16 Easy Side Hustle Ideas to Make Extra Cash

Key Points:

• There’s tons of ways to make money on the side, and it’s up to you how far you take them

• Use your hobbies or interests to make money, or do simple work on your own time

• Combined with a full time job, a side hustle can get you serious cash in a short time

It’s tax season yet again. For the self-employed, this tends to be one of the more annoying times of the year. If your wallet is feeling the squeeze, you might be interested in picking up a side hustle. You can leverage your own skills or hobbies to pick some easy cash outside of your normal work. For some side hustle ideas you can take advantage of right now, read on.

What is a side hustle?

Basically, a side hustle is a way to make money outside of the confines of a normal job. There are plenty of ways to make money on the side, including work done in and away from home. Your own hobbies can be a source of money for you, or you may be able to fill temporary roles at a business related to your day job.

The main goal with your side hustle should be to make you money and not eat up all your time. You may not make enough from it support yourself, but combining the cash from your regular work and side job can make those monthly bills sting a little less.

For this article, we’ll be listing a wide range of side hustle ideas, but we can’t cover anything. It’s important that you’re able to recognize opportunities in your own life to make a little extra cash, and see how far you can take them. That said, let’s dive right in.

Easy online side hustles

If you hate leaving the house, great news! The 21st century is here, and there’s tons of ways to fatten your wallet without leaving your gaming chair. Depending on your level of education, skillset, and interests, some of these ideas may be better or worse for you.

Freelance writing

While ChatGPT is bearing down the writing industry, there’s still opportunities for human writers. If you enjoy writing and can string together sentences with regularity, you can make $20-$30 an hour by selling your writing to interested parties.

The rise of AI writing means that niche writing is far more valuable than generalized content that can be easily churned out by a machine. If you’re knowledgeable about a specific subject without extensive coverage posted online, you stand a much better chance at landing a job over AI.

Online tutoring

For the straight-A students and starving undergrads, you can leverage those smarts by becoming an online tutor. There are a variety of platforms like Tutor.com, Preply, and Superprof that specialize in online tutoring. You can set your experience and qualifications, and connect with students who need help.

Online tutors can expect to make $15-$50 per hour, depending on their qualifications and the client.

Digital Marketing side hustle

Do you have experience with web design or social media management? You can try reaching out to local businesses and offer to establish or upgrade their existing social media presence. Many small business owners are in way over their heads when it comes to digital marketing. Depending on how you negotiate, you can make hundreds working with clients.

Reselling items online

Surprise, surprise, the folks over at Resell Calendar like reselling. The fact is, buying and reselling the right items has the single highest effort to profit ratio out of all the methods in this article. If you’re a complete noob, we have plenty of guides to help you get started reselling.

A successful reseller can make a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per month. With enough capital and the proper investments, profits can stretch into five figure amounts.

Offline side hustles that make money

While working online can be very lucrative, it’s also highly competitive. The global proliferation of the internet means anyone in the world can take a job, and many are willing to work cheap. Additionally, post-pandemic society has cemented remote work as a legitimate option. Many Americans have shifted to fully online work in a variety of fields.

On the flip side, there are still plenty of opportunities for offline side hustles. Working locally is a great way to connect with your local community, and you might just prefer working under the sun over typing at a computer. Here are a few ideas.

Dog walking and pet sitting

If you don’t mind waking up early and you’re good with animals, walking dogs is an easy way to score some cash and get paid to exercise. Rover and Wag are two popular platforms for freelancers looking to work with animals, but you can also just ask your neighbors or coworkers if they’d be interested in having you walk their dogs.

Depending on the job and client, dog walking can pay from $5-$20 an hour. Pet sitting is another opportunity for animal lovers, and can pay $20-$50 per day.

Car detailing

Working with cars can be meditative for some people. It can also be pretty lucrative, and only requires an attention to detail and some basic tools. Car detailing is essentially a deep clean of a customer’s car; washing, waxing, vacuuming, and getting into all the nooks and crannies.

There are probably a few professional detailers near you, but you can do it yourself and get business by offering competitive rates. Customers will generally pay $50-$500 for a detail, depending on the level of cleaning and car.

Lawn care and gardening

Has anyone ever told you you have a green thumb? If so, working on other people’s yards and gardens could be a great side hustle for you. With spring well underway, homeowners will often be struggling with the renewed responsibility of caring for their lawns.

