If you feel like it’s getting more and more difficult to get ahead, it may be time to earn more money. But, if you can’t see that happening at your 9-5 job, you may have to take matters into your own hands.
Here’s the good news: side hustles let you earn extra cash while maintaining a flexible schedule. Some side hustles can be started quickly, while others require specialized knowledge or skills that may take some time to build.
More and more Americans are realizing that as 40% (2 out of 5) started a side hustle last year according to Zapier.
If you’re ready to earn some extra money that you can use to get ahead or keep up with bills, read on to learn about the best side hustle ideas for 2024 and beyond:
Table of Contents
1. Online Surveys
Paid surveys are one of the fastest ways to make money, and it’s easy to see why. You can take surveys any hour of the day or night and work on your phone during your spare time.
The biggest downside of online surveys is that you won’t earn much. Many online survey sites only pay $1 to $5 per survey you complete, and some pay even less.
While each online survey platform does things differently, here are some of the best online survey sites to consider:
It’s worth noting that some survey sites will pay you via a transfer to your bank account, whereas others only make payments via PayPal or gift cards.
Also, some of these platforms offer bonus cash just for signing up. For example, Swagbucks gives you $10 in bonus cash just for opening an account and spending at least $25 in a Swagbucks-affiliated store.
2. Deliver Food for DoorDash, UberEats or Postmates
If you have reliable transportation and want a side hustle that’s easy to start immediately, you can always deliver food for companies like Doordash, UberEats, or Postmates. These side hustles work on an app that connects you with needed food deliveries in your area.
For the most part, you must sign up to be a driver and download the app. Once you prove that you meet each company’s requirements, you simply drive to pick up food and drop the orders off to people in your area.
With any of these apps, you can earn $20 per hour or more, depending on each gig and the tip amount you receive. Plus, you can try each of them to see which food delivery app works best for where you live.
3. Deliver Packages With Amazon Flex
Practically everyone shops on Amazon.com these days, so it makes sense to consider a side hustle with the company. Fortunately, Amazon Flex lets you sign up as a driver and deliver packages during “time blocks” you agree to ahead of time.
Amazon Flex says on its website that drivers typically earn between $18 and $25 per hour, although actual earnings will “depend on your location, any tips you receive, how long it takes you to complete your deliveries and other factors.”
One of the biggest benefits of this side hustle is that you can work when you want and around other responsibilities. You can also work a little or a lot depending on how much side hustle cash you want to earn.
4. Sell on eBay
Selling stuff on eBay can also be lucrative, but that’s particularly true if you know what to look for and what sells. For example, many people shop in upscale thrift shops to look for items that can sell for significantly higher prices online. This could be anything from designer clothing to antiques; what you decide to sell should depend on your expertise.
If you’re curious how to turn a profit on eBay, check out this piece I wrote on the best items to flip for profit: Best Items for Garage Sale Flipping for Fun and Profit
5. Freelance Writing
Freelance writing requires a certain skill level, so it may not be for everyone. However, individuals with some writing experience or a willingness to learn can easily earn $20 to $100 an hour or more. Another benefit of becoming a freelance writer is that you can work when and how much you want.
If you don’t have a writing portfolio, your best move is to create one with your name. You can build this portfolio by searching for entry-level paid work on platforms like Upwork, Freelancer, and FlexJobs.
6. Become a Virtual Assistant
Becoming a virtual assistant is another option if you have some writing, editing, or design skills and you want to earn $25 to $50 per hour or more (according to Indeed.com the average hourly pay in the U.S. is $27.47 per hour) While virtual assistants do many different types of work, their primary job functions can include the following:
- Bookkeeping
- Customer service
- Data entry
- Email management
- Graphic design
- Proofreading
- Social media management
- Technical support
- Website management
While you may be able to pick up work as a virtual assistant through your professional network, the following websites offer a pathway to find entry-level gigs that can help you get some experience:
7. Open an Etsy Store
If you know how to make handcrafted products people want to buy, you can always try to sell your wares with an Etsy store. If you have never shopped on Etsy before, a quick look at the website might help you get a few ideas. For example, crafty people use Etsy to sell everything from custom T-shirts to homemade soaps and jewelry.
The good news about Etsy is that you set the price. Plus, once you build up an inventory, the hard work of your hustle is mainly done.
8. Host With Airbnb
If you have a guest house, a basement apartment, or even a spare bedroom, you may want to consider renting it out with Airbnb. This strategy can work well if your home is in good shape and you don’t mind taking steps to make it comfortable and appealing for guests.
