This post may contain affiliate links. FinanceSuperhero only recommends products we know and trust ourselves.
Does it seemlike everyone around you is taking on side jobs to make extra money while you’re left wondering where to begin and how to make the time? Wouldan extra $100 per month help you reach you pay off student loans faster? Would $300 per month allow you to sleep better at night? Couldan extra $500-$1,000 per month totally change your life? Of course!
This kind of earning potential may seem impossible, but it’s not!Even if you’re busy with a full-time job or balancing the never-ending demands of life as a stay-at-home-mom or dad, it is possible to earn extra money in many ways.
21 Ways to Make Extra Money – Even When You’re Busy!
Plenty of bad informationabout money-making side jobs is out there—some ideas are beyond bogus.
Sure, you can turn almost any activity into a money maker with passion and the right set of skills, but busy people like you need straight, no-frills advice on side jobs that actually work and don’t require hours and hours of start-up work. Who has time to figure all of that out?
That’s why you won’t find any junk ideas in this list. I have personally verified each of the side jobs listed below—they’re for real!
I’ve workedsome myself and watched close friends work the rest, and I’ve seen that even extremely busy people can make extra money if the desire is there.
Read through the list below, choose a few side jobs that fit with your schedule and interests, and start making extra money this week.
1.Dog Sitting
If you love dogs, live in a suitable home, and canbe flexible, dog sitting can be an easy way to make money fast week after week. My friends use Roveron a weekly basis—they have earned thousands of dollars in the past year alone!
Signing up with Rover is easy. Simply fill inthe basicinformation requested, upload a professional and friendly picture of you and your spouse, and submit the application. Rover reviews all applications manually, usually in 5-10 days. Rover estimates that 40,000 dog owners currently use their system to find a reliable dog sitter, so your potential reach is huge!
2. Dog Walking
Dog walking can also be a great aide hustle. While most of my friends in college were wasting time watching Friendsre-runs, I picked up a dog walking job and earned upwards of $400 per month for less than onehour per day.
Targeting high end neighborhoods with flyers, posting advertisem*nts on coffee shop boards, and word of mouth can go a long way toward helping anyone find a dog walking job. Some people even make a full-time living as a dog walker!
3. Tutoring
You are an expert in something, especially if you have advanced education. Tutoring can be a great way to leverage your skills and knowledge to make extra money. Several of my friends make over $50 per hour tutoring.
If you are already a teacher, tutoring can be the side hustle that helps you pay off your student loans early. But even if you’re not a licensed teacher, you still have opportunities. Depending on your skill set, reaching out to local schools and universities is a smart move.
Looking for something a little different? Consider teaching English to children overseas with VIPKid.
Never heard of VIPKid? Here’s how it works:
- VIPKid is an online platform that connects 60,000 teachers with over 500,000 students worldwide, allowing teachers to teach English to students in 35 countries around the world.
- VIPKid provides the lessons and curriculum and communicates with parents, leaving you to teach the lessons. All you need to bring to the table is a passion for teaching kids and a computer.
- VIPKid is strict about one thing: you need to have a Bachelor’s degree or higher to become a teacher. However, you do not necessarily need a teaching certificate or teaching experience.
- To get started, you’ll need to fill out a sign-up form and go through a brief interview process. From there, you will also need to demonstrate that you have a stable internet connection and teach a demo lesson.As you can see, VIPKid is committed to only hiring qualified individuals.
- Compared to many other opportunities to make extra money, VIPKid pays really well. Currently, teachers can make anywhere from $14 to $22 per hour, depending upon a few incentives.
Learn more or sign-up to teach with VIPKid here.
4. House Sitting
Would you like to watch over another person’s home and get paid? House sitting is growing more and more common each year as homeowners seek better ways to protect their home and cherished belongings while they are away. If you have good references and connect well with others, house sitting could be your opportunity to make extra money with little effort.
You can set-up an account at HouseCarers.com and start accepting jobs right away.
5. Drive With Uber and Deliver with UberEATS
Have a reliable car and enjoy driving? You can make extra money every day when you become a driver with Uber.
Requirements tend to vary by location, but most people qualify for Uber. Generally, you must have a 4-door vehicle with valid registration and no markings, and you must pass a background check and have a clean driving record. After you are accepted, you simply use your app to turn on and off your availability with a single tap.
My teacher friend, Mike, earns several hundred dollars per week driving for Uber in the summertime. He works only when he feels like it, and he has earned a solid rating from his riders. If you are polite, friendly, and go the extra mile for your riders by offering them use of a phone charger, an auxiliary audio cord, and cool bottled water, you’ll roll in excellent tips and gain repeat riders.
Sign-up with Uber here.
Don’t want the predictable schedule of pizza delivery or the potential awkwardness of driving strangers around as an Uber driver? UberEATS is a better fit that still allows you to make extra money using your car.
