Starting a side hustle is a great way to build your skills and make a few bucks. It’s easier than ever to find a side job and join the gig economy — apps like Fiverr or TaskRabbit have hundreds of jobs that people post, from resume editing to furniture repair.
A side gig allows you to add an extra income source. You can use the extra cash for a big buy, build savings, or reduce debt, among other things.
Side hustle ideas offer flexibility and varying levels of effort. The best ones are scalable, growing into larger sustainable businesses that can pay well. Online products and services are easier to scale than others. Side gigs can also help build the skills and experiences to transition to a full-time job or career if you want.
Here are 13 ways to make money on the weekend. We’ve added some commentary on these as not all side hustles are created equal, and you should have a better idea of what you could be getting into. You’ll find options are grouped into online tasks, fix/flip stuff, online roles, car services, househacking, and in person opportunities.
Weekend Jobs
1. Plug into online forums for odd-job opportunities
Using sites like Reddit can be a great way to find online jobs to take on. On Reddit forums, people ask for help with tasks related to digital skills, such as coding simple scripts or helping with photo editing. Other forums ask for help with writing or other tasks. Below are some of the largest subreddits:
- r/redditforhire
- r/slavelabour
- r/hireawriter
- r/workonline
- r/beermoney
- r/forhire
There are other reputable sites like Fiverr and Upwork that host a wide variety of ways to make side cash. You can sign up for a job whenever you anticipate having free time. If you do similar jobs on those sites, you gain experience and build a brand to become better known for those jobs.
2. Online Surveys
Companies and market researchers often gauge consumer sentiment to understand how their users feel about their products and brand. Websites like Focus Group, UserTesting.com, Swagbucks, and SurveyJunkie have users sign up and fill in personal details like age, location, and profession. Then, users can take surveys, which usually range from a few minutes to an hour, and earn money for their time.
According to NerdWallet‘s analysis of 12 survey sites, they found the pay from online surveys was sparse across the board. Their earnings ranged from 41 cents to $2.03 per hour, and most sites had high minimum limits to redeem points – calling for hours of engagement with a given site. A significant issue with this is that survey sites ask for and collect personal data, which may not be well protected and almost certainly shared with third parties. So, depending on the nature of the surveys, it’s a steep tradeoff to make a few cents for giving up your SSN or other info to third parties.
When I was a user of Marcus by Goldman Sachs, I got invited to join their user research program. I would receive notifications that surveys were available. These surveys asked questions about hypothetical product features, how much I was interested in certain aspects of the feature, and what my needs were. You can also share your own feedback with the program operators. As a reward, I earned points with each completed survey which I could redeem from a selected range of gift cards. For example, I earned enough points to withdraw as a $50 Amazon gift card. At the time, I was interested in the online financial service space, so these surveys were a way for me to learn about the financial space and product research process. However, taking many of these surveys is tedious and can not be too engaging if done for a long time. I’d estimate that I spent 5 to 7 hours taking surveys for a $50 payout and a learning experience.
3. Fix and Flip Stuff
The self-proclaimed King of the Hustle, Gary V, said the easiest way to make money is to flip stuff. It’s as easy as buying a chair from the local garage sale and listing it on Facebook Marketplace for a 15% markup. Using resources like garage sales, Facebook Free and For Sale groups, etc., you can get items at a discount or for free and sell them at another garage sale or online forum.
You can acquire branded items (e.g. Supreme), sneakers, limited edition goods, or go thrift shopping and resell them for higher prices. Flipping branded or limited edition items are easier to increase margins on as the brands produced limited supply to increase scarcity appeal.
The mileage you get with this one varies as you will have to commute to source and deliver your items.
4. Garage Sale
Look through your house and find things that you can do without and hold a garage sale! A garage sale makes you money and comes with the added benefit of a cleaner home and a more peaceful state of mind.
Set up flyers and signs in your neighborhood and put up posts on community social media like NextDoor or local Facebook groups to spread the word. Holding a garage sale is an ideal way to make money on the weekend as homeowners engage in home improvement activities and are on the lookout for deals to take care of their homes. People are also likely to hang around their neighborhoods and check out garage sales in their areas, often bringing their families.