Mowing lawns can pay anywhere from $10-$100 depending on the job, while landscaping and gardening will typically net $10-$20 per hour.

Reselling products locally

Yep, reselling can still be extremely lucrative even locally. Depending on your area and who is buying what, you can make reliable profits by buying and selling items within your local community. It can be as simple as buying consoles from local retailers and flipping them on Facebook Marketplace or scouring stores for hidden gems.

Additionally, items sourced locally can still be resold online. You can find vintage vinyl records or designer clothes sold cheap at garage sales and thrift shops, and list them online for serious profit.

Summer side hustles

Spring is here, which means summer is on its way. While everyone else is camping out under the AC or at the beach, you can make some easy money doing summer side hustles.

Pool cleaning

Depending on where you live, there may be people with pools and hot tubs that lay dormant during the winter. Getting pools ready for the summer isn’t terribly difficult, and you can make decent money doing it.

Once a pool is brought out of dormancy, you can also arrange to come around on a regular schedule for cleanings. A pool cleaning can net you anywhere from $20-$40, and if the owner doesn’t mind, you can take a swim after you’re done.

Lifeguarding and camp counseling

During the summer, pools and beaches will need certified lifeguards. You’ll need to be in good shape, and take a course through the Red Cross to qualify. A full lifeguard course takes around 30 hours of classes. Lifeguarding is a good way to get some time in the sun, and pays $10-$20 an hour.

Working at a camp is also an option during the summer months. Depending on your skills and interests, there’s a variety of different opportunities for a camp counselor, but you’ll have plenty of outdoor time.

Creative side hustles to make money

Taking advantage of your own hobbies and interests is a great way to develop your portfolio and make some extra cash. There are plenty of opportunities for you to harness your creativity, but here are a few examples:

Photography

There are always opportunities for someone with a camera and a good eye. High School senior photos will be in demand soon, with plenty of parents and kids looking for a photographer. Local businesses also need photographers to help them build websites, menus, social media pages, or product shots.

Try asking around if people around you need a photographer. Being handy with Photoshop or other image editing software is important as well.

Music lessons

Play an instrument? Why not teach someone else. Try contacting a local music store and asking if they need instructors. You’ll be teaching kids and adults how to play your instrument at all different skill levels.

Depending on who and what you teach, you could make anywhere from $15-$50 per hour, with an opportunity for tips.

Handmade crafts

There’s plenty of people out there willing to pay for handmade items. Platforms like Etsy have ushered in a new wave of entrepreneurs selling their items to buyers from across the world. It’s never been easier to establish a brand and business for yourself by selling your crafts.

Of course, the money you make is dependent entirely on what you craft. Successful Etsy sellers have been known to net thousands in profit every month, but it takes a lot of work to get to that point.

Skill-based side hustles

You may have developed a skillset or knowledge base that others are willing to pay for. Depending on your interests, there may be tons of ways for you to leverage your own life experience for profit. Here’s a few ideas that might get you going:

Personal training

If you’ve got a six pack, big arms, or any other characteristic that falls under “nice body”, working as a personal trainer could be a great option for you. Depending on the client, you’ll be assisting with workouts, creating exercise plans, developing a diet, or teaching private lessons. You could apply with a local gym to see if they’re looking for personal trainers, or offer your expertise to people you already know.

Many personal trainers can make upwards of $50 per session, but you’ll need to prove your worth if you want customers to book future sessions.

Language tutoring

Teaching a second language is a great way to make money and practice your language skills. While most of your students will be children, there are still adults out there willing to pay to learn a new language, and tutoring can be done online or in person.

English is by far the most in-demand language to be learned, but French, Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin all popular languages. Language tutors can make $20-$60 an hour.

General repairs and handy work

Good with a wrench? Ask around your neighborhood if anyone needs help with household repairs. If you have any elderly neighbors, they might appreciate a younger person helping out with simple chores like cleaning leaves out of gutters or cleaning windows.

Find financial independence with RC Elite

If you’re sick of living paycheck to paycheck, or you just want a little extra in your bank account, joining up with the RC Elite community might be just what you need.

Members have access to tons of information, from reselling cooks, real estate advice, help with starting your business, or even job offers. It’s a place where everyone has a common interest: making money and achieving financial independence. No matter what your goals are for 2023, RC Elite can help you reach them and go even further.