As an UberEATS driver, you can take trips for a few hours per day or work just on weekends. You are your own boss and you can choose when and how much you work. And unlike the standard Uber program, you don’t even need to have car – a bike or scooter work in some locations, though you’ll likely earn more if you have a car.
It's quick and easy to sign-up with UberEATS, and you can be on your way to making more money soon.
Pro tip: Sign-up for both programs.
6. Sell Essential Oils
In case you haven’t noticed, Essential Oils are incredibly popular right now. If you enjoy talking to others and have a knack for sales, you could make extra money selling a product you probably already use and love.
I was a major essential oils skeptic until I came down with a head-crushing cold this month. My usual tricks weren’t bringing much relief, so my wife prepared one of our diffusers with a mix of several oils. I actually slept well that night, and a few days later my symptoms were gone.
If you have a similar story, it can serve as a starting point in your sales pitch. Be friendly, personal, and look to show others how essential oils can make their lives better, and you can make extra money selling oils.
7. Take Online Surveys
You aren’t going to get rich overnight taking online surveys, but they are a legitimate way to make extra money. The key to success with surveys is taking them while you are doing other simple, mindless activities.
Have a 45 minute train ride to work? Find yourself waiting for business flights a few times per week? What about Netflix and Hulu binges? These are the perfect times to take surveys.
Some online surveys are sketchy, but the options below are as legit as they come. The best way to make as much money as possible is to sign-up for as many options as you can and watch your email inbox for updates when surveys become available.
Our favorite survey option is SurveyJunkie – hands down. They make it simple to earn points and redeem them for gift cards or PayPal cash.
Survey Downline – This is another high-quality option. Bonus alert: You can earn money by referring friends, too.
Vindale Research – Vindale is 100% SPAM free and pays a $2 sign-up bonus.
VIP Voice – If you’re looking to get started quickly, VIP Voice is a great place to start.
Earning Station – Does getting paid via PayPal or Amazon gift cards sound good?
Harris Poll – Harris is one of the oldest and most reputable survey providers around today.
Pinecone Research (Males Only) – Fellas, this one’s for you. Earn up to $3 per survey. (Sorry, ladies.)
YouGov – This one usually wants males only, too.
Shop Tracker – Sign-up, install the secure app, and start earning by anonymously sharing your purchase data. This one is just about as passive as it gets!
Opinion Outpost – Great for just about everyone!
Nielson Computer and Mobile Panel – Anonymously share your internet usage statistics and get paid. Yup, it’s that easy.
Survey Consensus – Grab a $5 bonus just for signing-up.
I-Say – i-Say offers nice rewards and has a referral program, too.
MySurveyPanel (Mobile) – This survey claims to be the No. 1 provider in the world! Their mobile app is available on all devices.
Opinion Plus Panel – You can redeem your earnings directly through PayPal. And they have a special program for guys!
Recommendation: Bookmark this page so you can come back and sign-up for a few surveys this week.
8. Teach Music Lessons
It’s time for those 10 years of piano lessons and awesome guitar chops to be put to good use! More than ever, music lessons are in high demand, and if you know how to market your skills to the right crowds, it’s easy to make extra money.
When we first got married, my wife nearly paid our $900 rent bill by teaching music lessons to a few families in a nearby wealthy neighborhood. A few years later, she earned enough money through her music studio to pay our mortgage payment each month.
You can get started teaching music lessons through basic word of mouth. Flyers and business cards can be useful, too. Call around to a few local music stores and offer your services as well. Be careful to price your services competitively.
9. Mow Lawns
Personally, I love mowing my lawn and practically spend the winter months counting the days until I can fire up my mower. But I’m definitely in the minority.
With a little bit of networking, sharing your services on local Facebook groups, and distributing simple flyers, you can quickly build a lawn mowing side hustle and earn a few hundred dollars working nights and weekends.
10. Rake Leaves
People hate raking leaves even more than mowing lawns. And they’ll make up just about any excuse to avoid doing it.
That means they’ll pay handsomely for someone to do it for them.
11.Clean Houses
Starting a house cleaning side hustle can be one of the most lucrative ways to make extra money today. If you ask around through friends and family, I can almost guarantee they know someone who would love to have their house cleaned for them while they sit with their feet up and write a check.
12.Work as a Handyman
13. Paint Houses
Some people are allergic to hard work. They outsource everything from lawn care to cleaning their home. Mowing lawns, raking leaves, cleaning houses, painting, and performing handyman work aren’t just small side hustles – they are legitimate small business ideas for people with the right set of skills.
You could earn $1,000+ each month just working a few hours on the weekend!
14. Start a Blog
When I started FinanceSuperhero, I knew I wanted to help people Take Back Control of Life and Money – but I never imagined that it would become profitable so quickly. (I don’t disclose monthly income at this time, but I have no issue whatsoever with bloggers who do!)
But as my traffic grew, I started to make a few dollars here and there through advertising revenue. Then a stream of sponsored post agreements rolled in.
