My rent went up again last month - $350 this time. My grocery bill hit $180 for what used to cost me $120. Sound familiar?
I've been doing side hustles for about 3 years now, mostly because my regular job barely covers my expenses anymore. Some of these have been genuine game-changers for my finances, others were complete time wasters, and a few surprised me with how much they actually paid.
I'm not going to promise you'll make thousands overnight or quit your day job. But if you need an extra $500-2000 per month to actually breathe a little easier, these are the methods that have worked for me and people I know personally.
Here's everything I've tried, what the real numbers look like, and which ones you should probably skip.
The Online Stuff That Actually Pays
Freelance Writing
This one changed my financial situation more than anything else. I started in late 2022 when I was really struggling, and honestly the first few months were rough. I probably made $200 total my first month working way too many hours.
But here's the thing - once you get a few good clients, it snowballs. I now make around $2500-3000 most months from writing, though some months are slower.
Where I actually found work:
- Upwork.com (terrible for beginners but I got my first clients there)
- Contently.com (better pay but harder to get accepted)
- ProBlogger job board at problogger.com/jobs
- Cold emailing local businesses (this worked better than I expected)
The reality: You need writing samples even if you don't have clients yet. I literally rewrote articles from popular blogs in my niche just to have something to show. Not the most ethical approach, but I was desperate for work.
Most freelance writers I know charge between $0.10-$0.50 per word once they're established. I'm at about $0.25/word now, which means a 1000-word article pays $250.
Online Surveys (Yes, Really)
I know everyone says surveys are a waste of time, and mostly they're right. But hear me out - I make about $120-150 per month doing surveys while watching Netflix or during my lunch break.
The sites I actually use:
- Swagbucks.com - Made $38 last month, very easy
- Survey Junkie - Similar to Swagbucks, slightly better interface
- UserInterviews.com - This is different. They do actual research studies via Zoom. I made $120 for a 90-minute call about coffee preferences last month.
Don't expect to replace your income, but it's literally free money for time you're already wasting scrolling social media.
Website Testing
UserTesting.com pays $10 for 15-20 minutes of testing a website while talking through your experience. I've probably done 40+ tests over the past two years.
The catch: You have to get selected. I'll go weeks without any tests, then suddenly get 3 in one day. I made about $380 from this last year total.
Other similar sites: TryMyUI.com, Userlytics.com, TestingTime.com
Virtual Assistant Work
I did this for about 8 months and made decent money - around $800-1200 per month working maybe 15 hours per week. Mostly email management, calendar scheduling, and basic admin tasks.
Found clients on:
- Belay.com (they have an application process)
- Time Etc (UK-based but accepts US workers)
- Fancy Hands (more task-based, less consistent)
- Upwork (of course)
Pay ranges from $15-35/hour depending on your skills and the client.
Local Services (Where the Better Money Usually Is)
House Cleaning
This has been my most consistent money maker. I started with one house - my neighbor paid me $90 to deep clean before her in-laws visited. Word spread through her social circle, and now I clean 7 houses regularly.
I make $1000-1400 per month from cleaning, working maybe 20 hours per week total. It's physical work, but I actually find it relaxing. Good podcasts make the time fly by.
Initial supplies cost me about $75 - don't buy expensive stuff at first. Dollar General cleaning products work fine when you're starting out.
How I found clients:
- Started with people I knew
- Posted on Nextdoor.com
- Local Facebook groups
- Word of mouth (this has been the biggest source)
Most houses take 2-3 hours and pay $80-120. I charge $35/hour now, but started at $25 when I was building reviews.
Dog Walking Through Rover
Made $650 in my best month doing this, but that was walking 4-6 dogs daily. Now I just do weekends and make about $250/month.
The Rover app takes 20% which is annoying. Download it at rover.com and you can see rates in your area. In my city, 30-minute walks pay $18-25.
Some dog owners are... particular. One woman had a 2-page instruction sheet for walking her golden retriever. But most are normal people who just need help while they're at work.
TaskRabbit Jobs
I mainly do furniture assembly. IKEA stuff typically pays $45-80 depending on complexity. Last weekend I did 2 jobs and made $135 in about 4 hours.
Sign up at taskrabbit.com. You set your own rates, but check what others in your area charge first.
Pro tip: Actually know what you're doing. I watched probably 15 YouTube videos about furniture assembly before my first job. Still messed up a bookshelf and had to redo it for free.
Most popular tasks that pay well:
- IKEA assembly ($45-80)
- TV mounting ($60-100)
- Moving help ($25-40/hour)
- Furniture pickup/delivery ($30-50/hour)
Pet Sitting
I use Rover for this too. Overnight pet sitting pays $35-65 per night in my area. I usually do this when owners go out of town for weekends.
Drop-in visits (30-45 minutes) pay $15-25. I have 3 regular clients who just need someone to let their dogs out during lunch while they're at work.
Food Delivery (Mixed Results)
DoorDash
I did this pretty consistently in 2020-2022. Made decent money during peak COVID when everyone was ordering delivery. Now it's oversaturated and gas prices killed most of the profit.
My best night ever was $195 in 7 hours during a snow storm when barely any drivers were out. My worst was $28 in 4 hours on a random Tuesday afternoon.
If you want to try it: Stick to Friday/Saturday nights, learn which restaurants are consistently fast, and track your gas expenses carefully. I was terrible at tracking expenses and probably made less than I thought.