5. Social Media
Millennials and Gen Zers engage with Internet culture growing up and are adept at using social media. It’s an easy stretch to help a small business, like a local restaurant, develop its online presence on social media. You could build a Facebook page, create content for an Instagram page, modernize a website, or respond to customer reviews on Yelp. Business owners are pressed for time and can sometimes hand off their social media presence completely to you. Owning their social media presence will make you an indispensable part of their team and can be the first step to forging a long-lasting client relationship. A longer relationship means you’ll be bringing in side hustle cash for a longer period of time and allows you to take advantage of your experience to leverage higher rates on your next gigs. Social media is one of the more fun money-making side activities as it is more creative and less intensive than most part-time jobs.
I have a friend who owns the social media for a local Asian American Pacific Islander professional society. He regularly posts content to their Instagram to promote the society’s activities. In turn, he is compensated with a complimentary membership with a mentor and paid for his work. As an aspiring actor, he finds this experience worthwhile in helping him get experience and make money in his spare time.
6. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants support businesses on various administrative tasks, including data entry, schedule coordination, booking travel, and managing email inboxes. This side hustle has become more popular as more people work from home and have the free time to make extra cash. You can find opportunities on company career pages, UpWork, Indeed, Flexjobs, or other resources mentioned in #1. Even your local Facebook group could be a great resource. According to ZipRecruiter, this side hustle pays well at an average rate of $19 per hour. If someone spends even half a weekend day as a virtual assistant, they can make $76! This side hustle is one of the best-paying ones on our list.
7. Start a YouTube Channel
My friend recently started her own YouTube channel. Over 6 to 8 months, she built a following of 1,000 subscribers – netting her $50 last month. Though she is early in her YouTube career, she is motivated by successful YouTubers, like Graham Stephan and MeetKevin, to consistently put out content and grow her subscriber base. And she has good reason to – YoutTube has much more potential to scale compared to other side hustles as a single video can be watched by hundreds of thousands of people.
ZipRecruiter reports that the average YouTuber makes $52,800 ($25.39/hour), but there is a large variation in reporting, with some channels making as little as $12,000 and another making as high as $112,000. YouTube channels can be a more creative and fun way to create content and make money than other part-time job opportunities. Though it takes time to build traction, it is a solid way to build a following and extra money over time.
8. Food Delivery
According to Grow, 1 in 5 in their survey was interested in delivering food as a side hustle. The pandemic has drastically increased demand for food delivery services, and demand is likely to remain high as it winds down. There are many ways to get into food delivery. Here are a few:
- Driving with Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Postmates to do restaurant delivery
- Shopping at grocery stores and delivering groceries with Instacart or Shipt
Grow reports solid hourly wage figures across the board as DoorDash drivers make an average of $14 per hour while Postmates drivers make $15 per hour. Grocery delivery has the potential to make more as Mashed reports Instacart shoppers make an average of $17 per hour while Shipt drivers make $16-$22. Note that shoppers seem to make more per hour than delivery drivers do.
The downside is that these companies treat shoppers and drivers as independent contractors and offer no benefits. Additionally, contractors must pay out of pocket to cover their expenses. It is possible to lose money through food delivery, as has been documented in popular media. See #13 to get a better idea of the costs associated with food delivery – note that these costs can eat into your revenue and have you end IP in the red instead of the black. See #9 below for an exploration of these factors, which also tie into rideshare driving.
9. Ride Share Driving
If you’ve got a car, then you can drive with Lyft or Uber. This is one of the more popular weekend jobs as thousands of people drive to make extra cash. Your success largely depends on the area you are driving in. Dense urban areas like San Francisco are great environments to drive around with high demand and short distances. Conversely, driving your car in a rural area could have less demand, and the gas costs of driving greater distances would eat at any money you make.
However, sharing your car with strangers may not be as profitable as it seems.
