The Best Side Hustles To Make Some Extra Cash
We’d all like a little bit more cash – for a great night out, some new clothes, a relaxing holiday in the sun, or to save up for a long term goal like buying your very first home. But it can be so tedious trying to save money even though there’s plenty of advice on how to do it, the reality is tough. Instead, why not just try and make more money? It may be harder work than saving but it’s definitely a lot more fun. You might even find you have hidden talents and discover a whole new career path, you never know…
Most spending is, of course, restricted by the money you have coming in from your regular job vs the money you have going out on rent, food, bills etc. Many of us have only just enough coming in each month to pay off the outgoings – we’re the JAMs (Just About Managing). So, the chances of saving some cash each month for those treats and extras we’re yearning for are pretty low. But, if you’re anything like me, you don’t want to max out your credit card or borrow money on a loan although I have to admit I do sometimes ask my parents to help out financially but I don’t consider that a loan (not really).
So if this sounds like you too, how do you go about getting more money coming in so that you can have those luxuries without accruing more debt?
The answer is a side hustle – that extra job on the side that is now so easy to do thanks to the gig economy and sites like Freelancer and Upwork. So next time you’re thinking you need a secured loan or a higher credit card limit, stop and think again.
Side Hustles
There is plenty of choice when it comes to side hustles so there’s bound to be something to suit everyone. From the creative types who can design logos or make videos, to the techy types who can create a website or fix a broken PC, to virtual PA services or managing someone’s social media accounts (yes, that’s really a job)
Here are just some of my favourite side hustle ideas to help inspire you to swell your coffers each month:
Website Administrator
Do you know your Joomla from your WordPress or your Javascript from your HTML? There are plenty of small companies who don’t need a full-time (or even part-time) website administrator but they still need help with their website from time to time. And as you probably already know if you have these skills it pays very well too – check out one of the freelancer sites if this appeals to you and work on one-off projects when you have some spare time.
Sell Stuff Online
Let’s face it we all have far too much stuff in our lives so you could probably make a decent amount of extra cash just selling your own stuff online. All of those tacky ornaments, clothes that don’t fit anymore, kitchen gadgets that you never use and don’t even like could be the source of hard cash. So get selling on eBay – it’s fast and easy and if you love garage sales why not buy up other people’s stuff and sell that on eBay too – for a profit, of course.
Rent Out a Spare Room
If you live in a major city or in a tourist area and have a spare room then there is some serious cash to be made by renting out that room or even your whole home for short periods, especially if you have friends or family you can stay with for a week or two. Take a look at HolidayLettings or AirBnB to see the sort of places on offer in your area and see if your room or home could match up. The money you earn could help cover your monthly home loan repayments for a month or even more.
Create an e-Book
I believe we all have an book in us somewhere and they are the perfect way to make a steady stream of passive income for long after the initial effort of writing the book has been forgotten. Consider the skills you already have – it could be cooking in which case you could write a recipe book, maybe you have young children and have tips on bringing up children – you might not even have children but still think you can offer parenting advice! You might have gardening, DIY or interior design skills that you can write up in an e-book. The list is endless just think about what you enjoy doing and gather all those thoughts together with some great photos and you’ve already got the makings of an e-book that will cost nothing to publish.
Become a Blogger
If you have views and opinions that others might be interested in why not become a blogger to help increase your monthly income. You don’t have to be a famous blogger making money from major brands sponsoring your posts – that is a hard market to break into. But you can write for the myriad companies that need your content and don’t have the skills, time or inclination to get it done in-house. Again you can find clients on freelancer sites.
Be a Social Media Manager
Yes you really can get paid to manage a company’s social media accounts. If you are used to spending a large proportion of your day on social media you might find it hard to believe that not everyone else wants to do the same, but there are plenty of small companies eager for your social media skills. It could take you just an hour a day and really boost your income (and your time management skills).
These are just a few of the ways you can get some extra money coming in to avoid borrowing or racking up that credit card debt. Many are easy to fit in around your other commitments so check out sites likes Freelancer or Upwork to find side hustles to suit you – before you know it you could reaping the rewards of a little extra effort each month.
This post was authored by Amanda Gillam:
Amanda Gillam is a blogger and copywriter for a number of websites including the Solution Money Blog where she writes about the fast-paced changes experienced by Millennials in their lives, careers and personal finances.