Of course, how much you can earn depends on the space you’re renting and the local rates in your area. If you’re curious about how much you might be able to charge on a nightly basis, start the process by researching comparable properties in your area on Airbnb and even VRBO.com.
9. Pet Sitting
Rover is a gig economy app that makes it easy to connect with people in your area who have dogs or cats that need care while their owners are away. Rover lets you set your rates and availability, so you can choose to watch pets on some days and not on others.
How much can you earn watching pets on Rover.com? Most pet sitters on the platform charge a nightly rate of $35 at a bare minimum, although some can charge $50 to $75 per night per pet due to overall demand and the going rates where they live.
10. Dog Walking
If you don’t like the idea of watching dogs or cats overnight in your home, you can also pick up dog walking gigs through Rover or a platform called Wag! Both websites let you create a profile and select the type of work you want, which may include walking dogs on your lunch break a few days per week.
While dog walking gigs may only pay $10 to $20 at a time, you can earn more money by walking multiple dogs at once or picking up several gigs daily.
You will also get some exercise while you walk dogs around their neighborhoods, making for a healthy side hustle idea.
11. Driver for Uber or Lyft
If you love driving and have a newer car in good shape, driving passengers around with platforms like Uber or Lyft can help you earn $25 per hour or more. Many drivers opt to use both apps to increase the frequency of rides. Driving for Uber or Lyft is flexible since you can pick when and where you work.
You may even earn more through rideshare apps by driving during “surge” pricing hours or hitting regular bonuses each company offers from time to time. For example, Uber or Lyft will frequently give you an extra $20 or $50 if you complete a certain number of rides over a specific period.
12. Shop for Groceries
If you like doing deliveries for money but don’t want to deliver restaurant meals, you could deliver groceries with Instacart or Shipt. These grocery delivery gigs let you earn hourly pay up to $25, although you might be able to earn more based on tips you receive.
Instacart and Shipt also let you pick the days and times you want to work like other app-based side hustles. It’s a perfect side hustle to work on during your spare time.
13. Monetize a Website
When you monetize a website, you are investing in digital real estate; whether you build a site from scratch or buy one that already exists. Either way, you can use several strategies to rack up income with a website.
Some of the most popular ways to earn money blogging include:
- Display ads
- Product reviews
- Sponsorships
- Digital products (online courses, eBooks)
For the record, I know this side hustle works because I have done it! The website you’re reading right now – GoodFinancialCents.com – has helped me earn millions of dollars blogging in just over a decade.
If you’re curious how to start a website you can monetize, make sure to check out the following blog post: How To Start A Blog From Scratch And Make It Work
14. Rent Out Your Car
Another side hustle idea – renting out your car – requires almost no actual work on your part. Believe it or not, you can rent out your car to others using a platform called Turo, although your vehicle needs to meet minimum requirements for safety and age.
You’ll earn more than average if you have a premium vehicle like a Jeep or a Tesla, and you can also charge more or less for a daily rental depending on where you live. That said, Turo’s daily car rental rates usually range from $50 to $150. You can also set your availability so you only rent your car when you don’t need it.
15. Rent Out Extra Space
If you have extra space to spare that you can’t necessarily rent out on Airbnb or VRBO.com, you can rent that out, too. Through Neighbor.com, you can rent out spaces, such as:
- Garage or parking space
- Storage space for a boat or an RV
- Empty lot
- Extra attic storage
The Neighbor.com platform helps connect people who need space with people who want to earn extra income. It also offers insurance to help protect you if people’s items become damaged or stolen.
The best part about this hustle is that it’s passive income – you can do it while earning money in other ways. And if you have the extra space, why not rent it and earn some cash?
16. Start a Cleaning Service
If you love cleaning houses and don’t mind the work, starting a cleaning service is one of the best ways to earn money in your spare time. You can begin advertising your services on websites like Craisglist.org or Facebook Marketplace, and it shouldn’t be difficult to get more gigs once you have a few references you can share.
How much can you earn cleaning houses? Depending on where you live, you should easily earn $25 to $100 per hour.
17. Assemble Furniture
Many people buy IKEA furniture, but most don’t have the time or skill to put it together. That’s where you come in. With a website like TaskRabbit, you can apply for gigs putting together furniture or hanging pictures on walls.
TaskRabbit gigs can include many types of work, including yardwork or errands like picking up dry cleaning. If you want to earn money on the side doing basic tasks that take a few hours or less, consider setting up a profile and browsing gigs on TaskRabbit right away.
