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What is a Side Hustle and How to Start One Today
On average, millennials make about $684 per week or $35,592 per year. This isn’t very much especially compared to the average amount of debt the average millennial has.
Most entry-level positions today require a 4-year degree in order for a candidate to even be considered. This means that most of our workforce has student loan debt. According to a study done by The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), 68% of 2015 bachelor’s degree recipients graduated with student loan debt. The average was about $30,000 per borrower.
Related: 6 Ways to Get a Free Education
With most Millenials having student loan debt after college, high rents to pay, and an income that doesn’t quite support it all, they are forced to look elsewhere for another source of income.
That’s where the Side Hustle comes in!
What is a Side Hustle?
The definition I created is this: It is any type of employment that not only brings in money but allows the flexibility to work a full-time job. It is typically freelance or piecework in nature, providing a second supplemental income.
This type of employment is becoming more popular among the younger crowds for obvious reasons. Side Hustles are something that you can do while also holding a full-time job. They help to provide a second income. Some people use that income and put it right towards their debt, others may use it for vacations, or others may be trying to reach financial independence. Whatever the reason, plenty of people are starting to turn towards the Side Hustle for some extra dough.
Are you struggling to think of what some of those Side Hustles might be? Let me give you some examples and maybe you too could find a new Side Hustle of your own!
Related: How I Earn Money While Running Errands
Reasons People Start a Side Hustle
So why do people even start a side hustle? Here are some reasons why someone might want to pick up a side hustle.
- Pay off debt
- Help pay for bills
- Save/invest extra money
- Great business idea
- For fun!
Ready to start a side hustle?
Keep Track of Your Side Hustle Earnings Using Our Side Hustle Chart and Other Saving Sheets
Side Hustles You Can Start Today
Airbnb:
This is probably one of the most popular Side Hustles today. If you’re not familiar with Airbnb, it is a service that is extremely helpful for both the provider and the customer!
Airbnb is an online marketplace where someone can offer up their own home as lodging. It has really changed the way people vacation. It gives travelers the chance to feel like a local, and also pay smaller prices for lodging.
There are different options for how you can rent out your place. You can rent out the entire home, or just a room, or two. Obviously, if you rent out the entire place, you would need to find another place to sleep! Airbnb is a great way to get into House Hacking and potentially living for free!
Interested in potentially renting out your house for some extra income? Check out this link here to find out how much you could make in your city and tips on how to be a rockstar host!
Uber/Lyft:
Uber and Lyft are other popular Side Hustles that have really disrupted the transportation industry. Like Airbnb, they are extremely helpful to both the service provider and the customer; giving regular people the chance to make a decent income, and for the customer to pay less for transportation.
With both services, drivers get to decide when they work and when they don’t. They do give out special bonuses for working the “late shift,” and when you have completed a certain amount of rides.
I have met a couple of people who actually drive for both companies to make their full-time income. However, I would say that a decent majority of drivers only do it as a side hustle.
Related: Earn Money While Traveling Using This Car Sharing App
Rover:
Do you love cats and dogs? Well, then this Side Hustle might just be for you! Rover is a pet watching service. Anyone can become a Rover sitter as long as you pass a background check.
Rover is very unique in the way that they allow you to set very specific parameters on what kinds of pets you would allow. As a Rover sitter, you are not confined to only offering overnight boarding services for pets. You can choose between different services like drop-in visits, walking, and pet sitting at someone’s house (instead of at yours).
You get to set your own prices, and you can even charge people more if they have difficult pets or “needy” pets.
We are signed up on Rover to be pet sitters, but our neighborhood is saturated with other sitters. If this is a Side Hustle you are considering, I would recommend checking your area out to see if there are others nearby already.
UserTesting:
This is a Side Hustle that I recently tried out. It can be a fun way to earn a bit of cash when you have some free time.
UserTesting is a site where you can get paid to test out other websites for functionality and usability. All you need is a laptop, smartphone or tablet in order to do the testing. You can do them whenever new tests come in, however you need to qualify for each test.
When a test comes in you have to answer some preliminary questions, and if you pass then you will be accepted to take the test. Each test takes about 15 to 30 min to complete. I have found that it can be difficult to qualify for most tests, but if you keep at it you can make a little bit from it.
Sell Stuff:
There are plenty of places you can sell items these days. If you are a crafter, custom item maker, or collector of vintage items, I would recommend Etsy to you! Etsy is an online craft market! They have tons of different vendors and thousands of different products to choose from
Check out this course on how to sell PDF printables on Etsy!
If you can find items in good condition around your house, at garage sales, or in thrift stores, there’s a good chance you can resell those things for a small profit on eBay or Craigslist.
This is a Side Hustle that I have seen a lot of people get into and make a decent amount of money from. In the future, I want to try finding worn down furniture and refurnishing or re-purposing it and then selling it for a bit of a profit.
Related: How to Start a Successful Flipping Business
Blogging
Blogging is a side hustle that I recently got into. It is one that will take time to make money from, but after a while, it can be extremely profitable!
It is amazing how many people have actually turned their blogging side hustle into a full-time gig.
I enjoy blogging because it gives me a creative outlet, and I have met a lot of great people through it. Blogging also gives me a platform to share my ideas with whoever wants to read them.
If you are interested in blogging, check out this course where I learned how to blog for profit!
Cash Back Apps
If you aren’t already using cash back apps while you shop, you are missing out on a lot of “free” money!
We use these cash back apps when shopping for groceries, clothing, electronics, plane tickets, hotels, even things like rides on Uber and food from Grubhub!
Almost every purchase we make has an opportunity to earn some money back. Even if it is $0.10, that adds up over time. We have earned back over $300 on just one app alone. Overall we have made back around $700 to $800.
Food Delivery Driver
My husband and I really enjoy doing food deliveries for these 4 food delivery apps. We have made over $3500 in just one month of delivering food during lunch and dinner most days.
It is super easy work and good money to do food deliveries as a side hustle. You can sign up and practically start delivering today. The amount of money will depend on the popularity of delivery services in your area.
Now this list is just SOME of the most popular Side Hustles out there. Honestly, there are hundreds of other ways someone could make a second supplemental income. I’ll make a more comprehensive list in the future.
More Side Hustle Resources
Field Agent is an app that has helped me earn over $600 by doing simple tasks at local stores.
Check out Avail, a newer car sharing app and a great way to get free airport parking!
See how others are making $10k a month with their own side hustle ideas.
Do you have a cool Side Hustle?
Let us know in the comments below! I would love to hear your experience with it or test it out myself.
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