In a study by MIT, it was found that the ridesharing profits tend to be “very low,” with a median profit of less than $3.37 per hour. This is less than minimum wage in most states and indicates many drivers are actually losing money. Driving for Uber or Lyft in these conditions doesn’t do much more than eat hours and wear down your car. If you are considering rideshare driving, think about:
- local market demand
- type of car you have
- willingness to drive for long hours
- type of car you drive
10. Rent Out Part of Your House
House hacking, putting up a spare room on Airbnb, or renting to friends and family is an easy way to get extra money with the free space in your home. Sharing your space with someone reduces your housing costs and you can even profit on your living situation and gain access to select tax advantages. For instance, if you have a duplex – rent out part of it to cover your living situation and accelerate mortgage payoff will give your certain federal tax credits. If you live in a high cost of living area, then house hacking can be a great aid to better cover your living expenses. The effort of house hacking varies depending on how its executed – as an Airbnb rental or more effort for long-term rental situations and if you rent per room or per unit basis.
Using a platform like Airbnb allows you to vet potential guests and will protect your funds in the transaction process. People may find this side hustle is for them if they do not like sharing their personal space with a stranger. In that case, you could get to better know the potential tenant before they rent, use an investment property solely for renting, or seek out another side hustle. Also, be mindful of local laws that restrict or limit short-term rental options. These side hustle options can be one of the most lucrative and consistent ways to make extra cash.
11. Dog Walking and Pet Sitting
Pet owners live for their pets and spend lavishly on them. According to PTMoney, people spend over $72 billion a year on goods and services for their pets. Dog owners who are busy with work or other obligations can hire a dogwalker or dogsitter to spend time with their best furry friend.
Sites like Rover allow pet-related businesses to offer services for a fee. Dogwalkers charge per dog per day for their services. PTMoney’s reported estimates vary from Payscale’s $13.94 per hour to Rover’s $1,000 per month. For context, a dogwalker would have to work 72 hours a month to make that figure.
It is a fun and flexible money-making activity as you get to hang out with dogs and work when you want – what could be better?! Some things to consider are where you live as it affects demand, level of competition, and pricing. For instance, if you live in LA’s Westside you will have higher demand and charge more than you would if dog walking in Scottsdale, AZ.
Walking multiple dogs simultaneously is an easy way to multiply your pay and spend more time with doggos! Of all the side hustles on this list, I find this one a fun gig and very flexible – if you show up and love animals. You can find opportunities with apps like Wag, Rover, Nextdoor, and local community groups. Note that apps like Wag use questionnaires to gauge your experience and affinity with animals to ensure walkers can look after their doggos!
12. Tutoring
If you are knowledgeable in any topic, such as algebra, English, or photography, then you can tutor someone! Using local community forums, flyers, or apps like Next Door, you can make tutoring a flexible and well-paying weekend or part-time job.
ZipRecruiter reports that the average wage for private tutors is $21.50, with a high of $31.73 and a low of $10.58. These numbers vary a lot and there is large underreporting. Depending on where you live and what you tutor in, you could charge quite a bit.
You can create an online course and sell it on a site like Udemy. Grow reports that Udemy courses go for $20 to $200 and Udemy takes a cut of 3% to 75%. Another online course site, Outschooled, pays its instructors an average of $40/hour. Going the online route presents an opportunity to scale the business into something larger. As an avid user of Udemy, I’ve seen how buying courses add up over time and how most courses have thousands of users. You only have the cost of making the course once, so your profit potential scales faster than other side hustles. Online courses are an awesome way to make extra cash.
13. Mover, Hauler, and Yard Work for Hire
There’s always a need for movers, haulers, and people to do yard work. In 2019, over 31 million people moved across the US, according to the US Census – which is about 10% of the population. 60% of moving takes place during summer months of May to June. MoveBuddha reports the average mover charges $25/hour while ZipRecruiter reports the average mover makes $15/hr or $30,400 a year. However, many movers work under the table, so data can be underreported. If you work for 5 hours a weekend as a mover, that’s bringing in $75 to $125.