18. Become a Housesitter
You can find work as a housesitter through websites like Care.com, or if you want a free place to stay, however, you can find house-sitting and pet-sitting gigs with free lodging all over the world with TrustedHousesitters.com.
Either way, this side hustle is about as easy as it gets. All that’s typically required is living in a place and keeping it safe. You may also be asked to water plants, fetch the mail, or take care of a few pets, but that’s about it.
19. Elderly Care
Elderly care is another side gig that’s growing in popularity, primarily due to our aging population. Many older people want to continue living in their own homes, although they may need some help to make that happen.
You may be able to find senior care jobs through Care.com, but you can also find them by asking people you know. Fortunately, this job is usually pretty easy, and you can make $15 to $25 per hour or more doing grocery shopping and light cleaning.
20. Sell Jewelry Online
Do you have an old wedding ring you no longer wear? Maybe you have a knack for finding inexpensive jewelry that can be easily resold for much more than you paid.
Either way, you can resell jewelry for a profit on websites like eBay or even Worthy.com. With Worthy, in particular, you can sell jewelry to a network of professional buyers who may be willing to pay top dollar for the best finds.
21. Flip Concert Tickets
Did you hear about the Taylor Swift ticket fiasco in late 2022? Fans quickly bought out all the tickets to her 50+ shows nationwide, crashing the Ticketmaster website. Many of those tickets are now listed for much higher prices on resale websites like StubHub.com and VividSeats.com.
While flipping concert tickets may not feel ethical, money can be made with this hustle. For the most part, you have to be willing to invest some money upfront into tickets to shows that you know will sell out. From there, list them on a resale site for a competitive price and wait for a sale.
22. Babysit
Watching other people’s kids is another way to make $15 to $25 per hour during your spare time. This is another hustle that you may be able to pick up through people you already know, but you can also create a profile on Care.com to find gigs in your area.
23. Pick Up Gigs on Fiverr
Do you have some basic writing or editing skills? Maybe you love designing newsletters or have a knack for graphic design.
In any case, a website called Fiverr.com can help you pick up gig work that you can do from home. While the rates you charge may be low when you first start (even as low as $5 per gig on Fiverr), professionals who work on Fiverr regularly can increase their rates over time.
24. Write an eBook
If you have a story idea or are naturally creative, you can use Microsoft Word or Google Docs to write a book and turn it into a product you can sell using CreateSpace.com. This platform can help you format your book so you can sell it as an eBook, which takes the hassle involved in book printing and storage out of the equation.
While you may only be able to earn $7 to $20 for each book you sell, the good news about eBooks is that you do the work once, and you can sell it over and over. CreateSpace offers added features like direct Kindle publishing and print-on-demand, so the sky’s the limit for where this hustle could take you.
25. Teach English Online
If you have worked as a teacher in the past or you currently teach, you may be able to pick up a side gig teaching English to international students online. VIPKid.com helps facilitate this process, and the website claims that its teachers earn between $14 and $22 per hour working from home.
VIPKid.com lets you set your hours and availability, like other side hustles on this list. This means you can use the platform to work only the days you want, especially since the platform doesn’t have a minimum hour requirement.
26. Take and Sell Stock Photos
Do you love taking photos? If so, you can use your skills and expertise to take professional photographs you can sell later.
The fact is, many websites are constantly looking for new photos they can sell for online use. This includes websites like Depositphotos and iStockPhoto, both of which purchase high-quality photos and video clips that meet their specifications.
27. Start a Painting Business
Starting a painting company is a great way to earn a part-time or full-time income. This is especially true now, considering many labor-intensive gigs are incredibly hard to fill.
You can try to pick up painting gigs through your local network, but you can also set up a profile on ThumbTack.com. Not only is Thumbtack free for you to use, but you also get technical support, and the platform takes care of all payments on your behalf.
28. Become a Proofreader
If you’re looking for an easy way to earn $1,000 or more per month, proofreading can provide you with steady work. This gig requires you to read over content to check for spelling and grammatical errors, and it frequently pays between $15 and $25 per hour.
If you’re curious about what it takes to find work as a proofreader, you can look into courses on websites like ProofreadAnywhere. This site even offers a free workshop that lets you see if you have what it takes to become a professional proofreader.
29. Create an Online Course
Maybe you have a particular skill or talent you want to teach others, whether baking beautiful pastries or investing for profit. In either case, you can create an online course once and sell it to people repeatedly.
