.

You can sign up on the app as Handy Pro and apply to jobs in your area.

Related: 14 Reasons to Start a Side Hustle (From 14 Different People)

39. Write Resumes.

Resume writers do exactly that. They write, review and edit resumes for others looking for assistance because of their specific insight into what companies look for on a resume.

The demand for this specific service is high especially with the number of online job boards that resumes tend to fall into a black hole on.

If you possess this specific skill and insight, you can find jobs by looking at various sites like:

Virtual Vocations
FlexJobs
ProBlogger
Google "resume writing jobs"
Join freelance writing Facebook groups

40. Become a Personal Chef.

personal chef side hustle idea

I love to cook but my skillset is nowhere near the level to become a personal chef. However, I know many that could make a killing at this hustle.

The only downside to becoming a personal chef as a side job is that you can't necessarily do it remotely. But it is a fun and immersive way to express your creativity making dishes for unique tastes.

Check out this article for more on becoming a personal chef if this idea sparks your interest.

Related: How To Make $10,000 a Month Using Skills You Already Have

41. Develop a Physical Product to Sell.

Developing physical products to market and sell is not as easy as it sounds. There is a lot of research involved.

But if you create the perfect product your audience needs to solve a problem, that is all you need - for it to solve their problem.

Think of something that frustrates you and invent something new to solve that frustration (or modify and existing concept). Then work with others who specialize in marketing, etc to get the word out about your product.

42. Create a Comic.

This is something I have always wanted to do. From my days of writing Sailor Moon fanfiction manga, I dreamed of growing up to become an illustrator but other things in life got in the way.

There are a few people who have made a killing creating graphic novels and comics though. Like Gaby Dunn from Bad With Money for instance, she created a graphic novel called Bury The Lede.

I suggest you start with pure creativity mind dumps on this one and just get to drawing. See what you can come up with.

43. Become a Personal Shopper or Mystery Shopper.

Personal shopping is a little different than mystery shopping, even though they both basically allow you to get paid to shop.

Personal shopping is when you help others shop by giving advice and making suggestions. Mystery shopping is when you complete tasks at stores for companies for market research.

I've done a few mystery shopping jobs through BestMark before and apps like EasyShift.

They don't pay great but don't take much time to complete either. I say they are at least worth the extra cash. Personal shopping, however, has the potential to shift into your own business if you play your cards right.

Related: 9 Best Mystery Shopping Apps to Make More Side Money

44. Create Websites for Small Businesses.

After I left my first job out of college at a startup out of complete misery, I found a sweet gig freelancing for small businesses developing and supporting Wordpress sites. I still waited tables during the day because I didn't have enough work to support the bills I had at the time but that money helped for sure.

You can post your services on sites like Upwork or Fiverr or create your own business doing this work like Dabble Media did (they did my lovely site's redesign).

45. Flip Houses.

Flipping houses is something I've always wanted to try but saw too much risk in it. But if you have the knowledge of who to hire to get these jobs done and the skills to do it successfully, I say go for it.

A friend of ours Rachel of Flip Chick flips houses in St. Louis and does pretty well. She is also an artist and a well-known painter.

I love it when I come across the perfect side hustle idea that lets your creativity flow freely!

Quick ways to make side cash:

Nielsen is a company that will pay you for your internet usage. All you have to do is download their app and register your devices. Check it out here.
HealthyWage is where you can participate in individual weight loss challenges and get paid for hitting weight loss goals.
Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars will pay you to read emails, take surveys, play games, complete offers and much more. You basically get paid to play around on your phone to pass the time when you are bored. Did I mention they pay you an additional $5 just for signing up for each.
Download Ebates and Ibotta to get a $10 welcome bonuses on each. Then earn cash back and more bonuses on the purchases you already make online and in store.
Download S'more to get even more rewards and cash back just for unlocking your phone screen. S'more is a lock screen rewards app that allows you to earn points in exchange for us placing ads and content on your lock screen.

Related: InboxDollars Review: What Happened When We Tried It

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a side hustle?

A side hustle is anything you do for money on the side of your day job or other part-time jobs. This could include active income from actual side jobs or a project you set up to generate passive income down the line. They can also be entrepreneurial ventures started on the side of your day job with the intention of building a full-time business from.

How do you start a side hustle?

The easiest way to start a side hustle is to start with an idea and then think of the cheapest way to get that idea rolling. Keep upfront costs and investments low until you build up a client base for feedback and later adjustment. Refer to the full list of side hustle ideas to get your gears turning.

What are the most popular side hustles?

Some of the most popular side hustles include freelancing, virtual consulting and assistant work, digital marketing, investing and participating in the "gig-economy" through apps like DoorDash, Instacart, Airbnb and Lyft. Check out our full list of ideas for which one might work best for you.

What are the most profitable side hustles?

Real estate investing seems to be the most lucrative and long term profitable side hustle, earning an estimated $90 an hour of passive income. Read our full list of side hustle ideas to find other profitable side hustles.

What's the best side hustle for me?

When thinking about the best side hustle for you, first think about what skills and experience you already currently possess that you can monetize. Think of what your interests are, what you enjoy doing, how much time you are willing to devote to it, your overall goals and what kind of side hustle can help serve those goals. Check out our full list to see which one grabs your attention.

Do you have to pay taxes on side hustles?

You will need to pay a self-employment tax rate of 15.3% on any side hustle income earnings if you are expecting to make more than $400 in a given year. This is in addition to income tax. In total, you are looking at around 25%-30% of taxes that you will be expected to pay. You can opt at your current employer to take out these extra taxes for you or pay estimated quarterly taxes to the IRS.

Concluding Thoughts

Whether you are starting a side hustle for extra needed money or to start a passionate venture of yours, try to balance your time as much as possible. In the past I let my side hustles take up a bit too much of my life and burnt out quick. I don't want the same to happen to you.

Your health is always #1.

If you are wanting to start your own side business, that is awesome! But be sure to do a lot of research.

You don't want to commit to something that you aren't fully versed in the expectations. I suggest consulting a business coach or someone to help you get together a business plan.

Remember there are different tax requirements when you work certain side hustles because you will have a self-employment tax that you don't have with your full-time day job.

For those starting out, I recommend hurdlr. The app automatically tracks your mileage, expenses, income streams and tax deductions in real-time from your side hustles. People have found an average of $5,600 of tax deductions while using hurdlr. T

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