Haulers, people who transport people’s things for a move, make an average of $40,820 a year or $19.63 an hour, according to Zippia. However, the amount movers and haulers charge can vary based on location. For context, movers in SF make an average of $17.11/hr or $35,572 a year, and haulers working in Texas, Maryland, Louisiana, Connecticut, and Alaska can charge the highest rate. People often do hauling on the weekends, making this an option with good pay.
Homeowners with a backyard eventually require work. If you are good with gardening or another skill, you can market your services around your area and help people with their backyard tasks. The rates you charge will vary on the task, location, and negotiation with the homeowner. If you want more time outdoors or to work with your hands, this option may be for you.
Make Money & Get Paid
No matter what you do, it’s critical to be paid on time and as agreed with your customer. It is commonplace to deliver your work and not get paid by the buyer. Your hard work is worth it if you get paid. Before you do work for a customer, be sure to set clear terms for how and when you will receive payment.
Before You Work
If you intend to take on multiple jobs of the same activity, then read the below.
Do research on the task and what others get paid to get a ballpark idea of how much you can charge. Then, reflect on your desired pay and see how it matches up with your skill and experience. Valuing your labor and time isn’t easy to do, but becomes more straightforward over time. The prices you charge are a subtle indicator of the quality you produce and help build a brand for your side gig.
Setting Up Jobs
When you speak with a potential customer, establish your rate or flat fee and the timeline for receipt. Sometimes you may get paid at the end of an assignment in total or certain milestones like the halfway point. Getting paid at certain points protects you against the risk of the customer not paying after an assignment. Whatever the schedule, make sure it works for you and your needs,
You may have to negotiate with a customer on how much you will charge, so be sure to have an acceptable range in mind that you can use. If a prospect refuses to pay an acceptable figure, then decline and look for other offers.
Get Paid
If working and getting paid in person, take it via cash or check. However, if you’re taking payment digitally, consider the tips below.
Set up an account with a trusted third-party site such as PayPal or Stripe and link them to your bank account. You can easily create an account with online banks like Ally, Marcus, or Schwab. Tell the customer how to pay you at the appropriate time. If you use a platform like Airbnb, use its built-in functionality to get paid as it is meant to protect both you and the customer.
For example, as a writer on Medium.com, I link my Stripe account to the website’s partner program. Each month, Medium transfers my earnings to my Stripe account, which deposits them into a bank account – paying me on an expected and regular basis.
Value of Time vs. Labor
Side hustle ideas are great to make extra money in your spare time. But there is an upper limit to how much time you can put towards your side activities. You will get tired or caught up with other commitments over time, making it more difficult to consistently dedicate the hours to find and do extra work. There are two types of side hustles – ones where you get paid per hour and others where you are paid for the value you create. The latter type frees up making money from the number of hours you can put in. If you get paid per hour, you only make extra cash if you work an extra hour.
If you run a side gig where you are paid on the value you create, it is more scalable. A scalable side hustle will have higher income potential than one where you work a certain number of hours. For instance, an e-commerce site is scalable when compared to a weekend lawn-mowing business. Take advantage of website builders, online courses, and other digital resources to a set up a scalable side hustle. If it goes well, you can eventually spend less time on it and turn it into a sustainable full-time business.
You can also scale if you are paid per hour of work; it is just less efficient. For instance, in my full-time role as a consultant, the business model scales as more associate and senior-associate level staff are billed for work. A small group of partners own the firm and leverage a much larger number of managers and staff consultants to do the day-to-day client work. The more consultants bill hours for client work, the more revenue the firm brings in. The downside is that it is harder to scale by hiring more people and securing more client contracts.
It All Boils Down To…
What you’re looking for
Whether you want to make a few bucks or build something bigger, there are tons of ways to earn extra cash on the weekends. We’ve covered some of the many ways to use your weekend time to make money. And we’ve shared tips on deciding how much to charge, how to set up jobs, and how to get paid. Lastly, we’ve covered the differences between making money from side gigs based on labor for time and value produced and how each one affects scalability. We hope these tips serve you well as you earn extra money over the weekend and in your free time.