Last spring, I made a concentrated effort to develop a presence for FinanceSuperhero on Pinterest. My traffic grew quickly.
Around the same time, I took the course Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing and began implementing the new affiliate marketing strategies I had learned. I also started automating my pinning on Pinterest with a program called BoardBooster.
The next month, I earned over $1,000 blogging.
The month after that? Just under $1,000.
I don’t regularly publish income reports anymore, but I’m making significantly more money now.
You can start a blog yourself for just $3.95 per month with Bluehost. Whether you plan to write about hobbies, family life, or an extension of career expertise, you can leverage the unlimited potential of the internet to make extra money with a blog.
Check out a few of my favorite bloggers who earn a fantastic full-time income with their blogs:
Caroline – Cow Country Housewife – January 2017 Income – $3,181
Jeff and Ben – Breaking the One Percent – January 2017 Income – $7,158
Rosemarie Groner – The Busy Budgeter – January 2017 Income – $86,000
Convinced? Got 20 minutes? Get started with Bluehost today!
15. Become a Realtor
The housing market has unquestionably recovered from its crash a decade ago. Realtors are no longer struggling to make ends meet. Many of them are struggling to juggle the constant demand of client overload!
As a teacher and blogger, working as a realtor is the PERFECT side hustle for me. It is flexible, offers high earning potential, and has low barriers for entry. I was reluctant to get started, but two of my friends gave me the push that I needed. I’m glad they did!
16. Deliver Pizzas
Pizza delivery is not just a job for teens. If you’re willing to work 4-5 nights per week, you can clear $2,000 per month with tips included. You will sacrifice time with family and become ever busier for a short time, but the extra money could drastically speed up your escape from debt.
17. Become an Advocare Distributor
AdvoCare® has been a world-class nutrition company specializing in health and wellness, weight management, vibrant energy and sports performance. They offercutting-edge nutritional supplements as well as the opportunity to earn income by sharing AdvoCare products with others.
My wife and I have been distributors for nearly two years and have earned hundreds of dollars just by talking to friends and family about the healthy products we use. We both took the Advocare 24 Day Challenge and lost 18 and 12 pounds, respectively. People saw our progress and naturally wanted to know our secret.
You can enroll as an Advocare distributor by signing up with any Advisor. You probably know one already, but if not, you can visit the Advocare website or give them a call and they will set you up.
18. Deliver Food withUberEATS
Don’t want the predictable schedule of pizza delivery or the potential awkwardness of driving strangers around as an Uber driver? UberEATS is the program for you!
Take trips for a few hours in the mornings, every night, or just on weekends – you set your own hours. You are your own boss and you can choose when and how much you work. And unlike the standard Uber program, you don’t even need to have car – a bike or scooter work, too, though you’ll likely earn more if you have a car.
It's quick and easy to sign-up, and you can be on your way to making more money soon.
19. Become a Beach Body Coach
Perhaps Beach Body helped you get back in shape after your child was born. Or the program gave you the tools to take back control of your lifestyle. Maybe you still use Shakeology on a daily basis and could benefit from a discount. It’s time to become a Beach Body coach!
Several of my friends earn upwards of $500 per month working as a Beach Body coach. It’s easy to get started and can be a great way to make extra money each month doing something you love! And you’ll earn discounts on the products you already use.
20. Sell Items Online
Selling items online through E-Bay or Amazon is a great way to make extra money, but did you know you can make selling online even simpler?
My friend, Laura, created a simple Facebook album to sell unwanted clothing and household goods and has been very successful. She takes high-quality pictures of items, leaves a vivid description along with her price, and accepts bids during a set window of time. High end clothing items and unique household decor sell very well using this system, especially if they still have tags.
If you want to take your Facebook selling game to the next level, you can join local Facebook “Buy and Sell” groups to expand your marketing reach. Unloading unused stuff has never been easier!
21. Start a Photography Business
That fancy camera you bought to take pictures on the family trip to Disney World just sits in its case collecting dust – you can make extra money each month by putting it to use by starting a photography business.
Professional photography is not easy. It takes tremendous technical and people skills. But many people can’t afford to pay the rising rates for a professional photographer. That’s where you come in!
You can get started with your photography side hustle by taking pictures of any and all willing models: your kids, spouse, and friends and family. You could even work for free for a few customers to build your portfolio and host it on Facebook or Bluehost. You’ll need to Learn Photoshop in Just 2 Hours or a similar program for editing, but that has never been easier. If you have an eye for detail and love capturingspecial moments, photography is a great way to make extra money.
Which Option Fits You?
For busy people with limited time, the 21 side jobs listed above offer many opportunities to make extra money each month. Pursue even one or two and you could quickly make a minimum of an extra $100 per month. Implement a few more suggestions and this figure could easily climb over $2,000 per month.
These side hustle examples are real, and they could change your life. Pick a few and get started today!
Have you used any of the above suggestions to make extra money? What other tips do you have to share?