Download the driver app at doordash.com/dasher
Instacart
Tried this for about 3 months. Made around $900 total but spent way too much time dealing with picky customers. One person made me return organic bananas because they "didn't look fresh enough."
The shopping part isn't bad, but finding specific items customers request can be time-consuming. I once spent 30 minutes looking for a particular brand of pasta sauce that the store didn't even carry.
Some people love Instacart and make good money, but it wasn't for me.
Selling Your Stuff
Facebook Marketplace
When I moved apartments, I sold basically everything I didn't want to pack. Made about $1,850 total. Old furniture, kitchen appliances, clothes, random electronics.
Best sale: $425 for a mid-century modern dresser I bought for $150 two years earlier. Apparently that style is trendy now.
Worst experience: A guy haggled me down from $60 to $40 for a coffee table, then showed up with exact change in singles and quarters.
Safety tip: Always meet in public places. Many police stations have "safe exchange zones" specifically for online sales.
eBay Sales
I've sold probably $800 worth of stuff on eBay over the past couple years. Old textbooks, some collectible items from when I was younger, electronics I wasn't using.
The shipping process is honestly a pain. Had to make so many trips to UPS. Also, eBay and PayPal fees add up quickly - usually about 12-15% of your sale price total.
Now I usually just donate things instead unless they're worth $50+ and easy to ship.
Poshmark for Clothes
Tried selling clothes here. Made about $185 total before I gave up. Too much work photographing everything, writing descriptions, and dealing with picky buyers.
My roommate makes around $400/month on Poshmark, but she actually cares about fashion and knows brand names. I was just trying to clear out my closet.
Things I Tried That Didn't Work Well
Uber/Lyft Driving
Did this for about 4 months in 2021. After factoring in gas, car maintenance, and the wear and tear on my vehicle, I probably made $8-10/hour.
Had some genuinely weird passengers. One guy threw up in my back seat and the $80 cleaning fee didn't come close to covering my time and disgust dealing with that.
Maybe it works better in big cities with surge pricing, but in my mid-sized city it wasn't worth it.
Starting a Blog
Spent about $250 on hosting, a domain name, and an online course about affiliate marketing. Wrote maybe 35 blog posts about kitchen gadgets over 8 months.
Total earnings: $18.47 in Amazon affiliate commissions.
Turns out writing about stuff you don't use or care about is really difficult. Also, getting traffic to a new blog is much harder than I expected. SEO is basically a mystery to me.
Online Tutoring
Signed up for Tutor.com and Wyzant.com. Got maybe 6 students total over 5 months. Made about $220.
The scheduling was impossible with my day job. Students would cancel last minute constantly. Parents were often more demanding than the kids.
If you're a teacher or have specific expertise in high-demand subjects, this might work better for you.
Affiliate Marketing
Beyond my failed blog attempt, I tried promoting products on social media. Made about $35 over 6 months.
The successful affiliate marketers I know treat it like a full-time business. If you're not willing to put in 20+ hours per week building content and an audience, don't bother.
Current Income Breakdown
Here's what I'm doing right now that actually makes money:
- House cleaning (7 regular clients): ~$1,200/month
- Freelance writing (4 steady clients): ~$2,400/month
- Weekend TaskRabbit jobs: ~$320/month
- Random dog sitting: ~$180/month
- Surveys during downtime: ~$130/month
Total monthly side income: Around $4,230
This took me almost 3 years to build up to. My first year I probably averaged $600/month extra. Second year was around $1,400/month.
The writing income is the most variable - some months it's $1,800, good months it's $3,200.
What I'd Tell Someone Starting Out
Start with something local and physical first. Dog walking, cleaning, basic handyman tasks pay immediately and help you build confidence. Online stuff takes longer to develop.
Don't try to do everything at once. I wasted probably 6 months jumping between different apps and platforms instead of focusing on 2-3 things that were actually working.
Track your actual time and expenses. I thought I was making $18/hour doing DoorDash until I factored in gas, car maintenance, and the time between orders. It was more like $9/hour.
Be realistic about passive income. Everyone wants to make money while they sleep, but most "passive" income requires months or years of active work upfront.
Your time has value. If something pays $7/hour, you're probably better off picking up a shift at Target for $15/hour.
Some months will suck. Last December I barely made anything because I got the flu and couldn't clean houses for two weeks. January was slow for freelance work. It's not as steady as a regular paycheck.
Taxes are your responsibility. Save about 25-30% of your side hustle income for taxes. I learned this the hard way my first year.
Stuff I Haven't Tried But Probably Should
Airbnb hosting - Don't have a spare room, but my friend makes $900/month renting his basement to travelers.
Photography services - I have a decent camera but no portfolio. Event photography seems to pay well.
Social media management - Lots of small businesses need this. I should probably learn the basics.
Mobile car detailing - Guy in my neighborhood charges $80-120 to detail cars in people's driveways. Seems like good money.
The Bottom Line
None of this is get-rich-quick stuff. It's just ways to make your financial situation less stressful.
Some months I make an extra $3,000, some months closer to $1,500. But it's made a huge difference in my life. I can actually save money now instead of living paycheck to paycheck. I can afford to fix things when they break. I took an actual vacation last year.
The key is starting somewhere and being consistent. Pick 1-2 things from this list that match your schedule and personality. Don't try to do everything.
And definitely don't quit your day job until your side income is consistently higher than your regular income for at least 6 months.
If you have questions about any of these, feel free to ask. I'm happy to share more details about what's actually worked versus what was a waste of time.
