Make Money Side Hustles

10 Insanely Easy Side Hustles You Can Start Now for Extra Cash

One stream of income is good, but two is even better. See ways to supplement your income with these easy-to-start side hustles.

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Updated May 28, 2024
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It's never fun living waiting for the next paycheck. You might feel unprepared for emergencies, and it may be difficult to save extra money.

But it's possible to stop living paycheck to paycheck. Whether you want to pay off debts faster, reach certain financial milestones, or just want some money for fun, there are ways to do it.

So if you want to become a side hustler, here are some easy ways to make extra money.

Get paid up to $225 a month while watching viral videos

Instead of sitting around watching viral videos on YouTube, you could be getting paid actual cash taking surveys for InboxDollars instead.

It's simple. You sign up here and confirm your email. Then you watch videos and take surveys. Then you earn cash (yes, actual cash … not "points"). Log in during your spare time and see how you can earn up to an extra $225 every month.

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House sitting

MeganBetteridge/Adobe girl holding her dog on comfy chair

House sitting allows you to leave your familiar abode and enjoy a new one for a while. See it as taking a vacation and getting compensated for it. You look after people's homes when they are away for an extended period of time.

Many pet owners need a house sitter if they can’t bring their pets along on a vacation, so they may need a house sitter.

On average, home-watching may earn you up to $1,349 every week at $33.73 per hour. That's a potential income of more than $5,000 every month. 


Drive a wrapped car

hedgehog94/Adobe car wrapping specialist putting vinyl foil or film on car

If you own a car, you could make money by converting it into a moving billboard. To be considered for this job, you must have a clean driving record, drive a specified number of miles and hours each day, and own a reliable vehicle.

You may be able to earn between $100 and $500 every month. Carvertise and Warpify are two well-known ridesharing advertising firms. You can learn about how and when to apply by visiting their websites.

Be a virtual assistant

Prostock-studio/Adobe having online videocall in office

Virtual assistant (VA) jobs include a wide range of skills that you may already have. Typing, data entry, writing, proofreading, and project management are a few of the many skills that people look for in a VA.

You could offer one or more of these services from the comfort of your home. VAs who have mastered a certain skill set may earn more.

The average hourly compensation for a VA is $20. You could net close to $1,000 each month if you work an average of 12 hours per week. Outsourcely and Freelancer are two websites where you can find VA jobs.

Stop overpaying when you shop online

Shopping online has its perks. It's super convenient, but it can be time consuming to find the best deals. Instead of hunting for coupon codes (that don't always work!) and opening tons of browser tabs comparing prices, you can try Capital One Shopping.

Capital One Shopping makes saving money effortless. Just add the browser extension and when you check out, it'll scour the internet for coupon codes to help you save cash. And before you check out at 25+ major retailers, Capital One Shopping will notify you with a friendly pop-up if the item you're buying is available cheaper somewhere else.

Capital One Shopping is free to use and won't show you ads. Add it today and stop overpaying!1

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Create a course

Rido/Adobe studying with video online lesson at home

Developing informational products for eLearning can be an income source. According to Udemy's SEC filing, the average income for an instructor on the platform in 2020 was $2,950.

Over 9,000 instructors earned more than $1,000 per year. Extrapolating from this report, you could earn up to $250 each month.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Selling courses as a side hustle is not a one-time affair because a course may increase in value and price over time and can provide a consistent source of passive income for many years to help you grow your wealth. 

Ridesharing

AntonioDiaz/Adobe attractive driver working on a rideshare app

For a fee, pick up and drop off passengers in your private car. Uber and Lyft are the best-known apps that allow people to request a ridesharing service.

Once you have a vehicle that meets the company’s specifications, you can sign up to drive with Uber or Lyft.

Peer-to-peer lending

Nattakorn/Adobe banker giving cash money to businessman

Making money as a lender may not have crossed your mind. If you have spare cash, peer-to-peer lending is an investment option available through P2P lending sites.

You can invest as little as $25. Depending on how much and how long you invest, you may earn 2% to 6% on your loan. With a good portfolio, you may earn up to 10% annually.

Interest from the loans you invest in is credited to your escrow account each month. You may earn higher rates when you reinvest or invest for a longer period of time. Joining a P2P marketplace like Prosper can also help you connect with borrowers.


Charge scooters

Parilov/Adobe electric scooters mobile on parking lot

If you live in a big city where scooters abound, charging electric scooters is a creative way to earn money. A scooter-sharing app called Bird assists you in locating scooters that you charge and then return to their owners.

You may earn between $3 and $20 per scooter, depending on the ease or difficulty of finding them. Your monthly take-home depends on how many you can charge in a month and the payout for each of the scooters you charge.

Consulting

fizkes/Adobe female coach writing on board making presentation for employees

If you have deep knowledge of an industry or years of experience working in a niche, you may already know how to make extra money on the side. 

Using your network, you can help a company solve problems or prevent them and help improve performance. As an expert, you give opinions, analyses, and recommendations to individuals and organizations. It's also a low risk with high returns.

Being a good networker is the key to finding clients. Using your social media pages, you can begin to position yourself as an expert in a niche.

Narrate audiobooks

fizkes/Adobe talented indian female professional reader narrator in wireless headset

If you can soundproof a room in your house and invest in good microphones, audiobook narration can be a lucrative side venture. By just talking, you could make between $50 and $350 per hour.

ACX is one marketplace for would-be narrators. You’ll need to register and upload audition samples to connect with publishers to create audiobooks.

Earn cash back on everyday purchases with this rare account

Want to earn cash back on your everyday purchases without using a credit card? With the Discover®️ Cashback Debit Checking account (member FDIC), you can earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month!2

With no credit check to apply and no monthly fees to worry about, you can earn nearly passive income on purchases you’re making anyway — up to an extra $360 a year!

This rare checking account has other great perks too, like access to your paycheck up to 2 days early with Early Pay, no minimum deposit or monthly balance requirements, over 60K fee-free ATMs, and the ability to add cash to your account at Walmart stores nationwide.

Don’t leave money on the table — it only takes minutes to apply and it won’t impact your credit score.

Apply for a Discover Cashback Checking account today


Evaluate search engine results

Rido/Adobe Indian man typing on laptop while working from home

You can earn money by evaluating search engine results to ensure they are accurate, relevant, and spam-free. Search engines do not directly recruit search engine evaluators. Instead, they outsource the entire process to contractors, who hire and train you to do the work.

Appen is a good place to start. You possibly can earn about $5 to $17 hourly. At $17, your annual salary could be $35,471, which would give you approximately $3,000 monthly. 

Bottom line

Алина Бузунова/Adobe streaming with smart phone on tripod

If you’re lucky or work really hard, your side hustle might snowball into a lucrative business that you can run full-time. 

When choosing a side hustle, consider how much time you can devote to a job. Assess how much money you may potentially make in a month and whether it is in line with your financial goals.

If you don't already have the skills required for the job you might like to pursue, you may need to learn a new skill. And remember that the best side hustles are the ones that help you get ahead financially and that you enjoy so that it becomes something you're excited to do.

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