Platforms like Teachable.com make the process easy since they can host your course and take care of payments on your behalf. According to the platform, some of the most popular courses for sale right now are on topics like:
- Pottery
- Watercolor painting
- Cake baking and decorating
- Foreign language
- Graphic design
You can also charge whatever you want for your course, so the potential for profit is limitless.
30. Flip Websites for Profit
If you have an eye for value and some knowledge of digital real estate, you can make money by flipping websites and domain names for profit. An online marketplace called Flippa.com makes the resale side of the equation a breeze since it lets you list your site and solicit offers from potential buyers.
You can buy or sell any existing domain or revenue-generating website. Of course, you will ultimately make the most money by selling premium domain names and websites that are already turning a profit.
31. Start a Podcast
Podcasting has become another popular income stream for many online entrepreneurs, and it’s easy to see why. After all, it’s fairly easy to set up a podcast and record it yourself, and you can spend time growing your audience organically without spending a ton of money upfront.
Once your podcast has a large enough reach, you can begin to monetize with the help of sponsorships and paid advertising. If you’re looking for an example, my own podcast is a success story worth checking out.
32. Build a YouTube Channel
Building a YouTube channel can also help you earn more money if you love talking on camera and don’t mind being on video. The interesting thing about YouTube is that you can also repurpose your recorded video content into a podcast. With that in mind, this side hustle can do “double duty” and help you earn more money over time.
Once again, I know this side hustle works from personal experience. I started my Wealth Hacker YouTube channel several years ago, and it has grown to more than 400,000 subscribers.
My guide on How to Make Money On YouTube can help you do exactly what I have done, so make sure you check it out!
33. Become a Handyman
If you have skills that translate well to homeownership, you can also consider picking up handyman work in your spare time. You may be asked to complete tasks that include hanging flat-screen televisions, changing light fixtures, and putting together small furniture. However, you can take on only the jobs you want and set your rates.
Once again, ThumbTack.com is a great place to create a profile and find work as a handyman. You can also look for gigs on websites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.org and ask people you know if they need help.
34. Start a Pool Cleaning Service
If you want a gig that lets you spend time outdoors, you can also look into starting a pool cleaning business. This is another one where you can advertise your services on websites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.org or look for jobs with pool owners you may already know.
ThumbTack.com is another platform that can help you land pool cleaning and service gigs.
35. Donate Plasma
If you have spare time and don’t mind being pricked with a needle, donating plasma can help you earn some easy cash. You can find places to donate Plasma using the website DonatingPlasma.org. Many donation centers pay up to $100 for the first donation and up to $50 for each donation after that.
While you may only be able to donate plasma a few times per week, you could use this hustle to earn a few hundred dollars per month.
36. Test Out New Products
If you’re willing to test new products or services in your spare time, this is another way to earn money. You’ll find various websites that can help connect you with gigs. Some of the best ones include:
- Influenster
- Pinecone Research
- UserTesting
- Vindale Research
For the most part, testing out products and services is easy. You typically have to create an account online, and you can agree to test out products or services and answer questions after the fact. You won’t earn a ton of money with this side gig, but you may be able to squeak out $5 to $10 per hour, depending on how dedicated you are.
37. Haul Junk
Many people have piles of junk to get rid of, which is why you’ll find junk-hauling businesses everywhere. People also need other items moved, including furniture or hot tubs, when they relocate from one place to another.
Either way, a hauling business is easy to start; you only need a truck and some extra hands. You can advertise by having business cards printed or with a profile on ThumbTack.com. You can also see who might need help locally using websites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.org.
The Bottom Line – Best Side Hustle Ideas
There you have it, the best side hustle ideas for 2024. The beautiful thing is that you can start most of them within the next few weeks. You may also be able to juggle more than one side hustle at once and earn more cash in a shorter period.
If you’re looking for other ways to earn more money, check out the following guides:
Side Hustle FAQs
Profitable side hustles depend on several factors, such as location, the individual’s skills and experience, available time, and access to resources.
Some of the most profitable side hustles are included on our list, like driving for a rideshare company, becoming a virtual assistant, tutoring, and providing pet care services.
Easy (and profitable) side hustles to start include freelance writing, virtual assistant work, online tutoring, selling items on eBay or Etsy, pet sitting/dog walking, becoming a ride-share driver, blogging, and providing graphic design services.
Remember that you’ll need to develop the necessary skills for some side hustles.
Starting a side hustle with no money can be done. If you have a service to sell, like web design, writing, etc., you can find clients on freelance marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork, which don’t charge you upfront.
You may also consider trading your services for goods or services you need. Finally, look into starting an online store through platforms like Shopify, which requires little upfront capital.
